Cheeseshop Monkeys
May 11, 2002

There are a lot of nice things to say about Egyptian men, but why dwell on the positive? The exuberance and expressiveness of young Egyptian men would give the Italians a run for their money. The most obvious and most obnoxious manifestation of this is directed at Julie. Even when she is dutifully at her husband's side and dressed modestly, the sexually frustrated young men see no reason not to wink, make kissing noises, leer and make what I assume to be lewd comments. That's what the free wheeling sex mad loose women of the west, isn't it? On the two occasions she walked by herself in Cairo, she walked as fast as she could without breaking into a full run but still she was pestered the entire way with young men wanting her phone number, to take her out etc. etc. Still, in three weeks in Egypt she was only actually groped once, so she considers herself lucky.

Bringing entertainment to the far reaches
May 14, 2002

Highway checkpoints dot the desert roads throughout Western Egypt. Every few hours we would have to stop while young soldiers (who are assigned to these stations for three month stretches) pore over the reams of permission papers we are required to carry. With only a radio that barely picks anything up and each other to keep them entertained, they look forward to the break in monotony that passing tourists bring. We were the first car to pass by in four days, an event so relished that we were invited for tea and posed for photographs. The squatting soldier proudly displays his camera and yes, it looks like a can of soda. Muftah, our translator, told us he had won it from the Coca-Cola company.

The English Patient Reenactment
May 15, 2002

Pretending to be Ralph Fiennes and Kirsten Scott Thomas in front of the dunes and 'our' land rover.

Sunset in Alex
May 12, 2002

Sunset from our hotel room overlooking the western bay of the Mediterranean in Alexandria.