Above - B2 gets straight to the point of things.
Above - Delton and B1 touring the Sphinx and pyramids.
Above - Where are we???
Above - Local ol' timer looking for some tourist dollars for a horse ride near pyramids.
Above - Ancient ruins and flocking tourists.
Above - Whilst Cairo is a bit of a decrepit city, it's amazing how the ancient pyramids are mingled so closely to the modern bustling city.
Above - One of the 'Grandsons' pyramids in Cairo.
Above - FS, conducting a building report of the pyramids to ensure their safety and durability.
Above - B2, getting ready to lug a couple more stone blocks into place.
Above - B1&2
Above - Hieroglyphics
Above - The U/10 Tournament Runner Ups.
Above - The U/12 Tournament Champions..JPG)
Above - Seems all the Middle Eastern dancers have a great set of...matching dress and head-band. Entertainment whilst cruising along the River Nile.
Above - B1 Egyptian bazaar shopping.
Above - Have back-pack, will travel. FS enjoying the sites of Cairo.
Above - Not the sports cars of Dubai; Egypt has a lot of traditional transport still going on.
Above - FS loving seeing the pyramids. Here in Cairo.
Above - Footy tour of pyramids. Jnr, B1, Cosimo, Delton, Zeno, B2 & Jerry.
Above - Back in the UAE. A sample of the contradiction. Road works occurring, even though the speed limit is 100, the radar is set to 120.
Above - Had a good laugh whilst flicking through the classifieds the other day. These sorts of adverts probably exist everywhere, but it was a great laugh to find an entire page of brothers and families looking for suitable Grooms for their sisters or daughters. Fresh off listening to 'Walk Like an Egyptian' from her 1986 summer hits album, (yes, she really does need to update her CD collection) FS decided she'd been here long enough in the Middle East and it was time to head off to Egypt and check out the pyramids. It was a convenient link that B1&2 had an upcoming rugby tour of Cairo, so by the time we drew the straws as to who was going, it was me who was staying back in the UAE to lead a 3 day game of pirates with B3&4 and FS was boarding an Emirates flight headed for Egypt, camera, spending money, rugby boots and mouth guards in tow and chaperoning a couple of other kids along the way too.
Now it really should have been FS who composed this blog, but she's sleeping in again today and insisted that something be done before she was awake, (it would seem the Cleopatra influence rubbed off whilst in the land of the pharaohs!), so it is likely that any links I make to Egypt will be full of inaccuracies and at best, gross exaggerations of the truth.
The first evening was spent sailing down the River Nile aboard a large 2 story vessel. With the back drop of the neon advertising lights shimmering off the Nile's surface, and whilst looking for baby Moses floating down stream in a reed basket, FS's attention was brought back to the boat when the highly popular Egyptian entertainment of Mickey Mouse entered the room to perform for the tourists!! What a cultural delight indeed. A bit bewildered and not quite seeing the connection, FS dragged the boys upstairs to where an exotic belly dancer was performing followed by a 'real' traditional dancing troupe of plate spinners and dress spinners, back on track at least now and a bit more confident that they were in the right country.
The next day was spent with B1&2 playing in the Cairo Rugby Tournament, played in the grounds of the Mariot hotel. Al Ain gave a great show, with the under 14's and 12's both winning their age groups and the Under 10's coming a respectable runners up. B1 took out the Player of the tournament award for the under 12's and B2 who'd been sick in bed the week leading into the tour was also a notable standout with ball in hand in the U/10's. A month before heading to Cairo, Egypt was rocked with a terrorist attack killing 1 and injuring several others, so a couple of the teams did not make the trip, which was unfortunate for the lads from Cairo. Whilst there are plenty of expatriates through the middle east region, some of the teams from Kuwait, Egypt and Bahrain, really only get to play other teams at these big tournaments, so lots of travelling is part of it, as such it's always nice to talk to other expats about their adventures, travels, experiences and recommendations.
Day three, FS and the boys headed over the Nile to Giza and the pyramids which lay almost within the city bounds. A notable distinction from the UAE, was the cars, nothing younger than 15 years old and loads of people still travelling around by donkey and cart. The poverty is really noticeable also, with loads of beggars and rubbish. The housing was interesting, most buildings never completed, simply the rio bars pointing towards the sky in readiness for the next family expansion and addition of another level to accommodate. A lot of the buildings appearing to be built using basic lean-to methods and few looking structurally sound; a stark contrast to their Egyptian ancestors who built the pyramids!
FS and the boys were blown away by the pyramids and their awe inspiring size and structure. The size of each of the stones, only magnifying the universal question, "how did they build these, and move the stones?" FS was amazed that the pyramids were literally on the skirts of the city, expecting they would have been away in the desert somewhere. B2 was fascinated how at only certain times of the year, the sun would light up the 'true' entrance door to each of the pyramids and also how each of the pyramids had false entrances. Both the boys were a little over-come by the amount of beggars and hagglers around the pyramids, but none of our troupe had any negative experiences by this. As a parent, it's good for your kids to realise that not everyone falls into the haves category, and that there is an unfortunate imbalance in the amount of have-nots in the world, Egypt with more than their fair share of these. Another history making note, was that FS had no troubles on the plane trip, no hostage situations, no emergency landings, not even a sick bag in sight, so it would seem we are slowly getting the hang flying.
Back in the UAE, the weather is heating up and we've had a couple of really severe sand storms, causing loads of damage through the area. The realisation of the impending summer is a little scary after enjoying the perfect winter weather, and whilst we're still no closer to deciding on an imminent departure for good, we're at least entertaining the idea of taking a month off in summer to travel somewhere else and experience a little taste of a new part of the world, which of course is also exciting to even think about.
