LIBYANS & ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT, AUGUST 16, 1964

To Alexandria by train. Big fight [on the train]. . . a woman screaming at a man there, and a kindly man in a white gown who was shocked at the scene, and later helped us make phone calls in Alexandria to locate [the famous] Badawi using an Arabic phone book.[Neither Gail nor I spoke, understood, or could read Arabic. The only words we knew were La said with the toss of the head upward and backward) (No!!!) and Shukran (Thank You). Two very useful words, especially when used together!] We never did find our friend Badawi!

We descended [or literally ascended] upon an unsuspecting Egyptian Greek Copt woman who was the mother of a friend of Debbie's (Gail's sister). We arrived on her doorstep with all of our possessions, the cab driver carrying our bags to the 4th floor of the apartment house where she lived. She and her husband were very hospitable. Her husband, having greeted us in his pajamas, insisted on changing into street clothes and greeting us again. Their son was not at home -- he was in Libya, but I guess their philosophy was, "Any friend of a sister of a friend of our son's is a friend of ours," because they took us in (not that they were left with much choice!)

Bazaar -- bargained for key chains (which Gail bought) and a camel made of rabbit's fur [a stuffed camel, as it were] which was too expensive. We met two Libyans at the camel stall who bargained for and bought the camel, and gave it to me as a gift from Libya. They told us how horrible they felt the Egyptians were -- black market, etc., and how dangerous it was for two girls to be walking alone in the bazaar... The Libyans don't even trust the Egyptians that they know personally.
Running back to the travel agent (had to be there by five) to pick up the tickets, and we were running so fast, we ran right past the agency! Back in time, though. Bought leather pocketbook for $1.50. (I almost lost my camel there!)


N.B. As you may remember, above are transcribed notes from a journal I wrote while travelling in Egypt in 1964. More from my journal tomorrow . . . And just a note on the famous Badawi -- The Badawi that we sought was Mohamed Badawi, a scholar from Alexandria, Egypt, whom I had gotten to know when he was a participant in the Harvard International Seminar, and I was an assistant to Dr. Henry Kissinger for that Seminar during the summer of 1962.