July-August, Cairo, Living in Cairo

I am in a place called Zalmalek which looks like an island on the map, bit like Manhattan island (geographically) for want of another example.  I have been slightly off colour since India but on the whole I am pretty good.  I finally had a 12 hour sleep 3 days after I arrived.  I have been taking it slow. Manary has kindly invited me out to meet friends, we also go to the local internet café which is next to the Nile.  I also met some friends at an art gallery who are putting on a children’s exhibition Tuesday night.  I am invited to clown around and workshop with the children.  So am looking forward to it.

Yesterday (Sunday) I finally felt up to going out and seeing the pyramids.  My friend Manary was on her way to work but she showed me the metro.  I was not 100% sure but experience does kick in as I’ve been in so many train stations around the world.  I find people always helpful.  I had to get to the station at Giza but was told to change at the next one Nasser.  I found the train in the morning, on board were mostly women.  I found that interesting.  Many women do not drive and the traffic is full on.  I also notice that the buses are mostly men, a few women.  Men seem to be physically evident everywhere whereas I guess women are at home or with other women.  It is different.  It is interesting seeing women mostly in scarfs although there are quite a few not wearing a scarf.  My friend doesn’t wear one and sometimes people think she is not Egyptian, the young ones are not wearing scarfs.  There are western clothes here, probably the influence of tourists.

I get to Giza station and as soon as I exit a guy comes up to me.  He offers to show me where the bus is.  We end up going for a tea, he shows me he is married, a young fellow around 25 and explains he has a 7.5 month old baby.  One thing I might add about this guy is that he saw into me.  He listened as I was speaking about making others happy as a clown and he said ‘I feel there is a part of you that is not happy.’  He said some have a small part or large part, I felt he eluded to a large part in me.  He was right.   I felt the tears in my eyes on the bus later.  I was perturbed by his insight.  The sadness I feel is connected to my family and people disappointing me.  I feel quite heartbroken and it is a deep pain I carry.  I am trying to reprogram myself away from expectations of people and just seeing them as playing their part in my life for a higher purpose.  My life has been very good as well but I haven’t had the security or loyalty most enjoy.  I’ve had to carve this life out alone (later part particularly), but I do reflect on this and believe it is my journey.  It is not possible to come out unscathed.   Anyway, the guy made an impact there.  I felt he was genuine and trusted him as he paid me on the bus and guided me to the pyramids without asking for a tip.  Admittedly he did take me to a friend of his who does camel hire.  The camel guy looked like a desert man, quite fascinating looking at them with their long white dresses and head scarfs.  Omar Shariff country.   Anyway, I felt the same inspiration I felt at the Gandhi ashram, I could feel the sensation rising within me of the importance of being here.  I sat with this guy as he tried to sell his ride for 200-400 pounds.  I just looked at him and told him I am not a tourist.  I told him I wrote a poem and felt inspired to come.  I don’t know why.  I told him the truth and the tears were in my eyes.  I said I can just look at the pyramids through the fence, I came for the energy here.  He saw my sincerity and the price dropped to 100 Egyptian pounds.  I agreed to this price as the gate entry is 60 pounds, so he is charging me 40 to ride a camel for 1.5 hours.  So I am taken to my camel who the driver calls Michael Jackson (yeah right).  It kneels down groaning as they do, they seem to not like being forced (can’t blame them).  I climb on board.  Then as it stands up you have to hold on tight as it is steep forward then up it goes.  I am told to keep my back straight and allow my hips to go with the motion of the camel.  It is not quite like riding a horse.  I am taken into the area where the pyramids are.  To my joy it is mostly desert I see and a few camel trains, it is peaceful and the wind caresses my skin, I feel the sensation of the desert.  It is quiet and my driver doesn’t speak English which in a way I am glad as I don’t really want the story and chatter.  I just want to be with the desert, the camel and feel the pyramids.  I can feel the emotion in me as I try to internally grapple with what the pyramids are.    There were a few smaller ones which I didn’t know as normally in the pictures you see the 3 main ones.  It is a hot dry climate which is what preserves them, the pollution doesn’t help but they were definitely built to last.

Of course the story I am interested in which links to my poem ‘Encryption of a New Earth’, is the extraterrestrial links.  From what I’ve learned the pyramids are built with 25 million blocks, in part made of basalt.    Some of the blocks are the size of railway cars approximately 1,000 tons.  Of course the mystery is how they stacked these blocks in 2,560 BC.  The key mystery is the technology and the fact they are perfectly stacked, no mortar and built in the perfect symmetrical shape of equilateral triangles.  Some experts say thousands worked pulling ropes 2 miles long.  They say the architecture was precise.  Other experts query how these pyramids were built given the time frame of 22 years they would need to cut and transport 1 stone every 9 seconds.  The stones were polished granite, marble, clean and perfect.  It was questioned how they could do it by hand, the size, weight and number.  Modern engineers couldn’t do it.  There was also a story about the lost city of Pumapunku that is visually a pile of rocks some looking like large H’s.  Refer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumapunku The mystery is that they have been carved by machine tools as the lines are perfectly straight and there is no mortar.  It appears the city has somehow being moved.  Some theories are that extraterrestrials may have assisted the building of pyramids through levitation technology.  Interestingly the Giza pyramid is built exactly at the intersection of the longest latitude and longitude coordinates in the world.  Apparently there is high energy in this area.  This was confirmed by another Egyptian I met who was into healing and oils, he said this is the highest energy location on the planet.  Many come to heal and feel the energy.  The pyramids align 4 points of the compass.

So the theory I am interested in is the intervention of ETs.  They speak of advanced ancient knowledge.  The pyramids were built so they couldn’t be destroyed and to be standing over 3,000 years into the future.  Ancient texts say the pyramids were built by humans but assistance was given by guardians of the sky with ET technology.   This is confirmed in drawings where there are beings with space helmets and another famous image of a spaceman being is in a ship.  Other pictures show large wheels that are glowing and angels coming down.  Ancients may have tried to grapple with describing or drawing these encounters.   There are similar pyramids in India, Mexico, Teotihuacan, 2000 year old city of the Gods’, the pyramid is called pyramid of the sun and it is the same perimeter as the Giza pyramid.  The Teotihuacan pyramid is said to be the beginning of the 4 worlds.  The purpose to build them was to store knowledge of 300 books, the knowledge of the universe dictated by the guardians of the sky.    These early indigenous people had no writing and blocks were perfectly machined.  Blocks were 800 tonnes and polished.  Only diamond cutters could get through the granite and dyarite.  Again, the mystery of how do people just one step out of the stone age build interlocking blocks.  There was also a story of the first mechanized computer dated 2000 years BC found in 1900 and in Athens museum (should have a look when there).   Apparently when x-rayed the box contained cog wheels interconnected computer.  A device that measured astronomical data, chart stars (astrology) and predicted the future through when a person was born, planet sign.  It is said this computer was more complicated than a Swiss watch.   So there is much to this world Horatio than we ever thought possible.    There is also talk of ancient light globes and what was termed the Baghdad battery which was made out of a clay pot, copper lining, stopper around iron rod and then add acidic liquid (orange juice) and walla you have an electrical charge.

Anyway, so on my way around the pyramids I am contemplating their purpose.  I knew I had to be here and I am glad I came.   After my camel ride I was taken to a Egyptian shop that sells fragrances of flower essences and oils.  It was nice to smell but I can’t carry glass bottles with me.  The guy told me about the tradition of making oils and burning the oils and blowing the mist around the house.  He also linked the chakras system to them which aligned with what is known in New Age circles.  He told me his grandmother was a spiritual woman (as distinct from religious) and his father married a Western woman who also had spiritual knowledge.  He said it passed to him.  I did some juggling for him and showed him the infinity symbol in the juggle and explained this is universal energy in balance.  I tried to get him to juggle to discover he injured his wrist and he couldn’t turn it.  The Egyptians are smooth sales people but you can get some depth from them.  They speak of giving to you if you spend on them and they speak of luck etc.  I am a marketer from way back so I know when I am being spun and how emotions are used to make it comfortable to open your purse.  I honoured him but I don’t need the oils.

So got back on the camel and was taken back but on the way stopped in an alley and the driver demanded a tip.  I had decided to give him one for some reason so gave him 10 pounds he looked like he wanted more.  This is what annoys me I said take it or leave it.  He took it (of course), then we went back to the start point.

I was invited by the wife of the camel owner into air conditioned comfort, I told her he (husband) had invited me to dinner, she didn’t know.  When I was on the camel he had told me that he found it hard to look in my eyes and that I had a spark in them.  That was said to me by my Indian friend who said she saw a light in my eyes and wanted to help me find orphans.  I marvel at this as I do get told this.  I have no idea how I am seen, and if anything, I probably see myself as a neutral.  I do notice that since travelling I attract a lot of men but I put it down to being a Westerner.  I was also cautious that this camel owner may want a fourth wife.  I was speaking with wife number 3.  So I don’t know if he is just curious.  Anyway will take it in the spirit it was given.   The wife was quite young and she explained how they met and he liked her.  She was afraid of camels and was at the back end of the ride.  He helped her to overcome her fear.   She told me he liked the fact she had no make-up and the clothes she wore.  She never mentioned they got on well and talked all night, she said he was a kind man.  This was her first marriage so she didn’t know what to expect, apparently the two other wives were jealous of her, but she indicated she doesn’t like to fight.  She seemed happy.  I imagined what it must be like to be an Egyptian wife.  She wore the head scarf and she appeared a dutiful wife.   We in Australia are very different, I am definitely an independent woman, but I won’t judge another’s life, it is just different.

The other guy (Bedoin) who helped me catch the buses turned up and he also escorted me to the bus again.  I was relieved by this as I am mixing it with the locals not doing the rich western thing of taxi’s.  So I have to brave the language barrier and I have no map.  So having this guy around was really helpful.  He also invited me to meet his wife and baby, he did indicate they are not home but said for me to ring him and he can come and meet me.  You always wonder are they genuine or do they want something, but part of me wants to trust people.  Afterall the purpose of this trip is to break down fear.

Anyway, he hit the mark.  I still will give my gift of clowning and that to me is as close to God as anyone can get.  For that I am truly grateful.

Just to finish off this day.  I got on another bus and met with some Turkish tourists.  I actually was sitting next to an Egyptian guy who spoke English.  We talked about Islam he asked me if I was Christian I said no, I believe in god.  For me my only religion is love.  If you see god as love then any action that reflects love is god.  He agreed.  Then I got up and gave my seat to this Turkish lady.  She was grateful and I ended up chatting with her in broken Engish, we managed to communicate.  I joined those guys for a while as they were going to the metro and getting off at Nasser station, they got me a ticket which was very nice and took lots of photos.  They invited me to Turkey (not far from Greece) and said I was welcome to stay.  They really became close to me, it was really nice, we managed to find out about families and life in our countries with minimal English.  I decided to follow them to a shopping centre as I was hungry.   I then was diverted by a friendly Egyptian man wanting to give me his business card and show me his oils.  It took so long I ended up losing the Turkish group, I wasn’t wild about his diversion, but it is life also and I noted the game.   I ended up going to the shopping centre and sitting down to a pizza.  Some American’s were sitting there and we got chatting.   A grandmother and granddaughter were touring Egypt.  The granddaughter was particularly intelligent and the grandmother very spiritual, she said she was part of the Unity church in the US, this is more new age where many are looking at the Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle) and a Course in Miracles (Chanelling of Jesus).  She was a quiet woman but very honest when she spoke, very lovely to be taking her granddaughter on quite a journey.  I enjoyed the hour or so with them and told them about my life and aspirations.   We were all into peace, so it was nice.  The young 16 year old had only praise for Obama and really felt he was a great president, I also concurred with that, as I feel he is the man of the moment.  We exchanged emails and then I was off to make my way back home.  They were off to sleep and then Alexandria (I may go there as well).

I caught a white cab.  I was told they have meters and should be right to take one without getting ripped off.   My taxi should have cost around 5 pounds but the cheeky or rather greedy driver charged me 30 pounds which I brought down to 20 pounds, still over charged.  What gets me is that they look indignant when you don’t do what they want.  All a game it is.