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[Page 14]
26th July 1915 Page 2.
about 1813. The City is absolutely filthy and the squalor of the Natives is indescribable. In some cases it is unsafe for less than four or five troops together to walk about, as the Natives would stick a knife in you on the slightest provocation.
The Hotels are run on the same style as at Heliopolis, but as a rule they are not so clean, and with a few exceptions are for the most part small and badly run.
It is very hard to get a decent feed in Cairo. One has to be most particular of what you eat as the Natives are not too particular as to how they serve it up, or how they wash or clean anything. The best place we struck, was in the "Soldiers Park" which was inaugurated by some of the ladies of Cairo for the benefit of the troops. We had a square feed there for 8 piastres (about 1/6). All the buying in both Cities is done by bargaining. The Natives are great at taking you down, but if you give them about one-sixth of what they ask, you are generally right, though sometimes even then they get the better of one. The coinage was a little strange at first, but have about got it now. The most used coins are piastres (commonly known as disasters) of which about five go to the 1/-. The Egyptian Government give 97½ piastres for a £1/-/-.
The tucker we are getting is very off, though we have one consolation the Egyptian Gov't allow each man 8½d per day for extras and we practically live on that.
We have a fine tent for the Section and it is about 25 x 14 and holds the lot of us comfortably. We only use it to keep our clothes in as everybody sleeps outside.
As I said before it is terribly hot here, and we do no work at all in the middle of the day. Our drill hours are – from 6 a.m. till 9, breakfast about 9. At 11 a.m. till about 12.30 we have lectures, which are held in large shelter sheds, which are fitted up with tables and are used for messing in. After Dinner at 1 p.m. we are free until 5 p.m. and drill till 7, then tea. We are allowed general leave every night from 7 till 9.30 and on Saturday's from 12 till 9.30 and Sunday 's 10 till 9.30, so you see we are not badly off in that respect.
We have been issued with new equipment, 2 light tunic shirts and 2 pairs of short light pants which leave the knees bare and are a lot cooler than the ordinary cords.
There are a few things about Cairo which I forgot to mention. One is its fine drainage which would take a book to say all about it in – another is the Electric Railway which runs from Cairo to Heliopolis, about 6 miles, the charge is only ½ piastre, and it has 1st and 2nd class carriages on. It takes about 20 minutes for the trip. The old Citadel and the Sultan's Mosque and Temple are also well worth seeing.