More Middle East Memories

We received an email today from Patti, a woman from Ottawa whom we befriended during last year's tour of Egypt and Jordan. At the time Patti was on leave from the front line in Afghanistan, where she was serving with the Canadian Armed Forces. She's sent us some fantastic photos from our Middle Eastern tour. They've revived a host of memories.

The first photo shows me on a donkey in the Valley of the Kings, chatting with Mum and Dad in New Zealand. This is a great companion for the image I've already posted of Garry on a donkey. The shirt I'm wearing is a $5 find that keeps me clothed for the first four days of our Egyptian tour. You'll recall that our luggage went missing when we flew into Cairo.

The photo below was taken at a Nubian costume party held during our Nile River Cruise. The Nubians are a race of people displaced by the rising waters of Lake Nassar. Garry and I are wearing a traditional Galabeya robe (Arabic: الجلابية), enjoying a traditional meal. We bought our outfits from the local market outside Edfu Temple.

This photo was taken in Egypt outside the local fez hat maker's shop. We were shown the tools of the trade inside including the steam press used to shape the felt into its familiar shape.

Finally, a few memories from the Dead Sea. The first image shows me holding a salt rock I've lifted from the seabed. This is a rock made of pure salt crystals which have precipitated out of the water. Entire reefs of these rocks littered the ground underfoot. They weigh a ton and are covered in sharp edges. Salt crystals make a rather nasty rock. The second image shows me giving Garry a natural mud bath. It's guaranteed to leave you with a perfect complexion.

Finally, the photo below shows how you literally float on top of the Dead Sea thanks to its high salt concentration. I'm on the left, Garry's on the right.