December 14, 1998

December 6, 1998

Friday, November 20, 1998: Left Tulsa via TWA at 1:38 pm. Arrived in New York, via St. Louis, at around 7:00 pm. Boarded our EgyptAir flight and left at 11:00 pm for Cairo.

Saturday, November 21, 1998: Arrived in Cairo around 5:00 pm. Obtained Egyptian currency, purchased Visas (60.00 each), passed through immigration, got our luggage, and cleared customs. Transferred to the Cairo Novotel near the airport. We only planned to spend one night at the Novotel. Rather than hunt around for a place to have dinner, we ate at the hotel. They had three restaurants: Italian, French, and Chinese. We chose Chinese.

Sunday, November 22, 1998: Got up early to make a 7:30 am flight from Cairo to Luxor. Breakfast at the Novotel was incredible. This was a good thing, because the room was less than appealing (I'm being kind here).

Arrived at Luxor Airport about 9:00. Ahmed Zgould, one of our hosts, met us. Ahmed is also a travel agent and planned our itinerary. Ahmed introduced us to Hassan, who would be our guide in Luxor. Hassan was great. Not only could he speak very good English, but he also could read Hieroglyphs.

Ahmed took us to our hotel. It was a long drive. We traveled from the airport to the city of Luxor (both on the East bank of the Nile), then south to the new bridge over the Nile to the West Bank. Our hotel was the Amon in Gezira village. Gezira is on the West Bank of the river just opposite Luxor. The Amon is a bed and breakfast with only 12 rooms. There we met Ahmed Suliman, the owner. After getting somewhat settled we began our first adventure with Hassan.

That afternoon we went back to the East bank to visit the Temple of Karnak, had lunch in the city, and then toured the Temple of Luxor. In the evening after we had dinner at the hotel, Estelle, Deborah, Ahmed and I walked around the town and then took a ferry across the Nile to Luxor.

Monday, November 23, 1998: Went to the roof to see the sunrise over Luxor. We were serenaded by the sound of roosters crowing and donkeys braying. After breakfast we went with Hassan to see the Colossi of Memnon (Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III), then on to Medinet Habu (Mortuary Temple of Ramses III). We then proceeded to the Valley of the Kings and visited three of the tombs: Thutmose IV, Ramses III, and Ramses VI. After lunch we visited two tombs in the Valley of the Queens.

In the afternoon I rested while Estelle, Deborah and Jason rode donkeys around the village and through the sugarcane fields.

That evening I went with Ahmed Zgould to pick up a tailor, and purchase fabric to make a gallebea. We then all went to Ahmed's house for dinner. Went back to the hotel and had tea in the garden before bed.

Tuesday, November 24, 1998: Another full day. First a visit to the local market, then the Rammeseum (Mortuary Temple of Ramses II). Extensive excavations and restoration are underway at this site. Hassan knew the site inspector and he invited us to have tea among the ruins. The inspector also took us to see the latest finds there.

We then went to visit the Tombs of the Nobles. The two tombs we visited were small, but in many ways just as impressive as the tombs of the kings. This was followed by lunch. After lunch we visited the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahri.

We returned to the hotel to relax before taking the ferry across to Luxor. We were invited to have tea at Chicago House at 4:00. Chicago House is the headquarters of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago at Luxor. After Tea Ahmed took us to the Luxor Museum, and then to dinner for shish kabob. After that we went to the Sound and Light show at Karnak. We returned to the hotel to pack for the trip to Aswan.

Wednesday, November 25, 1998: Both Ahmed's accompanied us to the Luxor airport for the flight to Aswan at 8:45. Ahmed Zgould phoned ahead to Aswan and arranged our itinerary there with another travel agent. We were met at the airport by a representative of Naggar Travel and taken to our hotel. A Naggar agent, Mr. Taha, went with us.

In Aswan we stayed at the Oberoi, a five star deluxe hotel. It is located on Elephantine Island. The Oberoi staff was great.

Taha arranged to have a man named Abdul to be our guide for our two-day stay. Abdul met us in the afternoon and took us for a 2.5-hour felucca ride on the Nile around Elephantine Island. Some of the sights we saw were the ruins of the ancient Egyptian settlement, Old Cataract Hotel, the Aga Khans's Mausoleum, and a botanical garden planted by the British.

In the evening we had dinner in Aswan at a seafood restaurant on the bank of the Nile. After venturing through the local market/bazaar we returned to the hotel.

Thursday, November 26, 1998: After breakfast we crossed to the shore to meet Abdul and visit the new Nubian Museum. We returned to the hotel for lunch. In the afternoon we went with Abdul to the ancient granite quarry to see the unfinished obelisk. Then on to visit the Aswan High Dam and see Lake Nasser. On the way back we hired a boat to take us to see the Temples of Isis of Philae Island. From there we asked Abdul to let us off at the Old Cataract Hotel so we could have tea on the terrace (and pretend we were decadent colonialists).

We returned to the Oberoi for a Thanksgiving buffet dinner.

Friday, November 27, 1998: We met Taha at the wharf in Aswan for the trip to Aswan Airport. From there we flew to Cairo, and arrived about 10:00. Mohamed and Suzanne Saleh were there to meet us. Mohamed arranged for a man named Hisham to be our driver while we were in Cairo. He was great, but spoke little English.

We went to our hotel, The President. It is located on Gezira Island in the midst of the diplomatic quarter. From the rooftop restaurant you could look down on the Chinese Embassy. Hisham and Suzanne Saleh picked us up in the early afternoon and we went to Old Cairo. Visited the oldest Synagogue in the city and an old Coptic Church. Also went to the Coptic Museum.

In the evening we met Mohamed in the Cairo Bazaar. We shopped there, had dinner and tea.

Saturday, November 28, 1998: Hisham and Suzanne picked us up and we went to Sakkara. Mohamed arranged for a site inspector to give us a tour. His name was Haamdi. He was very knowledgeable. Haamdi took us to the pyramid of Djoser, and explained the site. He then guided us through two tombs not open to the general public-the tomb of the two brothers, and the tomb of the butchers.

We left Sakkara and went to Giza. The Giza pyramids are awesome. They loom like mountains. The pyramid of Chefren was open and we all scrambled into the tomb chamber. After that we went to the boat museum to see a reconstructed boat buried in a pit near Cheops' Great Pyramid. We then drove down to view the Great Sphinx. That evening we returned for the Sound and Light show at the Pyramids. We had dinner at the Indian Restaurant in the Mena House Oberoi.

Sunday, November 29, 1998: Sunday we spent most of the day at the Egyptian Museum. Mohamed had one of the staff give us a tour. After lunch we returned to the galleries we had missed. In the evening we had dinner and a cruise on the Nile.

Monday, November 30, 1998: In the morning we went to Harrania to the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center. The artists there make carpets and pottery. The designs are stunning.

We then returned to Cairo to visit the Citadel. In the evening we loaded our luggage and went back to the Bazaar to meet Mohamed. We did some last minute shopping, had dinner, said our good-byes and left for the airport.

Tuesday, December 1, 1998: Our EgyptAir flight left at 1:30 am. Egypt was a wonderful experience. It is a great place to visit. I hope to have pictures posted soon.

November 14, 1998

I grew up in a neighborhood where everyone knew everyone else-at least I knew that I knew everyone else in the neighborhood. I remember going from house to house "visiting." My sister might know for sure, but I guess I was between 7 and 9 years old when I used to make my visits. No, some fiendish neighbor with a diabolical hidden psychological problem didn't harm me. Hey, this is Tulsa, Oklahoma here. One of the neighbors did try to convert me to Christianity (are you happy Oral?). She had all sorts of charts and graphs that were supposed to prove this or that. I remember saying something like, "I'm sure Jesus must have been a wonderful person, but we don't believe in him." That's one house I never visited again.

People change and neighborhoods change. As I grew older I stopped visiting the neighbors. So, as some families moved on and new families moved in, I began to see unfamiliar faces in the neighborhood. Being older and more inhibited, I didn't just walk up and say hi when I saw someone I didn't know. I did what older people do (you know, like in those TV shows when the "new folks" move into town). I asked neighbors I did know about the new folks. That seemed to content my curiosity-even when that new family lived right across the street.

I didn't know much about the Ross family. There were two boys and a girl, and their parents. Iver the oldest, although I didn't know his name at the time, seemed to be the athletic type. He was a runner, good looking, slim, and could often be seen doing yard work.

I remember being envious. Oh, not of his looks, or the fact that he was a runner (I thoroughly dislike running). Him being the athletic type? No, I'm not into team sports. I was always a great swimmer, though; spent one summer weight training, and have always been very strong. No, I was envious that he was slim. Keeping my weight down has been a lifelong chore.

I didn't have to wonder about the religion of the Ross family. That was pretty obvious. They were Catholic. Iver built a small grotto in the backyard to hold the statue of a Saint.

In 1969, I decided to attend Graduate School at the University of Oklahoma, in Norman, OK. It was a big move for me. My first college experience had been at a large out of state university. It was a disaster. I then opted for a small state school. The difference was dramatic. But I was older, and I had changed. I thought I just might like OU.

That summer, before I left for Norman, Suzie Newman, a neighbor who was also a good friend, said she wanted to talk to me. I would have never guessed what she wanted to tell me. She asked me if I knew the Ross family and Iver. I told her that I didn't. She then told me about Iver.

During his senior year at OU, Iver had not been feeling well. He had headaches and was experiencing dizziness. After a thorough medical exam it was discovered that he had a brain tumor. The location of the tumor was such that it would be difficult to remove. There was a chance he would not survive the operation. It was likely that if he survived, he would be physically impaired. Since something had to be done, it was decided to operate.

Suzie told me that the operation had saved his life, but left him in terrible physical shape. Many nerve centers had been damaged. He had to learn to walk and talk all over again. He also had some physical disfigurement. He had lost muscle control to one side of his face. This gave him the appearance of one who had suffered a stroke.

Iver, she said, would be returning to OU in the fall to complete the few courses he needed to get his degree. She asked if I would meet him, so that he would have at least one friend to talk to during his last semester at college. He was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, but not one of his fraternity brothers had bothered to ask to see him or contact him throughout his ordeal. He would be living in the dorm during his last semester.

Of course, I couldn't refuse. It was good for me to have another friend at college. It was also a sobering experience.

Iver had changed dramatically since the last time I had seen him years before. He did appear as though he had suffered a stroke. He could be understood, but his speech was indistinct. And, he was even thinner than he had been before. He had been a vibrant and healthy person. It was difficult to see him like that.

Iver seemed to be in good spirits, though. We saw each other frequently that semester. We talked a lot. "Iver," I discovered, was a nickname. He had been given an old family name: Evander McIver Ross.

At the end of the term, he graduated and got a very good job in Corpus Christi, Texas. Subsequently, the Ross family moved to Houston. It was there that I saw Iver for the last time.

About a year later I visited the Ross' in Houston. I had been told that Iver had experienced a relapse. His condition was terminal--nothing could be done. At the house I was invited into the living room. I waited until Iver was wheeled in. He was unable to walk, talk, or take care of his own bodily functions. Mrs. Ross loudly told him who I was and that I was there to see him. He seemed to smile, I'm not sure he really knew I was there. Not many weeks after my visit, Iver died. Very, very sad.

Iver is many things to me. He is a symbol of courage in the face of despair. He is a symbol also of human frailty. He helped me realize that in spite of my perceived imperfections, I have a great deal to be thankful for.

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