Fifth Journey Day 104: Chair Without Cat

Date: August 20, 2025
Location: Cairo, Egypt

I arrived in Cairo this morning, and the heat hit me right away. The air feels thick, carrying dust that makes the sun look pale. The atmosphere here is much heavier and more noisy than the clear sea around Aqaba. Even when I wasn't moving, it felt like the city was spinning around me.

After leaving my bag at the guesthouse, I walked to a nearby café. It was small, with chipped tiles and a glass door that didn't close properly. Inside, the air felt cooler. It smelled like coffee and smoke. I ordered a mint tea. The glass felt hot in my hands, but the taste was sharp, like a breath of fresh air on a hot summer day. I opened my sketchbook without much planning, just letting my pencil follow the sound of what I was hearing — voices talking over each other, the sound of spoons hitting plates, the quiet sound of traffic outside.

From where I was sitting, I could see outside through the doorway. I saw a boy selling tissues, a woman carrying bread on her head, and a cat that was not wearing a collar. Every little movement seemed to be in sync with the city's relaxed pace. I didn't feel like I needed to join in fully yet. It was enough to sit and let Cairo come into me, rather than the other way around.

The dust on the horizon made it hard to see the edges of the buildings. I thought about how haze can both obscure and connect, softening divisions so that forms feel continuous. I'll look more into this tomorrow, but for now, I want to remember how heavy and sharp it was, and how comfortable it was to be still in the middle of it all.