Thursday, January 31, 1929
I spent the morning inquiring about cargo vessels to Bombay. At noon I left for Cairo. The train, road, and canal followed side-by-side for many miles with a great expanse of low mudflats on either side. At Ismailia, or whatever the place is, we picked up a load of natives who came in my 3rd-class palace not only through the doors but also the windows. I was the only white person in the car and although it was crowded, they kept their distance from me. From this point we cut across the Arabian desert to Cairo and the delta of the Nile. A strong cool wind blew the sand and dust through the car till I was filthy. Even my glasses could not keep the sand from my eyes. The small homes were of dried mud or of mud bricks. The roofs were usually of straw, but a few had no roofs. There were several of these small mud-house villages en route, the passages narrow and uneven, and all very dirty looking.
The train followed a canal most of the way and on that side of the track there was some growing of green-stuffs for the sheep, goats, and cattle to eat. In the delta, though, the land was fertile. Occasional camels passed, laden with a heavy burden or a boy on a donkey went trotting down the road. Once in Cairo the fun began. Never saw such a lot of downright liars and people trying to get your money—if any—as there are in Egypt.
Got a nice room at the Luna Park Hotel for 5 bob a day. The porter who carried my stuff from the station tried to charge me way too much. At the Am.Exp.Co. I found twelve letters, a postcard, and a newspaper, and the OSU Monthly for me. Was plenty glad to get them.