What have I been doing for the past 4 weeks?

Some of you may already know this & many may not, but it’s been over 4 weeks now since I’ve flown our plane. Shortly after Mubarak stepped down from the Egyptian Presidency, the Military Gov’t put a stop on all Egyptian Businessmen’s private flights. It sounds like they are possibly checking into all Egyptians with great wealth & looking for any possibility of dirty money. As you can imagine, this has put many on edge & many have chosen not to fly their corporate aircraft, regardless of the gov’t grounding, so as not to stand out.

Obviously, this has left many of us pilots waiting to see how much longer we will retain our jobs. Some guys have already lost theirs & others have heard that their planes are up for sale. Although my boss has not directly said anything, he has given a few hints that he is at best undecided over his commitment to continue operating a private jet in the near-term.

On that note, I remain focused on the fact that the good Lord clearly lead me to Egypt (for MANY opportunities of personal & spiritual growth, plus SO much more!) & I know that he will guide & care for me going forward. The big question hanging out there is where to next!

Anyway, I thought I’d post a load of pics to tell the graphic stories of some of the things that have kept me busy while grounded in Cairo during the past 4 plus weeks. Here they are, beginning with the most recent.

This past weekend the kids & I went on a retreat with a group from our church. It was a great time of relaxation, prayer & fun family activities for all.

Here's part of the group on the 2 hr tour bus ride, as we headed north out of Cairo.

It was an exceptionally clear night as we drove along the Nile (in the foreground), on the way out of Maadi...so clear, you could see the pyramids!

Within the skateboard park at the resort/camp, the kids found much joy in playing with this old car. (Joshua driving, Jasmine on the hood & friend Jonathan on the roof)

Joshua, in an act of defiance, stops Jonathan from driving away in the car without an engine.

A view of the grounds around the area, from atop the conference building.

Took another hiking excursion out to Wadi Degla with some friends:

There's NOTHING you can't transport via truck in Egypt. This time, it appears to be water buffalo :)

Also featured on the Ring Road this day: 2 guys in a car that wasn't road worthy. Yes, this thing WAS driving down the highway :)

Found a cave that went quite far back into the rock cliff of the valley. A few of us went in about 20 ft, but without the proper gear for this adventure, we decided to revisit another day.

Gabriel (John's son) checkin' out the dark cave!

Atop one of the cliffs overlooking the valley, from left to right: John, Alvero, Justin & myself.

Later that day, I took the kids to one of John's son's birthday party at Family Land:

Jasmine loves to ride this helicopter ride in circles!

Joshua & some of the boys in bumper/laser tag/something or other type cars :)

The kids always love to get wild in the plastic ball cage!

An afternoon at the Maadi Sports Club with the kids at the playground.

During my 4 days of excursions downtown, in order to facilitate the sale of the SUV I recently bought (and I used to think being stuck at the MI Secretary of State office for an hour was bad), we drove through what I would call the hardware district. This guy only sold hand tools out of the back of his truck. Likewise, if you want pipe joints, you go to the guy who sold only those and so on...

This guy had some key roll in approving the transfer of vehicle registration paperwork. Behind him I observed what seemed to be the filing system for stuff that was currently in process...they would take stacks of folders & drop them on the filthy ground in piles & then someone else would come along & rummage through the pile until they found what was needed. I didn't see a single computer in this government building, just lots of metal storage cabinets with boxes of vehicle registration paperwork stuffed inside. I have NO idea how they keep track of anything in this place :)

Shortly after the corporate jets were all grounded, we got together for one of our ACE (Aviator's Club of Expats) meetings at 2 of the guys' roof-top penthouse suites.

From left to right: Juan (Spain), John (US), Alvero (Spain), Justin (US), Doug (US), Alvero (US)

Tahrir Square, Cairo (2/13/11)

Today, we (myself & several other families from our church) spent much of the morning in Tahrir Square, viewing the aftermath of the protests (which are still continuing in much smaller numbers) & offering some help with the clean-up efforts, organized by the protestors themselves, via mostly volunteer labor. It was quite breathtaking to personally view Tahrir Square firsthand & watch some of the protesting that is still taking place.

I posted this pic (from Jan 29th) earlier on the blog, but wanted to offer it beside the one below (taken today). This is (was) the National Democratic Party (NDP) headquarters building.

View looking to the east (away from the Nile), into the center of Tahrir Square.

At the junction of one of the side streets that join Tahrir Square. The active protests were going on just to the right or this pic.

Continued active protests are taking place. From watching the news tonight, I think this was a protest by the Egyptian National Security Forces, asking for better pay & recognition that they are still here & never left. If you've been following the past 18 days events in Egypt, you'll recall that the news reported that much of the violence & unrest took place because these guys were nowhere to be found after the night of Fri, Jan 28th, when things really began to escalate as a result of the first violent clashes between the Security Forces (police) & the people. The Security Force also wants it recognized that they have long been harsh with the people because that's what they were ordered to do.

These fellows were very friendly & guided us around for a while, as we all worked to pick-up trash & organize for removal.

Joshua & his friend Grace (from school & church), to his left. I snapped this shot, just before a soldier told me "no picture" :) He didn't seem to want Westerners taking pictures, but was quite alright to let Egyptians take shots. Some of the others in our group simply passed their cameras to Egyptian civilians to get the shot :)

This was a Kentucky Fried Chicken...see the slogan above the counter "Finger licking good"? Looks like it likely got looted for food, as did several other restaurants in the area :(

Ancona, Italy

Our latest trip took us to a place we have been several times over the past year, but I have never posted about. Ancona is a beautiful old port city in northeast Italy, on the Adriatic Sea (opposite side of the country from Pisa). It is a very industrialized city & we continue to find it challenging to find English speak folk in this part of the country :)

After climbing the steep hill behind our hotel, I stumbled upon the Parco della Cittadella. It is a beautiful/peaceful place that overlooks the city & sea below.

Entering the old fortress through this long corridor, I found what appeared to be a slow restoration process of repairing the original structure.

From high atop one of the walls of the fortress, you can see the old lighthouses on the hill across town.

While walking on the many paths within the park, I passed by this neat old building. Unfortunately, I was unable to gain entry :( Walking around behind the building, I found that it is almost entirely covered in foliage.

Along the south side of this building there was a low wall that was also covered in foliage.

Drat! The back door was locked too.
The north side of the building.

Some kind of a Medieval playing field???

Catching Up

A bird's eye view of the Mohammed Ali Mosque, as seen on the approach to runway 05 center at Cairo Int'l Airport.

Here's what half a herd of camels looks like on the highway :)

Hiking up to St. George Chapel in Athens, Greece. This is the highest point within the city of Athens. Early in the morning, I found it a very peaceful place to pray, as well as offering a great panoramic view of the city below.

St. George Chapel.

The view of Athens, from St. George Chapel.

The Parthenon, atop the Acropolis.

Looking to the west (toward the sea), from St. George Chapel.

Back to Cairo (or close anyway). Hiking & seeking quiet time with the Lord at Wadi Degla (Degla Valley).

Our family SUV that got me there.

This has got to be one of the worst "Ramp Queens" I've ever had to park next to! :) On closer inspection, I found that the framing around the windows is so corroded that you can pick the metal away with your finger (not that I did that :) & the attachment points for the main gear are starting to push through the top of the wings. This thing is literally becoming part of the desert, right there on the ramp!!

These are quite incredible times in the land of Egypt! We departed on a trip to Sharm el Sheikh on Jan 26th, the day after the protect began. On the night when things became violent (Jan 28th) all internet, texting & email was shut down. The next morning we returned to Cairo, after the boss & I came up with enough Euros in pocket change to buy enough Jet A (fuel) to make the 1 hr flight. Credit was not working in Egypt since all internet data service was down & they wouldn't take Egyptian pounds as payment.

After returning to Cairo, we had our driver take the long way home, through downtown Cairo via the highway, across 6 October Bridge. The aftermath from 4 days of rioting was astounding. As we drove past the National Democratic Party (NDP) Headquarters Building (pictured below), we could see that it was still ablaze. The army was just beginning to roll onto the streets with tanks & soldiers. After the violent battle with police, the people were glad to see the army, as they saw a protective force in them. However, things continued to get worse in the days to come, as the army remained neutral while opposing protestors began to fight violently among themselves in Tahrir Square (as seen on the int'l news).

These next 2 pics are the view of downtown Cairo, out my cockpit window as seen on the approach to runway 05 right at Cairo Int'l Airport

Ah, there goes Mohammed Ali Mosque again, as we head in on the approach from the southwest.

And, City Stars Mall (housed within the pyramid & surrounding buildings).

Here are some of the many armored personnel carriers that are stationed around the area, with troops, partially blocking the roads. They seem to be more about announcing their presence that establishing check points, as they don't bother to stop or interfere with traffic. I'm sure they would be all over anyone who looked suspicious!

Although we heard plenty of machine gun fire at night over the past couple weeks (that has come to an end in the past several days), we do not feel threatened living in Maadi (about 30 min drive south of Tahrir Sq. The gun fire the first few nights of the uprising was actually battles between escaped prisoners & the army we are told. And, the prisoners were rather quickly rounded up over a few days once the army arrived on the scene. Additionally, it has often been quite clear that the soldiers will often fire sever bursts or gun fire into the air as they pass through neighborhoods on their tanks, to let everyone know who is in charge of the streets now :) With the absence of the police force (until just a couple days ago), the locals formed bands of vigilantes to protect the neighborhoods from looters & prisoners & these groups welcomed the support of the army.

As we are still under nightly curfews (8pm-6am), the vigilante groups continue to watch over the neighborhoods & maintain many road blocks that they setup on their own each night, along the side streets. Things are slowly returning to normal around our small part of town & we wait in prayer to see what will come of all this unrest for Egypt, the gov't & the people.

There are many that are suffering the unintended consequences of this turmoil & our church (Maadi Community Church) is holding daily prayer meeting at noon for the country & people of Egypt. My wife has been instrumental in organizing food drives for the locals who have lost much income due to the departure of so many foreigners.

The bottom line regarding our safety here in Maadi is that we see that this is an issue between the Egyptian people & their gov't...it has nothing to do with foreigners. We have felt the Lord's protection from looters, through the determination of the vigilante groups & the army.