In Egypt with Wendi

Posted on January 26, 2011

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In October Wendi Wooten’s whole family piled onto planes and flew to Egypt.  Can you believe that?  I was so jealous.  When they got home, I demanded to see the pictures and hear the stories.  It was wonderful.  It would, I hinted, make a perfect post for January when we would surely need some warming up around here.  Could we possibly . . . ?  Gracious permission granted.  There were so many wonderful photos that I had to break them up into separate slideshows all linked to this post.  Let us begin with iconic images. 

The Sphinx, says Wendi, is not as large as you would think, but it is every bit as impressive.  In front of it, off camera, an archaeological dig is uncovering the remains of a whole recently-discovered town.  Artisans and bakers and beer-makers and shopkeepers lived there during the construction of the Sphinx, just the way people settled in lumbering camps in the north woods!  OK, it’s a little different.  You will find a whole slideshow of Wendi’s iconic images here.

Tents in Antrim County are usually occupied by tourists, but in Egypt they’re full of archaeologists working away trying to understand what life was like 4000 years ago.  Imagine what Egyptians think when we describe a Civil War-era house as “old.”   The place is absolutely littered with pyramids, and those are every bit as old—and as large—as you thought they would be. 

They seem particularly large when you’re walking along the lane, and WHOA!  A pyramid looms over the rooftops!  You know you’re not in Michigan anymore.

Of course you already had some other clues.  The streetscape is different.  There are cruise ships on the river.  Palm trees.  Guys with guns.  (It’s OK, they’re tourist police, they are there to protect you.  Wendi said she felt very safe.)  You can see the passing parade here.

Elephantine Island was one of Wendi’s favorite stops during the cruise on the Nile.  This beautiful Nubian woman lives there.  To visit her community, with its marketplace and rooftops and corner store and Coffee Chop, click here.

Egypt is filled with the ruins of mysterious temples.  Think of it—while you are out and about on your rounds, headed to the library or the market, you stroll among ancient pillars.  To visit the temples in sunshine and by torchlight, click here.

Tourism is at least as important along the Nile as it is along the shores of Lake Michigan.  Miss Sadie, the Cowboy and I operate a lucrative Tourist Picture Taking Business during the summer months, so we understand all about it.  We are impressed with the value of camel rides as a lure, and are wondering whether bass boats might possibly be considered an equivalent.  We wish we could consult with Wendi’s camel driver.

Here is Wendi, atop her camel.

As the sun sets over the Nile, and the temperatures sink all the way into the low 90s, we bid farewell to Egypt and—OK, we have to go back to shoveling snow now, but wasn’t that a nice little diversion?  You can come back here anytime you need to warm up.

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Posted in: Postcards