Cloth Market

We went for a walk through the cloth market area of Cairo, near 15th of May Bridge. We were the only foreigners in sight and our walkabout together with exploring the warren of streets around the centre of the market which lead to the stone's-throw-away Downtown confirm the huge gulf of wealth that exists in this country, despite the ever present spin of the government.

Yesterday, I travelled from Rome to Cairo alongside a group of US politicians whose talk was of which bill they had voted for and which they had not. I suspect they are on a trade mission following up on Trump's striking up of his deep friendship with Sisi last week in Washington.

I couldn't go to the loo on landing as security personnel forbade me entry while the Senators (if that is what they were) had a confidential pee, and I was was barred from stepping over the threshold of the airport as the group were loaded into a bullet-proofed convoy of mini-vans and black jeeps with flashing lights and sirens and then departed to the US Embassy.

I doubt they toured the terribly poor backstreets of the city where Dd and I passed our afternoon. Nothing like it to reoritentate your Capitol Hill conditions for aid or subventions giving. An opportunity missed.