Spire of spite: Cairo Tower
Today, we went to the Cairo Tower for breakfast. We took the lift to the 25th floor, to the top of the 187-foot tower. The city coughed and spat way […]
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!
Muslim-Christian violence rents Upper Egyptian town
The southern Egyptian town of Naga Hammadi will never be the same again. The past week has seen the town, 60km north of Luxor, turn into a battleground of sectarian […]
Positions vacant: wanted, one military dictator
The discussion over who will suceed President Hosny Mubarak, now 81, is reaching fever pitch, even in such far-flung corners as Australia. Take a look at this article appearing in […]
The art of Egyptian bus travel
I was stuck on a bus travelling from the Mediterranean town of Marsa Matrouh back to Cairo, watching the nerdy, diminuitive, slapstick actor, Mohamed Henedy, who despite (or perhaps because […]
Reasons why not to drink in Egypt
Surely this pic is enough? Snapped in a shopfront in Downtown Cairo, Fenilad Fodka and imitation Johnny Walker whisky, though my favourite is still the ‘Johnny Walking’ brand. They’re marked […]
A budget tip for the Giza Pyramids
We were prancing around the Pyramids the other day (as you do) and went inside for a look: it’s been a year since I went inside the tombs, preferring to […]
Honesty and Egypt Air
A note I read recently in Egypt Air’s inflight magazine, Horus, about air travel: “Wear comfortable/casual pants/shoes – sometimes it gets cold and there may not be extra blankets. Plus, […]
Happy New Year.
Enough said…
Sultans of Bling
Most people visit Cairo for the Pyramids at Giza, Sakkara and Dashur. Many do it also for the medieval mosques in Islamic Cairo. But Cairo as a shopper’s paradise like […]
Christmas in Cairo
It just doesn’t feel like Christmas here in Cairo. No matter how many plump plaster-cast reindeers and glitzy gold Christmas trees in the mall. No matter how many boys selling […]