The contrast can be expressed as:
\[ \text{Expectation (from earlier accounts)} \neq \text{Reality (author's experience at Hor)} \] \[ \text{Expectation}: \text{Hor as an important, attractive, almost romantic trading stop} \] \[ \text{Reality}: \text{Hor as filthy, desolate, windswept, and littered with rubbish} \]
Thus, the author felt that the actual Hor did not live up to its earlier descriptions, leading to a stark contrast between past accounts and present experience.