An article in the Washington Post by the President of Rwanda

Why the U.S. Needs Africa
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/20/AR2009092001296.html)
By Paul KagameMonday, September 21, 2009

Africa and the United States may be on the verge of a new partnership, not one of dependency and aid but one of shared ideas, vision and investments that increase our mutual prosperities. To begin this improved relationship, both must accept urgent and substantial changes in the nature of our bond.

Africa needs to acknowledge a key tenet of President Obama's July address to Ghana's parliament: that a vibrant private sector is critical for capable, reliable and transparent societies. Without a dynamic private sector, no society can prosper. The African continent has been slow to foster conditions that build active private enterprise.

Africa must adopt policies that strengthen governance and promote economic growth to create conditions for a strong and innovative private sector. These are the most durable strategies for advancing socioeconomic transformation.

Like all nations, my country is not perfect, but Rwanda continues to build strong foundations for stability and improve standards of living for all of our people. This has led to greater social integration and gender equity. Rwanda has leveraged the contribution of women for its productivity and prosperity; ours is the only country in the world with women as a majority in parliament.

Rwanda has moved from instability to reconciliation and sustainable development largely through our Vision 2020 strategy. The primary principles of this strategy include macroeconomic stability; wealth creation to reduce dependence; and a shift from an agriculture-based economy toward a knowledge-based economy, with a vibrant service sector. We have enacted and consistently enforce a rule of law that counters corruption and supports our ambitious reform agenda. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton acknowledged our progress, and the importance of "policies based on evidence and measurable results," during an Aug. 5 speech in Kenya. Rwanda's ranking as the top global reformer in the World Bank Doing Business 2010 report illustrates what can be achieved with vision and engagement.

The recommendations in President Obama's July 11 address are as pertinent for the United States as they were for Africa. Africa's prosperity, he said, "can expand America's prosperity. [Its] health and security can contribute to the world's." The link between the U.S. economy and African markets is critical, especially given global economic conditions and the potential Africa represents as a profitable new market.

It is no longer enough for the United States to work for Africa based on pity; the United States must work with Africa to build both our economies and improve the lives of all of our people. The United States has long supported assistance to Africa. The United States must recognize that Africa is now in a position to be of assistance to the United States. It is time to acknowledge our mutual reliance with clear actions. Yes -- Africa must improve its governance institutions and embrace private-sector development. We appreciate the African Growth Opportunity Act and acknowledge that Africa has not fulfilled its potential; African countries should take responsibility for shortfalls in their efforts and take greater advantage of opportunities under this act.
Meanwhile, the United States should increase financing to U.S. companies wishing to do business in Africa through key financial institutions such as Export-Import Bank of the United States and the Overseas Private Investment Corp. The United States has committed less to African markets than the emerging economies of Asia have; China guarantees nearly 30 times more in loans for investment in Africa than the United States does. Africa's needs are so great that there is ample room for both U.S. and Chinese investment. Increased U.S. investment in Africa would translate into more opportunities for U.S. companies, with high potential for profit flowing back to the U.S. economy.

The United States should also support regional initiatives in Africa. Africa's economic development does not stop at national boundaries. Our markets need to be connected by better roads, by canals and ports, and through new technologies. Yet few U.S. companies are competing for large-scale and regional projects.

The development of regional trading pacts similar to the North American Free Trade Agreement is among Africa's highest priorities. Regional development would better allow U.S. products and companies to reach beyond individual countries to greater markets without the burden of tariffs and legislative burdens.

As I meet with President Obama and other world leaders this month at the U.N. General Assembly in New York and the Corporate Council on Africa's U.S.-Africa Business Summit in Washington, I will remind them that development assistance to Africa is important but that the best type of aid leads to investment in national infrastructure and private-sector reinforcement. Without a vibrant private sector, there can be no economic growth or development. If the U.S. private sector played a greater role in Africa, mutual development would follow. To achieve this, the Obama administration must facilitate U.S. investment in Africa, and African leaders must attract greater U.S. investment by consolidating our institutions for effective governance.

The writer is president of the Republic of Rwanda.

Paintings for Paul

Richard is an artist at the Ivuka Art Studio in Kacuyiro, Kigali. He and I have become good friends while working together on a project he is proposing to paint murals in health centers and schools. I hope to see the project move forward before I leave, but I only have one month left in Kigali and am not sure I will see completion of the project. Richard is a very hardworking and big-hearted young artist. I wanted a chance to help support him directly so I commissioned a series of paintings for Paul (and I).

Richard has a unique style where he crumbles charcoal and adds it to his paintings for a 3-D effect. He uses bright colors too. I asked him to do a series of three paintings for Paul and I, depicting love and family. He created three very beautiful paintings for us.

I am happy these paintings will always remind us of Rwanda and Richard. Let's hope I am able to pack them securely in my suitcase!

Mourning Titus, the Gorilla King

Last night I attended a presentation given by Katie Fawcett Director of the Karisoke Research Center, funded by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. http://www.gorillafund.org/

Katie gave a really interesting and engaging overview of Dian's early work identifying and learning from these gorillas, and the organization's 40 years of tracking and researching the gorillas. I have a new understanding of the hard work the Rwandan park rangers and gorilla guides put into protecting the Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda.


I learned the sad news that the most famous silverback in Africa known as Titus - has died in Rwanda at the age of 35. He was considered a handsome gorilla and was easliy recognized by the brown marking on his brow. His group of gorillas is currently moourning him and staying near his body on the mountain; cleaning it. They are discussing when to hold a burial and plan to bury him on the mountain near Dian Fossey and other beloved gorillas.

After the presentation we watched a BBC documentary of Titus, "the Gorilla King". He was described as "possibly the most remarkable gorilla ever known", referring to his long life and his rise to dominance in his group. He was one of only about 700 mountain gorillas left in Africa. Mountain gorillas are found only on the slopes of the Virungas on the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, none are currently held in zoos. The plight of the mountain gorilla was brought to the attention of the world by Fossey, who lived in the Virunga until her murder in 1985. Titus was born on August 24 1974 and has been observed closely by researchers throughout his entire life, and he died of old age on September 14. The life expectancy of a healthy gorilla is about 40. Looking at the film and written documentation, Titus' story is very heartwarming with him rising to become the dominant male in his group despite losing family members to poachers in the 80s and being born underdeveloped.

Katie indicated that much of the success of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, and the rise in population size of this critically endangered animal is reliant on individual donors and people who become "members" on their website. http://www.gorillafund.org/

Inspirational Visit to a Village

An Introduction to Mosaic Foundation...

A few weeks ago while waiting on a friend's arrival at Kigali Airport I struck up a conversation with Francis who was there visiting a friend. We started talking about Rwanda and our work. I learned Francis started a non-profit called Mosaic Foundation nine years ago with funding from two international religious organizations. Mosaic's mission is to fill the gaps in the lives of Rwandans in poor and remote villages. Francis focuses much of his efforts on what he calls "home affairs" in four discricts (out of 30) where he implements literacy and life skills training for women and children in remote villages. He also conducts activities on cultural understanding, recreation, and reconciliation. His organization's annual budget is about $60,0000 with 20% generated from renting part of the building their offices occupy. Francis helped create "clusters" of local non-profits in each of the four districts where he works. When he finds village needs out of his reach (houses, water, livestock, etc.) he partners with the other cluster members to get what is needed if possible.

As I've gotten to know Francis, I've learned a lot about his passion and inspiring work. He was born in Rwanda but was orphaned at a very young age. His early memories include a very difficult life in Burundi as a refugee and sleeping on the dirt ground in a kitchen for a number of years. He attended boarding school for high school and saved money by selling individual cookies out of larger pack to the rich school children. In his years after school he served as a soldier in the RPF in Rwanda, and also attended seminary for some time. He recalls hard moments as a child where he sought spiritual answers to his questions of why he had no parents, and how he could find educational opportunities. He says he made promises to himself and to God that he would help others if he were given the opportunity to learn and have resources. He never attended University, but later worked for the government for a few years at the Rwandan Embassy in Kenya. At that time he felt he was not doing enough to help others and live up to his promises so he left to start his own organization. His friends and colleagues thought he was crazy to give up stable resources and income, but he looks back with no regret over being able to create his own mission and help others. In every conversation with Francis, his passion and love of his work shines through. His lack of university education but keen business mind is admirable. He created a Board of Directors and invited individuals to become members of his organization. He employs four administrators in Kigali and five community leads in every district where he works. Francis' impact on the villages and his unique relationship to so many children and families in Rwanda is incredibly important and impactful.

I showed Francis the public library at the US Embassy and talked with him at length about the things I've studied and learned about nonprofit management. I shared ideas with him about creating a website and communication materials, organizing his fundraising, and focusing his mission on measureable outcomes. He is thrilled to hear these ideas and thanks me profusely; of course this is a simple thing for me to do. I've given him some of the management and social work books I brought to Rwanda and he is always eager to learn more. In return, he invited me to visit his projects in Rwanda. I am humbled by this invitation, and happy to see all that I can.

In my job managing US Government programs in Rwanda, we work with the local government to build national health care capacity and with international partners to implement large scale HIV/AIDS programs. Meeting Francis and seeing his work, fills an important gap in my experience here allowing me to see aspects of poverty and needs in Rwanda that are not HIV/AIDS-related. Also, it helps legitimatize my experience through talking with people in the village and seeing first-hand their struggles. I am proud to know and join Francis at the indvidual level and the village level. There is something to be said for seeing one problem and doing what you can to solve the problem immediately. We need individual-level support in the world as much as we need large efforts of developed countries helping poor countries to fight infectious diseases and improve health systems. Both levels create a healthier world; and I want to be a part of both levels.

Our first Saturday trip: Eastern Province, Kayonza District, Mweri Sector, Kigarama village.

We drove about two and half hours outside of Kigali reaching dirt roads on the winding hillside. I travelled with Francis, Concorde (who drove us) and FiFi his secretary (below.)


Francis chattered about the statistics of this sector- 22,000 people; 39% illiterate; 95% rely on agriculture for income.

We walked to a remote village on paths like this.

In the village we joined a community meeting led by one of Francis' program leads. This group gathers for Francis' 9 month literacy education programs and anytime Francis comes to the village so he can check-in with the community. An elder in the community came forward with a traditional musical instrument (umuduri) and played a song for us and then wrote his name on the chalk board. I was introduced to the group as a friend of Francis' and unexpectedly asked to give a speech about my work, and my reason for visiting. The group shared about their concerns and problems to Francis and I. Many remarked how hard life is and how tired they are from carrying heavy things and walking far to get water and health care. Others mentioned alcoholism and gender inequality as great hardships. One person felt the water is not clean and contributes to eye, teeth, and kidney problems in the village. When asked about health issues, people mentioned malaria, skin disease, TB, teeth, and eye problems. When given the chance to ask me questions, the group asked how they could get medicine since the health clinic is often to far too reach, and what do we do about domestic violence in the US. I fielded questions the best I could for about 30 minutes. One young girl asked if I was married- that was an easy question! I felt exhausted after this meeting. The number of problems is overwhelming and feeling helpless for answers is difficult to endure. I took some solace in being able to offer them understanding and letting them know I cared for them; but of course it feels not enough.


After the community meeting, I was introduced to a local female soccer team. They were very proud and excited about this group, as it is unique to have girls involved in a sport. I asked who the team was playing against and they mentioned they had not had a soccer ball for about 6 months now.

Francis showed me that homes are often made of mud bricks but a better sturdier way is to use cement bricks.

One of the organizations in the cluster has been conducting a project to teach this village how to make cement bricks.
Francis is most passionate when he sees a family or children living in substandard one-room homes (which is fairly common in Rwanda). He says it brings up his own painful childhood living in these conditions. On this day I visited many one-room homes. It was hard to see. The houses were bare and had only straw mats for sometimes 5 or 6 family members to use for sleeping. In more than one we learned the family members were sick with allergies and asthma, sometimes sleeping inside with animals as well. Here is one family in front of their original one-room house with a skimpy thatched roof.
Francis and his cluster helped build this much larger five room home, and now this family uses the smaller structure as a goat house.

They also have a pig in the backyard indicating their income and resources have improved.

In another area of the village Francis has planted trees for firewood as an agriculture and income-generating project.

Francis is particularly proud of an area where he planted 1,000 mango trees in the yards of local families. He gave many of the trees directly to the woman in the household so it is seen as hers, and if the husband leaves he cannot take the tree with him. These trees will provide food and an opportunity to sell the fruit. Francis would like to expand this project in this and other villages if possible.

There was a well in-between two of the villages we visited. Many people feel the iron in the water causes stains and bad teeth.

Next we visited a neighborhood of 39 homes built by a partner in Francis' cluster. Francis helped identify the area and choose the families to receive homes.

Francis introduced me to the families living in these homes. I spoke at length with two single mothers and their children. They told me a little about their lives and asked me a lot of questions about mine.

This is Odette who has six kids. She married a soldier who died. She told me her life is very hard and she wants to make a better life for her children. She is happy to have a home in this group of new houses, but wishes she had means for income such as livestock or a sewing machine. I asked her what she would change if she were mayor (which made her giggle) and she said she would better the lives of the children in the village. Often they are turned away from school because of poor clothing, no shoes, or illness.

This is Sovia who has 4 children and was married when she was 9 years old in Uganda to a man with multiple wives. She left him and fled to live with her mother in Rwanda who has since passed away. She echoed her friends words of wanting to help her children. She had many scars on her neck and chest but didn't mention what has happened. She said she wishes for eye glasses for her children, and medecine for skin and eye allergies.

The children gathered around and sang many songs for me.

At the end of the day we returned to Kigali. I wished I could solve every problem that I saw throughout the day. After having worked in HIV/AIDS programs for nearly a year, I was overwhelmed with the number of basic care issues faced in the villages including other health (skin, teeth, eyes), food and nutrition, housing, and clean water. I found myself asking people all week about the impact our programs have on these issues. A lot of people agreed it is difficult because the HIV/AIDS money is directed by the US Congress to fund specific activities, so we can't make a larger impact on these general needs in Rwanda. This gap is more often filled by aid from other coutries or international NGO and faith-based support.

Our second Saturday trip: North Province, Gicumbi District, Byumba Sector

The next Saturday I travelled again two and a half hours outside Kigali to visit other programs with Francis and Concord. This time we visited a District office and met the Social Affairs Director for the district. He spoke very highly of Francis and indicated how much he has helped the District. As we drove around, it was clear this area was a wealthier area than our last trip. Francis thought this might be because the ground is a little more conducive to growing, and the elevation keeps bugs and mosquitoes away. We stopped at a private hospital funded by someone who came to visit this sector in 2007. The visitor recognized that a small health clinic funded by the District was not sufficient for this sector so they donated funds for this new clinic through Francis and the other cluster partners.

I toured the surgery room (below) and the maternity ward.

I met a nurse who said there are no doctors to staff the facility yet. He showed us a stark cabinet in the pharmacy. He indicated he would like to go to school and become a doctor, but has not had the opportunity.

Next we visited a community center/town hall in one village. Francis explained that he uses this location to reach out to over 300 Twa community members (Pygmy people, first inhabitants of Rwanda now 1% of the population; it is believed that 30% of their population died in the genocide). The Mosaic Foundation community employee in this area has been teaching a literacy program for this group over the past nine months.

Some of the group came to greet me and sang songs for me. Similar to the previous weekend, they all shared about their community concerns and had a chance to ask questions. Many of them thanked Francis for helping them to learn to read and write. At least two people told of letters they could now read and write. Many of them said it is challenging because they can read but they don't have access to books or paper/notebooks to write. Some of them mentioned domestic violence and prostitution as the biggest problems in their community. They asked me questions about what widows do about raising children alone in the US, and how do we discipline our children. They indicated they wanted tools for income generating such as carpentry, brick-making, and sewing tools; and things to read such as books about skills.

After speaking with the group our departure was delayed a bit by a flat tire. Many children gathered around to watch the changing of the tire.
These visits with Francis have had a big impact on me. I understand the problems and village life a little clearer and am thankful this will enhance my ability to impact program development and management at the macro/government level. On a personal level, it is a struggle to see and listen to so many problems and not have immediate answers or ways to help. Francis' motivation to tackle every problem heard is appealing and I hope to help him as much as possible. We crunched some numbers together to consider some of the costs are associated with the needs we heard.

1. $5,000 to build one house

2. $3,000 to grow 1,000 mango trees

3. $50 to buy one soccer ball in Rwanda

4. $3 per year to buy health insurance for one family member

5. $15,000 to buy carpentry, sewing machines, and brick making supplies for one year

Francis' philosophy is to look around to see who is being left behind, identify and provide what they need to get caught up with the rest of us. Many of us do this; some of us look to help family, or neighbors, or immediate community. Others help their country or global efforts. Rwanda has a special place in my heart; I want to see people have basic needs met and an opportunity to prosper. I would like to raise money for Francis and do whatever I can to help him help these villages.

Tips on How to Read Local Driving Signals

When I first traveled to Rwanda in 2007 a friend and I spent nearly 3 hours on a road trip trying to decipher why other cars were flashing lights, honking, and using turn signals seemingly at random when they passed us. We decided if we needed to indicate anything to another driver we should just do all of these at once when another car passes. We weren't far off according to these tips. :) I like that there are 2-3 possibilities of what each of these means! My favorite items below are that turn signals are used to let the other driver know whether they should or shouldn't pass on the windy narrow roads in Rwanda. It is really hard to guess the should or shouldn't part! Also I like when the use of small piles of green branches on the ground indicates danger ahead.

TIPS
1. Flashing your lights at a passing car can be a
signal for:
A. A greeting to the approaching driver.
B. Telling your fellow driver the traffic police are waiting ahead.
C. Telling your fellow driver to move over.

2. Indicators (signals) can be used to:
A. Show what direction you are going.
B. Let a fellow driver know if they should or shouldn't attempt to pass you, often used when going around curves.

3. Flashing headlights can be used to signal danger/ a problem. Examples include letting drivers know that you are transporting a seriously injured person to a hospital, or that you are trying to cross lanes in a car that is breaking down, etc.

4. Hand signals:

A. Can be used in addition or in place of signals to show what direction the person is going.

B. Hand out and finger pointed down: You are approach-ing traffic police.

C. Hand out and finger pointed upwards: There are traf-fic police in the area but not extremely close.

5. Green branches and/or leaves are placed in the road as warning. Often urging people to slow down be-cause there is a break down or accident up ahead.

6. Honking can be used as:

A. greeting.

B. Requesting attention so that the driver can signal something.

C. A warning to slow down.

A very special weekend in Cairo

Paul and I met for vacation Labor Day weekend in Cairo. He traveled from DC to NY, and then took a long flight direct to Cairo where he arrived about 7 hours before I did. He checked into the Marriott Hotel in Zamelek and met me at the airport with these flowers.

From Rwanda, I flew to Nairobi with a long 4 hour layover and then to Cairo. I didn't realize my itinerary included a fuel stop in Khartoum until we landed there. I was too embarrassed to ask anyone next to me- where the heck is Khartoum? Once we got to the gate, I saw a row of Sudan-Air planes and realized it must be the capital of Sudan. It was 11 pm when I arrived in the Cairo airport.

Everything about Egypt seemed so different; the Arabic words and numbers were undecipherable; lining up in an orderly way for things like Visa's and customs seemed optional (later I realized this is true of the traffic pattern too); and fully covered Muslim women everywhere was interesting. Many men were wearing long white robes and turbans or belts and flip flops. I noticed the heat right away; it is much hotter than Rwanda. I expected the terrain to be desert-like but actually Cairo is quite lush with many palm trees beside the Nile River. Here is a view of the Nile from our tower at the Marriott.
We stayed at the Marriott because we thought a large touristy hotel would be sure food is available during the day during this Ramadan month. The hotel was lovely with more than 6 restaurants, a large courtyard, beautiful pool /sauna open 24 hours, and nice staff. Paul is standing next to one of the colorful Egyptian lanterns lighting the gardens at the hotel.

We had dinner at the Egyptian Nights restaurant in the courtyard. It was late but still very busy, including live music. During Ramadan most people sleep late and once the sun sets enjoy lots of feasting and celebrating late into the night. The hotel had Christmas-like lights up for Ramadan including the words "Ramadan Kariim" strung accross the tall towers, which means having a generous month.
We were excited to try the traditional foods in Egypt like kofta (type of meatball), hummos, babaganoush, pita puffs, lamb, and koshary (pasta, rice, lentil, chick peas, onions and garlic and chili sauce in one dish). Nearly every restaurant we saw was filled with people puffing on two-foot-tall water pipes called sheesha with fruit scented tobacco. It made the breezes smell sweet, but sometimes made the air smoky! The next morning we took a taxi to the Egyptian museum which houses the most extensive collection of Egyptian antiquities in the world with over 120,000 items. As we entered the museum courtyard we were asked if we wanted a guide. We decided to skip the extra fee (since we had to pay for the museum, also to store our cameras which were not allowed inside, and s again to go into the mummy room!) Of course, it turned out to be very hard to read all of the mostly Arabic signs by the artifacts, so we slyly tried to join other various tour groups and catch parts of the stories. The Royal Mummy Room has about 10 mummies displayed (one of which is a newly found queen). We learned the collection used to have over 20 mummies but a President in Egypt at one point ordered it closed due to the controversy of displaying mummmified remains. We learned alot about pharoahs, pyramids, jewelry, and statues.

After the museum we took another taxi to the Khan el-Khalili bazaar district which is a huge open market with windy alleys filled with shops. We were lured into many shops to check out the Egyptian goodies...carpets, lanters, stuffed camels, sheesha pipes, etc. Here is Paul in one of the many stores. I gave-in and bought a colorful scarab necklace which supposedly brings good luck.

We liked these foot stool/chairs but weren't sure what they are called; we decided to call them poofs because the salesman liked to spin them in the air to fluff them up before they land on the ground.
Of course we bought a couple to bring home!

We tried to visit the famous Fashawi cafe near the market but it was closed for Ramadan. Instead, we sat at this small cafe and had a soda while many people tried to sell us jewelry and other souvenirs.

We also tried to find the spice market; there was a strong spice smell on the outskirts of the main market streets. Instead, we found ourselves on the narrow streets of a part of the bazaar selling secondhand household goods, foods, and clothing. It was interesting to walk around seeing signs in strange Arabic script, hearing the noises, smells and colors.

After the market we went back to the neighborhood of Zamelek where our hotel was located, and explored the area. This is one of Cairo's middle upper and upper class neighborhoods, as well as a garden district with quiet streets, small stores and nice restaurants on the Island of Gazira on the Nile. We realized when we heard prayer music at sunset and saw many communal tables, that everyone who is outside at this time is invited to eat on the street for free in a communal setting at 6:20pm every day during Ramadan in Cairo. It seemed like a nice and generous community bonding activity.

Walking around Cairo, it is hard to wrap your head around how Egypt has the longest recorded history in the world, with ancient Pyramids at Giza constructed over a 20 year period through 2560 BC, and the Citadel mosque built in 1176 A.D.

On our second evening, we went to the Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids of Giza. This was our first glimpse of the Pyramids and we thought they were both immediately majestic and yet far away on the horizon like a movie set. The show included storytelling and lazer lights. It was a little cheesy when the Sphinx tells the story of Egypt’s history, but seeing the amazing illuminated Sphinx and Pyramids was worth it!

After the show, we had dinner on one of the many boats parked on the Nile near our hotel. We enjoyed yummy Lebanese food at Dar El Amar on the Blue Nile boat.

The next day we did a three part tour of pyramids starting in Memphis, then to Saqqara to see the Step Pyramid, and last to Giza Plateau to see the Great Pyramids. Memphis is a city, once a capitol of Egypt, founded around 3,100 BC where a King united Upper and Lower Egypt. Today, it is pretty much ruins but we got our picture taken in front of the famous Alabaster Sphinx and checked out the gigantic Colossus of Ramses.

Next we visited the Great Step Pyramid Complex at Saqqara. Here we learned the Step Pyramid was a major milestone in the evolution of stone architecture, both in Egypt and in the world as a whole. The different pyramid versions that can be seen at this site eventually led to the smooth faced pyramids later.

It is really an amazing structure!

As typical tourists, our tour company (we really liked NOGA tours for all of our day trips) took us to a number of side destinations including a "rug school" on the dusty roads near the pyramids. We toured a complex where young children were making rugs (not sure about child labor laws? They said this was part of the school for the kids!) Paul and I each sat and learned how to tie knots to make an Egyptian rug. Then they took us upstairs to the "shop", sweetened us up with juice and sodas and tried to make the hard sell for very expensive rugs. I politely asked if there was a bargain bin or anything under $5, and of course there wasn't. We smiled and made a dash for the door when they weren't looking, making it out without buying anything!

The size of the Pyramids is truly hard to comprehend until seeing them. They have been around for over 46 centuries. The Great pyramid is a monument to Cheops and consists of two million limestone blocks ranging in weight from 2.5 tons to 15 tons. It was built by 100,000 men and covers an area of 13 acres. It's height is nearly 500 feet, and until the construction of the Eiffel Tower, it was the tallest structure in the world.

Near the pyramids it is easy to get trapped by peddlers of post cards and other junky souvenirs. They are amazingly persistent sales people, and it does get a little tiring continuously being polite but firm in saying no. We had read about this, so we were prepared for it.

There is a small part of the pyramid that tourists can climb near an entrance. We decided not to pay extra to go inside the pyramid after reading and hearing from others that the inside is empty and claustrophobic.

Camels crossed the road in front of our tour bus.

We made our way to the panoramic hillside where many visitors posed like they were touching the Pyramids.

We joined in the fun with our own poses.

The second slightly smaller Pyramid for Kahfre, who was commonly considered the builder of the Great Sphinx. Casing stones cover the top third of the pyramid, but are missing on the bottom. We liked this Pyramid the best.

We decided we should ride camels! We climbed on while they were sitting and then they leaned forward toward the ground as they stand up, snorting quite a bit while we held on tight.

After this photo two guides tried to separate us and get us each to pay more money. I was feeling trapped on top of the camel, straining to look back toward Paul demanding that they let me down! It worked out okay and I ran to Paul's rescue as he almost agreed to hand over more money, ha ha.

After the camels, we went to the front of the Pyramids (where the sound and light show was) and visited the Sphinx which measures 21 meters high and about 73 meters long.

We stopped at the little cafe at the base of the pyramids and ordered drinks. Paul seemed very thirsty and slurped down a Fanta in one gulp!

Then he was getting my attention away from the Pyramids...

and was down on one knee, asking me to marry him.

I am so lucky!

Paul was much more relaxed after that.

It was such a beautiful setting to enjoy this moment together.

The ring is so beautiful which he picked out all by himself.

On another side destination after the Pyramids, the tour guide took us to a perfumery in Cairo. This is a very popular thing in Cairo; they claim to be the original blenders of perfume which is then the base of designer brand scents around the world. They brought us many different scents and we each bought a bottle of our favorite. (What can I say? We're suckers for souvenirs.)

We visited Alexandria City for a day, which is located north of Cairo on the Mediterranean Sea about 3 hours drive. It is the second largest city in Egypt, known as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean", andwas founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. We visited a public beach and rented chairs for a small fee.

The women are always covered up, so I wasn't sad we didn't have bathing suits with us since I don't think it would be culturally appropriate to swim without a shirt and pants on!

Instead, we dipped our toes in the Mediterranean Sea.

There is an amazing modern library in Alexandria which had stacks and stacks of books as well as a private printing press, and three museums inside.

Paul and I picked out some books to look at.

The area of Islamic Cairo has a lot of old mosques, domes, towers, and palaces from the last five centuries. On our last day we toured the Saladin Citadel, one of the most popular places to visit in Cairo. Around 1176 AD Saladin decided to build a wall around Cairo.The Citadel is sometimes referred to as Mohamed Ali Citadel because it contains the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, which was built between 1828 and 1848on the summit of the citadel.

The Mosque is very beautiful inside but I had to wear a robe because I was wearing a dress.

After seeing the Citadel and Coptic Cairo, we visited a Papyrus store where they showed us how the green skin of the papyrus plant is peeled off and the white inside is cut into thin strips. These strips are pounded and soaked in water, which toughens the fibers. The soaked strips are woven in and out (like a basket) and when placed between two layers of felt in a press, voila, becomes paper!

We had a romantic dinner on the Nile Maxim boat cruise. We loved the boat ride and lights on the Nile, the yummy salad bar and desserts, as well as the entertainment. We danced to a spanish/salsa band performers.

And we enjoyed watching the belly dancer...

who brought Paul a cake for his birthday.

I especially loved the traditional Whirling Dervish! The dance has been performed for over 700 years and I learned the twirling of the fabric symbolizes awareness and originates from a mystical Egyptian story.