June Jet Lag

What time is it?  This is a question that most of us learned to answer in grade one or two, however it has been very difficult for Tom and I to answer lately.  I guess that will happen if you take a round trip across seven time zones in a period of about as many days.  The passing of one of the greatest women I've ever known, my Granny, sent Tom and I on an impromptu trip to Canada last week.  High school exams brought us back to Cairo only a week later.  It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks of sadness, laughter, family, friends, and far too many airports (6 if you're counting).

Just a few days before the sad news brought us to Canada, and more specifically to Metcalfe where the internet sometimes barely works, I swear I was writing a blog about our previous weekend in the Fayoum oasis, a region about 2 hours south of Cairo.  We went there mostly to visit the Valley of the Whales, a 45 million year old ocean (now desert) containing some unique and significant fossils.  We also did a long run in another stunning valley, and shopped for local pottery in a very quaint village known for its pottery school and numerous pottery shops.

We left Cairo early-ish Friday morning with about a dozen people from our running group, and went straight to the Valley of the Whales.  This dried ocean was the site of remarkable rock formations, fossils, and mangrove roots.  You could almost picture yourself walking along the ocean floor, covered in water, and you really wished you were covered in water, as you walked through the open desert in the hot sun.  Apart from the fascinating landscape, this valley contained many whale bone displays, with informative explanations in small sheltered huts.  It turns out that the fossils at this site show whales that used to have legs, to travel from land to water.  This is one of only two sites in the world where this has been found.  Pretty cool for a place we had never heard of despite living in Cairo for nearly a year.

We were fortunate to have a runner from our group with a cottage near this valley, so we spent the late afternoon, evening, and overnight at her place.  The pool was fresh (Tom's word for friggin' cold), and the food was plentiful and delicious as always.  We slept up on the balcony beneath the stars, and got up earlier than you should on a weekend away for a morning run.  The truck we'd taken there wouldn't start, so 12 of us piled into one SUV.  Luckily a few of the runners are very fast and very slim!

This was a beautiful run.  It was in a valley called Wadi Rayan, with a view of a small natural lake.  The air was clean, there was no traffic, and the scenery was breathtaking.  There were more sandstone rock formations all around, with a path down the middle perfect for our running.  We ran for over an hour and a half, but it didn't feel any longer than an hour run in Cairo. 

After a swim, the usual Maadi runners breakfast, and a second swim, we headed out to the village for shopping.  Apparently about 40 years ago a Swiss woman came to the area and fell in love with an Egyptian.  She got married and stayed there, and to help boost the local economy, she opened a pottery school.  Many of the students have opened pottery shops in the village, with prices far far better than you could find in Canada.  We bought a large bowl that will match our house in Arnprior perfectly.  I know that some of you are happier than others to hear about us making plans for home near Ottawa.  No matter where we go now, our home will contain some pieces of Egypt.