A Friend Comes to Egypt!

A Friend comes to Egypt!

Egypt 2014. A place where practically NO tourists come to anymore. The U.S. Embassy has a travel advisory out which basically states, “DO NOT COME TO EGYPT.” It is a stern warning. The American people have followed suit. Not only the Americans but most other countries have as well. The effect on Egypt from the drop in tourism has been devastating. It has crushed the economy and it's GNP. But worse than the economy is the affect that it’s had on the people. The tourism industry employs millions of Egyptians. It is the life blood for many of it's people. That is the tragedy. Not the loss to the Egyptian nation’s economy. It’s the crushing blow to the people that work in the trade. When we went on our Nile cruise we were saddened by the empty stalls, piles of goods sitting without anyone to buy them, and the looks in the eyes of the vendors. Formally, in the recent past and for many many years, Egypt meant tourism. The Valley of the Kings. King Tut. The Pharoah’s temples at Luxor. The Red Sea. Did I forget to mention something else….. oh yes, THE PYRAMIDS. Five thousand years old. Two million blocks. Each block weighing at least over two and a half tons.. Perfect symmetry. Not even one inch off perfect square. 756 feet along each side. Almost 500 feet tall. Perfectly aligned towards the four compass directions.  How it was made is still subject to debate. It is a mystery. Even the idea of aliens making it has many believers. 

I digress….. I think I have made my point clear. Egypt has relied on its tourism for years to gainfully employ it’s people. They now suffer. HOWEVER…. For the brave and willing, today may be the best time or as my friend Tibor says the bestestest time ever to visit Egypt. No long lines. Discounted prices. Grateful people.

Not one tourist to buy his wares in Alexandria

A great friend of mine just finished a trip to Egypt. Roger came trusting our invitation. We told him it was not dangerous. We told him that he would never know there was any trouble. We told him the people would welcome him with open arms. Yesterday after a rich, full day in Alexandria Roger boarded a plane heading back to the states. He laughed and met all kinds of people. He rode horseback at sunrise below the Great Pyramid. He camped in the spectacular White desert with the Bedouins. He had the greatest of visits.

Black peaks poking out of the clouds in the Black Desert..... seems like it at least

Getting ready to enter the White Desert

The Famous White Desert rock formations.... The Swan and others....

Roger with Ahmed our Bedouin guide

Roger becomes transformed.... Beduoin!

Roger being Roger engaged in many, many lively discussions with the local people. He told them about his beloved Minnesota and asked many good questions about their lives. His world was expanded as was theirs. I have a hard time getting Roger to read my blog at times but instead of reading my blog he took up our offer for a visit! He is excited to come back and hopes to bring his wife Marsha next year. Our faithful driver Ahmed picked him up in the wee hours of the morning in Cairo and delivered him back in the wee hours of the morning nine days later. Ahmed had great chats with Roger, and Heba, an Egyptian worker at our school said, “Roger is GREAT!” Roger taught a class at school and the kids loved him. (when he promised them candy we weren’t sure WE loved him however!)He had a smile on his face at all times and wanted to pay for everything. He cooked dinner on more than one night and tried to help around the house. In the White Desert he wore a head scarf tied by the Beduoins and danced around the fire at night. In short he was willing to experience the culture, share his, and soak up everything there was to take in.

Our last day was spent in Alexandria with Mostafa, a judge that had spent a year in Minnesota at the University of Minnesota law school. Mostafa had gone on one of Roger’s tours (He runs a fledgling tour company). The tour spent a day and night at my cabin in the north woods of Minnesota. We reunited with Mostafa in Alexandria and had a wonderful day capped off with Shisha by the coast.

Mostafa, Roger and me at the Citadel

Me and Flat Stanley at the beautiful modern Library of Alexandria

Smoking Shisha at a "Drive-in" Shisha!

The tourists that come to Egypt today are rewarded for their efforts. Yes, there are troubles here. But there are troubles everywhere on every corner of the globe. If one uses common sense and does their research one finds that places CNN says are dangerous are often not. If one is willing to stretch oneself one can often reach farther than they thought possible.