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| Driving to El Nasr Street in Rains of March 2014! |
I woke up to the sound of rain. At first, I thought I must be just half-awake and still in a dream, but, no, it was rain! It didn’t take long for it to subside, but the sky was grey. Still, it was different from the UK, because it was hot and humid. I considered maybe going for a swim, but decided it wasn’t as much fun if I couldn’t sit and read in the sun before and after.
Thus, I did the truly British thing, and decided to go shopping. That’s what you do if it rains in the UK, which is why the UK is such a nation of shoppers. I’d made up my mind about what I wanted to purchase in El Nasr Street, so I thought I may as well bite the bullet and (reluctantly) spend my money.
I phoned Esmat and we arranged for him to pick me up at 13:30. Just as I went out the door, a power cut happened, so it felt like good timing – not much I can do without electricity and water! Anyway, off we drove.
We’d had some rain in Sahl Hasheesh, but it had obviously been heavier elsewhere. The road in the opposite direction was blocked due to flooding and a queue of traffic waited.
Esmat enjoyed the novelty as we drove through rivers of water on our way and he explained that there had been sleet where he lived, just the other side of town. He also said that his wife was scared of him driving in the rain and that, of course, most Egyptians forget that they need to drive slowly since they are neither used to it nor trained for driving in wet conditions. Not surprisingly, Egyptian roads aren’t really made for rain, so the slightest downpour (which is so rare) causes chaos. Just like autumn leaves in Britain stopping all our trains from running, although we should really be better prepared (well, unless you believe them when they said hey were an unusual type of leaf).
Esmat dropped me off at Metro in El Nasr Street. I took some money out of the HSBC and then started to walk up the road. The problem was, the pavement soon ran out and became a river. I walked out into the road, edging my way past the puddles that reached out half-way across the street, but heard loads of cars honking. At first, I thought it was their normal hooting, which they do all the time here just to let you know they are there, and then it dawned on me it was all because of me. One guy was furiously pointing to the central walkway. Doh! I finally crossed half-way and walked down the middle.
My first stop was to buy my swinging chair for my balcony. I took the opportunity to wander round the shop a bit more as well. They had some beautiful ones for indoors, but I can’t think of where I could possibly fit one in my flat. In the end, I bought the outdoors one as planned and parted with my money. The guy remembered me from last time – the Egyptians have very good memories! – and still had the details he’d written down when I last enquired. By the time business was done, it was pouring with rain again, so the shopkeeper invited me to stay for a cup of tea, which I did. He claimed that this was the heaviest rain for 15 years and he too mentioned that in the morning, there had been ice coming down.
I finished my tea and it was time to move on. My next task was to buy a table and chairs and a lamp from the shop next to the Mona Centre. I walked all the way there, only to find that the store was closed! I guess it was due to the rain and the owners couldn’t get to work. So, this was a lesson learned – rain may be good for shopping in the UK, but in Egypt, it means service disruptions and so shopping isn’t such a good idea after all!
It felt like a wasted journey, but I decided to continue walking on up the street. I found one shop that had a reasonable set of dining table and chairs for about a third of the price of the one I was originally going to buy.
Esmat dropped me off at Metro in El Nasr Street. I took some money out of the HSBC and then started to walk up the road. The problem was, the pavement soon ran out and became a river. I walked out into the road, edging my way past the puddles that reached out half-way across the street, but heard loads of cars honking. At first, I thought it was their normal hooting, which they do all the time here just to let you know they are there, and then it dawned on me it was all because of me. One guy was furiously pointing to the central walkway. Doh! I finally crossed half-way and walked down the middle.
My first stop was to buy my swinging chair for my balcony. I took the opportunity to wander round the shop a bit more as well. They had some beautiful ones for indoors, but I can’t think of where I could possibly fit one in my flat. In the end, I bought the outdoors one as planned and parted with my money. The guy remembered me from last time – the Egyptians have very good memories! – and still had the details he’d written down when I last enquired. By the time business was done, it was pouring with rain again, so the shopkeeper invited me to stay for a cup of tea, which I did. He claimed that this was the heaviest rain for 15 years and he too mentioned that in the morning, there had been ice coming down.
I finished my tea and it was time to move on. My next task was to buy a table and chairs and a lamp from the shop next to the Mona Centre. I walked all the way there, only to find that the store was closed! I guess it was due to the rain and the owners couldn’t get to work. So, this was a lesson learned – rain may be good for shopping in the UK, but in Egypt, it means service disruptions and so shopping isn’t such a good idea after all!
It felt like a wasted journey, but I decided to continue walking on up the street. I found one shop that had a reasonable set of dining table and chairs for about a third of the price of the one I was originally going to buy.
Pricing is quite strange here. The dining table and chairs was 2005 LE (why the extra 5? In Europe, you put the price just under to 1999 to make it look cheaper; in Egypt I guess the idea is to make an extra fiver because no-one will argue the toss [although, ironically, they probably will!]). It was the same with a chair I'd asked about in another shop. It was 609 LE. I said "600 LE!" in a tone of voice that was supposed to imply "that's an awful lot of money" and the shopkeeper just corrected me and said "609 LE!" I just repeated the figure with emphasis on the "9" and we both laughed.
Anyway, after going out to think for a while, I returned. However, in the mean time, a woman was in the middle of a purchase. She had two men serving her – in the UK, one of them would have come to serve me rather than let me wait, but somehow in Egypt multiple salesmen are always required for one task.
As I was waiting my turn, Safi called me to say that she was in Esmat’s taxi and that the sky was pitch black. Esmat was afraid that I would not be able to get back to Sahl Hasheesh and the road would be blocked if a downpour occurred. I hesitated, but decided to stay put, because I’d come out to buy these items, and didn’t really want to come out yet another time. The sense of risk and adventure also kind of appealed, worst-case scenario I would have to have a night in a hotel, although that wasn’t very fair on Esmat!
Eventually, I got served, and they even had some balcony furniture that they could quote me for. I phoned Esmat and I returned to Metro to wait for him there. He arrived and we started on our journey home. The roads were like rivers and the sky in front of us was black. Just as we were approaching Sahl Hasheesh, the heavens opened! Rain bucketed down and we couldn’t even see in front of us (friends, you can see the other photos on facebook). Esmat and I were both taking photographs as we drove along.
We arrived at the border security to Sahl Hasheesh only to be refused entrance due to the rain. Esmat’s car was calf-high in a puddle and we sat there in the car watching various people exit. Eventually, Esmat persuaded security to let us sit on the other side of the gate where at least the car could stand on dry land. The rain had subsided a bit by now and there were patches of blue sky, bright white clouds and pitch black ones. It was a very dramatic sight.
Eventually, we were allowed to proceed. By the Entrance Piazza we had to drive through a positive lake. People were standing, watching and laughing in amazement at the cars swimming through the water. Honestly, I've learnt my lesson now. In future, rain means no shopping - I'm not in the UK!
As I was waiting my turn, Safi called me to say that she was in Esmat’s taxi and that the sky was pitch black. Esmat was afraid that I would not be able to get back to Sahl Hasheesh and the road would be blocked if a downpour occurred. I hesitated, but decided to stay put, because I’d come out to buy these items, and didn’t really want to come out yet another time. The sense of risk and adventure also kind of appealed, worst-case scenario I would have to have a night in a hotel, although that wasn’t very fair on Esmat!
Eventually, I got served, and they even had some balcony furniture that they could quote me for. I phoned Esmat and I returned to Metro to wait for him there. He arrived and we started on our journey home. The roads were like rivers and the sky in front of us was black. Just as we were approaching Sahl Hasheesh, the heavens opened! Rain bucketed down and we couldn’t even see in front of us (friends, you can see the other photos on facebook). Esmat and I were both taking photographs as we drove along.
We arrived at the border security to Sahl Hasheesh only to be refused entrance due to the rain. Esmat’s car was calf-high in a puddle and we sat there in the car watching various people exit. Eventually, Esmat persuaded security to let us sit on the other side of the gate where at least the car could stand on dry land. The rain had subsided a bit by now and there were patches of blue sky, bright white clouds and pitch black ones. It was a very dramatic sight.
Eventually, we were allowed to proceed. By the Entrance Piazza we had to drive through a positive lake. People were standing, watching and laughing in amazement at the cars swimming through the water. Honestly, I've learnt my lesson now. In future, rain means no shopping - I'm not in the UK!
Back at El Andalous, the power cut had still not been resolved. Shortly after I arrived, a lighting storm began. Once this had stopped, I decided to have dinner out and read my book at Il Gusto where I knew they had an emergency generator . Surprisingly, only a few Egyptians were there watching football; I had thought that everyone would have come out to eat, given that no-one could cook without electricity.
I returned to my flat at 20:30, but the electricity was still not back on. I lit some candles and watched a film (Atonement) on my tablet, so it actually made for a pleasant evening. I went to bed at around 11pm and I think the electricity finally came back on at around midnight. What a day!
I returned to my flat at 20:30, but the electricity was still not back on. I lit some candles and watched a film (Atonement) on my tablet, so it actually made for a pleasant evening. I went to bed at around 11pm and I think the electricity finally came back on at around midnight. What a day!
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