DAY 4 Wed 16 June

Woken up early in the morning by an awful racket. In fact it was one of those awakenings that has you jumping out of bed going "What the F***?" It took about 5 seconds for it to register that the sound I was hearing was a donkey braying... oh my goodness! After that awakening, it was too hard to head back to bed again, so I gave in and read some of the must read trilogy of the year, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
At a respectable time I headed over to the main house to work out what our plan of attack was for the day. Headed out with Maryanne and Mohamed into Maadi, where Maryanne needed a blood test. On the drive over there I saw a few things that caught my eye, and I wish I had the camera out and ready. The first was all these ute trays piled one on top of the other. It was like you could just walk in and say I'll have that one thanks! And not only did they have ute trays but also small truck boxes - some refrigerated, some with lutons - some complete with advertising already. Just past that there was a guy leaning on his bicycle, while fishing in the canal - I'm not sure I would like to eat anything fished out of there - assuming he could even catch anything.
Once in Maadi, while the Dr Vampire was sucking her blood, I went and finally got some Egyptian money out. Then while Maryanne got some money out I went with Mohamed to see if it was possible to get my cartouche fixed. Gouzlan where I had it fixed last time was closed, so we went across to another jeweller, but they don't do repairs, but suggested the silversmith up the road. So we wandered up there, only to find out that they wouldn't do it either - three strikes, time to call it a day on the jewellery front.
We then headed a little further up the road to Lucilles for a nice burger for a late breakfast/lunch. Yummy potato skins with cheese, beef bacon, onion and tomato with a lovely garlic yoghurt to go on top as an entree (though that probably could have done me for a main as well), and then I had the western burger with battered onion rings, bbq sauce, cheese and more beef bacon. Talk about a very satisfying meal, in a lovely airconditioned restaurant. And also the free refills of apple fanta - shame we don't get apple fanta back in NZ.
After we had finished lunch we wandered back down the road while waiting for Mohamed and Pat. We stopped in a silver shop which had a lot of lovely silver jewellery and pendants etc. Some amazing traditional afghani silverwork, including daggers and a sword. Oh to have lots of money - the would have looked amazing with Anna's costumes. It was beautiful. Might have to head back there before I go home, depending on the finances.
We got out of there and a little bit further down the road before Maryanne spotted the car, and we climbed and and Mohamed drove Pat and I to Metro - a supermarket, and we did some shopping while Maryanne went back to the vampire for another blood test. There is no rhyme nor reason that I could discerne to the layout of that supermarket - it certainly isn't easy to find anything - apparently not even for Pat who has been there recently - they changed the shelving all around. One good thing is I am not sure if Egyptian supermarkets are layed out as psychologically as western supermarkets.
Once the shopping was finished and we were on our way home we stopped at Pat's to drop her off, and went in to have a quick look at her dog, who has an ouchie where he had to have his leg amputated. What a sweetie boy Willie is - he came over to say hello and enjoyed a good scratch before heading off to collapse on his little pile of floor. Also got to see a couple of Pat's cats, including one who came purring around my legs - a lovely little ginger boy.
On the way home we stopped at one street corner while Mohamed went to get some cooked chickens. It took quite a while, but it was a pleasant time (excluding the heat) people watching. And not just people watching, also watching the cars and trucks go by and watching the energy that is Egypt. The shop next door to the chicken place is a juice bar, and once the juice is squeezed, it is measured out into a cup and then poured into a plastic bag. A straw is then placed in and the bag is tied around the straw - a novel method of takeaway juice! Then there was the lady that came down the stairs of the house between te juice bar and the chicken shop with a silver tray on her head. On top of the silver tray was the lunch for the family - I could make out a nice fresh salad, and she got some of the local bread from the chicken shop. But the tray on her head wasn't any ordinary tray - it had four short thick legs on it, so that it could also act as its own table - once again it was a shame I didn't have the camera out.
After that I did get the camera out, just in time to watch some big heavy trucks heading down the road... and of course what else would you put on the back of the truck but a very large tank! Got that photo as two of these large trucks went past. Missed to ute with one camel sitting down in the back with his head sticking up over the side of the ute, surveying everything.
Then there was the obligatory crazy driving, people walking past, guys sitting smoking their sheesha's, donkey carts coming from every direction. And then the guy pulling up at the cafe on his cheap chinese bike, his young son on his lap - the son wearing cool sunglasses - what a photo op!
Finally it was time to head on home and put away the groceries, and meet Maryanne's friend Mona Amyra, who was going to come for a ride with us when Maryanne's clients came in the cool of the evening. Her husband is an Australian basketball player, and her accent is a curious mixture of egyptian and australian.
Just before the clients turned up, Sabine arrived so had a chance to catch up with her again - I look forward to talking to her more during the next five and a bit weeks about healing and things like that.
Unfortunately today Shaboura had a temperature, so I got to ride Dooby.
We had a nice ride through the countryside, Maryanne on her girl Dory (Dorika), Mona on Sundos, me on Dooby and the two clients on Bunduq and Lilly. Lilly was a slow walker, but the guy on her back didn't mind (after the first startling time) as she trotted off to catch up with the others. I felt like I should stay towards the back and help out just in case, but Dooby didn't like that - that boy has such a big walk and he wanted to be up the front - wasn't at all happy at being held back. It was interesting listening to Maryanne talk to the lady who was riding up with her and Mona, finding out more about the area and the history.
And then as the sun began to set and the evening sky became very colourful, to see the pyramids in the distance, over the top of the farmland and the palm trees - it was that I remembered from my first ride over here with Maryanne 10 years ago - and what has enticed me to come back ever since - magical! And the trails are coming back to me now also - some of the ride I don't think I have done before, at least not in that way, but there were other bits where it was like "I know where we are... I bet if I followed this I could find my way back!" An awesome feeling.
Once back at the farm with the horses unsaddled, and the clients gone, we said bye to Mona (though I think I will be seeing a lot of her while I am here) and after a bite for dinner I went over to the house to write in my diary (though that didn't happen) and charge my cellphone. Unfortunately my iPhone seems to have chosen this time to die on me. I haven't got it wet or dropped it but it decided last night that it is not going to charge - talk about heartbreaking - too expensive a phone for it to last that short a length of time. So frustrating! So while waiting to see if it might actually charge after being plugged in for a bit I read for a while instead, until I started to nod off with the book in hand when I decided it was time to give up for the night.
Countryside ride 1:
Distance - 6.11 kilometres
Time - 1:28:55
Average speed - 4.1kmph
Max speed - 10.0kmph