The Not So Lonely Planet

Back again

2011-01-27T01:47:00.000-08:00

Where has the time gone?? It was spring break 2010 when I last wrote a post and here we are at the end of January 2011.

In that time Dave and I had birthdays, Zeke turned 1, we traveled to the United States and gave grandma so quality time with Zeke, took a short trip to Istanbul and a long weekend in Alexandria (Egypt), I started and completed my first semester at university, we moved house, made new friends and said goodbye to others, Christmas came and went and we celebrated another wonderful year of marriage. Over the next couple of weeks I will attempt to expand on these events. If my skills extend that far, I will back date the posts to keep some sort of chronological order. If not, A LOT is going to happen in February2011.

As I write this significant events are going on in my 'backyard' as anti-government protests are going on in Egypt, inspired by the recent events in Tunisia. I will endeavour to include posts about this as well. Stay tuned.

Spring Break in Poland

2010-04-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

For Spring Break 2010 we decided to head to Poland. I have been asked a few times why we chose Poland, and the answer is simple - it's an European, non-Muslim country that is not on the Euro, thereby making the holiday good for the belly and good for the wallet!! The worst part of the trip was actually the flight times. We had a 2am departure from Cairo early Thursday morning and arrived back at 1.30am early Tuesday morning. I was most concerned about how Ezekiel would cope with the flights, but he was a real trooper and slept heaps. The little tike is not even 8 months old yet, but has already set foot in 4 countries (well 5 if you count the airport in Prague) and on 4 continents.

Ezekiel and 'Spike' the sheep getting ready for take-off

breakfast Polish-style - mmmm pork

Spring in El Rehab

2010-03-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

Every week I walk many, many miles around our housing estate, going to the supermarket, the souq (outdoor market area), taking Ezekiel to playgroup, etc. I enjoy our walks as El Rehab is, for the most part, quiet, reasonably clean, and has useable footpaths. El Rehab is, however, not very environmentally freindly. I say this because all around us is great swathes of grassed areas, loads of flower beds and hundreds of trees - all flourishing in the desert!!!

On one recent walk to the souq I was admiring the blossoming trees, when it suddenly dawned on me that I was looking at a Callistemon citrinus, a Crimson Bottlebrush, an Australian native plant that I absloutely love. Suddenly Australia didn't seem quite so far away.

Crimson bottlebrush in El Rehab

Rain

2010-02-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

Last night it rained. So what, I hear you say ... well when you live in the desert rain is a big deal. Now it has rained before in the 3 years we have lived in Cairo, if you can call a light sprinkle here and there, rain. But nothing like the apocalyptic proportions of yesterday, with its thunder, lightning, torrential rain and even hail in some suburbs.

As you can imagine in a country that averages only 2 cms of rain per year normally, its citizens are not accustomed to driving in the wet, so there were many accidents and broken down vehicles yesterday. A friend wrote this on his Facebook page, to describe his trip home. "Took me 5 hours to get home from the airport. Cairo streets, including highways, dangerously flooded. Driver prayed out loud as we passed colonies of dead cars in 3-4 ft. deep water on the Autostrade. Prayers worked until we had to push our car out of a small lake."

And this is also a country that, for the most part, has no working drains, so there was major flooding all over Cairo. The photo below is from our housing area, and much of the collected rainwater was still there this morning.

Flooded street in El Rehab

Weird and Wonderful Egypt - pt.3

2010-01-24T12:38:00.000-08:00

This was written on Facebook by my husband, David, and since it is so succinctly written I figured I'd repeat it here.

"Living in Egypt can be hard at times, but every now and again a suprise happens that makes living here enjoyable. Tonight, Michele, Zeke and I were waiting at a corner for a bus to go home at 9pm. A delivery driver for the Metro we were just shopping in, pulled up and gave us a ride home. Egyptian hospitality!"

One of the ubiquitous Metro supermarket delivery vans, nicknamed 'the Metro missile' by a neighbour of ours, because of the excessive speed with which they drive around our neighbourhood.

New Year, New Discovery

2010-01-04T11:11:00.000-08:00

The new year has brought me a new culinary discovery - red carrots. I came across these courtesy of Emad, a private driver we hire occassionally (instead of a taxi). When driving me home recently, Emad stopped at a road side cart, and bought me a bag each of regular (orange) carrots and these amazing red carrots. Not exactly red, these unusual carrots are more of a purple, not unlike the colour of beets. They have a great flavour raw and are also fantastic roasted.

The red carrot - straight out of the ground

... and peeled

... and sliced.

First foods, first teeth and finding feet

2009-12-29T06:44:00.001-08:00

Ezekiel has reached a couple of new developmental milestones recently. Firstly, he has started grabbing his feet and putting his toes into his mouth. I call this move the 'fergie', after the famous toe-sucking incident many years ago of Sarah Ferguson and the Texas oilman.

Zeke doing the 'fergie'

After about 2 months of drooling, the first of Zeke's little teeth finally broke through the gum on Sunday. It was a relatively painless affair, I think, as he fussed very little and had none of the usual 'symptoms' that I was expecting.

Last week we started Zeke on solids, if you can call them solid. So far he has tried rice cereal with apple, with banana, with carrots and with peas. He really seems to be enjoying everything so far.

Zeke loves his carrots!!

Australia trip - pt. 3

2009-12-28T23:00:00.000-08:00

While we were in Australia, my niece, Tahlia, took some photos of Ezekiel. She has a great 'eye' and I think she really captured something here.

Tahlia even took one photo and created a piece that went into her portfolio application to AFTRS (www.aftrs.edu.au). This is the piece she created - I just love it.

Australia trip - pt. 2

2009-12-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

While in Australia, Ezekiel and I had the chance to catch up with a few old friends. Two friends from Melbourne were very gracious and flew up to see us. Though truth be told, I think they really just came to see Zeke!!!

Top Trudy - an old friend from our Hong Kong days and Sharon (below) - one of my oldest Aussie friends; both flew up from Melbourne to see us.

Zeke also met another one of my oldest friends, Gai. I have known Gai and her mother for somewhere in the vicinity of 30 years. I just hope Zeke can grow up to have good friends like that.

Zeke had a wonderful afternoon with Gai and her family.

Wendy is another friend from our Hong Kong days. We had a great day at Bondi, checking out the 'Sculpture By The Sea' exhibition and a lovely lunch overlooking the beach.

Wendy with Zeke.

Sculpture By The Sea (http://sculpturebythesea.com) is an annual exhibition whereby the Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk becomes a giant sculpture park. Over 100 sculptures by artists from Australia and overseas took part. It's really worth checking out the exhibit while enjoying some of the gorgeous Aussie coastline. Some of the artworks left us wondering "why", like the giant watch and the shoes .....

while these flags, on the hilltop looking over Bondi Beach, were just beautiful.

One very strange piece, entitled morpheus, moved so beautifully in the wind that I just had to capture it on video. Enjoy.

Australia trip - pt. 1

2009-12-08T22:03:00.000-08:00

It's hard for me to believe it's already 6 weeks since my last post. Six weeks ago, in late October, I was stressing about getting Ezekiel's visa so that he and I could head 'down under' to visit my family. Now here we are in early December, our trip to Oz behind us and just a few short weeks till Christmas.

Zeke's first peek at the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Zeke and I had a great time in Australia, though the month just flew by. The main reason for our trip was to 'show off' Zeke to the Aussie family & friends, especially my mum. Mum is not in the best of health these days, so it was important we went ASAP.

With my sister and her family, and my mum.

With some of my cousins.

I must admit I was hoping for the best though prepared for the worst, for the plane trip, but our little man travelled well. My only real complaint for the trip out to Australia was that the rascal wouldn't sleep in the bassinette provided on the plane, so he was in my arms for the journey. The Singapore Airlines & Qantas employess were great though, and helped by holding him when I needed the bathroom. He was better on the return trip, using the bassinette and even sleeping most of the way from Singapore to Cairo. And Zeke managed to charm all and sundry on the flights with his wonderful smile and calm demeanour.

Ezekiel with one of the wonderful Qantas flight attendants.

One last hurdle

2009-10-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

As with everything else in Cairo, getting Zeke's Egyptian visa was not as easy as it first appeared.

First I checked with the university office that helps us foreigners with local bureaucracy, asking specifically specifically what we needed to supply. The answer was 'just the passports' ie. mine, Dave's and Zeke's. I also double checked as to whether Dave would need to make and appearance at the government office, and was told 'no'. Dave took the passports in the very next day, and we also included his birth certificate and our marriage certificate, just for good measure. He was told it would take a week to 10 days.

A week goes by and I was wanting to book my tickets to Oz, but was concerned that we still didn't have the visa. Dave called the office and was told it wasn't ready because he needed to go to the government office!!!! Frustration level - about 5.

Dave does this on Tuesday, and they tell him it could be ready tomorrow. I call Thursday morning - not ready. Frustration level - 6, and rising. I stress that I'm wanting to get to Oz asap and I'm told to go ahead and book the ticket, and that proof of departure will speed up the process. Two hours later my tickets are booked for the following Monday and the proof of such is being faxed to wherever it needed to go. Knowing that the government office operates 6 days a week, it seemed a good bet it would be ready Saturday. Come Sunday morning and still no visa. Frustration level - 9 and I'm about ready to spit the dummy at someone.

A little while later Dave calls to tell me it will be ready after 2.30pm, but I have to go Downtown to pick it up, if I want it for our flight the next morning. So with less than 24 hours till our departure, Zeke and I are in Downtown Cairo, awaiting the all-important visa that will allow him to leave the country. Frustration level - 9.75. Finally the courier turns up. I do a quick check of the passport and see that AT LAST we have all that we need to depart as planned the next day.

Now all I had left to do was pack ........

What's in a name

2009-10-13T00:27:00.000-07:00

Within the last year or so, 5 babies have been born to the expat faculty at American University in Cairo. The funny thing is that they are ALL boys. Even funnier still, we all chose Bible names, and mostly Old Testament names. We have Joseph, Abraham, Noah and of course, our boy Ezekiel. The fifth child is Andrew. And including some other, older faculty kids we have Elisha, Elijah and the lone female with a Bible name - Martha.

Passport

2009-10-11T23:36:00.000-07:00

I was very happy yesterday to receive a phone call from the Australian consulate here in Cairo, telling me that Ezekiel's passport was ready. I was hoping and praying it would be, but hardly let myself believe it could actually happen. After all we only submitted the paperwork 10 calendar days previous, and there was a public holiday in the midst of that time.
At any rate, we rushed out the door. After all, it was already 1pm when they rang, the office closed at 4pm, and it would take us easily 1 - 1 1/2 hours to get there.

After encountering some typical horrid Egyptian traffic, we walked into the consulate office at 3.30pm. We walked out again, passport in hand, at 3.40pm, thankful that we were able to get it today.

Dave's job now is to deliver all our passports, and associated documents, to the business support office at the university. They will handle getting Zeke's Egyptian visa, to prove that he is legally in the country. Without this we aren't going anywhere. With this, we hope to still be able to head to Australia within a few weeks.

Ezekiel's Australian passport

Becoming an Aussie

2009-10-03T23:52:00.001-07:00

This past week I began the process of establishing Ezekiel's Aussie citizenship and getting him a passport. As he was born overseas this meant I had to fill in a form proving he was eligible to be an Aussie (ie. because his mother is), get an official English translation of his Arabic birth certificate, have his identity 'verified' and, of course, pay a fee. None of this was especially difficult, just time consuming. In the end we received his Citizenship Certificate which meant we were then able to apply for a passport.

Ezekiel's Citizenship by Descent certificate

As I write this his passport is in processing, and then the next step will be to deal with the local authorities and get an Egyptian visa. As soon as possible after that, we will be on a plane to Australia to see the family.

The hardest part of this whole process was probably getting the photo. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get a photo of a baby's face where they are awake, looking at the camera, eyes open, no pacifier/dummy, and nobody holding their head straight and still????? Thank God for digital cameras. We took a gazillion photos and finally got one that fit all the criteria.

Ezekiel's passport photo - he has already changed so much since this was taken 2 weeks ago.

MCD & MCN

2009-09-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

With the birth of Ezekiel I have become aware of, and "seduced by" the counter-cultural world of MCD. But don't worry - there is no need for an intervention. MCD simply stands for modern cloth diapers. In Australia it's MCN (modern cloth nappies), but it all means the same thing - an alternative to the gazillions of plastic, disposable baby buttwrappers that end up as land-fill.

The first company I came across, Eenee Designs (http://www.eenee.com/), make the Eenee Eco nappy which consists of a washable fabric cover and plastic liner, into which go a cloth or 100% biodegradeable nappy insert. I am proud to say this is an Australian company, from 'tree-hugger central', AKA Tasmania. Some years ago the company founders took their product to the ultimate land of consumerism, United States of America. In America these amazing nappies are called gDiapers, and they have some very dedicated followers, including me and Zeke. Users call themselves gMums and gDads, have a yahoo group to talk about the product and swap ideas, and post photos of their babies wearing the diapers. And this is just the tip of the MCD iceberg.

Ezekiel wearing his 'good vibe stripe' gDiaper

When you begin to delve into this 'world', you soon learn there is a whole other vocab going on here - liners, boosters, AIO's, AI2's, pockets, flats and prefolds - just to name a few. And then there are the company's - bumGenius (http://www.bumgenius.com/), Fuzzi Bunz (http://www.fuzzibunz.com/), Tots Bots (http://www.totsbots.com/), Happy Heiny's (http://www.happy heinys.com/), Monkey Doodlez (http://www.monkeydoodlez.com/), Pea Pods (http://www.peapods.com.au/), plus many, many, MANY more.

Recently I found out that some bumGenius diapers (which MCD-er's rave about) are made here in Egypt, so now I going to procure some of these direct from the factory and give them a try.

the gold standard in MCD's - bumGenius

Mena House Hotel

2009-09-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

One issue you face when your child is born in a foreign country is establishing his/her citizenship and getting a passport. This is a multi-step process for either US or Australian citizenship - both of which Ezekiel qualifies for. As we are still in the midst of the paperwork, we were not able to travel to another country for the 5 day Eid break, celebrating the end of Ramadan.

Instead, we found a wonderful hotel deal and booked two nights at the 100+ year old, 5 star Mena House. This hotel has one feature no other hotel can claim - it backs right onto the pyramids at Giza. From the balcony of our room we looked onto the hotel's garden and pool, and the Great Pyramid. From the tranquility of the hotel, we could also see the poor sods on their organized tours getting on & off buses, and battling the heat & crowds.

The view from our balcony.

We enjoyed the chance to do very little, and spent time paddling in the pool, reading by the pool, having leisurely meals and we each booked a massage.

Dave and Ezekiel in the pool.

At times it all just got too much for Zeke.

Zeke crashed out by the pool.

While we were at Mena House Ezekiel had his 1 month birthday!! We celebrated on his behalf with a bottle of German sparkling wine, given to us by an AUC friend, Moshira.

Happy 1 month birthday Ezekiel.

A child is born

2009-09-08T23:06:00.000-07:00

We returned from our vacation at the end of July, and proceeded to wait out the next few weeks until our little guy arrived. Dave went back to work and I 'nested' at home.

On Tuesday Aug. 18th we were at our scheduled dr's appointment when he asked us when we wanted to have the baby - on Thursday or Friday?!?! A few phone calls later, lining up the anesthesiologist, operating room, etc. and we were set for Thursday. Ah, the beauty of a planned C-section. The next two nights at home were interesting, realising it was probably the last time (for a long time anyway) that it would be just the two of us. Last minute packing was done, family and friends notified, our ride to the hospital organized, and we were as ready as we were ever going to be.

The morning of Thursday Aug. 20th we left home around 7.30am and were in our hospital room by about 8.15am. My doctor came by around 9am and then I was prepped and we 'got the show on the road'. I had a lovely female anesthesiologist who took her time finding the right spot for the epidural and made me feel at ease during the procedure. Once that was done and I was numb/ready, the fun began. This was my first ever experience on the operating table and it is a weird sensation, being awake and knowing what is going on, but not being able to feel anything. The time went by very fast and before I knew it I had my first look at, and hold of, my son - Ezekiel. While I was being stitched up, Zeke was taken to the nursery and his anxious father. Soon afterwards we all met up in my room.

First day of life. Ezekiel David Wlodarski - born August 20, 2009

The one thing I was unprepared for in this whole experience was the next morning and feeling like I had gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson - and lost! Thank God for pain meds. The hospital staff were good, but the problem with doing this in a foreign country is, of course, the language barrier. Some staff had a little English, but most had none. Somehow though we muddled through. I am very thankful that is was an uncomplicated birth. By Saturday we were more than ready to get home, so once my doctor gave us the all clear, we packed our bags, paid our bill and left.

Our doctor, Youssef Simaika, sharing a glass of wine with us after the birth.

It has now been almost 3 weeks and everyday I give thanks for our little boy who is happy and healthy and doing so well.

5 days old.

Miami and 'Burn Notice'

2009-06-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today we met up with a friend in downtown Miami. Julie is a friend from our Oklahoma days and we try and catch up each time we are in Florida. Today we saw Julie 'at work' - she was working as an extra on the set of one of our favourite TV shows, Burn Notice. Filming was taking place in one of Miami's top hotels, the Fontainebleau.

The lobby of the Fontainebleau Hotel.

Unfortunately the filming of the pool scenes that Julie was in wrapped up early and they were already done by the time we arrived at the hotel, but we could see them still filming on the balcony of one of the rooms high up in the hotel.

Filming 'Burn Notice' at the Fontainebleau Hotel

And while there, we decided to enjoy some time soaking up the atmosphere and people watching by the pool.

A sign of the (swine flu) times

2009-06-17T04:41:00.000-07:00

One part of life in Egypt that never ceases to amaze and amuse me is what I call "metro-shopping". The train system here is called the Metro, and on any given journey at least one fellow traveller will come through the carriage selling some product or another. Usually it's pocket-sized packs of tissues, but I've also seen colouring book, earrings, pony-tail elastics, superglue, lifesaver-type mints, and even socks. Most of these items can be had for just 1 or 2 Egyptian pounds, about 20 - 40 cents!!!
Yesterday, the product du jour was a sign of the mass hysteria sweeping the city - face masks, and the woman selling them was doing a brisk trade.
If only the population would put as much effort into observing sensible hygiene practices and educating themselves on the truth about swine flu, the city would be a lot better off.

Swine Flu

2009-06-08T04:57:00.001-07:00

Swine flu has finally hit us a bit close to home. Two students at the American University in Cairo have been diagnosed with this dreaded flu strain. They both live in the university's dormitory in central Cairo, which has effectively gone into 'lock-down' for 24 hours.

This is the article from Associated Press.

2 swine flu cases at American University in Cairo

Mon Jun 8, 3:59 am ET

CAIRO – The American University in Cairo says a dorm building housing foreigners is being quarantined for 24 hours after two American students were diagnosed with swine flu.

Rehab Saad from the university's public relations office said Monday the two cases were discovered Sunday night along with a third suspected case. All three have been hospitalized.

The dorm in the Zamalek area of Cairo houses about 100 students.

It was not known where the students contracted the disease.

Egypt announced its first confirmed swine flu case June 2 after an Egyptian-American girl arriving in the country tested positive.

Egypt's government has come under criticism for its decision to slaughter the nation's pigs in response to the swine flu problem.

An Egyptian police stands guard next to a barrier at an entrance to the dormitory of American University in Cairo

New baby photos

2009-05-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

This week we had a new scan done. Here are a couple of the most recent pictures.

Sort of side on view of his head, with his hand near one eye.

Profile shot - this is my new favourite photo.

As you may have been able to tell, we decided we wanted to know the sex. So enjoy the photos of our gorgeous SON!

Spring Break - Italy

2009-05-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

Recently Dave and I took our Spring Break vacation in Italy. We were able to spend the first few days with some friends we knew from our Hong Kong days and enjoyed the beautiful peace and quiet of their place in Soriano, about 80 Kms north of Rome.

The view from Elizabetta & Adam's front door!

We spent just 1 day in Rome itself, and used it to visit the Vatican Museums, which included going through the Sistine Chapel. The halls and galleries of the Vatican Museums are absolutely loaded with wonderful artistic treasures.

One of the halls in the Vatican Museums.

The painted ceiling in one of the Vatican Museums' galleries.

The Sistine Chapel.

St. Peter's

After the 3 hours or so of going through the Vatican Museums we were ready for lunch and had a wonderful meal, finished off with a delicious coffee granita.

Enjoying my coffee granita!!

Our last 2 days were spent in Florence, seeing the sights and enjoying some more wonderful food. Michaelangelo's statue of David is truly magnificient and I'm so glad we were able to see it. Florence is a beautiful city and very easy to navigate around.

The Duomo

Michaelangelo's "David"

Just some of the pork products we were able to indulge in while in Italy!!!!

Habitat for Humanity - March 2009

2009-04-25T02:23:00.000-07:00

Dave and I had the opportunity last month to join a weekend Habitiat for Humanity trip in Minya, about 245kms south of Cairo. This was my second Habitat trip and Dave's third. We had a great group of 8 volunteers, half were from the university and half from my church. We assisted at two build sites, moving bricks, sifting sand and brick laying at one site, and nailing the wood boards for the roof at the second site.

Me helping with nailing the roof.

One of the Habitat staff working on the roof.

Our team with the homeowners and family on the completed roof.

While in Minya we had a sunset felucca ride on the Nile. I really enjoy felucca rides, but this was made even more interesting by the police presence on the boat, as well as the water police escort that followed us around on the Nile!!

Just two of the police/security that followed us around all weekend.

The water police following us on the Nile (taken in secret, hence the funny angle).

Police/security escorts are a fact of life for foreigners 'on tour' in Egypt. Thankfully we personally don't have to deal with them on a daily basis.

Our first OB visit

2009-03-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Last week we finally got around to having our first obstetrician's visit. It all went pretty smoothly and the doctor confirmed the due date that I had already worked out with the help of the internet - Sept. 1. The exciting thing about the visit was that we had a scan done and got to see the sprog moving around. I might be biased but I think OUR baby scan is clearer than anybody else's I have ever seen. Look for yourself.

Our first baby photo.

New campus inauguration

2009-02-21T08:48:00.001-08:00

Recently the new main campus out in the desert of AUC (American University in Cairo) was inaugurated. The main ceremony on Feb. 7th included special guest and alumnus, the first lady of Egypt, Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak. This was an 'invitation only' event, for which Dave declined attending.

The campus scrubs up pretty well.

We did attend an event a few days later - the opening of the Sharjah Art Gallery and the Malak Gabr Arts Theatre. The Sheikh of Sharjah, Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, donated a significant amount of money towards the buidling of the art gallery and then allowed pieces of his personal collection to be shown as the inaugural exhibition.

My invitation to the Sharjah Art Gallery opening and dinner.

The exhibition showcased some wonderful oils and water-colours of various middle eastern scenes, that the Sheikh has spent years collecting.

After the opening there was a dinner. It was quite the spread, and to be quite honest, more than I could eat at 9pm on a 'school night'.

And then we were three ...

2009-02-01T06:29:00.000-08:00

I can finally announce that David and I are expecting our first child. Now the questions begin - what doctor? where to have the child?? names???

Weird and Wonderful Egypt - pt.2

2009-01-10T12:16:00.000-08:00

During Dave's recent bout of the 'flu his doctor prescribed a handful of pils and potions, among them these tablets. Would you take something labelled Retard??????

Byblos & Harissa

2008-12-30T10:37:00.000-08:00

Byblos
Byblos is an ancient city, beautifully situated on the Mediterranean Sea, with a Crusader castle and Roman ruins. Byblos is one of the world's oldest continually inhabited town. Byblos was called Gebal in the Bible and the Crusaders salled it Giblet. Its ancient name, Byblos, is thought to derive from bublos, the Greek word for papyrus, as the town was a stopping off point for papyrus shipments in Phoenician times.

Crusader Castle at Byblos.

Byblos Harbour at sunset.

Harissa
Harissa is only about 20 kms from Beirut, but is 650 metres altitude from the coast. We took the popular Teleferique (cable car) up and down the mountain. It gives a fascinating view going up, even going between some apartment buildings, allowing a view inside as you glide past.

The view about 1/2 way up the mountain - the cable car 'station' is way off in the distance, by the coast.

National Museum of Beirut

2008-12-29T05:41:00.000-08:00

On Boxing Day (Dec 26th) we made our way to the National Museum of Beirut. Our Lonely Planet guidebook listed this museum as a 'must see' and we would have to agree. It is nicely laid out, well lit and has a wonderful array of artefacts from around the country. If I had to make a criticism it would be that the museum could do with MORE pieces. It's a far cry from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo which is more like a dark, overstuffed warehouse.

An ornate sarcophagus from the southern city of Tyre. The frieze depicts the legend of Achilles.

A beautiful 4th century mosaic.

A colossus taken from the ancient city of Byblos.

One of my favourite pieces in the museum - a carved marble head atop a sarcophagus.

Christmas Day - Beirut

2008-12-29T04:51:00.000-08:00

On Christmas afternoon we flew out for a brief vacation in Beirut, Lebanon. It is only a 1 1/2 hour flight, so we were there is no time at all. After checking into the hotel, we went for a sunset walk along the Corniche.

Corniche - Beirut, Lebanon

The next day we walked around a lot of the city, taking in a few more of the sights.

This suprised me - mosque with a Christmas tree in front!

Although massive reconstruction is underway in the city, reminders of the 15 year civil war are all around. The photo below is of the old Holiday Inn, Beirut. It became a prime sniper position and attracted all many of fire power, leaving it in the bullet-riddled state we see today. It was reportedly built to withstand earthquakes, so is apparently structurally sound, albeit in need of some TLC.

Holiday Inn, Beirut - scarred from a 15 year civil war.

Christmas in Egypt

2008-12-22T11:38:00.001-08:00

Celebrating Christmas in Egypt is an interesting experience. There is no Christmas muzak everywhere you go, no Santas on street corners or in malls, and even just finding a Christmas tree or decorations can be a bit of a challenge. We managed to find ourselves a cute, fake 2 1/2 foot tree, though.
I am looking forward to our Carol Service at church on Christmas Eve. Normally by this time, I've heard Away in a Manager adnauseum, so that I'm just about 'carol-ed out', but it is quite refreshing living here to not hear them all around, all the time.
Getting into the Christmas spirit.

My new job

2008-12-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

This week I began a new job. It's been about 6 months since I quit being a teacher at the university day care centre, so the time had come for me to start 'earning my keep' again. For the next three months I am interning at IOM - International Organization on Migration. IOM is an NGO that handles migration and resettling all over the world. I am a part of the Baghdad Team that are working on the cases of Iraqis who have worked with the US and multi-national forces, and now qualify for resettlement into the US.

My ID badge at IOM.

Weird and Wonderful Egypt - pt.1

2008-12-12T12:15:00.000-08:00

I see many weird and wonderful things day by day in Egypt. I will try to capture, and share with you, as many of them as possible.

This photo was taken during a recent shopping trip. It is labeled as Dite (Diet) Honey - for Obesity & Diabetes!!! Go figure!!!

Eid al-Adha

2008-12-09T03:30:00.000-08:00

This week the Muslim world celebrates Eid al-Adha. It is commonly referred to as 'the big feast', as opposed to Eid el-Fitr at the end of Ramadan which is the 'little feast'. Eid al-Adha commemorates the Muslim story of Ibrahim being willing to sacrifice his son Ishmael. It is celebrated these days by the slaughter of an animal, which is then shared with family and friends, and some is also shared with the poor.

Last year at this time, when we lived Down Town, a bull appeared outside a neighbouring apartment building. We anticipated what was coming, and were able to witness the slaughter and subsequent skinning of the bull right there in the street. Not something for the faint-hearted!! A few days ago, with us now living in 'the suburbs', pens of animals began to appear in the open-air market area. We knew what was coming, but did they????

Guess who's coming for dinner - we are!!!

Camel Trek - White Desert

2008-11-29T23:48:00.000-08:00

Less than 48 hours after returning from Australia, I was on a bus with Dave and about 20 others, heading about 400 kms SE of Cairo into the White Desert. Ahead of us was 3 days riding camels and 2 nights camping in the desert. It took about 7 hours to get to the edge of the desert, where our camels were waiting along with their bedouin keepers.

The important task of selecting your camel.

After a spot of lunch we mounted our trusty steeds and headed for our campsite, about 2 hours away. It took a bit of getting used to the stride of the camel, and working out who was in control (us or the camel!!), but in the end we all made it safe and sound to the campsite.

And away we go!!

Tents were already set up and waiting for us, so while we got ourselves settled our bedouin hosts prepared dinner. Being Thanksgiving, turkey was the order of the day and it was delicious roasted over the open fire.

Home away from home.

Beyond the light of the campfire, the desert was absolutely black. The night sky was magnificent and many constellations were visible. I saw a couple of shooting stars and one other camper said he saw the International Space Station as it crossed the sky. Without TV's or such to keep us up, we found ourselves ready to sleep by about 8pm, drifting off to the sounds of our bedouin hosts making music and singing. Many of us had a restless night, either because of the cold or the somewhat lumpy sand under our bedding, but that aside we were up with the sun ready for our full day with the camels.

After breakfast we again mounted our even-toed ungulates and set off to explore part of the 300-sq-km White Desert Protectorate. We rode for about 2 hours to our lunch site, which was in the midst of some of the fantastic rock formations that are unique to the White Desert. The photos barely do it justice and this place certainly should be on the list of places to see before you die. The journey back was a little harder going as it was getting quite hot and the butt was getting quite sore!!!

Just one of the 'other worldly' rock formations in the White Desert.

Back at camp we chilled out watching the sun set, before another tasty dinner cooked over the open fire. We slept better the second night - whether from tiredness or our rearranged bed, I'm not sure. Our last morning, we ate breakfast, packed up camp and prepared to mount our dromedaries one last time. I chose to walk back rather than ride, but my butt and thighs are thanking me for it. The bus was a welcome sight, though I could have done without the 7 hour ride back to civilization. But we made it back and a shower never felt so good!!!

Dave and I in the White Desert.

Last two weeks in Oz

2008-11-25T23:14:00.000-08:00

My last 2 weeks in Australia have flown by. Mum and I completed our road trip with some 'family time' - seeing aunts and uncles, cousins, etc. I was also able to hang out with some old friends.

With my mum, my sister and her family.

I also took the chance to stock up on some aussie 'essential' - wine, beer, chocolate biscuits and that nectar of the gods - VEGEMITE!!! I also bought an aussie flag which, significant of the times we live in, was made in China!

Some of the 'essentials' that filled my suitcase.

Road trip with mum

2008-11-13T23:11:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday mum and I set out on a mini road trip. For the first leg we drove to Werris Creek, to the home of my cousin and her husband - Chris and Wayne. Wayne is a farrier - he makes horse shoes!!!

While in the area we explored Tamworth, the nearest large town/small city. Tamworth is Australia's country music capital and the home of the Big Golden Guitar!!!

The Golden Guitar at Tamworth.

"Home"

2008-11-09T19:53:00.000-08:00

November finds me 'home' in Australia. I say 'home', as Australia doesn't feel like home these days. It will always be the place I was born and raised, but I consider my physical home to be in Egypt (at least for the moment) with David.

Currently I am in a small town called Molong. This is where my mother was born, and it is definitely her home!! In case you are wondering where exactly is Molong (which incidently I believe to be Aboriginal for 'place of many rocks'), it is in the central western part of New South Wales, about 4 hours drive west of Sydney. It is a thriving metropolis of 1,400 people, all of whom I think know my mother!!! The recent spring rains here have brought many flowers out to bloom, including one of my favourites - the native Australian Bottlebrush.

Bottle brush blooming in my mum's yard.

The other day I had a chance to catch up with an old friend from high school. I was trying to figure out when I last saw her, and she was quick to point out it was about 21 years ago!! It was fun to see her again. Now I'm just trying to figure out where those last 21 years have gone.

Cairo overview

2008-10-18T05:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went on a university organized tour. The purpose of the tour was to give a geographical overview of Cairo. The tour leader, Dr. John Swanson, is a very knowledgeable man who has lived in Cairo for 30+ years. He has seen considerable changes, as you can imagine. Since I can't show you what Cairo looked like 30 years ago, you will have to be happy with what it looks like now!!

Our first stop was Mokhattam Hills. This high point gave us a great view over the whole city. Unfortunately the city suffers from bad pollution problems and the view is obscured somewhat. But if you look really, really closely you can make out the outline of the pyramids off on the otherside of the city. If you need help to locate them look directly beyond the lake in the middle of the photo below.

This is Cairo from the top of Mokhattam Hills. Far off in the distance is the pyramids.

We then headed around the city and over by the pyramids, to the area called Giza. Once upon a time the pyramids stood alone in the middle of the desert, but over the years the growth of the city has brought residents to within a stone's throw of these wonders of the ancient world.

The suburb of Giza, with the pyramids right behind.

From Giza, we headed through the busy Cairo traffic, to one of the new areas called 6th of October City. This planned, and relatively new city is still very much under construction.

Cairo traffic.

A standard sight in Cairo - a half-finished building.

Our tour wound around the rest of Cairo and ended up at Midan Tahrir (Tahrir Square) - the location of down town university campus. Midan Tahrir has some lovely examples of belle epoque buildings.

Building on Midan Tahrir.

Ramadan

2008-09-01T23:58:00.000-07:00

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan started about two weeks ago. According to Wikipedia Ramadan is a religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which is believed to be the month in which the Qur'an was revelaed to the angel Gabriel and delivered to the prophet Muhammad.

Muslim's who observe Ramadan abstain from many things during daylight hours - no food or drink at all as well as no smoking; but come sundown the party (Iftar) begins. There is major feasting all night, every night, until the wee hours of the morning. The work day is shortened in most places, so that families can be together to start the feast once the sun is down. This basically means you shouldn't expect too much business to get done for the month!! And many small businesses shut down all together and they use Ramadan as a chance to spruce up their joints.
Lamp shop at the Khan El Khalili

People often decorate their homes and workplace for Ramadan, with strings of coloured lights and the symbol of Ramadan - the lantern. Makes for a rather festive appearance.
Ramadan light in a neighbour's window

El Rehab

2008-08-20T23:12:00.000-07:00

Now that we are back in Cairo and settled into our new apartment, let me tell you a bit about our place. We live in El Rehab, a gated community, about 25kms northeast of downtown Cairo. A gated community here is a little different from gated communities in Australia or America. El Rehab is a city built on 10 million square metres!! It still very much under construction, but when completed will be home to approx. 200,000 people. So not your average gated community. Having spent our first in Egypt living in the noisy hustle and bustle of downtown Cairo, it is a refreshing change to live on the edge of the desert.

The view from our old apartment in downtown Cairo.

The view from our new apartment in El Rehab.

We made this move because of the new American University in Cairo (AUC) campus. AUC has been in the heart of downtown Cairo since 1919 and now almost 90 years later they have a brand new facility being built 30kms away in the desert, though it is only 4 1/2 kms from El Rehab. Classes will begin at the new campus next week, though Dave has already been on the campus everyday for about 3 weeks, facilitating a lot of things for his department.

New York - Cairo

2008-08-08T23:11:00.000-07:00

Our last 24 hours in the US was spent in New York City. Our home for the night was The Pod Hotel, a cute, hip little place that felt a little like we were staying in an Ikea ad. We took the concierge's advice for dinner and had a fantastic Indian meal at Indigo Indian only a block and a half from the hotel. The maitre d' (owner??) was a very helpful and friendly Bangladeshi man who took great interest in where we lived and what Dave was doing in Egypt. He then proceeded to tell us a little of his 'story' and his idea of helping children in the world. We think he was talking about blindness caused by nutritional deficiency, but his accent was SO thick, that we are not really sure what he was saying!!

After our lovely dinner we walked a dozen or so blocks to Sardi's. Sardi's was once the favoured haunt of Broadway stars, producers, et al, and has walls covered in caricatures of famous patrons. We got talking to some people in the bar, one of whom was a fascinating, non-kosher Jewish man (by his own admonition) with whom we proceeded to discuss religion AND politics.

Our flight back 'home' went by pretty quick and we had an easy time thru immigration and customs, but that is where our good times ended. We had one of our worst taxis experiences (thus far) getting home. I won't go into all the details but our driver managed to go miles out of the way and ended up stopping to ask directions about 8 times. He was fined as he picked us up, which we think was because he stopped in a no stopping area. We agreed to pay his fine, which we understood to be 20 Egyptian pounds (about $4) but outside our apartment he was saying it was 10 x that. This is where the language barrier becomes so acute. We paid the exorbitant fine plus the fare just to get rid of him, but we've learnt our lesson and next time we fly into Cairo we will have our own driver/taxi prearranged and waiting for us.

USA

2008-08-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

We are now in the last few days of our vacation back in the States. Our trip has included some 'business' but also lots of 'pleasure'. We spent our first few days enjoying the wonderful hospitality of Dave's old friends, Bill & Nancy Motyka, in New Jersey.

One day was spent in NYC where we took in a hilarious show on Broadway - The 39 Steps,

followed by a wonderful dinner at the Palm restaurant. One unexpected site while in NJ was a baby black bear. It was in the woods but real close to the road and took us by surprise.

Next we spent 2 weeks in Miami with Dave's family which included the chance to celebrate my mother-in-laws' birthday with her. While in Florida we took a couple of days and went to Fort Myers with my mother-in-law. Fort Myers was our jumping off point for relaxing on the beaches of Sanibel and Captiva as well as taking in the winter homes of Thomas Edison & Henry Ford. The beaches were beautiful and the Edison/Ford homes and grounds were gorgeous.
And of course, no trip to Miami is complete without some time spent at South Beach!!

After leaving Florida we spent a fast and furious few days in Louisiana getting our taxes done and packing up a few more things to ship to Cairo. We were able to catch up with a few friends while in 'cajun country' but time was certainly limited, so I'm sorry if we missed you.

Hello

2008-08-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog. I trust that you will all enjoy reading my posts as we travel around this 'not so lonely' planet. My hope is that you will learn something new about this wonderful world we live in, and the weird and wonderful people that call it home.