Egypt Trip (Part Five)

Nile River, Cairo After a six-plus hour bus ride, we finally returned to Cairo. It was already past 2 p.m. when we arrived. We took a tour of Cairo's new and old city districts, visited the Hanging Church, and strolled around the bustling city center by the Nile River. Then, we checked in to the COLIP Hotel, where we had stayed previously. The COLIP Hotel is quite large. Within its walls, besides the guest room building, there are several outdoor swimming pools and an indoor swimming pool. There's also a large gym, tennis courts, a soccer field, and shops. The guest rooms all have balconies, from which you can see all the facilities and shops within the hotel grounds. When the sun sets and the lights come on, both inside and outside the walls are a dazzling sight. Sitting on the balcony, with the full moon hanging high and a cool breeze blowing, I brewed a pot of fragrant tea with my old friend. We sipped and savored it slowly, utterly relaxed. Looking back on these past few days of our Egypt trip, I'm quite satisfied. Egypt is relatively underdeveloped, with old buildings and a less-than-picturesque cityscape. However, Egypt's appeal to tourists doesn't lie in these aspects, but rather in its ancient civilization, historical relics, and beautiful seascapes with crystal-clear waters. Moreover, Egyptians are very friendly to Chinese people. They often greet us with "Ni hao! Ni hao!" (Hello! Hello!). Our guide, Da Ai, said that China is Egypt's buddy, and Egyptians like Chinese people. Da Ai also said, "We hate America." He paused, then added, "But we love US dollars!" Everyone laughed. I feel that the security in Egypt is quite good, but I don't know why there are often armed sentries standing guard on the streets, and our tour bus even has armed guards accompanying us!