Our Arrival
We touched down at 10.00 pm to what at first sight (and several more sights since) seems total chaos: Cairo International Airport Arrivals. Eventually, somehow, we found ourselves outside the terminal building drifting across to the waiting coach. The journey into Cairo passed as a blur of lights, high gates, military look-out posts, cafes and large blocks of flats, the road becoming more and more busy as we drove further into Cairo.
As we drove into the hotel courtyard there was a sigh of relief. We had arrived. My colleague ushered us into the reception area, khakade appeared while we were filling in the immigration form. There were comfortable chairs to unwind. There was also a lot of cement! The hotel was undegoing renovation. In the centre of the reception area was a large round circle. This would eventually be transformed into a fountain but for now, it was cement. The restaurant was out of action, breakfast was in reception. To say it was a building site, staff were wonderful. Rooms were fine, comfortable and fairly spacious. My problem was the lift. It was a mystery I never did solve. The lift definitely said we were on the 5th floor or above. The Ground Floor and the First Floor were fine (the restaurant was on the First Floor) but where were the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors? I even walked down the stairs, but no, there was no intervening floor between the First Floor and the 5th Floor. I did though discover a reason it was probably better to use the lift. Part-way down the stairs was a long, high window, lovely for light, even better because there was no glass!
As we drove into the hotel courtyard there was a sigh of relief. We had arrived. My colleague ushered us into the reception area, khakade appeared while we were filling in the immigration form. There were comfortable chairs to unwind. There was also a lot of cement! The hotel was undegoing renovation. In the centre of the reception area was a large round circle. This would eventually be transformed into a fountain but for now, it was cement. The restaurant was out of action, breakfast was in reception. To say it was a building site, staff were wonderful. Rooms were fine, comfortable and fairly spacious. My problem was the lift. It was a mystery I never did solve. The lift definitely said we were on the 5th floor or above. The Ground Floor and the First Floor were fine (the restaurant was on the First Floor) but where were the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors? I even walked down the stairs, but no, there was no intervening floor between the First Floor and the 5th Floor. I did though discover a reason it was probably better to use the lift. Part-way down the stairs was a long, high window, lovely for light, even better because there was no glass!