Egypt

Leaving Uganda and the students at Kyabirwa Primary School was very emotional for all of us.  But with our precious good-bye letters in hand we headed off to another country…..

After a fun experience in the Ethiopian Airport (see travel tid-bits post)we arrived in Egypt at 1:00 in the morning!!  But not to worry since Susan Holbrook had everything arranged for us including a nice gentleman from Thomas Cook who escorted us from the moment we got off the plane and right through immigration, luggage pick up and to our driver!  It was the quickest airport transition yet!!

"AHLAN WASAHLAN"  Welcome to Egypt! 
مرحبا

Although it was in the middle of the night our driver Abdou was interesting, educational, spiritual and funny.  He engaged Landon & Tianna in a story about Moses and Jesus who travelled the exact same geography through Egypt except in opposite directions and thousands of years apart.  Even in the middle of the night the temperature was over 30 degrees.

Susan, bless her, was still awake and met us at the door.  She showed us to our rooms and we had some tea before heading to bed around 4:00am.  What a lovely lady she is.  A fellow Canadian, she lives here with her husband Rod who works for Apache Oil Co.  They’re originally from Calgary but have been living here since 2007 and 1 more year to go.

Cairo, a city that boasts a mere 22 million that increases to 25 million on workdays is a modern city also full of very ancient history.  Venturing onto the street your life flashes before your eyes, 4 lanes of traffic is expanded to 6 and sometimes even 7!!  Adding to the congestion are the cars that resort to driving on the side walk to make an 8^th lane.  Mere centimeters of space are between vehicles and motorcycles(& riders with no helmets) that weave dangerously in and out of the horn-honking traffic and amongst children that dash out into the busy traffic to sell something or to ask for money......so scary!!!  Driving past row upon row of apartment buildings with a mix of new and old but even the old run down living quarters contain a cluster of satellite dishes on the roofs and sadly garbage is everywhere. 

It’s an interesting time to visit Egypt since they are having their first ever democratic elections, having been under Hosni Mubarak’s rule for 30 years.  I can’t even begin to describe the emotions of the people here other than to say they are extremely frustrated at what has transpired since the Revolution here a year and half ago when nearly 1000 protestors, a mix of Muslim, Christian, & Jewish, were killed.  In the anti-Mubarak uprising Egyptians massed in the millions and were successful at getting the president overthrown and arrested.  We arrived just after a preliminary election was held and then the final election on June 16 & 17 between two candidates, Ahmed Shafiq, a former prime-minister to Mubarak & another Army leader and Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.  Dr. Morsi was declared the winner becoming the countries first non-military leader since army officers toppled the king in 1952 and first freely elected president since he is the only one not pulled from top military ranks.  Since his swearing in things have been quiet and we can all only hope that he lives up to his promises of equality and a better future for all Egyptians.

Our first day here I got my hair cut and streaked, finally, it was looking pretty awful after 5 months!  The stylist did an excellent job.  We had a stroll through the streets of Maadi (city within Cairo) where we are staying and met some of the local shop owners.  Everyone seems super friendly!  Pretty tired today though.

Because of the election & fear over another riot there are very few tourists here, which is good for us seeing all the sights but bad for the economy and the people without work or an income and all the uncertainty about their future in Egypt!  Susan arranged four separate day trips for us, using their Apache drivers as our tour guides.  Within just a short drive of Cairo’s city limits are some of the oldest and most important ancient Egyptian sites in the country. 

 

First stop, the mysterious Pyramids of Giza that take your breath away!  Constructed in 2560BC, the great pyramid is the last of the seven wonders of the ancient world.  

Standing at 146m high, it was the tallest structure on earth till the late 19th centrury.  It is made from over 2.3 million stone blocks, each weighing around 2.5 tonnes.  But despite all the facts and figures, the pyramids are simply magnificent.  

With the city skyline of Cairo in the background, 3 pyramids were built next to each other, the largest for King Khufu, where we paid extra to climb through the middle of the pyramid on a very steep and narrow passage and finally arriving in a large room with a tomb.  

It was a surreal feeling knowing that this King and many like him immortalized themselves by building these huge pyramids.  Why?  There is always the suspicion that the pyramids must hold more secrets.   

The middle one may look larger, but only because it is built on higher ground.  The medium pyramid hold’s the nephew to the king and next to that is the smallest pyramid for the son of the king. 

Next, to celebrate Landon’s 12^th birthday we climbed up onto some camels for a short ride in the desert.  I would describe the ride in one word…bumpy…it was hard to talk normal without your voice breaking.  The ride was really only long enough to take some pictures but fun just the same.  Tianna & I rode Moses and Landon & JC were on Columbus.  Interesting fact about camels they can go 3 months without food or water and the reason they obey so well is that they see humans as something really large.

 

Landon & Tianna collecting

 desert sand to send home

From the foot of the Kings pyramid lies the mysterious creature with a lions body and human head known as the Father of Terror built around 2500BC and over 73m long.  It is believed that the Sphinx is the night protector of the pyramids but Egyptologists still argue over basic facts such as why it was built and by whom.  Made with soft sandstone, the Sphinx has been repaired many times; sometimes the repairs cause even more damage.  Also, due to the wind, humidity, and pollution from modern Cairo, its condition is still deteriorating.  At this site we were immediately accosted by a young girl (maybe 9yrs. old) insisting on taking our pictures of several silly poses with the Sphinx in the background even though we said no thank-you several times.  Of course when finished taking the photos she wanted money. 

 

I really feel for these people who have built their livelihood from tourist dollars and now the tourist aren’t coming!!  They seem so desperate and are very persistent to make a sale of their merchandise or services.  We were going to visit a museum however Tianna had had enough sun and heat (40 degrees) so we went back early.
Susan took us to the Maadi House that afternoon which is like a country club for all the Ex-pats that live in the area.  Lot’s of American’s here, some Canadians too, Chinese and Europeans as well.  Susan introduced us to her friends and of course Landon immediately met up with some kids his age and had an amazing time writing songs and playing guitar in the Blue Room.  Now 3 weeks later they’ve become inseparable since that first day. 

We planned a surprise party for Landon at the Maadi House with all his new friends including a cake with an arabic birthday message.  

 it says "Happy 12th Birthday Landon" (we think:-))

Fridays are holidays here because this is the day the Muslims worship, well actually they worship every day.  Sometimes it doesn't feel like Egypt until we are reminded 5 times a day when the calls to prayer are broadcasted throughout the city.  These chants and prayers can be heard anywhere via an amplified voice from the Mosque by the Imman.  Anyway it's kinda cool and shows how centuries old tradition is still part of this country.  It doesn’t matter where you are (even in the mall) or what you are doing you can hear the call to prayer at Dawn(3:15am), Noon, Afternoon, Sunset, & Evening.  Even the Christian church has its services on Friday’s so although it was tough tearing Landon away from his new friends we walked to the Maadi Community Church just around the corner.  Under a huge canopy we enjoyed a wonderful outdoor service and I noticed while looking around the congregation how varied it was.  The church is known for the attendees to be from 40 different countries(and just as many denominations) regularly gather at their weekend services.  Present tonight were a mixture of young & old, men & women, children, black, white, Asian, American, Egyptian and I felt proud to be where everyone is accepted and being Christian is what unifies us.  I know that feeling might not be everywhere but thankfully it has been our experience over the past 10 years whether visiting churches in Mexico, St. Maarten, Jamaica, Australia, Peru, and all the African countries!

The first week in Cairo was spent either at the Maadi House swimming in the enormous, sun heated yet very warm pool or on tour of the city.

Highlights include being treated to several remarkable historical sites such as: 

Saqqara – an enormous ancient burial ground and home to the oldest pyramid known as the Step Pyramid which was the inspiration for others found throughout Egypt.  One of the richest archaeological sites in Egypt, its earliest tombs date from the 1^st dynasty(3100-2890 B.C.)  The tombs and stone remains are in various states of ruin or restoration so you have to use a lot of imagination to think what the place would have been like when it was first constructed.  It is believed that the excavation of this site is only a fraction of what might still be underground.  Leading into an open court the size of a soccer field lies the Step pyramids via a corridor of 40 pillars, their design inspired by bundles of tied reeds  guarded by powerful & majestic cobras. 

The Step Pyramid is different from the Giza pyramid's since it is less than half the height and much less known, also constructed with mud brick rather than stone.

We toured through several tombs each with their own architecture, pyramid texts(hieroglyphs), drawings, carvings, and paintings over 4000 years old.   It is an underground gallery and museum, and just so incredible.

 

Dahshur is a small pyramid field in an isolated desert setting to the south of Saqqara.  With the temperature soaring above 40 while walking from tomb to tomb we truly felt what it must be like to be a camel driver in the desert.

"Memphis which once was the capital of Egypt and the greatest city of the ancient world now is marked solely my an open air museum of meager finds, partially redeemed by its one outstanding exhibit the remains of the mighty statue of Ramses II

and the Sphinx of Memphis."

Driving past the City of the Dead is so bizzare…..a city built to house dead relatives going back centuries.  What makes it different from a cemetery are that these look like subdivisions of brick houses without roofs and also some people actually live there!  In a stark contrast are the many beautiful Mosques throughout the city, with over 7000 Mosques in the country and 4000 churches.

Garbage City which is also known as the Recycle Centre at a size of 22 square kilometers and a population of 1.2 million people its residents receive garbage collected throughout Cairo.  People work with tons of garbage sifting and sorting through pulling out what can be salvaged or recycled and burning the rest.  It is a sight unlike I’ve ever seen before.  Obviously a very poor area without running water or electricity for most residents.  

 

 At the edge of this garbage city and up on the hillside lies 3 spectacular cave churches.  Abdou was once again so informative touring us through the Coptic  churches.  Coptic meaning Christian Egyptian.

All carved out of stone, Simon was enormous with inspirational writing on the surrounding stone walls.
Church of Saint Marcus was outdoors & reminded us of the amphitheater in Denver Colorado

St. Paula Church was small in comparison to the other two and intimate with its cushioned covered benches against the walls.

 

Abdou sharing a miraculous story inside the St. Paula church including how a painting of Jesus was the only item that survived a fire inside this church.

We ended the day with a visit to the famous Virgin Mary Church right on the Nile River.  We were taken into a very narrow, underground passage from the church to the Nile River.  At this site is where Jesus would have crossed the Nile from Cairo to Giza.

  

Bordering Cairo city are ancient ruins, pyramids and many underground cities next to miles and miles of apartment buildings being built.

100 times stronger than Espresso!!

A trip to Old Cairo to visit to The Hanging Church, built in the seventh century.  But before venturing into the holy area we stopped for 21st century sprite and a turkish coffee....... 
Coptic Cairo with its high stonewalls enclose a compound of silent narrow lanes connecting ancient holy places. 
This is also where we found the most interesting store and spent time wandering and gazing at all the artifacts and unique items and of course purchased charms for Tianna's bracelet.  

If you like shopping then The Khan(huge handcrafts market) is the place for you.  Personally I hate to say No and with all the retail merchants trying to survive on scarce tourist’s dollars it is a challenge.  As soon as we are spotted the begging for our business begins and it doesn’t stop until we are safely out of sight.  The merchandise is great and priced reasonably but when you’re backpacking there isn’t a lot of room for stuff.   

Unless of course you are lucky to have met one of the "Worlds Nicest People"......we have, and her name is Susan Holbrook.  Planning a trip back to Calgary to be with her daughters and Grand-daughter Payton she graciously offered us an empty suitcase to send stuff home.  Well, who could say 'No' to this?  not me!!  Tianna & I went shopping and packed that empty suitcase full.  

Also unique to this Arab country is mostly all the women wear headscarves, even the young girls wear them and a smaller percentage are in full Islamic face veils(neqab) and also galabiya's popular amongst the women, some which are quite beautiful.  There are many stores which sell only head scarves.  
  

We feel very at home here….and so blessed to be staying in a beautiful 2 floor apartment complete with a toaster that sings M.I.C.K.E.Y.M.O.U.S.E when it pops your toast:-)
Home, yet we are reminded daily that this isn't Canada with all its Arabic writing.  Even a trip to the grocery store can be challenging since all the products of course labeled with Arabic not English.  When I buy yogurt I have no idea what the expiry date is since it’s in Arabic!!  Oh and 70% of the drivers here have no licence.....that explains it!!!  The driving age is supposed to be 18 but we've seen kids as young as 10 behind the wheel.

This is the kids favourite place but I don’t think it’s because we are in Egypt, more importantly, at this age, it is the kids you meet and having the opportunity hang out with them.  Up until now the kids have made some awesome friends but haven’t had much time to spend together before having to say good-bye.  They are really good at making friends, always have been, but here they get to actually spend “kid” time together just chillin.  
Yes, more video games than I would care to see them play but they also swim at the Maadi House, hung out at the mall one day, saw Madagascar 3D movie, and have had parties, movie nights and sleepovers with their new friends!! 

Introducing their Egypt friends……….

also known as ‘Third Culture Kids’ since where they are from is a hard question to answer having lived in so many different countries.  Katie lives across the street from Maadi house & she is a General’s daughter(although she doesn’t like to be called that), Tallon & Jet’s dad is a Colonel also with the US Airforce, Maud & Gaylin’s mom runs a pre-school which our kids got to work at with Maud and their Dad works with C.I.D.A.  Bailey’s house is where Landon fell on some stairs & split his head open.  Lucky, I guess, that Bailey’s Dad works at the US Embassy and was able to drive us to the international hospital for foreigners where Landon received an MRI and 3 stitches.    
There is also Westley and Icicio and new to the group this week is Gray.  Unfortunately most of the kids are leaving or have left!!  Some are moving back to the USA while others go away for the summer.  While many are leaving or have left, we want to stay put.   It's funny that we are probably in the most historical city on the planet and this is where we have decided to take a vacation from our vacation.   The kids have made friends here and we just want to recharge our bodies for the second half of our journey.  We didn't realize how much we needed this break until we arrived and got settled.  At the moment we are relying on God's guidance with deciding when and where to go to next.  Inchallah.....God Willing has become our new favourite saying.  We met a Pastor at church on Friday night and he was from Calgary and knows Pastor Stuart from Vernon Alliance, proves the "it's a small world theory.”

CANADA DAY IN EGYPT!

No fireworks or parties in the park but our family remembered to honour the greatest country on earth by applying Canadian tatoos and telling everyone we saw it was Canada Day.  The problem is each time we tell the Egyptians we are from Canada they yell out "Canada Dry"!!!  It’s nice to be known for something I guess, we just can't compete with ancient pyramids, tombs, pillars, temples, sphinx, mummies, and under ground cities Egypt has:-)

Still finding some spare time to finish off the school year.    

 Rod and Susan return from a trip to Ireland!

The highlight of Egypt and possibly the whole trip was getting tickets to the ‘AMERICAN IDOLS WORLD TOUR’ !!!

6 finalists from the 10^th season, Adrien, Brett, Colin, Ta-Tynisa, Rachel and Kendra along with 3 Sing Egyptian Women finalists came to the Cairo Opera House and entertained us with a dazzling performance.   

 

Of course when idol Rachel asked if anyone wanted to dance with her Landon jumped up and ran on stage.  Later, he, Tianna and their friends Katie and Westley were showing their dance moves up on stage with all the Idols. Landon even did the moonwalk in front of the audience when the idols were singing “Billy Jean”. 

We were seated in the front row when we weren’t dancing and singing along with all the Egyptian teens & pre-teens that made their way to the stage.  It was great to hear american music again and we loved all of it but our personal favourite was when they sang the words of Bon Jovi "we're half way there.....ohhhh livin on a prayer" since this is now our family's theme song!
At one point idol Brett came off the stage (not sure if he did this voluntarily or was pulled off) but he came crashing to the floor right at our feet.  I think he was supposed to be caught by the young arab men but was dropped instead.  A crowd surf gone bad!  I asked him if he was okay but didn’t get an answer since all the boys picked him up and threw him back on stage.  He kept right on singing so I guess he was fine.  Crazy fun!!!

Well, we are off to Jordan and Israel tomorrow for 10 days so I better get packing!!