We’ve just had two mates join us for the weekend from London – and it reminded me again that we are actually living the most fantastic adventure! They arrived on Thursday morning, and spent the day missioning around Zamalek (the island in the middle of the Nile), and then headed to Khan el Khalili (the most enormous market – which is famous for the amount of haggling you have to do).
As soon as I finished work on Thursday evening, we jumped on a felucca and had sundowners and snacks while sailing down the Nile. This was the start of a rather enormous night, which included dinner at Sequoia (an open air restaurant perched on the edge of the Nile with big white couches, specializing in sushi and sheesha), drinks and dancing at Mojito’s (an open air bar on the 32nd floor of the Hilton Hotel with a view over the roof tops of the city and the Nile) and ended up on our balcony at home. This is where it ended for me, but the boys walked down to the Nile and watched the sun rise from the banks, and then decided that breakfast at the Four Seasons would be a fabulous idea (I hate to think what they looked like!).
We went quad-biking in the desert the next day – but quad-biking with a difference: no rules (no helmets, no liability release forms, no speed / direction limitations) – and we were quad biking through the desert past the step Pyramids (the oldest Pyramids in Egypt). Unbelievable – the best hangover cure in the world. (We also drove past 2 missiles that were poised and ready for firing in this fenced off area – one has to wonder what else is hiding in these deserts!)
The rest of our weekend included a pool party at a friend’s house in Katameya (the golf course similar to Dainfern on steroids), a trip to the Citadel and a tour of Coptic Cairo. All in all, we got to do some really awesome things, and it just reminded me that even 6 months into our adventure we haven’t even scratched the surface of what Egypt has to offer!
This week we have a fashion show to attend (everyone is very excited about the fact that there is a dress code: casual chic!) and then we head to the Red Sea for a weekend of scuba diving (there are about 20 of us who have hired a live-aboard for someone’s birthday – bring on the cake and champagne!)
So yes, we have a social life (have tapped into the expat world of British Gas, Vodafone and embassy officials). Luke is playing soccer this evening at the British Embassy (which is next door to our house) and we are heading to the Queen’s birthday ball in June (black tie – sooo excited to whip out my ball dress!)
On the work front – we continue to bash our heads against brick walls, and spend a lot of time breathing deeply (to prevent seriously injuring various colleagues). So that is not so cool – but again, this is all part of the experience, and it comes with the territory. Moving on has certainly crossed our minds, but for now we are staying put…
