Aswan. The biggest man made Lake in the world. Flew from dusty chaotic Cairo to the calm green waters of Aswan. Here in the 1960s a massive Dam was constructed on the River Nile. It would provide irrigation to huge areas of the Sahara desert to enable farming and habitation, it would provide electricity to all of Egypt by hydro electric power. But in doing these good works it would also inundate the priceless ancient monuments at Abu Simbel and displace thousands of persons whose families had lived in the valleys for millenia. It would destroy Nubian homes and traditional life styles. A mammoth rescue mission therefore had to be mounted, and led by UNESCO (whose own existence is now threatened) the impossible was done. The entire Abu Simbel pharonic site was cut, block by block, ... read more

Day 2. Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Square, a felucca ride then a cruise with dining on the Nile. Honestly I was dead tired. But gotta go so I did. But first to stare out my bedroom window for the millionth time, eyeballing Khufu and the Great Pyramid. I never tired of that privileged view. Other Pyramids are there but the two main ones command attention. Even the Sphinx is dwarfed, peering from behind a tree, its face disfigured. Who did that? Some said the Roman conquerors back 2000 years, others said the French recently, in disbelief that faces obviously African, could be revered and exalted, so they smashed the features out of the faces. Others said Christians in their zeal to convert hearts and cleanse temples into becoming churches. Kind of Daesh tactics. So we don't know ... read more

This is just like Christmas. Last night there was that excited feeling. That same expectation that something wonderful is just around the corner. It's going to happen. Gifts will be opened. The exhaustion. So much energy needed and spent in preparation, so many last minute things to do before the day! Ah tyad. The cost. How much more money am I spending just because I feel excited. Withdrawing more and more like it's never going to be enough. This will use all there is. So spend spend spend. Getting the Forex was a whole other story, and thank heavens for the VTM card which I could load driddip driddip every day. Until I had sufficient. ... FINALLY THE DAY IS HERE.. With great weather. Slept then woke really early because things still needed doing on the ... read more

From the air Cairo is compelling, a dusty monochrome of building blocks stacked and formed in rows. The sunlight cast harsh shadows emphasizing the uniformity of color style and shape rows of buildings looked like sentries. From the air nothing was moving. Sand, dusty ochre and red bricks, template buildings, blocks with window squares punched out. No relief. Treeless. No shade. One color. Sand. Hazy sky. Sahara dust. Temperature 34 degrees. A Lego blocks city in sand and ochre. With dust. On the ground layers of Sahara dust smother everything. It's Grey in the sky. It's on trees leaves streets cars buildings. Some people too. Men wear flowing robes, cotton. White robes look pristine, greys and greens look grimy. Women with colorful Headwear open faced. Some though in full cover, wearing black, only their eyes visible. ... read more

http://youtu.be/qVkfM8T6o8g My starting point. Before I arrived in South Africa I knew a few things about the place, especially that during the 60's 70's and 80's that the racist abomination called "apartheid" had dispossessed and enslaved the indigenous Africans plus all non-white citizens while empowering the whites to rule supreme over them. Their nightmare ended in 1994 when Nelson Mandela was freed from jail, emerging as one of the greatest statesman of all the ages. He forgave their brutality and called for reconciliation. He persuaded the non-white peoples to live in peace together with the whites. A mere 20 years have passed and I was keen to see for myself how the society had grown, in particular to witness what the conditions for African and non whites were, and see if white privilege still existed. ... read more