Hurghada - El Nasr Street (Scouting Trip)

El Nasr Street - On Historic Day of Rain!

Hurghada tends to have areas where all shops of one particular kind exist. El Nasr Street is where you buy furniture. It’s a huge street with dual carriageway either side; as is often the case in Egypt, the pavements don’t always exist and you find yourself traipsing through dust at some points.

My main aim in going to El Nasr Street was to see if I could get a replacement carafe for my coffee machine. I’d only recently bought the machine and I’d managed to break the carafe within about two weeks. It was frustrating because my previous one had broken down (it kept on fusing whenever I used it) and I’d thrown it away, not dreaming that the carafe might have come in handy just a few weeks later! I also wanted to get a replacement holder for my shower hose, as my one keeps on dropping down. My life may have got past its major traumas for now, but it still has these everyday annoyances!

Consequently, my first port of call after Esmat had dropped me off was the Mona Centre, which is a hardware store in El Nasr Street. It has all sorts of items from electrical, to kitchenware of all kinds, to laundry baskets. This is Egypt, so presentation isn’t a priority and you have to root about a bit, but the quality is pretty good. Also, “centre” conjures up an image of a huge warehouse place; the Mona Centre is a large shop for Egypt, but not by European standards and, as indicated, it’s not as organised as perhaps the word “centre” implies, although – a bit like my messy desk at work – it does have its own peculiar logic. Maybe this is why I like Egypt!

In the end, I had to ask for the items. I’d been organised enough to take photographs of what I wanted with my phone (so my phone does serve a purpose!) as I knew it would be difficult to explain what I wanted otherwise. They didn’t have the carafe (and I’ve since discovered that getting a new coffee machine is cheaper), although they gave me a coffee jug that I could return if it didn’t fit (it didn’t). I had to buy a whole new shower hose to get the single part, but it wasn’t expensive (although in the end, it wasn’t what I needed either). I was also looking for a pole to hang my wall hanging on and they were able to cut me a length of pipe to serve this purpose. So, the trip was a bit of a mixed success.

I also wanted to go to El Nasr Street to see if they had a folding dinner/study table that would suit my purposes. Balcony furniture and lighting options were also on my list; I wanted to assess all possibilities before returning to El Kawser.

I walked up a bit and then decided that the shops I mostly wanted to see – in particular Sahara as many people have praised that shop – were on the other side of the road. Crossing the road is always a bit of a challenge, as traffic is zooming down the road in two or three lanes and you just have to step out in front of it. However, the drivers are pretty good if you time your crossing well. Let’s face it, despite appearances, they don’t actually want to run you over! It’s also quite rewarding because once I’ve made it safely across, I feel that I must be turning into a local.

The shops in El Nasr Street are quite surprising as there is a whole mix from very expensive furniture shops that are fairly European in style – lots of space, good presentation, quality furnishings, and prices to match – to small second-hand shops or small local shops with items just piled in. There’s really something for every taste.

I wandered in and out of several shops, slowly formulating some ideas as to what I might or might not buy. I’m not really a spontaneous purchaser – I like to see all my options, think about things, and then return. I wanted to visit the Cairo Furniture Store, which is where I’d bought my sofabed from previously, but the shop seemed to have disappeared. I once again went in and out of In and Out, and then spotted a huge store called Cairo Wood. It looked completely different from how I’d remembered the Cairo Furniture Store, but the similarity in name made me wonder if it was the same store revamped.

As I stood and deliberated, the owner came out and greeted me, saying that he knew me from El Andalous! I knew that Medhat’s best friend owned the Cairo Furniture Store, so I concluded that this was indeed the same shop. Anyway, I went into the shop, and the manager asked me how my foot was and reiterated that he knew El Andalous. It was a bizarre experience to be recognised! The store was now completely different. It contained a bizarre eclectic mix of lighting, tables, chairs, decorative home items and was huge. There was something there for all tastes (and probably something for you to hate as well!).

Finally, I made it to Sahara. I’ve decided that I get more out of shopping when I’m with other people as I keep myself to myself and don’t really ask questions. When I’m with others, they talk more to the shopkeepers (which is obviously the trick, but I’m not such a gregarious person) and get more information. Anyway, I found Sahara expensive and didn’t really think that they had much stuff, although I know from others that if you ask them, they then show you their computer and the selection that they have there is huge. Also, they will offer to make anything you want if you just give them a photograph.

At this point, I was getting tired, so I plucked up the courage to cross the two sets of dual carriageway again to get to Metro on the other side to pick up a few groceries before going home. I phoned Esmat to ask him to pick me up. As I waited for Esmat to arrive, I suddenly realised that I’d totally forgotten the furniture shop just by the Mona Centre and the shop further down that sold the balcony furniture. I have no idea how I forgot that as the shop by the Mona Centre was one of my favourites. When Esmat came, this time with his wife and son, who I met for the first time, I was surprised that his wife initially appeared very traditional (Esmat seems quite a “European” Egyptian), since she had her head covered. However, in the car she was very talkative (in Arabic, of course) and it was good to see them laughing together. Their son was very cute, sitting on his mother’s lap and leaning on the dashboard to look out of the window while his mother hung onto him. I was pleased that I could understand (I think!) when he said the word for “plane” when we passed the airport and that he was asking to see the sea as we approached Sahl Hasheesh.

I must be making some progress, language-wise!