My first visitors! – Friday 16 March 2007

Alana and Mike arrive at 2am this morning. I was dead to the world (having only gotten to bed at midnight). They were picked up at the airport about 1am, Mike’s bag never made it – should arrive on Saturday (hopefully!). Chris’s friend who was here last week had her bags delayed a day too. It seems its good practice to pack clean underwear and a top in your hand luggage – especially when you’re changing flights…

So I get two phone calls as they arrive – my driver man saying they got in safe, then saying the bags were not going to make it. I fell back asleep after both calls then next thing I know the doorbell’s rung. I got up and let them in, they stowed their stuff and we had a quick chat. For some crazy reason I fell really nauseous for about 10 minutes… I’ve got no idea why, I’d only had 1 beer at dinner. It was like a hot flush. I sat on the edge of the shower for a few minutes cooled down coz of the tiles and was ok again. Crazy.

By this time it was getting on towards 3am so they settled into my bed (I gave up my queen sized bed and slept on the single mattress in the lounge) and we slept for a few hours.

Today I took them to the hash.

Mike’s gear hadn’t arrived but Chris was kind enough to lend him shorts, top and sneakers so he could go on the run. Alana went on the walk with me. It was a good hash, not the best one I’ve been on. The trails were good, but it was a bit rushed because lots of people were going to the St Paddy’s Day ball so the hash started early (1pm) and by the time we’d walked and the circle had wrapped up we were home in Mohandiseen by 4:30pm.

I got called into the circle for something random, I can’t remember why I was getting a down down – but then I was asked which song we should sing. I said the Hash House Rap, but I’d forgotten to bring my song book so couldn’t remember how it starts. They were laughing at me and I was claiming that I am only the fill-in song frau so shouldn’t get in trouble. Tom who was running the circle was laughing at me and took away my down down. It thought I was going to be sent out of the circle but he came back with what I think they call the ‘piss pot’. The normal down down cups are probably 10oz size (but they only quarter fill them so skulling is easier) but the Piss Pot is about twice the size and they half filled it! They sang the normal down down song and I had to skull a momentous amount of beer. I’ll admit I struggled… I think they got to the second verse of ‘why are we waiting’ before I’d finished it. I did it in nearly one go; only one stop for breath I think. When I finished I heard someone say good effort – so I guess they’d expected me to ‘beer abuse’ by throwing some of it away.

The RV site was only about 500m in from the gate so we’d had Sharif drive us right to the gate of Lower Wadi Digla. We just walked in and back to the car. We were in the car just before 4pm and home by 4:30pm. Because it was St Paddy’s day they had a drink stop with green beer and baileys and Mary-Fran had baked ‘soda bread’ (some sort of special Irish bread). She’d given a loaf of it to me to share with my guest and we scoffed it there and then. We were all starving.

We decided not to go to the on-on. Partly coz most of the usual suspects were going to the ball, partly coz there would have been a big gap between the circle finishing and the on-on starting but mostly coz Alana and Mike had only had a few hours sleep last night so I wasn’t sure they’d be up for a big night out.

So we came home, they had a quick nap then we went to Zamelak hoping to go to Abu Seed for dinner. Abu Seed is a proper Egyptian restaurant serving proper Egyptian food. I had thought we’d be there really early and be able to get a table. I hadn’t booked coz I didn’t know the number and then we were a fair bit later than I expected (didn’t get there til nearly 7:30pm). They were full so we went to the Blue Nile boat and had dinner at a little place in there. It was nice food, but not very authentic :) It was probably a good thing not feeding Alana and Mike local food when we will spend all day in the car going to Alex tomorrow!!