Dearest friends,
Wonderful... wonderful holiday in Egypt!!! Our fifth Honeymoon in as many years! The north coast of Egypt was perfectly suitable to our stay. There, the Mediterranean is of a luminous turquoise and the sand on the beach is white and fine. The summery season not having yet arrived, the temperature was cool and the affluence of the tourists was light. It was perfect for us as we had a lot of work to accomplish in reviewing and correcting the first part of the first volume on Jean's walk through the Americas.
We kept the visit of the city of Alexandria for the end of our vacations... when our work would be finished. We first stayed in Borg El Arab and then in Marsa Matrouh, a small holiday town that the tourists have not yet discovered and it is a pity because the sea there is splendid! The city itself is typically Egyptian and it is the dreamed place for a bath of exoticism!
Usually, when we are meeting, Jean stores his sport stroller in a secure place, first because he doesn't need all his camping gear and also because our displacements by bus or other are facilitated. In Marsa Matrouh, a journalist who interviewed Jean was anxious to photograph him with his famous stroller. It was necessary to take it out of the basement of the small hotel that had the care of it and after a serious dusting; it was imperative to inflate the tires for a very worthy appearance!
Back in Alexandria, Roger, a very devoted Egyptian gave us the surprise to invite us at his home, where his mother, Laïla entertained us with typical Egyptian dishes, like the Molokheya, a delicious soup prepared with herbs.
Even though Alexandria harbours many historic or contemporary treasures to visit, we only had time for two visits: the Great Public Library, a marvel of architecture and the Citadel, situated more or less on the site of the former Beacon of Alexandria, one of the seven marvels of the ancient world.
The Egyptians are extremely welcoming. As soon as they see a stranger, they cry out a happy " Welcome in Egypt ", be it in Arabic, in French or in English. Jean fully tasted this cordial welcome all along his ascent of the Nile. As soon as he arrived on Egyptian land, in Aswan, he was contacted by the Egyptian services of security, who then accompanied him, every day, all the way to Beni Suef, situated at about 90 kilometres south of Cairo. It was some times a bit exhausting, but at least, he felt protected and could advance in peace. He made himself a lot of friends among the Egyptian Police Force and learned to decipher a few Arabic words... enough for his everyday needs and some light conversation.
He also made friends with several Egyptian families. When people learned about his walk and his goal, they invited him to eat and to sleep in their house. The differences of religions were of no importance whatsoever. He lived with the people and come the evening, after a long day of labour, they invited him to smoke the shisha... him that never smoked the cigarette... Jean prefers the soft tobacco flavoured with apples that smells deliciously good ... I even had a taste of it myself during our vacations!
The Egyptians share what they have gladly, food and chaï (tea). Whereas he was walking on the road, this family of peasants invited Jean to share their midday meal in the field. A few kilometres before Cairo, he visited a centre for the children of the streets: The Egyptian Association for Societal Consolidation, directed by Ms Samah Hussien and subsidized in part by Canadian funds.
In Cairo, Eminence Joseph Jules Zerey, bishop of the Catholic Greek-Melkite Church, gracefully took him in. In addition to provide him with lodging and food during two weeks, Eminence Zerey offered him a pair of new shoes. Jean also received walking shoes on behalf of the American Express office in Cairo. Even more... as the 35mm camera that he had received as a gift from Kodak in Santiago of Chile had almost finished its cycle of life, Mr. Adel E. Armanios, Sales Manager for Kodak in Cairo gave him a digital camera. To all these generous benefactors, many, many thanks!
On February 27th, Jean is very happy to meet a long time friend in Cairo... a friend from his previous life in Granby... Claude Duhamel and his wife Louise, on a trip in Egypt, had planned this meeting since a few months already. By a happy coincidence, Jean was in Cairo at the very same time they arrived. It was a very pleasing reunion that brought him a wind of youth! Jean gave a brief preview of his walk to the travelers of the group and to his right, you can see his friend Nabil, an Egyptian who surely acted as model for the paintings of the Egyptians of Ancient Egypt that we can see in the temples and on the steles...
He took advantage of his stay in the populous city of Cairo to have his passport renewed at the Canadian Embassy where he was invited to give a conference that was appreciated, it seems... He also spoke to the St Cyril Scouts as well as to the pupils of some schools, of which The College of God's Mother and Holy Family School (Jesuits). He visited the famous Cairo Museum and in Giza, the Centre Ramsey Wissa Wassef where are made some remarkable tapestries. It is well obvious that one does not pass through Giza without stopping to admire the pyramids and the Great Sphinx! How small do we feel at the foot of such majesty!
It is then the walk toward Alexandria on the road bordering the swamps where the fishermen throw their nets.
In Alexandria, thanks to the introduction of Eminence Zerey, Jean is invited to stay at the prestigious College St.-Marc where he gives a conference to the pupils. Under way toward Marsa Matrouh, he visits El Alamein, a site of the 2nd world war. So much lost lives uselessly!!!
He arrives in Marsa Matrouh on March 28th, where he settles in a small local hotel to rest a bit before my arrival, bring his writings up to date etc... He comes back to Alexandria by bus to welcome me at the airport on April 6th at 01h05 AM!
I brought back with me hundreds of photos to publish on the Web site... since August 18, 2004, in Addis Abeba in Ethiopia. The photos of Sudan are quite magnificent, even if taken with his old agonizing camera. As you can surely see, the quasi-absence of photos on the latest update is compensated extensively by their abundance in this one!
Till next time...
Luce