5th June Egypt I

6am EDI TOILETS
Gents wait in line for a cubicle which are at a premium this time in the morning.
A remarkable sound emanates from someone straining behind a closed door:
Ooh eee ooh eee ooh eee ooheeeoohee....
The waiting line avoids eye contact. Then thankfully the noise of a hand dryer starting up drowns everything out.

NEW WINTER PALACE HOTEL
For an extra 25 pounds, Room 607 comes with a balcony view of the river Nile.
The temperature is a "balmy" 46 C, and altough the sun is setting over the hills across the river, the metal of the handrail feels the same as a central heating radiator. If you're looking for the sauna, it's just everywhere outside the hotel, let the feel of the hot dry air on your eyeballs be your guide. D'you think it'll rain tomorrow? Ans. Doubtful.

CLOSE ENCOUNTER #1

Ventured out after dark outside the hotel straight into the waiting hands of some local youths. Isabelle got a little perturbed by the attentions of a particularly over friendly young man who grabbed her bum. So we were driven back to the sanctuary of The Winter Palace. It's all understandable though, like showing an ankle to a Victorian male.