We're safe in Egypt

Thanks for the emails and SMSs of concern.  We've been on the open sea for most of the past week and since the Egyptian government cut internet and SMS service early on in the unrest, we weren't able to get word out.

Our weeklong liveaboard dive trip was interrupted as governments started pulling their citizens out of the country.  We had Polish, Dutch, and Greek divers onboard that had to leave early.  We decided that the safest place was on the open water, so decided to stay put and then take our chances.  Turned out to be a good idea, as the local port that we're in now, Hurghada, is actually quiet.  Unfortunately, we had planned to spend 4 days in Cairo, seeing the Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx, etc, but we just happened to pick the first time since 1953 that there's been civil unrest.

If you've been watching the news (we're only just catching up ourselves), you may know that Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, who has held power for over 50 years, has agreed to step down in September.  Against him is a large group of the people who believe that the government is no longer for the people and want him ousted and a fresh change.  So far, the demonstrations have been peaceful and non-violent.  Mubarak, after mobilizing the Army, installed martial law and curfews as well as cutting internet and SMS.  Most countries, including the US, sided with the protesters and are urging Mubarak to let go.  

Depending on who you talk to, it was either a way for him to save face (instead of getting forced out right away) or a ploy by which he managed to stay in power.  Regardless, order has been restored, international flights are back on time, and the internet is back up.  There were up to a million people demonstrating on the streets (even in Hurghada) and it was by and large peaceful.  Tonight, when Sarah and I walked around Hurghada, we saw signs that there was still some concern – we saw military APCs, lots of police and security on corners, and groups of people holding banners and dancing through the street.  The most striking thing was that everyone we asked seemed to be pro-Mubarak and the atmosphere in town seemed to be pretty celebratory, although by many accounts, Mubarak had lost and the protesters had won concessions.  According to one shopkeeper we spoke with, in Hurghada, the government worked with the people and they gained from working through the government and with tourism, whereas in Cairo and some of the larger cities, there was a big gap between the haves and have-nots, and a perception (deserved or otherwise) that the government was corrupt and not helping the people.

Cairo still seems to be a hotspot -- apparently pro-Mubarak forces are now shooting, throwing rocks and bombs, and otherwise inciting direct violence.  Hopefully, the anti-Mubarak side can turn the other cheek and allow the media to report what's going on and pressure the government to let the Army intervene and restore order.

We'll be spending two days in Hurghada where it's peaceful and then transit through Cairo to Instanbul for a night before returning to Shanghai.