Deserts and fat cats

Hello friends!  I am feeling rather lazy and am going to mostly post pictures here today.  Yesterday, we spent the day out in the desert at what I believe is an oasis and also believe is called Al Fayum.  Spelling?  Probably wrong.  But that's okay, because Google's screen appears in Arabic and general confusion is thus expected.  It was totally fun!  I was under the impression it was a sit by the shore and cheer for dudes if you happened to be of the female persuasion, and dressed accordingly in a long dress and cardigan.  Except this was way more nature than I or my new gladiator sandals were anticipating.  Seriously.  Mudflats, hiking across the top of waterfalls, etc.  Plus, I'm pretty sure I scandalized an entire village by hiking up my skirt to ford the river.  Or rather, I probably blinded them with my blazingly white kneecaps.


Anydoodle, totally fun, totally beautiful.  I also ate fish with my hands for the first time ever, which was delicious and quite the cultural experience, especially combined with the ummm...toilet situation there.  Let's just sum it up as a squatter.  It was...a strongly scented experience!  Later, we drove past the pyramids in Cairo, which seriously are in the city.  People were not exaggerating.  They're right there!  Later later, we went to a fiesta and had the unique experience of picking up beer to bring in a drive by stall.  Yup.  Drive by booze!  And then we met the fattest cat I've ever seen.  After seeing tons of tiny, petite Egyptian street cats (they are to Egypt what street dogs are to Latin America), it was quite alarming.  Obviously, I was more than amused and spent a good half hour trying to get her to not run away from me so I could take her picture.  Becky got this shot, but also has some nice claw marks on her chest.  Turns out Ms. Toffee Buttersworth is kind of a beach.  Anydoodle, we're off to check out the voting today (also a call to prayers is happening as I type, so exciting!)...

The only waterfall in Egypt.  Seriously.

The mud was serious.  I was underprepared.

Meet my dinner.  According to Ahmer, Becky's Egyptian friend, my dinner was still alive when it hit the grill.

My dinner was tasty.

Sunset at Al Fayum.

Night in the desert is really, really, really, really beautiful.

Drive by Stella!

A black bag of Stella, from the drive through.  Totttttallly normal.  In Egypt.  Also maybe certain parts of the American south, rumor has it.

Meet Mrs. Toffee Buttersworth.  This picture does not to her sizeable girth justice.  To compare, look below at my feral friends, Egyptian street cats in Khan al Khalili market. 

Fine.  Their tininess may not appear in a photo from above.  I tried to get close...cats and I are not besties.

 The following two photos are left over photos from the day before yesterday.  You can see how burned the former national party headquarters are, directly overlooking the pinkish building, the Egyptian Museum.

Burned out National Party Building, Tahrir Square.

Feteer, delicious Egyptian pizza.  This one had olives, cheese, tomatoes, and peppers.  Our other one?  Nutella and banana.  YUM.