In the Land of the Grand

Today was our last day of driving in Africa. I'm feeling a mixture of sadness for a long journey that is ending and one of anticipation for what is to come.

We left Suez and drove due west, eventually going around Cairo on the Ring Road, the longest way but by far the smoothest option. We didn't want to risk going through the chaos that Cairo is so famous for.

From my intended quick Cairo stopover last year which ended up being an unintended multiple-day stay, I knew Foxy would have much preferred the long and scenic route.

Driving on the highway, we passed lots of billboards advertising BMW cars, Starbucks Coffee, KFC and Pizza Hut, perfume and even VISA credit cards! Unbelievable.

It seems Egypt is about being BIG. The people, for instance, are much bigger. Not necessarily taller, but bigger, wider, heavier. Perhaps a product of a wealthier nation?

It's not just the people that are big, but objects and buildings are much bigger here as well. It's difficult to describe, but the movie "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" keeps popping to mind, with me being one of the shrunken kids.

I couldn't believe how many giant monuments and statues I was spotting every few hundred metres along the road. Besides the sculptures, fountains and archways, all with their huge awkward pieces of steel or wood jutting out from every angle, it seems the rule of thumb is: the grander and more ostentatious the structure is, the more beauty points it racks up.

Egypt, a land of pharaohs and temples, was preparing us for the civilization we were about to re-enter.

I was totally stunned when we pulled into a service station about 100 km away from Alexandria. There was a Kodak Film booth selling memory cards and photo albums, Century 21 representatives shoving glossy pamphlets in my face, and a bookshop with the latest issue of Cosmopolitan on display - you know, the one with Britney Spears posing in a teeny red dress.

This was a bit much. I didn't expect to feel like this, especially since I was born and grew up in a society that endorses and embraces such consumerism. But it was shocking, to say the least. Add to the fact that I was shocked about being shocked, I'm still a bit speechless.

Saying that, I can't deny that the neon lights and flashy signs didn't work their magic on me either; for lunch, I indulged myself and bought a big dark chocolate ice-cream cone. It was the home-made waffle cone, still warm from the griddle, that sealed it.

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We arrived in Alexandria in the afternoon and with our first sighting of the Mediterranean Sea, a feeling of pure joy and accomplishment stirred inside me. I could imagine Europe just on the other side of this beautiful mass of water.

But the day wasn't finished yet.

We spent the next several hours on a long-winded search for a hotel within our budget. I'll spare you all the nitty-gritty details here, but basically we were going up and down Alexandria's 20+km long coastline (this city is like one long thin line, only 3km wide, but with beaches as gorgeous as these, you can't blame them for this type of urban sprawl).

With the sun setting and our hopes setting with it, we suddenly came upon the Maamura Palace Hotel on the western side of Alexandria. A bit run-down and slightly above our budget, we decided it was the best we could do today.

Feeling a bit more energized after a shower, we walked across the street to have dinner at the more glamorous, better-maintained and more expensive resort hotel. While devouring our grilled chicken and pita, we were serenaded by, not the usual neighbourhood dogs, but by a talented entertainer/musician who played on his electric piano all night and sang in at least 4 different languages. He even did a set off Eminem's "8 Mile" soundtrack, I kid you not.




Start: Red Sea Hotel, Suez, EGYPT. 11:40
End: Maamura Palace Hotel, Alexandria, EGYPT. 19:30
Distance Traveled: 408 km
Road Conditions: good
Average Speed: 108 km/hr
Max Speed: 68.9 km/hr
Temperature: nice salty sea air, very bearable