Egyptian Adventure #7

Greetings from the air over Algeria. This morning we awakened at 5 AM to take the 'bus to Cairo airport. It is a very good thing that we completed 99% of our packing quite early in the day yesterday. At about 8:30 PM most of the electricity in the apartment was cut off. It appears that the electric company has the ability to cut off about 60% of the power to each residence????? It  was so hot in Cairo that the electric grid just could not meet the demand. A few lights worked, a few electrical outlets worked, but most of the apartment was in darkness. Our resourceful Madam Soha made many phone calls and finally got some men to come and check things out. They confirmed that the company had done it; the men made some changes to the cabling and ran a bypass which put most things back together. We could use the fans in our bedroom and a light, but, not the air conditioner so we went to sleep.

Once at the airport this morning Ron got quite frustrated at the delays for every thing we were required to do. Check-in was no problem – the long line moved quickly, but so little information was given causing us to have to go through another line twice after discovering that an exit visa was also required. There were also multiple security and passport checks. After all the hassle, we had time for breakfast, which was a half-sandwich and a cup of good coffee each, which spent all but pennies of our Egyptian pounds, which was perfect.

Once on the plane, where we are now, the seats are so narrow that I am typing this with my elbows crunched to my sides, and nowhere else to put them. Ron still thinks I am crowding him. I tell you this to remind you that travel is not as much fun as it used to be. Looking at my receipt, I think we paid $573 each from London to Cairo to Casablanca. The Cairo to Casablanca flight takes 5 hours; sorry, 5 very long hours, though the food they just served was really good. Every so often the very fat man in front of me, who is sitting in the bulk-head, where there is lots of leg room, sets his chair to recline, thus taking up my face room. I can't drop anything on the floor – there is no way to bend over and even scratch my leg, let alone pick something up.

O.K. That's enough whining. I hope to finish this in our hotel room. We will land in Casablanca in about 1 more very long hour. I wish I had some of that lovely fresh Alexandria air with me........

Egyptian Adventure #6

Another correction: OOPS I was totally off-base when I told you the high cost of gasoline in Cairo... I must have zigged when I should have zagged and miscalculated by a ton! Gasoline here is subsidized by the government and cost $1.74 a US gallon.....WOW, I don't make small mistakes do I?

Now about today; which has been totally wonderful. Hedayet agreed to take us to Alexandria for the day. She had hired a driver to drive her car so she would not have to do it alone, as her husband does not drive any more. Iman, the driver,  took good care of us all through easy traffic time and snarls.  We had a three-hour plus drive and we passed very interesting agricultural areas along the way. We also took a small detour to see the fairly new enormous community of "6th of October." The town's name commemorates the 1973 war of that date (if you are interested in more information it is available in Wikipedia).The community is designed to provide housing of various prices, jobs, and shopping all in one area, thus eliminating commuting to work etc. This opportunity has been accomplished. It turns out, however, that many people who live there, work in Cairo while people who work there, live in Cairo.

When we arrived in Alexandria we went first to see the apartment Hedayet and her husband own in a very private community. There were record rainfalls last winter and the rain came through the roof and left an enormous amount of damage. A start has been made on extensive repairs, and what a great place it will be when it is restored. It is on the 7th floor of the building with a  view of the Mediterranean. The breeze blowing from the sea was just wonderful. We went on to walk the promenade of the very private community beach just so we could have a small beach experience in Egypt.
We then moved on to the down-town historic part of the town. How very beautiful it is! On the way we stopped at a lovely park with a palace that was built for King Farouk. We have pictures of the castle which is ornate beyond imagination. It put us mind a little of Neuschwanstein in Bavaria or even the castle in Disneyland.

Then on to the big event of the day, we went to the Library at Alexandria. Built to honor the great library of ancient times, it is only about 200 meters from where the ancient library stood. I cannot do justice in this little journal to the wonder that this new one is. Again, if you go to  http://www.bibalex.org you will find a very well organized web site that gives enough information to keep you busy for weeks! We had a short tour of introduction and I have to tell you, it was a thrilling experience. What a great job has been done by many contributors and by Egypt. The ancient library and the tragedy of its loss was a part of my history lessons. To see that now a library, destined to be just as important, lives right where it belongs felt just right.

But wait, there is more. We went on to see the restored castle of Alexander. We regretted that we could not tour the castle. By the time we got to where we could only photograph it; we were quite tired and very hungry. We were totally ready for a good meal and to prepare for the long drive back to Cairo. We went to a restaurant just across the street where we were seated at an outside table on the second story. The view from our table of the Mediterranean, the library across the water, the minarets of the Mosques, the fishing boats in the harbor, and the panorama at our feet was intoxicating. The food was great, the service perfect and the experience beyond all expectations.

When we finally returned to Cairo we found that there had been no more trouble in Tahrir Square or anywhere else. I had a long talk with Soha and she explained why people like her are so afraid of the upcoming election. Briefly this is my understanding: It is strongly suspected that the army will interfere with the election and that democracy will be undermined. There is, unfortunately, a law in their constitution that declares that the result of an election for President will stand, regardless of circumstances, and cannot be challenged. This is what the people fear: If they don't get that law changed, they will be stuck with the results of a possible fraudulent election.

I cannot say enough about how welcome we have made where ever we went here in Egypt. Even complete strangers have been willing to help, and I am not just talking about those who needed to be paid. From the man at the airport who went to so much trouble, to waiters, and all, we have been treated so well. Madame Soha (as everyone calls her) just spoiled us rotten; She has taken all avenues to make sure we got the experience we wanted. She so patiently answered my questions and even shared her birthday and her family with us.  Hedayet and her husband have also spent so much time with us, fed us,  loved us, and took us to Alexandria. How lucky we are to have such dear friends!

This time in Egypt it was not so much tourism, which we had done before, but politics -- what is the situation here and how will it be resolved? Well we have learned that the danger to tourists is none -- if they are smart enough to stay away from demonstrations (unless they are prepared to go to jail for the cause of democracy). Every place that we have been we have felt totally safe.

Tomorrow is our last day and we leave for Morocco early on Monday morning. If you find these journals boring just let me know./; I will remove your from distribution. Otherwise I will keep on writing and sending any time I can find access to the 'Net in Morocco.

And so to bed. Hugs, Noreen

Egyptian Adventure #5

Greetings from friendly Cairo:

CORRECTION: In the interest of honest reporting: I incorrectly said that the builders who built the lines and lines of apartments on the west side of the Nile did so on pulbic-owned land. NOT SO they owned the land, but failed to get building permits. Sorry!

Great day today, but not for the people who are trying to oust the Military Government. I'll get that story out of the way then get to the things we did. The political strife is clearly ramping up. When Soha called to confirm our reservation for dinner, she was told that it may be cancelled due to the protests. We listened to the news and discovered that the far right Islamists had gotten into it with the army outside the Defense Minister's offices. After waiting a while and watching the peaceful Friday prayers in Tahrir Square, we decided to get on with our life.

We drove to Hedayet's house and on the way we came across a protest march of hundreds of people that stretched for several blocks. They appeared to be well-organized and very peaceful. We actually drove down the street on whch they were marching and there was no disruption of traffic. They marched from Tahrir Square to the Defense Minister's compound, which is many miles in temperatures well over 100. From Hedayet's we took a taxi to the Nile. While we waited for dinner we saw the protest march crossing a bridge over the Nile, we could see that they had grown in number and they stretched from one end of the bridge to the other.  We did our tour (see below) When we got home the news advised us that the protest had turned ugly. At least 2 people were killed by the army and hundreds arrested. There is a curfew currently in effect until 7 AM around the Defense Minister's property......

All of this sounds dreadful, but normal Egyptian life is not affected by anything but the curfew. We had no problem getting home. We were easily able to get a taxi back to our car, we drove across Cairo without incident. The need to get the army out of the government is well supported, but these violent clashes don't do anyone any good. 

AND SO TO THE STORY OF THE DAY
I am attempting to attach a picture of the 4 of us on the boat. The scenery was wonderful, the breeze on the water was very welcome, the food was outstanding. We floated up the Nile and back for 2 hours with views of some wonderful agricultural land and a few great villas. One of the Villas was built by the prime Minister -- who is now in jail! There was entertainment and great service. Normally this boat would be filled to capacity with tourists but, today, it was only about half-full. At 101 Egyptian pounds (that is only equal to around $15 ) it was quite a bargain. Afterwards we spent idle time in a Nile-side cafe. A cold drink and a lazy breeze off the river was wonderful. The conversations were stimulatiing and educational.

I do want you to understand that the political situation is only hurting the ordinary people of Egypt. The poor are living on a dollar a day. The rich are getting richer. Children are being employed at abusive wages, and the government is completely out of touch. I am convinced that it is perfectly safe to be here; one just has to stay out of trouble areas. Tomorrow we are going very early to Alexandria ( about a 3-hour drive). I won't be writing.

AND SO TO BED Noreen      

Egyptian Adventure #4

Greetings from Cairo:

A really great day today. We had a lazy morning because we all got up feeling like that was what we wanted. At 12.30 we started our happy day. First we went shopping for Soha to exchange her birthday present and then to the Supermarket to take care of some photos. Parking is quite an art. You pay someone to help you park and you have to wait in line for a spot to open. At $12 a gallon for gas, waiting in line is hot and frustrating.  Then we went to lunch at the Yacht club.

Several of our old Friendship Force friends who visited us in Oregon joined us for the meal. Hanna, Hoda, Hedayet, and Soha were joined by Hedayet's daughter and husband. All were so pleased to see us and a new member bought us each a gift. The food was really good and, as we have found before, Cairo has the most wonderful fresh vegetables, which were served with pita bread and a lot of dips like tahini, yogurt with cucumbers, and totally yummy stuff we did not know. We drank lemonade with mint which I will copy when I get home -- it was good.

After the meal we took a taxi to some pace where Soha was invited to attend the opening of a new patisserie. It was a very upscale place and there were many people, the press, and movie stars present. I got hit on very hard by some rich-looking Egyptian Lothario. He asked if I had a husband and I pointed out Ron..He suggested I should get a younger husband. Ron just shook his head. Soha and I concluded that it had to be the blonde hair; she thinks Egyptian men go nuts over blonde hair. I suppose that at my age it is a bit of fun to be noticed in a crowd, and mistaken for a blonde! The shop owner made a point of telling us his resume -- he is justifiably proud of the product he has put together. I only tried a few things, but they were outstanding.

There was no new trouble in the revolution today. We drove through Tahrir Square on the way home. There were lots of people around, but all was peaceful. The BBC on-the-spot reporter told that the people who started the problem were actually army people in Mufti. This point of view fit with the fact that the barracks did not respond to the melee for way too long and until long after people had been killed. The army does not want the election to succeed and so take away their power. The people are very upset because the tourists are staying away in droves and the poor are suffering.They want a stable government.

On the way home we went to Street 9, which is a place where the poor and middle class stroll in the evenings. We stopped the car, parked illegally, and Soha sent a man to buy us fresh-squeezed sugar cane juice. I was not so pleased to try it, but it was ice cold and surprisingly delicious.

I am falling asleep at the key board AND SO TO BED
Hugs, Noreen

Egyptian Adventure #3

We have used up every ounce of our luck today -- thus my safe numbering system. We stayed late in bed, ate a fine breakfast and watched the news -- which was mostly about the new troubles in Tahrir Square and McCain going on at length about how we had to "do something" about Iran before we left it too late... Thus telling the whole world via CNN that we need to go to war sooner rather than later and other countries should join in too. Yes, we know how well that worked out in Iraq!

Soha, Ron and I had a good conversation about this many of the stories that are spread to foster hatred. She told us that the majority of Egyptiansbelieve that all the Jews were warned to leave the twin towers before they were destroyed. Ron dealt with that myth by pointing out the loss of life in at least one finance company that was mostly Jewish run. I pointed out that these stories are told by the same kind of people who sent out those dreadful lies about all Muslims being terrorists. Soha agreed that AlQuaeda and Islamists were basically terrorists. They are as much afraid of them as we are. We all agreed that bad people are everywhere, and we have our own at home too.

Well that was enough of that for one day. Hedayet arrived, still with laryngitis, and volunteered to take us wherever we wanted to go. We have been warned to stay away from the museum, but Ron thought he would not be happy to be in Cairo and not see the pyramids. So we went to Giza. The pyramids were just as they always had been (awesome) but, we were really shaken by the many new apartment buildings that have been built on the west side of the Nile since we were last here. Hedayet explained that when the revolution occurred, the builders just moved into public land and built everywhere. When a quasi government was formed by the military, they just paid a small fine and kept building.
The saddest thing was the sight of so many people trying to make a living from tourists in Giza, and no tourists around. Our friends here even told us that they have no incoming Friendship Force group this year. The opportunity was assigned to Canada, and they wouldn't come because they were afraid. Our experience is that the danger is about as great as it is anywhere in the world right now. Tahrir Square didn't look any different than most of the Occupy areas in the USA. Last night's troubles were caused by them having an army in charge. The only guns were in the hands of soldiers and police.

Well, due to such activities, these poor people who make their living from helping tourists were all trying to persuade us to allow them to take us to the pyramids; which was not on our schedule for today. We just wanted to see the area. Ron had the opportunity to walk around and take pictures and see the Sphinx.

Driving in Cairo is a constant source of amazement. Each driver we have been with has shown incredible skills. I consider myself a good driver, but I would never drive here! There are simply no rules and, somehow, once that is understood, no quarter is expected or given, and, somehow, it works. At least we didn't get killed today.

We came back to Soha's house with a large bouquet of flowers for her birthday. We had a lovely supper with 2 of her grandchildren with us -- who were delivered to her house by their driver. They were such beautiful children; they both, at 11- and 7 years-old spoke beautiful English. After birthday chocolate torte and silly singing, we showed the youtube film Ron made of the Egyptian's visit to Oregon -- they really loved that. Then more family arrived so, after introductions and a short exchange of conversation, we disappeared into our bedroom to leave them to visit together without the need to communicate in English.

AND SO TO BED Hugs, Noreen

Egyptian Adventure #2

Good Morning Everyone and Happy May Day!

We heard the news that demonstrations are planned throughout US. We will be keeping our eyes open. I can get my New York Times on line.


Guess what!!! No rain today! It was a perfect, dry, Cairo spring day. Oh boy, did we need this....I slept so soundly last night that I didn't even hear the Muezzin call to prayer at 4:30 AM, even though the minaret is very close. But, then, they always are!
Guess what!!! No rain today! It was a perfect, dry, Cairo spring day. Oh boy, did we need this....I slept so soundly last night that I didn't even hear the Muezzin call to prayer at 4:30 AM, even though the minaret is very close. But, then, they always are!

We started our day with a light breakfast and were quite lazy as we unpacked our bags and other boring stuff. Then we went out for a relaxed hour in a lovely tree-shaded area on a patio at TGI Friday's for cold drinks. The Nile flowed lazily past, by the bank below our table. Sweet!

From there Soha drove us to the club where she made reservations to meet with other old friends for lunch on Friday. Then off the Hedayet's house for a late, wonderful lunch. All the dishes served were Egyptian traditional food. Other than the chicken and bread I could not tell you the names of anything else, but, it was all delicious.

To come back to Soha's house, we and Hedayet and Hedayet's husband, Dr. Edel, all squeezed into Soha's little car. They were going to a mourning for an old friend of Dr. Edel's. If I have described the driving conditions in Cairo to you before, or if you have experienced them, pardon me ---- but they are unbelievable. Fender-to-fender maneuvering at impossible speeds with every driver fighting for space. Donkey carts and pedestrians (even whole families) dodge cars and busses. We have seen very few accidents but many, many miracles.

On our way we passed Tahrir Square where we saw hundreds of pedestrians and lots of tents erected in the square. It was not possible to stop; the traffic just goes around the square. Occupy Egypt is alive and well! I understand that 13 candidates are running for election to President. I learned something new today (perhaps everyone else knew this long ago). There is a difference between being a Muslim and being Islamist.  I had always thought that Muslims were just the name of the people who followed the Islamic teaching. Not so, Islamist people are those who follow the  fundamentalist interpretation of the Koran. Among the Presidential candidates are followers of all shades. Our friends are Muslim, but seriously not Islamist.
After arriving back at Soha' house, we had a cup of tea on her lovely balcony then retired to our cool and comfortable room to relax.

AND SO TO BED......
Hugs, Noreen

Egyptian Adventure #1

Well, this is different.....I am writing this day from our very comfortable bedroom in Cairo. Lots of adventures since I finished last night. Before we went to our hotel at Heathrow Airport, we stopped at Egypt Air to check on the latest time of our 8:30 AM flight and the terminal # (there are 5 widely separated terminals at Heathrow). They were very sorry, but they did not have a flight next morning OMG!!!!!BUT our tickets were printed with the name “Egypt Air” prominent. A supervisor was called, a few keys were hit, and we learned that ours was a British Midlands International (BMI) flight at 10:10 AM next day from terminal 1; we were currently in terminal 3! This was not a major problem because it was the night before --- imagine what it would have been like if we had arrived at the wrong terminal next day!

Relieved that we had sorted this out we took the Hoppa bus to our hotel, had that wonderful dinner in the restaurant, a great night's sleep, and got to the airport in tons of time. We has a leisurely breakfast (not great, but adequate) then walked 15 minutes to our plane. An uneventful flight, another breakfast, and we arrived in Cairo Airport on time. Then the fun started.


First there were people greeting all kinds of names, but no Noreen & Ron. Panic Time (me) “Wait a bit” (Ron). While he was waiting for his suitcase, I went over to a very cute young Arab whose spoke perfect English. I explained how, without a person to greet us, we did not know where to go. Without hesitation he pulled out his cell phone and called our friend Hedayet (Whose # I had handy). She told him the name of the transport company and the exact address to which we should go, which he wrote in my book in Arabic for our driver...Not how welcoming and friendly is that???? He escorted us through customs, where we found our driver. Ron got money from a hole in the wall, and we started our journey ….Then the fun REALLY started.


The first thing was the great screaming gathering of Arabic men who were blocking the road out of the airport. “Are they demonstrating?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied, “They are very happy about football.” The driver had to literally push through the screaming fans, and I found myself greeted with smiles and a return salute when I gave the thumbs-up sign.

The next part of the adventure was driving through Cairo and discovering that our driver spoke almost no English, did not know how to find the address we were going to, and had no map, or GPS. Once we got into the approximate area, he kept asking police and taxi drivers, and everyone, apparently, gave him different information. Before we even got that far he had to buy gas; got hassled by the soldier who was “guarding” the gas with a very showy and obviously very self-important manner (badge-heavy we would call it). The line was for ever; the pump was half broken, the price was very high. We learned, even with his bits of English, and it was later confirmed, that the army is universally hated in Cairo. We also learned that he is Muslim, political, and he tried so hard to find the words to express how he felt. That most people were just people and were good; he did not hate anyone -----except governments which he thought were just rubbish, and that he is Islamic. He so sincerely wanted us to understand this, it was very sweet.

We finally arrived at our destination after completing an in-depth tour of suburban Cairo. It was quite interesting when we arrived. Soha's apartment is on the 5^th floor of a very nice area. She has 3 bedrooms and an enormous living/dining area that makes our great room look quite small. It will take me a whole week to see all the treasures she has here. She had prepared a lovely supper of very Egyptian foods. We chatted and all retired to an early night.


Soha has WiFi, so we will be able to transmit these tomorrow.

AND SO TO GO ON OUR FIRST WALKABOUT IN CAIRO!
Hugs,Noreen