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Published: November 16th 2009
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Making Papyrus
Cairo. Demonstration of making papyrus. Terry:
Rich, Kim and I talked about our trip. We agreed that we were really glad we came to Egypt. We did manage to cram a lot of things into a short period of time, but hats of to Kim for arranging everything! We saw a bit of Cairo, sailed down (I think) the Nile stopping at exotic ports of call, meandered through ancient historical temples, dodged aggressive vendors in local bazaars, took a ride on a traditional felucca (boat), visited temples of gods and tombs of pharaohs, stayed at a beautiful hotel, put some part of our bodies in the Red Sea. We’ve got lots of photos and lots of memories.
But I think for all of us, the best part was meeting and getting to know the people of Egypt. From the wacky camel driver and his “okey, dokey,” to the “silly” man, to our cabin man on the river boat and his towel sculptures, to the chefs and other personnel on the river boat, to our drivers, tour leaders, and guides, and especially our dear Nubian guide and friend, Ahmed … all these wonderful people helped make this trip a journey. A journey allowing us to
Giza
Our camel men! Okey Dokey Smokey! reflect and perhaps change stereotypical thinking based on our situations in life, a journey allowing us to remember how lucky we are to be able to take this trip, to be Americans, to enjoy the little things that make us happy, to have good friends and loving families. I am sure it will take many more weeks to process this journey, maybe longer.
I suppose our journey might look overly naïve and romantic to some who have had different experiences in Egypt, or those who have reservations about this part of the world. And of course changing up any of the people who took care of us while we were there would have made a difference. But for me, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I’m grateful for all the precautions the Egyptians have instituted to protect tourists. I am grateful for all the people who looked after us, even though truthfully I thought at the beginning it was a little bit of overkill. I changed my mind before the end of our trip. I am even grateful for being oggled. Yes mammie. Say what you want, how invasive it is, blah, blah, blah, and maybe so
Learning
Our camel boy .. learning the trade, although he had to walk! when you’re under the age of, ah, never mind … but when you’re a grandma, I‘ll take it thank you very much. Go ahead, deny it if you must, but let’s be honest, a little attention goes a long way when your knees start to droop … yes, your knees. Made me feel good; put a little lightness in this grandma’s step.
Most of the people we talked to (and mostly men) were pro-American, wished they lived in the U.S., and are keeping the dream alive that if you work hard in the U.S. you can be/do anything. Maybe we as Americans should try and recapture that dream and work hard to be/do anything. Perhaps some of us have lost our enthusiasm.
So, on the human being level, and putting aside religious differences, cultural differences, yadda yadda differences, the bottom line is (most of the time) ... if you’re a polite, nice, considerate, down-to-earth individual, chances are your experiences will be good ones. That’s my experience and my truth and I’m sticking to it. Has worked for me for oh, many years. I found the Egyptians to be funny, with a great sense of humor, and joksters/teasers. They
Suhair
Our Cario guide. played lots of tricks on us, little things like asking if we wanted salt in our coffee, handing us a straw and taking it back. We thought it was funny. In my world, if you get teased, you’re in.
I will always be grateful to Kim and Rich for inviting Lee and me to go with them. I’m sorry Lee couldn’t make it because of obligations at home, but I’m grateful to him for encouraging me to go by myself. Hey, I rode a camel by the Great Pyramids of Giza to the Sphinx. I fell in love with Egypt … even though it looks like Arizona and is HOT!! Would I go back? For sure! As long as Ahmed was available to help us muddle through and teach us more about his country.
A wonderful adventure has come to an end, and we all are tired from the hectic pace, but are leaving a little piece of our hearts in Egypt.
Kim:
I wanted to thank you, Mom, for taking the time to do this blog of Egypt. I could never have remembered everything we did without your documentation!!! It was an incredible and overwhelming
Aromatherapy
This was a wonderful place! experience that I will love living over and over again through your writing.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rich:
I am thankful that I love my wife’s mom and enjoy spending time with her. Everyone in my office knows about Terry and her great ideas like taking a camel ride past the great pyramids, buying traditional Egyptian clothes for the theme dinner, and getting in touch with our surroundings in the temples. I enjoyed meeting the people of Egypt and have already traded emails with a young Christian man who will soon be studying in Florida. This trip allowed me to put into perspective how lucky we are: good health, a wealth of opportunities, accountable government, truly free speech, and the ability to worship your god with no stigma. I returned to a very difficult job with a new perspective.
SEE YA! WE'LL BE BACK!!
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Robin
non-member comment
Vicarious travel appreciated
Hi, Just wanted to add how fun it's been for those out here on the Central Plains to get to take the trip to Egypt too. I know it takes time and effort to post the photos and compose the text. My thanks for sharing it all with all of us. Love, Robin, sister, aunt, aunt-in-law