A few weeks ago I was asked: 'What makes Egypt so special?' There are so many
reasons why Egypt is special: the people; the archaeology; the sense of timelessness; the contrasts. All that is Egypt, but Egypt is so much more.
reasons why Egypt is special: the people; the archaeology; the sense of timelessness; the contrasts. All that is Egypt, but Egypt is so much more.
It was 3 o’clock in the morning. I hadn’t slept a wink. Sleeplessness was in part a mixture of sheer terror mixed with excitement, a complete sense of disbelief that I was really here, in Egypt, standing on a balcony in a hotel in Cairo, overlooking the river Nile, the largest river in Africa, and for me, a dream come true. Part was practical. Across from the hotel was 6th October Bridge, a main traffic-way across the river; (roadway would be inappropriate given the numbers of donkeys and carts mingling with more conventional road traffic). Just before the road swept over the bridge there was a traffic island. It was this traffic island which was the practical cause of my sleeplessness. Three dogs were standing on the island, two canine friends were on the opposite pavement, and for some minutes they engaged in doggy discussion as to which way they should go. I didn’t stick around to see the end of the discussion but presumably some sort of compromise was reached as it suddenly fell silent.