Important Nile DeltaTravel Advisory! Inspect All Bulrush Islands for Baskets Containing Babies.10/31/2012 Obscure reference to the Ark of the Bulrushes explained here.
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WHile we have a large, comfortable ship to stay aboard during our underwater archaeological excavations in Egypt, the little boats that we use to get around from site to site, and to carry our gear, have to be manned at night, which can be a lonely and lumpy evening. Gaber here is waving goodnight, probably hoping somebody while ferry him over a cup of hot tea and a biscuit. Ok fine, Ill do it. One of the Students in Lancaster asked how we can take notes underwater. this is very important because, as I like to point out a lot, the only difference between exploring and being lost is a notebook. Here is my notebook for day-tripping around Sunken Egyptian Cities. I can take 3 pages of notes, and have an waterproof map of features the site Im working in for reference. No WOnder this guy wants to jump ship. This Question comes from a student at the school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania that I recently spoke with from Alexandria. At any given time aboard ship you can find a number of nationalities and languages represented. I just took an inventory and at this very moment we have the following; 8 French 3 English 3 Egyptians 1 Russian 1 Cuban 1 German 1 Maltese A Pole A Czech A Spaniard Plus myself and 1 “Other” (who defies nationality and speaks 8 languages with an inscrutable accent) The principal language of the team is French, and all meetings, reports, and etc related to the underwater archaeological work go on in French. 70% English is the default language for communicating outside of ones mother tongue, however, Spanish is a close 3rd. Because we often work in Cuba, several of the french team members speak Spanish with a Cuban accent, which the Catalan find very amusing, and Arabic words are often mixed in with any conversation. The inevitable babel that ensues in any animated conversation seems unprintable, both literally and figuratively. But don’t forget that when we are underwater, its sign language for everyone! The question above popped into my mailbox the other day, and since I am currently onboard ship, diving on sunken cities, I'm in a good position to answer it While on board ship we work every day of the week, providing that the sea isn’t too rough. Putting an ex on that date on the calendar marks the passage of time, but doesn’t really help tell one day from the one before., and after a while, all the days seem to run together. Over the years the following traditions have developed and they help to remind me what day of the week it is. Tuesday Night; Dinner in the Officer’s Mess, by special invitation of the Captain… Karin sent me a couple of good questions after my last post, so here is my response;
It is a great pleasure for those of us on Franck Goddios team to perform Underwater Archaeological Surveys and Excavations in a beautiful and life-filled ocean environment, and we work hard to keep it that way. I appreciate your concern for the denizens of the briny deep, and your worry that our work might cause them harm. Here are a few details that might put you more at ease... |
My Name is Eric and My Job is Scientific Exploration.
That means I'm lucky enough to join expeditions to excavate sunken cities, climb volcanoes, find missing bombs, and Sail old research vessels, while searching for the mysteries of the natural world. Categories
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