Wednesday - On to Port Said

 
Another day with a late start, off we go to Port Said. It's about a four hour trip from Cairo to Port Said, Port Fouad though my brother Ezzat and his son Ephraim with tell you that it's about 3 at the most. About 50 km out of Cairo we stopped at a new Hyper-Market A hyper-mall is like a WalMart super store on steroids. I mean this place was huge and you could I think get everything under the sun though I didn't see a lumber yard but then I wasn't looking for that. Unlike super stores in the U.S. there are employees all over the place to help you find things even if they don't speak English. I'm sure they do much better than most Americans would helping a foreigner find things at Fred Meyer.

After the hyper store it was the long haul to Port Said for a party for Nana. Since she is not getting married in her home town she wanted to have a party for the people that would not be able to attend the wedding. We were able to renew some old acquaintances and made some new ones while we were there. Nana's brides maids all lined up and introduced themselves to me and I promptly forgot all of their names except the last young lady. Her name is Maggie and I told her I got that one. The rest of the names were more difficult. The party was fun. We ate, talked, ate, and talked some more and a good time was had by all.

Bonnie and I were both surprised by one young man we met when we were here seven years ago. His name is Ravey. He was just a little kid running around and annoying his brother and now he is in high school and seems to be smart-as-a-whip. He speaks English amazingly well, obviously taking after his brother. He is a very pleasant young man and I look forward to the next time we will see him. I was hoping to see his brother Andrew but it looks like we will miss him. We spent a lot of time together the last time we were in Egypt.

After this party, Bonnie and I went back to the house in Port Fouad. The others went onto another surprise party for Nana. She was really surprised and all had a great time. I spent much of the evening both at the party and when we got back home talking with David Milad Beniameen. We played table soccer for a couple of hours the last time I was here and had a great time. We had a wonderful reunion as well.  He is at University now studying computer science so we have a natural discussion platform.

The weather was cooler by the Mediterranean Sea than in Cairo so we had a nice respite from the heat. Another late night so will sign off for now.

Port Faoud March 17

This was pretty much a recovery day. We slept in. We did laundry. We hung out at the shop. Nardeen's relatives often drop in, especially when someone they would like to meet, that's Bonnie, was there. We had a wonderful, relaxing day. That evening we got our things ready to go to Sharm el-Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula. Nardeen has told us over and over again that this is the most wonderful place in Egypt. On Wednesday and Thursday were will find out if she is correct. Bonnie accompanied Susan to the market to purchase things for lunch. Fish (caught that morning) were bought then taken to the smoker to be picked up later. Yams were picked up and taken to Susan's mother's house where they were raised up to the apartment in a basket on a rope. The yams were cleaned then lowered back down. Susan then tried to find a vendor that would smoke the yams but was unsuccessful. So the yams ended up being baked in the over. They were part of dessert. It was an enlightening experience for Bonnie but unfortunately she didn't take the camera with her. You don't always have to go to the market though to get the fixin's for your meals. Sometimes the market comes to you. Vendors are continually moving up and down the streets plying their wares. You can find everything from vegetables to propane on the street. If you know what you want, have a rope and a basket you don't even have to go down in the street to make the purchase. These two westerners found it all quite amazing.

I spent quite a bit of time this day updating this document and trying to get pictures uploaded to the Internet. The uploading part is often very slow.

Port Said, Egypt March 12

This day was a pretty leisurely day. We toured two churches and went to a monument in Port Said. We also went to a wonderful little park in Port Faoud called Elmontaza.

The churches were very beautiful and all I could think of was how much it would cost to maintain them. The ceilings in general in all of the churches and mosques we have been in are spectacular.

The monument, Elmasala, honors the people who died during the construction of the Suez Canal. It has relief sculptures around the base of the history of the canal. The steps lead up to the obelisk that was erected to their memory with the Egyptian Eagle on the from of the structure. I'm sure it is much better looking when the fountain and reflecting pools have water in them. It was still very nice.

The park for me was the highlight of the day. We had a nice relaxing stroll and the spring flowering shrubs were beginning to bloom. Families were enjoying the mild weather with picnic lunches and athletic games. And of course there were little children that are always a joy for both Bonnie and I to watch. Elmontaza commemorates one of the battles between Egypt, France, and England for Egypt to gain and retain control of the Suez Canal. This is an interesting story by itself and would be interesting to compare the Egyptian, French, and British versions of the "liberation" of the canal. All-in-all a very pleasant and relaxing day.