Blogs from Egypt, Africa - page 305

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Africa » Egypt » Lower Egypt » Cairo August 30th 2004

So everybody seems to be fond of saying over here. Sometimes it seems that the only people who don't want to speak English with you are the taxi drivers. Although they are more than happy to drive past ten other people waiting for a taxi in order to pick a westerner up. HINT: you don't make friends by waiting for a cab at the same place as the locals. Try to speak as much Arabic as you can, or at least enough to convince the driver that you know the Nile is the only river in Cairo. Yes, if the driver crosses 4 rivers on the way to the destination, you are just getting a really good tour of the Nile. It has not happened to me, but friends have had the experience of subsidizing a ... read more

Africa » Egypt August 24th 2004

The following entries will be from my semester in Egypt. To give some perspective, I have copied some info from the program's website. The Middle East Studies Program (MESP) seeks to prepare students to live the Christian life in a world that is religiously and culturally pluralistic, whether that's in the Middle East, North America or other parts of the world. Students experience intense encounters with different worldviews while the MESP community offers a supportive environment. As a program sponsored by the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, the Middle East Studies Program is academically grounded in a Christian liberal arts context. Efforts are made to fully integrate the Christian faith with the curriculum and community life. In light of this, the objectives of the Middle East Studies Program are as follows: • To create in ... read more
Guard Hut
Karema, The Cook
Arabic Class

Africa » Egypt August 24th 2004

There is a quaint old English saying that I haven't heard since high school. It goes: "I am going to kick seven shades of shit out of you". It wasn't until I started working for the health service that I discovered that there are seven shades if shit - nurses have a detailed chart with pictures showing the quality, texture, etc. of each 'shade'. Known with affection as the poo chart, it played a central role in conversation during my last visit to Cairo. Every morning at breakfast, the first topic of discussion was where you were riding on the chart. Generally, those who ate the salad the night before had the loosest movements. However, I have been here for four days and my number two is still number one (described as hard and firm ... read more

Africa » Egypt » Lower Egypt » Giza August 20th 2004

Although I would have liked to have seen much more, I only had a day in Egypt and so it was that I headed off to the Pyramids. I was bowled over. I knew they were big, but not that big! The sight was awe-inspiring ... and the Sphinx ... well ... impossible to take it all in. Having had my mind blown by the complex at Giza, the remainder of the day was spent having my mind blown by the treasures of Tut-ankh-amun in the Cairo Museum. Sadly, one day wasn't really long enough, but that's all I had and one must snatch the opportunity when it's presented.... read more
How Big?
The Pyramids of Khafre and Khufu
Sphinx and Pyramid

Africa » Egypt » Lower Egypt » Cairo June 1st 2004

There is a sea of black streched out beneath me. It is 2:30 in the morning, I am flying at about 500 miles an hour, and all I see is black, with one exception. There is a giant spotlight on the water. Why? Why am I seeing a giant spotlight in the middle of the Meditterenean? Where is it coming from? Our plane, some other plane, outerspace? Why is it that I awake to the sight of a giant spotlight on the sea? Then I look up and notice that there is a full moon tonight and that it is about as bright and clear as I have ever seen it. I look down at the spotlight; I look up at the moon; CLICK! I get it now; the grogginess from napping must have slowed down ... read more

Africa » Egypt » Red Sea » Sharm el-Sheikh May 9th 2004

Onze eerste vakantie samen. Lekker een weekje zon, zee, strand, duiken én van elkaar genieten. Drie dagen heerlijk gedoken. 2 duiken per dag. 1 nachtduik met heel veel Lionfish (Koraalduivels). Als ze met hoge versnelling op je lamp af komen dan is dat toch een hele andere ervaring dan die 'suffe' beesten die het overdag lijken.... read more
Say cheese
Our first Turtle
Lionfish

Africa » Egypt » Sinai November 2nd 2003

Where can you go at the end of October to escape Britains rainy cold climate? Answer - Sinai Peninnsular. Due to Stan's new job he didn't manage to get time off until the last week of October. In desperate need of some sunshine we decided on Egypt as it boasted 'guaranteed sunshine'.We were not dissapointed, we stepped on the plane leaving temperatures of 10 degrees c. and got off to temperatures of 40 degrees c. Brilliant! Stan persuaded me to buy a mask and snorkel. A bit apprehensive (I hate putting my head under the water- yes I know I'm a wimp!) I overcame my fear and tried it. Wow! How could I have got to this age and not discovered the whole new world under the sea? I began by standing in the sea and ... read more
Underwater wonderland
more colourful fish
Whirling Dervishers.

Africa » Egypt » Lower Egypt » Giza September 10th 2003

In September 2003, a friend told me that a travel company in Hanoi was going to organize a tour to Egypt. I had never expected that someday I would step my foot in Africa to see the pyramids and Sahara Desert, as it was unrealistic for me to travel so far away. After the SARS ended, Emirates Airlines offered a great airfare from Bangkok to Dubai then Cairo, and fortunately, the travel company had found enough tourists (from both Hanoi and Sai Gon) for our tour. I was the youngest member on the trip. After having traveled to 18 different countries, Egypt is still my favorite country. The trip in 2003 proved to be the most memorable trip of my life. We arrived in Dubai at midnight after a 6-hour flight from Bangkok. We stopped over ... read more
Mohamed Ali Mosque in Cairo
Belly dancer
Alexandria Library

Africa » Egypt July 7th 2003

7 DE JULIO DE 2003 Después de tres años en Madrid, no me deja de hacer gracia cuando algunos españoles que han venido a vivir aquí desde otras provincias se quejan de la magnitud de la ciudad, del tráfico, la gente, la extensión... No entienden cómo es que para los llegados del DF Madrid se nos antoja pequeña, agradablemente abarcable, cómoda por la eficiencia de su transporte público y la cercanía de los lugares a los que hay que ir por ocio, estudio o trabajo. Una amiga decía de Madrid que era su “pueblito”. Entre las capitales de las grandes naciones europeas, Madrid me parece más tranquila, desde Lisboa hasta Berlín, pasando por París y Roma. La excepción es Viena: vaya paradoja la de los austriacos, que por mil años ostentaron en los Habsburgo la pretendida ... read more
El mercado Jan el Jalili de El Cairo
Mercado y minaretes de Bab Zuweila
Huellas del terremoto de 1992

Africa » Egypt » Red Sea » Sharm el-Sheikh June 20th 2003

Red sea 1 June 2003 100 camels, not for me, but a friend of ours was offered this for his wife who has the most beautiful blue eyes. Diving, diving, diving! The previous year (2002) we met friends at Malongane, Mozambique. They wanted to get a group of people together for a trip to the Red Sea for a live aboard diving holiday. They even travelled from Durban to Johannesburg to show us videos and photos to tempt and persuade us, but of course we didn't need much encouragement. How could we resist? It is known as one of the top places to dive in the world - a place that any diver should dive at least once in their lives. With all the unrest in Egypt at the moment I am glad we went when ... read more
All aboard!
Luggage too
1,2,3..10,....I give up!




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