Today was a day of mixed feeling, good and bad coexisting together. I was in Alexandria, exploring a new city, which was great. But I was missing the quiet, relaxing beach scene in Dahab. It was fine to be able to explore on my own (and get lost on my own), set my own pace, and move to the beat of my own drum. But I was missing the good company of Sean and Jamie. I had some very pleasant meals and snacks, looking out over the Mediterranean Sea, absorbed in the peaceful waters. But I also had to catch a taxi to a bus station, ride a bus back to the Cairo airport, and sit and endure hours and hours of travel back to Uganda.
On the last day of my vacation in Egypt, I came away with very … mixed … feelings. But that surely doesn’t define my view of the trip as a whole. That would be just a tad bit more than “mixed feelings,” maybe more like: “It was an incredible experience; I loved my time in Egypt; the people were great; and oh yeah, I LOVE traveling!” Yeah, that would do it justice. But alas, this post is about what I did today, so here we go.
My first stop was Fort Qaitbey. This is a fort at the end of the harbor that was built in the fifteenth century. It was built on top of the ruins of the Pharos, a huge lighthouse that was on the tip of the pier for 17 centuries. Oh yeah, the Pharos was one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. I think the Egyptians knew what they were doing when they built “wondrous” structures. Anyways, the view from the fort was amazing, looking back across the harbor at the many ships in the water and the tall buildings along the shore. I wandered around the fort for a while, taking pictures and marveling at how well-kept the old fort was.
My walk back started with a quick ice cream stop at a local shop with a huge crowd, so I figured it would be good. It was so hot out, and ice cream was the perfect fix. I walked down to the local fish market, which wasn’t necessarily as nice as a place like Pike’s Place in Seattle, but had a very authentic feel to it nonetheless. I meandered through the winding streets of many different shops, getting temporarily lost along the way. But when in doubt, head towards the sea, and navigate from there.
Once I found my bearings again, I went to have lunch at a local seafood place that the guidebook raved about. Oh my word, were they right! I walked into the restaurant, picked my fish out of the ice (sea bass and crab), and they cooked it right away. While I was waiting for the fish, I was brought pita bread and many different types of hummus and accompaniments for the bread. The fish came, and it was delicious! In Uganda, there’s plenty of tilapia, but it’s always fried, served with oily chips, and tastes like, well, fish and chips. And that’s fine, but this seafood beat that way out of the water! The restaurant also had a great atmosphere, with many locals eating there, and sitting at a table looking out over the water.
Although I was more than satisfied when I left the restaurant, I decided to stop at another place on the walk back to my hotel. It was a juice shop – again with great reviews from the Lonely Planet – and served the best mango juice I’ve ever had. It was a bit chunky, but that just made the mango taste even better. I continued alternating from walking along the main strip along the shore and exploring some back alleys a bit away from the water, since there were just so many different markets, shops, and restaurants to see. I sat along the water watching the sun start to set, knowing that it meant my time in Egypt was also ending very soon. I grabbed my stuff from the hotel, hailed a taxi, and sadly, the travel part of the day had begun.
However, the story this time around was much less exciting, and so much more according to plan. The taxi took me to the bus station on the edge of Alexandria, where I purchased a ticket to Cairo and got on the bus right away. The bus took me right to the airport, where I found the check-in terminal (it’s a bit confusing). After waiting for a bit, I checked in, received my boarding passes for the flights all the way back to Entebbe, and then waited some more. The first flight didn’t leave Cairo until 2:30am, but aside from the inconvenient timing, all the flights were smooth. 18 hours after leaving Alexandria, I was back “home” safely in Uganda.
So, that’s my story about Egypt. I hope you enjoyed it, and I’m hoping that writing all this will get me more in the habit of writing about what’s going on here in Uganda. It’s just that I’ve developed such a routine, and life here feels normal, so to me, it’s not this crazy “I’m living in Africa” thing anymore, but instead it’s “I’m working for an NGO, enjoying my job, having fun hanging out with friends, traveling a bit, and oh yeah, I’m living in Africa.” But, I know that many of you would like more frequent updates, so this is me saying I will try. That’s all I can guarantee. Until the next post … peace out!
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