Yesterday I went into Cairo for the first time. It is hard to give you my idea of the city as really I hardly seemed to get anywhere and all the streets were to be bewilderingly alike. The outskirts and poor quarters of the town look as though they had sustained an air raid but are only old. How old I don't know but their crumbling mud and brick walls could tell tales of ancient Pharaohs by their look. The better part of the city is remarkably modern with large 6-10 storey buildings far superior to anything in NZ. The NZ Club was a hotel and the floors are solely for the use of all ranks. The Club is a credit to NZ Patriotic Funds. One can go in there from the hot dusty streets and have a hot or cold shower after getting a clean towel and piece of soap for 1½ P.T. Then have tea, fruit salad, ice creams, softdrinks, grills or chicken, almost anything in fact. From 6:30PM the bar is open. Beer being 6½ P.T. a bottle. We took advantage of all this after looking around the streets. From the station after a 20 minute ride costing 2P.T. return we took a gharri. Gharris are great and give one a feeling of a millionaire. They are two wheel vehicles with a hood like a sports model and drawn by two horses, ponies I should say. One sits back in page 14luxury and surveys strange sights. Some of the shops hold marvellous goods in ivory, brass, silks and jewellery. I'd love to be able to shower you with gifts Dear. There is a vast difference between streets, around a corner one may change from an environment of wealth and prosperity to one of filth and poverty. Truly a city of contrast which will take a lot of getting to know.

The evenings here are beautiful Darling. The air becomes cooler and the sun goes down in a red ball through haze of dust and heat directly behind the pyramids. Much to my surprise there is an almost continuous breeze which although hot and often dusty makes the heat less oppressive.