I arrived in Port Said yesterday, I must say, the town is very easy going, lazy, quite, and relaxed. I have noticed towns that are built on an ocean seem to have a special relaxed atmosphere. I will be staying for a good four or five days. The hotel I went with is only 22LE a night. The hotel is your basic type, a half star hotel, which I am use to. I don’t think I will ever go back to sleeping on a soft, plush bed. I prefer the hard type since I have gotten use to them, better for the back.
The Suez canal is worth seeing – I will have some pictures posted soon. I did not originally plan to visit Port Said, nevertheless, when I was in Abu Simbel it just kind of hit me, and sensing the relaxed energy, I decided to make my way all the way across Egypt, of course with stops in Aswan and Cairo.
Last night I met a very interesting person. He approached me on the street and we started talking and visiting. He mentioned about staying at his place, although he reassured me that he was only looking to make some extra money and he was not gay. I went over to see his flat and we visited into the night, at the same time I helped him rewrite his resume in clear English. We talked about many things. He speaks very good Russian and has been married twice to Russian women, although living with many regrets because of squandering his money on women and his messed up failed marriages with children involved. Listening to the heart of a human and observing what a person goes through in life causes a memory. Everyone has a different story. The curse of inner want, attachments, dissatisfaction – the inner heart craves for more – the inner formless spirit yearns to be fed properly.
He did have a hard time understanding how I can be emotionally free of attachments; not having any interest in the world including relationships or marriage with a women. Deep down he knows he could have did something more satisfying with his money. All I could think of is what wise men wrote thousands of years ago regarding this subject. Human behavior is the same, despite the differences in cultural. Nowadays people are faced with the same type of situations, emotions, economics – just living in the world of emptiness. Very nice, honest, kind person – doesn’t practice his religion, although the ideology is programed into the core; struggles within exist.
One concept which has been manifested with everyone is superstition. Since people deeply believe these things, such as luck, then it becomes a reality. A store owner believes if he doesn’t sell anything all day, they are cursed with bad luck. If the store owner sells something first thing in the morning, then it’s good luck. The man I met feels is has bad luck because of the disagreeable incidents in his life. Confusion arises without understanding what dictates life – Karma. All five women in the book Khal Khaal spoke about magic, female circumcision, major domestic problems, superstitious beliefs. An excellent book.
The night got to be so late I slept in the spare bedroom, although something come up this morning and he needs to leave town. I am just going to stay in the hotel for the week, although we might hook up for dinner at a later time. It wasn’t meant for me to stay at his place, although meeting him was meant to be. Something within him changed his mind.
I visited the Maadi area for a good lunch the day before I left Cairo. Sitting outside in shade drinking some water, there was an American women on the phone not to far away. She was talking about some banking problems, started crying about what had happened. She lost her money or it is all locked, thus, sitting in Cairo that becomes a problem. I also visited the Heliopolis area of Cairo. I did stop in the old watering hole of the allied soldiers of world war II right across the street of the palace of the president. The Heliopolis and the Maadi area are two areas that are hassle free and relaxed in Cairo.
Everyone experiences different life situations – this world is complicated. Not getting involved is the key. The Almighty Divine will cause life situations to occur. What will be the person’s reaction, will they take notice of Divine power and learn some faith or just rely on themselves. Recognizing Divine direction, and listening to it, is a cultivated quality. Consequently, receiving Divine direction might sometimes seem unpleasant.
Observing tourists according to how their holiday ends up is very interesting; observing and listening to people (without judgement) regarding good karma and some with bad karma is an education in itself. Can’t help from thinking of the twelve on the felucca that went down into the Nile in Aswan. People always look at the future of what might happen. I will only talk about the next month and my “tentative route” and that is all. Wondering anything else is sheer foolishness at this time in my life.