link didn't work?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/world/middleeast/01cairo.html?ex=1330491600&en=c45627804669ee3d&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

so for some reason that didn't work before. Saturday I went on a camel ride at the pyramids. I love camels, especially their feet. yalla yalla ya gamal. That is what I had to say to it, to make it go. but it still didn't go.
So I feel like I'm failing at giving any sort of multiple perspectives on being here. I guess it's harder to write about certain things, I'm not so sure about all of this internet opentotheworld ness.
Anyways, what else. Friday, I went with my friends Kathryn, Maddie and Ona to Ismailiya, a smaller city (well ok any city will be smaller than cairo) on the Suez canal. It was a really nice trip, getting out of Cairo for the day, and seeing another part of Egypt where we were the only foreigners around. We arrived right smackin the middle of noon prayers, so had a funny journey from bus station,where we were the complete focus of attention, with numerous young boys yelling numerous lewd things to downtown, where there was no one at all anywhere. We did find a restaurant that was open though, and had some beetza, v. egyptian, i know.
By the way a note on Cab drivers in Ismailiya, they are sooo nice. No marriage proposals, no attempts to overcharge foreigners, in fact TWO out of the three cabs we had while we were there didn't want to let us pay at all. Which was... not quite how things are here.
So Ismailiya is where the Suez Canal authority is located. It was laid out by the british, and if full of large fancy houses related to the administration of the canal. We went to the Ismailiya museum, which is completely unrelated to the canal. My favorite things were the tiny heart shaped amulets (like real heart-shaped), and the mosaic which told the story of Phedra and Hippolyte- I guess she tried to send him a love letter, and he wasn't having it, so she tried to have him killed... a little fuzzy on my mythology, but there were frolicking centaurs so i liked it. Oh I also liked the spones and pines (spoons and pins... tehee).
Ismailiya was a really good place to develop a happier, more wholesome image of egyptian families. There were families sitting in the park, kids playing soccer (and field hockey... ?), picknicking on the beach (of lake timsah). Basically the things that are hard to see in the city, unless you go to the suburbs, which I don't. there's a lot more I have to say about kids, and pollution and taxis and everything, but I'm going to go get some free food instead.

today

I'm sick in the eyes.
I ate a french fry sandwich for breakfast/lunch.
I feel like I can understand 50% of what is going on around me most of the time. mostly because people say the same things a lot, but still...
I saw the eclipse too, one night.

getting closer to libya

This is an article that gives a good idea of what kind of city Cairo is:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/world/middleeast/01cairo.html?ex=1330491600&en=c45627804669ee3d&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

So after a moment of panic, when I realized that I had been in Cairo a month, and hadn't done anything I got the chance to leave cairo. we went to the white desert, which is pretty much the most absurd place I've ever been. The landscape is so strange, these weird chalky formations that they call mushrooms. Riding around the desert and looking out looked to me the same as looking out the window of a plane at the clouds when you are right in the middle of them, like if you could just sit in the middle of clouds and look out at the tops of them. I stole some pics from Camille, and will steal more from Meredith when I get the chance. breakfast
Alex
Camille
me, Alex, Camille, Meredith