Forgiving Earth...

They say Earth is so forgiving..
We humans have this habit of taking everything but giving nothing in return..
These humans living on my surface are about to celebrate an Earth day, from four days now,when they talk on TV, write in books about Earth's Day, when all they are doing is cutting trees, felling forests, leaving harmful substances into waters of rivers, when I bestow on them such sweet fruits in return of their act of planting trees, they are in turn dumping harsh, chemical substances into my belly,earth is reacting to all our such deeds, by exploding and fuming ash into our face, with anger and frustration was my thought.


When the dormant volcano in Iceland erupted a few days back, I thought,earth is speaking out her mind, enough of your words and empty acts of Earth day.Enough of your vanity. The so called developed countries closed their air ports and all the travellers have to live in airports, their life came to stand still, President of America himself has to abandon his travel plans.Loss is in Millions of dollars it is being said.


Some good hearted folks must have prayed to Earth to excuse us ..and she relented.She must have thought mean human beings, let us excuse..Now is the time to stop and think and act.. plant a new plant when you fell a tree,use our water resources frugally, the real worshipping of rivers is not to offer a sacred pooja of vermilion and harathi  ,but think and use wisely each drop of water, is the real offering of kumkum, instead of offering a harathi, take a vow to keep the flowing waters of the river to be unpolluted and clear.


Blow horns into the deaf ears of Governments to wake them up, open the eyes of public and awake them to the reality and by practising what we preach, let us leave a healthy habit of respecting our earth and let us leave some fresh resources to our future generations too.We have come as privileged guests of earth and let  us behave as well mannered guests, as we behave in our normal society, not otherwise...


Now we have exploited our earth to its end and planning to land on moon and mars  too in a few years. On a cool night, when we stare in the sky,a shining bright moon soothes us and looks at us. Such cool ,soothing , moon light he showers on us.Even now, I can visualise a rabbit on the face of the moon, when ever I stare at moon, as I was told in my childhood.I cannot imagine sky scrapers and smoke  emanating vehicles on the surface of moon, don't we really take pity on the plight of moon??


I heard about real estate agents too trying to sell plots on moon.Now, one earth is not enough for our greed we are getting ready to fly to other planets too. Is there no end to the greed of a man?? the earth must be wondering.


We are digging our own grave, by running out of resources ,without replenishing the earth, with new resources. Man is so mean and greedy that he is selling air, water, and land irresponsibly without any care, just for a few coppers. Earth may curse us for our greediness and harm us too.


We have to wake up ,before it is too late. Our off-springs will never care for the cash we have left them, but look out for how much air,water and land we have left  them..as our inheritance.


In the famous novel by Nevil Shute- The Beach,the residents are about to die ,due to a nuclear hit, the world is about to end, all of them dead, due to nuclear explosion,but still, a couple  plants trees, in the hope of serving next generations, when the whole mankind has been swept off.We also should take a lesson from them and feel and behave as if it is our last day on earth and be humble. Our foot prints on earth, may not remain, but a plant we nurture, will bow to earth and whisper prayers to it, on our behalf.


Our earth is not counting this day , or not minding these days,we celebrate,it has been here,since millions of years, bearing us on its surface, we need to bow to it as a mark of respect, that is all we are expected to do,Is it not the time???

Our Egypt Tour...Part One.

After a few enquiries, without much effort, we fixed our tour for Egypt and started on Tuesday 23rd of March from Kuwait airport. The flight took less than four hours and we landed in Cairo Airport, by evening five O clock. We were received by our tour operator and we waited for a few more minutes to be joined with another couple arriving another flight. Already few people from India along with the tour manager have landed in Cairo Airport and we all proceeded to our hotel, Pyramids Park Resorts in a bus. We met the remaining group members at the resort and after, freshening ourselves, we were taken to an Indian Restaurant for our first dinner at Cairo.

On the way from airport to our Resort, we had a glimpse of Cairo,as it took more than an hour to travel the distance, as the evening rush hour was at it's peak and we had a taste of the City in it's most unglamorous moments. From our windows of the bus, I could see, huge construction work going on in the desert on one side and after entering the city, I could see residential buildings lined with red bricks, stacked like a pile of match boxes, washed linen on strings,  flying like inviting flags, with a cable dish on the top as an compulsory adornment.

Cairo city, the capital of Egypt, flourishing on the banks of River Nile , with its centuries old history, home for one of the seven wonders of the world, the Pyramids, has already drawn us into its age old charm. At the Indian restaurant we had a sumptuous dinner and we were formally invited to the tour of Egypt, by our tour manager, in the bus,on the way back to resort.

The first day of tour was to the world famous pyramids, at Giza desert just 8km. from our resort, and we were introduced to our local guide, who is an Egyptologist and well versed with the local customs. On each day, at the start , we were given our dos and donts and tips to gain maximum benefit from our tour, and schedule of the day was followed very strictly, as it is essential to cover all the sites of importance within our limited time.

The three pyramids built on a high plateau are huge as we all expected, but until we stand beside them we do not get the exact idea, lifting our heads high, we have to strain our necks to look at the top. The three pyramids were built by the Pharaohs (kings) of Old kingdom,  who belong to third century BC, when the kingdom was in a flourishing state. The shape of the pyramid takes from an earth mould, which was thought of as the primordial shape of Life.

The kings - Pharaohs were worshipped as Gods and they firmly believed, in resurrection and to help them get ready for their rebirth and kingdom, the dead bodies of kings were eternally saved from getting destroyed by time,by a process called mummification and these mummies were buried with all pomp and grandeur deserved to a royal, along with treasures, horses, and servants too.

We were allowed to creep into a pyramid by bending into half, and walking like that for a few metres, we ended in a big chamber with four tubs, which were used to prepare mummies, we were explained.

All the pyramids were built by huge lime stone blocks which were transferred on the river Nile, by barges, at times when the peasants are free from their agricultural activities. The mathematical calculations employed in constructing these pyramids is  so exact, that they found on verification by GPS ,only 3mm. error, which shows us that Egyptians at that time were mathematical wizards of their own right.

After taking appropriate photos of all the pyramids in one frame, and in different angles we proceed to the huge Sphinx at the same area.This sphinx is an enormous statue of  a human face and lion's body,carved from the natural bedrock at the bottom of the causeway to Khafre's Pyramid, which is one of the pyramids of the three.

From here,we were taken to the famous Egyptian Cotton Factory, where pure  cotton dress materials, curtains, and other furnishing materials , shirts, shawls and richly embroidered materials etc. are available for sale.Nile river leaves a black fertile soil, on it's banks , which is most suitable for cotton fields, hence cotton industry seems to be flourishing in Egypt.We shed some Egyptian pounds for some pure cotton material...

Our next stop was at another famous ,ancient , paper making industry , that is not an ordinary paper but natural, fibre paper from papyrus, which is a water plant, grown extensively in the waters of Nile. Papyrus was the ancient, thousands of years old , first found paper by Egyptians.The natural fibre inside the stem of the plant is soaked in water and pressed into a flat paper, on which various paintings are drawn, which they say last for ages, long after our lives too..

The ancient history of Egypt, with its folk tales and tales of Gods and Pharaohs, and the pictorial script of ancient Egypt called as hieroglyphics are all depicted on these papyrus, we were also tempted into buying a few paintings with our names written in hieroglyphics,  for posterity sake.

Our slowed down steps and grumbling tummies have announced that it is lunch time and our next stop is at a local eatery, which serves Filafel sandwiches combined with green salad, a tasty Egyptian simple meal,and easy on pocket too.It was mentioned that we have to buy bottled mineral water ,at every meal ,as water is not served along with food, and water from public taps is not safe.The bus driver, has a small fridge in the bus, from where we can buy bottles for a cheaper rate than hotels.A convenient arrangement for both ,the local driver and for us, tourists too.

After lunch, no time for cat nap, or anything like  that, we were taken to the famous Cairo National Museum, a must see on the list of tourist for its huge collection of over one lakh antiques , carefully preserved and displayed mummies and the world renowned treasures of Tutankhamum, which were found in the recent times. We were explained in detail, by our guide all the historical facts and the importance of the displays and we felt like peeping into the pages of ancient Egypt.

A separate ticket need to be purchased, for those who are interested in visiting the special gallery for mummies, which they are preserving in controlled climatic conditions. Otherwise, the tour operator buys all the tickets in advance, saving our time.

There are four important sections of the Museum, and an hour or two is insufficient to walk through all the halls, but we have to be  satisfied with a running glimpse of the more important displays, with shortage of time.

Our last stop, for the first day is a dinner on board a boat cruise, ofcourse a short one on the river nile along the banks of Cairo city.The early dinner served on board, was enjoyable as local artists entertained us with a symphony of music ,a medley of drums and keyboard, accompanied by a scintillating dance by a single artist, whose movements were so fast and rhythmic, that we have fallen into his trance, this was followed by the famous belly dance too, and all this while the boat sailed smoothly in the river Nile.

We were back to our Resort, by night, and were instructed to be ready by early morning 7.30.as we have to leave to Alexandria which is 270 km. distant from Cairo. Alexandria is the second largest city in Egypt, and it got it's name, from the famous Greek King Alexander. It is also popularly known as The Pearl of the Mediterranean.

We started our second day in Egypt, on our bus tour to Alexandria, and we arrived on time in three hours.  Our first stop was at Catacombs tombs, which were excavated recently. We were told these were the largest Roman Cemetery consisting of three levels cut in the rock. Underneath the earth, a maze of chambers and shelves to hold the bodies were cut into the rocks, and a central well like hole was the way to drop mummies inside for preservation. These tombs belong to private elite Roman gentry, they were following the ancient Egyptian way of mummification of bodies and the walls too were painted of figures depicting those times.

Our next visit was to the famous Pompeii's Pillar,constructed in honour of the Emperor Diocletian at the end of the 4th century AD. Then we proceeded to Quitbay Citadel, which was built on the site of ancient Pharaohs- this was the place where an ancient Light House also stood , we were told. This place is on the coast of Mediterranean sea and the coastal road is lively with beautiful beach, sailing boats, leisurely crowds walking on the pavements, hawkers selling memorabilia of their country to tourists, a central monument in the memory of unknown soldier, surrounded by a green park, hotels and restaurants busy with tourists on one side of  the road, we were taken to Athens hotel on this beach road for our lunch.

From here, our next stop is the world famous, second largest Library of Alexandria. Biblotheca Alexandria is the name of  this library, which is an aesthetically built , green building to save energy, we were told.The roof of the building is open to sky with  windows like eyes, to allow light during day time, to save energy. The building is seven stories high, with sections for old manuscripts and millions of books from all over the world, internet facility ,facilities to copy those books, antiques collected from ancient cities, personal memorabilia of their leaders, valuable paintings, statues, a conference hall, a planetarium, all in one campus and we came to know that this building is on the same place where an ancient library used to be, which was destroyed in a fire accident.Another interesting feature,we found out, the compound wall of the library contained letters from all the languages in the world, and all of us from different parts of India  were busy locating our own language on the wall. Every one took a photo, no doubt, of their findings.

We proceeded back to Egypt and had dinner at another authentic Indian restaurant,at Cairo, having a glimpse of Cairo city at night. A short stop at the famous bazaar of Cairo, made our day complete.

Our Egypt Tour...part two.

The third day in Egypt, we were allowed a much leisurely breakfast, as we have to proceed to airport by 11 , to fly to Aswan for our next stage of River Cruise on   Nile.

We reached Aswan on time and proceeded directly to our boat, Opera berthed on the river Nile.We occupied our allotted cabins and that evening we were taken to one of the famous Perfumery ,Aswan is famous for perfumeries we were told. It is a household industry here from ages.Here we saw a demonstration of glass blowing, how scented oils are used to make perfumes, which long last, as no alcohol is added and they are pure oils.Here we were shown how medicinal oils help in relieving body pains, and a wide variety of perfumes with exotic names as Cleopatra, Ramses.. etc.We bought a few perfumes here.

On the way to our boat, we were left at the railway station junction, to have a glimpse of local flavour of the bazaar. The city is neat and various transports like tongas driven by horses and taxis and public buses too are plying on roads.On the river front, there are numerous parks with greenery, filled with gaiety and colour. We walked through the   colourful bazaar, which is selling spices, artefacts, local goods, all in open displays and the shopkeepers inviting us with namasthe and shouts of our Bollywood actors, to attract our attention.

We enjoyed our walk back to the jetty  where our boat is berthed , as the weather is so pleasant and breezy winds seem to be telling stories of ancient kings and queens in our ears.

We had an early dinner as we have to get up early in the morning or rather at the middle of  the night, to proceed to Abu Simbel Temple on the next day.We woke up at 2.30 in the night and were on deck by 3am, we collected our breakfast boxes and boarded our bus. Some 20 or odd buses collected , at a place and we proceeded in a convoy, with security as this place is in the middle of a desert, close to Sudan, southern most tip of Egypt.

Abu Simbel has two magnificent Temples, the Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Nefertati. Not only are the two temples at Abu Simbel among the most agnificient monuments in the world but their removal and reconstruction was an historic event itself. The temples were threatened by submersion in Lake Nasser, due to the construction of the High Dam.

During the salvage operation which continued until 1968, the two temples were dismantled and raised over 60 metres up the sandstone cliff, where they had been built more than 3,000 years before.The facade of the main temple is 108 feet high and 125 feet wide with four colossal seated statues about 65 feet high wearing the double crown and having the cartouches of Ramses II. The entrance leads into a Grand Hall which is 57 feet high and 52 feet wide and was cut from the rock. It is supported with 8 pillars of Ramses II.

The walls inside the temple are painted or carved with figures depicting the times of Ramses II, we saw Ramses on a chariot with spiked wheels, waging a battle with enemies, beheading his enemies heads, depicting how great a warrior he is, various inscriptions in hieroglyphics , all showing how advanced the ancient Egyptians were in the art of warfare and medicine and other daily activities.

The other temple is dedicated to his beautiful wife Nefertari and the insides of the temple here too are painted showing the queen in beautiful poses.

The lake or body of water collected here is so huge like an ocean, (5000sq. km. in area),and is named after their beloved President, Naser.

This lake is formed due to the construction of a High Dam on river Nile, we stop at the dam, to have a panoramic view of the river, dam and the canals flowing from the dam.

Our next stop is at the granite quarry where lies an unfinished obelisk , which was never detached from the rock as it developed cracks in several places. The obelisks are huge, one stone rocks cut into pillars to be erected at temples as salutations to the royals.

We returned back to our boat and our cruise on river Nile has started by 5.30 in the evening .We enjoyed the scenic beauty of river Nile and the greenery along the coast, mainly date palms, we saw aplenty, along with banana plantations, from the open deck at the top of the sailing boat, with flying birds giving us company on that memorable voyage.

On the same day, our boat docked at a place, where Temple Kom Ombo is situated.Overlooking the Nile,this unique temple is infact the fusion of two temples, set side by side, with each side having it's own gateways and chapels.The left side of the temple is dedicated to Harooeris, the falcon headed God. The right part of the temple is dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile headed God and God of fertility.

Later, at night we start our sailing again, to reach Edfu Temple on the next day.Early in the morning, we start our shore excursion to visit the temple of Edfu. Of all the temples of ancient Egypt, the one at Edfu is not only the best preserved , but the second largest after Karnak.

This temple is dedicated to Horus and was built in the Ptolemic period.We found hieroglyphic alphabets on the walls of the temple, a calender was also drawn on the walls dividing a year into three seasons, the flooding of river Nile, the after flood, agricultural season, and the harvesting season. They worshipped sun as God and calculated a year into 365 days, approximately, following the earth's path around the sun. Hieroglyphics are pictorial alphabets, drawn from nature around them, birds, animals,and other things used by them.

The daily agricultural activities, their tools, the medical tools, flowers, birds, animals, these are some of the pictures on the walls of the temple, giving us an idea of the lives and occupations of people at those times.

We return to our cruise and enjoy a delicious lunch and be prepared to watch our boat crossing the Esna locks on the river Nile, from the open deck on top.

After crossing the locks, we have a smooth sail and arrive at the ancient city Luxor, which was the capital of Egypt for some time.We arrive in time to be present at the world famous sound and light show at Karnak temple. The huge pillars mounted to hold a huge chamber

Karnak temple is the largest temple in Egypt with huge pillars mounted to hold a huge chamber and it is on the east coast of river Nile.We are invited into the temple by the majestic avenue of Ram-headed sphinxes leading into the precinct of God Amun Re. Huge pillars,134 in number, arranged in 16 rows, supported the famous Hypostyle hall in the precinct of Amun-Re.The architraves on the top of these columns were 70 tons in weight and we were left wondering how they managed to lift them atop these huge heights.

Overlooking the sacred lake, we sat in a gallery to hear about the stories of these kings and their religious practices with appropriate lighting on the walls, and were transported into ancient times, at one go.

We returned back to cruise boat to have the last supper, as we will be leaving the boat on the next day.The dinner was followed by a gala dancing and song event.

The next day was the last day of our tour,  our luggage was boarded on the bus and after having our breakfast, we started our tour in the city of Luxor.

Our first stop is at the karnak temple, now in day light, and we took a good number of pictures in front of those huge statues and pillars. From there, we travelled  to the west bank of Nile, to discover the valley of Kings. This is the place, where, generations of pharaohs and nobles were buried in great splendour, housed in crips cut into the cliffs. The treasures of the burial chambers of  great kings and queens have long been looted by ancient Egyptians and visitors over the centuries.

The paintings on the walls leading into the tombs are intact even now after more than 5,000 years and they tell the story of ancient  civilization of Egypt.

This is the place where the Boy King Tutankhamum's mummy was found intact, along with immense treasures, by a relentless discoverer, who searched on these grounds for 20 long years , to find this tomb.The mummy and treasure are preserved at the museum of Cairo, where we have been previously, we remembered.

On the way to the gigantic temple of Queen Hatshepsut, we passed the valley of queens ,where queens were buried, and their tombs were found in the caves on the hills.

Queen Hashepshut is the only woman phaaoh to have ruled Egypt, and she built a huge temple in three tiers.On our return we take a photo stop at the Colossi of Memmon. These two giant statues are all that remain of the mortuary temple of Amenophis III.

By evening we check into a hotel, in Luxor, and with this our tour is complete, but we are left for ourselves to wander on the streets of Luxor or visit one more temple temple of Luxor. Enough of temples is the general cry of the members, so many hired a tonga to have a last shopping time on the streets of Luxor, where as, we proceeded to have another glimpse in to ancient Egypt, by visiting the famous Luxor museum.

Our visit was worth the time, as we saw in close quarters, the wheels, their transport- chariots, the mummification beds, agricultural implements, coins, building tools like a plumb line, a perpendicular angle, in wood, their jewellery, dresses in fine linen, the beautiful face of queen Nephertatis, the scribe in a sitting posture and many more, to our heart's full.

The tour to Egypt is coming to an end, we had a sumptuous dinner, good sleep and woke up early morning to take  our flight back to Aswan. From Aswan, we took our last flight to Kuwait and reached home on 30th March, noon, safely and exhausted but satisfied that we had an excellent holiday.

We have fallen in love with the ancient civilization, the monuments, the temples and above all the river Nile and the tasty Mediterranean food, and Egypt beckons its visitors for another tour, another time, till then...