fast past

I can’t say I have traveled “extensively” but I have visited quite a number of places with many more destinations yet to explore. My trip to Egypt was my first time moving about with a tour group; what an eye opener it was in terms of tourism as a business. And touring provided me with pointers to keep in mind for future consideration as it had its pros and cons.

From a creative stance, we did not have the opportunity to really move amongst the people, to delve into the flavor of the country and savor daily life from the perspective of a native Egyptian. So taking pictures as the bus moved fast past day-to-day scenes became a sport of sorts among those of us who wanted to capture the world that in many instances was right next to the remains of ancient structures. After awhile, I became quite good at assessing where the glare was or what part of the window was streak free so the pictures would need either little or no adjustments once I downloaded them. I discovered that my camera seemed to freeze what’s in front of it as soon I pressed the button; seeing something ahead of me, lining up the shot then going for it revealed some duds but oh was I rewarded with lots of gems.

Introducing some of the people on the other side of the glass…

Getting candid pictures of people when I was off the bus required a sharp eye as a moment to get the shot was all I had and if a little time presented itself required the patience of a saint...

Though I was not able to roam about for hours to capture life among the people, touring exposed me to so much of the country, more than I would have seen had I been on my own. I found out that all those morning walks in DC were not for naught as I lost count of how many times we climbed onto and off the bus to spend an hour or so walking around a site under the sun. And speaking of Ra, touring challenged me to keep pace with a hectic schedule in heat that raised my body temperature to an extreme that forced me to remain on the bus the first afternoon as I attempted to cool it back to some degree of normalcy. Couple all this with jet lag, other feelings of body discomfort…it was grueling at the beginning but I persevered. In a few days, I had adapted to my surroundings and was not only walking like (okay, had to say it!) but feeling quite Egyptian.

When I stepped from the plane back onto home land, my feet tingled. A stronger more empowered goddess stood sure, solid on ground, wondering about and very ready for what's next so as always I suggest that you...

keep your peepers open!®