Mucking around in boats

I have been longing for a ride on a falucca. This is a very elegant Egyptian boat with a single A-shaped sail. At least, they look incredibly elegant out on the water. Close up I have decided they have the width and solidity of the older Manly ferries. It doesn’t go with elegant, ponderous might be better, but they can really move on the water. Even better, this is the sort of boat trip where you can take a camera, and wine, and a picnic as even though a felucca can heel over occasionally it is very rare for one to actually tip.

So – I took a camera. We have had a few trips away from the city recently, and yesterday – for my driving practice – I went out to a club near the road to Alexandria. Looking up, the sky was blue. Looking over to Cairo showed a heavy grey pall over dulled pale gray buildings in the smog. I find it a bit worrying – supposedly the second worst (if I can say such a thing) smog in the world. Mexico City is supposed to be the worst, but it is graded on proportion of oxygen to junk, and they are so high that they have less oxygen. I cough in Cairo, and it tends to ease when I am away.