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■ m
ORT tour detours
A quick look at Egypt
by Martin S. KMn
Our introduction to Egypt wai
like a scene out of an old George
Sanders mo we. We were a group
of 50 who had been in Israel to
celebrate OUT'S 100th birthday
add decided to visit the land of the
Nile.
Upon landing at Cairo's airport
we taxied past planes representing
Saudi Arabia. Iordan and other
Arab nations, a dear message to us
that we were indeed in an Islamic
country. The terminal, unair-
conditioned. was probably left by
the British. Like tome hugs
tobacco warehouse, it was city
blocks in sin and populated by
hundreds of shouting Arabs rushing
about seeking their luggage. The
noise and bedlam was frightening
in itself, particularly when no one
spoke English.
We were finally rescued by our
guide and led single file through a
cordon of other Arabs who were
waiting for their friends and
relatives. The passageway wait
narrow, the noise loud, the people
pressing on all sides. In truth our
fright seas ah in our minds because
the Egyptians meant us no harm
and were, in fast, quite friendly.
Nevertheless it was good to be
seated in the bus that was to take us
to our hotel, away from the din and
press of the mob.
If we had thought our
to Egypt at
Martin Rlain rWts the
our bedroom .window, the sun
striking them iit the morning and
illuminated at night by great
floodlights. There is a sound and
light show presented nightly and to
sit in the presence of these edifices,
with the moon overhead and the
musk and narration titillating the
senses is an unforgettable thrill.
At the Egyptian Museum, we
viewed the entire King Tut
exhibition. The JO or so pieces that
toured the United States were only
old synagogue In Cairo.
Cairo life hotels and food leave
much to be desired and waiting ia
an airport where the heat is 114
degrees sort of takes the edge off
sightseeing. Again, in all fairness,
the tourist buses are air-
conditioned and an attempt is
being made to upgrade the hotel
facilities.
Our last stop before returning to
Cairo was Aswan. This city
represents a good part of the future
of Egypt with its mighty dam that
compared to the ride to the hotel.
The country has a population of
some 40 million, of which over
one-third or IS million live in
Cairo and Giza City. Our route
took us through the old part of
Cairo and it was a horror. There is
no poverty in the United States to
even begin to make a comparison.
Adults, children, animals ranging
from chkkens to donkeys to sheep
to camels, all live together, piled
one atop another. There is little
sanitation, fresh water, plumhjng
and lighting. One area called “The
City of the Dead,” an excavated
cemetery, has nearly a million
people living in it. There is
constant stench in the air. noise is
everywhere and the heat adds to
the misery.
By contrast the “New City" of
Cairo has been built with modern
office buildings, hotels, wide
■venue* and street lighting. An
attempt has been made to preserve
some of tbe old; museums, the zoo
and botanical gardens, embassies,
statuary and trees. Throughout the
city, there is the presence of
uniforms. Cairo is an armed camp.
As it was explained to us, this city
is the only place in Egypt where a
revolution against Sadat Is
possible and so a tight military
damp is kept on at all times.
Our first view of the Men*
House was breathtaking, for right
behind the “second most beautiful
hotel in the world" was the great
pyramid of Cheops, two lesser
pyramids and the Sphinx. These
monuments, less then a mile away,
could be seen in all their glory from
am
iption. Statuary, artifacts,
masks, dishes, chairs; the list is
endless. For me the crowning
(ouch was the coffin; 268 pounds
of pure gold. At $600 an ounce, not
only tbe weight, but the value is
staggering
Egypt’s civilization has been
traced back over 5,000 yean and
there are tombs and ruins and
statuary to show for every year of
that history. Egypt has had its ups
and downs, been conquerors and
the conquered, lived under many
flags including the Greeks,
Romans, French and British.
Egypt’s single greatest asset, the
Nile River, is also its limiting
factor, for the entire country is
built bn the river's shorts; the rest
is desert.
We found the people pleasant
and honest—they were not at all
thieves; They consider it an art
to hoodwink unsuspecting
tourists, if possible, and of course
enjoy negotiating the price of the
sale. We, in turn, had plenty of
chance to practice with them;
Tourism is a nuyor industry and
our guides steered us to the bazaars
and stores sod stalls, hoping to
part us from our Yankee dollars.*
The merchandise for tbe most part
was stereotyped, shoddy and very
0V W*iSew to Luxor to visit the
Valley of the Kings, over 100
tombs dug into the tides of the
desert. Many have been excavated
ahd it is awesome to stand and
look M mummies and hieroglyphics
that are thousands of years old.
unfortunately. once away from
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major military installations and a
new university, now under
construction. ' The dam was
awesome. There was a boat trip on
the Nile and, of course, the ever
present ruins. Aswan is also where
the Sahara and Libyan deserts
converge and what Egypt
desperately needs is a MNF; a
Moslem National Fund to plant
trees!
We spent several more days
in Cairo where we saw the exterior
of the old synagogue where,
reputedly. Mows was taken from
the bullrushes by Pharaoh’s
daughter; The building is closed
because it it in such a run-down
state although the Israeli
government has pledged to remora
it. There are mitt some 1400Jews in
Cairo, but we did not meet any of
them.
The trip home was a test of
endurance, taking stone 27 hour!
from rising at the Mena House to
foiling into bur own beds tt home.
Tourism may beb major business
in Egypt, but the officials at
Cairo's airport are not geared to
handle the traffic, ft took three
houta jk» get our exit visas, check
our luggage and get past all of the
petty officiate who stamp and sign
and let us through whit seemed to
be a dozen game.-Cairo to Athens,
then tb New York City, finally to
good, old Hartsfield. What a
pleasure to be able to drink water
from a tap or eat fresh fruits and
vegetables—all off limits In Egypt.
Figure an extra 40-50 dollars in
your budget to purchase bottled
water. |
W* hat* brought all
remaining marchandlae
from om Sandy sprinpo
and Roaurall VMaga Moran
to Bucfchaod tor
am
SALE
FINAL 2 DAYS
CASH & CARRY
FRIDAY a SATURDAY
. ^ YOU WILL PROBABLY NCVER
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FINAL PRICE REDUCTION
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$ PAIR for 10"
1 GROUP SPORTS
COATS A BLAZERS
vaiuoa $80 to 140"
1 GROUP SUITS
vaiuoa to 180"
1 GROUP BOYS SUITS
aixaa- Mo SO
SLIMS-ftEQULAft-HUSKIES
vafuM to 128"
1 GROUP OF BOY’S
PANTS VALUE to 18"
ALL OTHER MEN’S ft BOY’S
MERCHANDISE % PRICE OR LES8
TABLES OF REMAINING ITEMS AT OIVE AWAY PRICES
PAGE |7 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE August I. I