Following a quick trip to the W.C. (water closet), it is only customary to wash one’s hands and then dry those hands properly.  Many times one has two choices: either using an amazing invention known as the paper towel or suffer through a hand-dryer, where most of the time, the water is just redistributed elsewhere on your hands.  In Cairo, I rarely have the ability to choose.

Most WC’s here do have the hardware to offer the availability of both options, however, about 99.5% of the time, the key item, the paper towels, are absent.  All over campus, in the dorms, at restaurants, and in places where you just need to dry your hands, these seemingly important part of one’s hygiene just doesn’t quite make the budget.  I don’t get too upset because most of the time, the water from washing your hands is a much needed relief to the Cairo heat.  I have, however, been to a few – I can count on one hand – places that do have paper towels.  One of which is TGI Fridays, where I almost took the entire roll and pocketed it in desparation, placating my fears of being somewhere in the future where I would have neither paper towels nor a hand dryer. 

The other place, where I was graciously offered paper towels was at Al-Azhar Park, where we watched the sunset over beautiful Cairo.  Now, we paid a 3 pound entry fee to the park, modest, but still excessive in my mind for a city that completely lacks any greenspace whatsoever, but anyways… as we were leaving I was ushered into a quite fancy bathroom.  Upon my arrival at the sink to wash up, an attendant (aka a little man) turned on the faucet for me (I got my own soap) and even turned on the dryer for me, I mean seriously, for 3 pounds he better.  But then – out of nowhere – he hands me a paper towel, as a supplement to the hand dryer I just used.  The quality was dull, but still, it was a paper towel. 

Now I just gotta get these Egyptians to start to use real paper towels.  Ever heard of Brawny?