Leaving Cairo

My local café was eerily quiet as I popped in for one last single macchiato for the road out to the airport. Only one other customer sat in a corner this Ramadan, a young man nursing a bottle of forbidden water. He probably has a medical dispensation to drink it but I think the whole no water or liquids during the fasting hours this month is something that the relevant authorities could do well to address.

I'm writing this in the car and the temperature is hovering around 45C. Our driver is in denial about the fact his air conditioning is not working. The tepid flow of air is not doing the trick for a glowing Dd in the back seat!

It's been a full four weeks since I arrived, one of my longest unbroken visits and I ran the blips together in a slide show last night. Although the daily routine can get you down, it always seems worthwhile when you see them together. They would simply not exist as a body of work if it wasn't for this place.

Anyway, the air con has now gone completely kaput and I need to calm some fraying tempers!

This shot, by the way, was taken as we came through Tahrir Square.