Time is Relative

I live in Southern California and if anything here is 200 years old, it is considered ancient.
In 1798, a little more than 200 years ago, Napoleon and his armies were occupying Egypt and it was already ancient.








 A little more than 2,200 years before that, Alexander the Great and his armies conquered Egypt in 332bc, and the land was ancient even then. By that time, the Pyramids were already 2,200 years old. Hard to fathom.

The Flags Tell a Story - Egypt

Flags say a lot - people relate their flag to their daily lives. When I look at the flags of Egypt and Jordan and what they represent, the words that jump out at me are "liberation", "bloody struggle", "revolt", "Holy Koran" and I can't help but be concerned for current affairs. But if I look deeper, I see "bright future", "humility", "social justice", and "aspiration". The two sides of the coin are summed up pretty well.

From the CIA World Factbook:


EGYPT

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin - 1138-1193, first Sultan of Egypt and Syria - facing the hoist side with a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white).

JORDAN

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), representing the Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I.

Map of the Costa Rica Trip

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Say Goodbye John

Well, my last day in Costa Rica is just about perfect. I have been on my own for a couple of days after leaving my traveling group as scheduled. Today sky is clear at sunrise after wind and showers overnight. Bright flashes of lightning down the coast about three in the morning and the air is fresh now. Bird walk at 6:30, but it is still breezy, and not many birds are out. I enjoy the names of the ones that we do see - Melodious Blackbird, Broad-billed Ani, Plain Chachalaca, Inca Dove. After breakfast I meet a couple from the hotel for a horse trail ride with hotel guides - through the forest, then the small local community of Islita and finally a fast trot along the beach. She squeals when the horses poop; he likes to ride fast - opposites attract, I guess. Later I come back to Islita to stroll and take pictures and I like what I see. Most buildings have murals and art and it makes it feel special.

I called it a community because it is definitely not a town. Church, grocery store, cantina, football field, and a couple of galleries. Tomorrow morning is my flight back, but I am starting to feel comfortable here.