Into the City... at last

Well All, we finally made it into the city last night. After another day at school (it is literally an American School, IB school, with the same feel as if back in Mpls public schools. Doesn't feel alien until one looks out the window and sees Egypt staring back at you!) a few felt like going on a Felucca ride in the evening. (A sailboat that is as common in Egypt as canoes are in Minnesota) So, Donna and I decided Yes! A few people were nervous about venturing into the city when so much unrest has been going on but we trusted teachers who live there now and have been here for four years. Anyway on our trip in we passed the Pyramids which was very exciting but my friend Wael (who is Egyptian but ironically just flew here from Brooklyn Center Minnesota where he has been living the last six years!) said it was nothing compared to standing right next to the Pyramids. We were excited nevertheless. We then all met up at a TGI Friday on the waterfront. (Can't get away from the bloody restaurant!) We rented our Felucca and off we went for a lovely two hour Felucca ride on the Nile. The boat has a central table in the middle and then has seating around it. Holds maybe ten,twelve people. It was as advertised. Beautiful late afternoon early evening. Wine, appetizers, and good conversation.  Pictures below. Later after going to an expat club (the ACE club) we headed home. What a crazy mess on the highway. Literally bumper to bumper the whole way and I pity the poor soul who got a flat out there in that mass of humanity, his car on the side with seven people sitting on the hood. Somehow we made it back a minute or two before the curfew.

 I had a funny interaction with my PE partner yesterday that went like this:
Tibor- I am so old....
Me- Me too
Tibor- But I am 56 years old
Me- Me too
Tibor- But I was born early in the year... February
Me- Me too
Tibor- But I was born early in the month
Me- Me too
Tibor- February 6th
Me- Me too!
After a few NO WAY NO WAY NO WAY and after a look at my ID verified it, he said "Crazy but w



ell I was born early in the morning.
Me- Me too
Tibor- I was born around 5:30
Me- I was born at 4:30......
Tibor- NO!  You are the oldest! Terrible.
Me-  Oh Oh, wait a minute.... I was born in Minnesota and you were born in Yugoslavia....
Tibor- YES!!!!! I am the eldest!

Crazy yet true encounter. We will be teaching together this year the grades 1-5 students. Could not be true yet is! I then pointed out that perhaps we were twins separated at birth but he has hair and I am bald.... He looked at me and said------ "Implants"

So today another day of mass protests... we'll see where this all leads. Uncomfortable but we still feel very safe. Because of the unrest we will be starting in two weeks. Therefore we joined a group that is going scuba diving in the Red Sea next week in Dahab. Donna and I will be trained to scuba dive. Hard to believe but hopefully true. We leave Wednesday night for Dahab on the Sinai coast.




Our first view of Pyramids






TGI Fridays

Shore bird

                                                          Felucca on the Nile

                                                     Feluccas lined up near shore.

                                      Matthew, Sue, Adam, Stephanie, Linda, Donna, Wael

                                                          Our sailor Ahmed with me and my Salty Dog shirt
                                   from Tom Sewall's Backus Minnesota Restaurant to the Nile in Egypt

Donna having a great time

                                                Ferry carrying piles of locals

                                                       Father and son fishing

                                                                   Nile Sunset

Egypt Day 13......All New, All Great

Ok an update as my great friend Arbed Srewop scolded me into..... We are now in Day 13. Things have changed. We now even more than ever sit back in wonder and amazement in admiration of the Egyptian people! Such wonderful, kind, friendly, helpful people could not possibly be found anywhere on the planet. Yesterday we bought groceries at the local supermarket. When we found out they delivered (Our housemate had a delivery to our villa the day before) we decided to follow that course. But when we checked out instead of taking the taxi like we thought we would be doing the store manager told us we could just ride along with the delivery truck to our villa. So basically they personally delivered the groceries along with us! Now if you remember the old VW buses from the 60's. Quarter the size of those with the same shape and that was our delivery vehicle. At least it was bigger than a TukTuk. (three wheeled vehicles from India that have a driver and then one bench seat for two which they seem to be able to get about 5 into!) So another act of kindness and another great experience. Here are a few photos/video? They had Donna and myself, our two lawn chairs and table and groceries plus the driver and his helper in the tiny little micro van. Never would you see that in the states, but we all had a great time chatting in the little van as it made it's way along the crazy Sheik Zayed streets!

Does this look like a sleepy little suburb?.. 500,000 strong!

Our school bus that picks us up at our villa every morning... tough.

A local Mosque

The school rock garden

Stephanie, Matt, and Donna in front of our villa

Wonderful housemates!!!!

Donna working hard by the pool.....

Coming next.... updates regarding our scuba diving training course next week along the Red Sea at Dahab....

Slow and steady wins the race! Who needs two hundred horsepower when one will do. This is a sight ones sees all the time on the freeway. Old worlds collide with new but it's all good. One better stay alert on an Egyptian freeway that's for sure!

Finally.... Egypt... We are here!

Typical Building on e would see from highway from airport out to 6th of October. People actually live in this one. Most are empty.

People are always hanging off the back end of vehicles. There is no regard to safety. Seat belts? Come on get real!

Another look at the typical way to drive down freeway at 70 mph. One hand is good enough to hang on. No problem!

All too common sight along road and streets of Egypt. Apparently anywhere is a good enough spot to put garbage.

We live like kings. Our villa from the terrace rooftop. Our lovely pool and green sanctuary where the four of us are fortunate enough to live. Safe, beautiful, lush and nothing at all like most of the area around us. We will be having many parties. One already. 

A beautiful Mosque near our villa. One night when the ac was not working Donna and I slept outside on the terrace. at 4 we were woken up with the blare of the morning wake up call. At 4:30 the first call to prayer. We had a lot to learn!

Lest one would think there is nothing but concrete and rubble the most beautiful birds are here as well.

If it's not bad enough to live 5 minutes from the Mall of America now we live 5 minutes from the Mall of Arabia! Not much different other than twenty miles away thousands are protesting, churches that have been around for 1300 years are being burned to the ground, and people are getting killed. Where we are we may as well be near the Mall of America. 

Another sanctuary for me. Two lovely golf courses within ten minutes of our villa. My friend Charlie tends the flag for me. We were the only ones on the course. Golf in midsummer in Egypt gets a tad warm for most golfers here but it was great to play the Allegria and Dreamland courses. 

So! Finally a few photos. It is early in the morning and my internet "stick" (a usb stick the size of a pack of gum put in usb port to provide internet.

Ok here we go... Egypt, the land of complications, contradictions, warmth (temp and human), history, vitality, mystery, and more. We have been here five days. In this time we have landed at the airport into immediate curfew and a countrywide state of emergency which meant a stay at the airport hotel. We then had the most amazing drive in the morning to the 6th of October. (a city guys, come on!) A highway drive one couldn't imagine if they tried. Cars flying along at warp speed. Cars weaving back and forth without signals but plenty of horns. People literally standing on bumpers hanging on with one hand, and to top it off the occasional DONKEY pulling a wagon! Along the side garbage everywhere, brick buildings in different states of completion all along the way four to six stories with no one in them. (Speculators abound here or abounded before the latest president...) So.... we got to our hotel, met with other new teachers. (wonderful people bar none) and tried to get settled. Finally after a few days of looking for apartments a small group of us found a villa that we liked and here we are in our third night at our wonderful villa. I will post pictures. The villa is fit for a king and being one of the older compounds here is actually lush. Being out on the western edge of the Cairo area there is much sand and desert everywhere. We have visited the school and tomorrow is day one for new teachers. Today believe it or not I went golfing. Yes, golfing. I was the only one on the course. The tough times have filtered through everywhere but this golf course was beautiful. My new friend Charlie and I had a delightful round followed by a lemon water (a specialty). Now after a nice swim in our pool I am ready for bed......  (Photos to come.... I lost my power cord for my computer so photos will come)

Paris!

Paris, city of lights. We have had the greatest of times which I have needed after my huge mea culpa of my club championship golf finish which caused me to lose the tournament after a huge lead. Thinking I needed par to win the championship erroneously (I only needed bogey to win the club championship) I took risks and shots I wouldn't have taken and hence disaster unfolded and I lost. Such is life. Played great for two days so that was fun. Maybe next time I will know exactly what my lead is like a smart golfer

Donna with our first baguette and coffee...

Luxembourg Gardens... lovely

A crepe anyone?

Versailles.... could we make it a bit more lavish...

One could get lost in this labyrinth

Versailles

Hall of mirrors

Arc de Triumph

Latin Quarter

Pompey's Pillar... Egyptian Obelisk 3500 years old

Didier our wonderful host

You know what this is...

would do. Silly to grind away making pars and trying to win the thing and not knowing exactly where I stood standing on last tee! Huge Mea Culpa after all that hard work and great shotmaking. So.... life goes on and here we are. Walking all day in Paris with perfect weather (low 70's). Beautiful. Donna is getting a baguette right now as I speak and we will have a baguette with butter, perhaps with raspberry jam or with swiss cheese and ham, a bit of fruit and we will walk to the museum de Orsey and maybe the Rodin museum. Later a trip to Versailles. In Egypt this morning the bulldozers are clearing the camp with death, teargas, and violence abounding. Our flight is tomorrow! Sad things going on there which makes it tough and sketchy for us going. Hopefully all will settle down but for many it's tragic and a time of pain and stress. A few pictures for you and I will continue anon....

Egypt Travel Journal

We are six days away from our big trip to Egypt. Our house is in the process of deconstruction. We are boxing up items and getting ready for our departure. Our plan is to fly to Paris and from there in a few days go on to Cairo. Look for updates. This is a new process so I will do my best to make it easy to look at!