El Andalous - Back to Imperfection

The Path from the Beach to El Andalous

Maybe it was just that I didn’t have time to think about it, but I think this is the first time I’ve come back to Egypt without any apprehensions.

I’d upgraded again to a business flight since it wasn’t so much extra, only this time the plane was leaving 20 minutes earlier than previously so the business lounge wasn’t open even by the time I boarded. No wonder the upgrade didn’t cost much! And then, horror of horrors, instead of champagne as my welcoming drink, I was offered WATER. Maybe they could tell that I was a little hungover (thanks to celebrating Teresa’s new qualification as a professional cocktail mixer the night before)?

I sulked for a while about being given water but perked up when I got my food and forced down a glass of champagne just out of principle, despite the queasy stomach.

Finally back at my flat, only my balcony had been repaired; all the work I wanted done in the bathroom and bedroom was still waiting to be started. This time, it was my dishwasher that refused to work, so it was a traditional homecoming. Still, things could be worse.

Again, it felt like I arrived and had to hit the ground running. Various work was supposed to have been completed in the complex while I was away (eg, signs should have been put up about the beach and pool rules), people were complaining about rat infestations, children were running riot and throwing mattresses over the roof and down to the garden area. Or so people said. As a committee member, I got drawn in to helping to sort all this out with the management.

The reports of rat infestations were worrying since I’d lived through that once before and didn’t really want to go through it again. I’m still a bit jumpy even now if I hear an unidentified noise. Moreover, in my absence, one of my cupboards had suddenly collected hundreds of rodent droppings. I spent ages trying to clean it out and the smell wasn’t exactly conducive to getting down and scrubbing. I comforted myself that they were old droppings and no rodents were left in my flat, but I immediately turned on my sonar rat repellent just to make sure.

I’m still plagued by ants. I really don’t know where they come from. I had a sealed bag of rice, newly bought. I put it in my cupboard. When I took it out, there were a few ants on it, which I brushed off (metaphor for “heartlessly killed”). I cut open the bag of rice, went to pour the rice into an airtight container and as I poured, ants just appeared in the rice. It was like a magic trick where you can’t fathom out how what you’re seeing can happen. I can only think that I had some ants in my cupboard and there was a tiny hole in the new bag of rice that they squeezed through and then they hid themselves in the rice.

So, that was another afternoon spent scrubbing and dousing with crawling insect killer and then a dousing of vinegar for good measure. I have yet to see if this has worked in getting rid of them. They only seem to be in that one cupboard, my kitchen top, and my bin. They haven’t been round my bin since I finally resorted to the chemical killer, so I’m pinning my hopes on that. I feel cruel, but it’s horrifying seeing them crawling all over your food!

Then I had a leak from my air conditioning. Fortunately, we have a 24-hour plumber living on the premises, so he came straight away at 9pm and three others came to watch him (typical Egyptian way!). They removed the grid which is where the rats used to come into my flat, so I told them not to damage the netting in any way or the rats would come in afterwards. They seemed to find this amusing until they slid the grid off and tons of rat droppings spilled onto my kitchen floor. That was another afternoon of tidying up. They went everywhere.

And, of course, I still get the occasional cockroach.

So, if you think I lead the perfect life – well, my view is that the perfect life is not possible. Life is interesting because it throws up these challenges at all times. I still enjoy it, though, and my next blog will deal with cheerier things!