We have arrived in England, actually we arrived very early yesterday morn (around 3am).  Our flight out of Cleveland was nearly two hours delayed, so as we touched down in Washington our London flight was just lifting off.   We rebooked ourselves for a 6pm flight on Friday and took to finding a quiet place to get some shut eye.  We gave it a good try at sleep but the comfort level left a lot to be desired.  And then we were awakened at  5 am by loud mouths who had a 6am flight to Chicago.  It was a rude awakening to say the least! 

  But this early rousing was a good thing...we checked the departure screen and found there was a 9:27am flight to London and there was room, so we were getting out of Washington about 9 hours earlier.  Which was a great beacon of hope for getting us closer to England.  We arrived in London at 9:30 at night and then we had to make out way 2 hours south to Brighton, where we are staying with friends.  So we hopped a coach to Gatwick which put us an hour closer to Brighton.  Then we caught the train for another hour to Brighton and then hailed a taxi to take us  to Darryl's for a 3 am arrival, finally!!  Had a quick bowl of cereal and a chat and off to bed, for much needed rest! 

  We slept until about noon and rousted ourselves upstairs in the flat for a tea and some good food.  Then we motored out to the Brighton Pier for a look around in some rather cool weather.  Then we hit a pub for a pint and back to Darryl's with some friends for a rather fantastic party, lots of wine and beer.  A Buddhist monk friend of Darryl's showed up and turned out to be the life of the party.  He donned Darryl's mullet wig and balloon hat and danced until he could not dance anymore.  Gave the rest of us not so inclined to dance a great bit of entertainment!  We finally decided to shut it down around 2am and hit the sack around 3am.  We woke this afternoon about 2pm and then made our way out for a pub lunch.  Had some really good hearty food that will stick to our ribs for days to come. 

  Now we are at Darryl's flat again and are chilling out.  The weather today is cold and rainy so we may spend the night in again, watching DVD and chatting.  We may be off to London for a daytrip Monday or Wednesday.  London is about 2 hours north of Brighton.  Brighton is a very cool little town, everything is within walking distance and very quaint.  There is a very exclusive private school right near where Darryl lives so it considered a college town.  Most people spend their day in a pub with friends having a pint or two or three. 

 We head out of London on Thursday and then off to Cairo.  We just received an email from the Egyptian embassy that there have been confirmed cases of bird flu in Cairo and Giza.  So we will take extreme caution to stay away form chicken coups and farms.  Also we should probably take means to not eat the birds either! 

That should catch everyone up for now.  More to follow as it comes!  Be well, as we are!  Love and Peace!  Stacy & Ronnie

  We are just completing our second full day in Cairo and we are already making our escape.  We got out of Brighton with no problems and made it to Cairo fairly unscratched.  However, Cairo is big, loud, dusty and a bit overwhelming for the first timer.  The people have all been nice, well with a few strings attached.  Not sure that anyone has fed us one bit of truth yet but we have coped. 

  Yesterday we just strolled around the area trying to get acquainted with it.  Came back to the hotel relatively early and had a chat with a gentleman, who either works here or owns it.  He gave us some good pointers and a few new ideas about other places to visit.  SO perhaps we take some of his advice, we'll see!

  Today we made it to the Egyptian Museum, which is the home of King Tut's tomb and possessions.  It was quite an experience to see it all.  Almost hard to believe, all the antiquities that they found with him.  The museum itself was another story.  It was so overwhelming big and expansive.  And the amount of dust that covered nearly every surface made it hard to see some of the displays at all.  And to think that the museum only holds about 10% of all the antiquities that Egypt possess. 

  Tomorrow we are off to the south, Aswan.  We have a train at 12:30am and it should take around 12 hours to arrive.  We are quite ready to get out of Cairo and get to some peace and quiet.  Hopefully we will not be in for another bit of madness!  We'll do our best to stay in touch while down there. 

  I (Stacy) gave myself a good scare today.  We changed rooms to get some sleep and there was a small step down into the room and I did not see it and we'll you can imagine what happened next.  I fell with my bags in hand and thought for sure I had broken my ankle.  It is a bit swollen and painful but should be ok with some rest and hopefully some ice.  Need to be more careful next time!!

  More to follow!  Be well~  Ronnie & Stacy 

2/27/06

Today we woke up at 02.45 AM. The minivan was going to join the caravan to Abu Simbel. A military Colon is going to protect us from whom? on this trip. My alarm goes of, and Ronnie comes  to wake us a little later. He didn't sleep at all. We hurry towards the mini-van. We are with 4, and there is enough space to sleep on the seats. We all have one. We have to wait for more buses to join, and it takes more than an hour before we go. We try to sleep, while it is still dark, and when the sun gets up, we suddenly see we are in the middle of the desert.     It is not the kind of desert with the sand dunes I depicted. It looks like heaps of rubble, left by some crazy man  digging for what? in the middle of nowhere. A lot of rubbish on the road and a few roadblocks. We arrive at Abu Simbel. Ronnie is filling the mini-van with balloons, and some of them fly out of the window...

The Temple is immense. I can't believe I am here. This is ancient Egypt as I have only seen in the books. I take a lot of pictures, and Tischa loves it there. We enter the first temple, and are reminded not to take any pictures. We can keep our camera's with us, and many people still try to make pictures. Suddenly a man takes Ronnie's camera, thinking he is trying to make pictures. I walk away, because I want to make some pictures. Ronnie gets the guard out of the way. Tischa is with Ronnie and Tracy and me disappear in one of the rooms. I seem to feel still the presence of the novices that sat here waiting. Tracy also disappears into feeling, and tourist pass but we don't notice them. We are in another time. We move slowly, in contact with the ancient atmosphere. Standing in front of the big statues at the end, I suddenly see the alien presence. These were aliens for sure. Sharing their frequencies, while we shared ours. It is impressive.

We leave and look for Ronnie and Tischa. Just follow the balloons says Tracy, and so we see them. We move on to the next temple and make loads of pictures. Wow. What a happening. We leave for the mini-van, just to stop for a drink. We sit outside under cloth sun shading and Ronnie starts his act again. All those happy faces! It's marvellous. Then the driver comes over to get us. It's time to get into convoy.

Subject: Live from Aswan

Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 14:49:10 -0500

Hello~

  The following email was written by our new friends from Holland.  Shanti  and his 9 yr old daughter, Tischa.  We have been having a great time together.  Today we all went to Abu Simbel, it is a temple complex, right on Lake Nasser.  It is said to be about 4000 years old.  In 1968 they had to move the entire thing to higher ground as the lake was getting fuller by ways of the dam they were building.  The idea that it is so old takes your breath away and leaves you feeling so  lucky to have been one of the lucky ones to experience it.  Shanti and I spent a lot of time just communing with all the spirits that seem to permeate the walls.  You are not allowed to take photos inside and Ronnie had his camera confiscated, just because he turned it on.  Shanti , on the other hand was able to get away with it as no one saw him.  Some of those photos will follow later. 

  We have just finished dinner at a restaurant on the Nile.  There was a group if Nubian men playing drums and singing.  Ronnie made some balloons for them and they were dancing and singing while waving their balloons around.  It was absolutely brilliant...a moment we will smile about for along time.  The Egyptian people are quite amazing, with their sense of humor and they love to have fun and smile!  These are the moments that make life so great!! 

Tomorrow Ronnie may be doing a show at a school for handicapped children.  Then we may be off to Luxor in a day or so.  Will keep you all posted. 

  All our love!  Stacy & Ronnie

Subject: On our way out of Aswan

Date: Thu, 02 Mar 2006 13:30:19 -0500

Hello~

  Well our time in Aswan is coming to a close.  It has been quite a successful trip!  We have made a very great friend, Sana, who works at the hotel we have been staying at.  She has been so gracious and warm and has saved us tons of hassle and money. 

  Yesterday started with a trip to a school for mentally disabled children.  Ronnie did a show for about 50 kids and they loved every minute of it.  The excitement level was permeating the entire place!  Our friend, Shanti, took about 90 photos and I did a few video clips.  Ronnie was like a mini celebrity! 

   Then  we went to Sana's home for lunch with her family.  We ate traditional Egyptian food, which is quite tasty!  Her 5 year old nephew, Mohammed, was so funny!  After a couple of hours with them we made a visit to a local traveling circus.  Ronnie was making balloons for a man there to sell and needless to say they made a nice profit.  Then we met the man who played the clown and the funny man in the show and he so nice to invite us to his guests at the show.  But the evening got more exciting when the magician for the show asked Ronnie to do magic with him that night.  So Ronnie made his first live appearance in a circus and an Egyptian one to boot!   He was a smash hit!  He was so high on adrenaline...it was priceless!  They will soon be returning to Cairo and we will hope to meet up with them there as well. 

  Today we went with Shanti  to a temple for the goddess, Isis.  It was a huge complex, completely overcrowded with tour groups but so worth it!  The only bad part was the short amount of time we had there.  The history at these places is something that blows the mind!  It feels as though we are honored guests to have to chance to visit. 

  Ater that I came back to hotel for rest and Ronnie, along with Sana, went to do 2 more schools shows.  Then the 5 of us went to lunch and then Sanna arranged a felluca ride for us on the Nile.  How great it was!  We decided to ask Sana to come with us to Luxor and she was so grateful to be asked.  The fact that she is a Muslim woman who has opened her home to us, without her husband being with her, is quite extraordinary!  Her husband is living in Washington, DC and is trying to get Sanna a visa so they can be together. 

  Tomorrow at 6am we hop a train to Luxor.  This is the place where they recently found the new mummies.  We will spend a week or so and then move onto Dahab, which is on the Red  Sea, and Ronnie and I may learn to dive.  The Red Sea is said to have some of the best diving the world over.  We'll see how that goes!

  More news to come from Luxor, in a few days.  Till then, all be well!  Love & Peace!  Stacy & Ronnie

Life is Good!

  We have been in Luxor for 2 days now and we are loving it.  The weather here is so hot that the businesses are open early in the morning and then close about 11 until 3 when it cooler.  People look at you as if you are crazy being out in the streets at midday.  Our Dutch friends, Shanti and Tischa, left today for other parts of Egypt.  Perhaps we will meet up with them again in a week or so.  We had such a great time together, it was hard to send them off.

  Last night as we were walking in the streets after dinner, there was a huge bang.  The look on everyone's face was of terror until we looked up in the sky and saw that it was fireworks.  There was a soccer match between two Cairo teams and there was a huge celebration.  it was something that doesn't happen too often so the people in the streets were ecstatic and you could feel the electricity in the air.  We also decided to take a horse drawn carriage ride back to our hotel and enjoy the show this way.  We also learned to say "I have stinky feet" "I have hairy armpits" and "I have a big nose"  in Arabic and we would just yell it out to people standing on the street and it would cause great laughter and fun.  We could have gone around in that carriage all night doing this and laughed ourselves to death! 

  On Friday we went to the Temples at Karnak.  The complex covers about 5 acres of land.  There are several temples and chapels on the grounds dating back thousands of years.  We were there for 5 hours and we did not see all the temples.  But what we did see was quite extraordinary and amazing.  Sanaa tells us that the ancient Egyptians were up to 30 feet tall. We scratched our heads when she said this because we think maybe it is folklore. But she is quite confident in saying this....who really knows?  One of the highlights of Karnak was this small 3 room temple way off the beaten path. Each room had a small square in the ceiling to allow just a small beam of light to shine through onto the statues.  The first room had a statue of the Goddess Ptah with no head, nothing new.  But in the second room there stood a black marble statue of the lion-headed Goddess Sekhmet holding a papyrus flower in her left hand and an anhk in the right.  It would give you a good scare if you did not know it was there and actually it did give a good scare even knowing it was there!   Immediately I was drawn towards her but was apprehensive to touch.  Then a force pulled me closer and I touched her hands and looked into her eyes and felt like I was gaining strength from her.  This may sound strange to some but it really happened, I know, I was there.  It made me very emotional afterwards.  As it happens Sekhmet was the Goddess of war, the Pharoahs would pray to her before going out to battle.  Now when Shanti approached her he felt very put off by her but perhaps she felt a connection with me because I am a woman. One never knows what the spirits have in store for us!

  Tomorrow we are going to the Valley of the Kings and 3 other temples.  It will be along and hot day of sightseeing.  But we have also had 2 nights of very restful sleep, so we will be well prepared.  More to come in a couple of days.  Love & Peace Stacy & Ronnie  

 

Life is Good!

Subject: Luxor

Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2006 10:06:51 -0500

Hello all~

  We are still in Luxor and have been taking it easy the past couple of days.  I (Stacy) have a bad cold along with this horrid hacking cough.  This is a gift from Tischa, our 9 year old former travel companion.  I have been taking meds but it doesn't seem to be getting any better.  Sanaa has been trying these remedies but to no avail as of yet.  I'm sure my lack of sleep on a nightly basis isn't helping either. 

  Ronnie started working on his balloon dvd.  Yesterday he knocked out quite a few but today the hotel was overrun  with about 20 12 year old boys and the place was so loud.  The hotels have marble floors and walls which makes for a great echo chamber.  Perhaps tomorrow we will have to move to quieter quarters. 

  Sanaa is still hanging out with us but her boss in Aswan called her this morning to return because he is actually having to work while she is away.  She has a lot of responsibilities at the hotel she works at and of course is totally underpaid.  But she is loyal and kindhearted to a fault. 

  Tomorrow, if I am feeling up to it, we are heading to The Valley of the Kings.  There are about 6 sites fairly close to one another that are a must-see.  It makes for a long, exhausting day trudging to these places in 95 degree heat.  So one must be in tip-top shape!  After our time here in Luxor we will head back to Aswan, to take in a few sites we missed on our first trip through.  We also promised Sanaa that we would help her with a problem she has been facing for some time.  So next week she will go to Cairo with us to hopefully get this issue resolved. 

  Nothing too exciting to report this time around.  Just a brief update.  Hope this finds everyone well!  We will return soon with more fun and adventure from Egypt.  Love & Peace!  Stacy & Ronnie 

 

Life is Good!

  We arrived back in Cairo today.  It was another 12.5 hour train ride, with only a few hours of sleep.  We left Aswan last night at 8:30.  We had a few good days in Aswan.  In spite of the hassle that comes along with being a tourist there were a few bright spots. 

  Ronnie did a show at a boy's orphanage on Tuesday.  The boys ranged in age from 12-15 and they really enjoyed the show.  They were so polite and thankful!  It was great!  Before the show Sanaa gave us a gift of a felucca trip on the Nile.  We had been in Aswan earlier in the month, if you remember, but there were still a few sites we did not get to visit.  The ride took us across the Nile to the Nubian village, if you do not know the Nubians, they are the darker and beautiful  people of Sudan and south Egypt, in this particular case.  The village is actually more or less there for tourists, which I suppose is ok, but the hassle that comes along with this is usually more than one bargains for.  Our "official" guide, Mohammed, who carried a saw off machine gun under his arm, for our protection, mind you, gave us the grand tour.  We stopped by a Nubian house and were given the full tour through the house as the homeowner sat her in salon. Then the tour ended in her other salon, which happened to be the store where they sell the wares. Ronnie, being the good guy that he is broke out with the balloons and made some for the women and their babies.  They were always asking for more and hands were always open, but never once did they say, "Shukran" or "Thank You". it's always gimme gimme gimme.  The tour ended after this and Mohammed was given his fair amount of baksheesh, money, and we thought we were rid of him, until he took us to the local school and the ground keeper came over with his hand out for baksheesh, for what we were unsure, but he figured, tourists, oh I must get money.  See this idea of getting money from the tourists for no good reason started from child birth, as we were told from a good source, so it is instilled in them.  This is so insane to also include using the toilet at a public place, ie. Temple, restaurant, and other places.  I wil get to that part of the story soon.  We also found an excellent restaurant, that we liked so much we ate at 5 times in 2 days.  Hey, when it's good it's good!

  On Wednesday, before we caught the train, we decided to take in the temples at Kom Ombo and Edfu.  In Aswan you have to take a convoy to all the sites, for safety reasons.  We hired a taxi and had to wait outside of Aswan for a convoy to latch ourselves to.  In the meantime, Ronnie made balloons for the police and they were thrilled!  We made some new friends once again!  We did the temple at Kom Ombo in our allotted 30 minute window.  It was nice and one of the only places not to be swarmed with tour groups.  Then our next leg included a ride with a policeman to Edfu.  We had 1 hour there, which was not enough at all.  But we kicked it through there and survived.  We made it back to the hotel safe and sound after a good day of sightseeing. 

  Today we went shopping in the bazaar in Islamic Cairo.  It was one of those great moments.  We stopped in a fabric shop, Ronnie was looking for Egyptian patterns.  We happened upon a place that had just what he was looking for.  The guys cut it all and he paid for it, then the owner shows up.  Sanaa tells him of the great work Ronnie has been doing at schools and orphanages and he is more than blown away.  So much so he gives Ronnie all of his money back from the purchase and tells him when Ronnie goes to another orphanage to ask what they need, medicine, clothes, books, school supplies, anything, to let him know and he get it for them, no matter what!  This is his way of showing his appreciation for what Ronnie has been doing for these children. Sometimes in life people take you right by surprise and remind you of the good that can come from one person.   I was so moved I just about started balling my face off, but I was able to keep my composure. 

  Tomorrow we are off to the pyramids.  More good news as it comes!  Love & Peace!  Stacy & Ronnie

PS. I almost forgot the other story about getting baksheesh from tourists.  I was in line for the toilet at Kom Ombo, along with several other women from a tour.  There is a man simply standing outside the door, no he is not there to give you toilet paper or towels to dry with.  He is simply there with his hand out, telling women they have to give him money.  And 99% of them did, some gave him 20 pounds, which is about $4 usd.  I said to the European woman in front of me, "How ridiculous to think that someone would give this man baksheesh for just standing there."  She then proceeds to show me her 10 pounds and says "Oh, you must give it!"  Like hell you must!  This absolutely blows the mind! 

Cry for HELP !

Hello~ March 16^th Sanaa

  I am writing to ask for some help for my Egyptian friend.  My name is Stacy Kern and my fiancée, Ron Fowler and I are traveling in Egypt for 2 months.  We had the great fortune of meeting and becoming great friends with Sanaa Mohammed.  She is a good soul who is in a bad situation.  In 1998 she marries an American man, they spend alot of time together in Egypt when they are first married.  He makes promise to her that he will get her an American visa and they will live together, happy in the states.  She is thrilled with this, of course!  But the problem begins when he just completely stops calling her or having any contact at all.  The last time she had any contact, whatsoever, with her husband was July 2003.  How would you feel if you were in this situation? 

  She has gone to the American embassy in Cairo and does not get any help.  They only tell her to hire a lawyer and get a divorce.  This would be a problem if you had no money to do this, wouldn't it?  Well, imagine that it is a problem for her also.  She also feels as though no one is giving her respect in regards to this situation because she is not rich and highly educated.  She has done the best for herself with what she has and knows. 

  Today we went to the embassy with her to try and get her some respect and answers.  We had some things confirmed for us, it was a bit of comforting news, but not enough as far as Sanaa is concerned. We are given a large list of lawyers practicing in Cairo but once again Sanaa feels defeated because she believes the first thing they will ask for is money.  We have offered to give her the money to pay for a divorce.  The problem with this is, we are American citizens, and have to return home on May 1.  We are dedicating our trip to helping her anyway we can.  And because she is a proud and strong woman she does not feel the need to burden us with this problem, let alone take our money. 

  See for Sanaa, this has nothing to do with getting money from her husband, which she is in fact entitled to, according to her wedding contract.  She simply wants to put this bad part of her life behind her and start anew and begin to have happiness.  She feels completely hopeless and is ready to just throw her hands up and live the rest of her life in this misery.  We have no idea if her husband is still living, who he is living with or even where he is living.  The only information she has is an expired US passport.  We have tried to do a background check, online, to determine whether he is alive or dead.  No have had no luck whatsoever.  The officer we spoke to today at the embassy suggested she file a missing person report with the jurisdiction where she last knew he lived.  Easy to do if you are in the states and an American citizen, nearly impossible for an Egyptian woman living in Egypt. 

The reason we are writing to you is to ask for any help anyone can possibly give.  Even if you only have advice, it may be more than we had before you wrote.  If you think you can help or even just to send Sanaa a bit of good luck and good wishes, please write and we will give you any and all info we have on her husband.  We are hoping that by a stroke of good fortune, Sanaa will once again be happy and laughing, instead of always shedding tears.  We are fulfilled everyday that we get to spend with her, aside from all this trouble, because in spite of all this negativity, she still finds time to give to charity and take care of others.  We are trying to do our best to be like her and share our good hearts to make someone's life better.  Please help if you think you can.

  Thank you for your time!  Stacy & Ronnie

 Yesterday we ventured out to the pyramids at Giza and Sakkara.  Sanaa arranged a taxi for us for the day.  We first went to Sakkara, there is one small step pyramid, completed around 2700 BCE, so it is the precursor to the pyramids Egypt is famous for.  But it was still a great bit of history.  It was in the middle of the desert and you can see many other smaller pyramids in the distance.  We spent about an hour and then moved on to the famous pyramids at Giza. 

  Let me explain a bit about Giza before we take you to the site (vicariously, of course).  All the guidebooks warn about the hassle that comes along with this trip to Giza.  So much hassle that it started for us about 1 mile from the entrance, a man came up to the taxi, as we were stopped in traffic, and asked if we wanted to take a camel or horse ride once we got to the site.  Ok, so of course we said no and laughed at this pressure happening so soon.  Then not even a minute after this we are involved in a fender bender.  Nothing serious, but the other car, which was a Hyundai, lost the entire front bumper and all the foam that was inside of it.  They had to actually pry the bumper loose from the bumper of the taxi.  As we are sitting in the car waiting for the drivers to fight this out a man walks up to the car and flashes a card at me, all in Arabic mind you, and tells me he works for the government and is just looking out for us.  Alright I say but we are not in the need of protection right now, thank you.  Then all of a sudden the talk turns to the impossibilty of seeing the pyramids unless of course you go by camel or horse.  Good thing we did our homework and we know this is a boldfaced lie.  In fact out friend Shanti was there about a week ago and said the worst part about going is all the touts pushing camels and horse rides on you.  So I finally gave the guy the brush off and off we go the the site. 

  As you pull in there are lots of tour buses and taxis all waiting to buy tickets.  So our driver asks for 100 pounds and he will get our tickets.  OK, so we do.  Then we go thru security and he takes to the top of the area, which is a panorama and you can see all the pyramids and desert for miles.  We take a few photos there and then we go down to another lot and he lets us out and we are free to explore for awhile.   As soon as we step out of the taxi guys come up trying to sell their wares and a cop tells us to stand on these stones if we want the best photos possible.  Mind you the stone he wants us to stand on in less than 10' from where we are currently standing.  What the heck is the difference? Not much, except that he wil ask for money for showing up this stone upon which to stand.  We graciously decline the offer.  It takes about 10 minutes to find some peace so we just enjoy the majesty of this place. 

  It is quite strange once you realize the juxtaposition between ancient and modern.  The pyramids are on higher ground and if you look out you see the huge, polluted city of Cairo.  Very surreal!  But the pyramids themselves are magnificent as long as you keep looking up.  The amount of trash that is on the grounds near them is disgusting.  The government does not do much to keep the place clean at all.  It makes you wonder where our admission charge, which is $8 divided by millions, is going to.  On the contrary, when you go to sites in India or Nepal the grounds are spotless, so you can see that the $ the tourists pay is going for upkeep.  This fact is very discouraging given the history and magnificence of the pyramids.  If the trash keeps accumulating eventually generations later will be looking at landfills.  But we enjoy the honor to see them none the less.  The Sphynx is located just in front of the middle pyramid and unfortunately it was surrounded by scaffolding.  So we too some quick photos and we were on our way back to the hotel or so we thought.

  The taxi driver tried to get us to go shopping in the overpriced tourists shops selling perfume and papyrus and a lot of other things.  We declined and thought he got this.  But then he tries it again, only this time he thinks that if he gets out of the car and comes around to open our door he can force us to go in.  (On a side note I had a screaming headache all day because of lack of sleep)  Once again we say no shopping, this does not make him happy, so he reaches in the car and rips the bags of chips I am holding out of my hands and demands that we go inside.  Ronnie tells him no because I am feeling sick and we just want to go back to the hotel.  So he slams the door, with chips in hand, gets back in the car and pulls away, pissed off, while eating the bag of chips.  Then he tries once again to take us to a perfumery.  At this point I am livid at this man's disrespect for us.  So he speeds off to the hotel and we are prepared for a fight over the fare.  Ronnie hands him 80 pounds, the agreed price was 100, but only gives him 80 because he pocketed 20 from the 80 pound admission to the pyramids.  Ronnie tells him this and shakes his head and thankfully pulls away with no further fight.  We are so relieved to be rid of this bad man!  There is always a story when you go to sites as a tourist, it's part of the game!    

  You take the bumps and the bruises as you travel.  But we have had more great moments than bad so it is OK.  Last night, our friend, Dr Ahmed, who owns the hotel we are staying at, took the 3 of us to dinner.  We went to the most famous restaurant for khosary in Egypt.  Khosary is Egyptian food, it has a few different types of noodles, lentils, spices and a sort of marinara sauce you pour over it.  It is quite delicious and really sticks to the ribs.  The man who owns the restaurant started selling khosary out of a small cart and then he made it big because his khosary was the best in town.  In a few years he opened this 2 story restaurant and is now famous all around Egypt.  We have to say it was the best we have had so far! 

  We are considering going to Israel but still investigating the cost.  We can travel overland but flights may be a bit more than we want to spend.  We'll see what happens.  We'll we have to go for now.  More as it happens.  Love and Peace to all!  Stacy & Ronnie      

Hello from Alexandria~ April 5th

  We arrived in Alex this afternoon.  Alex is north Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea.  We are staying in a flat, Dr Ahmed’s was not vacant, for 70 pounds per night.  It is right on the sea, 3 bedroom, kitchen, bath, and a full wrap around balcony.  It’s even cheaper than the hotel plus all the comforts of home.  We should have thought to do this a long time ago.  From now on this is the way to go! 

  Our past few days in Cairo have been good.  We made some new friends and were hanging out with them for a few days.  We met Veronica and Mohammed from Germany.  Mohammed is from Aswan, Egypt and he and Veronica have been married for 8 years.  They come back to Egypt yearly and this year they came back to make some contacts because they are going to open a clothing shop in Germany.  Mohammed has a very good head.  Many people do not have the drive to make their lives any better or expand their horizons.  Very seldom do they look towards the future here.  So for that we were so glad to know Mohammed. 

  We also met another German, Tom.   Also Max, from France.  On Saturday the whole lot of us went to circus.  There were a lot of performers doing their shows for orphans.  Ronnie tried to get into the show to do magic and /or balloons.  As a side note, Max is a juggler and he does shows for kids in France, where he teaches them to juggle and has been hoping to do the same as he travels Egypt.  So Max thought he would also do his juggling bit.  But as it turned out there was way too much management at this event and they were unable to perform.  What with all the government forms and permission we just didn’t have the time to mess around with all that.  They did take advantage of Ronnie’s talents and put him into a room and turned him into a balloon making machine.  When the balloons were done they took them into the big top and handed them out to as many children as they could accommodate.  We did get to watch Atif and his partner’s juggling show though.  They have such a good show! 

  Sanaa came back to Cairo to spend a few days with us.  She came up to take care of business and had to return quickly to get back to work.  We will see her again before we return home. 

  Friday is National Orphan Day in Egypt.  So we will return to Cairo then and Ronnie will do a show at orphanage he did on our first trip thru Cairo.  There may be other show to do but for now that is all we have planned.  One of the nice things about the Muslim religion is that you are expected to take care of poor people.  You should give 2% of your income yearly and this is done by a good number of people.  This is very different from India because it cuts down on the number of beggars on the streets.  So hand in hand with this giving many people will make a lot of orphans happy Friday and many days out of the year.  We are quite proud to be a part of this giving, we are going to bring them some toys and school books. 

  We were unable to attend the seminar on the Koran last week.  They were full to capacity.  So we will continue to learn thru conversations with fiends and thru reading.  We think it is important to learn about world religions, especially Islam, given that it is in the forefront as of late. 

  After returning to Cairo this weekend we will venture to the Sinai Peninsula.  There are still a few sights to see in Cairo.  We have lots of things to still see in Egypt, as it is packed with many great places!  All those who told us we could easily spend 2 months here were right on. 

  We shall close for now.  Hope everyone is well!  Be in touch soon.  Love & Peace!  Stacy & Ronnie    

14 Apr 2006 17:08:05.0718 

Hello all~

  We have had a great couple of days here in Dahab.  We have done the climb that Moses did.  Yesterday morning at midnight we took a mini bus to Mt Sinai.  We arrived at around 2am and began the 7km hike to the top.  We had to rest several times because the trail was rough hewn with rocks and I re-injured my ankle that I sprained in Cairo.  So it took us about 2.5 hours to make the climb.   We arrived at the top just before sunrise.  There were a few hundred people sitting in various places to take in the sunrise.  It was fantastic!  We were in a range of mountains and to see the sun come up and change the colors of the mountains was quite beautiful.  Soon after sunrise most people started the hike down but we hung around up top for a bit.  There is an old church on top from the 4th century.  And we witnessed some very moving moments when a group of Germans started singing some hymns as well as a small group of Chinese.  It was well worth the hike.

  Then today we went snorkeling with a friend from Canada.  The place we went to is called the Blue Hole.  It was extremely crowded with tour groups, as is everywhere in Egypt.  But the reefs were spectacular and so large. We did first time for an hour and then the crowds got to be too much.  Then we found a much less crowded place nearby and it was even better.  There were many more fish and much more alive coral.  Egypt has so many wonderful things to offer!

  Tomorrow we are off the Israel.  More to come.  Love & Peace!  Stacy & ronnie  

 

Life is Good!

16 Apr 2006 17:38:34.0269

Hello~

  Well we arrived in Israel yesterday afternoon.  Ran and his girlfriend, Enaz, picked us up in Eilat.  That is the border crossing near Dahab where we left yesterday.  Many people said it would be very hard to cross from Egypt to Israel.  But we had it done in about 45 minutes.  It was so great to get to the other side and see Ran there waiting for us.

  We are staying in Beer Sheva at Enaz's family home.  Her family is in France for the week, so the house was available for us to stay in.  It is very nice!  The ride through the southern desert and what is known as the Mizpe Ramon (crater) back to Beer Sheva was absolutely breathtaking!  There were caverns and huge mountains that stretched the entire horizon.  We stopped for tea inside a big canyon.  While making our way to the top of the mountain we were greeted by a family of mountain goats.  They came right up to the car and posed for photos.  We then stopped at a lookout point over the entire canyon. I have never seen such beautiful scenery.  We had about a 2 hour drive to Be'er Sheva, so we got quite an eyeful.

  Today it was raining so we just hung close to home.  Tomorrow the weather is supposed to turn better, so we are planning on going camping in the desert.  That will be quite an experience!  It feels great to be in Israel with our friends.  Last night we went to bed with really big smiles on olur faces.  We are truly some of the luckiest people to have the opportunity to experience some of the best life has to offer.  We have so many friends from all over the world, it really is a great feeling. 

  Wishing all a nice holiday.  More to follow from Israel.  Love,  Stacy & Ronnie

 

Life is Good!

20 Apr 2006 08:55:28.0308

Hello all,

  We are still in Israel and it has been fantastic!  Today we are off to go camping up north, in the forest.  We have been having such a great time here!

  Monday the 4 of us went to Jerusalem.  Of course, we visited the western wall.  We are here during Passover so all Israelis are on holiday and about half of them were in Jerusalem.  It was very special to be there!  We wrote our note on a small piece of paper and stuck it in the wall, like millions before us.  Then after returning to where we are staying Ran & Enav invited some friends over for dinner.  But as we would soon find out our dinner would have to take place much later.  As Ron & Ran went to run some errands Enav & I had to go out and pick up their friends.  So on our way to do that we came across a small puppy in the road.  SO of course we had to stop to see if their was a problem.  She was convulsing very bad but did not appear to be injured.  (Ran & Enav do alot of animal rescue work,this week alone they have taken in 4 dogs)  We decided to take the risk and put her into the car and see if we could find a clinic to take her to, she was in desperate need of help.  We hooked up with the boys again and handed the dog off to them so they could get her to a clinic.  The Dr. took one look at her and told them she would have to be put down, she had distemper.  So they gave her a shot and away she went to doggie heaven.  Ron & Ran took her to the desert to give her a proper burial.  So once our duty for the day was over we commenced with out dinner party.  It was quite love lt and we got to eat around 3:30AM.

  Tuesday we took a trip to the Dead Sea.  If you are not familiar with the Dead Sea, a short lesson,  it is the lowest point on Earth.  SO if you know enough about geology, this makes the water chock full of minerals.  And besides that the view is the most beautiful I have ever seen.  (Did I say that already about the ride from the border?)  The mountains and canyons simply take your breath away.  We found a small place to get into the water.   Because of the high concentration of salt and other minerals in the water you actually float, just like you were on a raft.  It is the coolest thing!  After coming out of the water your skin feels so silky because you have a layer of oil on it.  We found a nice quiet place to have dinner and look up at the stars.  What an amazing experience!  Oh, on the way home we had to take another puppy off the streets. 

  Now I know what heaven/ nirvana will be like, at least to us.  It will be huge mountains, bursting with color and depth, water so clear and salty you can just float for days, mud so pure it makes your clean feel as good as they day you were born and a small crater full of water that feels like you are walking on the clouds, oh, and all our best friends.  This was actually another trip to the Dead Sea, not nirvana, yet!  Ran, Ron and I ( Enav had to work) returned but to a place where mud fills the water and the view is breathtaking, as well.  The minerals from the Dead Sea are highly useful.  We smeared the mud on real thick and then let ourselves bake in the sun before returning to the sea to wash it all off and have some more fun floating around.  Then we found that small crater I mentioned earlier, it was full of fresh water coming from the ground and full of sediment so thick it was literally like walking on clouds.  It was such an incredible experience!  Surely life can not get much better than this! 

  Last night, with very little energy, its hard work floating around all day!  Yesterday was the final day of Passover so everyone could go back to eating bread.  We went to a friend of Ran's mothers for a party.  The house was packed full of people and sweets.  There were hundreds of plates around with all the snacks and sweets you could ever want. Of course, by the time we arrived everyone at the party knew Ronnie makes balloons so he was asked to do a little show and everyone from the house came out to watch.  The crowd was spellbound and having so much fun!  But in the very near distance there were missiles being fired over to Palestine.  The Israeli Army was firing back in retaliation for 2 missles the Palestinians fired earlier in the day. The neighborhood we were in is in direct line with all the fighting and has taken a heavy toll in the past.  To say the least it was a bit unsettling.  But in order to continue to enjoy life you learn to just ignore the missiles and bombs and this is how these wonderful people have gone on without worrying.  It was quite surreal!

  After the reality check we stopped at some other friends to visit.  They live in a kibbutz.  Another small lesson, a kibbutz is a community of people who all live together and work for the benefit of each other and their surroundings.  Each kibbutz has it's own way of making money.  The one we visited has a plastic factory and each person in the kibbutz works there.  They raise all their own animals and vegetables and fruit.  Everyone pitches in to make the place run smoothly and safely.  It was another great look into the culture and way of life here.

  Today we are off the the north for some camping.  We have seen the best and worst Israel has too offer and it has been amazing.  To me it is one of the best experiences of my life.  We do not want to leave all this beauty and friendship!  But we will have to return to Egypt sometime early next week.  Hope all are well!  With be in touch in a few days.  Love & Peace!  Stacy & Ronnie      

 

Life is Good!

23 Apr 2006

Shalom~

  Last night we returned from a few days in the north.  On Thursday we drove up to Haifa to visit a friend of Ran & Enav's, Heim.  Boy, is Haifa a cool city!  It is built on a mountain and it climbs up and down like the streets of San Francisco.  There is a lot of older buildings with some great architecture and style.  It is a city full of charm!  The highlight of the city is the Biha'i Gardens.  For those who are not aware, Biha'i is a religion that takes a bit of doctrine from each of the world's main religions and mixes it all up, but that is not relevant to the story.  The Biha'is bought a  huge chunk of land that climbs down the mountain quite a good ways and they demolished all the houses and buildings that stood there. And then they proceeded to plant these absolutely exquisite gardens and  put in marble staircases and sitting areas.  We saw it at night the first time we saw it and it was good all lit up and sparkly.  But to see it during the day was awesome!  We will get some photos on the web page soon.  At night, from the top of Haifa, the city and the port look so great all alit.  We only had a small time in Haifa but we quickly fell in love with it!

  On Friday we drove about 2 hours north towards the Jordan border to do some camping.  We found a spot along the banks of the Kinneret River. We could hear the water rolling in all night and it was so peaceful.  We got up early Saturday to pack up camp and move on to other exciting things.  We tried to drive over the pastures and mountains to a secret waterfall but the terrain was too rough and the ride too long, so we turned back and decided to look for another hard to find waterfall. This attempt was even more trying then the first time but Ran was bound and determined to get us there.  We drove for about 15 minutes thru the cow pasture on a rocky road until we got to a small pit of mud near the cow grazing area.  We were unsure about taking the jeep thru as we did not know how deep the water was, so the 3 of us climbed out to walk the rocks around the mud pit, while Ran gave it a go thru the mud.  He made it unscratched, but I, Stacy, did not fare so well.  I slipped on a rock and fell rearend first into a stinking, sloppy pit of mud and cow dung!!!!   It's a good thing my parent's did not name me Grace, because I have very little of it!  I was not a happy camper to say the least, but I threw on a clean pair of pants and we continued the journey for the waterfall.  We drove another 20 minutes until we came to a dead-end and decided to find a spot under a tree and eat lunch.  We were literally out in the middle of nowhere in this pasture and all you could hear was the buzzing of these otherworldly insects and the clicking of a few lizards.  Wow!  We piled back into the jeep for another go at it and finally found the path that leads to the waterfall.  It was really hot out and I was irritated from taking a slip so I was being stubborn about walking the 15 minutes over the rough terrain.  But I did it and we reached the waterfall...and it was worth every bit of cow dung and complaining along the way.  It was so perfect and pristine!  There was a small pool of really cold mountain water that came from the river trickling over the rocks.  We jumped right in to the brisk water and it felt so refreshing.  Ronnie & Ran gave a go at jumping in from a rock cliff and they couldn't stop.  It was such a great time! 

  We made it back to Beer Sheva last night and had just enough energy to fill our bellies and hit the sack.  We had a long couple of days out in nature and were in need of a good nights rest.  Today we have been cleaning the house and doing laundry.  We may be heading back to Egypt tomorrow as we head home a week from today.  We are going to be leaving Israel with heavy hearts, we have fallen in love with this place.  Talk to you all soon. 

  Love & Peace~!  Stacy & Ronnie 

 

Life is Good!