Bob reporting from Cairo - Saturday night
We are at the Hotel Berlin ( http://berlinhotelcairo.freeservers.com/homepage.index.html ) and it is 1:15am and I am in the manager's office. His machine just got free and all the students are asleep so that leaves me to report on their behalf. I know some were wanting to report in to you so I said I would explain and apologize for them. Today was a very hot and full day here in Cairo. Tomorrow we go to Mt. Sinai and the only bus currently scheduled leaves at 10am instead of the evening bus we had hoped for - therefore all our Cairo plans were compressed into today. We saw the oldest pyramids at Sakkara and the most famous at Giza, then went to the Egyptian Museum. The pyramids are in the desert and the sun was full blast. One of the students felt faint at the museum but after lying down for the evening in the air conditioning reported feeling much better. Someone stayed with the student throughout the recuperation. The evening for everyone else except Brad and a companion student included a walk throught the main street market where several students tried their hand at serious haggling - and reported enjoying it. I see on my cell phone that someone tried to call me and I had the phone all day but did not feel the vibration or perhaps the battery was too low (I could not recharge last night on the train). We will be at the foot of Mt Sinai Sunday night and camping in Wadi Rum Monday night so the students probably cannot get back on line until Tuesday night in Wadi Mousa (Petra) - so fear not about the silence. Over dinner tonight we had a more structured conversation about ancient Egypt and brainstormed about 8 key things to remember about the culture as we now move on to the monotheisms that are a focus at Mt. Sinai and Jordan - then backtrack a bit to Helenistic culture in Greece later in the week and thereafter. The students came up with a pretty good list: a highly organized early state; religiously focused on the afterlife at least at the elite level; aiming to please diverse Gods; density of population supporting public works; relatively easy defense by means of surrounding desert; a prolonged emphasis on the importance of unity between north and south; continuity over a time span far beyond anything elsewhere then or now; centrality of the Nile as the focus of their universe. Good enough for now. We roll forward into more contrasting cultures to see what we can learn there...
Bob

 
Bob again - from Luxor,
Well I have not yet recruited others to do a daily report so you get me again. We are still healthy. In one case an extra nap was required and that was accommodated and that person was in good form today. Luxor has been our first test of operating on the heat of the land. Last evening was not bad because we did not do our archeologist tour of Luxor Temple until 6:30pm, and the the Sound & Light show at Karnak was after dark. Even then, stong warm breezes at Karnak made staying staying awake during the outdoor show hard for a few - and the Hollywoodish bombast of Pharoahic wisdom and lighting of different portions of Karnak a little over-the-top for a few. Nonetheless the group voted for an early start this morning, 6am breakfast, 6:30 departure, so that we could see the tombs in the desert across the Nile before the heat was impossible. It was hot enough anyway so the test was who could keep spirits and energy flowing nonetheless. All survived and we were back by noon and all are resting or in the pool now. I booked some rooms for the afternoon so that everyone could nap when not in the pool (that is why I am the reporter again today). I do realize that on a trip like this rest and cool-down time will be important. All are drinking huge amounts of water (and popping prophylactic pepto bismol) and thus taking care of themselves that way. I suspect they will come home to you all a toughened and somewhat weathered bunch. We do the night train (first class air conditioned 9 hours) tonight to Cairo so I have urged all to get themselves feeling good this afternoon for our big day at the pyramids tomorrow. More news after that.
Bob

 
Posted by Tom van Deusen
Honey Bee: Your first butterfly was born this morning. It crawled out of the cage on my finger and I put it on a paper towel with sugar water on a plant. It was exercising its wings when I left for work. More details for you in your email account.
Lots of love
Dad

 
Dear Bob,
Thanks for your trip descriptions. The trip sounds fabulous! Shelly Fox Rinaldi

 
Message #2 - From Luxor, Aug 9 - Bob here:
GREETINGS FROM LUXOR! We have just gotten off our falluca and all is well. I am delighted to report that this is a traveling group that works well together and looks out for eachother and excludes no one. Whew! - what a relief for me! The trip down the Nile seems to have been the perfect way to adjust after all the air and train travel - to sleep when the body said sleep, to read and relax, to chat and play guitar and cards and to fall asleep again with the darkness and rise again with the sunrise or the Muslim call to prayer from villages along the Nile. The wind was at times high blowing upstream meaning the two man crew either tacked into the wind such that we were moving at a fast clip or they would wait it out by letting the current balance the wind and we would mark time and relax. The breezes were warm but always welcome and made the river a joy compared to the land. The latter we visited for the temples at Kom Ombo and Edfu (both actually from a relatively late period but using time-honored design). There were 3-4 other falluccas filled with mostly European youth and following our same route - camping at the same places - which led to bedoin drumming and EuroAmerican dancing around the campfire last night. I am also delighted with the way Brad is fitting in and adding immensely to the quality of the discussion - the students are convinced he knows all things and are challenged to try to find areas of ignorance. Best of all, the use of the Nile these last two days is the perfect way to come to understand how tied Egyptian culture has been to the river for 7000 years, hanging onto the edges as if nothing beyond the great deserts east and west could matter. We moved at a pace which must have been the pace of Egyptian life for all these millenia until very recent history, the pace of the river and it currents and winds. This afternoon is time for interneting and the swimming pool and a barbeque in 15 minutes - so we must run. Then it will be Luxor temple at sunset and the bombastic "Sound & Light" show that will walk us throught the huge temple of Karnak later tonight. I aim to get us all to the Valleys of the Kings and Queens across the river as early tomorrow as possible before the heat rises - and then later in the afternoon someone will try to get another message loaded to you all on this channel - so check back. Tomorrow evening we have first class train tickets to Cairo. The only problem so far has been that the two missing pieces of luggage have not yet caught up with us but I called Cairo twice today and will keep calling them until that problem is behind us. I see no signs of tummy aches or sunburn even - but will continue to monitor that - though the students seem very capable of making good decisions in both areas. Their parents have raised them well - and I am very grateful for that. OK, must run, more later...
Bob

 
HELLO you guys in EGYPT! (from Janine Band, Steve's Mom)
As far as I can tell, everything is going along here just the same as always. No earthquakes or landslides (that I know of) to disrupt anything. The weather has been downright balmy, though I don't believe tomatoes will EVER ripen in Albany. Steve, Callie is as tall a Martin now; she gets another puppy shot on Saturday and then we can take her out for walkies! It sure is quiet here without you and your accompanying noises. Dad and Alex are sailing tonight (Wed) and will race again on Friday. The teacher workshop is going well, they liked the new plate tectonic activity I showed them today. I'm looking forward to the field trip we take to Mt. Lassen on Monday and Tuesday - remember when we went to Lassen? Watching the Perseid meteor shower from our little boat, being amazed at the fumaroles of Bumpass Hell and hiking to Burney Falls dragging little Alex along the trail. You were a great traveler then - I hope you still are and can really enjoy the fantastic experiences. I really miss you (don't laugh)- it's true. Thank you for you short email, it was nice to hear you had arrived OK. XOXOX Love, Mom

 
HELLO FROM ASWAN!
We are all here, all alive and very well, all in high spirits - despite lack of sleep everyone has been amazingly upbeat and ever since sunrise this morning coming south on the train all have been very awake and very alert and asking great questions and pointing out fascinating stuff out the window. We just had our first real Egyptian meal and showered and the falucca is waiting for us just outside this cafe so everyone is writing home in a rush - forgive them if they are brief. The flights were nearly perfectly on time althought Lufthansa lost the backpacks for Jacob and David Kessler - but have promised to deliver them to Luxor and our man in Cairo and our man in Aswan/Luxor are both alerted to follow up. It seemed very little sleep has happened in the 30 hours of travel - everyone is too wired. But the next two days will be very slow and relaxing on the falucca. Thank you all for trusting your teens and I to make this adventure happen - I have tremendous confidence that this is a most perfect traveling group.

Bob - in Aswan 1:15 Tuesday the 7th Cairo time (10 hrs earlier for you.)

 
HELLO FROM ASWAN!
We are all here, all alive and very well, all in high spirits - despite lack of sleep everyone has been amazingly upbeat and ever since sunrise this morning coming south on the train all have been very awake and very alert and asking great questions and pointing out fascinating stuff out the window. We just had our first real Egyptian meal and showered and the falucca is waiting for us just outside this cafe so everyone is writing home in a rush - forgive them if they are brief. The flights were nearly perfectly on time althought Lufthansa lost the backpacks for Jacob and David Kessler - but have promised to deliver them to Luxor and our man in Cairo and our man in Aswan/Luxor are both alerted to follow up. It seemed very little sleep has happened in the 30 hours of travel - everyone is too wired. But the next two days will be very slow and relaxing on the falucca. Thank you all for trusting your teens and I to make this adventure happen - I have tremendous confidence that this is a most perfect traveling group.

Bob - in Aswan 1:15 Tuesday the 7th Cairo time (10 hrs earlier for you.)

 
My cell phone number is 510-332-1379 and is supposed to work in all countries we will be in. It may be hard for me to keep the battery charged at all times but I will try. It costs me $4 per minute to receive calls so I may not be my usual chatty self.