I’ve taken for granted my voice…assumed it would be there to listen intently when I finally had something to say. But the server that hosts my blog has been down (returning me to my cyber-birth place) and I am feeling the loss of expression.

Never mind that for more than a week I had several ideas about what I wanted to write on which never came to fruition. They – like my Egypt article – float around in my head with potential bumping into my doubt telling me they aren’t quite right.

Even now I find I have less to say other than I have less to say. But I am struck again, as I have been several times over recent years, by the true gift of free speech…the true reach...the difficulty in achieving it…but more than that…in truly wanting it.

I was part of an FB exchange the last week about some right wingers giving obama a hard time. The gist was that he was failing greatly blah blah blah…and then he called him what I believe is a Yiddish word that has some negative connotations for blackness – not a slur exactly but not a glowing remark. My friend was irritated. Actually he was mad.

I argue…as always…that freedom of speech protects unpopular speech – the stuff you don’t agree with. That is kind of the point. he countered that they were being hypocritical in the way that they were bashing. I maintain that freedom of speech manages to protect hypocrisy too – and idiocy.

Essentially, without inciting anyone to violence or harm people are overwhelmingly protected. And on this one thing I am a helicopter. I am obsessively hovering over it, barking at those that seek to harm it. Because…quite frankly…I spend a lot of time talking about things that big swaths of the country don’t agree with. And…well…I plan to continue.

i'm moving...360 has too many glitches and R...the fantabulous man that he is, has moved my stuff to his server until i figure out what to do...so from now on look for me here:

http://linnea.ratogi.net/

all my old posts and even old comments are there. any questions please don't hesitate to ask me and i'll see what i can do.

as for my trip...photos are forthcoming...

tonight is my final night in egypt. i can't believe 3 weeks went by so fast. i also can't believe everything i was able to do.

today was my final day and instead of laying about M and i got up early and headed out to the red sea. actually we headed to the gulf of suez which connects to the red sea - but i digress. the drive was an interesting look at the topography of egypt. it is easy to think desert=sand=same, but actually there was a fair amount of diversity.

don't get me wrong - there was still sand on the right side and sand on the left side, but the color varied from blond to not quite ocher. and we moved from eroded mounds to impressive mountains which eventually lapped up against blue green crystal waters.

even with all the trash of egypt blown into it - the suez canal water looks like something you want to lounge beside, swim in, be thankful for. but a bit breezy and the water a mite cold, i put my toes in, swished my fingers through it and got back in the car satisfied that i had both seen and touched.

M doesn't believe in retracing his steps so from ain sukhana (which boasts a chili's AND a carinos to my dismay!) we drove south to za'farna (lined with the shells of potential resorts by the dozens) and turned inland.

this proved less fruitful than M had hoped. a military road with periodic outposts scattered - the most interesting things we passed were an old monastery and what could only be a leaking pipe from the nile transporting fresh water to the budding resorts. we noticed this because of the conspicuous patches of shrubs and greenery at intervals along a lined route.

a little north of beni suef we headed north for cairo with a distant view of yesterday's pyramid and the bent one in the distance as we approached.

after 15 years my dream trip is coming to a close...i'm looking for a new dream...any suggestions?

despite a lousy night's sleep (which should be explained in here at some point) i am going to try to jot down some thoughts about the last few days. they have been busy to say the least.

tuesday the 9th was mostly a day of rest. still sore from climbing into the pyramid and from horseback riding, i was moving a little slow and M had some work to do (bless his heart he's been amazing).

when he returned to the house we decided to go out for a drive...the day was still clear ( a real rarity here apparently). we headed for a bluff that we pass going pretty much everywhere. a few churches but against its edge and building stand, unseen, behind them. M hadn't explored up there so we headed in that direction with only a compass and a landmark to guide us. foiled by a wall and guards we drove around the rather posh area - watching kids screaming with glee at the decorated horses parading back and forth up the street.

i spied a side street and we meandered our way in that direction...kind of a view...a little further...maybe...until we spotted a clearing ahead and a view past the giza pyramids with sakkara and dashur off in the distance. it was amazing. the city of the dead sprawled out before us and the river and the skyline accessorized the city. it was stunning.

from there we drove back to maadi, leaving the city behind in almost an instant...we drove into a canyon. banked up against the city, it was a river bed that used to feed the nile and has paleolithic village remains. we drove the 10 or so kilometers and at one point stopped to climb and grab a view from up high. stunning. of course trash was strewn all about - probably caught in the desert winds and blown in from the city. garbage is something that abounds here.

wednesday we departed at 7am headed for a couple of desert destinations. the first was a pharonic period temple - Qasr al-Sagha -the golden fortress/temple. it used to be on the oasis shore (which has receded on a couple of occasions now) and doesn't have much left to show except the actual stones and some empty spaces presumed to be enclaves for the different gods.

from there we continued through the desert and located Dimeh al-Siba (avenue of the lions), the ruins of a greco roman village that was once on the shore of the same oasis (since receded further). the area is strewn with pottery remains, part of two temples and what are presumed to be random buildings and a road - for which the area is named (ave. of the lions). no lions remain.

after roaming around there for a while we cut through the desert in a different direction butting up against the fayoum oasis. green jumped from the desert as if ambushing it. no gradual assertion of its boldness...it was confident. we drove through the outskirts of this agricultural area, marveling at how women could do farm work with their entire faces covered and floor length galibaya, as we met the tar road.

the agricultural area continued. the oasis evident before i ever saw the fayoum oasis water. and once it emerged - to my right - i was also made aware that it is not the source of the farms because the high dam has cut off the niles flooding effects that spilled into the oasis and now the salinity is too high for most fish or almost any life. instead farmers use canals and irrigate with nile water.

following the road we entered wadi al-hitan, a unesco world heritage site. it is better known as valley of the whales because the whole area used to be an expanded part of the mediterranean sea and was underwater. and embedded in the rock and sand are the skeletons and fossils of whales (back when they had hind legs still) and mangroves...among other things.

after wandering around the area for a while M and i set up camp. by sun down we had the place to ourselves (with the exception of the workers who had housing further out). settled in for the night we were amazed by the light of the almost full moon...it lit up the box canyon we nestled so brightly you could almost read by it. the stars had trouble competing with it but we sat out in the cold air, watching the fire burn - and at several points - a desert fox roaming closer and closer to us (around 10 feet) we presume searching for food.

after a freezing night in the tent we woke to a leisurely start to the day, took a different route out of the park through what i expected the desert to look like (more sand dunes and wind blown designs) to where i fell asleep.

i awoke in time to see what appeared to be a pyramid or something in the distance and asked M what it was. he hazarded a guess "mud core pyramid" but steered the car in that direction. we discovered it was a step pyramid dating earlier than sakkara and in amazing condition with a lot of the original facing still on it. after climbing down into it - weary of the "staples" holding the crumbling rock in place - we were amazed at the success of this pyramid more than its failure (the top collapsed -presumably from too steep a top, the thing that that bent pyramid's builders corrected at the end).

we wiggled our way into the mastaba as well - literally - on our bellies for part, climbing down rickety ladders and across questionable planks. but it was worth it - inside we found an open sarcophagus.

homeward bound after all that excitement. tomorrow is my last real day here...i can't believe it is almost over.