Caroline, Loreli and I were sat chatting the other day and suddenly Caroline asked how old I was.  When I replied she turned to Loreli and said, “See I told you.”   Did they have a disagreement about my age?  Caroline remembered I’d posted it in my Cairo Scholars ad, and Loreli said, “Oh it’s only because … Continue reading →

Caroline and I were out hunting for flats the other day.  We tried the questioning-the-doormen method I mentioned before with a fair amount of success, although as often as not they directed us to a simsar (real estate agent) to show us flats in their buildings.   One of the women showed us a beautiful … Continue reading →

I agreed to meet a woman named Caroline yesterday to discuss whether we might want to live together and to look at some flats.  She e-mailed me back after the message I sent out on the Cairo Scholars list, just saying she’ll be here for six months working for an NGO to promote local Egyptian … Continue reading →

Whenever I go to the Marriott hotel I walk past a woman sitting on the street, clutching a child and making a gesture for food by bunching her fingers together and putting them to her mouth, out of which flows a torrent of words outlining her misfortune and destitution.  I don’t understand all of what … Continue reading →

I went to look at two apartments yesterday with my real estate agent.  We were supposed to meet around 3 but something kept her and we couldn’t meet until 5.  With iftaar, the celebratory fast-breaking meal at sunset, just around the corner we were only able to see two places and then she kindly invited … Continue reading →

This happened the day I moved into the boat and I forgot to put it down here at the time.   On the way to meet a friend at the Marriott hotel, I walked down a road I wasn’t familiar with in Zamalek.  As ever I tried hard to keep my eyes on the road … Continue reading →

Since the Good Ship Serendipity turned into the Houseboat Debacle of Shame, I’ve been trying to find a new place to live.  Lucky for me the Cairo Scholars mailing list is rife with people seeking a room or seeking a tenant to fill an available room. After the first room I looked at, the second … Continue reading →

Well, I’m still feeling queasy so I’ve got nothing better to do than sit around the hotel and write in my blog.  Although I haven’t done a whole lot in the past few days so the action is going to be pretty limited. As I was trying to drop off to sleep last night,  a … Continue reading →

A few days ago I was at Maison Thomas, the famous and excellent pizza restaurant in Zamalek, eating something with lots of mushrooms when I noticed a guy eyeing up my pizza in the mirror above my table.  Maison Thomas is decked out in French continental style, lots of dark wood, high tables and mirrors … Continue reading →

The hotel where I’m staying, the Longchamps, is run by a wonderful woman of indeterminate age named Madame Hebba.  She is stylish and competent, overseeing the refurbishments to her hotel while managing the remaining open rooms with flair.  Her vision is everywhere in little touches all over–candles lit every evening on tables in the hallways, … Continue reading →