I am in our campsite in Cairo. From minaret to minaret to minaret all across the city the mullah of each mosque passionately sends his message via the speakers to everyone who can hear. Airwaves collide as the different voices reach their perimeter and one message flows into another to create a continuous din that fills the air. Imagine an umbrella that spans the city from one corner to the other – an umbrella that captures and gathers together every single sound that emanates from the mosques in the city. There is no escape, unless you are deaf; no choice, unless you soundproof your home.
I find myself in a society saturated with religion from the very first breath you take. The call to prayer is as normal as the 3 meals you eat every day – it is a given – it is expected as it is one of the 5 pillars of Islam. I am challenged with what I’ve grown up with, with what is “normal” and maybe even right for me… I do not have answers at this point as I am trying very hard to practice tolerance, to not be judgmental, to accept and embrace differences and to separate my personal convictions and from what I observe that I not necessarily agree with, understand or like.
We drove to the pyramids and the gas bottle on top of the car as well as the fuel cans cause problems (understandably so) for the security police. We come back to the campsite and I decide to stay. I really need some me-time and since I’ve been to the pyramids before I did not feel that great urge to visit again. The guys leave without the gas bottle and diesel cans and I hope it will go well with their endeavor. Sammie and I stay in the camp and we have a lovely, quiet day. I write and watch birds and enjoy the time to think and reflect over all our experiences.
The guys return at 4 and are very tired. They had a great day, though, with lots of stories. The most awesome is that they were allowed to drive around the pyramids with the vehicle! A very exceptional privilege and the only reason why that was allowed are because of the few tourists in the city. You will see from the photos what an awesome experience they had.
We know we are in Africa for more than one reason: lots of birds, and even more mosquitoes and do they bite? We are fortunate that we are not in a malaria area yet, but this gives us good practice: we spray, burn candles, cover ourselves with clothes, and start to use our mosquito nets. Sammie also needs special extra protection. He has to take a heart worm pill and we have to spray his sleeping quarters with a special spray.
I find myself in a society saturated with religion from the very first breath you take. The call to prayer is as normal as the 3 meals you eat every day – it is a given – it is expected as it is one of the 5 pillars of Islam. I am challenged with what I’ve grown up with, with what is “normal” and maybe even right for me… I do not have answers at this point as I am trying very hard to practice tolerance, to not be judgmental, to accept and embrace differences and to separate my personal convictions and from what I observe that I not necessarily agree with, understand or like.
We drove to the pyramids and the gas bottle on top of the car as well as the fuel cans cause problems (understandably so) for the security police. We come back to the campsite and I decide to stay. I really need some me-time and since I’ve been to the pyramids before I did not feel that great urge to visit again. The guys leave without the gas bottle and diesel cans and I hope it will go well with their endeavor. Sammie and I stay in the camp and we have a lovely, quiet day. I write and watch birds and enjoy the time to think and reflect over all our experiences.
The guys return at 4 and are very tired. They had a great day, though, with lots of stories. The most awesome is that they were allowed to drive around the pyramids with the vehicle! A very exceptional privilege and the only reason why that was allowed are because of the few tourists in the city. You will see from the photos what an awesome experience they had.
We know we are in Africa for more than one reason: lots of birds, and even more mosquitoes and do they bite? We are fortunate that we are not in a malaria area yet, but this gives us good practice: we spray, burn candles, cover ourselves with clothes, and start to use our mosquito nets. Sammie also needs special extra protection. He has to take a heart worm pill and we have to spray his sleeping quarters with a special spray.
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