Blogs from Egypt, Africa - page 297

For Reasons that I can't explaing right now my photos are unavailable. Hopefully this problem will be fixed soon but in the meanwhile enjoy a picture of me and lloyd in Slovenia...more phots soon to come Egypt has deffintely made the top five places I have visted so far. The people, the history, the natural beauty, and of course the ever so taxing persistence of the salesmen. Bargaining has become a rather fun hobby of mine. Because we usually don't want to buy the giant sphynx statue of the lovely dress that they are trying to sell us we play a little game of "how low can I get them to go." Lloyd has become quite the bargainer though he still trying to get down the part where you don't buy the piece of crap that ... read more

... in the Middle East, give or take a day. It's hard to believe the departure date has almost arrived. This is the travelogue of my six-week trip to Egypt and Jordan (and hopefully Jerusalem and Bethlehem as well), and this posting is really a test to make sure everything's working before I get over there. The current trip itinerary is: * November 20: depart Seattle. * November 21: arrive in Cairo. I have a week before classes start, and I hope to make it over to the Sinai during this week. * November 27 to December 22: four weeks of Arabic classes in Cairo (Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian Colloquial). I also have three-day weekends (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays) for taking day trips or mini-excursions to places within striking distance of Cairo, such as the ... read more

Our passports were scrutinized no fewer than seven times at police checkpoints on the road from Cairo to Dahab--a route that took us over the Suez Canal and along the perimeter of the Sinai Peninsula. Sinai is Africa's link to the Middle East, and its desolate landscape has a long history of war and border disputes. The mountainous desert supports little life besides rugged Bedouins and wild camels--a stark contrast to the flourishing underwater life in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. Sharm al-Sheik, on Sinai's southern coast, is known as one of the best diving spots in the world, and recently gained press as the site of a terrorist bombing (hence the tight security). To ease the strain on our wallets ($200 for diving lessons isn't exactly budget travel), we headed straight to ... read more

Mehebeck= I love you Gamila= Beautiful Salam Alekum= God be with you or Hello Ma'A'salam= Goodbye Shokran= Thank you La Shokran= NO Thanks you (Most helpful) Emshi= Go Away Maya= Water These words make up my entire Arabic vocabulary. Of course when the writing looks like this there is no way I can read it. أثممخ قهىيس ه حثىهس فاثغ فث م ةث ه شة اعىل هنث ش اخعقسث شىي ةغ شلا Translation from Right to left of course. My name is Adam and I am hung like a donkey. None the less my time here in Egypt has been amazing so far. Our last day in Cairo was spent relatively close to the hotel. We ventured out to see the University. Unfortunately it was the last day of celebration for the end of Ramadan ... read more

Ah, Egypt, where the Nile flows north to Lower Egypt and we headed south upstream. We were confused too. We took a day train from Cairo to Luxor (9 hours for a whopping $6) to get a feel for the Nile Valley landscape. Egypt's geography is comprised of only 4% fertile land--mostly this narrow strip of palm trees and crop fields along the Nile through which the train tracks and the highway run. The remaining 96% is desert, broken by the occasional oasis. From the Nile we could almost always see sand dunes or barren rock in the distance--a reminder of the desolation that dominates the vast majority of the country. We rode past small villages of mud huts and thatched roofs, where women gathered along the river to wash pots, rugs, and colorful clothes. Every ... read more