Early January of 1995 found me on my own in Cairo, the "capital of Africa", where I stayed until my sensibilities were saturated with honking horns, cigarette smoke, ogling men and non-stop socializing. Those fourteen days were full of rich discoveries including some eccentric new friends, hours at the Egyptian Museum communing with mummified pharaohs, a four a.m. full moon climb to the top of the Great Pyramid at Giza and a first-hand introduction to the beauties and perils of the Muslim faith.

On January 24th, I happily flew to Aswan, which has held me captive for the last two months, seductively revealing new and amazing experiences with each passing day. A bucolic small town on the Nile River, Aswan is laced with palm tress, huge gray granite boulders and the friendliest people in all of Egypt. I'm staying in a very clean, quiet hotel for an astonishing $2 a day, though I recently treated myself to three nights at the Old Cataract Hotel, a five-star Moorish-Victorian paradise where scenes from Death on the Nile were filmed. An inspiring atmosphere, I often visit for a beer and some writing in its Terrace Bar, which looks out over Elephantine Island, the Nile, a salmon-colored Club Med and the distant tomb of the Aga Khan.

Dotting the river like so many weaving white moths are feluccas, Egypt's version of sailboats. During the evening of my first day in Aswan, the fates dropped a charming Nubian felucca captain into my lap and our fast friendship has allowed for a fair amount of sailing. These efficient boats need only a warm Nile breeze to fly under a sky brilliant with stars and a crescent moon that hangs horizontal in true Muslim style.

Prince Aiman lives in a nearby village on Seheyl Island, one of the original Nubian settlements in the area. I visit his family often and am learning about the traditional life and lore from people whose sense of love, community and music is like none I've ever experienced. In the photograph I sit with his Mother, Fatima, after having my hands hennaed with uniquely Nubian designs. I wear my brown contacts which they find quite delightful, but have yet to veil my hair, which is a constant source of entertainment, scandal and admiration. Since Zena is an Egyptian name, the villagers all know me by now and I feel quite at home.

Much of my time, however, is spent with my nose in a book devouring information about ancient Egyptian myth and religion. It's all quite intriguing and according to some interpretations, very similar to my own sense of spirit. The temples here are truely stunning: Kom Ombo, Philae, Edfu, Abu Simbel and Kalabsha - architectural wonders easily evoking mystical states of enchantment, for children perhaps, and those with a properly attuned headset.

It seems that the entire world view of the ancient Egyptians was based on symbolism, intuition and magic as opposed to linear analytical Western thought. To appreciate its art and architecture in a vibrant way, it helps to suspend the rational mind for a bit. Even then, the meanings are elusive since our minds can be so overwhelmed with contemporary logic and science that it's easy to be bewildered.

During these last two months I've been developing a more symbolic context that will hopefully open a new perceptual door for my explorations in Luxor. So in April I'll travel north to spend days of hours in the Luxor Temple, Karnak and the Valley of the Kings. The atmosphere there is more concentrated and I hope to glean a clearer experience of the Egyptian temple. The luxury of time will be a blessing.

Then in May I return to Cairo once again to visit Giza and continue research at the American University Library. Side trips to Fayyum Oasis, home of an ancient crocodile cult, and Alexandria are possible since the weather will be a bit cooler there.

As I reflect on my time spent in Egypt, I have to remark at how effortlessly it all seems to unfold. Surely, there are small frustrations with the language difference and with being such an obvious target in a tourist-starved country, but overall I've never felt safer or more comfortable in a foreign land, while traveling either alone or with friends.

When you realize that these people stop to pray to Allah five times a day, its understandable that there is virtually no personal crime such as theft, rape murder, etc. And the communities, Cairo excepted, are so small and supportive it seems unlikely that an individual could imagine not getting caught. The fundamentalist activity is in such an isolated area that only if you actually go to those places is there any chance of running into trouble.

Tourism is off dramatically, however, with the exception of the large cruise ships running between Luxor and Aswan. These occasionally disgorge a hundred or so British, French or German tourists, largely of the senior set, for a couple of hours then whisk them off to Abu Simbel and Philae, scooping them up soon thereafter for the return to Luxor. Otherwise, there are the hardcore budget travellers from Europe and Australia, some Japanese, who come and go with their backpacks, solo or in small groups of friends. I've met only three Americans here in Aswan, two in Cairo; I think the American press is doing quite an effective job of scaring hometown tourists.

Down to my last few lines, I'll say that I really look forward to seeing everyone this summer. Since no one has heard from me by mail, I submit a global apology for my silence.

Much love to all,
Zena

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