Anafora Retreat

Last month over the 3-day Columbus Day week-end, I left  the bustling grind and city smog of Cairo and headed north towards Alexandria, where a working farm retreat was nestled in the country 20 miles from ancient Egypt's former capital.  Anafora was ran by Bishop Thomas, a respected Coptic Christian leader, who opened up the retreat in 1999, because of a dream that he had in which God told him to build it. Think "Field of Dreams," but instead of a baseball field think of a small working farm comprised of acres and acres of olive, fig, mango, orange, lemon, pear, apple, and date palm orchards; vegetable, herbal, and flower gardens; adobe-mud hut lodgings; and farm animal livestock. The farm is labored by Egyptian field workers and managed by a religious order of Coptic sisters or deaconesses from Bishop Thomas' parish in El-Qussia. The sisters took care of  the visitors that came from around the globe weekly, cooked the meal time fares, and made the products from the farm that were sold to keep Anafora viable. Some of the items that the sisters made were jams, herbal teas, body oils, organic soaps, hand sewn items, and candles. And while Anafora is a place for visitors to relax, meditate, read, and/or bask in the tranquility of good ol' country living, guests could also volunteer to help the sisters with the farm chores.  The latter was not something the sisters expected, but genuinely did appreciate.

Entry into Anafora.

Directional signs in Coptic, Arabic, and English.



Gateway into the retreat had 2 giant pigeon-hives on either side.





The adobe-like mud huts were comfy and charming.

Loved the stairwells that led up to the adobe rooftops.

The T-shaped pool was refreshing in the afternoon.

The backside of my adobe-like quarters.

My bedroom was lit at night by home-made beeswax candles.

 

View through the mosquito netting.



A much clearer view outside my window.

The adobe-like mud huts that guests stayed in were snug and very comfortable. The quarters, as well as all the interiors, were decorated by colorful hand-woven Bedouin rugs that cheerfully brightened up the rooms. My quarters had a view of bougainvilleas that were also commonly found throughout Anafora. At night, I would climb the stairs to my rooftop to star gaze or sit outside on my patio and listen to the sounds of crickets chirping and frogs croaking that played like a country symphony to my ears. It was a little piece of heaven for this country girl, and I soaked it up as much as I could.  Stay tune for more of my Anafora visit....

From the Big Pumpkin...

GLEE Stars on GQ: WHAT THE F - - - ?!?

I have been unashamedly a HUGE fan of GLEE... until now. In the October issue of GQ, racy photos of cast members Lea Michele (Rachel) and Dianna Agron (Quinn)... and oh yeah, Cory Monteith (Finn) ---whatevaa--- were shot for a cover article spread. The spread, as men's magazines go, stayed true to its formula: Dudes look like Rock Stars, and Babes look like 'Ho's.  Ouch.  Tsk-Tsk, Girls. You prostituted your girl-next-door reps for this? Sex sells. Hope the paycheck was worth it.

I did find this pic of "Finn" hilarious. What is he holding?


I still love the show, and I am looking forward to their spin of  the "Rocky Horror GLEE Show," but I did find these photos disturbing. Next time, you gotta warn a sista. I 'bout choked on my Raisin Bran.



Climbing Mount Sinai

The next morning I started out at 2 am (yikes!) on the rigorous pilgrimage up Mount Sinai, a.k.a. Moses' Mountain. Hundreds of people from around the world came to St. Catherine's for this spiritual sunrise climb, and I was one of about 500 that day. Peeps could go by foot or camel.  I chose the latter since I was still getting over a bronchial infection. Regardless of what method of travel peeps chose, it was an exhausting journey.

Along the way, there were canteen rest stops that were run by the Sinai bedouins. They were a welcomed sight after hours spent on the trail in the dark. The pilgrimage route was pitch black except for the twinkling lights of hundreds of flashlights, which made the experience more surreal.

Although the climb to the top was only 5 miles, it was slow going because the rugged terrain was met with rocky bends, craggy cliffs, and steep uneven pathways. The darkened trails were littered with camel riders, hikers, and bedouin guides, and we all trudged forward on automatic pilot. It was sooo early!

This was the rest stop prior to the 750 steps climb.  At this point, camel riders had to dismount and go the rest of the way by foot. The daunting climb was SO steep!

When we reached the top, we were euphoric but utterly exhausted. It took 3 hrs to get up there, and we still had a half hour to go before sunrise was to appear.  My friend Dave took advantage of the break by taking a little cat nap.

And then the sky started to lighten up.

Ever so slowly, the sun peeped out from its lair.

Then cameras started clicking.

Gooooood Morrrrrning, Sunrise!

The top of Mount Sinai was filled to clicking capacity!

And then with a collective groan, it was time to make our way down and return rented blankets back to the bedouin rest stops.

It was strange "seeing" our surroundings! The view was spell binding and unnerving at the same time.

It was God's country!

The journey was not easy, but it was so worth the experience! 

Break Time!

Bedouins greeted us at the bottom of the 750 steps and haggled with us over a "good price" to ride their camels back to the monastery. And haggle I did! Thankfully, I got another sweet docile mount!

However, the camel station was a crowded site to get through!

But then we were off!

This was my bedouin camel guide.

I had fun taking pictures along the way.

And then the welcoming sight of St. Catherine's loomed ahead in the distance. I was so ecstatic! It had been a long morning, and a long 6 hr round trip journey. My back ached, and my knees hurt. However, I was blessedly thankful for having done it. To think that Moses had made a similar journey to meet with God, made all my aches and pains disappear. It was a spiritual and unforgettable journey of a lifetime!