New Zealander’s Day In Cairo

Northern Advocate, 21 November 1941, Page 3

New Zealander’s Day In Cairo

Writing to relatives In Whangarei Lance-Corporal L. C. Smith, who is serving with the Middle East forces, speaks of a day he spent in Cairo. “We reach Cairo by walking two miles, and then travel the rest of the way in a rail car,” he writes. “It is powered by a Diesel engine, and has two carriages with modern seats. It travels at 50 miles per hour. The cost was only one piastre (2£d). It would be good if we had these in Auckland to run to Papakura and Henderson and similar places,” he comments.

“I met a Tommy soldier who had been out here for a year, and he showed me all the main streets and places of interest. The streets are fairly wide, and some of the buildings are very tall and modern, giving the place an up-to-date appearance. Difficulties With Money

“We went for a ride in a carriage and pair, and felt like a couple of lords. We -had a good tea at the Y.M.C.A., but the money over here is hard to work out. • A piastre is the main coin, and 100 piastres make £l, but their figures are very different to ours. You can imagine our difficulty with this_and the different language, and the fact that the year tc them is about 1360 A.D.

Referring to camp life, Lance-Cor-poral Smith states: “The meals up at the main camp are very good, considering the conditions, and we have no complaints about our “tucker,” though we would appreciate potatoes. Here, we only get boiled kumeras, and they are a poor substitute.