Cheating God with the sun.

This may be a mute issue for some or even most, but the time in Egypt (as in the national clock) needs serious help...it feels out of whack with the rest of the world.

The first call to prayer is about 4 am and the sun comes up at 5 am. Egyptians are nocturnal people so the call to prayer and sunrise is about mid-sleep for them. This doesn't make sense. The sun is up almost 2 hours after we awake and this seems like part of the day is already gone. There will be no day light savings this year...there was day light savings last year; in fact twice to accommodate for the holy month of Ramadan...this seemed like cheating to me...to change the clock so that sunset occurs earlier. Some of my students sleep all day they wake up an hour or two before sunset...this is definitely trying to pull one over on Allah. Hey, the rules say "nothing can touch the mouth during the sun light hours" so technically they are fasting while sleeping. 

I'm sure several Muslims would move south of the equator during Ramadan if they could.  

Where are the cats?

This is a trick question as we are no longer in Egypt. It is Samana Santa (Holy Week) and we weighed our options.
A) Stay in Alex at school and save a couple of bucks.
B) Rent villa on the North Coast and spend a couple of bucks.
C) Fly to Abu Dhabi to see a friend and explore a new city and spend quite a few bucks.
D) Go to where there are no visible cats.

To set the record straight, I don't dislike cats though I find some more amusing than others. Ana on the other hand dislikes anything with fur (except me).

We, meaning I had a spiritual Egyptian crisis last week...maybe the past month or two. I had a meeting with our boss and told him I didn't want to come back to Alex. If you are on the international circuit this is a typical April passage. We chatted for awhile in addition to several conversations with Ana as she tends to be more grounded and less impulsive than me. So I told my friend Mo that we wouldn't be coming to visit her in Abu Dhabi as we didn't know our future. We opted Plan C for some sun in the fun with a group of friends. Well, most of the group dropped out and wanted to head to Siwa Oasis (near the Libyan border); who can blame them-it is a pretty impressive place if you haven't been. Plan A, B, and C failed (truth be told, Plan A was never really an option) and there was only one logical thing to do.

Our 10 Euro lunch from the supermarket.  

To be continued...

Bangkok revisited

As fate would have it, another spring break meant another trip to Bangkok, however this time the stakes were a little higher and the pressure was on. I was invited to present a workshop on art education at the NESA conference (Near East South Asia Council of Overseas School). I wasn't in the position to complain considering that the school put us up in five star hotel-at least during the conference. For the first few days the weather was behaving by Thailand standards...a little rain mixed with a cool spell made for a tolerable arrival. Our first leg of our journey would be spent at the Shanghai Mansion Hotel in China Town...a tried true favorite.
    

The room Shanghai Boutique Hotel rivals most. If you wanted a bowl of live fish in your room from the pond in the atrium, your wish was their command.  

The shower even had a birdcage with stuffed birds. Just a suggestion to all of you looking to remodel your shower. 

We were situated on the fifth floor and the view to the atrium with filled with lamps. See fish pond below.  

 The Shanghai Mansion is stalker friendly-they let everyone know you're a guest. 

After the Shanghai Mansion we were moved to the less impressive Shangri-La, at least we had a view of the Chao Phraya River plus...  

the fruit of the day (with guide to let you know what you're getting yourself into).

Dragon fruit-the breakfast of champions.  

We got into plenty of trouble in Bangkok...from Mexican food to German food to cheap (legit) massages...as our main mode of transport was the fast and friendly taxi service. Our diver pictured above collected currency from around the world. 

Nothing adds bling to your taxi ride like an axis of evil Iranian rial.  

This trip we skipped the Buddhist Wats in place of a superficial shopping experience. Did we buy anything...not really. We hit the massive weekend market, Pat Pong (sans the ping pong shows), Khao San Road (backpacker central) along with the River City shopping complex next to the conference hotel.  

River City had a kite exhibit... 

...and art 

I know, your favorite sculpture-googly eye sculpture is soo cutting edge.

Typical but fun. 

Preppy. 

At a loss for what to do with all those washers you've collected over the years?   

Proof that I actually presented aka resume builder. 

We had two free days after the conference and we wanted to make the most of it. Koh Chang (Elephant Island) was calling our name. Seven of us rented a van and made our way 7 hours south east toward Russian tourist territory. The above photo was taken at a stop along the way. The store was bilingual and sold Thai Herb-just add vodka and wait one week. This looked vaguely familiar to the Lao wine I consumed last year...the only benefit I remember was waking up with a splitting headache.  

To get to Koh Chang meant taking a 30 minute ferry ride. 

That is our van. 

We booked two night at the Nirvana Resort. Sadly to say Kurt Cobain left the building.  

but we did see dead snakes... 

and monkeys (need a wake-up call? no problem-monkeys on your roof and deck at the break of dawn was one of the perks at Nirvana). Additionally you plenty of water options from the natural water pool, to the salt pool, to the massive bathtub, to the bay, and the ocean. 

Let's not forget to mention the fancy chairs... 

and doors. 

The island was too much so we opted for a day excursion to the rustic Koh Wai (Paradise Island)-a 20 minute speedboat or 50-minute slow boat ride.  

The water at Koh Wai was pristine. Our boat trip included snorkeling gear and barf bags. 

You can rent a hut for a few dollars a night-but your neighbors will most likely be drunken Russians. On the two islands we visited there where signs in Russian stating that any disruptive behavior would result in a $10,000 fine plus deportation, now that is service! 

The dock at Koh Wai we pulled into.

Nope, it wasn't abandoned, the fishing boat was fully operational. 

Artist rendition of your new favorite Thai restaurant. 

Koh Chang had pigs as Scary Carrie demonstrates. Our "resort" was located on the southern end of the island which meant a 45 minute bus ride from hell on windy roads intentionally designed to make you to lose your lunch. The nearest village to our accommodation was Bang Bao; think-village on a long pier. Of course in keeping in Thai fashion a 7-11 was thrown in the mix. 

The Thai culture isn't immune from a pissing Calvin. 

The suburbs of Bang Bao. 

One of the two massage centers at Nirvana Resort. 

We may all look happy on the outside, but our hearts were filled with sadness as we closed our stay at Koh Chang with a farewell meal. 

Tijuana Art, Skinheads, and The Holy Land (Jordan)

In the final installment of out-of-sequence posts this entry will evaluate our evacuation to San Diego and the journey back to Egypt via Denver and Jordan.

The myth is that several of our co-workers in Egypt thought our evacuation back to the states to be with our families was a vacation. Would I be a party pooper if I opted to disagree? Jetlag is a bitch. Living out of a suitcase and sleeping on a couch isn't far behind. The worst part was worrying about friends and students back in Alex and the uncertainty of our future as the country was and is still stuck in limbo.

San Diego during the day consisted of being glued to the computer setting up our on-line classrooms. Ana and I did do a little public speaking tour about our experience and thoughts on the Egyptian revolution at our former schools. It was nice to see so many familiar faces up in the PQ; many former students asked me if I remembered their names. The bonus happy hour with former colleagues was pretty swell. At Chula Vista High we spoke to the zero period class-think teenagers at 6:30 am. We were thankful to be given the opportunity to share our stories with as many people as we did.

Turning 42 in San Diego beat the hell out of turning 41 in Kuwait City. We also celebrated Chikle and Selina's "little man's" second birthday. It was a successful evening if we stayed awake past 9 pm.

OB is a beach bum's haven. Very local. I wanted to see the sunset for my birthday. FYI OB has the longest pier on the west coast...spent many years here catching waves after work.

Most gringos avoid Tijuana these days thanks to the drug violence. The once famous Revolution Avenue teaming with drunk and drugged out American kids taking pictures on donkeys with painted zebra stripes is a fading memory. Revolution is where the Tijuanenses go for culture and a night on the town, in essence they reclaimed it and made it their own once the tourists left.  

    

Live music pours out of bars and clubs off of 6th and the vibrant art scene loaded with galleries sits along an alley between Revolution and Constitution and 2nd and 3rd. 

 

PRAD Pasaje Rodriguez has a big opening every first Friday of the month. The district is loaded with galleries, bookshops, record stores, and boutiques. To learn more click here 

The four images above are from a mural in one of the spaces. The evening showcased a diverse range of Art from visual to performance.

Ana's cousin and I suppose mi prima también had her first solo exhibition. We are big fans Mayuko's work and it was special treat to be there for her opening. Her stencils were a hit. Let's just hope she didn't sell the piece we wanted...oye prima, there's a wall waiting for it here in Alex. 

You can't get tacos al vapor in Alexandria...Ana and Little Esther chowing away.

The night was young.

I like installations, but sadly they are usually in a controlled environment such as a gallery. I think some would be more effective in unexpected public spaces like a mall in Doha or Dubai perhaps next to a Starbucks.

There was even a good smelling print shop. You know what I mean if you've ever sniffed a real press.

Images along a wall

A seig heiling Hitler telling you NO SMOKING in 5 different languages.

Another gallery shot.

Installation

Art along the walls. I promised myself to spend some time in TJ this summer, maybe rent a room for a couple of days and make some art. This was one city's culture we missed.

A short jaunt over to Denver was also on the agenda. We took my dad out to a microbrewery and he ordered a bottle of Bud Light, you can't miss with the tried and true. On our last night America's original oi/skinhead band Iron Cross from Washington DC made a stop at the 3 Kings Tavern...and please don't get the idea that the band espouses racist politics...they've evolved beyond that. I met up with my buddy Matt and saw several familiar faces like The Piccoli Brothers, Drunken Pam, and of course Jill "Razer"! Somehow Jill always finds herself taking on promoter and merch duties or in this case modeling soccer scarves.

The 3 Kings' Toilet has seen better flushes.

Sab Grey still belting out skinhead athems.

If you had these many tattoos in Egypt you'd have a long string of curious followers calling out at you. The next morning we woke up and were carted off to the airport; Chicago bound for a layover. We met up with most of the other evacuated teachers. Destination Amman, Jordan. The Palestinian man I sat next to was in search for his fourth wife. He has one in Palestine, Lebanon, China (where he currently lives) and courting one in the states. "No thank you" I told him "one is enough for me."

    

We had never been to Jordan and since we had an overnight layover we tacked on an additional day for some sightseeing. The folks at the Arab Tower Hotel in the non-glamorous city's center really pour on the hospitality. We set up a half-day tour that would take us to several Biblical sights and the Dead Sea. 

   

This might explain the ineffectiveness of the Jordanian Air Force

Afternoon traffic.

Mount Nebo provides a panoramic view of the Promised Land as there is a map pointing to the Biblical sites of Jericho, Jerusalem, The Dead Sea, and the River Jordan. God buried the prophet Moses here and yet the whereabouts of his tomb still remains a mystery. The large number of tour buses and vans illustrated the importance of this Christian pilgrimage site.

A view from Mount Nebo.

On the back of the memorial to Moses

Bethany is an area along the River Jordan that has been recently developed now that Jordan and Palestine have agreed to behave. In order to see the site you are only allowed entrance on a minibus as the area is still considered a militarized zone. Besides you don’t want to accidently step on an unexploded cluster bomb. Above is the spring and church of John the Baptist.

The new Orthodox Church alongside the River Jordan

Murals on the walls inside the church.

ditto

A look over the wall into occupied Palestine.

An Israeli soldier protecting a woman and her yogurt across from us at the River Jordan. The soldiers on both sides looked pretty serious. The land grabbing and God business has sure costs a lot of lives.

I hear you, it does look more like a creek...don't wander off the trails as there are still many unexploded ordinances lurking in the bushes.  

The Dead Sea was our final stop.

No, not a Jordanian Minstrel Show but more like a Dead Sea's right of passage…getting in black mud goes back to the Bible. Apply, wait 15 minutes, go into the water and wash it off.

This isn't the Sea of Galilee but you can almost walk on the water...at the very least float pretty well thanks to the density of salt. The water on your skin feels like turpentine...it doesn't really dry. In fact it feels pretty damn weird. A word to the wise, avoid finger and water to the eyes or you'll be in for a world of pain. The pair of people we traveled with from the hotel mentioned a recent drowning at the Dead Sea...face down floating will get you every time.

It would be like visiting the Guinness factory and not having a beer...I was there, the black mud was there, my defense was that it was destiny.

A block from our hotel in Amman was the Roman Amphitheater...we didn't go in.

Beautiful and scenic Amman is home to bootleg DVD shops, outdoor vendors selling ski masks (the kind that hides your identity), and Al Pasha (Turkish bath house). Sadly we missed Petra, next time.