From: Alexandria Lone Scout (scouts_alex@HOTMAIL.COM)
Date: Wed Jun 28 2000 - 05:17:30 CDT
A significant number of you have inquired about our Lone Scouting program in
Alexandria. Suffice it to say that we do the best we can with the
oportunities that come along. Many family outings become a Scouting event.
The trip to the Sinai in early April was one example. Last weekend the three
males visited Luxor under the guise of a scouting event. Mom elected to stay
home.
Since Patch-L and Scout-L overlap there will be some duplication. This may
be of sufficient general interest so I won't try to specifically target the
e-mail. Here is a summary of the journey south to Upper Egypt:
On June 25, 2000 the Alexandria Lone Scouts began the first stage of it s
last journey as a complete unit. The group travel by train to Cairo
departing Alexandria’s Sidi Gaber Station on time at 08:15. The destination
for the rail portion of the journey was Cairo. From Cairo the unit travel
via Egypt Air to Luxor in Upper Egypt.
Following arrival in Luxor the group checked into its “camp” at the Isis
Hotel. The temperature was 38C/100F. The late afternoon high was 42C/108F.
During the afternoon the group visited Karnak Temple, the Luxor Museum,
which is outstanding by the way, and the Luxor Temple. In the evening all
three of the group attended the Light and Sound Show at Karnak Temple. Luxor
Temple dates from about 1,380 BCE. Karnak Temple was built pver a period of
nearly 1,000 years. The most recent addition was erected in 300 BC.
On Monday the group traveled to Luxor’s West Bank and visited the Valley of
the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Hatshepsut Temple, and the Ramasseum. These
temples and burial chambers are outstanding. Imagine painted surfaces that
have been exposed to the weather for 3,500 years still being bright and
beautiful. The tombs are amazing works of art.
Tuesday witnessed an early flight back to Alexandria.
One of the most notable observations was the number of tourists from
Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. They far outnumber the
Americans during the summer. The heat is an obvious travel inhibitor.
Business drops by more than 50% from January to July.
There are very few foreign tourists visiting Alexandria during the year.
However nearly one million Egyptian tourists jam Alexandria during the
summer in a desperate attempt to escape Cairo’s heat.
In Egypt “Up” refers to “up the Nile” or south. Egypt is divided into
several parts. Lower Egypt refers to the Nile Delta between Cairo and the
Mediterranean Sea. Middle Egypt begins at Cairo and goes south until
approximately Luxor. Upper Egypt is the region along the Nile from Luxor
south to Aswan. Below Aswan is Lower Nubia. Lake Nasser has flooded most of
this region. On either side of the Nile are the Eastern and Western Deserts.
The Sinai Peninsula and Mediterranean Coast round out the geographical
regions.
Although physically large, Egypt is very crowded. Approximately 96% of the
population live on just 4% of the land area. This results in a working
population density of more than 2,500 persons per square mile. The urban
populations can be four or more times this density.
While flying over Egypt the contrast between the narrow Nile Valley and the
vast desert is striking. There are thousands of square miles without visible
habitation or even vehicle tracks. Only the narrow green strand of the Nile
and a few irrigated areas around oases break this seemingly empty wasteland.
In some places the desert encroaches to with one or two kilometers of the
river. Both the scouts noted that the towns are all the same khaki or brown
color.
Images of these travels will posted on our website in late July following
our return from leave.
One member of the group will be attending summer camp with his former troop
in San Diego. That unit has been working for two years toward attending
summer camp on Maui. Sadly the senior scout will not be returning to
Alexandria. He will soon enter adulthood and will be beginning his
university studies in the Autumn.
I hope this gives you all a better idea of the challenges and opportunities
available to scouts in general and Lone Scouts in particular in Direct
Service Council.
Yours in Scouting,
Phil Abbey
Alexandria Lone Scouts, BSA
Alexandria, Egypt
Email: Scouts_Alex@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.geocities.com/scouts_alex
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