Finally in Alex

Why is it that all the hottest countries in the world always have the trickiest dress codes for women? I arrived in Egypt this morning and realised that none of my clothes were appropriate. With summer on the way in Cape Town I hardly own anything with sleeves. But here, it really makes a difference. After being asked whether I was married in a way that left nothing to the imagination as to what the purpose of the inquirer was by every man starting with the guys in passport control, I wrapped a scarf around my hair and put some tights on under my long skirt. The change was astonishing! All of a sudden I felt - respectable, for lack of a more suitable word. And - not to mention - stifling hot.

Well, when in Rome, as they say...

I had help getting from the airport in Cairo to the train station and on the right train by a US navy expat stationed in Alex. Waiting for the 8 am express over a cup of hot tea, he told me his theory on the cultural evolution of the South vs the North. The people near the equator only have to reach out to get bananas, he said, so they evolve into stupider people than those in the North. Now, where did I hear that before...?

Alex is brilliant. Great food, safe to walk, lots of history everywhere. And the med - there's something special about it. I feel close to home.

From the hotel you can see the bay where the lighthouse used to stand and where the palace where Cleopatra and JC (or was it Marc Anthony) used to have their trysts. Now THAT was a romance worth writing home about...