And now for something completely different: a non-pictoral post.

Hi All,

One reason that it takes me such a long time to post is because I have to take photos from the photo-taking device to the computer before I upload them. Wahied currently has great photos that I want to post on his mobile, but doesn't have his memory card to transfer them to the computer. As soon we get them over, I will have stories and pictures from my recent Orthodox baptism (which was a hoot) and last night's tea at the Vietnamese Embassy with the Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt and the Vietnamese Minster of Culture. I won't give away the fun surprise, but I challenge anyone to keep a straight face when they see the photo of that event.

Despite little photographic evidence to prove it, Wahied and I have been keeping extremely busy. Over the past few days few major purchases have been made, though we've spent a great deal of time and energy doing research into all of the subtleties of car ownership, country club membership and home furnishings. The real difficulty comes from the fact that Wahied is Egyptian and I am not, and different options are available (at different prices) for foreigners and for Egyptians. The same question asked by different people yields extremely disparate results.

This morning was the third morning in a row that a truly remarkable thing has happened: I've woken up cold. Snuggled under my blankets, this is a wonderful thing, but it is quite unusual. I am in Cairo. In June. All plans for purchasing an air-conditioner (which we certainly haven't needed) have been abandoned.

Last night, after our meeting with the Ambassador, Wahied took the Vietnamese diplomats out to dinner. They objected strongly to any restaurant where they could sample "traditional" food (like any normal tourist restaurant) and demanded either Vietnamese or Thai. After much sniggering among those of us who speak Arabic we suggested Chinese food. This was my first truly magical cultural experience.
The restaurant, Wang Fu, was painted red with red lanterns hanging all over the front. The stairs up to it, the outdoor entrance, and the inside floors were covered in parquet-themed peeling linoleum. We were ushered inside by an extremely Egyptian-looking Egyptian boy who was wearing a traditional high collared Chinese silk shirt with dragons embroidered on it. The entire wait staff (all glaringly Egyptian) were in identical outfits. They spoke neither Chinese nor English.
The only major upset was their lack of alcoholic beverages. The Vietnamese very worriedly told Wahied that it was a physical impossibility to eat food and not drink beer. Wahied ordered a round of Birell (a not-very-nice wheat-based soda) and convinced them that it was, in fact, Egyptian beer. The food we were served doesn't remotely resemble anything I've ever eaten before. Highlights included something I could only describe as "black pepper and egg soup" (it looked like egg drop soup but tasted only, and overwhelmingly, of black pepper) and "the beef" (which, despite appearing to be beef and vegetables in brown sauce, was actually just a gelatinous combination of salt and MSG). It was an adventure.

I'll end this post with a shameless plug for HSBC. I went to the bank today to pick up my bank card and they had everything for me. They helped me set up my Egyptian online banking and walked me through how to quickly, easily and for-free transfer money between my HSBC accounts in different countries. We discussed my imminent car purchase and the bank will help work everything out for me when the time comes. Fantastic! I am really impressed with the way they've been treating me.

Thats all for now!
Lisy (in Egypt)