Turkey & The Middle East

When two taxi drivers starting arguing over who will take me to my hostel, that's when I realised I was in a true Arab country. I wasn't given the greatest impression of Egyptians from the outset. The hostel is shabby, on the top floor of a building, but the guys who work here, Hasan and Mahmoud are lovely people. Mahmoud has helped me create an itinerary and Hasan is a lovely Sudanese brother who has a very quiet voice and many stories to tell.

After settling in I decided to go to the island of Zamalek, a supposed posh area with many embassies. On my way back I was still waiting for these posh area to arrive. Almost everything (minus some embassies) are dusty and dilapidated as if the country took some fateful u turn after seeing a period of progress. The buildings and hotels are grand and beautiful and must have been quite prestigious in their heyday. I had an authentic thin base Italian pizza with a delicious dates and milk drink (which I may return for) whilst looking out onto the Nile on the northern side of Zamalek. I have to say the Nile has not been the romantic scene I was expecting so far, perhaps on my way to Aswan.

My first impression hasn't been the greatest. Maybe I'm getting old but the chaos upsets me. Why hasn't more been done to develop this country. Why are the streets dirty and broken, why is the traffic system a mess and why does everything look in need of repair. The people seem a mixed batch of nice and crooked. Perhaps these people are better off being ruled by the West. They clearly can't prosper on their own. I had higher expectations of Egypt, I thought it was more developed. Either that or I'm subconsciously comparing to Istanbul. Only time will tell...Read more