Ruins of Rome to Ruins of Egypt

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Subtitles: Rome Wasn't Built in a Day, But we Visited it in a Day!
Kate Denied Entry to the Vatican!

Dear Friends and Family:

NOTE: We cannot believe it has been 11 days since we posted an entry! This is our longest one yet, so if you are pressed for time, be sure to read at least the sections labeled "ＢＡＴＨＲＯＯＭＳ," and "AＮ IＮＣＲＥＤＩＢＬＥ CＵＬＴＵＲＡＬ EＸＰＥＲＩＥＮＣＥ."　　Ｎｏ　ｔｉｍｅ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｔｉｍｅ，　ｂｕｔ　ｗｅ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｗｒｉｔｅ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｔｒａｎｓｐｏｒｔａｔｉｏｎ　ｎｅｘｔ　ｅｎｔｒｙ　（ａｋａ＂ｉｔ　ｉｓ　ａｍａｚｉｎｇ　ｗｅ　ａｒｅ　ａｌｉｖｅ！）．

ROME IN 20 HOURS!

Backing up one day, we spent 20 hours in Rome, after our cruise ended in Venice. We stayed at a great hotel just 2 blocks from the Colloseum and across the street from the Forum. We hadn't planned to visit, but our flight schedule on Egypt Air took us through Rome, so we decided to stop. We arrived in the late afternoon, so walked over to the Colloseum, completed in 80 AD. The name refers to a large statue nearby that took 24 elephants to move. It seated an estimated 40,000 to 70,000 people, who had free admission, but assigned seats according to class. There were 170 Roman holidays each year, and an event happened on each one at the Colloseum. Gladiators might fight, or convicted criminals who chose this option over their sentence. Each would fight another human or an animal until death or reprieve (voted on by the crowd). To confirm that a fighter had died, he would be touched by a burning iron (no faking it!). The games stopped in 1552, so the valuable building materials (marble and metal, mostly), were taken to build churches and palaces.

The next morning, we walked across to the Forum and wandered to the Pantheon, built 27-25 BC, then recontructed 118-125 AD. It has the largest dome ever vaulted in brick (43 meters in diameter), witih an open hole (9 meters in diameter) in the center where rain comes in. It is such an incredible architechtural feat, that it would be almost impossible to create even today. Restoration in the 20th century of the exterior of the dome was done without scaffolding, thanks to the help of skilled rock climbers.

We kept walking and it seemed that, when you looked down every alley, there was a domed church at the end. Have I put in a plug for Keen sandals yet? They are the best. You can walk forever in them and be comfortable. Nothing feminine about them, but they are are great.

Anyway, we walked to the Vatican where, after a wait in line, Kate was denied admission, not for any of the reasons you all may be thinking (doctrinal, outrageous speach, etc.)! I had shorts on. Of course, so did Ken, Sam, and Lauren....but a nice Italian woman in back of me offered me her shawl and I was duly admitted!

EGYPT - Its 7000 YEAR-OLD HISTORY MAKES THE U.S. LOOK LIKE AN INFANT!

After a quick taxi ride back to our hotel, we then took the subway to the train to the plane to Cairo (pop. 27 million)... This was the first part of our trip where we had arranged a tour, so it was nice to be greeted by a guide, with a car waiting out front, to take us to our hotel in Giza. Along the way, we passed Dead City, many, many square miles of moseleums, now occupied by 2 million homeless people. Every Friday at noon, we were told, the relatives of the buried come to visit. We saw countless tall buildings, unfinished, so that no taxes would be due (the builder builds just enough, apparantely, so that people can live there, but does not finish the roof or put in windows, so that there is no real estate tax liability). At the hotel driveway, we had to stop and let a dog sniff for bombs ('don't worry, our guide said, they aren't checking for drugs). In our hotel rooms (we needed two), a sign read, prayer mats are available from the housekeeping department. Coolest: the pyramids were across the street!

The next day, another guide, an Egyptologist, picked us up with a driver, and took us, first, to the three pyramids of Giza (there are only 110 pyramids in the entire country). Thte Great Pyramid of Cheops is 147 meters tall, has 2,300,000 blocks of limestones, most weighing 2 - 2/12 tons (although some on the interior weight 17-20 tons)We heard about King Ramesses II, who had 49 wives, 96 sons, and 106 daughters (so many children, he had a school built for them). We learned about how, when a king died, his heart was weighed against a feather. If the heart weighed more, it meant he had made a lot of mistakes/lied, so a monster would eat his heart. If his heart weighed less than the feather, he went straight to paradise. Guess what? They all went to paradise!

At the Giza pyramids, we had the obligatory camel ride, which was hysterical. Nothing smooth or graceful about it! See photo (which reminds us, you may click on any photos on these entries to make them larger on your screen)...

We visited the Sphynix which, although incredible, was smaller than we had thought it would be. It took 4,000 laborers in 10 groungs to build it in 267 BC. Our guide took us to a perfume factory, which was a complete bust - they give you private scent tours, but we had to come out and tell them we weren't going to be buying anything, no matter what. That's the point, of course. Same at the jewelry store and the papyrus store...we have only carry-on, so certainly no room for any extras! Afternoon was spent at the Cairo Museum. Llots of King Tut items there. He died at age 18 or 19, in 1350 BC. Included in his tomb were 252 pairs of underwear, 17 huge alabaster perfume jars (some still have scent today), 7 beds, four huge containers for his liver, stomach, lungs, and intestines (each is protected by a different god), abnd 4 chariorts. and evening at a sound and light show, where they light up the three large pyramids. Not as cool as we had hoped.

We woke up at 2:45 a.m. to catch a flight to Aswan, where we were met by our private guide. He stayed with us for the next 4 days, taking us to the huge Aswan dam on the Nile River (if it breaks, Cairo will be flooded within 72 hours), creating the largest man-made lake in the world. The Nile, the longest river in the world, passes through 9 countries. When the dam was built, it displaced the Nubian tribe and many temples. 12 temples were moved to higher ground - the stone cut into pieces, numbered, and transported, where they were re-built. Incredible. We went to one of the them, the Philae Temple, which consisted of 49,000 pieces and took 9 years to rebuild. The purpose of the dam is to control the level of the Nile River, so that there can be farming all year long with even levels of water.

Temples have a series of rooms, which get smaller as you go in, leading to the smallest room, called the Holiest of the Holy. Here, only priests and the king are allowed. Sometimes, the priests would go to an adjacent room and talk as if they were a god, telling the King that the god wanted particular food, perfumes, drink, gold, etc. The King fell for it, brought the items, and then the priests took it! The priests were the richest, fattest, and most powerful men. Each temple on the Nile also had a Nile meter - stairs that descend to the river and the depth of the water determined the taxes on the local people. High water level is assumed to mean good crops, so high taxes.

We visited the Unfinished Obelesk, mostly to understand how they are made (the Washington Monument is one, for example). They are actually cut out of stone in the horizontal position and then, it is believed, moved by a series of barges to the intended site. We then went aboard the Beau Soliel, our Nile cruise boat. It is basically a tiny version of a cruise ship, but there are 280 of them serving the Nile - variations on a theme. From our docking site, we took a felucca (a beat up fishing boat with old, faded cloth canopy top) around the nearby islands.

The folllowing day, we had our first cultural visit of the trip - to a Nubian village (remember? the ones displaced by the Aswan dam?), where we got to visit an elementary school and have a lesson in Arabic and Nubian, then visit a local home. Sand floors (to remind them of the home they had before dam built) and small rooms built of mud brick, around an open center area, housed an extended family. Furnishing were simple. Nubians are known for having crocodiles for pets, so we got to see a large one and kids got to hold a baby one. Kate, Lauren, and Sam all had henna tattos applied (about as wild as Kate ever gets!). Roofs are light-colored dome or cylindar-shaped, to deflect the sun. Traditional dress and no shoes. Eastern style toilet in the floor (not raised). While in our felucca, two Nubian boys paddled (by hand) over to us and asked, "French?", "English?" before they launched into "Row, Row, Row your Boat" and "Freira Jacques," Sorry about the spelling....we had to tip them to get them to leave.

The trip down the Nile was mesmerizing, as we passed the only green land in the Country and hundreds of villages. Nearest the shore were fishermen in traditional robes, ancient boats, horses cooling off in the water and a mother bathing a screaming child. Next back was a foot path with people, horses, donkeys, camels, all either walking or running (in the wretched heat!). Next were the corn, mango, date plam, and banana trees, with small huts made of sticks and corn stalks to keep the goats, donkeys, and herders cooler. Next, were mud brick, red brick, and concrete houses, many with no roof or window coverings, with colorful laundry hanging out. Many multi-story buildings had the posts and exposed rebar on the top, ready for the next level. The roads which ran though the houses often had more pedestrians than cars. Finally, in the back, you could see the desert and, often, a mountain range.

When the ship docked the first time, we discovered we had 2 armed guards on-board, something we have had many times since. Tourism Police are everywhere in Egypt (also saw them in Tanzania) - they more like security guards. When the Nile cruise ships dock, they do so up to three boats deep. If you are on the outermost boat, you walk through the reception areas of the other two boats. At dinner one night on our boat, we noted a mother and her two daughters - the mother wore full traditoinal headdress (cloth covering her head), while one daughter had a red-beaded skull cap and the other wore a baseball hat! A sign of the times. Two couples were onboard on their honeymoon - with their families!

On the cruise ship, we docked to see the Kom Obo Temple, most spectafular because 1) it was the first one where there were remnants of color and 2) we watched an incredible sunset from it and then it was lit up by electric lights. The temple was started in 36 BC and finishied in 400 AD - it took 436 years to build! 3 of the 300 mumified crocodiles from 300 AD were on display. The ancient Egyptian year had 360 days, plus 5 days of festivals, one for each of the 5 gods (four brothers and son of Isis). After the Nile flood season, we were told there wasn't much else to do BUT have festivals, so they had 14 days of them. The next day, we visited the Edfu Temple by horse-drawn carriage. It took only 180 years to finish (237 BD to 57 BC). Amazing at all the temples was that you could touch the hierglyphics. I cannot image that being permitted in the U.S. Friday and Saturday were our hottest days - 108 degrees! Our horse-drawn carriage took us through the impoverished streets of Edfu, where we had dualing calls to prayer. Five times each day, the Muslim temple have loudspeakers blaring, calling everyone to prayer. In this town, there were at least 2 going at the same time. It started out with a monotone chant and then changed to what sounded like sermons. It was quite loud!

The cruise ship went though the Esna locks - the first time any of us had experienced this. Vendors lined the edge trying to sell wares to passengers from 50 feet below. They would throw up items, hoping someone would catch them and want to buy them. We aren't quite sure how the money would get to them if thrown....On Friday, we visited two palaces in Luxor (the heat was so bad, the kids stayed on the ship to swim, so just the two of us accompanied the guide). What was cool about them was that one was the original site for the obelesk we had seen in Paris and the other was the original site for one we had seen in Istanbul, Turkey. Great to be able to match them up. We disembarked on Saturday in Luxor and drove to the Valley of the Kings to see the tombs where the Kings were buried. When a king came into power, workers started to dig his tomb and just kep digging as long as he lived. When he died, the workers got a bonus, so they were not eager for him to live long! We also visited the Tmple Hatshepsut - the first queen to rule, although she tried to convince people she was a man (women weren't supposed to rule, so she said a god came and made her a son of the god - guess that worked).

AN INCREDIBLE CULTURAL EXPERIENCE:

Well, Ken, being his mother's son, asked our Nile cruise guide if, instead of visiting the Valley of the Queens on the last day, we could go to his family's compound for lunch. Our guide had never been asked this, but called home and it was ok. Our guide's village has 500 people and is about a half hour out of Luxor. He told us that, if he ever saw an unaccompanied woman from his village in the city, he, as a man, would be required to pay for her food while there and her transportation home. His family compound consists of three buildings right next to each other. The outer two are made of mud brick and a set of grandparents lives in each one.The center house is made of red brick and has his parents, his brothers, and their families. There were about 6 adults and 8 children when we were there, the women in traditional robes, the men in western clothes, and the children in western clothes, but no shoes. When we entered, a dirt floor lead to the small enclosed back yard (maybe 25 feet squiare), which held two water buffolo, several sheep, lots of chickens, and roosters, and a goat．

Ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　ｌｅｆｔ　ｗａｓ　ａ　ｋｉｔｃｈｅｎ　ｗｅ　ｎｅｖｅｒ　ｓａｗ，　ｂｕｔ　ｉｔ　ｗａｓ　ｌｉｋｅｌｙ　ｖｅｒｙ　ｐｒｉｍａｔｉｖｅ．　　Ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　ｒｉｇｈｔ　ｗａｓ　ｔｈｅ　ｍａｉｎ　ｈｏｕｓｅ，　ｗｉｔｈ　ｔｈｅ　ｆｉｒｓｔ　ｆｌｏｏｒ　ｃｏｎｓｉｓｔｉｎｇ　ｏｆ　ｆｏｕｒ　ｒｏｏｍｓ　ａｎｄ　ａ　ｃｅｎｔｅｒ　ｒｏｏｍ．　　Ｔｈｅ　ｏｎｌｙ　ｆｕｒｎｉｔｕｒｅ　ｗｅ　ｗａｓ　ｗｅｒｅ　ｓｉｎｇｌｅ　ｂｅｄｓ　ｂｅｉｎｇ　ｕｓｅｄ　ａ　ｃｏｕｃｈｅｓ，　ｏｎｅ　ｔａｌｌ　ｔａｂｌｅ　ｗｅ　ｅｎｄｅｄ　ｕｐ　ｈａｖｉｎｇ　ｌｕｃｈ　ｏｆｆ　ｏｆ　ａｆｔｅｒ　ｉｔ　ｗａｓ　ｍｏｖｅｄ　ｆｒｏｍ　ｔｈｅ　ｓｉｄｅ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｒｏｏｍ　ａｎｄ　ａ　ｌｏｗ　ｒｏｕｎｄ　ｔａｂｌｅ　ｕｓｅｄ　ｂｙ　ｔｈｅ　ｆａｍｉｌｙ　ｔｏ　ｓｉｔ　ａｒｏｕｎｄ　ｆｏｒ　ｍｅａｌｓ．　［Ｓｏｍｅｔｈｉｎｇ　ｉｓ　ｗｒｏｎｇ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｔｈｅ　ｆｏｎｔ　ａｎｄ　ｓｐａｃｉｎｇ　－ｓｏｒｒｙ　－ｗｅ　ｃａｎｎｏｔ　ｆｉｇｕｒｅ　ｏｕｔ　ｈｏｗ　ｔｏ　ｆｉｘ　ｉｔ］．　Ｔｈｅ　ｗａｌｌｓ　ｗｅｒｅ　ｂａｒｅ，　ｔｈｅ　ｆｌｏｏｒ　ｔｉｌｅｄ，　ａｎｄ　ｔｈｅｒｅ　ｗａｓ　ｌｉｔｔｌｅ　ｌｉｇｈｔ，　ｓｉｎｃｅ　ｔｈｅ　ｗｉｎｄｏｗｓ　ｗｅｒｅ　ｓｈｕｔｔｅｒｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｋｅｅｐ　ｏｕｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｏｐｐｒｅｓｓｉｖｅ　ｈｅａｔ．　Ｏｎｅ　ｏｆ　ｏｕｒ　ｇｕｉｄｅ＇ｓ　ｓｉｓｔｅｒｓ　ｗａｓ　ｔｈｅｒｅ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｈｅｒ　２－ｗｅｅ－ｏｌｄ　ｂａｂｙ　－ｅｖｅｎ　ｔｈｏｕｇｈ　ｉｔ　ｗａｓ　ｈｅｒ　４ｔｈ　ｃｈｉｌｄ，　ｃｕｓｔｏｍ　ｉｓ　ｔｈａｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｄａｕｇｈｔｅｒ　ｍｏｖｅｓ　ｂａｃｋ　ｈｏｍｅ　ｆｏｒ　４０　ｄａｙｓ　ａｆｔｅｒ　ｓｈｅ　ｈａｓ　ａ　ｂａｂｙ，　ｂｅｆｏｒｅ　ｓｈｅ　ｒｅｔｕｒｎｓ　ｔｏ　ｈｅｒ　ｈｕｓｂａｎｄ．　The children ranged in age from about 3 to about 13 and they were fascinated by us. Ｓｏｏｎ，　ｓｏｍｅｏｎｅ　ｂｒｏｕｇｈｔ　ｕｓ　ａ　ｔｒａｙ　ｗｉｔｈ　４　ｇｌａｓｓｅｓ　ｏｆ　ａ　ｌｅｍｏｎ　ｄｒｉｎｋ，　ｂｕｔ，　ｕｎｆｏｒｔｕｎａｔｅｌｙ，　ｗｉｔｈ　ｔｗｏ　ｕｓ　ｊｕｓｔ　ｏｖｅｒ　ｉｎｔｅｓｔｉｎａｌ　ｐｒｏｂｌｅｍｓ，　ｗｅ　ｄｉｄ　ｎｏｔ　ｗａｎｔ　ｔｏ　ｒｉｓｋ　ｔｈｅ　ｗａｔｅｒ．　　Ｓｏ　ｔｈｅ　ｄｒｉｎｋｓ　ｗｅｒｅ　ｈａｎｄｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｈｉｌｄｒｅｎ，　ｗｈｏ，　ａｆｔｅｒ　ｆｉｎｉｓｈｉｎｇ　ｔｈｅｍ，　ｒｅｔｕｒｎｅｄ　ｔｈｅｍ　ｔｏ　ｏｕｒ　ｇｕｉｄｅ　ｗｈｏ　（ｗｉｔｈｏｕｔ　ｗａｓｈｉｎｇ　ｔｈｅｍ）ｆｉｌｌｅｄ　ｔｈｅｍ　ｗｉｔｈ　Ｃｏｋｅ．　　Ｔｈｅ　ｇｌａｓｓｅｓ　ｗｅｒｅ　ｓｍｕｄｇｅｄ　ａｎｄ　ｓｍｅａｒｅｄ，　ｂｕｔ　ａｐｐａｒａｎｔｌｙ，　ｔｈｅｙ　ｊｕｓｔ　ｇｏ　ｆｒｏｍ　ｐｅｒｓｏｎ　ｔｏ　ｐｅｒｓｏｎ．．．．ｗｅ　ｄｒａｎｋ　ｆｒｏｍ　ｔｈｅ　ｇｌａｓｓｅｓ，　ｉｎ　ａｎｙ　ｅｖｅｎｔ．　　Ｔｈｅｎ，　ｗｅ　ｌｅｆｔ　ｔｏ　ｔｏｕｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｈｏｕｓｅ．　　Ｔｈｅ　ｎｅｘｔ　ｆｌｏｏｒ　ｕｐ　ｗａｓ　ｗｈｅｒｅ　ｔｈｅ　ｆｉｒｓｔ　ｓｏｎ　ｗｈｏ　ｇｏｔ　ｍａｒｒｉｅｄ　ｌｉｖｅｄ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｈｉｓ　ｗｉｆｅ　ａｎｄ　ｔｈｅｉｒ　ｃｈｉｌｄｒｅｎ　ａｎｄ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｈｉｒｄ　ｆｌｏｏｒ　ｗａｓ　ｗｈｅｒｅ　ｏｕｒ　ｇｕｉｄｅ　ｌｉｖｅｄ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｈｉｓ　ｗｉｆｅ．　　Ａｌｔｈｏｕｇｈ　ａｌｌ　ｉｔ　ｈａｄ　ｆｏｒ　ｆｕｒｎｉｔｕｒｅ　ｗａｓ　ａ　ｂｅｄ，　ｉｔ　ｉｓ　ｔｈｅ　ｎｉｃｅｓｔ　ｐａｒｔ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｅｎｔｉｒｅ　ｈｏｕｓｅ．　Ｈｅ　ｉｓ　ｍｏｖｉｎｇ　ｓｌｏｗｌｙ　ｔｏ　ｕｓｅ　ｂｅａｕｔｉｆｕｌ　ｔｉｌｅ　ａｎｄ　ｐａｉｎｔ　ａｎｄ，　ｓｏ　ｆａｒ，　ｈａｓ　ｏｎｌｙ　ａ　ｎｉｃｅ　ｂａｔｈｒｏｏｍ，　ａ　ｒｅｆｒｉｇｅｒａｔｏｒ　ａｎｄ　ａ　ｂｅｄ．　　Ａｌｌ　ｍｅａｌｓ　ａｒｅ　ｅａｔｅｎ　ａｓ　ａ　ｆａｍｉｌｙ　ｏｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｆｉｒｓｔ　ｆｌｏｏｒ，　ｓｏ　ｎｏｔ　ｍｕｃｈ　ｅｌｓｅ　ｉｓ　ｎｅｅｄｅｄ．　　Ｔｈｅ　ｆｕｎｎｙ　ｐａｒｔ　ｗａｓ　ｔｈａｔ　ｈｅ　ｓａｉｄ　ｔｈａｔ　ｈｉｓ　ｉｎ－ｌａｗｓ　ｗｏｕｌｄ　ｔａｋｅ　ｔｈｅｉｒ　ｄａｕｇｈｔｅｒ　ｈｏｍｅ　ｉｆ　ｔｈｅｙ　ｋｎｅｗ　ｈｅ　ｈａｄ　ｎｏ　ｆｕｒｎｉｔｕｒｅ　（ｔｈｅｙ　ａｇｒｅｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　ｍａｒｒｉａｇｅ　ｂａｓｅｄ　ｕｐｏｎ　ｈｉｓ　ａｓｓｕｒｉｎｇ　ｔｈｅｍ　ｈｅ　ｃｏｕｌｄ　ｐｒｏｖｉｄｅ　ａ　ｆｌａｔ　ａｎｄ　ｆｕｒｎｉｔｕｒｅ）．So, if he ever takes them up to a flat, he simply uses his brother's, removing his brother's wedding photo from the wall) and presenting it has his!

We returned from the tour to discover that someone had drunk the last of Lauren's Cokｅ！Ａｔ　ｏｎｅ　ｐｏｉｎｔ，　ｔｈｅ　ｃａｌｌ　ｔｏ　ｐｒａｙｅｒ　ｃｏｕｌｄ　ｂｅ　ｈｅａｒｄ　ｏｖｅｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｌｏｕｄｓｐｅａｋｅｒｓ，　ａｎｄ　ａｌｌ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｅｎ　ｒａｎ　ｏｕｔ　ｔｏ　ｐｒａｙｅｒ　（ｔｈｅ　ｗｏｍｅｎ＇ｓ　ｔｅｍｐｌｅ　ｈａｓｎ＇ｔ　ｂｅｅｎ　ｂｕｉｌｔ　ｙｅｔ）．　Ｌｕｎｃｈ　ｗａｓ　ｓｅｒｖｅｄ，　ｗｈｉｃｈ　ｗｅ　ａｔｅ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｏｕｒ　ｆｉｎｇｅｒｓ　ａｎｄ　ｔｈｅｎ　ａ　ｔｒａｙ　ｂｒｏｕｇｈｔ　ｉｎ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｔｅａ　ａｎｄ　ｏｂｖｉｏｕｓｌｙ　ｄｉｒｔｙ　ｇｌａｓｓｅｓ　（ｔｈｅｒｅ　ｗａｓ　ｓｔｉｌｌ　ｔｅａ　ｉｎ　ｓｏｍｅ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅｍ！）．　Ｔｈｉｓ　ｗａｓ　ｑｕｉｔｅ　ａ　ｃｈａｌｌｅｎｇｅ　ｆｏｒ　ｏｕｒ　Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎ　ｓｅｎｓｅ　ｏｆ　ｃｌｅａｎｌｉｎｅｓｓ，　ｂｕｔ　ｗｅ　ｇｏｔ　ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈ　ｉｔ．　　Ｔｈｅ　ｏｎｌｙ　ｇｉｆｔ　ｗｅ　ｈａｄ　ｔｏ　ｇｉｖｅ　ｗａｓ　ｆｏｒ　Ｋｅｎ　ａｎｄ　Ｌａｕｒｅｎ　ｔｏ　ｓｉｎｇ，　ｗｈｉｃｈ　ｔｈｅｙ　ｄｉｄ，　ｂｅａｕｔｉｆｕｌｌｙ．　　Ｔｈｅ　ｅｎｔｉｒｅ　ｆａｍｉｌｙ　ｓｅｅｍｅｄ　ｐｌｅａｓｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｈａｖｅ　ｕｓ　ａｎｄ　ｉｔ　ｗａｓ　ｔｒｕｌｙ　ａ　ｐｒｉｖｅｌｅｇｅ　ｔｏ　ｓｅｅ　ａ　＂ｒｅａｌ＂Ｅｇｙｐｔｉａｎ　ｈｏｍｅ，　ａｆｔｅｒ　ａｌｌ　ｔｈｏｓｅ　２０００－ｙｅａｒ－ｏｌｄ　ｔｅｍｐｌｅｓ．　　Ｎｏｗ　ｔｈａｔ　ｏｕｒ　ｇｕｉｄｅ　ｈａｓ　ｏｎｅ　ｗｉｆｅ，　ｈｅ　ｉｓ　ｐｅｒｍｉｔｔｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｈａｖｅ　ｕｐ　ｔｏ　３　ｍｏｒｅ．．．．ｉｆ　ｙｏｕ　ｅｖｅｒ　ｗａｎｔ　ｔｏ　ｈｅａｒ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｔｈｅ　Ｅｇｙｐｔｉａｎ　ｃｏｕｒｔｓｈｉｐ　ｐｒｏｃｅｓｓ，　ｌｅｔ　ｕｓ　ｋｎｏｗ！　　Ｉｔ　ｉｓ　ｆａｓｃｉｎａｔｉｎｇ．

BATHROOMS: We must devote some time to this issue....For so many weeks, throughout Europe, we had what wｅ　ｎｏｗ　ｋｎｏｗ　ａｒｅ　callｅｄ "Westerｎ" style (usually dual-flush) toilets. Well, that ended in Egypt and continued through Tanzania and now into Thailand. The first thing we saw were the "Eastern" toilets which are (pun not intended) flush to the ground. So, you have to squat over them (incredibly incomfortable) and they are usually a mess! Let's just say that people's aim doesn't seem quite as good...Then we noticed that many had hoses and spiggots on the wall (even in our Nile cruise ship boat, where the entire ｂａｔｈroom was sunken a few inches to allow for water accumulatoin), where Muslims could wash their feet, as many do 5 times each day before they pray. The spiggots are also to wash out the "bowl" after you are done (you fill a plastic bucket and then poor it down the drain). Finally, when we were lucky enough to find a Western-style toilet, you then see a sign that says you cannot put any paper down (Sam first read this to say not to put your hand in!), so there is a waste basket. The worst one was when we were in Tanzania, next to a small campground ｏn the　ｒｉｍ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ remote Empakii Crater - we were directed to a cement pad, about 5 feet square, that had a small hole cut out of the center - maybe 7 inches in diameter. That was it! No wall, no bucket of water, nothing! When we camped in Tanzania, our support crew set up a toilet which consisted of a toilet seat set on a metal frame, over a hole they had dug, surrounded by a tarp with a zippered door. When you are done, you take a shovel and toss in some dirt from the pile they took out when they dug the hole. Showers were interesting mostly on safari, where we had a simlar set up and our crew filled a large sack with hot water and hung it up in another tarp-walled square, this time with a small slatted wooden floor. When we were at a public campground and everyone else had to use a disgusting cold stream of water, we were the envy of everyone when our crew set up a hot shower for us! So, you can see that this most personal topic has has also been very interesting. We are always thrilled to find the Western option (always in addition to the Eastern) when we enter public toilets!



On an environmental note: We have seen dual-flush toilets in every country we have visited and wonder when the US will get it! We have documented the various types on camera. Also, lots of recycling bins everywhere, although trash cans are hard to find, and, when you find them, they are tiny.

Ｗｅ　ｍｕｓｔ　ｅｎｄ．　　Ｎｅｘｔ　ｉｓ　Ｔａｎｚａｎｉａ　－Ｉ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｈａｖｅ　ｔｏ　ｈａｖｅ　ａ　ｌａｒｇｅ　ｂｏｘ　ｏｆ　ｔｉｓｓｕｅｓ　ｏｎ　ｈａｎｄ　ｆｏｒ　ｔｈａｔ　ｏｎｅ！

Ｋ４

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Photos

Beau Soliel
Nile Cruise Boat

Outside Adell's Family Compound
Visiting our guide's home

Luxor Temple
It was 108 degrees or more on this day!