Cairo/Giza Daily Photo

A Modern Obelisk

2012-01-26T12:19:00.001+02:00

Yesterday saw the first anniversary of the protests that led to the fall of Hosny Mubarak. There were a lot of whispers about what to expect including the military's wild predictions that protesters would run riot, ransacking Cairo. What happened was beyond the realm of imagination. Tahrir was filled to capacity by 11 am, with huge marches on the way from all parts of the city protesting the continuation of military rule. The day was peaceful and powerful, challenging the military's predictions. This obelisk was brought to the protests and lists the martyrs of the protests for the past year. You can find this photo and others in the Facebook album of Egyptians in the US.

You Tell Me

2012-01-15T21:25:00.001+02:00

The joy of improbable signs. Perhaps it's ok to set a fire but not to feed one?

Not A Clue

2012-01-12T20:38:00.001+02:00

The desert in Egypt is full of interesting oddities. In our area you can find pharoanic remnants, fossilized seashells, and volcanic debris that is probably many millions of years old. I can rule out the first couple of categories, but that doesn't mean that I know what this is, although it is really fascinating.

The Tools of the Tbone

2012-01-11T18:49:00.002+02:00

We were blessed last year with a male water buffalo calf who was named at birth Kofta for the delicious barbecued ground beef fingers that are prepared here. It may seem a bit harsh to some, but there really isn't much you can do with a male water buffalo unless he's something really special for breeding...and Kofta wasn't. He lived with us for a year and was much loved and petted, but as he approached his first birthday the testosterone began to flow and he was much bigger. When something the size of a VW bug decides to play head butt with you, it's time to do something. My assistant/driver/Man Friday/Photography Elf Mohamed brought his butchering tools, many of which are handmade and razor sharp, in to work and we now have a freezer full of Kofta. And he is quite tasty.

Home Alone

2012-01-05T22:39:00.001+02:00

One of the interesting things about the desert is the fact that while it looks empty, it isn't really. I have no idea what lives in this hole, and considering that it could be a scorpion or spider or snake, I'm not in a hurry to find out. There were many such holes in the area.

My Favourite Line

2012-01-04T18:35:00.003+02:00

I know that the intentions of Carrefour are good, but their sign makers have this odd way of making puzzling signs. Every time I see this one I want to go to the line but I'm not quite sure why. I find shopping one of the most disabling activities on the planet.

Hommos el Sham

2012-01-03T21:24:00.001+02:00

This is a dish you won't find in most restaurants. It's a light vegetarian tomato soup that has been used to boil chickpeas. It's served in a glass with the chickpeas in the bottom of the glass, some lemon to squeeze into it and powdered hot pepper to add if you are into spice. Wonderful on a winter afternoon, light but filling. It's usually sold in koshari shops and often served in plastic bags with a straw.

A Truly Imaginative Tour

2011-12-30T19:14:00.002+02:00

Businesses in Egypt often get rather whimsical names to say the least. While dropping her father at the airport this morning, Catherine noticed this bus. Harry Potter? Really? Does it come with Quidditch or an invisibility cloak?

A Girl and Her Dogs

2011-12-29T19:06:00.001+02:00

Christmas is chaotic anywhere anytime. My daughter and I decided that a walk in the desert would help to clear our heads. A couple of the dogs agreed.

Water Work

2011-12-11T17:23:00.004+02:00

Just a few metres from a busy road traveled by tourists visiting the Sakkara Pyramids a canal flows behind houses and apartment buildings to carry irrigation water along the farmlands and eventually out to the desert for reclamation projects. In the canals there live fish of various sizes, frogs and toad pollywogs, birds of all types and a newcomer to the area, crayfish. An enterprising fish farmer thought he was buying fresh water shrimp but when he saw his purchase, he dumped them into the river. Since then, about 15 years ago, they have multiplied like rabbits with a lovely side effect. The crayfish are especially fond of snails and have been devouring the snails that have carried bilharizia with the result that this parasitic organism has decreased 95% in parts of the canal and river system. But the crayfish are tough on the nets that the farmers set out for perch, so one of the men working in a boat is fixing his nets, while the others by the bridge are fishing water hyacinths and the ubiquitous plastic bottles out of the water.

Attacked!

2011-12-07T11:45:00.003+02:00

My sincere apologies for not posting for a while but my MacBook got attacked by a Trojan that was hijacking programs on my computer and using up all my internet allowance. I've had to have technicians clean it out and we are now trying to reconstruct my data which was saved but I worry might be infected. Bear with me.

Meanwhile, yesterday was the birth date of young Khaled Alaa Abdel Fattah, whose parents are Alaa and Manal, two of the first Egyptian bloggers that I found when I started my own blog. Most of their work is in Arabic and they are second or third generation activists who have been working to improve life in Egypt most of their lives. Alaa was arrested by the military on charges that are so obviously false it hurts to even think about it. He is still in detention and missed the birth of his first son, just as his father missed the birth of Alaa's sister Mona, another activist here. So everyone wish Khaled a happy birth day and a speedy reunion with his father.

Don't Mess With Egyptian Women

2011-11-22T18:17:00.002+02:00

I generally post my photos from Cairo/Giza, but today is very special for all of us in Egypt and when I saw this photo I knew it was the perfect photo for Egypt today.

Black Pyramid on a Winter Day

2011-11-17T18:34:00.002+02:00

Riding near the Black Pyramid at Dahshur is an amazing experience any time, but yesterday was one of those crystal clear days with high rain clouds passing by. Truly incredible.

When Is A Cloud Not A Cloud?

2011-11-16T20:53:00.006+02:00

Riding back from Dahshur today with friends we found the sky full of black and silver rainclouds that, happily for us, did not end up soaking us thoroughly. Looking to the southeast, I noticed a thick black cloud roiling across the cities on the other side of the Nile. It was the cloud of pollution from the brick kilns and cement factories of Helwan and the pressure of the clouds above was keeping it low to the ground.

Blending In

2011-11-15T21:39:00.005+02:00

Beige and black sheep against the beige desert with the Step Pyramid in the distance. I spotted this flock in the desert just after Eid el Adha, so the sheep were probably very relieved to be ambling through the desert. A pair of grey baby donkeys chased each other through the sand alongside.

Open Sesame!

2011-11-08T20:14:00.003+02:00

These are sesame plants. They are planted in Egypt during the summer and the stalks are saved after the harvest to use for fencing and thatching.

Dishwashing

2011-11-05T21:28:00.005+02:00

Think of this young lady the next time your dishwasher is on the fritz. When all you have is a hand pump, doing dishes is pretty complicated. Soapy water in one pot, clean in another, and enough dishes for a huge family.

Taking a Rest

2011-11-01T20:57:00.002+02:00

A street cleaner in Giza rests on his palm broom as traffic crawls by in the usual afternoon snarl.

Urban Cow

2011-10-14T14:28:00.004+02:00

Not exactly the sort of thing you expect to see inside an iron railing in Zamalek. The cow isn't real and neither is the grass...or there would be one very overworked gardener at the Dutch embassy.

The Cleaning Crew

2011-10-07T19:56:00.002+02:00

My housekeeper has been bringing her now almost 6 month old son to work since he was two weeks old. I was worried at first about how the dogs would handle a baby since this is really the first one they've had much contact with. There have been visitors with babies but this little guy lives with us for about 6 hours a day. As you can see, I didn't have much to worry about. Our newest dog, 5 month old Dillah ("shady" in Arabic) has appointed herself the after meal baby car cleaner and is not averse to quickly wiping a spot on his cheek as well. The baby, in turn, babbles away at her and buries his head in her cheek. This is one village boy who won't be afraid of dogs.

Life on The Top Floor

2011-09-26T09:59:00.005+02:00

Yet another random architectural wonder from Giza. This peculiar building is on Pyramids Road and I'm honestly not sure what it is other than an amazing waste of space. Will they ever put something on the first...how many?...floors? My daughter suggests that it must be governmental, the wazeeret wazayer? For you non-Arabic speakers that would be the mythical Ministry of Ministries.

Ped Xing

2011-09-24T20:24:00.001+02:00

I shot this through the front window of my jeep (I wasn't driving!) because I simply couldn't believe the sign. But it is a pretty good representation of the best ways to cross the road in Cairo/Giza.

Something Interesting

2011-09-22T08:24:00.003+02:00

I was in a village buying some medicines for my palm trees that are being attacked by palm weevils and I saw this group of men squatting together by the side of the road obviously fascinated by something, but I have no idea what. One of them seems to be a shoeshine guy. After I took the photo, my phone rang and when I looked back up they were all gone. Mysteries!

It's Interesting!

2011-09-21T21:36:00.002+02:00

I have no idea whatsoever what these men were finding so fascinating. One seems to be a shoeshine man. I saw them huddled together near my car in a village near home, got the photo, then my phone rang and when I looked up they were gone.

This is another trial of the Picasa/Blogger mix. Hopefully the photo will come through.

Highway Robbery

2011-09-15T21:56:00.004+02:00

Horses don't have the same ideas of ownership as we do. To them, a donkey wagon full of fresh green grass is like a tray of canapes being passed around at a cocktail party. What can you do?