Asmara Eritrea - May 14 2016

At 0h20 we arrive in Cairo where we report at the EgyptAir Customer Accommodation Service Counter. They will arrange boarding passes for tomorrow's flight to Asmara, but they also want our passports because we enter Egypt without a visa. This worries me a bit, but we receive a receipt and I picture the desk where we left our travel documents, so I will know where to go tomorrow, if necessary. I hope the circumstances will not disturb my night rest. They tell us it is the common procedure, but the situation reminds me a bit to the Adi Keyh nightmare in 2002, when I had to hand over my passport overnight to the Eritrean authorities close to the Ethiopian border.

After 30 minutes of formalities we receive a receipt for handing over our passports to the Egyptian authorities. They will keep the passports at the airport. We are transfered to a 4 star hotel five minutes from the airport within the Cairo Airport Transit Zone: Le Passage Cairo Hotel and Casino. It is far more than I expected. "Hospitality is our passion" is the subtitle of the hotel. The motto sounds very Eritrean. My Eritrean companions Merhawi, Dhab, Belaynesh and me are all accommodated in a separate twin bed room, so we have a maximum of privacy in a very modern, well equipped and air-conditioned room. We receive vouchers for breakfast, lunch an diner tomorrow.

At 7h45 I wake up, and have a quick shower. We have a lovely breakfast buffet including sausages of various meat, corn flakes, cereals and a lot more. Bravo again, also for the friendliness of the Le passage staff. Temperatures in Cairo are over 40C, but airco's and fans assure a pleasant climate in and around the hotel compound, that includes a swimming pool. Unfortunately my swimming suit is in the luggage at the airport.

I have a one hour walk in the hotel neighborhood with Merhawi, Dhab and Belaynesh. But it is very hot, and there is not so much to see around the hotel, so we decide to return and have some rest in the shade of the hotel, near the restaurant.

At 12h30 lunch buffet with Merhawi, Dhab, Belaynesh. Again it is a delicious selection of Egyptian cuisine and continental food including soup and various deserts. In my room I have some rest, I try to have some sleep. BBC News mentions temperatures in Cairo will rise to an all time record of 47C in the weekend (compared to 25C in Asmara).

At18h30 diner buffet with Merhawi, Dhab, Belaynesh. Last shower in the hotel and at 20h30 transfer to the airport. A bit early, but we want to be in time to be sure we will find our passports. Hotel staff accompanies us to the desk where we find our passports, including boarding pass for Asmara. Bravo again.

At the airport I kill the time visiting the many duty free shops with Dhab and Belaynesh. We are happy with the unexpected pleasure of our one day stopover in Cairo that was a nice compensation for May 14 in Asmara. At the airport we say goodbye to Merhawi who will fly to Dubai one hour earlier than our flight to Asmara.

At 22h30 the gate is open for boarding. The security check at the gate wants to confiscate most of my batteries for the camera. Only eight are allowed. I suggest I share the batteries with Dhab and Belaynesh, so we all have eight batteries. "Are they your friends?" the security officer asks, and we all confirm with pleasure. Thank God for staying together. We will not leave the batteries to the dubious airport security staff. The 24 batteries will re-unite in Asmara. They passed two security checks at Amsterdam Airport anyway. Why would they be regarded as dangerous at Cairo Airport? My cabin luggage is now approved.