Visiting the Oracle
“Who goes to Siwa for three days?” a local asked me. Well, me. And my 20 new friends. I could see the Siwan local’s point, though. Siwa is an oasis […]
NOTEBOOK
Canter past Patagonian icefields. Sail the tranquil waters of Lake Como in Italy. Sip coffee in a Palestinian village. Listen to the ancient voices of Australia’s Arnhem Land. Climb the mountain paths of northern Albania. Let’s go!
Watching the movies, watching the moviegoers
My ears are still doing that weird void of silence things after an assault in the cinema at Cairo’s glamour mall, City Stars. I know Egypt has only two levels […]
The night before Eid
The streets are filled with sheep and the occasional cow in the last days before Eid, the Feast of the Sacrifice. The sheep have been set into makeshift pens and […]
Animal kingdom visits Cairo
Cairo is gearing up for Eid. Last night, as I closed my windows, I heard the familiar sounds of geese disturbed in their sleep, the rooster trying out his pre-dawn […]
Football: the drug of the nation?
It’s been days now. Days since Egypt was defeated by Algeria in its last chance to play in the 2010 World Cup. But Egypt’s not letting go. Even though Ireland […]
Tension in the hours before Algeria-Egypt match
Palpable. That’s the word of the day. The final qualifier between Algeria and Egypt is being played at 7.30pm local time today, in Sudan. Because it’s not in the Cairo […]
Monkey business and Pet Shop Boys
Cliched title, I know. Due to popular demand, I went back down to the pet shop that had a monkey/ape (I’m not so good at primate identification) and snapped a […]
Weird spotting on Cairo streets
Weird things spotted in a neighbourhood walk today: Entire buses full of red, white and black painted men geared up for the Egypt v Algeria match tonight. Cappuccino-mint flavoured toothpaste. […]
Egypt-Algeria match fever
Tickets went on sale today for the Egypt v Algeria match on Saturday. Boys have already started selling flags on the streets in the lead-up to the match, and it’s […]
Getting piggy
I got a call from a friend today: he was livid. His kids’ expensive school here in Cairo has been closed because of an outbreak of swine flu – a […]