Rafah, finally

We finally made it into Rafah. At firsy, we expected to leave at 8am and hoped to complete the 350km journey by 4pm.
While we did manage to check out of our dodgy hotel in Cairo (google Concorde Hotel, Cairo to see just how dodgy it really is!) bright and early, we were delayed in getting our letters from the Information Ministry and again when our colleagues fromTV3 needed to change their travellers' cheques.
But, the wait was a worthwhile and necessary one as we had to pass not one, not two, not even three, but TEN (!!) checkpoints on our way up north. Without those letters, we would not even have made it past the first checkpoint at the Suez Canal.
Speaking of the Canal - despite it's almost mythical reputation as a major shipping gateway and all that, it's such a disappointingly unprepossessing sight in real life. Narrow and nondescript, we were over and passed it in less than three minutes. :(
We finally reached Rafah at 9pm, only to be told that the border had closed for the night. By then, the weather had dipped to about 5 degrees Celsius and the wind was blowing quite hard as well.
Despite its ruggedness though, it was a gorgeous night - the starry kind that most of us city folk rarely, if ever, get to see.
Stars notwithstanding, we had to get to shelter and regroup for the night. SO, we decided to get to El-Arish, the nearest town and seek out digs for the nght.
Which is how I've come to be here, in a freezing motel room crunching out a blog entry at 3.40am.
Our angkasawan (yes, he's along to render his medical services too. I think he said something about missing the smell of blood and of cutting people up...) is snoring away contentedly in the next room. Maybe I should take the hint.
Good night all.