Am I ready for Egypt?

So rich and delicious....

I love camels!!! They have this look that in a sly mischievous way says  -  "I know something that you don't and I'm not telling". So contented - they are the Keith Richards of the dessert .... so cool and just taking it as it comes baby. I'm sure I'll have more to say about camels after the trip as I intend to ride a camel to Giza and have a dessert camping experience on one these wonderful 4 legged marvels of modern an ancient transport. In some places in the world this is the only way to get from A - B. Remarkable.....

So the hottest time (mid-40's) to visit Egypt is August but I think my South Sudan and Northern Kenya trips have prepared me well for operating in extreme heat. I'll be in Cairo this time next week and should have many of the sites to myself or at least with very few travelers.

I love the idea of the valley of the Kings first thing in the morning or the top of Mount Sinai at the very end of the day. Sun setting toward my home and at the same time glittering off the Red Sea in the distance.

I've spent the last 6 weeks studying what is a far more involved undertaking than I expected.  Yikes!!!!! My goodness what a complicated history..... though it is the birthplace of civilization....... Well - I fully intend to acquaint myself with it over the coming 15 days and report back. The trip will take me from Cairo all the way south to Abu Simbel, back through Aswan and Luxor to Alexandria before Sinai, the Red Sea and Jordan.... Ambitious? Yea...but you only live once I hear....

 Eiiiiiich Cholera again

 

A quick note on MSF Kenya supply unit. The days are mostly about dotting i's and crossing t's until something serious happens in the region. The KSU team then springs into action. On Friday we got a call at 3:30pm to help with a cholera intervention in Dadaab (300,000 Somalian refugees roughly 400 kms away). It hasn't even hit the news as we load the truck so that by Sunday our field team can attend to those infected. As I write this I suspect we are unloading and continuing the work of dealing with the folks suffering from this nasty intestinal infection. Left untreated 25 - 50% will die. It's particularly tough on older, younger or those with an already compromised immune system. Fortunately a speedy response from dedicated people will mean lives will be saved and those suffering will be made more comfortable.

My role is more ceremonial than practical I'm sorry to say but my hat is off to the team I get to work with and those coordinating the intervention from the field and elsewhere. It's quite a machine :)

And a last word on this tree tomato I have come across....just awesome in a salad....like a lemony Tomato rich in color and flavor. I love that at 53 I still stumble upon things so well know to others and a complete mystery to me. Life is grand!!!

 Thanks for reading - Layno