Offbeat Camp Meru--a new look at the African bush.

Good news that I am able to update my blog from Sosian Ranch here in Kenya.  I can even change out the feature picture--today's shot is a wonderful sunrise.

The bad news is that the blog function for adding images to each post is kind of cranky and isn't working.  I will keep at it to see what I can do.

The generator shuts down in 15 minutes, so all will have to wait until tomorrow.  Had incredible viewing this morning of the very endangered African wild dog--a family of 13 including 7 puppies.  They were scrambling up rocks around the river near their den.  Can't wait to get some pix up.

Bud and the Belly Dancer...and on to Kenya!

Our cruise on the Nile ended this morning, and we caught a short Egypt Air flight back to Cairo for the day.

Cairo's airport is large, spotless and very modern. There is even a lovely Business/First Class area in the main entrance/check-in area to sit and use your WiFi if check-in isn't open yet. WiFi is free throughout the airport.

We have (so far been impressed but a little confused with Egypt Air.  Their security is very different...you don't have to take out laptops or your 3-3-3 bag, take off your shoes or jackets or anything.  But you have to put all your luggage through a large x-ray the moment you come in the front doors. At the same time, Bud had his tiny (and favorite) 1" mustache scissors confiscated on our flight down to Aswan.  Those scissors have been in his carry-on practically all over the world since 2001. Their domestic fleet is Embraer 170's and they seem to be in fine shape. Most surprising, if you are traveling in Business or First Class you have a spearate immigration area--no need to put your hand luggage through an xray or walk through a metal detector (though you have gone through it at the airport entrance). Ecomony class gets the extra level of security at immigration.

But back to the cruise. If you do the cruise going south from Luxor to Aswan, it's a four-day cruise, but the return from Aswan to Luxor is only 3 days. This made it a whirlwind of temples and tombs, with just a moment off for a cooking class.  The chef aboard the Sunboat IV has been with A & K for 15 years and is a master. He gave a cooking class one morning and was kind enough to pass out recipes. Can't wait to cook some of this stuff for the group.

The archeology is truly amazing...the engineering aspects of how they cut and moved obelisks, statues and such is mind-boggling and has kept Bud very interested.  I am amazed by the richness of the colors...some still vibrant even in the sections of temples and tombs almost 5000 years old.

A sneak shot into the entrance of the tomb of Ramses IV in the Valley of the Kings--photos are not allowed inside.

I won't go into the differences in the Old Kindom, Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom (when all the most famous pharoahs ruled and all the arts, sciences and engineering were at their peaks). People spend lifetimes studying the nuances and coming up with theories on mummification, moving 800-ton obelisks cut out of a single piece of granite two at a time in boats down the Nile. Every site has it's own story and beauty.  Hear are just a few images that caught my eye.

Ramses II had quite the ego and buitl many, many temples featuring...Ramses II!

It is hard not to ask "how did they do that?" at every turn.

This section of a 3 mile-long "alley of sphinxes" connecting two temples was buried under block and block of apartments--all of which were torn down and the residents relocated to make way for the restoration.  The government compensates families who have to move, and builds them new hosues or apartments, though apparently some of the money gets siphoned off at upper levels of the corrupt bureaucracy.

The Sunboat IV administration is quite proud of their head pilot.  He uses no charts or other navigational devices except on occasional glance at a depth finder.  He goes by dead reckoning--and his lifetime spent on the river.  He did "bump" a sandbar in the middle of the night (he chuckled about it) but was able to back off and go around.

We visited the West Bank of the Nile, home to Queen Hatchepsut's Temple and the valley of the Kings, and got some details about the 1997 massacre.

Apparently 4 Egyptians wearing coats to cover their machine guns came out of the hills to the right of the photo--there are a series of paths that criss-cross the rock.  They walked up the staircase in the center and opened fire--an American and a Japanese group had just cleared the area and a swiss group was making it's way down. Our guide was there later that afternoon and said the terracce was covered with blood.  The 4 terrorists fled over the hills and in an apparent suicide, seemed to have all shot each other.

There used to be a walking tour on top of the mountains, but they don't do that any more. They also don't allow farmers to grow sugar cane within a certain distance of the temple--too easy for terrorists to hide in it.

But to happier things...as expected, there was a party the last night of the cruise, with a quite talented belly dancer.  Yes, as expected, she got Bud and all the other men up dancing. I thought he was pretty coordinated.

So back to cairo to visit Old Cairo, the Coptic Museum and the Egyptian Museum. Our coordinator from A & K, Emad, met us again and made everything smooth and easy.  The streets of Cairo are a riot.  Some sections (notably Garden City, where many of the fancy hotels and embassies are) are very European feeling. In others, donkeys and carts vie for space with taxis and commuters.

One thing that strikes us is the strong affection/affiliation between the French and the Egyptians...it seems to go back to Napoleon. The French have been extremely instrumental in locating and preserving Egyptian ancient history. A Frenchman built the Egyptian Musuem in Cairo--where we saw a lot of the contents of King Tutakhamen's tomb--incredible!

We spent a lot of time talking about the current political situation--walked by the buildings that were fire-bombed. There is a nervousness about getting past the anniversary of the revolution without violence.

Speaking of which, a family with SEVEN young children...some babies...just sat down next to us in the Business Lounge.  I am praying they are not our flight to Nairobi, and have to go check with the gate concierge.

I won't be emailing or bloggin for several days...no internet for a while, though I do expect to be able to pick up some basic email.

On to Kenya.