Part (2) In the afternoon we go to Al- Balyana (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/egypt/nile-valley/al-balyana)to look and buy cloth and the cloth store. There we can find 100% egyptian cotton, wool, and fancy heavily adorned silk.It is an undertaking, we must have police patrol and escort when we leave our compound. So this entails a couple of police and or military vehicles in front of our cars and another two behind us. Every great once in awhile a random motorcycle cop weaves in and out of traffic with the sirens on to make sure everyone knows we are on our way. On this trip I bought white cotton and wool cloth. I am asking the tailor to make me a shirt out of the white cotton and a sweater out of the wool. Insha'Allah I end up with authentic cloth woven into beautiful pieces...
These photos represent the lovely town full of onlookers. Hey can you blame them? I would look too if a group of people were being escorted through town with police sirens!

Part (1) The way we start our days off, sleeping in, lounging around and having great times together in the hot sun.....

Pay Day!!! Thursday friday is the day! It is the last day of the work week when after the day is done all the workers and boys slowly make a procession to our home where they get paid for their hard labor. Before they can get paid there is sorting to be done. Names of each worker must verified in order to make sure everyone is paid for their duties. This happens behind closed doors and is decided and agreed upon prior to the time of pay. It is a very serious matter on both sides. I was lucky to capture these photos. Some inside the house sorting out the list of names and some from the rooftop!

This mound, the last royal pyramid built in egypt in the New Kingdom by Ahmose (1500 b.c.). This site sits on the southern edge of ancient Abydos being encroached on by the local village, agricultural crops, and modern cemetaries.

The village, my first day out and about! I went to record the building of a large cement wall to keep locals out of the archaeological site/area/cemetary. It was my first time to be out with the survey team attempting to be accepted by the local police and the villagers.

On one side there is everyday life which includes feeding the animals, driving to work, women and men preparing dough on their porches, and the sound of children playing instead of being in school. On the other side, men hard at work ranging between the ages of 13 to 60 years. Some working on the archaeological site and some working on slabs of limestone to prepare it for the fence. Hard work!

The current desert I now live in!

This place is known as the ""wadi". This very sacred place is thought and believed to lead to the "other" world, where one goes after death. Sand sheet and dune after another. Beautiful...................

My new home! Here, the photos come from where I now reside. A lovely compound with two court yards. I am surrounded by eucalyptus trees, fresh basil, hibiscis flowers, and others of all sorts. Here Hebba picks fresh basil for her liking......