Quick Egypt Recap

A quick post before I head off to Kenya this evening with my sister after an adventure-filled time in Egypt. Hardly know where to begin! So many wonderful hours spent with old and new friends who showed us incredible generosity and hospitality, and so many amazing sites and experiences -- such is Egypt. Here are a few quick highlights though:

7 hour trip in a Landrover from Siwa (an oasis nearly in Libya) to the Baharyhia oasis (I think I am spelling the name of the oasis wrong.) -- all in a raging sandstorm with the windows up the entire time and barely working AC. HOT, HOT, HOT!

A whirwind 24 hours in the Baharyhia oasis, going from home to home of friends to drink hot mint tea (chai nanna) and to eat an incredible amount of simple but wonderful food prepared just for our visit. Note: In the oases, you never eat with much less see the wives and daughters who cook the food. Meals with guests are all-men events, but for Beth and me. Also, all meals are eaten seated on rugs with everyone gathered around one small, low table that is laden down with food.

Two nights on a felucca (simple wooden sailboat) sailing down the Nile on a trip that took us from beautiful Aswan (a 14 hour train ride from Cairo) to Komumbo, where we caught a train and headed back to Egyt. The deck of the small boat had pillows all over it and that is where we ate, slept and watched the world go by as we sailed the Nile. Food courtetsy of our felucca captain Homada and his adorable helper.

An afternoon with our friends George and Ayman, Coptic Christians, on Croccodile Island, an island in Lake Nasser above Aswan Dam. Also along on the trip were George and Ayman's wives and Ayman's two young girls. We had fun in the water trying to catch fish in plastic bottles we cut in half and ate potato chip and cheese sandwiches (!!) for lunch. Not all that bad really.

Hours spent in the Aswan souk (market) talking and laughing with our shop-keeper friends and sipping mint tea.

The noise, chaos and craziness of Cairo, where just crossing a street can be an adventure.

Spending time and sharing laughs with our "brother" Mohamed and our good friend Shukree.