Very early Sunday morning 15 February Hassan, a colleague of his and I start out on the drive to Luxor. It will take us about 6 or 7 hours and we will be traveling on the new “military road”. To make sure we will not be stopped at check points I am covering my hair with a scarf. No tourists travel this road, but it is the fastest way from Cairo to Luxor.
Once we leave Cairo the road becomes almost deserted and the landscape desolate and stark with a beauty all its own.
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| Textures & Patterns In The Landscape |
We are ripping along at 140K per hour (about 90 miles per) and I am dozing in the back when I hear a huge BANG. Jolting awake I ask what caused that noise. Hassan eases the car to the side of the road unsure what is going on.
As the car rolls to a stop the steam begins to rise from under the hood. The radiator has “exploded” Hassan tells me. He waits until it calms down then opens the hood. Indeed the radiator has “exploded” the bottom has fallen out. Hassan and his friend begin pouring water into the overflow, I guess. I really can’t see what they are doing. After a bit, Hassan gets in the car and starts backing up the highway. I ask what he is doing and he says “backing up” Duh!!! Why? I ask. He says the exit to El Minya is just back up the road. He takes the exit and coasts to a stop at the curb by a gas station. Hooray! We have toilets, water and food, if we need.
Hassan then leaves us, walks up the road to get a ride into El Minya in hopes of finding a garage with the part and a mechanic to bring back and fix the car. I have every faith he will and he does!!! With the magic of technology, he is able to call his brother-in-law to search for a garage, find the part and tell Hassan where it is. As he told his brother-in-law “you have saved me”.
The beauty of it all is this: we were 15 minutes later leaving than Hassan wanted to be, BUT if we had left on time and were 15 minutes more up the road from where the radiator blew we would have been at least 100K in either direction from help. This is why I have taken the philosophy just “go with the flow” because there is a reason for all things. We may not ever know the reason, but many times it is revealed to us like Sunday when Allah/ God/ Source took care of us. We were giving thanks, I can tell you that.
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| Tomb Scenes With Nut On The Ceiling |
The apartment I rented is great!!! He had three in the same building from which to choose and I chose the one with the walls with painted scenes copied from various tombs. What “sold” me was that the ceiling of the main bedroom was painted with one of my favorite scenes found in the tombs. It is of the Goddess Nut stretched across the star studded sky where she swallows the sun each night then it makes its way through her body until she births it each day.
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| Nut As It Is Found In A Tomb |
The supermarket at the corner has all I need to make breakfast each day. I spend Monday walking around, getting credit for my phone, doing laundry and getting settled in for the week I’ll spend here. Tomorrow Ahmed’s wife Calcum will come to the apartment and I will go back to hers with her to visit, spend the day and probably evening so I can see the children.
As a dear friend of mines says “Life is Good” and it is.
Much Love to You All,
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