I didn't buy Mangos in Canada -- the few I tried just didn't match up with the succulence that I expected of a tropical fruit. September in Egypt is mango season, with a number of varieties being offered. After trying some wonderful mango juice, the fruits called out to me to try them again and how glad I am that I did. Mango season will soon be over as the cooler weather approaches.
Wind: 11 km/h
Humidity:34%
POP: 0 %
There is no mystery attached to weather reports. Each day in September was virtually the same. Some mornings are somewhat cooler than others. Generally people glory in the heat or bemoan it, biding their time until mid October when the cooler weather begins. Blaine is definitely in the latter group, while generally I bask happily in the heat, especially while sitting at an outdoor cafe or walking on the shady side of the street. The only time I find it oppressing is when there is no shade and I am on a walking mission somewhere. While it is always an option to take a taxi (which would cost about a dollar) I get my exercise by walking so I try to disregard the sweat building between my back and the pack which is attached to it, revelling in the occassional breeze that seems to appear from nowhere.
**Note on the clouds** While the weather report says 'a few', it is quite rare to actually see any, and even more rare that they give any shade.
Image what kind of cathedral ceiling you would need for this rubber tree. It is amazing to see the true size of plants that we cultivate as house plants in our Northen climate.
Twenty four million people in Cairo's seemingly endless concrete jungle; I have read that 40% live in "non-conventional housing, some between the tombs in a large area called "The City of the Dead". While Cairo was built on the Nile to take advantage of the water source, the lush green of the area immediately next to the river (in the first picutre below the nile is to the left of the Palm trees) reverts to desert quickly without irrigation. When we are in our relatively quiet suburb of Maadi, with it's boulevards and greenery like this it is easy to forget that most of those people live in the colorless concrete jungle pictured in the second picture.
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As you wander through the ever ending concrete outside of our suburb every now and again you will suddenly discover a jewel of architectural beauty. Many have sadly deteriorated to sad states of neglect . Not his mosque which is faced with exquisite stone carving.
When you meet new people, often those who have just arrived they ask "Do you like it here?"
Hard question to answer. so I break it down into a series of questions
Would I want to stay here?
No, I am so thankful that I can return to all that Canada offers, scenery, opportunities for woman etc. etc.,
Does Cairo offer everything another location might?" No
Are there things you miss?
Clean air, accessiblity to parkland, and the amazing diversity of ethnic food
Does being here offer opportunities for discovery that I would not have had if I not come?
Absolutely yes, both in term of self discovery, an even clearer view of what really is occuring in the world and what media portrays
Has my understanding of other cultures been expanded?
Yes, not only through person contact but through reading and exposure to an amazing array of English language TV stations from China, Japan, Iran, and Russia which feature news and documentaries about the history, geography and lifestyle
As aso as we meander through the routineness of our daily lives here we become acclimatized to our surroundings, our regular supermarket and the street of small shops, the market, etc. and the unfamiliar becomes the familiar
Hard question to answer. so I break it down into a series of questions
Would I want to stay here?
No, I am so thankful that I can return to all that Canada offers, scenery, opportunities for woman etc. etc.,
Does Cairo offer everything another location might?" No
Are there things you miss?
Clean air, accessiblity to parkland, and the amazing diversity of ethnic food
Does being here offer opportunities for discovery that I would not have had if I not come?
Absolutely yes, both in term of self discovery, an even clearer view of what really is occuring in the world and what media portrays
Has my understanding of other cultures been expanded?
Yes, not only through person contact but through reading and exposure to an amazing array of English language TV stations from China, Japan, Iran, and Russia which feature news and documentaries about the history, geography and lifestyle
As aso as we meander through the routineness of our daily lives here we become acclimatized to our surroundings, our regular supermarket and the street of small shops, the market, etc. and the unfamiliar becomes the familiar
- going to work -- on a bus down a highway crowded with vehicles sparring for space. flowing from all directions, pickup trucks with a dozen workers huddled the back, motorcycles carrying a family of five including a babe in arms and loaded carts pulled by donkeys.
- socializing -- an "old friend" is someone we knew last year while new acquaintances (some of whom will become friends) enter our lives weekly, often through previous connections -- from all parts of Canada, the US, Britain, South Africa, Holland, Kenya etc.
-getting away -- since we here to explore when we meet new ex-pats the conversation often reverts to "where are going next", or "where have you been?" -- Oman, Lebanon, Rawanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Africa, various European destinations -- the list of place I want to visit just gets longer and longer and longer
Next week we are staying in Egypt but are off for a four day beach vacation at Hurghada on the Red Sea.
