We have forged great friendships here that will never be forgotten.  Ron has experienced a vibrant and challenging work environment, which has helped him to grow as a manager and as a person.  The diversity of people I have met here is unparalleled in my US experience.  We both feel we are better people as a result of this episode in our lives.  Our adventures to Europe and the Middle East would likely not have been possible except for our close geographic proximity.  And, perhaps oddly enough, our faith has been strengthened.  I’m not sure what more we could ask for….

Thank you to everyone who has supported us.  I realize I have already posted about this but, please, do not let opportunities pass you by!  Many ventures pass our way only once in a lifetime.  The reasons for Ron and me to NOT take on this challenge were numerous from the outset.  The benefits we received have turned out to be immeasurable.   As they say here…. As-salaamu ‘Alaykum – Peace be with you.

This is a continuation of the post regarding Brian and Kathy’s visit.  However, this event deserves a posting all by itself.

When we have guests on the North Coast, a driver takes us to our destinations in Alexandria.  Two drivers have done this for us over the past two years and, coincidentally, both are named Ibrahim.  One is married with children, the other a young, single guy.  Hence, the distinction:  “Old Ibrahim” and “Young Ibrahim” – no disrespect intended toward either man.  On this day, “Old Ibrahim” was our driver.  He has been extremely good to Ron and me, even inviting us to his home for dinner.  So, on this day, Brian, Kathy, Allison and I set out to see some of the sights of Alexandria.

After visiting the Alexandria Egyptian Museum we determined that lunch should be next on the itinerary.  As an aside, Ibrahim does not speak a lot of English. However, I must note that he speaks a LOT more English than I do Arabic.  Therefore, I have a great deal of respect for his efforts.  He asked us if we wanted American or Egyptian food. Well, we ARE in Egypt…. so of course we said Egyptian.  Then, “fish or beef?”  For whatever reason, we agreed on fish as our answer.  You could see at once that this decision pleased him.  He knew the precise place to take us!

A short drive later we ended up in what appeared to be an alleyway.  There was a restaurant sign in front of us as Ibrahim pulled to a stop so, we proceeded to get out of the car.  As the first door opened, we were literally smacked in the face by the smell of fish.  Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like fresh fish!  I hardly knew what to do…. should we continue on or possibly change our minds to the “beef” offering?  With a lot of false bravado, we all exited the car and Ibrahim backed up the alleyway to find a place to park.  Kathy was so traumatized by the smell that she forgot to shut her car door.  We chased the door down and got it shut before it whacked an unyielding obstacle or, worse yet, a pedestrian. Then we continued forward toward the restaurant sign.

The restaurateurs  herded us across the street toward another door.  Oops!, we must have been heading toward the wrong restaurant.  Actually, no.  Inside this door was a whole bunch of seafood on ice.  Sea bass, denise, calamari, shrimp, clams… LOTS of seafood.     We were to pick out what we wanted from this selection.  Then, across the street, in an outdoor kitchen, our selection would be cooked – steamed, boiled, grilled or fried – our choice.  Then, next to this outdoor kitchen, was the dining area that we had originally set out for.  Well, Kathy and I looked at this extensive selection on ice and immediately headed outside.  I had no idea that she was not a seafood fan.  Alas, I am a tad squeamish in that area as well.  How we came to a consensus regarding this eating venue remains a mystery.  However, Brian and Allison were having a grand time perusing the selections and picking out our lunch.  Interestingly, after they chose the kind and amount of sea sustenance we desired, the choices were weighed……  ALL TOGETHER!!  No difference between sea bass, clams or shrimp.  Wow, we must be in a foreign country!

Thankfully, once we were seated inside the dining area, we could no longer smell the decades of fish that had preceded us in this location.  Soon the food began to arrive…. beets, pickled vegetables, tahina, babaganoush, baladi bread and rice.  Then, the main dishes started arriving.  Brian and Allison had ordered steamed mussels, clams and shrimp and grilled denise and sea bass.  When the shrimp arrived in all their glory, heads and all, Kathy’s complexion started turning a funny shade… then the fish arrived with the heads still on and the eyes staring right at us.  That’s when her complexion faded to a true gray!  NOT good.  In the meantime, a huge plate of fried calamari arrived.  This had not been ordered, but, what the heck.  We began to eat it and, to our delight, it was absolutely fantastic.  After about half of it was gone, the waiter arrived with the mussels and clams and realized we had not ordered the calamari.  He took it back!  I guarantee you…. some other table was served our leftovers.  But, it was probably the best calamari any of us had ever had.  So, we are thankful for the mistake.

Poor Kathy sat through the meal and hesitantly accepted pieces of fish that Brian removed from the intact grilled fish, as well as a few shrimp that he removed the heads from.  That is why this picture of Kathy and the fish on ice is so amusing.  Pictures can be deceiving!!    Thank goodness for her that she liked the rice, bread and hummus selections.  We are all much richer for this experience.  Thank you, Ibrahim!

Of course one of our first stops was at the pyramids in Giza and to ride the camels.  Here are Brian and Kathy in front of the pyramid  that was once fully covered in alabaster.  In the 1800′s, Mohammad Ali Pasha decided to take the alabaster from the pyramid and use it to build the large mosque (which bears his name) inside the Citadel.  So, this white cap on top is all that is left of the original cladding.

Here is a close up of the Sphinx, which is located near the pyramids.  You can see that the nose is missing.  There is a tall tale that relates Alexander the Great and his troops using the nose for target practice.  Alas, this has been proven false.  The nose has simply eroded over the centuries.  You can see a square under the ear where the false beard was once attached to the face.  The beard is in pieces, the largest of which is at The British Museum.

We took a boat ride on the Nile from south of Cairo toward uptown.  Here is a picture of a “taxi” that went back and forth from the shore to an island.  A wire cable stretched across the expanse.  The taxi operator then pulled the boat across by hand.  The last two pictures show some of the trash that is unfortunately a part of the Nile habitat.  The garbage was one thing… but seeing the children bathing in that water and playing in the trash was disheartening.

Here is Brian on our trip up to Marassi.  Unfortunately for all of us, the air conditioner in the Jeep decided the night before our trip across the desert would be a great time for it to quit working.  So, for three and half hours we drove through the blowing sand with the windows down.  This was Brian’s alternative to getting “sand blasted.”

On our way to Marassi we stopped by the Porto Marino Golf club to visit our friend, Ahmed.  He is the golf pro and manager at this course.  He took us on a tour and treated us like honored guests.

We stayed with our friends Dean and Allison at their home in Gazhala, just west of Marassi.  Every living area of the home has a view of the sea.  This sunrise view is what they wake up to every morning.  Amazing!

This is one of the funnier stories…  Well, funny for us, maybe not for Brian.  We went to a Moroccan themed restaurant for some good food, great ambiance, and to smoke some after-dinner sheesha.  All was going as planned.  The sheesha arrived and Ron and Brian were enjoying the grape flavored tobacco.  The “hot coal guy” comes around every so often to place orange-glowing embers on top of the sheesha pipe to keep the tobacco burning.  After one of the coal refills, suddenly Brian started making a noise.  Honestly, I can’t remember exactly what it sounded like.  Then, he starts pulling off his shoe!  One of the glowing embers had missed the sheesha bowl and landed on top of his mesh covered Nike shoes!!  It burned all the way through the shoe and half-way through his sock.  I continue to laugh as I write this… maybe you had to be there but, we couldn’t stop laughing.  Only in Egypt!

Our Egyptian friends took us to the Semiramis for a fantastic evening of entertainment.  First were the singers and musicians.  Everything was in Arabic but it was interesting and  nice to listen to.  Then, out came the belly dancer.  When we first thought about going to this event, it sounded like a really good idea.  Once it was arranged, we were told to meet our friends at MIDNIGHT in the lobby of the hotel.  Trust me, I am almost always in bed by 11:00pm!  However, this seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity so, off we went.  The belly dancer did not come to the stage until 2:00AM!!  We made it home around 4:00am.  This is not unusual for many of the Egyptians we know….  I don’t know how they do it.  It took us all a full day to recover!  Poor Ron had to go to work the next day.  The rest of us definitely slept in.

“I will take them,” I said.

“Taxi?” he asked.

“ No, I’ll just take the bags.”

He looks at me with a blank stare. “Delivery?”

“No, I’m going to walk.” And I proceeded to walk a few steps, swinging my arms in forceful determination. At this juncture he indicated he would accompany me to my destination. Yet he did not even know where I lived or how far away it was from the store!! And what about his job bagging groceries?

“No, no, NO. Just give me the bags. Please.” He unwillingly handed over the grocery sacks. What will I do when I’m back in the States full time and I am expected to bag and carry my own groceries? Likely, these little “tugs of war” will be missed.

On the other hand, the Shangri-La Resort Ron and I visited a couple of days ago in Oman, definitely IS one of my favorite locations from now forward.  It is situated with mountains on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other.  It is SO quiet.  The environment is simply serene – I can’t think of a more appropriate word.  There is now a road leading to the area, but supplies for the building were actually brought in by sea during construction.  We only spent only two days there… thank goodness!!  Any longer and we would have been spoiled beyond redemption.

Istanbul is the only city that spans two continents, those being Europe and Asia.   The city is divided by the Bosphorus Straight,which connects the Black Sea and the Mediterranean (indirectly, by way of the Sea of Marmara).  People, vehicles and cargo are linked by several large bridges and frequent ferries.  We were surprised by the diverse architectural styles, the rather clean, fresh feel of the city and the cultural openness.  Walking is easy, signs are abundant and their meaning is clear.  The metro is modern and clean, the bus system is extensive and efficient.  Historic sites we visited were well preserved, restored and maintained.  They certainly try to put their best foot forward and from what we could see, they succeed!

The rest of these pictures are pretty self-explanatory.  The harbor is beautiful.  The Corniche, the road running along the water, is 30 kilometers long.   But, the city is only 2 km wide.  The population is around 6 million.  Alexandria is cleaner than Cairo and the air is easier to breathe.  The architecture is newer, as Alexandria has been the location for many battles throughout the centuries and subject to earthquake damage.    In fact, much of ancient Alexandria is currently being excavated from the harbor.  Regardless, it is a beautiful city and one I hope you get a chance to visit.

I booked Villa La Quercia on the internet.  I knew it was well up the mountain because of the pictures that were posted on the website.  Well up the mountain was a bit of a misinterpretation on my part.  It was WAY up the mountain.  In fact, the road going up the mountain ended suddenly at the parking area for our accommodation.  What was NOT on the website is the fact that there are SEVEN sets of stone steps and a quarter-mile cobblestone path which must be navigated to get to or from the residence.  Oh, the huffing and puffing.  About half-way down with our luggage I got the giggles.  Of course the more I tried to stop, the worse they became.  How on Earth do we always seem to have these “adventures?”  Going down was the easy part.  Although we weren’t planning a “fitness” vacation we got one anyway and didn’t even have to pay extra for it!!

The road along the Amalfi Coast is known for its hairpin curves and steep drops.  Less known, perhaps, is the narrowness of the road.  We had a tiny Fiat called a Panda.  If we’d been in anything bigger I don’t think we could have passed the busses or trucks.  It is easy to see why many residents in the area prefer a motorbike in terms of ease in making your way through traffic.  I have not researched the “death on motorbike” statistics, however.  It looks a tad dangerous.  Anyway, the road is not for the faint of heart, fearful of heights or those prone to motion sickness.  But the views are stunning. 

I have never seen an ugly part of the Mediterranean Sea.  Southern Italy is no exception.  The water was super clear and gorgeous.  The Grottos are beautiful…. the Blue Grotto has turned into a populated tourist attraction and, as such, didn’t interest us.  But we swam in the Green Grotto and went into the White Grotto. The island of Capri was nice.  It is very hilly and extremely upscale in terms of shopping and dining.  After all the hype from books and movies, I was expecting something a touch more spectacular.  No movie star sightings but it was a fun day trip. 

Pompeii is a history buff’s or archaeologist’s dream come true.  It is eerie walking through a whole city that existed two thousand years ago just as we see it now.  First, the city experienced an earthquake in 62 AD.  Residents were still in the process of rebuilding when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.  The volcano cloud, with temperatures of approximately 250 degrees Celsius, is what killed most of the people.  Soon after, the suffocating ash began to settle and it covered the city entirely.  The city stayed buried until 1748, when excavation began.   It is ongoing.  Amazing!

The trip up the Nile was one opportunity that I almost didn’t take.  Here is another….  While on that trip, it would have been much easier to wrap up the last day of touring around 1:30p, head for the sun deck, chat up the Brits and wait for our last dining experience.  However, our young guide offered another option…. a boat ride to the Aswan Botanical Garden, the experience of navigating the first Cataract of the Nile by small boat, and visiting the Nubian village.  Did any of this truly appeal to me?  Not so much, especially the garden part.  Not that I don’t appreciate botanical gardens.   However, that’s not really why I took a trip up the Nile; you know what I mean?  Anyway, Julie and I opted for the experience and it turned out to be quite the opportunity!

Aswan Botanical Garden is on a small island in the Nile.  The island was given to a British military leader, Lord Kitchener, as a thank you for his services in the Sudan campaign during the late 1800′s.   He, in turn, brought in species of trees and plants from other parts of the world and built walkways throughout the island.  It is well planned, well maintained and fairly well labeled.  The island currently belongs to the Egyptian government and is enjoyed by the locals, as well as tourists.

As Julie and I were walking along and admiring the foliage, we spied two baby egrets.  No, three!  Four!  Upon closer inspection they were everywhere.  We immediately pulled out our cameras to capture the cuteness.  Their feathers were still “fluffy” looking… they could not have been too old.  As I kneeled on the sidewalk trying to get the best shot possible…..something fell from the sky with a THWACK!  I could not believe my eyes.  A baby egret had just been pushed out of the nest by its mom.  And the nest was at least 20 feet up in the air!  The other young ones did not even give the latest arrival to earth a quick look; they just went about their business of discovery.  The fallen bird moved.  I never considered it could still be alive!  Then it unfolded its proportionately long legs, stood up and began to wobble about.  I admit I know nothing about egrets.  But I thought mother birds were supposed to teach baby birds how to fly, not push them out of a twenty-foot nest onto the ground!  Is this how they all get out of the nest?  I still can’t believe I saw it with my own eyes…

It's a Family Affair

Baby Egret

One That Did Not Make It

The second discovery at the botanical garden was the name of the huge trees with the twisted trunks that reside across the street from our flat in Cairo.  I have been looking occasionally on the internet trying to determine the name of this tree with absolutely no luck.  As we ambled about the grounds we stumbled upon the tree (not literally).  You guessed it, it was a Eucalyptus!  The guide jumped up and grabbed some of the leaves.  When you crush them, they smell rather like mentholatum – very clean,   fresh and good for the sinuses.  We discovered Eucalyptus trees hail from Australia.  I am so glad to have the puzzle of the trees solved and, would not, except for taking an available opportunity.

So,there you have it.  Grab as many as you can… you never know what you might experience!

What have I learned after one year?  More than will fit into any blog, to be sure.  The number one thing I have learned is that I am extremely fortunate to be an American.   Many people say we are spoiled.  Actually, we are.  There is an enormous list of attributes we enjoy as Americans that very few, if any, other countries can claim en masse.  Indulge me as I list just a few off the top of my head:  our access to education, opportunities to advance our social and economic standing by working hard, clean and fluoridated drinking water, ability to travel freely in our own country and throughout most of the world, clean irrigation water for crops, superior public infrastructure, great roads (you haven’t even seen a pothole until you’ve been to Egypt so don’t diss me on that one), a free press, well educated and trained public safety personnel, quality food products, an absolutely first rate military, an extensive and free public library system, a quality medical system (it’s not perfect, guys, but it can diagnose and treat effectively which, I have discovered, is a luxury) and the list chugs right along.  Sayings develop for a reason…. the one that comes to mind right now is, “You don’t realize what you have until it is gone.”  My fear is that many of my countrymen take these benefits we enjoy for granted.  It seems a lot of the focus today has gone to criticism of what is not perfect, rather than thankfulness for what we have and what we do well.

Anyway, back to Egypt….  It has two things going for it at the moment.  One is the history of the area.  There are mounds and mounds of archeological sites and meaningful history related to them.  A huge portion of Egypt’s annual revenue comes from tourism and business associated with tourism.  Literally plane loads of people disembark daily to explore Egyptian history, as well as cruise ships full of tourists docking in Alexandria and the Red Sea.  Speaking with many tourists, it seems they are seldom disappointed with what they find here.

The second thing Egypt has going for it is its people.  The best part about actually living here, as opposed to visiting, is getting to know the people and experiencing the culture.  Talking with the people is how you really learn about the country and garner insights into education biases, religious differences and similarities, cultural practices, value systems, etc.  Ron and I have been privileged beyond belief to sit in Egyptian homes, eat authentic Egyptian food served to us as to their families, talk about current events from different perspectives and enjoy perfect hospitality.  It never ceases to amaze me how the commonalities in people are so much greater than the differences.  It is surprisingly easy to communicate joy, thankfulness and appreciation whether you speak a common language or not.

Every day life here is much more difficult than in the States.  Routine chores are often riddled with unbelievable delays.  Sometimes my sense of “common sense” is tested to the maximum.  Working smarter, not harder is not an important factor where unskilled labor is in great supply. I can’t count the number of times a day you either see someone barely escape death by traffic accident or barely miss meeting your Maker yourself.   The electricity goes out randomly whether we are in the city or on the coast.  The sense of time here is…well, frustrating.  Ten minutes never means ten minutes or less, it always means at least ten minutes and up to an hour.  Soon means maybe today.  Insha’Allah follows every plan.  If God wills it, it will happen.  This is even more interesting when used repeatedly in the workplace, i.e., “I will have that contract finished by tomorrow, Insha’Allah.”

So, that’s my summary of living in Egypt so far.  More to come, I’m sure of it.