It's been a while since my last update. We finally saw the great Pyramids. The GREAT Pyramid and the "lesser" ones. How those aliens managed to put those things together is beyond me. It surely must have been the aliens because it's inconceivable that those monstrous edifices could have been so perfectly put together by humans. Almost 500 feet high. Perfectly square (four inches off.... sorry). Perfect alignment with magnetic compass directions. Each block weighing two tons. Over two million blocks. The Pyramids are awe inspiring. However when a member of
your party is bending over painting the rocks with her own brand of internal
paint it takes the luster off of the proceedings. The worst of it was her
sudden attack of “Mummy Tummy” forced her to visit the Pyramid toilets.
She was humbled in a way that she had never been when faced with the quality of
those toilets. Somehow she and we managed to get home before she had any more
“painting” to do. So….. a brief visit and when Stephanie is healthy we will
hopefully have a triumphant return.
Matt and Stephanie going up Giza plateau
The mysterious Sphinx in line with Khafre's Pyramid (not the Great one but only 50 ft shorter...)
The Sphinx and its paws from side
Looking up from the base of the Great Pyramid
http://www.world-mysteries.com/mpl_2.htm
Our diving group decided to go the Hurghada for a weekend to
dive. On a good day it is about a five hour drive to Hurghada, a resort town on
the Red Sea that is renowned for it’s weather and coral reefs. We had a seven
hour trip and got there about 11. So far so good. (If you like seven hour car
rides…. Egyptian ones at that). The diving at Hurghada was as advertised and in
contrast to Dahab we did boat diving. It was all great as long as you didn’t
get a “Sinus squeeze”. I had one. Not fun. Makes ones head feel like the top
half is ripping off. Quite painful. Luckily I was exempt from another one. It
does make one wonder however if snorkeling with it’s thirty second prep time vs
an hour with climbing into a tight wet suit, putting on an awkward BCD (Boyancy
control device), carrying a 50 pound air tank, getting on a weight belt, not
to mention ones mask and flippers, is a better option. Sure you go deeper
diving. But the fish are the same. The coral is the same, and one floats along
blissfully buoyant. The jury is out.
Optical illusion... two dolphins or strange new sea creature
Thanksgiving coincided with a U16 (under 16
years of age) soccer tourney that I volunteered to help with in Jordan. We took
14 boys to Amman Jordan to compete with five other teams. It’s always
interesting to go to other countries so this was fun. At least some of it was.
Jordan is one of the “stars” of the Mideast. The country is modern, stable, has
good roads, is clean, and doing well. Petra is the biggest tourist attraction
but we were confined to trips to Kings Academy, the hotel, the mall, and back
and forth for five days. Thanksgiving was in the middle of this trip. I was the
only American along so it was no concern to the others but I am used to my
“feast” on Thanksgiving.
On our first night we were given “Chuckwagon”
sandwiches to eat with fries and cole slaw. Not exactly what I lean towards for
dinner on any night but I am a team player. Chuckwagons are the name that my old college
roommates coined at McElroy dorm in
Mankato Minnesota. I digress but when we started at the dorm and had the “All
you can eat plan”, we were in heaven as 19 year old young men. A heavily
breaded patty that was a chicken based substance deep fried called Chuckwagon, was our first meal
at the dorm. And our second. And third. After a week of Chuckwagon sandwiches
(maybe it was two weeks….. or two months)we had had enough. Heavy on sodium,
flavorings, and deep fried crust. So…. Back to the Ocean Hotel in Amman.
Chuckwagon, no problem. At least we were promised a nice buffet meal the next
night. Thanksgiving. So after a good first day of games we sat down for dinner.
No buffet seemed to be there. (we had missed the buffet at lunch at Kings
Academy so were HUNGRY) They told us the food was on it’s way. Thanksgiving in
Jordan! Drum roll…… Chuckwagon with fries and cole slaw. AGAIN . Even the
teenage boys couldn’t eat it. They all ordered KFC to be delivered to the
hotel. Humbles a person.
Anyway we finished the tourney. We tie or win our last
game and we are in the championship game. We were scoreless and time expires.
But it doesn’t. Ric (head coach and our new housemate) tells me it should have
ended but it goes on even after extra time has finished. So with five seconds to go we get called for a handball in the
goal area. A penalty kick ensues. They make it. We drop down from being in the
championship game to fourth. The kids are shattered. The team from Lebanon that was seconds from not going to the championship game wins the game and goes on to win the title. Life is hard. We win the
sportsmanship award and they rebound. By the way try chaperoning 14 boys for
five nights in a hotel. Ric was amazing to be able to keep those boys together.
I did what I could to support him. We somehow did it. Combat pay should be
coming to us. Not. At least we finally were able to return to Cairo. Or so we thought. Have you ever heard of a
Sandstorm? Perfect timing. On the way to the airport the wind came hard, the
sky got dark, a dirty “Brownout” took place. One couldn’t see ten feet in
front. The flight of course was delayed. Canceled. Eight hours later we sit
here waiting to get back to Cairo. Everyone that goes to the Middle East must
experience a sandstorm. Now instead of chaperoning 14 boys in the hotel for
five days we chaperone them in the airport for ten hours. They are good kids
but if one knows anything about Egyptian kids they are “High Energy”. A
Thanksgiving weekend to remember.
The team in front of the Roman Amphitheater
We are the orange team... the Lynx
Is this what we've come to? Having to use one's Smartphone while on the bottle!
A pleasant journey with a sandstorm? Not pleasant....
So that is the end of this blog with one footnote... Minnesota where I bode from jokes that the mosquito is the state bird. Now I am in Egypt. I can truly say that the Egyptian mosquito is the foulest bug I have yet encountered. It buzzes the same way, it looks similar, yet it differs in certain respects. First of all the Minnesota mozzie lazily flies along until destroyed by a slap from a hand. No problem. The Egyptian mosquito is like a house fly. Quick and fast and hard to hit. When they do sting however it hurts something fierce only matched by the severe itching that comes after. We thought our mozzies were the king. They are nothing. These guys can't be slapped or found sitting for more than a nano second. They sting fiercely and itch like hell. Our slaps out of frustration are harder too which can hurt when slapping ones cheek.
It is 5 degrees back home right now.... 85 here... Ok, I'll stop complaining... till next time.
(Believe it.. snow on the Pyramids!)
