El Andalous - Preparing for Holiday

El Andalous Beach at Sunset

Time zooms onwards; I sometimes wish I could just get it to stop for a little while. Anyway, this time next week, when you read this, I will be in the UK. So, no blog, but I’ll prepare a photo and a little text, just so you don’t think the blog has disappeared entirely. To be honest, I don’t really think of people actually reading this, but writing it in public at least forces me to think and write something each week.

Anyway, as usual when I’m going back to the UK, I had a spending spree on Amazon. I feel Amazon should pay towards my air fare, actually, because they must make quite a bit of money each time I’m preparing to go. This time, it was helped by the fact that I had more money in my UK bank account than I realized (which is a bit fatal); I must have decided to keep my last tranche of money in the UK rather than in Egypt. I keep on making decisions and forgetting what I’ve decided. As if decisions weren’t hard enough in the first place!

So, for your entertainment (or otherwise), here’s what I’ve ordered:

1. Three swimming costumes (these were actually from decathalon.co.uk). I thought I may as well invest in my leisure time in Egypt. I’d bought two costumes when in Switzerland (one from decathalon), but at the moment I do feel like I’m probably wearing them a bit too much, given that I’m on the beach every day. A bit of variety, and at least the appearance of being cleanly, is called for.
2. A very exciting snorkel mask (also from decathalon). It’s a new design and fits all the way round your face. You no longer need to have the snorkel in your mouth and you can just breathe normally. Also, apparently, it’s a whole different snorkeling experience because you get a 180 degree view. I can’t wait to try this out, although I met someone on El Andalous beach and hers had just broken and she didn’t have a good word to say about it. I’ve heard others rave about it, though. They don’t seem to sell them in Egypt yet.
3. A solar panel that can charge laptops. I’ve dithered about this forever. It’s not really worth the money as I’m sure I won’t save enough electricity costs to make it worthwhile, but I’ve always loved the idea of solar energy and it seems such a shame not to use solar power in Egypt. And what’s the point of working if you don’t spend the money on things you are hankering after even if they’re not entirely logical?
4. A power bank that can charge laptops and that can be charged by a solar panel. Yes, I’ve gone a bit mad, but I also wanted some kind of backup electricity for all our power cuts (even at night) and this should do the trick! The first one I tried to order was actually over the watts per hour allowed by airlines for lithium-based batteries and power banks. I ended up getting airline permission (but I think they didn’t know what the problem was) and they wanted me also to get airport permission, but by the time I’d got an answer from the airline it was out of stock anyway. I then found a lower-powered (and more expensive, of course) alternative that explicitly said it could go on a plane. I had no idea this would be so difficult!
5. A solar light. This was an impulse buy and I’m very excited about it and wish I’d bought two while it was on special offer. I’m curious to see what it will be like. You can squash it down (it’s like a concertina) and it turns into a torch and a USB solar charger. Or you can pull it out and it serves as a solar-powered lantern that lasts up to 12 hours. I’m almost looking forward to my next power cut now!
6. Three books for learners of Arabic (basically parallel text Arabic or Egyptian Arabic and English with audio either on CD or online). I’d meant to buy just one, but couldn’t decide which one to try first (they are all still beyond my capability really, but I can’t help being ambitious). So, once I knew I had money in my account, I just bought all of them. Hmmm.

I will need to buy printer ink while I’m over in the UK. I’ve also developed an ambition to make some jewelry from the shells and stones on the beach over here so that I can always carry a bit of Sahl Hasheesh with me wherever I go, so I’ll try and buy some craft stuff, too. If I have room, I’ll bring back some cereals that I can’t get in Egypt, but my snorkel and solar panel will both take up quite some space in my luggage. It’s like my birthday at the moment!