This isn't the expected first blog after a travel to Egypt; but I'm still catching up with physical energies, photos, Gaia posts....and housework.

So to start off, I thought I'd blog about this interesting concept hotel--Yotel. They have them at two airports with longish wait times: Amsterdam's Schiphol and both London's major airports.

Well, we decided to splurge a bit and not get all exhausted in our 24-hour journey to Cairo, that includes a 10-hour wait at Schiphol before we began our nomadic Egypt holiday, where we'd be in a different place each night. So we booked a Yotel room for a few hours.

It's right next to McDonald's at the airport, and we don't even have to take a bus to go there. Like Gaia, the dominating color is lavender/purple. Very soothing light, actually. The beds are AMAZINGLY comfortable. The kind that lulled my daughter to sleep though she was all set to go out and look at the shops!

The room is miniscule, and they're laid out on two sides of a train-like corridor. It's all high-tech, and influenced by Japanese design. The beds in some rooms can be converted to a sitting bed/fully open with the touch of a button; other buttons can set the lighting  with to appropriately adjust  to several functions: sleep, read in bed, leave the room or have a shower.

There's lots of glass, but also blinds for privacy; so at least one can have a shower and refresh oneself while the others wander around! There's a TV, so I saw Madagascar for the first time. There was internet connection, but I'd left all electronic items at home. So I was Gaia-less for 8 days.



Then we had several knocks on our door as someone was smoking, so the yotel staff had to go door to door, waking us up to check who it was. That was annoying, but otherwise, all worth it.

It was the longest rest we'd have for the next 36 hours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P.S. On the way back, we had 5-hours wait, so we spent it at the lovely free Comfort Chairs at the airport...and other places.

Found a sparrow at Schiphol, and promptly called my mom once I was home, to tell her where they'd all gone!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On to Egypt, that fascinating land of unexpected contrasts....
[Link added later - Visiting Egypt~ everything was unexpected  ]

I have read about Egypt, studied her ancient mysteries, journeyed into etheric space in her temples and tombs, delighted in the juxtaposition of temple and stars, marveled and wondered and dreamt and despaired of going there.

And suddenly, a trip materialized. One that was organized by my sister, so that we had our own tour as there were 15  of us family and friends; a tour where we Indian food was planned for us vegetarians, and without us doing much except sending money, answering emails and organizing visas, we had a wonderful 7-day holiday in that fabled land.

At Edfu temple

What surprises me, is that after all that I had lived with, about Egypt, there was still so much that was unexpected. When I visited Paris a few years ago, it was  like seeing postcards come to life; a sense of unreality till I passed by a bakery, when it all came alive. But Egypt was alive from the start.

I had expected to see more tourists than Egyptians but was pleasantly surprised as we had an Egyptologist guiding us; and naturally, the many who work around the tourist industry.

Schoolgirls walking arm in arm down the Cornich on Aswan, necks and heads covered, but faces uncovered. I was amazed at the freedom and safety they apparently felt, even late evening.

McDonald's on the bank of the River Nile at Aswan, with a curious mix of heiroglyphics, Arabic head-dresses, trendy music, English and Arabic script. These aren't  my pictures, but I feel these are the same people we saw!

   

Seeing the smile on our  teenagers'  faces when the guide was having them act as Isis, and Osiris and the others at Edfu. Shocking teenagers with a legendary story is a good strategy to get their attention!

Seeing one of them getting photographed with "History Rocks!" after she'd mused at the beginning of the trip: "Why do we study history?"The graffiti at temple and tomb walls, some  of it by the other cultures that over-ran the land, or by jealous successors.

The temple of Hatshepsut, the female pharoah who ruled as the male Hatshepsu. This is the site of the massacre of American tourists a few years ago; and there were snipers guarding the high hills bordering the temple.
Filming YOU! At  Hatshepsut temple 

It's a little disappointing that we saw no statues of her here. "We're hurting at the loss of many of our artefacts," said the guide, "they're in every museum of the world."  I had to agree. I feel I've seen more of King Tut's treasures in the traveling exhibition when it visited Fort Lauderdale's tiny museum, than in the Cairo museum. Of course, those huge boxes in which his mummy was buried, are unusual to that museum. [photography not allowed].

That's another thing: photography isn't allowed inside temples, tombs and the museum. I guess they'd rather we buy books and videos. It's annoying to see people still sneaking in pictures.

At the Sphinx

The narrow pathway into the pyramid of Khafra. I blessed the exercise schedule that allowed me to climb up and down steep slopes, half bent, on the path of early tomb visitors [or raiders?] Nothing to raid now!




What's surprising is that much more is being dug up. We saw a newly discovered tomb being excavated. Who knows what treasures will be dug up?

We'll have to visit Egypt again, and before I do, I know I'll do so in memory, photos, discussions, traveler's tales, and...meditation.

And till then, I will blog about that other unexpected gift of Egypt. The River Nile.

They say that Egypt is the gift of the Nile. Flying down at Luxor, when we saw the small strip of verdant green amidst the vast desert, we could see how it was so.

A few hours later, we were cruising down the River Nile. The next two days were heavenly, as I stayed with elbow bent on the rails, letting the camera film the life on the banks of the River, while my thirsty senses drank it all in.

Surprisingly, it's not very wide between Aswan and Luxor, where we sailed, so I could film and watch both banks by choosing where to cast my gaze.


            Island on a glistening River Nile 

Feluccas on the R Nile

  Gifts of the River Nile in Egypt

  Village on the banks of the River Nile in Egypt

Kids by the R. Nile in Egypt

R. NIle scene

  Bridge on the River Nile

Shades of blue




Not a sailboat but a sale-boat [borrowed pic from the web.]
These sales people are great at throwing their wares in plastic bags, at a height of 2 storeys. The baseball scouts need to go to Egypt to find a good throwing arm! Precise aim! It's all sales from boats and cruise ships sailing adroitly down the Nile! Quite a scene. At first, it's a little startling to see these little boats emerge in droves, out of nowhere, making a beeline for the ship. But then it's all business as usual!

  Sunset on River Nile, from Kom Ombo

Sailing down the Nile, where Egypt reveals not only her ancient glories but also her contemporary life,  groves of fruit trees, villages, barefoot children playing football [soccer]  or waving, camels haughtily look as we pass by,  made me feel that it is not only Egypt that is famously the gift of the Nile; but the Nile also, that is the gift of Egypt.

The yet -undiscovered source of this mighty river is somewhere south of Egypt, and the River makes its way through eight other countries before reaching Egypt. Yet nowhere is the River Nile as notable as in this land.

The Nile Map

One of the amazing gifts of an online communication is the flow that it provides us. I  can't REALLY know the other person beyond what hän is writing or not writing at a moment; and what I understand or assume from that. It is only through the quality of interaction that we can get to know each other.

At first glance, this seems contrary to conventional wisdom which dictates that we use all that we know about a person when interacting with  them, so that we can maximise our interaction.

However, if we can allow ourselves to use this gift, it actually will allow us to use all that we know, which is: very little for sure, and a lot that is evolving. As they say, the more we know, the more we realize how little we know. AND that when I assume, I make an ASS of U and ME. [The same when u assume, I guess!!!]

We don't REALLY know the other person. So, we can take the other to be whatever hän is presenting to us with the post that we are reading. That allows the other person to explore different ways of interacting. It also allows us to do the same.

In other words, we can escape the bounds of the Land of Separateness [also called ego] into the Land where Everything is Possible because we can be anywho and anywhere.

We are here, on a community whose mission is stated thus:

“Our reason for being is the same as yours: to discover and realize that which we're truly meant to become, and, in doing so, to encourage and inspire others to do the same.”

As we don't fully know ourselves or the other person,  we are all becoming. As I become more fully what I am, I am unsure what it will be, and how it will seem to you. I am unsure who will read it, and with what understanding, insight, response, reaction. As you become more fully what you are, you are unsure how it will seem or be responded to, by me. 

I am willing to be in awareness that I am flowing with you.
Are you willing to be in awareness that you are flowing with me?

[cross-posted from the Gaia Networking pod]

...or have the "right" thing happen to you?

This, right here, is one thing I love about America.
That current and past presidents can meet in harmony.

From L-R, former President George H.W. Bush, President-elect Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton and former President Jimmy Carter meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington January 7, 2009.

Specific to where I live. No, I've never seen a panther in the wild, though I've been numerous times to the Everglades. Some rangers told me they hadn't seen one either.

The closest I've got, is my son's high school athletics logo:

~~~~~~~~~

Plan for Panthers

http://action.defenders.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=40321.1&dlv_id=66361

Blue and pink became the theme for the evening. Clear conversation, open hearts. An unusually calm ocean below a sky of pale pink. A vibrant-toned dress on a Gaian friend visiting warm Florida from cold New Jersey.

 

// Moonrise at Hollywood Beach - pink and blue

 

 

Warmth was the tone over the entire visit of MorningStar/ Lisa who set aside time for a train ride into Hollywood to meet me mid-way between  where she was visiting and where I live.

 

“We haven’t even told each other what we’re wearing or how we’ll recognize each other,” I reflected as I waited near the center of the station, where I figured she might emerge. The train  came in, people spilled out. And suddenly she was there. As our eyes met, there was instant recognition. No shadow of doubt. It could have something to do with me being the only brown skin there! But that’s not all it is! She’s the second Gaian I’ve met face to face; and each time there’s been instant recognition. Of course, we’ve seen each other’s photos, I realized later.

  // Morningstar as the light waned over the ocean

 

 

That doesn’t explain the ease with which we slip into an evening of conversation. Sharing, meeting of minds, of experience. Online and offline life. I think it’s because on Gaia, we have already shared deeply, that it doesn’t seem that you are meeting a stranger.

 

We share a meal, and I wonder if Lisa, you went vegetarian because I mentioned I am one?

 

We met under a late afternoon sky and the sun set as we were searching for a place to park. When we left the beautiful boardwalk of Hollywood Beach, the almost full moon had shown its light.

 

Morningstar came with the setting sun and left with the rising moon.

 

// Moonrise at Hollywood Beach

Music from different rooms in the house. Movement and stillness.

Outside the window, palms sway with the braches of the royal poinciana tree, not blooming in January. I can hear the distant chirp of birds as perhaps Whiskers slithes carefully by.

From the family room, the sounds of our new hero, Barack Obama's inauguration special on the T.V.; from my son's room, sounds of his favorite music when he switches from ipod to computer, perhaps.

From my daughter's room, stillness as she is visiting with a friend.

Between my ears, that constant hum of my universe.

I had seen a moment like this as a child.
A house where different rooms have different music showing the personalities of the person who lives there.

It is quite as I saw it. Yet now there is warmth. And expansion.

A combination photograph shows U.S. President-elect Barack Obama (L) at a
ceremony for his whistle stop train trip at the train station in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania January 17, 2009 and Indonesian photographer
Ilham Anas (R) chatting with his colleagues in his office in Jakarta
January 17, 2009. Anas won't be at U.S. President Barack Obama's
inauguration on Tuesday. Instead he'll be starring as an Obama
look-alike on Indonesian TV. Anas, 34, who from some angles bears a
resemblance to the new U.S. president, shot to fame in Jakarta after
Obama, 47, won the election in November, and is now earning income as
an Obama double.

----------

Indonesian photographer Ilham Anas (R) posing as the U.S. President-elect ...
Reuters
Sun Jan 18, 12:05 AM ET

Indonesian photographer Ilham Anas (R) posing as the U.S. President-elect Barack Obama stands next to his colleague in his office in Jakarta November 7, 2008. Anas won't be at U.S. President Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20, 2009. Instead he'll be starring as an Obama look-alike on Indonesian TV. Anas, 34, who from some angles bears a resemblance to the new U.S. president, shot to fame in Jakarta after Obama, 47, won the election in November, and is now earning income as an Obama double. REUTERS/Budi Ismail/Hai Magazine (INDONESIA).



~~~~~~~~

Ilham Anas is Inonesia’s Obama Look Alike

Today my status says:reminding everyone to stay balance. We need all hands on deck for changes; and feet and brains and feelings and focus. The raft flows rapidly on the river!

I'm responding to:
while the world outside checks on "the 1st 100 days" we're checking out "the 1st 100 hours of new group setup on Gaia"--

Some thoughts:
The point is not WHAT the change is.
By its very nature, change is made up of ephemeral events.

The point is,

I see now that all reactions,  counter-reactions, responses,counter-responses, preparation and unexpectedness, clarity and confusion, gurgles, groans, grins and grouches, you and me are in the moment.

Behind President Barack Obama,  ,  // it was the
 //

American people who were inaugurated  // as the country's


Resisted the status quo // ,  // the entrenched  // dynasties



America and taking perplexing decisions, and the people gave hard-earned money to help
Choose a leader to truly represent them, who would lead from heart and head and not like a


King, a person who was like a boy next door, // but so much more

One who could hold hands with his wife in public



Bump-dance with a 14 year-old

Army Sergeant, while the obviously loved daughters

Malia and Sasha had their own White House scavenger  hunt, in this day of

Amazing Grace--and that is who was inaugurated on January 20th, 2009:

The rule of self-responsibility,
intelligence, and heart // . //
Of involvement and maturity. //

Or responsible action. //

It was a day not just for the United States of America.
//
For a day we were the United Nations on Gaia.



Who was inaugurated on January 20, 2009?
Oh yes--it was Barack Obama, yes it was!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was inspiring to see the civility of the hand-over. Americans tend to be cynical about this, but it is truly unusual.
//
 //

I saw the inauguration on CNN, but for a while, also on MSNBC, and was really tickled how their byline "President Barack Obama" framed so many faces!

Perhaps one day?

[with apologies for gushing, but all this does it for me!]
Pictures are mostly from my phone camera. Picture me watching on TV, movie camera in one hand, phone camera on another, feeling a little like a wannabee hindu goddess of many arms, letting the cameras take what they can see, as I didn't want to look through the lens. Just kept clicking!

[Tip given on Jan 26th: Click on the pictures--seeing them full size shows you what delighted me!]

I decided to see what is being reported about Barack Obama in India.

Interesting!

Before he became President, this article was published in The Financial Express.
India, US natural partners, says Barack Obama

Posted: 2008-02-24 23:30:55+05:30 IST
Updated: Feb 23, 2008 at 2350 hrs IST

"“The world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy
are natural partners, sharing important interests and fundamental
democratic values,” Obama said in a yet to be published article in an
ethnic newspaper."
======================
Now that he's won, this is what I find:

Sit back, relax, listen to this
[with sub-titles in English!]



====================
A column that shows that Indians are getting inspired to be a little more introspective about their own social issues. Though people from different religions and castes reach positions of political power, including Prime Minister and President; the social situation of so-called lower castes still leaves much to be desired.


"The point about Obama's  victory, we must remember, is not that a black man won but that he won in a constituency that was overwhelmingly non-black. India's real Obama moment by that yardstick will be when Dalits or tribals can win in unreserved
constituencies, not just when a Dalit, Muslim or tribal becomes prime minister.
After all, India's PM is not elected directly by popular vote unlike the US
president."
===========
Jawaharlal Nehru was the much-loved first Prime Minister of India when it became free of the British. On a personal note, he was the Prime Minister when I was born. He was a gifted orator.


"At India’s independence, Jawaharlal Nehru described the ideals of
his new nation, and its grave challenges. India has come a long way,
but still remains distant from the goals of bringing “freedom and
opportunity to the common man” in “a prosperous, democratic and
progressive nation”.

And this slightly weird one, from back when Clinton and Obama were still vying for the Party nomination. They're shown as a divine loving couple: Krishna and Radha:




Certainly hope that they work well together!

Conflicting reports about the much talked about movie, Slumdog Millionaire, that has won the Golden Globes and Critics Choice awards and has been nominated for the Oscars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Slumdog child actors dream big
Ruhi Khan, NDTV Correspondent
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 (Mumbai)

"Slumdog" film team defend treatment of slum kids

LOS ANGELES/LONDON (Reuters) – The makers of "Slumdog Millionaire" have defended their treatment of child actors taken from the slums of Mumbai where the rags-to-riches tale, nominated for 10 Oscars, is set.

In recent weeks the movie's success around the world has been overshadowed by objections in India to the name, which some slum dwellers find offensive, its depiction of the lives of impoverished Indians and the treatment of the cast.

Earlier this week Britain's Daily Telegraph quoted the parents of Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, who play slum kids Latika and Salim respectively, complaining that their children had not been cared for properly by the movie's makers.

Ismail's father told the newspaper that there was no money left and that he knows nothing of a promised trust fund set up for his son. Ali's father is quoted as saying "the money they paid us is nothing. They should pay more."

The report said Ali received 500 pounds ($715) for filming and Ismail 1,700 pounds.

Slumdog producer Christian Colson said figures quoted in the British press were inaccurate.

"They were well paid for the work that they did," he told Reuters in Los Angeles, when asked about the reports.

"The figures quoted in the UK press are inaccurate. The suggestion that they (the children) worked for a year is also inaccurate.

"Immediately after we cast the kids, we put in place a plan of action for their future welfare, over and above the money we paid them; we did that in consultation with their parents."

He said the producers enrolled them in school for the first time in their lives and set up a fund to pay for the cost of their education, medical emergencies and "basic living costs."

"LONG-TERM BENEFIT

Danny Boyle, the film's British director, added:

"What you've got to do is somehow try and get a plan that isn't about the absolute immediate, it's about the long-term benefit for the kids.

"If we can give them something back, that will benefit them throughout their lives, that's what you want to achieve."

Boyle also addressed objections to the film's name.

Nicholas Almeida, a social activist and slum dweller, has filed a complaint in a local Indian court against Boyle and Colson, saying the film's title was damaging and discriminating.

"When the British ruled India, they called Indians 'dogs'. Why do we want to call these poor children 'dogs' 60 years after we got independence?" he told Reuters earlier this week.

Also this week protesters, mainly slum dwellers, tore down posters and ransacked a movie theater showing the film in the Bihar state capital Patna.

Boyle said protest was "part of the fabric of life in India ... For us, 'slumdog' was always a very affectionate term because ... it was a hybrid, a mixture of underdog and rooting for the underdog, and obviously he comes from the slums."

The director has faced accusations from some parts of the Indian media that his film was voyeuristic "poverty porn." Boyle has said he was trying to capture Mumbai's "lust for life."

Despite the objections, many Indians are celebrating the movie's commercial and critical success. The cast and crew were awarded for "Global Excellence of the Year" at the NDTV news channel's Indian of the Year awards.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

~~~~~~~~~~
Some pictures of the children, who were actually from slums in Mumbai.

   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Child star, parents happy to be part of 'Slumdog'

 Enlarge
By Rajanish Kakade, AP
The cast and cres of  Slumdog Millionaire pose at a Mumbai press conference last week. From left, Tanvi Lonkar,
Rubina, Freida Pinto, Ayush Khedekar, Tanay Chheda, Dev Patel, Anil
Kapoor, director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson. The child
actors pose with the Golden Globe statues the movie won for best drama,
best score, best screenplay and best director.  By Sandy Cohen, AP Entertainment Writer

[added for balance, after seeing some of the comments below. Let's hope the money is in a trust for the children!] 

”Rafiq Qureshi, whose 7-year-old daughter,
Rubina, appears in the film, said that the filmmakers enrolled his
daughter in school and “are taking complete care of my child.”

“Whatever a parent could have done, they have
done much more than that,” he said during an interview with AP
Television in Mumbai, India on Wednesday.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Slumdog' author was inspired by opportunity, solitude

By Robyn Curnow
CNN

• Story Highlights
• Author of "Slumdog Millionaire" is high-ranking Indian diplomat
  
• He wrote the book that has become award-winning film while split from family
  
• He says street knowledge can be as important as book knowledge
  
• Despite success, Vikas Swarup has no plans to abandon diplomatic career

Vikas Swarup says he was inspired by the idea of an underdog coming out on top.
Details on CNN website.

Security high as India celebrates Republic Day

NEW DELHI (AFP) – India celebrated Republic Day on Monday with a grand military parade in New Delhi held under tight security conditions, two months after the terror attacks on Mumbai.

Members of the National Cadet Corps march during celebrations for India's 60th Republic Day in Hyderabad on January 26. India has been celebrating the event amid strict security conditions, two months after the terror attacks on Mumbai.

(AFP/Noah Seelam)

Police shot and killed two suspected Pakistani militants near the capital on the eve of the national day celebrations, as 20,000 troops were deployed to prevent extremist strikes.

India says Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based militant group, was behind November's carnage in Mumbai, during which 10 gunmen killed 165 people.

"The concerted and well-planned attacks in Mumbai stand out as an example of a ruthless operation undertaken to damage the confidence of India," President Pratibha Patil said in an address to the nation.

"Countries must own up to their responsibilities," she said, without naming arch-rival Pakistan.

Delhi police commissioner Y.S. Dadwal had warned Islamist militants could try to attack the parade, which emphasises India's role as a economic and military power, as it passed through the ceremonial heart of New Delhi.

"There are intelligence inputs (of possible strikes by guerrillas)," Dadwal said.

The centre of New Delhi was virtually shut down for Monday's celebrations, which attracted large crowds, and security was focused on areas close to the parade route such as metro stations and shopping centres.

Dadwal said a "ground-to-air security apparatus" was in place with anti-aircraft guns, snipers and helicopter gunships at the ready to protect the event, which passed off peacefully.

Federal Home Minister P. Chidambaram had ordered all 28 Indian states, including the seven restive northeast provinces and disputed Kashmir, to be on high alert.

On Sunday, police said they had prevented a planned attack on New Delhi by killing two Pakistani militants on the outskirts of the city.

Brij Lal, a senior police officer in Uttar Pradesh state, said an anti-terrorist team chased a car carrying the men towards the capital before they intercepted it in the suburb of Noida.

Police said they found two AK-47 assault rifles and five hand grenades in the car.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh missed Monday's events after undergoing major heart surgery.

Doctors said the 76-year-old was "doing extremely well" after five bypasses on Saturday to clear blockages in his arteries.

Singh's role in the Republic Day schedule was filled by Defence Minister A.K. Anthony, while Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was chief guest.

Bejewelled elephants that have been a highlight of Republic Day festivities for decades were banned from this year's parade due to fears about their unruly behaviour and animal rights concerns.

Among the military hardware on show were locally built T-90 tanks, which made their first appearance in the parade, and a cruise missile system being jointly built by India and Russia.

On January 26, 1950 India became a sovereign democratic state with a written constitution and an elected parliament, after gaining independence from British rule in 1947.

Yes.

And so have you.

The point is, have we been aware while having it, and after it has happened.