Cairo...there and back again.

Hello All,

I just finished my second (and last) trip to Cairo.

The trip got off to a pretty questionable start.  I was cutting it close getting to the airport.  I loaded my luggage and turned the key...nothing.  The battery was dead.  It was too late to call the rental car company so I just locked it up and took a cab.

Once at the airport, I had a second challenge to overcome.  It turns out that the American Embassy in Bahrain would not process my paperwork for an Egyptian visa because I had less then 6 months remaining on my Bahrain visa.  I was told this information just a few days before I was scheduled to leave and there was not enough time to get the extension and the Egyptian visa entered into my official US Government passport, which I am suppose to use when traveling on official US Gov business.

I could use my blue tourist passport but my red US Gov passport has my Bahrain visa in it which would be required to leave the country.  We are not suppose to use two different passports when traveling and it would really piss off the embassy if they knew.  So to get my ticket in Bahrain, I used my blue passport.  To go through Bahrain customs, I used my red passport.  To enter and leave Egypt, I used my blue passport.  And...to enter Bahrain, I used my red passport.

I was a little worried the authorities at the airport would figure it out and at any minute, 2 Arabs in suits would come up behind me, grab me by both my arms, take to a windowless room somewhere, and proceed to slap me around until I confessed.  Thankfully, this never happened.

A Major I work with was meeting me in Egypt for the conference but left the week prior to conduct a pre-deployment site survey.  His wife lives here and she was flying on the same flight to spent the week in Cairo with him and he asked me to look after her while we were traveling.

This created the third challenge of the day as she evidently did not get a "culture brief" from her husband.  Unfortunately, she was showing a little to much flesh for the region.  Taking into account the Muslim culture and the internal strife of Egypt, wise travelers wear pants, long shirts, and long sleeves...loose, modest fitting clothing.

While waiting in line with her in order to go through customs, I couldn't help but notice that people around us were constantly pointing towards us and whispering amongst themselves.  Thankfully, no one confronted us because of her manner of dress.

Here's a little travel tip for anyone headed out to this region...don't dress like a bum or prostitute.

The conference itself was uneventful and we continue to "kick the can down the road".  The first time I was there was a lot more fun.

Had some free time at the end of the conference so me, my co-worker, and his wife headed out to the pyramids again.  The tour company managed to arrange for the same tour guide and driver we had last time to take us out again.  Our tour guide, a 32 yo, or so, Egyptian woman named Mera, told us that we were her first repeat customers.  We were happy to find out that since our last visit in Oct, she had gotten married and was pregnant.  This is probably a big relief for her family.  In Muslim countries, a daughter who is not married by 30 becomes a big family crisis.  So, that is a monkey off their back.

It was nice to see the pyramids again but they lost a little bit of that "wow" factor the second time around.  There seemed to be fewer people there this time so it was easier to get pictures without people in them.  I suspect tourism was down the week we were there as the day before we left was the 2 year anniversary of the revolution.  If you are planning a trip to Egypt, you probably would not go that particular week.

We also went to a place called Khan el-Khalili.  This is a well known market place that caters tourist located in the Islamic district of Cairo and dates back to 1392.  There have been some attacks there over the years but it seemed like business as usual when we were there.

Mera told us that Tahrir Square which is also known as "Martyr Square" and is the location of all the protest you see on TV.  Our guide told us that when security forces start chasing the protesters, the protesters often retreat to the Mosques surrounding Khan el-Khalili.  If being chased by the police, you can make the journey from Tahrir Square to Khan el-Khalili in about 15 minutes.  The Imam (religious leader) at each mosque would never allow police or soldier in the mosque and the police would never consider entering so it seems like a pretty good plan to hole up there.

As I mentioned, we left the day before the 2nd anniversary of the revolution.  I saw on the news that 8 demonstrators were killed the following day.  I hope that the most populated country in Africa can get this all sorted out soon.

Happy New Year!

Hello All,

After a very busy December, I am back in Bahrain.

After my trip to UAE, I (re) packed my bags and headed by to the US for a Christmas break.  Jodi did a   FANTASTIC job decorating the house.  It was like a winter wonderland (minus the snow).

There were a few things that need to be taken care of around the house but I actually got a lot of rest and relaxation on my R&R trip.  The weather was a little spotty with a few days of low(er) temps and rain.  There were a couple of things I could have done outside if the weather was a little better but I am sure they will be waiting for me when I get back, lol.

Sarah was in town for my first week back home and celebrated Christmas with us.  Even though she is Jewish, she is down with any holiday that involves gifts!  She and Chase had a great time catching up and playing together.  Jodi and I are blessed to have such wonderful kids!

They both got some really nice gifts.  I was excited that Sarah wanted a bow and arrow set for the holidays.  I ordered a compound bow for her which included a few arrows.   I was surprised at the quality of the bow for the reasonable amount I paid for it.  Sarah did very well right out of the box.  After a few sessions, she was hitting the target with every arrow.  In fact, it is so cool, I was thinking about getting an adult sized bow myself!  I hope she sticks with it.  It was a lot of fun shooting with her.

What really surprised me was the fact that I didn't get sick while I was home.  Seems like a pretty bad flu season.  Chase and Jodi both had a touch of something which I was sure I was going to get.  Reminds me of the Christmas when we were all really sick on Christmas day a few years ago.

So, I am back to work.  It didn't take long to get caught up because nothing really happened while I was gone.  The pace of activity slows to a crawl as most military types around the world take a lot of time off at the end of the year...well deserved time off.

I am off to Cairo again next week.  Didn't think I would have to make this trip but there is no one else to cover it.  I have already seen the pyramids so I will have to see what else Egypt has to offer

Until then,
Michael