about time another blog entry went up

This blog has taken a while to post. We have a slow connection that seems to dislike blogs so if you are reading this, we were successful. If you are reading this with pictures, a miracle occurred.

Yesterday (that's Dec 30) we went to see a movie at a cute little theatre in the woods in a wealthy town called Woodhall Spa. It is one of the oldest theatres in the UK and films here were attended by royalty so we were in good company. It was opened in 1922 and the screen is still the original one. This did not affect the quality of the film. We watched "Gulliver's Travels" which greatly departed from the novel but was entertaining none the less. The whole family went and then we went out to dinner in Horncastle together.

There are several interesting things about this. One, Horncastle is a VERY small town and it has two Indian restaurants; two. Indian restaurants here are like Chinese restaurants back home. They are everywhere. The second interesting thing is that I can’t eat spicy food so on principal I have stayed away from Indian food my whole life. I have now eaten at BOTH Indian restaurants in Horncastle…and LOVED it! Both restaurants were excellent and I managed to get through both meals without choking and coughing until tears ran down my face. Another interesting thing is that my whole family (and that includes my children) enjoyed Indian food. We have discovered a new favourite food. While traveling through England, we have discovered we love Indian food.

The whole family went out for dinner together: my mother and Ian, the four of us, Ian’s sister, Alison, his brother, Neil and Neil’s wife, Shelagh, their son, Richard and his girlfriend, Louise. We all managed to order different meals and spent some time sharing food. I’m not sure my English relatives normally spend time sharing their meals as they didn’t look as enthusiastic about the experience. In fact, Shelagh eventually asked if she could just put a bit more of her dinner on her plate before it was passed again. Her meal was particularly tasty, I might add.

Today, we went with my parents to the nearby town of Boston. As most of you probably know, New York is not far off but I have to say it was a bit of a shocker to be driving down the narrow country lane to see the cute little directional sign saying, “New York 4 ½ “. Boston was very nice; smaller than one might expect but charming. The huge church rivals the one in Lincoln, though it is not a cathedral. The town was settled in the 7th century by Saint Botolph who was also responsible for the church. It is a beautiful church but I thought it was more interesting that the name Boston comes from Botolph’s town.

Another fact I found fun is that the settlers in Boston, Massachusetts came from Boston, England in the early 1600’s. They sat together here and planned out the community there. Then they got financing, transportation and a few hardy families and away they went. I’d say they were fairly successful. I wonder why it was called, Boston and not New Boston. I also wonder if New York began the same way.

We ended our day buying the ingredients for apple pie. We will be attempting to make that for New Year’s Eve dinner tomorrow night. I figured our contribution to the progressive dinner should be something fairly North American and you don’t get much more American than apple pie. However, baking apple pie with ingredients in England may be tricky. Did you know they don’t sell pie plates here? There were flan dishes, cake pans, and casserole dishes but not one dish that resembled a pie plate. I know they have pie here because I have seen pie on the menu at restaurants and I found it in the grocery store freezers. Odd. We’ll let you know how it turned out.

Family Time

This past week has been mostly filled with traveling from place to place and then nesting. Our little cottage is adorable and very comfortable and we’re settling happily into a quiet lifestyle compared to the traveling marathon we’ve been on the past five months. It has also been interesting having other people in our little group. We have so much to share with our new family members that we all want to talk at once as though there isn’t enough time.

On Boxing Day we had my aunt Alison, my cousin Richard and my parents accompany us to the nature reserve on the North Sea coast. It was a beautiful day; sunshine and happiness. It was cold with an even colder breeze on the beach but the reserve was lovely.

We walked along the sand watching the waves roll in and the wind turbines spin in the distance. The turbines have been controversial here. This is the best place because of the geography but it is also reserved land. How do you balance the need for ecological preservation with the need for renewable energy resources? Even on our walk we could see that part of the sand was covered in slick black goo. Oil strikes again.

Today we drove into the nearby town of Lincoln with my parents and aunt to visit the cathedral. It was a magnificent cathedral, if a bit chilly. They don’t heat their churches over here but I suppose it makes sense if you see the size of them. Today I learned that a church becomes a cathedral when the bishop’s seat is there. The bishop’s seat in Latin is called “cathedra”. Another interesting fact is that the Lincoln cathedral was considered the tallest building in the world…in 1411. It had a higher spire on it that has since fallen. Rhys thought it was interesting that a copy of the Magna Carta was there. We saw a copy at Salisbury Cathedral back in August. There are only three copies so I guess we’ve seen two thirds of them.

We will have to go back on another day to see the castle and explore the shopping area. We decided to buy our own Christmas present for ourselves sometime before we leave England and visions of sugar plums are dancing in our heads.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve we attended a church service in Horncastle with Neil, Richard, my mom and Ian. It was a candlelight service so we each got to hold a candle. The church was neo-gothic renaissance in style, as only those who have visited hundreds of European churches would know. We admired the gothic stone archways and interesting wood ceiling. We sang Christmas songs together and listened to Mary, Joseph and a shepherd give their eyewitness account of the big night. It was a nice evening, we all agreed.

The weather on Christmas Day was everything you could hope for. In the morning there was bright blue sky. The air was crisp and clear. A dusting of snow lay over our car and on the ground outside. By the afternoon, the sky had clouded over and snow began to fall. It was quite lovely sitting in the parlour with the Christmas tree and fireplace lit, surrounded by brightly wrapped packages and people we care about, watching the snowflakes fall.

My mom and Ian came to our cottage for breakfast and presents. We had our traditional breakfast meal of cheese soufflé, bacon and sweet rolls. Tom spent a loooong time whipping the egg whites to get them stiff for the soufflé as we don’t have beaters. That’s real dedication to a breakfast.

At noon we went over to Neil and Shelagh’s house. Neil is Ian’s brother. His sister, Alison was there as well. It was the first time in many, many years that they have spent Christmas together and it was fun to be a part of that. Neil and Shelagh have a lovely old house filled with beautiful furniture and decorations. Our Christmas dinner was also very traditional with turkey, brussel sprouts, carrots, potatoes and more. For dessert we had Christmas pudding, mincemeat tarts and a stollen. We stayed to share gifts and conversation until almost ten o’clock. It was a wonderful Christmas Day in Horncastle, England.

Camel ride

So Ramses, our taxi driver, took us to a little dirt road that wasn’t very obvious. Now, you should know I am a little frightened of some of the people in Egypt, but I’m open to any sort of ride. Once we took the little turn off we got out of the taxi and tried to drink all the mango juice before we got on the camel, because it was the best mango juice in the world and apparently you not allowed to drink mango juice while riding a camel. I wanted to go with dad anitionaly but they said “No! No! we have a small camel, just right for you” So I said “ Um, I guess”. Then the camels came out, the first camel was HUGE! How big do you think a camel can be? Well, double it.


Anyway the second camel was slightly smaller and the third an forth were the same as the first. Mom’s was the first camel and she got on her camel first. As soon as she got on her camel’s hide legs went up and it’s front legs followed once she got her grip. I laughed my head off you should of seen her face! After about a second her expretion changed to a smile, and my face dropped because it was my turn. I got on my camel and t stood up imedietly. VERY scary. It was taller and stronger then a donkey, and I could feel its strength. We got to the riding right away and it was scary at first but I …quickly?…adjusted.

Then we rode past the intersection down the deserted road , through the poor town and past the fields for farming. All the time I was trying not to fall off. It was a fun ride. We saw a river alligator, although it wasn’t quite an alagator, maybe a baby one? Or just a big lizard. Also we smeled lemon leaves, they smelled really good. At one point he asked me if I wanted to go fast, but I declined. Once we got off we gave the guys who took us on the ride a tip and they DIDN’T ask for more. That was a first! We also saw baby horses and a very scared baby cow. That was my first camel experience the second camel experience was in Cairo.


I decided to go with dad this time because I thought it would be boring with out someone to talk to. This time I was ready, mom said we were going to go in to the Sahara dessert. That, I was exited about. Instead of four guys we got all of our camels tied together and just one leading the way. We walked through the city for a while and through the garbage place with some dead horses...so sad . Hmmmhmmm……


Then we got to the dessert and it was just a lot of sand with the pyrimids off to our right. Not much to tell. Then we got to a hill and the guy INSISTED we take some weird pictures of us at the pyrimids. Then he said time to go back and mom said “What? I thought we were going to go farther!?” so we went farther and it was more of the same. The guy asked if he could ride on the camel with mom and she said “well, I guess” so then he said “do you want me to?” And she said “ no not really I’m fine.” So he didn’t.

When we were almost back he said “Ok, you pay now.” So dad gave him a tip and he asked for more and dad said forget it. He insisted on it then at one point tried to give the money back eventually he just took it and took us back. When we got of we paid the boss guy and went up stairs to our house. Mom announced that she didn’t like him. And I sorta agreed she said and I quote “He tried to rip us off, I bet if we didn’t go all the way we would have had to pay JUST as much money. Plus he shouldn’t of even asked if he could come on my camel with me. Then he asked you for more money? Come on, you’ve got to be kidding!” I totally agreed. He was awful. The first ride was better.

The Pyramids of Giza™

The pyramids of Giza are right out our window, and they're huge. On the first night we got here, I started climbing up to the roof, and i saw the smallest pyramid and said "Oh my gosh thats a big pyrami-" then I noticed the bigger one beside it. "Wow that's humong-" I stepped up a little more and realized that that wasn't even the biggest one. "Holy cow, that has to be the biggest one!" I stepped up further and all of them lit up with a big buuuuuh! from the sound and light show. It was quite overwhelming. We spent the rest of the evening down out on our porch watching the sound and light show; we still had a great view of the Pyramids.

The next day we went right up close to the pyramids and like I said, they're gargantuan! You can see the little people at the base of it, compare the size! The sphinx however, isn't as big as it appears in pictures. Its still about half the size of the smallest of the main 3 pyramids, but it's made out to be almost as big as the middle one. In the top photo, the middle pyramid's right slope points to it's head which is a browny greenish colour. The middle pyramid still has some of it's original shiny casing, while the big one does not, AND it also was built on a small hill about 10 metres higher than the big one. If both are measured from the big one's base height, they both amount to around 455 feet high. Or so our guide told us, it doesn't really match up in any pictures.

Where the hell am I?

How did I get here?

Driving in a 25 year old Peugeot cab, that smells like raw gasoline, we rumble down a dirt city street past burning piles of garbage, women making bread on the dirt street and a man with four family members on a single 125 cc motorcycle. Since there is no garbage collection in Egypt what do you expect the result to be? Garbage dumped everywhere. Everywhere! Some polite people light it on fire; others just let it slide into the irrigation canal. Pretty. The Nile is polluted, garbage up both sides of it, all along the shores. They don’t even bother to pick up a little around the main dock that tourists use to go for felucca rides. The man on the motorcycle with his family was wearing a plastic construction hard hat, I presume this was for safety but only he had the privilege of a helmet. We pass shops, city policemen with machine guns and a crew of five guys fixing a lamp standard with packing tape. Every few blocks the street has barriers that impede traffic flow. This is for one of two reasons; police check points or to slow traffic for safety. Police are everywhere and heavily armed. Crime is very low and I generally feel safe. In Luxor buildings are six or seven floors high, few are finished on the exterior, money is tight and living space is the priority. Below the buildings are donkeys pulling two wheel carts. They are all the same design, two wheels, flat deck of wood with truck tires. Even though they are obviously all hand built they are remarkably similar. Down an alley could be a market selling fruits and tires or a camel stable complete with camel smells. Our cab stops at the destination, another ancient site. We get to the temple from the cab past an army of pushy, desperate souvenir salesmen and pay our 165 Egyptian pounds for entrance. For a few minutes we gaze at ancient Egyptian wonder until the silence is broken with a “where are you from?” Crap, they found us. More Egyptian nickel and dimers who seem to live inside the ancient sites are trying to ingratiate themselves with a few English words about some dusty stone followed by an open palm. It really ruins most of the experiences. After 8 days of this, I expect it, I would like to say it doesn’t bother me but it does, just for a different reason now. At first it was this culture difference that subconsciously offended me. Now it just annoys me that Egypt can’t sell their Egyptian experience properly. Egypt is rich in history, poor in presentation. I would pay more to avoid the hassle. Everyone would be better off. We don’t frequent gift or souvenir shops because it is too big a hassle. I don’t think anyone has a clue they are driving away all their own precious customers. Fresh meat from the tourist buses sprint in fear past the stalls at the exit gauntlet. We smile; we can see and smell their fear. Noobs! We have had some excellent guides in Egypt. Nice people, even they can see the destruction that the hustle causes but they shrug their collective shoulders, “What can you do?”

That is one side of the coin, the price of seeing Egypt, what about the other. Today I saw the pyramids. I actually stood on the base of the largest pyramid in the world, the only remaining ancient wonder of the world. From our balcony we can see three pyramids lit up by the nightly light show. It is awesome. I have walked in the Valley of the Kings; I stood in King Tut’s tomb. I now know that the Sphinx is much smaller than I expected. We have seen so many ancient temples, statues, sites and hieroglyphics that I cannot receive any more information into my head. The food in Egypt is excellent. This is a big relief to a nagging fear that I wouldn’t eat for 14 days. Egypt is much more Muslim than Turkey is. I mean outwardly Muslim. Arabic script is used primarily and many restaurants and stores sell no alcohol. Muslims in Egypt, and Turkey, are very friendly. Egyptians in general are outgoing and talkative. Tourist areas are the exception. Unfortunately, that’s where we are headed.

Ancient Egyptian treasure is not the only highlight. It surprised me that other highlights turned out to be: the garbage, the pushy vendors, the old cabs and the hustle and bustle of a busy city. If you get into the mindset that it is all one huge show, things get pretty good. For instance pedestrians are everywhere, walking through roundabouts or down the middle of the streets, dressed in black….at night. Did I mention that it is illegal to use your headlights…at night? This is true; our cab driver said it was a 300 Pound fine. The trick it seems is to flash your lights to announce that you are in the area, then a short blast of the horn to announce you are going to go by and then you gun the engine to pass. You are allowed to use headlights out in the country where there are no streetlights. Another difference is the local minibuses. They use the same system as in Turkey. They are minibuses that can hold about 10 people. What happens when you have more than 10? Why you just grab the roof rack and stand on the rear bumper of course. It is completely safe. The buses also drive around with all the doors open. This is fun stuff. Where are you going to find this kind of entertainment in seatbleted, bubble wrapped Canada? Clearly Canada has too many rules. A bus ride anywhere in the city of Luxor cost $0.17 CDN. That’s 17 cents folks! Please pay the driver in advance.

Cairo Surprise

Our place in Cairo is surprising in many ways. We are in an apartment on the top floor of a building that overlooks the pyramids. The picture is the view from our terrace. It took our collective breath away when we first stepped out onto the porch. It was night and the sound and light show was playing. The pyramids kept lighting up at different times in dramatic views. It was in a foreign language so we couldn’t understand a word but we plan to watch again tonight for the English showing. We’re going up to the roof to see it. That was the first surprise.

The drive into our neighbourhood elicited a variety of emotions. It was reminiscent of Istanbul with many small shops selling one specific item. We saw the tire store, the hubcap store and so on. The streets are filthy and everything looks as though it is one step away from demolition. We entered an open parking area filled with horses, camels and donkeys and the car slowed down in front of a building. The ground was dirt as one might expect in a barn area. The smell also helped create a barn environment and although it was dark when we stepped out of the car, we walked carefully.

The door was an iron grate that led to a stairwell. We climbed the cold marble-like steps to the top floor of the building with some trepidation. Our host opened the door into a lovely spacious apartment. The apartment does not match the neighbourhood. It is clean and furnished tastefully and comfortably. Quel surprise! When we stepped out onto the terrace, though, that was when we realized why we were here.

The next surprise was that it was difficult to hear our host greeting us as we are very close to a Muslim minaret. The call to prayer seemed to go on and on so I asked. Ashraf told me that a funeral was taking place. Apparently, they broadcast this to the general public. It goes on for about three hours. In one way, it is kind of nice to be recognized in this way. Don’t get any ideas, Mom. While the funeral was a one time occurrence, the call to prayer happens five times a day. The first time is about 5 am. Ask me how I know this.

The call to prayer is not the surprising sound however. It is the geese and chickens that live on the roof next door that are actually a bit more of a shocker. They rise early and have quite a lively breakfast chat. I have yet to get a picture of the lady who cares for the gaggle. She sweeps with what looks like long pieces of straw and carries a basket balanced on her head. I’m not sure if she can do both at the same time but both skills are equally fascinating to me.

Speaking of fascinating things, today in Memphis we saw some children from the public school nearby. They crowded near us, staring and quietly pulling out their cameras to take pictures. It made me smile thinking of how many pictures I have been taking of the Egyptians going about their business when they find me going about my business just as entertaining.

We passed a public school and I just had to have the driver stop so I could take a picture. You can see the kids on the balcony looking out of the stairwell, I think. There are up to 100 children in a classroom and any Egyptian who can afford it sends their kids to a private school. It is the opinion of our guide that the public schools have a difficult time teaching the kids anything with so many in one class. It makes me shudder to think of it.

School here is divided into categories. There is the school for foreigners and very rich Egyptians which costs around $25,000/yr. Thne there is the private school most Egyptian middle class families send their children to, which costs less because it is taught by Egyptian teachers not foreign teachers. Then there is the public school which takes overcrowded to new levels. For the desperately poor, however, there is Carpet school. These are schools set up to give the children a trade. I didn't delve too deeply into this as Iqbal Masih and child slavery kept flashing before my eyes.

On the train yesterday we met a very nice young man named Amir who shared his lunch with us and many stories as well. He is a pharmacist who wants to immigrate to Quebec. Apparently it is easier to immigrate to Quebec than to Canada. Hmm…that takes some thought. Aren’t we all in the same country? At any rate, he told us Canada is the golden land and to get to live and work there is the ultimate goal for any upwardly mobile young Egyptian. It was an interesting look at our country through the eyes of an outsider. He was friendly and entertaining and his mother makes a delicious meatball sandwich.

He shared interesting information about Egypt as we gazed out the train windows. Many buildings look half finished yet people live in them. That is because they can’t afford to finish it all at once. The price of cement is very high so they build one level at a time. The goal is about six levels. This is so that the sons can marry and bring their wives to live in the same house. Eventually, the son and his family will move out to build their own home in the same fashion. Amir couldn’t get over the idea that we didn’t do the same thing in Canada. How can the kids afford to live on their own right away? Isn’t it lonely? It does give one pause to think. I mean, how DO young people afford a house in Vancouver these days?

He also explained about the different headwraps men wear. Each family has their own style of wrap. The picture here shows three different men with three different headwraps. Sometimes the wrap can denote a religious belief as well. I had never really thought about the different wraps before so it was interesting and has made me look closer at the different styles now.

I can’t say that I am comfortable with the fake friendliness of the touts in the streets yet, but I am beginning to love our time in Egypt.