N is for Nile

After our East African safari a few years, we flew up to Egypt for a week. We had chosen July to visit Kenya as it is winter in the southern hemisphere. The weather was balmy and beautiful without getting excessively hot.

Had we been thinking straight, we would have realized that going to Egypt at that same time - the height of summer in the Northern Hemisphere - was a dreadful idea for someone like myself who dislikes the heat. With temperatures hitting well over  40 degrees Celsius, and higher again in places like the Valley of the Kings, I was barely functional.

            In spite of the discomfort, Egypt captivated me. How could it not?

Flying from Nairobi to Cairo, we arranged a sleeper train to take us  to Aswan. After a quick flight to Abu Simbel, we boarded our small boat for the cruise to Luxor. 

Of the 82 million people who call Egypt home, the vast majority of them live along the banks of the River Nile, where the country's only arable land is to be found.

 This verdant strip covers 40,000 square kilometres, rising south of the Equator and flowing through northeastern Africa to drain into the Mediterranean Sea.

The family goats 

are nimble at 

making their 

way along the 

walls.

Many boats sail the river daily, shepherding goods and tourists from place to place.

The traditional wooden felucca is to be seen all along the length of the Nile.

As we slowly cruised the river, life on the banks went on as usual: craftsmen plied their trade, cattle went to market, women washed clothing at the river, and children played noisily along the water's edge, their joyful laughter the soundtrack for a voyage I will not soon forget. 

Entrance to the Valley of the Kings

I am linking today's post to the wonderful ABC Wednesday même.

Drop by to see more takes on the letter 'N'...

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.ca/

E is for Enjoyment

In the overall scheme of things, our human lives are brief...mere blips in a universe that has existed for more millennia than we can even conceive. 

By dint of this brevity, I believe we owe it to ourselves, and our world, to enjoy life to the fullest and give back to it the very best of us.

Of course, we know life is also hard. Pain and misfortune befall us all and enjoyment is sometimes far removed from the picture. I have had my share of those times this year...

 But think...even in the midst of tribulation, have you not appreciated a steady arm around you when you needed it most...a quick nod of empathy from someone who cares, and the sweetness of encouraging words from a friend?

Embrace fully that depth of sharing, should you be blessed to have it offered.

Enjoyment is not limited to the grand things we dream of and plan for. 

I have marvelled at a hot-air balloon ride
over the Serengeti...




gazed with wonder at the majestic temples of Egypt...



and watched breathlessly as waves crashed wildly against the Giant's Causeway on Ireland's northern coast.

Undeniable pleasures, yes, but enjoyment is abundant in the everyday. 

The sight of a squirrel lolling comfortably on my porch railing.....

my sweet cat whiling away the afternoon in a tree,

and the camera that's never far away from my hands.

Small pleasures abound. I have bubbles to blow, a garden to tend,

  

and the continuing support of a blogging community that offers me encouragement and inspiration.

On the bluest of days, I can still count my blessings and take comfort in knowing the bad times will pass.

Let's celebrate our lives as the treasures they truly are.

Let's make our time here special, remembering to reach out and share that enjoyment with those we love...:)


I'm linking this post to ABC Wednesdays, a fun même you should check out if you haven't yet done so...

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.ca/

Egyptian Reflections

The Nile River has been the source of life for Egyptians since ancient times. Until the Aswan Dam was built in the nineteen-sixties, only four per cent of Egypt was cultivated. More of the land has since been reclaimed, but now that same dam holds back the rich silt that fed the land for centuries, and farmers must use fertilizers they can ill afford to buy

A great many of the country’s inhabitants live and work on the narrow strip of fertile land on either side of this river that flows four thousand miles from its source in East Africa to empty into the Mediterranean Sea.

For these people, life is hard, with few modern amenities, or machines to assist in cultivation. To see how tightly the vast desert presses up against the river, is to understand the fragile nature of their simple lives, carved out from the riverbanks, one small plot at a time.

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Traveling From Aswan to Cairo on the Nile becomes a trip back in time. Life seems little changed from years past. Graceful feluccas glide beside simple fishing boats; children frolic at water’s edge as children always will, and the family animals are at home drinking deeply of these life-giving waters.

It is easy, here, to imagine oneself at another point in time….

Egypt is renowned worldwide for its many ancient monuments, but what impressed me most about the country was the tenacity and ingenuity of its hardy inhabitants who have made their home in this stark and often inhospitable land. I offer them my praise and my admiration…

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I'm linking this post to the wonderful Weekend Reflections meme, hosted admirably by James at Newton Daily Photo. To see reflections from around the world, just click on the link below...

http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com/
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Sacred Stone

Carved in sacred stone

upon temples of the Nile,

the history of Kings.

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I've just discovered a new haiku meme! When I saw that the prompt word for today was 'sacred', I immediately thought of Egypt.
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For more haiku, may I suggest you stop by
Haiku Heights at the following link...

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http://haiku-heights.blogspot.com/

Egyptian Shadows

As my last post was of Egyptian skies, I thought to continue with more of this country's beauty for Shadow Shot Sunday.

There is a wonderful luminosity to the light in Egypt as it reflects off handhewn columns and ripples over sand underfoot. Everthing the sun touches here turns golden, contrasting sharply with the dim inner spaces that sunlight doesn't reach.

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Ancient temples are this photographers's dream, affording perfect studies in sun and shadow...

light against dark.

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The Temple of Horus at Edfu

I became fascinated by patterns formed as sunlight struck the ornate pillars and swept across deeply etched hieroglyphic images.
Kom Ombo Temple, Aswan

Moving along pillared halls was like walking with giants. I marvelled at the height and breadth of the columns, each one precisely carved by the master craftsmen who built these temples many centuries ago.
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Karnak Temple, Luxor

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Kom Ombo Temple, Aswan

As if the decorated columns were not sufficiently beautiful, they are topped by magnificent capitols,carved into breathtaking swirls and flourishes.
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These temples were once painted in brilliant royal hues of blue and red. Occasionally, one lifts one's eyes to spot a majestic falcon on an archway overhead, wings spread wide to protect his pharaoh, feathers still bearing traces of the blazing turquoise and gold that once made it soar.

How astounding it is to stand in these decorated halls built for the glorification of kings and gods!

Hypostyle Hall,

Temple of Luxor,

Luxor

Medinet Habu,

Mortuary Temple of Ramses III,

Luxor

Time and pollution have faded the brilliant colurs and worn gouges into the sandstone, but nothing will ever completerly diminish the magic or the magnificence of Ancient Egypt's treasures...

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Many thanks to 'Hey, Harriet' for hosting this Sunday event! To see more, do drop by her page at...
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http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/
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