El Berba is village at the edge of the western desert about 30km southwest of Minia and northwest of Abu Gurgos / Al Fikria. These towns are at the Nile 300km south of Cairo. The population is still increasing and now maybe at 12.000 persons. Many of the people of Berba live in Cairo and work as concierge in apparent houses. Sometimes the parents live in Cairo and the children in Berba. Or the eldest children look for work in Cairo and support the family at home in Berba. Although people have to look for work outside the village it is still a very agricultural village. There is no starving in Berba but many families have to live from a few pounds (1 EUR = 7,8 EGP) a day which officially means poverty. In Berba today you find 12 mosques but still only one Coptic Catholic Church. As in daily life Christians and Muslims have not the same rights it is a 18 years fight to build a new and larger church. Now after the …

Monday morning we left Cairo via Giza through the early morning traffic heading for Fayoum Oasis, which was a new destination for us. We passed by the large Lake Qarun and through small villages to find the famous water wheels in the middle of a tea garden in Medinat Fayoum.

It seems to be, that Barbara has her own travel agency !:-) At least as we found above advertisement at a gas station in Luxor/Theben West. But anyhow, we think you need a lot of Guardian Angels to survive Egypts roads! Sr. Juliana was a perfect driver getting us always safe througth the traffic jam of Cairo or driving the roads along the Nil with thousands of bumps. Here you just see impressions what you can find on these roads.