Khan shopping

I really wanted to go shopping in the Khan this weekend so that I could wander around while it is nice and quiet, but also to buy a few things and spend some money at a time when the businesses really need it. Scotty had a band practice with JT and so I went with a friend, Therese.
We got the Metro down there, as I normally do, changing at Sadat Metro station. This is the Metro station for Tahrir Square and it was all totally normal there for the change. We decided we didn't want to go to the square itself because there had been some trouble in Maadi a few days ago, and we still feel that this revolution is about what Egyptians have achieved, not us.
When we exited at Attaba Metro we came into the book market, but found that half the stalls were closed and it wasn't half as busy as it normally is. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that we were going through at 11am, not mid-afternoon as we usually go.
Onto Mohamed Ali street and I find my "sign man". I commission a new sign with the house number "38" for Fab and Sam's new place. I pay him the full amount and will come back in a few weeks time.
We pass some food; fresh food stalls and the deep-fried variety! They all look and smell yum!
Onto the route to Bab Zuweila now and I'm needing to get more coffee as we're on our last bit frm the packet before Christmas. After a few tries the man finds the thicker ground stuff that our Aeropress needs. I take two 1/4kg bags and also a small box of cinnamon and hibiscus tea that looks interesting: 23.5LE
We then walk a meandering route through the tent makers market and into the local market streets beyond. We try to find our way back on a circular route, trying to keep our bearings with the main streets. We find ourselves in the marble area where men are carving and polishing huge pieces. It's here that I find a hardware store that might have what Scott is after; an adjustable spanner. Therese's arabic is far better than mine, but neither of us know the words for "adjustable spanner", so I make the gesture. They come back with something that looks a lot larger than I was thinking of, but it will do. The only smaller ones they have are fixed size and I know we need one that we can adjust. 15LE job done. It weighs down in my bag, but it's OK. When I get home Scotty tells me that infact I have bought a wrench. I thought it was a little too big! Anyway, only 15LE spent and  we can get something smaller on Road 9 when we next visit there.
Back in the tent makers and I stop to buy some material for Fabs. I buy two bits of  "Ramadan material" that are both blue, but one has green in it and the other has red. 4m of each, so hopefully that is enough for her to do something with in the new place. 80LE
The shop owner now shows us some of his other hangings and cushion covers. Therese buys some cushion covers and then there are some nice hangings that we both eye up. He offers us a good price if we will take them both so we agree. We both now have a fish scene that we can hang by our bathrooms. Scotty and I had been thinking of getting something like this for a while - as we go diving - so now we have it. 100LE
I go and say "hi" to our usual man and he is pleased to see us and glad we are well. We discuss politics for a while and he says he thinks Gadafi will be the next leader to fall as he is "magnoon" crazy.
We've been out a while now and we walk towards the main Khan El Khalili. The only think left for me to get is any more revolutionary memorabelia that they might be selling. When we get into the main Khan we are bombarded with stall holders trying to sell us their wares. We didn't have this on the other side and although there are tourists here (only saw three other Westerners since we left Maadi) it's nothing compared to the normal numbers. This explains why the stall owners are desparate.
I find a shop with some black-white-red hats. They have the eagle on the front and then writing on one side about the revolution. 25LE can't complain at that price so I get one. He has loads, so I know I can get more if needed, but I think this is more a token, than something anyone will go around wearing.
Then a stall selling t-shirts. It's the only one which surprises me, but there you go. I get one for me which says "I love Egypt" in arabic and then the reovlution dates. For Scotty I get one with the outline of Egypt in the flag colours that also says something like "the men did it" which translates to a kind of people power message I think. 45LE each, he goes straight down to 80LE for the two.
Taxi back home and a cup of tea :)

Fixing the tap

There comes a time in every revolution when....

...memorabilia comes on sale!

 

 You may have read stories about people in Tahrir Square taking on responsibilities such as searching people as they enter the square or cleaning. Well the cleaning has spread well beyond Tahrir Square and is now taking place all over. Young Egyptians seem to be saying to themselves "what can I do to help?" and wanting to say "I am proud of my country" and so are taking to the streets in teams to clean them. After cleaning some teams are repainting the black and white curbs, or using coloured paint to brighten things up (such as the Grand Mall roundabout). With nationalism at its height, it's hardly suprising to have seen this in the next street from us.

Dahab - a relaxing holiday?

We were going to get away from it all, but with the news on Friday evening in the airport that Mubarak had resigned we knew we had more of a chance of having a relaxing holiday.
When we first discussed the break with Kevin we were unsure whether to spend the full week in Dahab, or just part of the time and then travel to spend time together in Cairo. This would be the longest we'd stayed in Dahab and sometimes there's only so much laid-back music and Bedouin seating you can take! We thought we might do a few activities, but then have some time to relax. We were right, and wrong in a way.

When packing I put three books in the suitcase along with diving gear, running gear and a uke. That'll keep us busy was the reasoning - and it did.
So what did we accomplish in our week?

• We established that Kevin loves cats, and would feed them from the table (if only Scott and I weren't there to tell him not to!)
• We went snorkling (twice for us, and five times for Kevin as he went snorkling at the dives sites whilst we were under)
• Alice grazed her knee snorkling (luckily it was the left knee so these scars will now join the ones from snorkling March 2009 and Road 9 February 2010) 
• We drank cold karkady, tea, nescafe then proper coffee (from the German Bakery), fresh orange juice, three new beers (Sphinx - predictably named, but gave us a stinking hangover from just one bottle. Castillo - new generic larger. Goldberg - new larger that is tastier than most as hops is actually listed in the ingredients)
• We love King Chicken (half a chicken, bread and tahini, rice, soup and potatoes cooked in lard all for 25LE = bargin!)
• We love our fresh bread and mezze starters and grilled meats.
• Scott loves beef pizza at the Jasmine.
• Our Valentines Day dinner was one of the worst ever (it was about 9.45pm when we got to the restaurant we wanted to try and it was new, but looked very nice on the front. After an hour they managed to bring the wrong food, cold. After some arguing about what was written on the menu we finally got half of the meal correct and some food. Scott was told to calm down and we paid them the exact amount on the bill leaving food on the table to encourgae the cats)
• We went on three dives to deserted dive sites (you know it is quiet when there is only one other group at the Canyon at 10.30am. We dived to the coral garden on the right of the Canyon instead of the Canyon itself and then at a dive site that has no signs and is accessed via a building site!)
• Kevin completed two watercolours and has photos ready for many more. One painting was finished using coffee as colouring)
• Scotty recorded a music video on his uke
• We went for a run
• We went for a walk....up a mountain!
• Kevin had a camel ride....up a mountain!
• We bought t-shirts and postcards
• We only nearly finished the books we were reading

Overall we had an amazing time - just the right balance of doing things and relaxing - but wish we could have all stayed for longer.

We do need to add that Dahab was deathly quiet when we got there. We'd heard from a friend who was already there that it was quiet, but this really surprised us. For example we got to the Jasmine on the first night (the restaurant we always hang out in) and we were the only people there apart from the chef and the waiter. When we ate there two nights later it was the same. Normally the place isn't heaving, but there are at least a fwe other groups of people there. As we walked down the front so many restuarants didn't have people in, or only had one small group. In our hotel for most of the week it was just the three of us and then one other guest. Diver's House and Jasmine didn't have anyone staying with them. So many shops or restaurants though were just closed - no lights on. When we bought our t-shirts we saw in their log book that we were the first people to buy something from them in four days.
It was really sad to see it so quiet actually. We've been complaining on our last few visits that it is getting more well known with tourists and therefore busier and more commercial. But seeing it so empty and so quiet made us really worry about the businesses here if tourism doens't pick up again. This time of year is off-season, but with everything that is going on obviously a lot of people had canceled their trips. We do hope things pick up again.

Not from yor usual correspondant

A friend of the family, Hugh, arrived in Cairo just as we were leaving for Dahab. He's a reporter with the BBC and we were gutted we couldn't meet up with him. On his blog though are a few of his reports and these two in particular show what was happening in the week after Mubarak resigned.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/pm/2011/02/hugh_in_egypt.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/pm/2011/02/hugh_in_egypt_1.shtml

What a difference a day makes (10th - 11th February)

 So after two weeks of rollercoaster emotions we are now preparing for our break in Dahab. It's hard to call it a "holiday" for sure at the moment, as we don't know what will happen still.
Thursday early evening and we hear through text messages and news blogs that Mubarak is about to make a speech. We take "about to" quite loosely and keep going with our packing whilst monitoring the blogs for updates.
Rumours are now abound about what might be announced. Stories are referencing an unnamed army official who is telling protesters that all their demands will be answered. This wording is interesting - when Mubarak first announced that he was not going to re-run in September they deemed this "all the demands will be addressed" but now that they are being "answered" this could really be it that he is resigning.
Curfew has hit and it's dark outside but full of anticipation. We hear some cars approaching the roundabout honking with delight at the prospect that Mubarak might be standing down "Beep Beep Be-Be-Beep!" The crowds in Tahrir Square and the news blogs are a-buzz with anticipation.
We stream Al-Jazeera on the computer and watch the army chief's speech. As the camera pans around the room of their meeting it is clear that Mubarak isn't there - Scott notes this as being key because Mubarak is the commander in chief and so should be there. I think it's interesting that they have shown this footage - they didn't need to show the meeting, so maybe the army are trying to make a point. "Communique Number 1" Scott notes is also the language of military rule....we could be in for something interesting.
Everyone remains on tenter hooks as we wait for Mubarak to make his speech.
He's on and facebook is alive with updates.
But what is he saying?
Throughout all of this the translators on the news have been doing an amazing job to translate speeches as they are made - listening to what is being said in one language while speaking another. The language here though is really flowery and imprecise. We're at a loss as to what is happening. It's certainly not being made clear that he is resigning which is what all the signs pointed to. If he isn't resigning now, then all the hype over the last two hours are going to make things a lot worse.
The speech is over and it is silent outside. Al-J say they are waiting for a full translation to confirm what has happened. Everyone is a little stunned - things have just shifted again from a hugely positive feeling to one of shock and depression. An end was in sight, people were on a high, and now this low feels lower than they were before any rumour of announcement came.
Before we go to bed we call Kevin and let him know that...well, basically we don't know what will happen now. By speaking Mubarak could have made things worse. It seems that he said he was handing over powers, but this was so vague, convoluted and unclear that no one is really sure. Friday has been a day of focused activity in Tahrir Square and so we decide that even though our flight is early afternoon we're going to go earlier to the airport just to be sure. We tell Kevin to keep his mobile on when he arrives at Manchester airport and we will text him an update - who knows if flights will go, or be cancelled, or the travel advice will change.
We know that no one will sleep well tonight as no one knows what tomorrow may bring.

We get up and it's quiet. Very quiet.
We keep ourselves busy for a few hours before our lift to the airport.
The drive to the airport is quiet. Most of the tanks we are used to seeing on the streets and Ring Road aren't there any more.
The airport is quiet.

A sign of the times? We hope not.

Our flight is pretty much full, only a few spare seats. But when you consider that EgyptAir have cancelled 60% of their flights on this route today and re-booked most people it's a very small number of people that are leaving Cairo today for Sharm.
In Sharm now and we settle in to our 6-hour wait for Kevin's flight to come in. We knew this would be tedious, but felt that it would be better to get here and wait, than be stuck in Cairo airport with problems. We have books, cards, games on the I-pod touch and TV to watch on the laptop. What we do though is use the dongle to get the internet up and running and check the news.
Nothing is happening, so we get on with the waiting.
Texts then arrive from Jane in the UK - another announcement is rumoured. "Soon". We keep on the internet for 30 minutes, but then decide to save the dongle until later, asking Jane to text us when it happens.
An episode of Being Human later (we love that show) and we check that Kevin's flight is coming in on time. It's due to be nearly 40 minutes early - brilliant!
Text from Jane "He's on now"
We log on and get to Al-Jazeera to watch their live stream. By the time we're there though all we can see is images of a cheering crowd in Tahrir Square. Everyone is going crazy and shouting and waving flags. This must be it - it is it, he has resigned. We log on to various news blogs to check the news that is soon flashing across our screen. It's amazing that this has just happened.
We look around us.
The airport is dead. We think we're the only people who know as none of the few police or check-in people have made any moves in the last five minutes. It feels very very strange to know this news and not be able to share it with anyone.

Just after hearing the news.

Sharm airport just after the news.

How we found out.

We think about the last two weeks and what a rollercoaster of emotions we've been through and then about the last 24-hours when Egypt's gone from highs of anticipation last night, to lows of confusion and now this.
Part of us is upset that we are not there in Cairo to celebrate. We've been there all this time and stuck by the city and the people, as they have stuck by their beliefs, but now we're in a deserted airport, alone. We are missing the biggest street party every in Egypt! But also we feel we deserve a break, a holiday - and Kevin does too - so this is what we can now go ahead and have with this news.

Reflections from the airport

We're currently sitting in the coffeeshop in EgyptAir's Terminal 3.  We're checked in for our 1.45pm flight to Sharm-el-Sheik, and it seems to be on time.  We're heading to Sharm to meet my dad, who booked back in November to spend half-term with us in Dahab.  We would have been in Dahab anyway, but he fancied the chance to get a break.

The airport is very quiet.  The drive up was uneventful - where a few days ago there were tanks on the ring-road today there were street sweepers.  The heavy military equipment at the gates to airport itself were replaced by a couple of Jeeps.  Police and army were still out in number, but it's nowhere near the levels of 'security forces' we've seen over the past two weeks.  Let's face it, we see more tanks going to the Grand Mall a minute away from our apartment than we did this morning on a 30 minute drive.

Life inside the airport is a surreal tension.  The airport seems to be functioning normally, apart from the complete lack of customers.  Waiting for our flight in the concourse coffeeshop with the few other people flying today, we're outnumbered 2-to-1 by barristas, cleaners, and duty free staff.  The full number were evident when the TV presenter on screen above us read out a statement issued by the military.  The TV has been blasting out the state TV channel's endless streams of propaganda since we arrived.  Just now it's got exciting film-style music while selected photos of the protests go over the top.  The majority of the photos are of government meetings and generic shots of the Egyptian flag.  There's not even a hint of the scale of what has happened, and what is still happening.

However, during the reading of the statement everything stopped.  Everyone gathered round in silence.  Although it was in Arabic, the fact we couldnt' pick out any key words suggested to us it didn't really say anything.  The faces of the staff confirmed it: a facial shrug-of-the-shoulders look, that everything they were hoping for was still just a hope.  Soon after we reached out the laptop and got online - confirmation that the speech said very little that will ease the situation today.

It's strange being back here.  2 weeks ago we were in this same terminal, in this same coffee shop, waiting for our flight to Luxor for Alice's birthday.  So much has changed since then, but so much is still ominously the same.  It's frankly unbelievable that after everything the protesters have done the same government, the same President, are still in power.  We're sitting in the same departure lounge, waiting for our flight, while the whole of Egypt is waiting for Mubarak's departure.  There's a sad parallel there somewhere.