Today Egyptians are holding a historic vote on a number of constitutional reforms, with opinions divided on if the reform package, which includes things like limiting presidential terms, should be passed, or if Egypt should draft an entirely new constitution. When I’ve spoken with people about the January 25 revolution, everyone has expressed support and sense of hope for a future without Mubarak. I haven’t heard that same unity when speaking to people about today’s vote.…
I spent most of yesterday diving, but unfortunately those photos will have to wait, since I was shooting on a film camera (trust me, you aren’t missing much; most of my energy was focused on remembering how to dive, not on focusing the camera).…
“Want some Valium for the bus ride?” Although I politely declined, probably I should have realized then just how bad the fifteen hour trip from Luxor to Sharm el-Sheikh would be. But I didn’t.
When I was in India last year I made the mistake of trying to ride “ordinary” buses in an attempt to see India as a local would. This time, remembering the horrors of the Indian bus experience, I had booked a first class bus ticket, and so full of confidence in the “deluxe” ticket I had secured, I turned down the Valium and headed for the bus.…
I spent most of yesterday visiting the west side of Luxor, which includes the famous Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Kings is where many of the pharaohs, such as Tutankhamun, from the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt were buried.
The west side of Luxor also includes the Valley of the Queens, several temples, and the village where the workers who built the tombs lived.…
