Dear Naomi:
Here it is Christmas Eve, which finds me somewhere in the Middle East of Africa in the desert sitting in the Officers’ Club, which is a tent or made from a combination of tents, sipping on a bottle of beer, which is better than the water & something that will quench the thirst.
The lighting is pretty poor here so you will have to excuse the writing. We were just interrupted with an air raid warning. We heard the bombs hit near here but they never got quite here. I have never experienced an air raid while on the ground, but have a few in the air, which is good enough for me.
The weather here is a little different than in England, it being drier and a little warmer, but it really gets cold at night. We are living in tents at present & sleeping on cots, but we have plenty of blankets & are reasonably comfortable. We are hoping to be stationed in a better place soon.
I was in Egypt a few days & flew over the Pyramids & the Sphinx. They must be mammoth things because they look plenty big from the air. They are just outside of Cairo. Egypt is pretty from the air, its being very green this time of the year & one can trace their irrigation system perfectly from the air. Very interesting.
I visited the town of Ismalya. The town had quite modern buildings & quite a lot of vegetation. It is situated near the Suez Canal. One can buy anything he wants there if he has the money. Nothing is rationed. I spent about $50.00 & have nothing to show for it but a pair of shoes & a few souvenirs.
The people are very interesting… (more in book)
As Ever,
Alfred Asch
