Summer

The summer has been pleasant in Maadi. There have been two days only that were really hot (115+). The rest have been ok. I continue to walk everywhere despite the advice of my friends to get a driver. It just seems like it is more hassel than it is worth. We have found a couple of grocery stores that are clean and have a nice selection (metro in new maadi, Alfa and Saoodi occasionally), but when you find an a store that has something you like...you tell all your friends! My friend was looking for whole oatmeal and regularly adds it to her smoothies. She flies it in with her whenever she travels. I found some in my small local store and immediately sent her an email. As soon as she got into town she ran over to the sore and bought their 6 boxes. Things will be here one day and then gone the next!

We took a trip to Dahabe in the Sinai and I have never seen such amazing colors of water and fish in my life! We stayed at Le Meridian and it was lovely. The town was quaint with a boardwalk lined with restaraunts built on the water and tiny stores filled with colorful local goodies. We had dinner in the town one night after being talked into one of the local restaraunts by the people who stand outside to tell you how wonderful their food is prepared! You could feed the lion fish from your seat and we were able to see the moon play on the water! At the hotel we rented snorkeling gear and we took Ryanna snorkeling. She loved it! We saw so many fish of all shapes, sizes and colors. I saw one that looked like an eel that was a fish, there were Nemo's, parrot fish, lion fish (which look like they have feathers as fins and are very poisonous), sea urchins and minnows in a plethora of undescribable colors. They had 7 pools and Zayna learned to use the mask and snorkel and was very happy with herself spying on people in the pool. Her skin was bothering her so she didn't swim alot in the salt water.

Taissir biked with a friend to Mt. Katherine and we picked him up by the monastery. The colors of the desert were fantastic. There were sand dunes, wild camels that we spotted on the road and crossing the desert and bedouin villages consisting of 6 or more shacks in the desert. There wer goats being hereded on the side of the road and the rocks changed from red to blue to green, every color of yellow, brown and gold you could imagine. It was truly a painted desert. We did not stop at the monastery as we were not so interested and ran out of time (beach was calling), however we would like to go back to hike Mt. Sinai (where Moses received the 10 commandments). It is supposed to amazing at dawn. We all truly relaxed on that trip and had a needed getaway from Cairo.

I have started a truck photo collection by accident as I am continously amazed at how high a truck can be piled here! The road trip out to Dahab did not dissapoint in this department. We were also stuck at the Suez canal tunnel for about an hour in each direction. The roadway leading up to the tunnel was not designed well and traffic goes from 6 "lanes" to one. Understand that the lanes are sometimes created by riding in the lanes opposite to traffic!

We are now in Lebanon enjoying the mountains, sea and family. We spent all day yesterday swimming in the Med. Sea and we had a great time with my neice and nephew. In the morning, Taissir and I are headed to Spain and France with our friends to catch a stage of the Tour de France and enjoy the area. Can't wait!! More to come......