In Cairo people drive with their horns as if that will propel them instead of their engines. The noise of the traffic is so loud that it almost drowns the sounds of the call to prayer.

Cairo

Sunday 2/8/2004

We arrive.

View of Cairo from The Citadel

The Pyramids at Giza

Our hotel is adjacent to the Pyramids of Giza. From within the dining room, they are framed with the greenery of the hotel garden

Mena House Hotel

Monday 2/9/2004 – Pyramids, Pryamids

Paul at the Step Pyramid of King Zoser, possibly the first pyramid built in Egypt.

We see the Pyramids of Giza up close and visit the sphinx

Here is our hearty crew – The Blue Nile

That evening we are given a lecture on Islam which begins – ‘Islam is one of the three great faiths that sprang from the deep silences of the Middle Eastern desert.’

Tuesday 2/10/2004

The Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali

Odds and Ends

The military service does not take the son from families with a ‘lonely son’.

All commerce stops in the gold shop when the power fails. I imagine the seller’s hands clasping the gold—no one better make a run for it.

In the evening we are invited to dine with a local family. They are very hospitable and the dinner is delicious.

Wednesday 2/11/04

Cairo’s Museum of Egyptian Antiquities

The fabulous treasure of King Tut attracts many people

In the mummy room the guard requests ‘Silence’. Curious to see those bony faces–at first I wander, not seeing the name plates on top of the glassed in cases. I look for character but structure is all I see. Ramses II is the one I gaze at most.

That evening we take the overnight train to Aswan. .With my head at the foot of the top bunk to look out the window during the night’s fitful sleep, I see brightly lit mosques and lights reflected in water.

On to Aswan—please click