Called Home

I was called home.

My mother is dying and I was summoned home by her doctor. She is in frail health but stable at the moment.

A series of health problems that taken separately would not be life threatening, ganged up on a frail 89 year old woman and created a precariously life-threatening situation. She went into a steep decline in late May-early June and the doctor felt I needed to be home with her. So I left a girlfriend who was visiting to tie up loose ends for me and flew home immediately to be with my mother.

She was overjoyed to see me. She cried and said she was afraid she would never see me again.

I am so glad school afforded me the opportunity to be with my mother during this time. My brothers also came in, one from Missouri and the other from Japan. They were able to spend more than a week with Mom. All of us had many good conversations as Mom rallied a bit and was able to participate. We all are ever so thankful for that time together--all of us and Mom.

My brothers have departed now and Mom 's health seems to have stabilized somewhat. She is still in precarious condition and death is imminent. For the time being, though, she is still with us in a beautiful hospice facility. I visit with her, play cards, read the paper and am with her as she completes this circle of life.

I have enjoyed doing this blog, but am no longer in Cairo so will make no further postings. I know your thoughts and prayers are with us now as we deal with these emotional issues.

Thank you all for your dedication to my blog. I wish you all well.

Caravanseri / Tentmaker Alley

One of the oldest areas of Islamic Cairo is along an alley affectionately referred to as The Tentmakers. This short alley is in an old caravanseri that dates back to the time when Cairo was a walled city.

At night the gates of Cairo closed to maintain security. As a merchant traveling across the desert with your trade goods, predicting arrival was difficult and you often arrived at night after the gates to the city closed. You went to this caravanseri. It was an inn of sorts. You unloaded your camel, had it fed and stabled in the stall at ground level. Then you climbed the steep narrow stairs at the end of the inn and proceeded to a small sleeping cell located over the stable. In the morning you proceeded into Cairo once the gates opened for the day.

Caravanseris were located all along the old trade routes, about a days journey apart and functioned much as a motel does today. It offered overnight accomodations for both man and beast of burden. Today this alley is know as the area of the tentmakers of Cairo. The old stable areas are now converted into stalls offering all sorts of canvas work, embroidery work , applique work , as well as other textile work like large flags, buntings and banners.......AND tents. The old sleeping areas are now workrooms for the various tentmakers atliers.

You can buy any shape, size and configuration of tent you desire. My daughter bought a small tent for her children to use indoors as a playhouse. She also bought two small wee tents to hold the stuffed camel toys she took home to her children. The tents are colorful and a wonderful memento of a trip to the tentmaker alley.

It is a fun place to visit, especially if you want a tent.

Egyptian Tourist Police

Tourism is big business here in Egypt. It accounts for a substantial portion of their GNP. Consequently they take the safety of tourists very seriously--Very Seriously. You see evidence of Police everywhere. And a special branch of the police, dubbed Tourist Police are at all major tourist sites as well as around the downtown areas of major cities, like Alexandria, Luxor and Asswan.

If you are a tourist and have any problems at all, you can go to one of these policemen and they will get help for you. If they do not speak English, there is another officer close-by who does.

Tourists often have trouble with the taxis overcharging and just the threat of the Tourist Police usually resolves the problem. Some tourists feel terribly hastled while shopping in various souks. The Tourist Police tame the vendors when they see that tourists are being troubled.

Here is one at the Pyraminds aboard his trusty camel. They usually wear blue serge in the winter, and change to white cotton when the country goes on Daylight Savings at the end of April.

This poor fellow thought it was cold outside. It was all of about 61 degrees, but you couldn't tell from looking at him. Some have shotguns and some have automatic rifles. All Tourist Police wear an armband announcing them as TOURIST POLICE different from the regular police who guard churches, banks, and other important buildings, along with traffic control among other duties.

This fellow is in his summer whites at the Fort Quimby in Alexandria. This fort is built on the ruins of the old lighthouse at Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and heavily touristed. Many of these fellows also carry sidearms as well.

They are omnipresent and I must admit that, as a tourist, I did feel safe. They usually shy away from cameras--taking pictures of police is not generally allowed. But for some baksheesh (tip) you can usually get the photo, if you are quick about it.

House Guests

For the last three weeks friends from Boyne City, John and Sue McCahan, have been visiting. They took a Nile Cruise from Luxor to Asswan and a side trip to Abu Simbel. Monday my daughter arrived, with a family friend, Rick, in the wee hours of the morning, for a week visit during her spring school break. Later in the day my cousin, Catherine and her husband arrived for the week. Now I have a housefull of friends and family. What fun! John and Sue are leaving soon to continue their travels for another three weeks in Turkey. Liz and Rick, Catherine and Bill will be here in Cairo for the week, with, hopefully, a side trip to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings.

This is my daughter standing along the Nile on the Corniche in downtown Cairo.

Here is Rick with John McCahan in baseball cap standing behind. No pictures of my cousin and her husband yet. Today they were off to discover the Egyptian museum.

Sadat Memorial

In Cairo there is a memorial to the late President Anwar Sadat who was assinated in 1981, by Islamist extremeists who were upset with him for signing a peace treaty with Israel for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize. The peace treaty with Israel was very unpoular in the Arab world, and caused considerable controversy. This is the memorial as it appears from the street.

Sadat is buried at the tomb of the unknown in Cairo across the street from the viewing stands where he was assinated. It is a very special memorial here in Cairo.

I have been by this site at all hours of the day and night and there is always someone here.

This is the viewing platform where Sadat was standing when assinated. The security would not let me go up onto the stand to have my picture taken. This was as far as I could go.

This gives you a better view of the viewing stand across the street from the memorial. It is a very quiet and solemn place. I had to hand in my passport to be allowed to visit the memorial. The Egyptians are very concerned that someone might desscrate this memorial and by handing in my passport I could be traced.

It was an interesting place to visit.

Dahab

Dahab is a delightful Egyptian resort town on the Gulf of Aqaba, that, along with Sharm el Sheik, is renoun for its coral reefs and dive centers. It is preferrable to Sharm-el-Sheik for snorkelers because the coral reefs are accessible from shore, making snorkeling much easier. However it is not as upscale as Sharm. Dive centers abound here and in Sharm that will take the intrepid farther offshore and to deeper and more splendid coral. Sharm is only 60 kilometers away, and busses run regularily between the two towns.

The Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez, are the two bodies of water off the Red Sea that frame the Sinai Peninsula. From your beach lounge chair you can look across the gulf and see Saudi Arabia. At this point the Gulf of Aqaba is not very wide.

Most hotels are along the shoreline, so Dahab spreads out along the Gulf , but only a few blocks inland. The mountains come close to the sea here and one of the activities available is to rent an open, 4-wheel- dune buggy and go for an excursion into the canyons nearby. There is a well known blue hole here in Dahab that is a must see on everyone's snorkel/dive list. This picture may not give you much of an impression, but when you are in the water, snorkeling over the hole, it is very impressive. You can see the difference in color in the picture. The darker blue is the hole.

This hole is heavily dived because of its close proximity and easy access from shore. Th best time to snorkel/dive here is in the early morning before the hords of dive tourists arrive. I came here about 9:00 a.m. There were a few others, but by noon it was chock-a-block with swimmers andI had to be careful because not everyone is as good a swimmer as I. They did not look where they were going and ran into people. So I left just after the crowds ascended transported from the various resorts.

A blue hole, as I understand it, is a more or less circular area with steep sheer sides that could extend down hundreds of feet. The coral growing/ clinging to the sides and the fish and other acquatic life is spectacular to see. It is much like diving--in my case snorkeling--in an open acquarium. I only swam over the top of the hole, but I could see divers below me and their bubbles would ascend.

I didn't have an underwater camera so I borrowed these pictures from the internet to show you how impressive the coral and fish are. This is just like what I saw as I snorkeled around the blue hole and another area called Eel gardens. Yes, I did see some eels.

The entire area is showing signs of stress on the coral reefs. I think Egypt is in the process of trying to do something to protect these reefs, but is moving slowly. To this end just offshore from Sharm there is an underwater national park recently established. The dive community is very concerned about the abuses to the coral by some tourist groups and is attempting to self-regulate so as to protect their livelihood.

This entire coast is world famous for its diving and attracts millions of tourists. All that activity has to take a toll on the environment. Never the less, it was a wonderful way to spend a long weekend and I am glad I found the place. Next time I plan to stay longer--whenever that might be??!

Back writing

Hello there,
I have not been writing lately. Quite frankly, I have been lazy and just not done this blog as should have. So now I am back at it and will post right away. So sorry to all who follow me for the delay.