Tuesday, Sept. 9, ATW III Comes to Abrupt Halt

I knew the university e-mail system would be down until 2:00 p.m., so I spent most of the morning in my room reading and watching TV. I checked out at 11:30 and went nearby to eat kushari (mixed noodles, rice, garbanza beans, fried onions, and tomato sauce) for lunch. I walked around some, stopped at a park to read, and then went to the cybercafe at 1:45.

I updated my blog and looked at newspapers online while waiting to log onto e-mail at 2:00. When the time came, there was bad news. Arne is in the hospital. His ticket is being canceled to Vilnius, and he will remain hospitalized for a few days. Heàs having heart problems (very rapid pulse and high blood pressure) and may have had a light stroke. What horrible news. He is never sick.

I immediately went to the Lufthansa office in Alexandria. They told me that I can only change my itinerary at a United office. There isnàt one here or at the Cairo airport. There is one in downtown Cairo, but that would mean that I couldn't be there during office hours except tomorrow. I quickly realized my best bet is to take first part of my two-flight segments getting me to Vilnius (the flight to Frankfurt only) tonight and change my ticket at the United desk at the airport there. They told me that there are plenty of open seats on flights from Frankfurt to Copenhagen tomorrow morning.

Itàs horrible sitting here waiting and not being able to speed up the process. Itàs now almost 5:00 p.m. and time to start the journey. I'll collect my luggage and take the tram to the bus station. I have a 4 1/2-hour bus ride leaving at 6:30 for the Cairo airport.
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Well, it was a long trip to Cairo Airport, but I made it. Once we got to the airport, we stopped at a sign that said, "Domestic Departures." It was only after we pulled away that I saw that it was Terminal 2 and had another entrance for international flights. By the time I got the driver to stop, we were on the road past the terminal. But he stopped and let me get my bag. I walked back up the road to the terminal.

There are certain things in Egypt which work against tourists and are things which I will want to warn people about. The travel restrictions for going to Luxor and Aswan are one. Another I encountered tonight was the fact that Egyptian banks will only exchange back money that was gotten from their own bank as proven by a receipt. Fortunately, there was a Thomas Cook office in the airport, too, and they would make the exchange. But they would give only EUROs and not dollars. What a mess!

The flight to Frankfurt was 4 1/2 hours beginning at 1:55 a.m. I slept maybe 1 1/2 hours between when they served drinks after departure and when they served breakfast an hour before arrival. I was out of the plane and in the terminal about 5:00 a.m. I first checked to see if the United transfer desk was manned, but it wasn't at that hour. I had to go through customs anyway to get my luggage so that it could be rechecked after my flight changes were made. By the time I did that, it was 5:40 and the United ticketing desk in the departure hall was scheduled to open at 6:00. I was the first in line.

Changing the ticket wasn't as bad as I had thought it might be. It was much less of a hassle than it was when I had to change the ticket in Houston in June due to changes necessitated by canceled flights and changed schedules. By 6:20, I had paid the $75 fee to make the change and was on my way to check in for my newly scheduled flight from Frankfurt to Copenhagen.

That flight was scheduled to depart at 8:20 and arrive in Copenhagen at 9:30, but we had an "anomoly" occur. Just as the pilot pulled back from the gate, a man about 3 rows in front of me got up and went up to the staff at the door and told them he wanted to get off the plane. The best I could understand is that he had flown from Cologne to Frankfurt to connect to the Copenhagen flight and was now telling them he wanted to go back to Cologne. The pilot pulled back to the gate and consulted with security. They first made everyone sitting within 3 rows of the man identify each piece of luggage in the overhead compartments in regards to whose each was. But security said that wouldn't be enough. We had to all take our belongings and exit the plane into the gangways while the staff made a thorough check of the plane. By the time we reboarded and took off, it was about 9:30. Everyone took it all in stride, but I hope they held that man for questioning for several hours before letting him go home!

Everything clicked from then onward. I only had about a 15 minute wait for a train from the airport to downtown. Then I had only a 1-minute wait for a train to the local station. I walked to Arne's building and the neighbor was home to loan me her key to get into the apartment. (I had sent my key with Arne, since I didn't want to carry it while traveling and since we were planning to meet before I would need the key anyway.) I left my luggage and headed for the hospital. The neighbor told me Arne had called and said he would be discharged at 2:00 p.m. I made good connections for the two buses I had to take and was at the hospital at 12:15. He was having lunch, and I joined him in the lounge where it was served from a cafeteria cart. He had not gotten the word that I was trying to change my ticket to come here rather than continuing to Vilnius, so he was greatly surprised to see me. We visited until he was free to leave a little bit after 1:00.

We hope to reschedule the visit to the Baltic States for sometime in the next few months. I will have to get a ticket for myself, since I have now lost the chance of using my ATW ticket for going there. If we can reschedule his ticket without losing it, I'll use frequent flyer points to get one just like the one Arne had. We just have to wait and see. He has to go back to the hospital regularly here for a while for them to do tests.

For those of you who know Arne and want to know what had been happening, here is a summary of what is known at the present time:

He has had lots of tests made within the last 2-3 weeks because he had a dizziness spell. They have done scans of all kinds and of the whole body. He went for another type of scan on Monday, and when they checked his blood pressure and pulse, they found that his heart was hitting 160 beats per minute. They immediately sent him to the emergency room and told him he would not be able to travel today to meet me in Vilnius. The doctors were able to stablize his heartbeat, and they used monitors on him for two days while he remained an in-patient. They have put him on two kinds of medicine--one for thinning the blood and one for helping maintain a regular heartbeat. When they did the tests on him yesterday, they said the results were perfect. He will keep taking the medication and go back for more follow-up tests tomorrow and at the end of October. When his heartbeat is completely back to normal, they may perform an electrical shock to the heart as a way of trying to get the heart back to working normally on its own. Arne says that he can tell that it is difficult to make his left hand do what he wants it to do at times and that his right foot feels like it has gone to sleep sometimes. They still have not been able to diagnose what the problem is with any certainty, but they think he may have had a slight stroke. And they know that his heart beat must be more regular.

Well, changing my ticket and coming to Copenhagen essentially ended my Around-the-World III trip. All that is left is the segment to London on Jan. 4. I will not be making further updates to the blog except in the case that Arne and I plan a trip for October or November. If that happens, I will send a group e-mail to notify people.

It is necessary for me to now begin planning ATW IV for next year. If you have any suggestions for routings or stops, please send me an e-mail: rdrum@falcon.tamucc.edu

Final Spending Update: I spent 15 days in Egypt (from Monday afternoon, Aug. 25, through Tuesday evening, Sept. 9) and spent $240.28 for an average of $16.02 per day. For the entire trip, I traveled 85 days and spent $1897.33 (not including the cost of my ticket or the money spent on dental work in Thailand) for a daily average of $22.32 and a monthly average of $669.60.

Monday, Sept. 8, Alexandria, Egypt (Cont.)

After spending 1 1/2 hours at the cybercafe, I went to find Tomaz and Dominika at their hotel. We visited as they finished breakfast. Then we made plans to meet at my hotel at 5:00 p.m.

I went back to the Alexandria Library to see the inside. It's a very nice design, although it is definitely an extravagant one--more like a theater or something than like a library. The floors cascade down several layers in coordination with the slanted roof. There are large open areas, and it's possible to scan almost the entire library from various spots. It's necessary to buy a ticket to enter which seems unusual. And although the money to build the library was given by foreigners, foreigners must pay more for entrance than Egyptians!!

I took my bus ticket to the Tourist Office for them to check it, and there was a problem. It was to Cairo only rather than to the Cairo airport. I had to return to the bus station to exchange it for the proper ticket.

I returned to the room and napped. Then I cleaned up before T & D arrived at 5:00. We went shopping in the souks (the narrow market streets), but we never found what we wanted which was huge printed panels of fabric in the style of Bedouin tent fabric. We enjoyed exploring, however, and visited with many people.

Eventually, we went to dinner and shared a number of plates--beans with tomato sauce, beans with hummus, mixed salad, potato salad, falafel, etc. It was all good. Afterwards, we went to a pastry shop and got pastries (a sticky one with almonds, a sticky one with coconut, and small filo-dough ones filled with sticky chopped nuts). We ate them at a park at the seaside as we visited.

Tuesday, Sept. 9, Alexandria, Egypt

Today is a waiting day. My bus leaves here for the Cairo airport at 6:30 p.m. I've been sitting in a park reading. I stopped for lunch, having a final helping of kushari, the dish with mixed pastas, rice, garbanza beans, and meat sauce. I'm now at the cybercafe for a final time. When I leave here, I will have about 3 more hours before I must catch the bus. The bus should arrive at the airport around 11:30 p.m. after a stop in downtown Cairo. My flight to Frankfurt with a transfer to a flight to Vilnius will depart at 1:55 a.m. I should arrive tomorrow in Vilnius at 12:30 p.m., and I will meet Arne there. He is arriving at 1:00 p.m. That will begin the final stage of my journy for this year--an overland trip through Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia--which will end on Sept. 30.

Monday, Sept. 8, Alexandria, Egypt

I slept more than I thought I would on the night bus. That's mainly because I was in the front row of seats and could lean forward to rest my arm and head on the half-wall between me and the exit steps. But the trip had its problems. The bus was falling apart. My seat back broke so that it rested on the legs of the woman behind me. All seats in the bus were occupied, so I couldn't move. I was willing just to lean forward for the rest of the trip, but she was insensed. (Women here have to live under horrible rules, but beyond that they are greatly spoiled--always allwed to go to the fronts of lines, treated like they are delicate and could break easily, bought with money for marriage, etc.). Even though it was only the weight of the seat back on her knees, she kept pushing it forward, repeatedly bumping me as if the problem were my fault. Finally, one of the bus drivers (there were 3 for this long trip) sitting beside me moved to the aisle floor so I could move to his seat and my former seat back could be leaned foward away from the woman.

The second big problem came when the bus door started falling apart. The seal wouldn't close tightly, so the pressure of the air against the bus on the outside blew the door open and ripped it loose from its main fitting. They got it closed again but still with a loose seal. That meant we had to decreas our speed the rest of the way.

We finally got here at 6:15 a.m. With a little trouble (because of language problems), I finally bought a ticket to Cairo for tomorrow night. I hope it will be a bus that will take me all the way to the airport, but I'm not sure. If not, I will get a taxi.

I couldn't check into the hotel so early in the morning, so I am sitting on the stops of the nearby mall that has an Internet cafe. I've been reading and writing, but the flies are driving me crazy. They bite, too. I hope they open soon. Then I will probably go try to find Tomaz and Dominika after I finish there.

Friday, Sept. 5, Great Sand Ocean, Egypt

I stayed in the room reading until 11:45, waiting for my tour that leaves at 3:00. I then took my luggage to Mohammed's hotel where he is storing it in his locked office until I get back tomorrow. He loaned me a towel for the tour.

I ate lentil soup for lunch. It was blended so that there were no whole lentils. It was made with red lentils, so the soup was a dark orange color. As with all meals, it was served with pita. I drank a locally-made beverage--a pineapple malt beverage that reminded me of the Mexican soda pops I've had before.

I stopped at a cybercafe. The ONE computer had a poor keyboard. The "shift," "return," and "a" keys all would stick and have to be hit hard. (So if you had trouble reading the previous blog entries, that's why.) I took only selected entries from my journal because of the problem typing and my limited time. I had only 41 minutes before the shop had to close for prayers at 1:30. I managed to update my site and to do a quick read of my e-mail.
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At 3:00 p.m., we headed to the desert in a jeep. I sat in the front seat with the two guides. In the back were Mattius from German, Yuko from Japan, and Tomaz and Dominika from Slovenia. We entered the Great Sand Ocean just outside of town heading southwest. In the distance to the northwest of us were stone mountains, but ahead of us was nothing except waves of sand which also formed peaks we went up and over. And occasionally, we went up the slow sloping side of a dune to its crest, paused to see how evertical the drop in front of us was, and then went down. All of us were amazed at how steeply we would come down the other side, but it never seemed to be as far as it looked when we were on top.

We made various tops on our tour. Twice we stopped at cold water lakes for swimming. Once we stopped at a hot spring for a dip. We stopped at a fossil area, too. Then we stopped on top of a very high dune to see the sunset.

The wind was increasing as the afternoon progressed. We would have camped on top of the high dune, but it was impossible with the blowing sand. Instead, we drove to a lower level on the edge of the Great Sand Ocean where there is a spring fed pool and a bedouin tent (a patchwork tent made from sewn together pieces of brightly patterned fabrics). We made a fire outside on the sand, and we placed carpets inside on the sand to creat our home for the night.

We had tea at the first lake where we swam. It was made using a metal teapot and a burner attached to a small spherical-shaped propane tank only about 20 cm (8 in.) in diameter. We ate dinner (vegetables with rice accompanied by tomato-cucumber salad and pita bread) inside the tent followed by tea again. Then we sat around the campfire as the air cooled and began to turn cold talking about various topics. Sinoosy, our driver and guide, sand songs and answered our questions about Siwa and Siwan life.

Finally, we retired to the tent where we slept on the carpets and covered ourselves with thick blankets. The latter were needed as it became cold during the night.

We arose for the sunrise. There were tracks indicating that dogs, desert mice, and desert beetles had roamed around us during the night. Sinoosy prepared tea and heated pita for us to eat with creamed feta cheese and apricot jam for breakfast. Then he drove us back into town. It had been a good adventure with nice companions.

Saturday, Sept. 6, Siwa Oasis, Egypt

Mattius, Tomaz, and Dominika wanted to make another tour this afternoon and asked me to join them. First, we had a lunch sharing a baba ganoosh and each eating banana pancakes with honey.

Today, we went west of Siwa toward the nearby border with Libya. We went first to a great salt lake. The lake is a beautiful light blue, and the flat land around it is covered in thick layers of salt crystals so that it looks as if it has snowed.

Next we stopped at several sets of tombs that had been made into the sides of mountains. Some were Roman. Others were even older. Our last set were ones that Mattius had explored before but ones where the tour guides don't normally go. These had human bones, including skeletons scattered all around the area. Along with the bones were the remains of the fabric that had been wrapped around the mummies. In some cases, the fabric was still wrapped around the bones.

We passed bedouin villages, going to the end of the road. From there, it was desert the last 20 km (12 miles) to the border with Libya.

When we turned back, we made two stops. The first was at the gardens owned by Sinoosy's uncle. This was really a huge oasis plantation with fig, olive, pomegranite, and date trees, various herbs, fields for cattle feed, etc. We picked fresh dates off the tree and ate them. They were wonderful and juicy.

Our second stop on the return trip was at an exclusive ecological resort that costs $400 per day for a room. It's designed for movie and rock stars, high-level politicians, and wealthy businessmen who desire privacy for their vacation. It's actually a compound with four structures--one for administrative purposes and three with rooms and suites for clients. Each compound is isolated from the others by a date palm forrest and mountains. We couldn't see the completed ompounds because they were occupied, but we were allowed to explore one under construction which was finished except for interior work and landscaping. Each compound is built in local style--adobe with 2-3 floors, thick walls, and date palm trucks as wooden features. The one we saw had fantastic fviews of the salt lake, the palm forests, and a big mountain. It will be a plush place to stay, but because of the ecological emphasis there will be no electricity, no radio, no TV, no telephones, etc. It will be a place for quiet, EXPENSIVE relaxation.

In the evening, we all went out for dinner. I had shish tawook--chicken shish kebab in which the chicken pieces had been marinated in yogurt and spices before being charcoal broiled on spits with tomato, onion, and green pepper. It was served with French fries. Because flies were a problem in the palm garden of the restaurant where we ate, we switched to another restaurant where we shared banana pancakes with honey for dessert.

Sunday, Sept. 7, Siwa Oasis, Egypt

I've spent most of the moring relaxing in my room. I went out about 9:30 to see Dominika and Tomaz off on their bus trip to Alexandria. I bought my ticket for tonight, and I donated a book to the exchange shelf at the Tourist Office. Then I came back here, took some photos, and relaxed.

Sinoozy explained the Egyptian (or Siwan at least) system for names yesterday. Each child is given one name. Whether a boy or a girl, the father's given name is the child's middle name and the grandfather's given name is the third (or last) name. Sinoosy's father is Abosef and his grandbather is Dohman. Therefore, Sinoozy's full name is Sinoozy Abosef Dohman. Every sibling in his family has the middle and last names of Abosef Dohman. When he has children, each will have Sinoozy Abosef as his/her middle and last name.
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For lunch, I had couscous-chicken. Couscous is a North African dish made from cracked wheat that is cooked like rice. This was better than what I've had before, because they put a layer of suace over the top that added flavor. Then I read for a while in the park that is in the center of town. Then I took a nap in the shade there. As I was awaking, five boys 10-12 years old came to me. Their language was very limited in English, but it was obvious that they don't like America. They don't like George Bush or Sharon of Isreal either. One who is very animated made his eyes big and pretended at hitting me with a fish when I said I was from America. I wonder how many 10-12 year old boys in the U.S. would even be able to name the president or prime minister of two other countries? And these were obviously not the well educated boys. From their dress, they were all of the lower classes. An interesting side observation is that one is mute and one is an albino. The latter must have a terrible time here in the bright sun all year.

A man came across to visit (I think because he was worried that the boys were disturbing me). We talked about land prices, wedding traditions, etc. He translated everything at the boys' request, and they seemed interested in it all.

About 3:30 the man left and so did I. I walked east of town to Cleopatra Springs. On the way, I passed many homes. Each time I passed one with mothers and children outside, the mothers would quickly step inside and hurt the door. Women are NOT to be seen here.

Cleopatra Springs is a swimming spot. It's a cold water spring that has been lined with stone to form a circular pool. All throughout the pool, there are tiny bubbles coming from the spring to the surface. It's one of the most visited sites here with most people going there and back by donkey cart.

I arrived back in town t 6:30. I stopped by a restaurant for a lemon juice and mixed salad with cheese. I wasn't too hungry, so I decided not to order a big dish for dinner.

I read a while on the square, and when it got too dark there, I went back to the El-Kelany Hotel nd sat on the porch. I watched as they used a cherrypicker to repaint all the light standards back and gold. I also watched the people more. They are so nice and friendly and interesting here.

Wednesday, Sept. 3, Siwa Oasis, Egypt

I'm sitting on the bus waiting to leave for Siwa. What a mess! The seats are very close together, and people are coming on board with bags, drink containers, etc. There are assigned seats, but some choose "better" seats and then have to be forced to move when the ones with those seat numbers arrive. It's further complicated by the fact that so many Egyptians are large. I've been questioned twice, but i'm in my seat ( a "good" one) and I'm staying. I can see, and I can stretch my legs into the aisles. A nice, young man is my seatmate. He speaks English, but seems limited in his ability. He is not going all the way to Siwa; he is visiting another place with friends.
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The north coast of Egypt seems to be quickly developing. We passed many apartment complexes being constructed. Most looked like they are for package tourism. No one would want live in such isolcation. They are on beautiful stretches of the sea. The Mediteranean has that turquoise look it has around Greece.

We also passed the famous battleground where the decisive battle for North Africa was fought in WWII. There were signs for the cemetaries of the various nationalities--Germans, Italians, etc. It is really a desolate place. It must have been a horrible experience for all the soldiers.
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We finally turned south not far from the Lybian border. At first the desert was scattered with brushy plants. Soon, they were only next to the edge of the highway. Finally, there were no plants. The desert was a beige moonscape of crusty and loose sand with scattered rocks. Occasionally, camels could be seen wandering loose seemingly nowhere in particular. I saw a lake mirage that disappeared as we traveled further. A couple of times men wearing long robes with scarves wrapped around their heads asked to be let off the bus--again seemingly nowhere in particular. Sometimes a long house or maybe two could be seen in the far distance.
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Well, we arrived after 9 1/2 hours. The bus was imediately surrounded by about 10 boys with donkey carts wanting to take me to hotels. They even followed me, so I shook them by aiming toward a popular place and turning back when their carts wouldn't be able to turn around and follow.

Siwa is just like an oasis should be. It has 200 springs, lots of date palm trees, and old, old buildings. The original town was a walled fortress city on top of a hill. It reminds me of the Indian town west of Albuquerque on top of the mountain. It was built 900 years ago of adobe, abandoned 300 years ago, and has melted to ruins that are lighted at night. The present town is built on the flatland around the original hill. It has adobe houses that are melting, too, but people, apparently still live in them. It's a poor village. But it's fascinating, and the people are nice.

One of the main things to do here is swimming. There are both hot and cold water springs all over the area. So people go for hikes or hire boys to take them on donkey carts to take dips. There are also tours to the Great Sand Sea (which is the Sahara shown in films) and to sites of Roman antiquities in the area. There should be plenty for me to do for the 4-5 days. And the tourist office has a shelf for exchanging books, so when i finish my last book I'm presently reading (Plainsong by Kent Haruf) I can exhange it for another.

I'm sitting in the palm garden of the New Star Restaurant sipping a freshly-made limeaid. Ummm, it's good, and only 33 cents U.S. I dordered a local dish--beef shukshuka. It's a spicy ground meat mixture that is placed in the bottom of a small soufle dish. On top are placed two eggs and a sprinkling of herbs and vegetables. It is baked. Then it's served hot with pita bread on the side.

Thursday, Sept. 4, Siwa Oasis, Egypt

It didn't cool down as much as I expected in the night. Instead, it stayed rather warm. I found myself sweating where my body was against the bed and would turn for the ceiling fan to cool that part of me as another part warmed against the bed. Besides being in the desert, Siwa is 19 m (20 1/2 yds.) below sea level to increase the heat.

I went to the barber shop for a haircut. The barber had an apprentice who couldn't have been more than 13 years old. I had to lean my head for him to reach the top of it. He did the basic cut, then the barber finished it up taking care of the finer details. Both of them, for some reason, tried to force a part in the hair lower than is natural. When I got back to the room I had to wet the hair and part it again. Then I had to trim it a little because some hair they left long to force over the head was too long once it came down on the short side. But it's nice to add Egypt to the list of countries where I have gotten haircuts.
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I'm sitting on the main square looking up at the old walled city and thinking. It was abandoned before the USA was ever established. It was a destination for caravans 900 years ago. And yet, much of this town is little changed today, I imagine. Half the vehicles or more are donkey carts. The men probably wear the same dress as 900 years ago--long white kaftans, white turbans, and sandals. Women are almost unseen. It is only on carts that they are occasionally seen. Most of the women here wear a black veil that comes over their entire face, and they don't speak to strangers. The children are very friendly, although again, the girls are not seen except near their mothers. The boys, however, wander everywhere on their own.
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I had dinner at the Dunes Restaurant. Everything was bought (3 boys went out running and came back with bags) and cooked after I ordered. Due to the delay, they brought me a plate of freshly-picked dates to eat. They were dripping with syrupy juice and were so delicious! Finally my dinner came--babaganoosh (eggplant dip), and 1/4 roasted chicken, pita, and two lemon juices. It was delicious, as usual.

On the way back into town, I realized that this oasis is like a movie set. The ruins of the fortress on the hill, the square surrounded by adobe buildings, the men in their caftans and turbans, etc., all give the feeling of a movie set.

I bought a mango juice on the squre. It was thick with lumps of pulp. Ands then I talked to Mohammed, a nice young man of only 18 who owns a hotel, a food store, and a tour operation. I encountered him twice yesterday, and he was never pushy. I signed up for what I expect will be one of the highlights of my travels this year--an overnight trip in the desert. I will to to the Grand Sand Ocean in a 4x4, swim in both hot springs and cold springs, eat a meal cooked in the desert, sleep overnight on a carpet in the deserty, and see both the sunset and the sunrise from the desert. Oh, and there's no telling how many stars I will see!

Monday, Sept. 1, Alexandria, Egypt

It wsa a lazy day for me. I was out of the room late and spent the rest of the morning at the Internet cafe.

I caught a streetcar planning to go to the end of the line and walk further to see Montazah Palace. I never made it to the palace. I explored the local neighborhood and ate lunch in a kushari place (macaroni, spaghetti, rice, lentils, onions, tomato sauce, chili sauce). The people who owned the place were so excited to have me eat there. And a huge bowl cost only 33 cents U.S.!

From there, I stopped at a pastry shop and got a box of pastries for the same price as lunch. I got 4 pieces of the honey-soaked shredded weat roll, two coconut macaroons, two nut-filled pastries, and three pieces of coconut candy.

I went to the nearby beaches for the rest of the afternoon and had lots of fun visiting with local people. Everyone I encountered who could speak a little English wanted to talk. I guess I talked to 12-15 different people. An intersting observation was that the beaches had carpeted side areas of Islamics to say their prayers.

I was hungry for a shawarma sandwich and went out looking for a place selling them this evening. I never found one. It's easier to find a shawarma place in Copenhagen than it is here! I just returned to the hotel and ate some of my pastries.

Tuesday, Sept. 2, Alexandria, Egypt

I went to the new Alexandria Library this morning. It's really a nice building. Located on the waterfront drive, it consists of several parts. The main library is built mostly below ground with a circular roof that is slanted so that it projects from from the ground like a rising sun. A huge, suspended sphere holds a planetarium. Various exernal walls, but mainly a curved one coming up vertically from the lower part of the roof have letters from every known alphabet in the world carved into them.

I met 3 young men (one of them stopped me) on the way to the library. They are here for two days as tourists from their village. They had been to the library yesterday. They invited me to share their breakfast, but I declined and left for the library.

I took a street car to see the citadel next. It's a small, excuisitely reconstructed fortress located where the Alexandria Lighthouse, one of the ancient wonders of the world, stood. It's constructed of white limestone which really reflects the sun and looks nice with the sea in the background.

Walking back, I passed through various markets--two blocks of furniture manufacturers, a block of car upholsterers, 2-3 blocks of fabric shops, two blocks of gold shops, etc. Like businesses always seem to cluster together. I finally found a shawarma shop and had a sandwich for lunch.

Note: I am taking the bus tomorrow to Siwa Oasis. It's a long trip. And there is supposedly only one Internet place there that is slow and expensive. So I may not be online as frequently as I have been for the next few days.

Sunday, Aug. 31, Alexandria, Egypt

It feels so strange today. It's Sunday, but it is like a Monday. Everyone is out and everything is open. The weekend in Islamic countries is Friday and Saturday rather than Saturday and Sunday.

When I looked out of my room this morning I could see lots of soldiers lining the waterfront street. Since then, I've been told it is because President Mubarek will be here today. He is coming to inaugerate a new National Museum. He must also be going to the Greco-Roman Museum. I was there to see their exhibits this morning, and it, too, had soldiers everywhere, and they were brining in fresh flower arrangements and finishing a new interior paint job. The exhibits at the G-R seem to have been robbed to help furnish the new museum, some rooms were totally vacant, and cases and spaces were empty in others; I really don't think there was enough there to justify their admission price.

One thing I hate about visiting Egypt is their obsession with making money off cameras. Everywhere you visit there is a camera fee. It can be as much as 5 times the cost of admission. If you don't pay it, you have to check your camera and then go back to get it. These places all use x-ray machines for bags, but NOT for security purposes; they use them to see if you have lied about having a camera. It seems to be planned on the idea that people will either pay the fee or buy postcards assuring extra money for the facility. Of course, I do neither. And I wouldn't use my camera inside the museums anyway. The only "good" thing about the process is that they don't seem to expect a tip or payment for checking the camera. I haven't offered one either!
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I walked to Green Plaza which was recommended by the tourist office as a place with lots of nice, small eating places. It's further out than they indicated. It's actually past the plaza welcoming drivers to the city. It's a shoping complex attached to a Hilton Hotel. I ate there, but I wasn't impressed.

While there, I went to a pharmacy. I think I have a urinary tract infection. They gave me two medicines to take--Zithromax by Pfizer (an antibiotic) and Uricol by Pharma (a urinary antiseptic, antispasmodic, and for urinary lithiasis). I paid only 50 E. pounds (about $8.50 U.S.). With prices like that, foreign countries are the place to be sick if medicine is all that is needed for a cure!
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By the time I got back to the hotel, even though I took a streetcr 3/4 of the way, I was exhausted. I tried reading and feel asleep.

I'm at a restaurant now. I tried the Internet cafe, but the only computer available had one of those "split" keyboards with the keys angled apart. I'm such a fast typist on a regular keyboard that I found one of those things frustrating. So after reading my e-mail, I left without writing anything.

I found another Internet cafe, but their system was down temporarily. I decided it wasn't important to be on-line more for the day and went to a nearby restaurant recommended by my guidebook. I had a pizza, hoping it would be like ones in Greece and Turkey. One problem here is that no pork is used in food products because of Islamic restrictions. Another is that they don't use wood-fired ovens. So the pizza was okay but not great. It had roast beef, onion, green peppers, black olives and cheese. Rather than using a tomato sauce, I was brought two packets of ketchup! I didn't use them.

Alexandria really feels Mediteranean. The sun is bright, the sea is always nearby (since it is built as a long, thin city near the coast), there are Roman ruins, etc. I'm surprised it isn't a more popular holiday resort, especially considering how cheap things are here compared to European countries on the Mediteranian.