My Arabian Adventure - Part 3
- Pipeline
- In Search Of Oil
- My Arabian Adventure
Author: Wallie Ballor
Released 27 November 2004
Cheops and Sphinx
Photograph Contributed by Jean Possell
The weather has been cold here, which surprised me very much.
We had a very fine Arabian gentleman in our compartment on the train. He spoke no English and we, of course, spoke no Arabic, but we got along very well and by the time we reached here, we had quite a vocabulary.
We have had several interesting visits with the aid of a native guide, who is called a "dragoman". He and two brothers have been in this business for a long time. They all speak fairly good English.
In traveling around this city on foot, in the areas frequented by tourists such as ourselves, the American is continually accosted by natives. They all want you to buy something - anything - and if you buy nothing, then they want alms (bak-sheesh). Some get very rough about it. If you give them money, they always want more; so I have stopped giving anything except to the children. Many are quite bashful and cute as the dickens.
L to R: Whitey Breese, Clyde Newcomb, Andy (mess boy), Jack (mess boy), Spears (mess boy), The Sheik, Harold (mess boy), Salam (Guide Dragoman)
Photograph Contributed by Jean Possell
We often take long walks out into the real native sections, where you see no one but natives. We look into their shops and see how they live when they are away from the Europeans. Strangely enough, in these districts we are not molested by beggars or salesmen. The people are all very nice.
We had two group pictures taken at the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx.
They have very good food here. We like their native bread. The vegetables are varied and delicious. We spent one afternoon in the bazaar and I never saw such beautiful fruits and vegetables. We also saw the fields along the Nile, where they are raised. They use water buffalo for power. Also, they have camels and patient little burros. It is quite common to see a large man riding a small donkey no bigger than a Shetland pony.
Cheffren and the Sphinx
Photograph Contributed by Jean Possell
A friend and I had the most interesting day yesterday that we have had yet.
The younger of the three dragomen is called "Abdul". He and his two brothers and their families and four servants live in Meona Village right in the shadow of the Great Pyramid, Cheops. If you step out of Abdul's front door and look up over the wall around his property, you stare right into the face of the Sphinx.
Each property in the village has a high adobe wall around it about twelve feet high and one foot thick. Instead of a gate, they have a high door - high enough to admit a tall camel. Within the enclosure are all of the buildings belonging to the three families, including the stables for the goats, donkeys, camels, ducks, geese, chickens, cows and pigeons.
Mc Genty(?) on the road up to the Pyramid
Photograph Contributed by Jean Possell
Abdul has two children, Rahfa has five and the older brother, Salam, has seven. Believe it or not, all seem to live together in perfect harmony. Of course, each has his own rooms. The children are all ages ranging from Abdul's baby, eight months, to Rahfa's eldest boy, about sixteen. This boy goes to an American missionary school and is a very intelligent child.
His studies include English and French and when he has finished his schooling he will be ready for a job with the government.
We met no wives! The Arab does not show his wife. If you should meet one, she would be entirely veiled and her sleeves would hang below her finger tips so that you would not be able to see any of her skin.
We were invited out to Abdul's for dinner. We considered it quite a privilege, for very few white men ever get such an opportunity.
On the Nile at the Delta Barrage
Photograph Contributed by Jean Possell
The countryside resembles Southern California in that they have orange and lemon groves, cactus plants, palms and adobe buildings. The canals make it Egypt; along with the water buffalo and camels.
They hire farmers to do the work for them and they certainly raise fine crops with the benefit of irrigation each year when the Nile overflows.
After looking over the farm land, we rode back to Abdul's home. The children were all very shy -- we were so obviously foreign by our hair, coloring, clothes and speech -- but I had taken along some candy and I gave some to each child.
Egyptian Woman
Photograph Contributed by Jean Possell
We were then taken into Abdul's rooms. The living room had a door about ten feet high and five feet wide. The floor was cement and was covered with a heavy woven reed mat and a lovely deep pile rug.
Everyone that entered removed his shoes (sandals made like house shoes), but we were not allowed to do so because we were guests.
Along each wall was a studio couch with narrow hard cushions stacked in the center in such a manner as to be used for arm rests. In the center of the room stood a real antique table with a marble top and four cane chairs.
The other room was the bedroom with a large brass bed that was very old. Against one wall was a lovely wardrobe with a full length mirror.
We sat in the living room and talked until dinner was announced at two o'clock. Then an odd shaped silver bowl was brought in. It had a sort of pedestal in the center on which reposed a cake of soap. I picked up the soap and Abdul poured water over my hands from the tall daintily made silver pitcher. The brother-in-law had a towel ready for me. After everyone had washed (we were not allowed to assist anyone in this task), a huge tray, about three feet oval, was brought in. On the tray was a platter covered with native macaroni, on top of which was a whole roast chicken and a large veal roast. Beside the platter on the tray was a large bowl filled with native rice, under which was a bread combination which had been cooked in butter and sauce. This was seasoned with garlic, onion and sage.
Cheops, Cairo 1944
Photograph Contributed by Jean Possell
In consideration of us white men, four spoons were passed around -- they usually eat with their hands. We all dug into the bowl with the person digging the largest hole the cleverest. The chicken and veal were torn apart and eaten with the fingers.
The first course was taken away and a dessert known as Egyptian Cream (similar to cornstarch pudding) was brought in. After that came fruit -- bananas, oranges and tangerines. Then three courses of different kinds of treat.
It took two hours for the meal to be completed.