Journey to the Red Sea—Almost....
Okay, so we didn’t actually go to the Red Sea: we went to a lake along the Suez Canal where, after being motor-boated out to a sandy island littered with little dead white crabs and a fair amount of garbage, we were able to sun and wade and swim with the giant cargo ships of the world for several hours. (Yes, I know, that’s not as inspiring as swimming with whales or dolphins, but you have to start somewhere and it was an experience nonetheless.) The part of the beach down by the water was clean, with plenty of shells, smooth-worn fragments of surprisingly light, colored rock, and even a few small live white clams with green fan-shaped patterns around their hinges. The water was very warm and salty and a bit greenish but pleasant.
But first things first. We departed in the morning aboard a large, air-conditioned bus, maneuvered out of town, then headed east about 100 km toward the Suez Canal. The landscape for most of the trip was very dry and and flat and townless, though we noticed inscrutable building complexes every now and then. Several of the places we passed had a military-feel to them (especially the barb-wire fence containing what looked like half-a-dozen howitzers), which is not uncommon here. Egypt is a highly militarized country with a nearly 500,000-man army and untold numbers of police and internal security forces. On our ride to and from school, for instance, we pass numerous military installations (or is it all just one huge one?) with guard towers manned by terribly bored, rifle-carrying young men. (Military service here is mandatory for all males for anywhere from 1 to 3 years.) Of course, we should also keep in mind that the Egyptian military budget is about 1% of the US’s. Egypt also does far less to keep its militarization out of sight, which adds a great deal to the sense of being in a heavily armed society. There are probably a couple reasons for their doing this, which I’ll leave aside for now.
In any case, after racing through the desert for an hour or so, things suddenly began to get much greener. Fields of bananas, mangoes, pineapples—even corn—became common, and by the time we neared the canal zone civilization had made a comeback with dusty streets lined with shops and houses sprouting all around us. We took a right (south) and drove along the canal to reach Ms. Nadia’s beach house. On our left there was an almost steady line of houses with the occasional crowded public beach facility wedged between them. On our right, there were occasional dilapidated structures with lots of trees and other vegetation filling in the landscape and limiting our vision.
Ms. Nadia’s place was a nice, three-story house with little decoration and irregularly flowing water. (Everyone was taking showers when the water went sketchy, so that may have had something to do with it.) Out back, there was a covered porch, a couple tables with umbrellas over them, and a good rectangular stretch of grass that ran down to the beach where a dock, a 9-passenger motorboat, and a pair of jet-skis waited. After having breakfast we evacuated to the island, where we lazed about till almost dusk, watching the almost otherworldly huge ships sailing by. Upon returning we enjoyed a bountiful dinner followed by the cutting of my birthday cakes, and I had the unique honor of being sung “Happy Birthday” in both American and Egyptian versions. The cake was a big hit, and the whole affair was quite enjoyable. While on the island an American asked me if I would ever have imagined a year ago I would be celebrating my birthday on an island in the Suez Canal. I had to admit that this particular locale would almost certainly have ranked low on my list of probabilities. (Can't life be so very strange?)
Our journey home began a couple hours after dark with the trip passing swiftly on what seemed, judging from everything I’d read, a surprisingly good road. But first, before signing off, one final note about our trip: when cars and trucks approach each other on the highway after dark, they take turns blinking their lights at each other--off and on and off and on--like giant speeding fireflies. I imagine these “conversations” as going something like this:
Vehicle 1: “I see you!”
Vehicle 2: “I see you, too!”
Vehicle 1: “I see you seeing me!”
Vehicle 2: “Me too!”
Vehicle 1: “I’m getting close now!”
Vehicle 2: “Yes, you are! We’re both going very fast!”
Vehicle 1: “You're right!”
Vehicle 2: “Hello!”
Vehicle 1: “How do you do?”
WHOOSH!!!!
Both Vehicles’ Taillights simultaneously, with a suddenly falling whisper that soon settles into the deep dark desert silence: “Goodnight!”
(Goodnight.)
But first things first. We departed in the morning aboard a large, air-conditioned bus, maneuvered out of town, then headed east about 100 km toward the Suez Canal. The landscape for most of the trip was very dry and and flat and townless, though we noticed inscrutable building complexes every now and then. Several of the places we passed had a military-feel to them (especially the barb-wire fence containing what looked like half-a-dozen howitzers), which is not uncommon here. Egypt is a highly militarized country with a nearly 500,000-man army and untold numbers of police and internal security forces. On our ride to and from school, for instance, we pass numerous military installations (or is it all just one huge one?) with guard towers manned by terribly bored, rifle-carrying young men. (Military service here is mandatory for all males for anywhere from 1 to 3 years.) Of course, we should also keep in mind that the Egyptian military budget is about 1% of the US’s. Egypt also does far less to keep its militarization out of sight, which adds a great deal to the sense of being in a heavily armed society. There are probably a couple reasons for their doing this, which I’ll leave aside for now.
In any case, after racing through the desert for an hour or so, things suddenly began to get much greener. Fields of bananas, mangoes, pineapples—even corn—became common, and by the time we neared the canal zone civilization had made a comeback with dusty streets lined with shops and houses sprouting all around us. We took a right (south) and drove along the canal to reach Ms. Nadia’s beach house. On our left there was an almost steady line of houses with the occasional crowded public beach facility wedged between them. On our right, there were occasional dilapidated structures with lots of trees and other vegetation filling in the landscape and limiting our vision.
Ms. Nadia’s place was a nice, three-story house with little decoration and irregularly flowing water. (Everyone was taking showers when the water went sketchy, so that may have had something to do with it.) Out back, there was a covered porch, a couple tables with umbrellas over them, and a good rectangular stretch of grass that ran down to the beach where a dock, a 9-passenger motorboat, and a pair of jet-skis waited. After having breakfast we evacuated to the island, where we lazed about till almost dusk, watching the almost otherworldly huge ships sailing by. Upon returning we enjoyed a bountiful dinner followed by the cutting of my birthday cakes, and I had the unique honor of being sung “Happy Birthday” in both American and Egyptian versions. The cake was a big hit, and the whole affair was quite enjoyable. While on the island an American asked me if I would ever have imagined a year ago I would be celebrating my birthday on an island in the Suez Canal. I had to admit that this particular locale would almost certainly have ranked low on my list of probabilities. (Can't life be so very strange?)
Our journey home began a couple hours after dark with the trip passing swiftly on what seemed, judging from everything I’d read, a surprisingly good road. But first, before signing off, one final note about our trip: when cars and trucks approach each other on the highway after dark, they take turns blinking their lights at each other--off and on and off and on--like giant speeding fireflies. I imagine these “conversations” as going something like this:
Vehicle 1: “I see you!”
Vehicle 2: “I see you, too!”
Vehicle 1: “I see you seeing me!”
Vehicle 2: “Me too!”
Vehicle 1: “I’m getting close now!”
Vehicle 2: “Yes, you are! We’re both going very fast!”
Vehicle 1: “You're right!”
Vehicle 2: “Hello!”
Vehicle 1: “How do you do?”
WHOOSH!!!!
Both Vehicles’ Taillights simultaneously, with a suddenly falling whisper that soon settles into the deep dark desert silence: “Goodnight!”
(Goodnight.)
<< Home