Dimai - Part 2

From Deir Abu-Lifa, we drove up farther into the hills.  You can detect the road markers along our route.

Below: Two road signs.  One for the Petrified Forest and the other which went to our left, directed visitors to Widan Elfaras an old stone quarry.  We are headed to the Petrified Forest.

Below:  As we sat on the edge of this small valley, VB told the driver that we had no wishes to re-enact Thelma and Louise.  We drove down, and yes, between those rocks there is enough space for an SUV.  On return, a good pace is needed to clip over the edge at the top of the hill. 

Below:  In the valley, looking back.

Below:  This was as far as we could get due to the blowing sand the week before. You can see where the trail becomes too deep for travel. 

Below:  We left the valley, and a kilometer or so away we arrived at the Petrified forest.  These remains are scattered throughout this area.

160 meters (524 feet) above sea level.  Before descending we stop to enjoy the view.

Below:  Another road sign, indicating the way down the mountain.

Finally, Dimai.

Below: The rooms of the castle.

Below: The walls of Dimai.

We lunched at Dimai, outside the walls, and decided to make a last minute stop to visit Lake Qarun.   Both Qasr el-Sagha and Dimai are guarded by boabs.  There is no entry fee, and not many visitors at all, but it is customary to tip the boab.  We were completely alone to explore both sites - it doesn't get any better than that.   It would have been nice to spend a bit more time at Dimai, but we had had a long day.  Several cars of visitors arrived just as we were departing Dimai. 

These are huge rock formations along the way to Lake Qarun.  (The photos of Lake Qarun weren't very good.)  Lake Qarun is 43 meters (49 feet) below sea level.

 

Below: Just outside of the cemetery, the drivers decide to race.

Below:  Back to the City of the Dead (cemetery), and then home.

 

Qasr el Sagha and Dimai are great for day trips.  The air is clean, and the skies are blue, something we don't get in Cairo.  There's no gas stations once you get to the desert people, so make sure you have a full tank of gas, food and drinks.  We took two cars, just in case of unexpected problems, like getting stuck in the sand.  And a GPS also helps, which one of the drivers had.  We had a great time and plan on doing it again when we have visitors.  It's not far from Cairo, it's not crowded, and it's a bit of an adventure, as well.

Dimai - Part 1

A bit over two weeks ago, we took a trip to Dimai, with a few short stops beforehand.  Originally our first stop was to be the "castle" at Dimai.  But, due to blowing sand the week before, and the route being muddled, we steered off to an alternate site.  Our destination was still Dimai, but now it would be our last stop.  The route we drove is similar to this map.

We left around 8:00AM and drove south along Dead Donkey Canal Road, through Giza on a road where a new water tower is being built. 

When approached a newer City of The Dead (cemetery) along the same road, and turned into it, driving through.

The cemetery borders the desert, and we continued our drive in the desert until we came to a one lane road a few kilometers away. 

Below: Here, we had been driving for awhile, and stopped to shoot photos of the scenery.  It was foggy, and chilly.  This one lane road is said to have been built for Mrs. Mubarak so she could take her friends to Dimai, Qasr el-Sagha, and Fayoum, President Mubarak's hometown.  VB decided to call this road, "The Susan Mubarak Highway."  VB's not sure what the road is called on maps, but it's in the middle of the desert, and seems to have just been plopped down, without any other road intersects at all (at least not on the parts we drove.)  VB's not sure where the road ends either, as we strayed away.  If memory serves, we were told The First Lady is flown in, and there did appear to be a small flat area nearby, and a watchtower which would be perfect for a helipad.  (Sorry, no pics of it all.)

Yes, there is dew in the desert - see below.

After stopping, we get to some cement blocks lined up in a row, indicating a pipeline, and we turn, and drive along them, off road, for some distance.  Turning, and winding through the desert, we arrive at Qasr el-Sagha, aka the Golden Temple. 

As you can see from the photo above, there are two doors.  The smaller door to the right was a lure for thieves wanting to raid the temple.  It lead nowhere, as you can see below.

Rooms to the right were designated for specific gods.  The room at the far end, leads to another room, with a hidden jail room, behind it.  According to the guard, visitors would be greeted at the main door.  They would present their problems to the greeter, and he would determine which god they needed to address their woes.

As usual, everyone likes to leave his / her mark after a visit to the temple.

Found items at the site.

After visiting Qasr el-Sagha we drove into the hills and arrived at Deir Abu Lifa, which at one time contained a monastery.  We did not go caving, but did view these small cave-like areas on the hill.  We were told they're all interconnected, but did not explore them.  We took in the views, and us ladies found a couple of private spots to relieve ourselves.

Below:  A close up of the formations.  The stone looks like shale, is fragile and flakes easily. 

Next Post, Part 2 (The Petrified Forest, and The Castle at Dimeh / Dimai.)

Islam On Capitol Hill

Our day started out great. The weather had cooled about ten degrees, with a threat of rain. We took our umbrellas. We were on our way to The Capitol Building. We walked from a Foggy Bottom hotel to the Ellipse, where we relieved ourselves (well, at least VB did) and sat while enjoying the sights, such as the one below. Segways can be rented to tour the Capitol. Something we didn't know, but became apparent after seeing numerous nerdy people on them, all over the place.

Below: A geek on a Segway taking a photo of the geese, no doubt, as there was really nothing else there. Would VB lie to you? Believe me you, things change from just plain strange to outrageous on this day.



VB wanted to walk to The Capitol Building for two reasons: (1) She had never seen it before, from the Mall view - close-up and personal; (2) We were informed by our Pakistani doorman that a major Jumaa pray-in event was scheduled, and 50,000 Muslims were to be there at 1:00 PM on Friday! VB performed her usual Google search and found Islam On Capitol Hill, with all the details. That's a got-to-see thing. A be-in for any Muslim worth their snuff. Sort of like a March On Washington for Muslims. Amazed, VB had settled on walking down there to view the event. And, as we all know, nothing goes as planned.

First there were the protesters. As we approached The Capitol, this is what we saw, below.

Question: When do they start burning the crosses?


As we got closer, the protesters were gathered at strategic points (of course) to annoy all who passed by, and particularly Muslims attending this event. The speaker below reminded VB of the protesters at the Republican National Convention, 2004, in New York City. All these people are comparable to the God Hates Fags group, from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas headed by Fred Phelps. Apparently God hates all those who don't agree with Mr. Phelps. All these protesters are more concerned with what happens after death, than how we conduct ourselves during our lifetime.

From The Washington Post, Muslim Prayers at Capitol Stir Protests: "The event, called "Islam on Capitol Hill," is designed to highlight how U.S. Muslims can coexist with their fellow Americans. Hassen Abdellah, the lead organizer of the event, called on people to come to the Capitol to "pray for peace and understanding between America and its Muslim community.""

"But this week, some conservative Christians have called the event a threat to Christian values."

Here (below) the megaphone for one of the protesting groups.


We crossed the street towards The Capitol, and it looked blocked off, so we turned around. This is the group with the above mentioned megaphone. What caught VB's attention was the "Jail To The Chief" banner. Yep! That's got religion (ahem, racism) written all over it!


Below - This is about twenty minutes before the Jumaa Prayers are to begin, and the attendance looks small.


We sit for awhile, as we've walked at least two miles from Foggy Bottom. Some of the attendees (below) gather at the Capitol Reflection Pool to dress (and possibly wash their feet?) Meanwhile, some Christian Indians (South Asian) decide to try to convert us from our fallen away lives to saving our souls - that's what matters the most you know - saving souls. They don't want us to get Left Behind.


Below - A few attendees, in bright dishdashas, cross the street towards The Capitol Building.


Below - Protesters on another corner - arguing.


Below - VB climbs onto the wall around the Reflection Pool for a better shot.


Below - The view behind VB. You can clearly see the Washington Monument straight ahead, with the National Book Fair tent in front, and the Smithsonian Castle protruding to the left. It's quite a sight.


Below - The two most annoying people in the universe this day. They persisted in standing at the corner where most prayer attendees were dropped off, screeching into a megaphone sins, should people not follow the one, the only, Jesus Christ. Pathetic that these people don't understand that Islam views Jesus as a prophet, as well. Oh, and that fornication sin with the special coloring - how in hell would we have any embryos or unborn babes to save if people didn't fornicate, and furthermore, perhaps this sad soul's parents should have had safe sex, or no sex at all!



Below - A video VB took with her new iPhone. She personally heard the guy with the megaphone declare, as he pointed across the street toward the prayer meeting, "This is a declaration of waaaar!" The video is rather boring, since he tamed his rhetoric down to mediocre religious punditry once he got on to his megaphone. Still, it was annoying - very, very annoying. At one point VB heard a police officer declare, "All those people (protesters), are ex-child offenders, wife abusers, alcoholics, and / or drug addicts." That was nice! No that was actually sweet!




Below - As we cross the street, this man is holding signs and declares, "I'm here in peace. You'll get no argument." Why does VB not trust him?


Then, just as we pass him, the toxic group appears - the ones that accost you, argue with you, and try to stop you, and eventually make you so angry you want to smite them (like with your umbrella)! We passed right by, while they were in the midst of arguments with other passers by, as you can see below.


We finally figured out (duh) that we could just walk right in to the prayer meeting ourselves - which we did. This photo below is from inside the lines, up close (but not too close) and personal (not really). The Boss Man was pushing VB to leave as we had another engagement. The prayer meeting was running late - very late - like forty-five minutes late.


Below - One of the Indian Christians predicted that he thought the crowd would swell to five thousand people for the meet. He said they had quite a good publicity show. Really? VB only knew of it a couple of days before, and no news agencies seemed to be covering it at all.

VB's last shot from the wall, before leaving, and there's no way this crowd will make fifty thousand, much less five thousand! Sad but true. According to the Washington Post, which has a great video at the link, and the only news outlet that seemed to care enough to even mention this event, At Capitol, a Day of Muslim Prayer and Unity: "Nearly 3,000 people gathered on the west lawn of the Capitol on Friday for a mass Muslim prayer service that was part religion and part pep rally for the beleaguered U.S. Muslim community.""We wanted to bring people out to show you don't need to fear America," said Imam Ali Jaaber of Dar-ul-Islam mosque in Elizabeth N.J., the service's main organizer. At the same time, he said, he wanted to remind non-Muslims that "we are decent Muslims. We work; we pay taxes. We are Muslims who truly love this country.""

Across the street from the service, Christian protesters gathered with banners, crosses and anti-Islamic messages. One group, which stood next to a 10-foot-tall wooden cross and two giant wooden tablets depicting the Ten Commandments, was led by the Rev. Flip Benham of Concord, N.C.

"I would suggest you convert to Christ!" Benham shouted over a megaphone. Islam "forces its dogma down your throat." A few Christian protesters gathered at the rear of the Muslim crowd, holding Bibles and praying.

At one point, organizers asked them to tone it down.

"We would never come to a prayer meeting that you have to make a disturbance," Hamad Chebli, imam of the Islamic Society of Central Jersey, said from the lectern. "Please show us some respect. This is a sacred moment. Just as your Sunday is sacred, our Friday is sacred.""

VB says, "Amen!"

Below: The belligerence doesn't end, as we try to leave.


We walked around the way we arrived. This is the view from the other side of the Capitol Building, as we depart.



Below: More photos of some of the attendees.




And VB wonders, where the hell is Louis Farrakhan?