Blogs from Africa - page 2741

Hi All, What an amazing past few days!! We have seen and done soo much in the past week that it has blown us away!! We flew out of Adelaide to Perth where after almost a sleeplessness due to packing we wandered around Perth in a daze. We did however get to the Perth Mint where we saw gold being poured and numerous coins that have been minted for special events in Australia and around the world. We flew out of Perth at around midnight and landed in Jo'burg at 5am. Everything went smoothly until we got to the baggage collection and mark's didn't come out!! Apparently from Adelaide the bag went to some indian country and then had to be sent back and flown overnight to Jo'burg so mark basically had just the clothes on ... read more

Ready for another day of information overload, Gene and I headed down to meet our guide in front of the hotel. Our driver was amazingly on the ball that morning, waiting for us at the side of the van with hair combed and what looked to be a decent night’s rest. It was my guess that he wasn’t willing to spend yet another day playing chauffeur only to go home with empty pockets. Our first stop was at Karnak Temple, a ruin measuring approximately 1.5km by 800m. The Temple was “built, added to, dismantled, restored, enlarged and decorated over nearly 1500 years. was the most important place of worship in Egypt during the height of Theban power and was called Ipet-Isut, meaning ‘The Most Perfect of Places.’” Gene and I learned more that day than we ... read more

Zimbabwe was hard. As sson as we crossed the border, planted fields and grazing gave way to abandoned, dusty plots; seed was too expensive this year. I was followed for blocks by able bodied young men whose only income is crafts and hounded by carvers desperate to trade for my used clothes and shoes. The government pays police to escort tourists to Victoria Falls past these illicit hawkers. Zimbabwe is a closed, collapsing economy, imploding under its own restrictions, with unimaginably drastic impacts on its citizens. I had that old time China feeling; no one will talk publicly about the government or the economy; too many are watching, listening. Mixing with ordinary citizens in shops and eateries is nearly impossible. But beyond the desperation and the police state the citizens are warm and hospitable. Unofficial ... read more

Dahab, Egypt June 8, 2007 We arrived today in Dahab, a resort city East of Mt. Sinai on the Red Sea. From Luxor we drove 4 hours or so North to Hurghada, another rapidly growing resort. The desert along this stretch of the Red Sea is filled with new condos, new hotels, and new apartments. It has been described as ugly by those who prefer a deserted beach, but I imagine the locals here see this as a tremendous opportunity for jobs and prosperity. No pressure here to dress conservatively, as tourists in shorts and beachware are everywhere. Food is cheap even by Egyptian standards As always, we have been treated very well every where we go; the people here speak a little english, and they all love the tourists and the money they bring. ... read more

Aswan to HurghadaBill Clayton Here in Aswan are several very interesting Egyptian ancient sites. First is the Valley of the Kings, where Egypt’s kings dug numerous deep winding passages to their eventual tombs, beginning almost immediately when they become king, and continuing until their death, when their treasure was interred with them. All of the tombs except Tutenkamen were looted. These tombs are in an isolated, blazing hot valley where working must have been very hard. Adjacent, in another valley, is the village where the workers lived and digged their own more modest tombs in the rock. And there is still a third tomb site for the Egyptian queens. Clearly they have all achieved immortality as legions of tourists now pay to maintain their remains and at least some of the treasure they sought to hide ... read more