Linking From Google Sites

Test Linking to document that had been uploaded into Google sites.

Linking to Published Google Document

Check out this example of including a document into a blog. My 2007 presentation on RSS to the college community.

Sharm El-Sheikh, Ras Mohammed National Park and the Glory of the Red Sea

Today I have lived my dream. Every day of this trip has been truly amazing, but today seemed to be the greatest. I woke up early and decided to make the best of a day of rest, preperation for tonight's ascent of Mt. Sinai. After breakfast, I went snorkeling and was amazed to find such a beacutiful reef not even 100 ft. from my hotel room. I can't upload pictures now due to techincal difficulties, but they will be up soon. These reefs were teeming with fish of all sizes and colors. The wrasse fish thought I was a giant fish and began to nibble at my legs. In nature, they do this to large sea creatures as a means of eating parasites. Luckily I don't have any. I saw the most amazing cornetfish, about 2 ft. long and very thin. I saw pufferfish as well as clownfish. It was truly a special moment in my life. It was so beautiful and once again I was in awe of the natural splendor. I also tried something today that truly changed my life, parasailing. I admit that I was a little scared but the tranquility, and lack of noise is so peaceful. It is not a fast, scary or bumpy ride at all. It is the closest feeling to flying and the view is also great. I will honestly remember this day forever. I don't think that experiences like these can be topped.

Always,
-The Mariner

Blogging Out of Luxor

(Slightly delayed by a day or two) It is now officially day... whatever... and after a cruise through the Nile we've made it to Luxor. After managing the early wake up today, we took a shuttle in the company of our two armed security officials to the Valley of the Kings. We all scattered after a short introduction to the tombs and went out to explore whatever ancient sublevels we chose. I immediately took to the hike to the tomb of Tutmosis which involved venturing down deep corridors and having the generator, and thus, the light and ventillation supplied to the tomb, go out. As you can imagine, being lost in utter darkness by yourself in the thousand year-old subterrainian rooms was quite an experience. After making my way out, I took to two other lesser-known tombs and then hired an Egyptian sherpa to take me out on a hike on the ridges surrounding the valley as a means to kill my remaining half hour before regrouping. On top of the ridge I could see the temple of Hatshepsut (Which is much more impressive from afar than it is up close) as well as the Nile beyond a plains of farmland and a small Arabic village.
Then we went to to the temple of Hatshepsut itself. Nothing special besides it's architectual beauty from a distance. A short lunch back at the boat ensued, and then we went to the temple of Karnak. The massive temple put everyone in the group in utter awe as the pillars, columns, and and obolisks towered in multitudes above us. This place was massive.

Then we had the shuttle take us to a nearby internet cafe so that everyone else could check up on e-mail and whatnot, and so I could write this blog. Rather than immediately get started on this entry, some of the others and myself went to a nearby shisha patio to unwind after a day of hiking. Unfortunately this proved to be poor time management as I ended up posting this entry two days later.

Edfu, God Horus and on to Luxor by Kathleen Patrick

Greetings from our cruise on the Nile! Today, is our second day aboard the Semiramses II. A luxurious cruise ship, we have enjoyed banquets fit for a King relaxing in the African sun, and sharing our experiences with one another. For many of us, it has been a pilgrimage back in time to discover and learn how the ancient Egyptians lived. For others, it has been a time for quiet reflection and appreciation of a culture vastly different than our own. What many of us have discovered is that these people have embraced us as if we were family. Greeting us wherever we go, excited that we have come to their land to share in their culture and eager to speak to us in English. Our group sailed from Aswan on Monday and arrived in Edfu on Monday evening. Here we visited our first temple in Edfu, the Temple of Horus which has been buried for nearly 2, 000 years in silt and sand. Before I describe the Temple, let me share with you the context or background if you will of the significance and role the Temples played in ancient Egyptian life. To them, the universe was made up of two dualities, life and death, chaos and order. The Goddess Maat, was the balance between the two forces and therefore, great Temples were erected to the Gods. The Temple was erected in 237 BC under Ptolemy III . The Temple is very imposing at 118 feet, and shows the King defeating his enemies with the Gods Hathor and Horus near his side. There is a large courtyard behind this wall and interior chamber where Kings brought gifts to the Gods. There is a stairwell leading to the roof depicting scenes of the New Year. As you walk up these stairs, you can feel the Pharohs’ presence and the rituals that must have taken place during those times. There are many little inner chambers depicting fertility, and nature scenes all paying homage to the Gods for protection of the Pharohs in the afterlife. There is a tale inscribed on one of the walls of a man having one arm and one leg cut off as it was discovered that he impregnated many of the village woman whose husbands were sent off to war.
We will be enjoying our first soiree this evening in full Egyptian regale and learning how to belly dance. Stay tuned for more---------------------

Fourth Day: Aswan

Hello travelers! Our Marymount study group to Egypt has been absolutely spectacular. The trip has exceeded all my expectations of what we might see. Today, our 4th day of the trip, we visited a perfume shop with enough oils and fragrances to make Solomon blush. This place had some of the most rare herbs, spices, oils and fragrances on the planet, the really authentic stuff. The highlight of our day was the Philia temple of the goddess Isis, one of those temples you only read about in adventure stories, temples that will make your kids play Indiana Jones for hours without end. The temple had heiroglyphs galore, columns, ancient hallways, huge statues, stone strucutres of ancient stone. This is truly not to be missed by any foreign traveler. The best part of the day was our trip to dinner and a Nubian dance show, one of the best shows I've been to. I was just cracking up at their antics onstage, their wonderful dancing, their cultural music, and their whole acts they put together were just a real treasure. The dancing was just a joyous and fun occasion. The trip of a lifetime opportunity where you can just go out and "Get the world by the tail, wrap it around, pull it down and put it in my pocket." by Kevin Bruehl

Third Day: Islamic Cairo and Cairo Museum

On our third day we visited two very old mosques in Old Cairo. It was amazing to see the architecture these people had thousands of years ago. When we went into Sultan Hasan's 14th century mosque, a man we assume is a priest, guided us into a rear chamber which housed a tomb. The priest chanted holy words to Allah. There was an amazing echo, which gave us all chills of awe as he chanted.

After our trip to the Mosques, we visited the Egyptian Museum which was extremely exciting. We saw many artifacts from the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms, and what was even more exciting was seeing all of the artifacts from King Tut's tomb. I think this was the best part of our tour.

When the evening ended, we got to ride a sleeper train to Aswan until eight am the next day. It was very different. We were in a private two-person room with a wash basin, and the seats converted into bunk beds. Even though the food wasn’t very tasty, it was delivered to us by a pleasant man with a cart. He also made our beds. I felt like I was sleeping in a shoe box. I was in the upper bunk and it felt like the bed was moving. I was half asleep, half awake. I probably really only slept two hours, but it’s okay; I survived, and I was ready for our time at Aswan.

DAY 1 : LAX TO JFK TO CAIRO by Makayla Smith

Day 1
LAX TO JFK TO CAIRO

Even though we are calling this day one, it technically counts as two. We began our journey at 4 AM at LAX, on January 7th, 2008. This New Year, for must of us, started with a journey to a new place, a new way of life, and an altogether new environment. We boarded our Delta flight to JFK and were all fast asleep. Once in New York, we took an Air Train from terminal 2 to 4. After going through security, a lot of us decided to purchase some water before the long 10 ½ hour flight….little did we know the bottles would end up costing $4.25 each! It was extremely long flight, but we made it just fine! We landed in Cairo at approximately 12:10 pm on January 8th, 2008. Right as we walked out of the airport, we were greeted by Mr. Girgis! During the twenty minutes it took to drive to the Marriot hotel, we got a taste of what Cairo has to offer. The 18 million people packed into a city right on the Nile gave it an authentic Middle Eastern “hustle and bustle” feel.

Exhausted, most of us decided to take a nap before dinner. We all met at six o’ clock in the lobby and then walked to dinner. Our restaurant, Imperial, was floating on the Nile. Mr. Girgis ordered us a variety of typical Egyptian meals….which were all outstanding! A favorite of most of the ladies was the warm pita bread. During dinner, there was live music. One man was playing an Oud, which is a large Egyptian banjo made out of wood, with four strings. After dinner, most of us walked back to the hotel because we were tired and had a long day ahead of us. As we walked back to the hotel, it was obvious how much we were all looking forward to experience this unique adventure throughout Egypt.

Hello stateside!

Just a quick note to everyone at Marymount, family and friends. We are having the time of our lives, arriving without incident, staying in a former palace here in Zamalek, an island in the middle of Cairo, where we have discovered a couple of wonderful restaurants. Last night we ate at a very Egyptian hot spot with some great friends of Nassef, one of them whom he met on his plane trip, an American embassy officer from Texas who told us about his experiences as he finishes a third year stationed here in Cairo. We also visited the pyramids of Giza, withthe sphinx, rode camels, posed for marvelous pictures, went to the older pyra,ids in Saddaqi and today we're off to the Egyptian museum, old Cairo, and then we take the overnight train to Aswan.
Our only problems are time and money for the blog and a some technical problems for sending pictures. But never fear, they will appear.

To be continued...!

Day 2- The Pyramids

Today we all woke up early in the morning for breakfast and then waited by the entrance at 8:15am. We met our Egyptologist, Amr, and an amateur Egyptologist called May. Amr explained to us everything that was interesting enough to know about Egypt while we drove to the Pyramids. He used a lot of humor while explaining everything so it was a lot of fun for us. We arrived to the Pyramids at Giza and saw the three Great Pyramids from the 4th dynasty that belonged to the king, his son, and grandson. We first went for a tour in the Solar Boat Museum, where we saw the boat that was found in front of one of the Great Pyramids. Amr told us that the boat was found in a pit broken into pieces and they believe that the boat was made for the king of that pyramid. He said that some Egyptologists believe that it was never built and the purpose of it is that when the king dies, the boat is there in his after life to take him to eternity. However one Egyptologist said that the boat was built at least once because there are marks of the ropes on the boat and possible marks of water particles on the wood. But the boat was built in the museum and it was very huge. After the museum, we went to the smallest pyramid to enter it from a small tunnel. Most of us got tickets to enter the pyramid, but not all of us were able to fully enter because we did not know that the entrance to the pyramid was through a small narrow tunnel where we had to bend while walking inside. Amr recommended that if anyone had any heart problems or claustrophobia we shouldn’t enter, and so I didn’t. We then drove to Panoramic and drove camels. The view from the Panoramic overlooking the Pyramids was amazing; it looked like a postcard. After that we went to a papyrus school and they taught us how make them. They also taught us how to tell fake papyrus from original ones. We then went to have lunch at an oriental restaurant with a fine dining buffet. After our delicious lunch we drove again to other pyramids from the 6th century. We saw the step pyramids made for the kings, and we entered a tomb for a high priest and Amr explained to us the hieroglyphics on the walls of each room. The hieroglyphics talked about what the people would do in ancient times during their daily lives, and amazingly people until today follow the same life style. For instance there were scriptures of men feeding geese, and the reason for that is to make them big to sell them for a higher price, Amr said that local Egyptian villagers still do that today. After this we went to a carpet school. Children aged from 8 to 12 were creating amazing hand-made carpets. They also taught one of us how to create the carpets, and surprisingly they are made out of knots. Each carpet takes about 3 months. That was the end of our program for the day and we all went back to the hotel exhausted from such a long day, but it was worth it and we had a lot of fun.

Just arrived from Hawaii

Hello Everyone,
I'm really excited and I can't wait to meet you in a few hours!
Cormaster

Hi all--I'm getting excited to take this once in a lifetime journey to Egypt and packing lots of warm stuff. Swimming in the Red Sea should be interesting!!I wanted to let you know that you can sign on to the US Department of State website to register as a US citizen traveling abroad. It is very helpful and will let the US government know where you are given any kind of Emergency. Also, Cipro is highly reccommended for the trip...Heres the site: https;??travelregistration.state.gov...

PS-Can I get a wake up call on Wednesday at 2 am?? HAHA

KD

Getting ready for the big time change....

Hey All. Just wanted to let you know that I'm attempting to get a head start in making the time change. Am trying to stay up as late as I can (I'm typically a morning person and am used to going to bed at 10 or 11 pm) and sleeping during the afternoon. It's really difficult but hopefully it'll work and make the time change transition a little easier. Is anyone else doing this?

Greetings from Egypt

I arrived to Cairo yesterday (Saturday) morning after a long flight from LA. The travel went all well.
I was pleasanly surprised to see the great number of American college students coming to Cairo for their winter break. On my flight from JFK to Cairo, there were at least three groups from colleges in Indiana and Wisconson going on study travel to Egypt. One was for credit as part of a class and two were simply experiential learning with no college credits accompanied by two faculty. In fact, the flight was full with many Americans coming on their own to discover Egypt.

The weather in Cairo is very pleasant - sunny in the upper 50 during the day, cooler in low 40 by night. So bring some worm clothing.
See in Egypt on Jan. 8

Some flight details Trail mix ok

Hi everyone. Just a note that we have three and a half days and nights before setting off for New York and Egypt Air. Remember that 4 am arrival is important so that if there are security delays or long lines to check luggage, we will have time to take care of everything. And, I called Delta to ask about our bringing food through security--no liquid, no jells, that's it, so trail mix, almonds and such are a go! I have our ribbons to help us id our luggage more easily. See y'all soon.
Dr. D

Current Happenings

A Collection of Desert Rocks Glowing 

Dorcas Gazelle

Nubian Ibex

Snow on Mt. Sinai (Looking down on Monastery)

Hey Everyone...

   Happy New Year!  I was on the Egypt Air website today and I found that our flight from JFK home has been changed to an earlier time... Note the change on the itinerary.  The times listed are in the time zone of the DEPARTING CITY.  Does anyone know anything about this?  If anyone knows, please post about it.  Thanks.  Also, I was on a weather website (link coming soon) and I learned that it actually snows during some cold winters on Mt. Sinai, Mt. Catherine and the other tall mountains in the region!  This is the only place in Egypt that frequently gets a little snow but on rare occasions, the Delta region has received trace amounts.  It is nothing compared to what we can get in our neighboring mountains but we may encounter a few inches.  This winter has been particularly cold up on the mountains.  Mount Sinai is approximately 7,500 feet above sea level, which is a higher altitude then Yosemite National Park.  Also, a few common sights on the Mountains, even viewable from St. Catherine's Monastery, are the Nubian Ibex, and Dorcas Gazelle, two beautiful animals with magnificent horns.  A rarely known fact about St. Catherine's is that it is the smallest diocese in the world and recent scientific expeditions have shown that many of the local rock formations contain traceable amounts of radioactive elements in the granite.  These rocks sometimes turn a fluorescent color at night and can slightly glow.  They emit very low levels of radiation (the lowest form detectable), too low to be harmful.  Recent theories and discovered texts lead historians to believe that the Ark of the Covenant also contained these radioactive rocks and locally found meteorites that can flame after re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.  I'd like to wish everyone a Happy, Healthy New Year as well.  See you soon.

All the best:

-The Mariner

Luggage Tags

If you haven't bought luggage tags yet, for identifying your luggage, the best deal we've found is a package of 6 tags, 3 different colors, for $11.99, at The Sport Chalet, 21305 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance.

Lancashire Lass

Position of arms of mummies

Last night our daughter mentioned she'd heard an interesting fact about the arm positions of mummies who were women. One arm is bent across the chest and one arm is straight. This is a way to tell whether a mummy is a King or a Queen. References from google:
mummy women arms:

Hatshepsut's Mummy - 2007 Identification
arm position: royal women were mummified with their left arm bent across the chest. A CT scan revealed whether such a position was likely. in one mummy
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/hatshepsut/a/mummy_found.htm

Press Release - New CT SCANS of Egyptian Mummies From The Valley ...
queens often have one arm (although usually the left) bent and the other straight. In fact, this arm position is also seen for non-royal women, ... of the arms, that it is the straight arm that goes with the mummy, not the bent one. ...www.guardians.net/hawass/Press%20Releases/new_ct-scans_of_egyptian_mummies_07-10-2007.htm

Lancashire Lass

Cairo is "Indescribable"

Hi everyone! I have just begun reading the book recommended to us by Nassef, Cairo, The Mother of the World, and from what I have read so far, I highly recommend it. The author, Herbert Smith, an English teacher who spent three years there mentoring Egyptian English teachers, observes lots of great tidbits of life that differ from American assumptions about daily life. For example, time and space reveal a new dimension of understanding from an Egyptian point of view. When someone says class is at 8, when should you show up? He learned from experience that his assumption didn't work.

I also noticed an interesting article about the "floundering fleshpots" of Egypt, an article by two Associated Press journalists that was published in the Daily Breeze last Sunday--p. A22--I tried to provide a link but didn't succeed. Anyway, the article included a comment by the Yacoubian Building author, Alaa Al Aswany, that the old is fading away--not as upbeat as the ending of his novel where loveable old lost Zaki and the young, loveable, vibrant, yet independent Moslem woman Busayna found love and the will to share life together.

I also found another article today that shows another side of modern Egypt. On page 19 of theDec 17 Daily Breeze, a report says that "An Egyptian telecom giant launched an advanced mobile phone network in North Korea on Monday," ..."a widely publicized $400 million deal,..."

We have a lot to look forward to in our own observations and experience starting at 4 am Jan. 7, yes?
In speaking of Cairo, Smith says, "Everything adds up to a city that can't possibly exist as it is, but does." Perhaps we will be able to voice similar incredulous but
awestruck musings as we travel the country!

Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Dr. D

Semiramis Nile Cruise Ship

Here is just a taste of what's to come.  I will be supplying more photos soon of our Nile Cruise ship.  This is a picture of it.  It was built about three years ago and has recently been through a luxury upgrade.  Now, she is one of the finest ships on the Nile, a pearl in freshwater...

All the best,

-The Mariner

By the way, I forgot to mention the 5-star restaurant and swimming pool/sun deck.

Airplanes

Boeing 777 200/300

Airbus A321

Boeing 757 200/300

Embraer 170

Hello Everyone!

Right now we currently have 34 days until our departure.  I have some interesting information regarding our flights to and from Egypt as well as from Luxor to Sharm El Sheikh and from Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo.  If you want to know about meals and movies that will be shown, or to change seats or request special services, the Delta site is www.delta.com.  Have your Delta flight confirmation number handy.  To contact Egypt Air for in-flight service requests (special meal options, disabilities, etc., call (718) 751-4850 or (212) 581-5600.  I thought that you all might be interested on the planes we are scheduled to fly on as well.  This is subject to change...

From LAX to New York and New York to LAX:

Boeing 757-200/300

Seats: about 290 passengers

Cruising Speed: about 565 mph

From New York to Cairo and Cairo to New York:

Boeing 777-200/300

Seats: about 600 passengers

Cruising Speed: about 585 mph

From Luxor to Sharm El Sheikh:

Airbus 321 (A321)

Seats: about 220 passengers

Cruising Speed: about 540 mph

From Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo:

Embraer 170

Seats: about 70 passengers

Cruising Speed: about 530 mph

Enjoy,

See you at 4 a.m. on the 7th!!!

-The Mariner

The Funny Side of Cairo

A "Google" Internet Cafe on a backstreet in Cairo.


McDonald's - A taste of home perhaps...


A man herds his goats down a busy Cairo street.

These are a few interesting pictures I found that truly show contrasts betweeen modern and ancient cultures. Cairo is truly a metropolitain center where cultures, styles and peoples mix and live together. I hope you enjoy these... Who knows, we may even encounter one

on our trip!

Take Care,

-The Mariner

The Purple Swamphen!

Yes that's right... there is a bird found on the Nile in Egypt known as the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio madagascariensis). They range from Florida to New Zealand and can be found along rivers and swamps in most tropical environments. We will most likely see these birds walking amongst the reeds and water lillies whilst on the Nile Cruise. These are one of my personal birds and a true ornithological treasure. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled while aboard the cruise ship!

All the best...

-The Mariner

Transportation

Here are two links, one to Abela Egypt, the sleeper train company that we will be using, as well as the link to Egypt Air. You will find a lot of important and useful information on these sights. I have learned a lot myself from these and they can definately be of use to you. All amenities and meal info is also avaliable here. If I am not mistaken, you can even search for what planes are in the Egypt Air fleet (if not a quick Wikipedia search for Egypt Air will suffice).

-Abela Egypt Sleeping Trains
http://www.sleepingtrains.com

-Egypt Air
http://www.egyptair.com.eg/

Best of Luck

-The Mariner

Preparation for Dive Trip in the Red Sea

Longnose Hawkfish Oxycirrhites typus



Coral Grouper Cephalopholis miniata

Red Sea Clownfish (Tower Bar Anemonefish) Amphiprion bicinctus

One of the many activities that we can partake in while in Egypt is a dive/snorkel trip to the reefs of Ras Mohammed National Park. We are blessed with the ability of being able to visit these prestine environments. The reefs of Ras Mohammed are among the world's most protected and they are free of the pollutants and damage caused by humans. Many divers that have traveled to other reefs in places like the Caribbean, Hawaii and parts of Australia say that Ras Mohammed is by far, a much better place to dive. The uniqueness of Ras Mohammed comes from the fact that many of the species found there are endemic, and are found nowhere else on earth. Also, Ras Mohammed is home to the threatened Hawksbill Sea Turtle, a sight rarely seen outside of the Red Sea! You do not need to be a professional diver to enjoy this. I highly reccomend this for everyone because the state of our planet's environmental health is declining and sadly, we may not have treasures like this much longer. Do not miss this opportunity! I am a marine biology major and this is an oppurtunity that I am so thankful for. I'd like to just provide you with a quick taste of some of the common fish you might encounter.

All the best...

-The Mariner

Yacoubian Building

Just as a little tidbit, this photo is an actual satellite image of the Yacoubian Building in Cairo from an altitude of 852 feet. If you look closely, you can actually see clotheslines and furniture or the roof!


-The Mariner

Prelude

As I write this, there are currently 42 days and 2 hrs. until our date of departure.  I can honestly say that I have never been this excited before in my life.  The Thanksgiving break is less than 24 hrs. away and that means that we have only one more class together, on the 3rd of December.  It is getting down to the final weeks here.  I hope to see you all on the 3rd, I will also be presenting on that date.  Its going to be a fun and memorable last class but it will also serve as the kickoff to a trip that I will remember for the rest of my life!  Its hard to believe that this trip is so close because we aren't having to deal with the hectic travel arrangements that we deal with when we travel... all thanks to Nassef.  He has done an amazing job getting this all worked out and deserves all of our thanks.  When you are sitting at the Thanksgiving table on thursday and that time rolls around to say what your thankful for, you should remember both the hard work of Nassef and the money your parents are spending so that you can go on this trip of a lifetime!  Anyway, until the 3rd, Happy Thanksgiving!

-The Mariner