Egypt (47) Alabaster Factory

Egypt (1) The Idea to go
Egypt (2) Incheon Airport
Egypt (3) Turkish Airlines
Egypt (4) Breakfast is served and it's raining
Egypt (5) Istanbul: Hello Turkey!
Egypt (6) Istanbul: City Tour begins
Egypt (7) Istanbul: Turkish Islamic Art Museum
Egypt (8) Istanbul: Blue Mosque
Egypt (9) Istanbul: Blue Mosque Beanie Drama

Egypt (10) Istanbul: Lunch
Egypt (11) Istanbul: Hagia Sophia
Egypt (12) Istanbul: Grand Bazaar
Egypt (13) Istanbul: Snow Storm
Egypt (14) Istanbul: Goodbye Turkey!
Egypt (15) Arriving in Cairo
Egypt (16) Meeting mum, breakfast and Dana
Egypt (17) Pyramids and Sphinx
Egypt (18) Perfume Factory
Egypt (19) Jeweler
Egypt (20) Mit Rahina Museum
Egypt (21) Step Pyramid
Egypt (22) Bumpy Car Ride
Egypt (23) Lunch & Shopping
Egypt (24) Papyrus Institute
Egypt (25) Leaving for Aswan
Egypt (26) Arriving in Aswan
Egypt (27) Short, Sweet & Deep
Egypt (28) Lunch on the Boat
Egypt (29) Felucca Ride on the Nile
Egypt (30) Short, Sweet & Deep Part 2
Egypt (31) Dinner & Entertainment
Egypt (32) High Dam in Aswan
Egypt (33) Philae Temple
Egypt (34) Unfinished Obelisk
Egypt (35) Lunch & Set Sail
Egypt (36) Temple of Kom Ombo  

Egypt (37) Mohammad, Airtime & Security Guy
Egypt (38) Dinner & Galabya Party
Egypt (39) Love Story - Photoshopped
Egypt (40) Temple of Horus, Edfu
Egypt (41) Sail to Luxor & Sundeck Shananigans
Egypt (42) Hello, Mr Sailor!
Egypt (43) Luxor TempleEgypt
Egypt (44) My Sundeck Proposal
Egypt (45) West Bank of Luxor & Colossi of Memnon
Egypt (46) Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

Thursday, January 28 2010

A popular souvenir to take home from Egypt is something made from Alabaster. It is a soft rock that is carved by hand to produce vases and other little ornaments.  There are many little factories/workshops located very near to The Valley of Kings.

Ali takes us to an Alabaster Factory and before we go inside, I stop to watch four men sitting outside, each working on something. They all look up and give us the most beautiful smiles. They're so friendly and sweet, I wish I could take 'em home with me!

  

  

   

 

 

  

  

God of Fertility

  

While we're looking around the store, a man emerges from one of the rooms and stares at me. I move around trying to get out of his gaze, but he continues to move and not look, but stare. When I go to where Ali is sitting (smoking his sheesha), he tells me that this man is the owner of the factory. 

He tells me I'm beautiful and says he wants to marry me. Ali says that he had a wife, but she passed away. When we take a photo together, he says that I'm his 'future wife'. A few minutes later, he takes a necklace off the rack and puts it over my head. At first I don't want it...am I obliged to buy something now?  No. It's just a present he wants to give me.  

When I go outside again to take photos of the men at work, one gives me a raw piece of alabaster, saying that I should keep it for good luck. I'm feeling so blessed to be meeting such lovely people on this trip!

Egypt (48) Valley of the Kings

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