Sunday, July 12. We left Egypt and flew to Tel Aviv. What a contrast! It was so clean at the airport and the restrooms were immaculate and no one waiting for a tip. Our guide was Ron Amos, an Israeli, and our bus driver Eddie, a Palestinian.
We drove to Jaffa, also known as Joppa, a suburb of Tel Aviv, and walked down old narrow city alleys. They were clean and felt medieval. We drove to Caesarea and saw old Roman ruins. Harod built the city and, since he was raised in Rome, that is the style. We saw an old Roman theater and the remains of a crusader fortress. We also saw the remains of the port of Harold the great, an aqueduct built by Romans and waded in the Mediterranean. It was warm and looked beautiful.
We then drove to the Carmel beach Hotel in Haifa, a very modern, new hotel. The food looked delicious and tasted delicious. We could eat everything and drink the water! Everyone pigged out on the salads as we had not been able to eat them in Egypt. Our room was clean and beautiful and everything worked.
The money is called shekels and the small coins argorot. The exchange is about 3.6 shekels to the dollar. The hotel had video screens set up as the soccer world cup would be played either the next day or the next.
Monday July 13. Haifa is built between the seashore and Mt. Carmel. There is a saying that Jerusalem prays, Tel Aviv plays and Haifa pays. It is a hardworking city. We visited Mt. Carmel or Muhraka, the site where Elijah confronted the 450 priest of Baal. There is a Carmelite monastery on top with a large statue of Elijah. It overlooks the valley of Jesreel.
We dove to Megiddo and visited the tel there. 21 layers of civilization have been uncovered there. We walked through the north gate, built in the 15th century b.c. and walked through a water tunnel built by king Ahab in the 9th century b.c. There were people engaged in excavating under black awnings while we were there.
Next we visited Mt. Tabor, one of the places thought to be where Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John. The other place is Mt. Hermon. We were told that Pres Kimball felt Mt Tabor was the correct place. To get to the top of the mountain we had to get in 8-passenger taxis and drive up a very windy road to the top. It was a rather wild ride with Palestinian music playing. Another nice church is built on the summit.
We next drove to Nazareth, visited the site of an old synagogue and the Church of the Annunciation, a very modern church. We saw a place where excavations had uncovered a pavement dating to Jesus’ time.
Our destination for the night was the kibbutz Ein Gev, on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, right across the water from the city of Tiberias. The main business of this kibbutz is their holiday village, also a famous fish restaurant, plus some farming. We stayed in a nice apartment that had a stove, sink and refrigerator. We had a back porch overlooking the village and part of the lake. The food was very good. That night instead of our usual talk we had a lecture on life in a kibbutz from a man from Connecticut. When age 19 he had come to Israel to see what a kibbutz was like; he enjoyed it and has been here ever since, about 27 years.
Tuesday, July 14. We started the day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee to the city of Tiberius on the opposite shore to Ein Gev. When we were in the middle of the lake the boat stopped and Bro. Nyman played a tape of the tab choir singing "Master the Tempest Is Raging" and we all sang along. One of the crew threw a net over the side demonstrating fishing techniques of the past. Bro. Nyman said these modern guys never catch anything, but it was interesting to see.
We went to a museum where we saw a video about finding an ancient fishing vessel, dating to the 1st century. It was found in 1986 when a drought dropped the level of the lake. We then saw the actual boat, behind glass, and soaked in some kind of preservative.
We drove to the Sermon on the Mount siteand Bro. Nyman gave a lecture on the Beatitudes. The Church of the Beatitudes is a very lovely, modern one and the grounds were beautiful. We saw much bougainvillea, red, purple, pink, orange and white. We saw this all over Israel, such a beautiful site.
We walked along the lakeshore where there are some heart-shaped stones. This is supposed to be the site where Jesus asked Peter "Lovest Thou Me?..Feed My Sheep". It is called Peter’s Primacy. Bro.. Nyman told about Elder LeGrande Richards, that when he visited that place he took his shoes off and waded in the water.
We next visited the ruins of Capernaum and saw the ruins of Peter’s or his mother-in-law’s house; ruins of houses from Jesus’ time, these were of black basalt and must have been hot in the summer. We saw ruins of a synagogue built on the black stone foundation of the synagogue of Jesus’ time. We saw an olive press and a Roman milestone. More beatuiful bougainvillea in gorgeous colors. The flowers have been beautiful in Israel.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Visiting Karnak and around Cairo
On Friday July 10, we got into 4-passenger carriages which took us to the temple complex of Karnak. This is where those huge columns are seen in the movie "Death on the Nile". They were overwhelming. We saw the row of ram sphinxes, statues of Ramses II and others. Most pharaohs added to the great complex, even Alexander the Great.
We got back in our carriages and went to see Luxor, another temple complex about two miles from of Karnak. In ancient days there was a road lined with sphinxes that ran between the two temples. Now only a small part remains. One of the obelisks that stood outside the Luxor complex in front was sent to France and was placed in the Place de la Concorde.
After lunch we flew back to Cairo, same hotel but different room. After dinner we dressed in Sunday clothes and held sacrament meeting in a room in the hotel basement. Friday is the Sabbath for Muslims so members hold church meetings on that day.
Saturday, July 11. We drove past the 700-year-old city of the dead that has people living in it. The Muslims build two little rooms, under which they bury their dead; the women on one side and men on the other. The rooms are visited periodically by living relative to bring offerings and to hold memorial services in. When poor people realize that a family has died out and no one will be visiting, they move in. The cemetery is vast and covers many acres.
We went to the Citadel of Saladin, of Richard the Lionhearted fame. Inside is the beautiful alabaster Mosque, built last century by Mohammed Ali. It is built on the order of the famous Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. We had to remove our shoes and put on slippers to go in. If we had been wearing shorts or sleeveless blouses, we would have had to put on long green robes. I saw several women wearing them. The mosque is large and empty inside, the floor covered in carpets. The ceiling is a beautiful green with gold designs. There is a stairway leading to a pulpit where the Imam preaches on Fridays. It was very fancy and ornate but is no longer in use; another one, not as fancy, is used today.
Our guide Mohammed had us sit on the rug while he explained about the religion of Islam. The five pillars of Islam are 1) one has to confess that there is no god bu Alah and that Mohammed is his prophet; 2) pray five times towards Mecca; 3) observe the fast of Ramadan; 4) pay 2 1/2% yearly on all one possess and 5), if possible, make the pilgrimage to Mecca. Women and men pray in separate sections in the mosque; the women’s being smaller as mostly men come to the mosques to pray.
We visited the Cairo Museum. It is very large, a little dusty but not quite as Amelia Peabody described in her book. We concentrated mostly on the treasure of Tutankhamen and what a treasure it is! We saw the jewelry and the famous mask, they are housed in a separate room with guards present. We saw the four large gold-covered boxes that surrounded the sarcophogus , one fitting inside the other. We saw the throne with the famous picture of Tut and his queen together.
We drove within one block of Shepheard’s Hotel, famous for the many people who stayed in it in the 1800s. I wish I could have seen it but didn’t feel so badly after finding out later that the building burned down years ago and this is a new one. Our lunch was on a moored boat on the Nile. Lovely looking food be we were not able to eat a lot of it because of the unclean water.
We had a Tourist and Antiquities guard on each bus in Egypt. We also had a police car escort when we went sightseeing in Cairo. There were soldiers mounted on camels with machine guns at the pyramids at Giza and Sakkara. Soldiers were visible at all tourist attractions. Egypt did not want a repeat of the massacre that had occurred a few months earlier at Queen Hatshepsut’s monument.
One thought that kept coming to my mind while in Egypt was that I would not like to be a mother of children there, so much poverty and filth. It would be so hard to bring up healthy children. What a blessing to live in our country.
We got back in our carriages and went to see Luxor, another temple complex about two miles from of Karnak. In ancient days there was a road lined with sphinxes that ran between the two temples. Now only a small part remains. One of the obelisks that stood outside the Luxor complex in front was sent to France and was placed in the Place de la Concorde.
After lunch we flew back to Cairo, same hotel but different room. After dinner we dressed in Sunday clothes and held sacrament meeting in a room in the hotel basement. Friday is the Sabbath for Muslims so members hold church meetings on that day.
Saturday, July 11. We drove past the 700-year-old city of the dead that has people living in it. The Muslims build two little rooms, under which they bury their dead; the women on one side and men on the other. The rooms are visited periodically by living relative to bring offerings and to hold memorial services in. When poor people realize that a family has died out and no one will be visiting, they move in. The cemetery is vast and covers many acres.
We went to the Citadel of Saladin, of Richard the Lionhearted fame. Inside is the beautiful alabaster Mosque, built last century by Mohammed Ali. It is built on the order of the famous Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. We had to remove our shoes and put on slippers to go in. If we had been wearing shorts or sleeveless blouses, we would have had to put on long green robes. I saw several women wearing them. The mosque is large and empty inside, the floor covered in carpets. The ceiling is a beautiful green with gold designs. There is a stairway leading to a pulpit where the Imam preaches on Fridays. It was very fancy and ornate but is no longer in use; another one, not as fancy, is used today.
Our guide Mohammed had us sit on the rug while he explained about the religion of Islam. The five pillars of Islam are 1) one has to confess that there is no god bu Alah and that Mohammed is his prophet; 2) pray five times towards Mecca; 3) observe the fast of Ramadan; 4) pay 2 1/2% yearly on all one possess and 5), if possible, make the pilgrimage to Mecca. Women and men pray in separate sections in the mosque; the women’s being smaller as mostly men come to the mosques to pray.
We visited the Cairo Museum. It is very large, a little dusty but not quite as Amelia Peabody described in her book. We concentrated mostly on the treasure of Tutankhamen and what a treasure it is! We saw the jewelry and the famous mask, they are housed in a separate room with guards present. We saw the four large gold-covered boxes that surrounded the sarcophogus , one fitting inside the other. We saw the throne with the famous picture of Tut and his queen together.
We drove within one block of Shepheard’s Hotel, famous for the many people who stayed in it in the 1800s. I wish I could have seen it but didn’t feel so badly after finding out later that the building burned down years ago and this is a new one. Our lunch was on a moored boat on the Nile. Lovely looking food be we were not able to eat a lot of it because of the unclean water.
We had a Tourist and Antiquities guard on each bus in Egypt. We also had a police car escort when we went sightseeing in Cairo. There were soldiers mounted on camels with machine guns at the pyramids at Giza and Sakkara. Soldiers were visible at all tourist attractions. Egypt did not want a repeat of the massacre that had occurred a few months earlier at Queen Hatshepsut’s monument.
One thought that kept coming to my mind while in Egypt was that I would not like to be a mother of children there, so much poverty and filth. It would be so hard to bring up healthy children. What a blessing to live in our country.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Visit to Valley of the Kings, etc.
That evening we flew to Luxor, the ancient capital of Thebes. The flight was about one hour and fifteen minutes. We didn’t arrive at the hotel and have dinner until after 10:00 p.m. The hotel was the Mercure. Our room was hot, the air conditioning did not go on until about 2:00 a.m. but worked after that We spent two nights there.
The food in Egypt was presented so beautifully but we couldn’t eat the salads because the food is washed in Nile water which is ver contaminated. Because of the Aswan Dam, the river does not run as swiftly as before to cleanse itself. We were told not even to run our fingers in the water if we were riding in a boat. We could only eat cooked food and peeled food. The hotel in Cairo peeled their cucumbers so we could eat them. Once or twice I cut the outside off of the tomatoes and ate them. Our meals were mostly served buffet style and we had a choice of chicken, beef and some lamb which was delicious.
Thursday, July 9, we had breakfast at 7 a.m., our usual time, and took the bus to the Valley of the Kings, crossing the Nile on a new bridge opened just last year. Many people live on the West Bank of the Nile but no one in the area of the Valley of the Kings. We drove through a range of mountains to the valley and it is SO DESOLATE. Not a singe blade of grass or little weed grown there. We were able to visit three tombs, and then the tomb of Tutankhamen. His is the only mummy in the Valley of the Kings. It is encased in one of his three gold coffins, covered with glass. It is very hot and sunny there. No flies or bugs but many pests (vendors). Our guide in Luxor is Refat, very knowledgeable. He can read the hieroglyphics on the walls of the tombs and explained what was written.
After finding that pyramids could not keep out thieves, the pharaohs decided to build tombs, hiding the entrances, in the desolate desert. That didn’t work either. They then decided to place guards in front of their tombs but the guards did the stealing. There is a village perched on the side of the hills that the government wants to move out There is no running water and new modern housing was built for them. They won’t move because at night, illegally, they dig under their houses for old tombs and treasure.
We visited the Ramesseum, the temple of Ramses II. It is a very large complex with a huge statue of Ramses II lying on its side. It is the largest statue of him, made of rose granite.
We also saw the Colossi of Memnon. They really are the statues of Amenophis II, which stood outside a palace, destroyed in the earthquake of 27 b.c.
We drove by the monument of Queen Hatshepsut (we were told to say "Hot-Cheap-Suit" to remember how to say her name. We were not able to visit it; it was the sight of some shootings earlier in the year. It is a very beautiful monument, very different from any other in Egypt. Behind her monument one can see trails going over the mountain to the Valley of the Kings, the only way into the place in olden times. I could see Amelia Peabody trudging over these hills.
That evening we were supposed to take a sail in a felucca on the Nile. The river runs north and the winds blow south so one can usually go in any direction. That day there was no wind. We were pulled out from the bank by two fellows in galabeeyas, the long robes used by men, then one fellow, with rope in hand, hopped on anchored boats and pulled us out into the river. There a diesel-powered boat towed us up the Nile. The boat eventually was towing three sail boats and spewing out black, stinky smoke. After awhile we were turned loose but instead of going downstream with current, the fellows started rowing us towards the shore. I guess if we had just gone with the current we would have passed by our anchorage. When we finally got close to shore, out jumped one man again and started to pull us in towards the bank, again hopping on the anchored pleasure boats. They were anchored because tourism was way down and were not in use. It was quite hilarious watching the man pull the boat to shore. Instead of a sail on the Nile we had a tow on the Nile.
As we drove on the west bank we saw the houses where Lord Carnavron and Howard Carter lived while searching for tombs. In Luxor, we drove past the Winter Palace, a famous hotel, and the Chicago House.
The food in Egypt was presented so beautifully but we couldn’t eat the salads because the food is washed in Nile water which is ver contaminated. Because of the Aswan Dam, the river does not run as swiftly as before to cleanse itself. We were told not even to run our fingers in the water if we were riding in a boat. We could only eat cooked food and peeled food. The hotel in Cairo peeled their cucumbers so we could eat them. Once or twice I cut the outside off of the tomatoes and ate them. Our meals were mostly served buffet style and we had a choice of chicken, beef and some lamb which was delicious.
Thursday, July 9, we had breakfast at 7 a.m., our usual time, and took the bus to the Valley of the Kings, crossing the Nile on a new bridge opened just last year. Many people live on the West Bank of the Nile but no one in the area of the Valley of the Kings. We drove through a range of mountains to the valley and it is SO DESOLATE. Not a singe blade of grass or little weed grown there. We were able to visit three tombs, and then the tomb of Tutankhamen. His is the only mummy in the Valley of the Kings. It is encased in one of his three gold coffins, covered with glass. It is very hot and sunny there. No flies or bugs but many pests (vendors). Our guide in Luxor is Refat, very knowledgeable. He can read the hieroglyphics on the walls of the tombs and explained what was written.
After finding that pyramids could not keep out thieves, the pharaohs decided to build tombs, hiding the entrances, in the desolate desert. That didn’t work either. They then decided to place guards in front of their tombs but the guards did the stealing. There is a village perched on the side of the hills that the government wants to move out There is no running water and new modern housing was built for them. They won’t move because at night, illegally, they dig under their houses for old tombs and treasure.
We visited the Ramesseum, the temple of Ramses II. It is a very large complex with a huge statue of Ramses II lying on its side. It is the largest statue of him, made of rose granite.
We also saw the Colossi of Memnon. They really are the statues of Amenophis II, which stood outside a palace, destroyed in the earthquake of 27 b.c.
We drove by the monument of Queen Hatshepsut (we were told to say "Hot-Cheap-Suit" to remember how to say her name. We were not able to visit it; it was the sight of some shootings earlier in the year. It is a very beautiful monument, very different from any other in Egypt. Behind her monument one can see trails going over the mountain to the Valley of the Kings, the only way into the place in olden times. I could see Amelia Peabody trudging over these hills.
That evening we were supposed to take a sail in a felucca on the Nile. The river runs north and the winds blow south so one can usually go in any direction. That day there was no wind. We were pulled out from the bank by two fellows in galabeeyas, the long robes used by men, then one fellow, with rope in hand, hopped on anchored boats and pulled us out into the river. There a diesel-powered boat towed us up the Nile. The boat eventually was towing three sail boats and spewing out black, stinky smoke. After awhile we were turned loose but instead of going downstream with current, the fellows started rowing us towards the shore. I guess if we had just gone with the current we would have passed by our anchorage. When we finally got close to shore, out jumped one man again and started to pull us in towards the bank, again hopping on the anchored pleasure boats. They were anchored because tourism was way down and were not in use. It was quite hilarious watching the man pull the boat to shore. Instead of a sail on the Nile we had a tow on the Nile.
As we drove on the west bank we saw the houses where Lord Carnavron and Howard Carter lived while searching for tombs. In Luxor, we drove past the Winter Palace, a famous hotel, and the Chicago House.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Pyramids in Egypt
Our first visit was to the site of Memphis, an ancient capital of Egypt. There we saw a huge statue of Ramesis II. We then drove to Saqqara or Sakkara (in Egypt and Israel one finds several different spellings of the same word). There we went into a small pyramid of King Teti, then into a mastaba, a flat-topped tomb, of Mere Ruka, King Teti’s advisor. There were many paintings on the wall.
We then saw the famous step pyramid of King Zoser, built by his architect Imhotep. It was the first pyramid built. We visited a silk rug factory where children and adults were weaving rugs. The children range in age 8 to 12 and work 3 hours per day. We bought a small silk rug and they threw in a tiny rug too. The salesman spoke Spanish which surprised me. I found Spanish-speaking salesmen all through Egypt and Israel. On our tour we had two Spanish-speaking girls, one from Mexico and one from Guatemala. I did a lot of translating for them.
At a lunch at a restaurant, I had to use the restroom. Our guide called them "Temples of Comfort. After I came out of the stall a man came into the area where the wash basins were holding out his hand for his tip! He quite surprised me. Every restroom has an attendant that you have to tip. In some places the attendants tear off 5 or 6 squares of toilet paper and give it to you to use; none in the stall.
After lunch we drove to Giza to see the Great Pyramids. What a sight, so huge! The largest (Cheops) was closed for repairs but I was able to go inside the second largest, built by Cheffren, the son. There are other names for these two pharaohs but these are the ones I know. It was not considered good from to build your pyramid taller than your father’s so Chefren didn’t but he did build it upon a plateau so it actually looks taller. The smallest pyramid of the three was built by a grandson.
To go inside I had to walk bent over for a long distance, walking on a ramps that had little boards across it every foot or so. I had to walk down, then could walk upright for a short distance, then bent over going down again. Then I came to the chamber where the sarcophogus was. It was just a large, empty room with the stone sarcophogus as the only item in it. We then visited the museum that houses the Solar Boat. The guide said it was a mortuary or funeral boat. It was found in pieces right by the Great Pyramid about 20 years ago and was very large and impressive. It took three tries and many years to get it put together.
One of the fun things we did was to ride a camel. Leon’s driver had a turban for him to wear so he looks quite authentic in our pictures. The camels had only one stirrup, to help you get on. It is a funny sensation as the camel gets up in sections. First you go forward as his rump goes up, then you lean backwards and the front part goes up. Interesting.
We drove by the Sphinx. It is huge but not as big as I thought it would be. Most pictures are taken at such an angle that it is made to look almost as big as the pyramids but it isn’t. Right in front of it is a little round park and behind that the city with shops and streets. It surprised me how close they were to it.
We then saw the famous step pyramid of King Zoser, built by his architect Imhotep. It was the first pyramid built. We visited a silk rug factory where children and adults were weaving rugs. The children range in age 8 to 12 and work 3 hours per day. We bought a small silk rug and they threw in a tiny rug too. The salesman spoke Spanish which surprised me. I found Spanish-speaking salesmen all through Egypt and Israel. On our tour we had two Spanish-speaking girls, one from Mexico and one from Guatemala. I did a lot of translating for them.
At a lunch at a restaurant, I had to use the restroom. Our guide called them "Temples of Comfort. After I came out of the stall a man came into the area where the wash basins were holding out his hand for his tip! He quite surprised me. Every restroom has an attendant that you have to tip. In some places the attendants tear off 5 or 6 squares of toilet paper and give it to you to use; none in the stall.
After lunch we drove to Giza to see the Great Pyramids. What a sight, so huge! The largest (Cheops) was closed for repairs but I was able to go inside the second largest, built by Cheffren, the son. There are other names for these two pharaohs but these are the ones I know. It was not considered good from to build your pyramid taller than your father’s so Chefren didn’t but he did build it upon a plateau so it actually looks taller. The smallest pyramid of the three was built by a grandson.
To go inside I had to walk bent over for a long distance, walking on a ramps that had little boards across it every foot or so. I had to walk down, then could walk upright for a short distance, then bent over going down again. Then I came to the chamber where the sarcophogus was. It was just a large, empty room with the stone sarcophogus as the only item in it. We then visited the museum that houses the Solar Boat. The guide said it was a mortuary or funeral boat. It was found in pieces right by the Great Pyramid about 20 years ago and was very large and impressive. It took three tries and many years to get it put together.
One of the fun things we did was to ride a camel. Leon’s driver had a turban for him to wear so he looks quite authentic in our pictures. The camels had only one stirrup, to help you get on. It is a funny sensation as the camel gets up in sections. First you go forward as his rump goes up, then you lean backwards and the front part goes up. Interesting.
We drove by the Sphinx. It is huge but not as big as I thought it would be. Most pictures are taken at such an angle that it is made to look almost as big as the pyramids but it isn’t. Right in front of it is a little round park and behind that the city with shops and streets. It surprised me how close they were to it.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
start of trip to Egypt, 1998
In 1998, it was time for a new roof. We had lots of help but the person who stands out in my memory was Alan H. The day he came to help was very windy and threatened rain so he and Leon were up on the roof trying to put a large, blue tarp over the areas not covered with shingles. The wind blew the tarp around and it was very hard to get it finally down and fastened.
David Barlow was married in June to Elann Romney in the Salt Lake Temple. It is always a pleasure to attend a grandchild’s temple marriage. The reception was held in a chapel near the temple. It is the chapel with a stained glass window depicting the visit of the Father and the Son to Joseph Smith.
A wonderful trip had been planned and finally came to fruition. (I will be quoting from the journal I kept as it is hard to remember all the wonderful things we did and saw) It was a trip to Egypt and the Holy Land hosted by BYU. On Sunday, July 5, we spent the night at Nancy’s in Salt Lake and the next morning Ryan Barlow, who had been staying the summer with her, drove us to the airport. We met BYU travel people there who gave us our tickets and fanny packs. They had already given us two BYU blue carry-on bags. We had two suitcases to check plus the carry-ons.
We flew out at 8:15 a.m. and with a couple of stops, arrived at JFK airport in New York City, where we had a four-hour wait for the 9:50 p.m. flight to Cairo. Several of our fellow travelers knew people I knew. Our travel guide was BYU professor Monte Nyman. It was a very long flight and we arrived in Cairo around 3:30 p.m.
Our Cairo guide was Mohammed and he and the tour bus met us at the airport and drove us to our hotel in Heliopolis, a suburb of Cairo. The city seemed to have many gray cement buildings, lots of them seemed unfinished. Many buildings had windows or shutters trimmed in lavender, blue, orange or green paint. There was a mixture of poverty and wealth, modern cars and little donkey carts.
Our hotel was a SuissOtel called El Salam, very fancy, a nice room but the toilet didn’t flush well. I had to fill a wastebasket with water to flush it. We advised the desk and it was later fixed. We had brought two little bottles of water so we could brush our teeth that night. We knew we would have to buy water every day. The cheapest was buying it from the bus driver. The currency is called pounds and the coins piasters. We soon found we had not brought enough $1 bills. Everything is "One Dollar or Two Dollar" pronounced "dollah".
The breakfast buffet was fabulous! There was a table with breads, cereals, and sweet rolls. A table with jams along side fresh fruit. A table with cold cuts and salads, and a table where you could have eggs fixed any way you wanted. There were potato cakes, beef sausage, crepes, pancakes, orange and sweet lemon juice. What a feast! We could only eat things that you could peel or were cooked, no raw foods.
Every morning on the bus we sang a hymn and had a prayer. I was chosen the music leader so I chose a hymn every morning and led the music. BYU had given us headphones so we could hear Bro. Nyman wherever we were. Such a blessing. Other tour groups we saw didn’t have the headphones and had a hard time hearing their guides, all trying to get close to their guide to hear.
David Barlow was married in June to Elann Romney in the Salt Lake Temple. It is always a pleasure to attend a grandchild’s temple marriage. The reception was held in a chapel near the temple. It is the chapel with a stained glass window depicting the visit of the Father and the Son to Joseph Smith.
A wonderful trip had been planned and finally came to fruition. (I will be quoting from the journal I kept as it is hard to remember all the wonderful things we did and saw) It was a trip to Egypt and the Holy Land hosted by BYU. On Sunday, July 5, we spent the night at Nancy’s in Salt Lake and the next morning Ryan Barlow, who had been staying the summer with her, drove us to the airport. We met BYU travel people there who gave us our tickets and fanny packs. They had already given us two BYU blue carry-on bags. We had two suitcases to check plus the carry-ons.
We flew out at 8:15 a.m. and with a couple of stops, arrived at JFK airport in New York City, where we had a four-hour wait for the 9:50 p.m. flight to Cairo. Several of our fellow travelers knew people I knew. Our travel guide was BYU professor Monte Nyman. It was a very long flight and we arrived in Cairo around 3:30 p.m.
Our Cairo guide was Mohammed and he and the tour bus met us at the airport and drove us to our hotel in Heliopolis, a suburb of Cairo. The city seemed to have many gray cement buildings, lots of them seemed unfinished. Many buildings had windows or shutters trimmed in lavender, blue, orange or green paint. There was a mixture of poverty and wealth, modern cars and little donkey carts.
Our hotel was a SuissOtel called El Salam, very fancy, a nice room but the toilet didn’t flush well. I had to fill a wastebasket with water to flush it. We advised the desk and it was later fixed. We had brought two little bottles of water so we could brush our teeth that night. We knew we would have to buy water every day. The cheapest was buying it from the bus driver. The currency is called pounds and the coins piasters. We soon found we had not brought enough $1 bills. Everything is "One Dollar or Two Dollar" pronounced "dollah".
The breakfast buffet was fabulous! There was a table with breads, cereals, and sweet rolls. A table with jams along side fresh fruit. A table with cold cuts and salads, and a table where you could have eggs fixed any way you wanted. There were potato cakes, beef sausage, crepes, pancakes, orange and sweet lemon juice. What a feast! We could only eat things that you could peel or were cooked, no raw foods.
Every morning on the bus we sang a hymn and had a prayer. I was chosen the music leader so I chose a hymn every morning and led the music. BYU had given us headphones so we could hear Bro. Nyman wherever we were. Such a blessing. Other tour groups we saw didn’t have the headphones and had a hard time hearing their guides, all trying to get close to their guide to hear.
Monday, November 2, 2009
July 1997 trip back east
Time for another fabulous trip. In July 1997, we first went to the Romriells in Austin. We love visiting all of them and had fun enjoying their wonderful swimming pool. It is always like being at a resort to visit there. We headed east and visited the Shiloh Tennessee Civil War battlefield. We were given head phones so we could listen to all the information about the various places. we saw as we drove around the battlefield. We saw Pittsburgh Landing and the Shiloh church, they were prominent in that terrible battle. The first day, the South prevailed, the second day, the Union carried the battle.
We then went to Nashville, or rather White House, to visit Rob and Erika and family. The kids are really growing up. Rob gave us a tour of Starstruck, Reba’s publishing company. We then proceeded north, with Rob giving Leon a ride in a big semi-truck that he drives; I followed behind. After a few miles, we said goodbye to Rob and continued on into Kentucky.
We stopped at the Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green, KY and watched them build the cars. It was most interesting to see the cars roll off the assembly line, all ready to go. We also drove by the United States Bullion Depository Fort Knox Kentucky. That’s its official name. One can only look at the building from afar off. No samples!
In Fort Knox is the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor. That was really interesting. Lots of different models of tanks, from very early models to huge modern ones. Also, lots of memorabilia of Gen George Patton, including his car and lots of pictures. Kentucky is so green, a beautiful state to drive through.
We continued on and arrived in St Louis, or Creve Coeur, where Mark and Sharon live Their three children had also really grown a lot. We were able to attend a session at the St. Louis Temple with Mark and Sharon. Then they, and their kids took us to Grant’s Farm. It used to belong to Gen. U.S. Grant and is now owned by Budweiser and has a huge Clydesdale breeding farm. There were other animals also, but the horses were what was so special. It was so fun seeing those beautiful horses. Then back home. Mom came back to live with us and we continued enjoying living in Mt. Pleasant.
We then went to Nashville, or rather White House, to visit Rob and Erika and family. The kids are really growing up. Rob gave us a tour of Starstruck, Reba’s publishing company. We then proceeded north, with Rob giving Leon a ride in a big semi-truck that he drives; I followed behind. After a few miles, we said goodbye to Rob and continued on into Kentucky.
We stopped at the Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green, KY and watched them build the cars. It was most interesting to see the cars roll off the assembly line, all ready to go. We also drove by the United States Bullion Depository Fort Knox Kentucky. That’s its official name. One can only look at the building from afar off. No samples!
In Fort Knox is the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor. That was really interesting. Lots of different models of tanks, from very early models to huge modern ones. Also, lots of memorabilia of Gen George Patton, including his car and lots of pictures. Kentucky is so green, a beautiful state to drive through.
We continued on and arrived in St Louis, or Creve Coeur, where Mark and Sharon live Their three children had also really grown a lot. We were able to attend a session at the St. Louis Temple with Mark and Sharon. Then they, and their kids took us to Grant’s Farm. It used to belong to Gen. U.S. Grant and is now owned by Budweiser and has a huge Clydesdale breeding farm. There were other animals also, but the horses were what was so special. It was so fun seeing those beautiful horses. Then back home. Mom came back to live with us and we continued enjoying living in Mt. Pleasant.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
heart attack, 1997
On April 7, our anniversary, we were in Provo and took Nancy and her kids and Doug and some of his kids to dinner. That was a Monday. When I went to bed that night I had a funny feeling in my chest, like bubbles going up. Had little pains off and on during the night and morning but nothing in the afternoon but had another pain that night. Leon thought I should go to the doctor so I did see Dr. Speakman on Wednesday. He took some blood tests and an MRI, I think, I’m not sure just what it was. He told me I should go to the hospital in Provo and see a Dr. Asay. I packed a bag just to be sure but felt fine. Of course, Leon and Mom came with me.
When I went to admissions they put me right to bed; I thought I would see the doctor first. But no, they took me to an operating room and Leon and Mom were with me in the room, which surprised me. That’s when I first saw the doctor. A catheter was inserted in my ankle and I could see on a monitor my heart and all the little veins which were moving about. It was funny to see that. I didn’t feel anything. I had an angioplasty to clear one of my veins, or arteries that was clogged, which caused my heart attack It was called a myocardial infarction. I have never felt so well in a hospital. I was hooked up to a solution dripping in my vein but could get out of bed, pulling the stand that held the bag with the solution, and go to the bathroom. On Friday, I was able to go home. Mom went to either Mary or Carol for a month or so while I recuperated. Have done very well ever since.
In July, we had our last Honey band play in the 4th of July parade. This is the list of people and the instruments they played. Melissa: flute; Leon, Sylvia: clarinet; Brent: trumpet; Doug: baritone; Chris: tuba; Ron Barlow: banjo; Alan: snare drum, Peggy: bass drum; Daniel, Lauren, Sam: percussion. Mark drove the truck that pulled the flat bed and Sharon, Tricia H and Nancy rode in the back of the pickup with the grandkids. It was a fun experience. We then went to the Barlows for a delicious meal.
When I went to admissions they put me right to bed; I thought I would see the doctor first. But no, they took me to an operating room and Leon and Mom were with me in the room, which surprised me. That’s when I first saw the doctor. A catheter was inserted in my ankle and I could see on a monitor my heart and all the little veins which were moving about. It was funny to see that. I didn’t feel anything. I had an angioplasty to clear one of my veins, or arteries that was clogged, which caused my heart attack It was called a myocardial infarction. I have never felt so well in a hospital. I was hooked up to a solution dripping in my vein but could get out of bed, pulling the stand that held the bag with the solution, and go to the bathroom. On Friday, I was able to go home. Mom went to either Mary or Carol for a month or so while I recuperated. Have done very well ever since.
In July, we had our last Honey band play in the 4th of July parade. This is the list of people and the instruments they played. Melissa: flute; Leon, Sylvia: clarinet; Brent: trumpet; Doug: baritone; Chris: tuba; Ron Barlow: banjo; Alan: snare drum, Peggy: bass drum; Daniel, Lauren, Sam: percussion. Mark drove the truck that pulled the flat bed and Sharon, Tricia H and Nancy rode in the back of the pickup with the grandkids. It was a fun experience. We then went to the Barlows for a delicious meal.
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