I wasn't feeling all that well, but G and I wandered around and got lunch at a hole-in-the-wall type of place (across from Cofe Shop Diana - after Princess Diana, with old photos of her and rainbows on the awning). We found an internet cafe and spent a few hours uploading pictures and checking email, etc, before heading out.
G and I walked around on the way home and went in search of some tennis shoes. They all appeared to be fake leather, so we didn't bother. We went home and I went to sleep early, as I still wasn't feeling too healthy.
The next morning, the sickness I suspected was realized. I was sick all morning, and slept in till about noon. We packed up and had some errands to run before our flight at 10:15pm. I decided to quickly check my email, and I learned that our flight had been canceled by the company we booked through (because it was an American company, and only foreign departures/arrivals). I was in tears. Already feeling terrible health-wise, and now this. We tried calling them, but they were no help. I ended up going back to bed for a few hours and G booked two more nights at the hostel.
After a nap, I'm feeling a good bit better. I haven't been able to eat all day, though. We're now at an internet cafe, and we made reservations with Ethiopian airlines. We have to go pay them at the office in Cairo tomorrow morning, then *hopefully* will be flying out at 2:30am on the 27th (Thurs). Fingers crossed!
From what we've been told, there will be limited and SLOW internet connections in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. I'll post as often as possible, but they'll probably be much shorter (which I'm sure your eyes will be happy about ;).
Monday, November 24, 2008
Day 19 - Alexandria to Cairo (Nov 23 Sun)
We woke up and were out of the hotel by 10am to try and leave ourselves enough time for the remaining sites. We found a place for breakfast (I had another Egyptian veggie pizza), then grabbed a cab to Pompey's Pillar.
The pillar was misnamed, but is very famous indeed. It is rumoured to have once hosted a party of 22 on it's capital, and apparently Louis XIV wanted to take it home to put a statue of himself on the top of it. That didn't happen, though, as it still sits in its original home, surrounded by ruins of baths and sanctuaries (used for ceremonial sacred cleansing, it's thought). Entrance was supposed to be 10LE each, according to the guidebook, but was 20LE each.
From there, we walked up a tiny street to the Catacombs of Kom Ash-Suqqafa (also supposed to be 10LE each). When we arrived at the ticket booth, they wanted 35LE each. We were not prepared to pay that, and decided to say "no, thank you." We walked around the side of the site to see what we could see above ground, and a very large opening in the wall (big enough for 2 or 3 busses to fit though) basically welcomed us in. We wandered around the small grounds, and down one set of stairs, which led to a large open room of square holes in the sides for coffins. When we exited there, I saw another entrance, to what appeared to be the catacombs themselves. There was no one there, so we went down and looked around for about ten minutes. We were even taking pictures until someone told us we weren't allowed to. It was very hot and humid down there, but quite interesting. Lots of burial chambers in Greco-Roman-Egyptian style. We made our way back to the surface of the staircase that spirals around a well, and headed to the same exit (the same way we entered). We were almost out when a slightly overweight and intimidated cop came and asked us for our tickets. We obviously didn't have them, and Martin just kept walking so we followed behind him. The cop called for backup, but no one really came. When Martin spotted a taxi, we all ran towards it, and were out of the compound. We made it out without getting in trouble, but it was definitely cause for some fast-beating little hearts!
We took a cab down to the corniche (road along the harbour), and were walking towards a mosque when we saw our carriage driver, Mimi "Jimmy". Apparently we tipped him well the last ride, because he offered to take us to the mosque for free.
Again, Alice and I had to enter separately, and were in a small space where we couldn't see much. The boys had much better views and photo ops, so the pics were taken by them. When we left, Jimmy took us to our hotel to grab our things, then we stopped for food on the way to the train station. We had bought our tickets the day before, and had no problems finding our car (although some guy asked for our tickets, offered his help, then wanted tips).
We had an uneventful train ride back to Cairo. Alice and Martin were trying to buy 2nd class tickets to Aswan (because we learned that they actually recline a lot farther, and are half as expensive - 45LE vs. 90LE). They were sold out, however, and when they discovered there were also no 1st class tickets, they decided to just get a cab to the airport and hop a flight. We all said goodbye, then G and I got a cab to our hostel area, bought tickets to Ethiopia, and headed to bed.
The pillar was misnamed, but is very famous indeed. It is rumoured to have once hosted a party of 22 on it's capital, and apparently Louis XIV wanted to take it home to put a statue of himself on the top of it. That didn't happen, though, as it still sits in its original home, surrounded by ruins of baths and sanctuaries (used for ceremonial sacred cleansing, it's thought). Entrance was supposed to be 10LE each, according to the guidebook, but was 20LE each.
From there, we walked up a tiny street to the Catacombs of Kom Ash-Suqqafa (also supposed to be 10LE each). When we arrived at the ticket booth, they wanted 35LE each. We were not prepared to pay that, and decided to say "no, thank you." We walked around the side of the site to see what we could see above ground, and a very large opening in the wall (big enough for 2 or 3 busses to fit though) basically welcomed us in. We wandered around the small grounds, and down one set of stairs, which led to a large open room of square holes in the sides for coffins. When we exited there, I saw another entrance, to what appeared to be the catacombs themselves. There was no one there, so we went down and looked around for about ten minutes. We were even taking pictures until someone told us we weren't allowed to. It was very hot and humid down there, but quite interesting. Lots of burial chambers in Greco-Roman-Egyptian style. We made our way back to the surface of the staircase that spirals around a well, and headed to the same exit (the same way we entered). We were almost out when a slightly overweight and intimidated cop came and asked us for our tickets. We obviously didn't have them, and Martin just kept walking so we followed behind him. The cop called for backup, but no one really came. When Martin spotted a taxi, we all ran towards it, and were out of the compound. We made it out without getting in trouble, but it was definitely cause for some fast-beating little hearts!
We took a cab down to the corniche (road along the harbour), and were walking towards a mosque when we saw our carriage driver, Mimi "Jimmy". Apparently we tipped him well the last ride, because he offered to take us to the mosque for free.
Again, Alice and I had to enter separately, and were in a small space where we couldn't see much. The boys had much better views and photo ops, so the pics were taken by them. When we left, Jimmy took us to our hotel to grab our things, then we stopped for food on the way to the train station. We had bought our tickets the day before, and had no problems finding our car (although some guy asked for our tickets, offered his help, then wanted tips).
We had an uneventful train ride back to Cairo. Alice and Martin were trying to buy 2nd class tickets to Aswan (because we learned that they actually recline a lot farther, and are half as expensive - 45LE vs. 90LE). They were sold out, however, and when they discovered there were also no 1st class tickets, they decided to just get a cab to the airport and hop a flight. We all said goodbye, then G and I got a cab to our hostel area, bought tickets to Ethiopia, and headed to bed.
Day 18 - Library of Alexandria, beach (Nov 22 Sat)
After the previous evening, we slept in a bit. Alice came to wake us up when they were on their way to use the free WiFi at McDonald's, but we passed and recovered a bit more, and did some laundry in the sink. After a while, though, we met up with Eddie (who had gone for a run that morning), and the three of us met up with Alice and Martin at McD's.
We parted ways with Eddie back at the hostel, then walked to the Library of Alexandria (bibalex.com). The building itself only opened in 2006, and is quite impressive. Their site has great aerial photos of the disk that is supposed to represent the sun rising over the Mediterranean. We asked for Abdallah's friend ("brother"), Dr. Salagadeen, but he wasn't available. We did meet another hospitality guy from the library, though, and he arranged for us to have free entry and a free tour. He also invited us to his friend's party at a hotel at 9pm that night, but we ended up being too tired to go. The tour was rather short, but we got to learn more about the building, the library's history, how they're digitizing books, and saw an exhibit on old maps and photos of Alexandria.
After our tour, and a bit of photo-opping, we headed down to the beach. The sand was very oddly fine, so you sink down about five inches or so with every step. It was right at sunset and quite beautiful, and after about a half hour or so of romping around and getting our feet wet, we grabbed a cab back to the hotel.
We bought some beers around the corner at a place called "Drinkies", and found that they were only 6LE each! Not to mention, when you bring the bottles back, you get 1LE each as a deposit refund. Sweet! We had a few beers in the billiards room of the hotel, then made our way to a guidebook (and Canadian tourists in the lobby) recommended restaurant named Mohammed Ahmed's. The food was tasty and incredibly cheap (just over 40LE for four of us, including drinks). After dinner, Alice and Martin split a gelato, and G and I had espressos at the famous Brazilian Coffee Shop. Proper coffee! It was amazing.
On the way back to the hotel, we passed another wedding. This bride was all in gold. hmm.
We parted ways with Eddie back at the hostel, then walked to the Library of Alexandria (bibalex.com). The building itself only opened in 2006, and is quite impressive. Their site has great aerial photos of the disk that is supposed to represent the sun rising over the Mediterranean. We asked for Abdallah's friend ("brother"), Dr. Salagadeen, but he wasn't available. We did meet another hospitality guy from the library, though, and he arranged for us to have free entry and a free tour. He also invited us to his friend's party at a hotel at 9pm that night, but we ended up being too tired to go. The tour was rather short, but we got to learn more about the building, the library's history, how they're digitizing books, and saw an exhibit on old maps and photos of Alexandria.
After our tour, and a bit of photo-opping, we headed down to the beach. The sand was very oddly fine, so you sink down about five inches or so with every step. It was right at sunset and quite beautiful, and after about a half hour or so of romping around and getting our feet wet, we grabbed a cab back to the hotel.
We bought some beers around the corner at a place called "Drinkies", and found that they were only 6LE each! Not to mention, when you bring the bottles back, you get 1LE each as a deposit refund. Sweet! We had a few beers in the billiards room of the hotel, then made our way to a guidebook (and Canadian tourists in the lobby) recommended restaurant named Mohammed Ahmed's. The food was tasty and incredibly cheap (just over 40LE for four of us, including drinks). After dinner, Alice and Martin split a gelato, and G and I had espressos at the famous Brazilian Coffee Shop. Proper coffee! It was amazing.
On the way back to the hotel, we passed another wedding. This bride was all in gold. hmm.
Day 17 - Alexandria (Nov 21 Fri)
We took a late-morning train to Alexandria with Alice and Martin. It only took about 2 and a quarter hours, then we got a cab to our hotel, the Union Hotel. Alice and Martin were starving, so they ran to get a bite, and G and I stayed and admired the fifth-floor view of the harbour from our hotel lobby. We had been hoping to take a dip in the Mediterranean, but it was too cold (about 70F). Instead, we hung out and had a beer each from the hotel. When I paid, I gave her a 20LE note, and she gave me 10LE back (which would lead one to believe they were 5 each). But when Martin went to buy one later, they were 10LE each. When they realized the mistake that the receptionist had made earlier, they kept insisting that we pay an additional 10LE- even at the point when we were checking out two days later, which was ridiculous, considering the amount of beers we had later that night. But I digress.
While sitting in the lobby, a South African-born, but New Zealand raised guy named Eddie was trying to check in, but now the prices were much higher for him (120LE) than they were for us (70LE for a double). Martin and Alice offered to put an additional bed in their room for him, which was only about 20LE. He accepted.
The five of us decided to wander around, but within three minutes, we were convinced to take a horse and carriage ride. The price was right (10LE an hour, same as Luxor), so we went for it. It ended up being a great idea, and we got to see a lot of the city over the next hour and a half. Our driver, Mimi aka Jimmy, of course had us stop at a few places to buy things, including a liquor store and antique-y sort of store. We split a bottle of vodka for 105LE (later to realize we got ripped off, as it should've been about 70LE. EGYPT!). He took us by Mohammed Aly square, tomb of the unknown soldier, mosques, the citadel, and around some back streets. We parted ways with him at the citadel, hoping to find a good and reasonably-priced seafood restaurant on the way home, but no such luck. Most of them wanted something like 120LE for one kilo of unpeeled shrimp (over $20USD). We passed, and ended up finding a smaller fast-foodish looking joint, where we all had Egyptian pizza (a puff pastry in a circle shape filled with meat or veggies).
Back at the hotel, we played cards, drank vodka, and eventually beer (paying 10LE each), then on a mission for the restroom, I found a cozy room in the back with a billiards table. The boys rented the billiards balls till 1am (10LE again), and we hung out for a couple hours.
At one point, we heard some knocking, but each time we opened the door, there was no one there. This went on for about 10 minutes before the boys heard Eddie yelling through the window in the center of the building. He got stuck in the bathroom (Alice and I had also been stuck, but sorted it out), so decided to take his 6'5" semi-pro rugby playing self and squeeze through a tiny window high above the toilet. It was so ridiculous and funny, and of course we snapped a few pics of him before he had to figure out how to get down. He climbed up another level, then came down some stairs into the kitchen. The hotel staff were not amused, and shortly after, they set some beds up for the staff in that room, and we had to move out. Eddie went to bed, and Alice and I waited in the lobby while G and Martin went on a McDonald's adventure. They came back, we all pigged out, then passed out.
While sitting in the lobby, a South African-born, but New Zealand raised guy named Eddie was trying to check in, but now the prices were much higher for him (120LE) than they were for us (70LE for a double). Martin and Alice offered to put an additional bed in their room for him, which was only about 20LE. He accepted.
The five of us decided to wander around, but within three minutes, we were convinced to take a horse and carriage ride. The price was right (10LE an hour, same as Luxor), so we went for it. It ended up being a great idea, and we got to see a lot of the city over the next hour and a half. Our driver, Mimi aka Jimmy, of course had us stop at a few places to buy things, including a liquor store and antique-y sort of store. We split a bottle of vodka for 105LE (later to realize we got ripped off, as it should've been about 70LE. EGYPT!). He took us by Mohammed Aly square, tomb of the unknown soldier, mosques, the citadel, and around some back streets. We parted ways with him at the citadel, hoping to find a good and reasonably-priced seafood restaurant on the way home, but no such luck. Most of them wanted something like 120LE for one kilo of unpeeled shrimp (over $20USD). We passed, and ended up finding a smaller fast-foodish looking joint, where we all had Egyptian pizza (a puff pastry in a circle shape filled with meat or veggies).
Back at the hotel, we played cards, drank vodka, and eventually beer (paying 10LE each), then on a mission for the restroom, I found a cozy room in the back with a billiards table. The boys rented the billiards balls till 1am (10LE again), and we hung out for a couple hours.
At one point, we heard some knocking, but each time we opened the door, there was no one there. This went on for about 10 minutes before the boys heard Eddie yelling through the window in the center of the building. He got stuck in the bathroom (Alice and I had also been stuck, but sorted it out), so decided to take his 6'5" semi-pro rugby playing self and squeeze through a tiny window high above the toilet. It was so ridiculous and funny, and of course we snapped a few pics of him before he had to figure out how to get down. He climbed up another level, then came down some stairs into the kitchen. The hotel staff were not amused, and shortly after, they set some beds up for the staff in that room, and we had to move out. Eddie went to bed, and Alice and I waited in the lobby while G and Martin went on a McDonald's adventure. They came back, we all pigged out, then passed out.
Day 16 - Koshary, Stella, disco (Nov 20 Thurs)
G and I started our day at an internet cafe to try and work out some tickets, but to no avail. After a while, we went back to the hostel and met up with Alice and Martin around 3:30pm.
The four of us were escorted by one of the guys at the hostel to a Koshary place for dinner. He dropped us off, and we ordered large bowls of the dish (two types of pasta, rice, tomato sauce, fried onions, etc, that is then topped with chili sauce if you so choose. It's basically a spoonful each out of about 6 different pots.) Well, we learned a large was way too big-but both filling and tasty. We could only finish half, so we had the rest wrapped up for take-away so we could give them to people who were asking for money or food.
We needed a walk after all that food, so we just wandered aimlessly for a short while. We found a sign that said G's last name on it (and got a few goofy pics in front of it), then continued until we saw signs for Stella, which is the Egyptian beer. Turns out we found a pub! They're quite rare in Egypt, but apparently in this downtown area, there are about five. The price was right, too, so the four of us hung out there with some locals and had a few drinks and tapas-like apps (olives, nuts, parsley, cucumbers) that they brought for us. Everyone was so nice and welcoming, including some Nubian guys that we met; Abdallah and his friend, whose name escapes me. They invited us to a disco after the green-walled pub, so we accepted. He drove all six of us just around the corner in his Mercedes (better than a Fiat cab!). We entered the cheesy upstairs keyboard-music environment, had the waitresses pop the beer caps off on the edge of the table, then pour the beers into glasses, holding both in one hand. One of the girls invited me to dance, which seemed harmless enough. Not even ten seconds later, and some guy came and wanted to dance. Forgetting that I was in Egypt, I didn't run away, and when Abdallah's friend pulled me away and put me in G's reach, the guy got angry. We all had to sit down, and eventually it was fine, but it was a rough start to the evening. After just one drink, which Abdallah insisted on paying for, we left and Abdallah took us all home, even walking us to the hostel.
Tomorrow we go to Alexandria, and Abdallah gave us the contact number of Dr. Salagadeen, who works in the famous library of Alexandria.
The four of us were escorted by one of the guys at the hostel to a Koshary place for dinner. He dropped us off, and we ordered large bowls of the dish (two types of pasta, rice, tomato sauce, fried onions, etc, that is then topped with chili sauce if you so choose. It's basically a spoonful each out of about 6 different pots.) Well, we learned a large was way too big-but both filling and tasty. We could only finish half, so we had the rest wrapped up for take-away so we could give them to people who were asking for money or food.
We needed a walk after all that food, so we just wandered aimlessly for a short while. We found a sign that said G's last name on it (and got a few goofy pics in front of it), then continued until we saw signs for Stella, which is the Egyptian beer. Turns out we found a pub! They're quite rare in Egypt, but apparently in this downtown area, there are about five. The price was right, too, so the four of us hung out there with some locals and had a few drinks and tapas-like apps (olives, nuts, parsley, cucumbers) that they brought for us. Everyone was so nice and welcoming, including some Nubian guys that we met; Abdallah and his friend, whose name escapes me. They invited us to a disco after the green-walled pub, so we accepted. He drove all six of us just around the corner in his Mercedes (better than a Fiat cab!). We entered the cheesy upstairs keyboard-music environment, had the waitresses pop the beer caps off on the edge of the table, then pour the beers into glasses, holding both in one hand. One of the girls invited me to dance, which seemed harmless enough. Not even ten seconds later, and some guy came and wanted to dance. Forgetting that I was in Egypt, I didn't run away, and when Abdallah's friend pulled me away and put me in G's reach, the guy got angry. We all had to sit down, and eventually it was fine, but it was a rough start to the evening. After just one drink, which Abdallah insisted on paying for, we left and Abdallah took us all home, even walking us to the hostel.
Tomorrow we go to Alexandria, and Abdallah gave us the contact number of Dr. Salagadeen, who works in the famous library of Alexandria.
Jetting! New itinerary...
We've FINALLY booked our tickets for the rest of the trip. The price was a bit high, so we were searching for a good deal. We got a 3 leg trip for $2282 together.
Cairo - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Tues, Nov 25
Addis - Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - Fri, Dec 26
Dar es Salaam - Cairo - Thurs, Jan 22
(and then of course you know Cairo-Newark Sun, Jan 25!)
Cairo - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Tues, Nov 25
Addis - Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - Fri, Dec 26
Dar es Salaam - Cairo - Thurs, Jan 22
(and then of course you know Cairo-Newark Sun, Jan 25!)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Day 15 - Cairo again (Nov 19 Wed)
We're having a lazy day. Internet, finishing up sight-seeing in Cairo (Coptic churches, old Cairo), then tonight, the Sufi dance at 8pm for free.
We're also trying to buy our tickets to Ethiopia, as 2 weeks in Egypt seems to be plenty...
More details from the day:
After spending some time on the hostel's computer and chatting with an Aussie couple (Alice and Martin) about their recent travels to Ethiopia, we decided to head out to Coptic Cairo, as it's known to tourists. We also adopted a guy from California named Ashraf, and the five of us grabbed a cab around 3pm.
After some interesting attempts at communication with our cab driver due to the language barrier, we ended up making it there successfully. The Coptic area is a quite small, walled-in area with old buildings and small staircases. We wandered around to the Greek Church of St. George, but found we were too late, as it closed at 4pm. We also were too late for the Coptic Museum. Oh well...on to the next site, which is the famous Hanging Church, or Suspended Church. It was built on top of a Roman water gate, hence it's name. The church itself was quite beautiful, with lots of relics and even a glass tile placed in the ground so you can see to the water gate below. We also missed St. Sergius church, but made it to Saint Barbara (a newer church with more relics). I guess we might have to come back.
We then found our way to a cemetery with mausoleums that didn't appear to be all that old (since at this point we can read numbers in Arabic). The guidebook said for single women to be careful, as there tend to be flashers in the cemetery, but fortunately (unfortunately?) we didn't see any.
From there, we headed to a mosque, where Alice and I had to enter through a separate women's entrance. We both had scarves with us, but they still made us wear these ridiculous bright green robes. Shoulders were covered, but I guess our arms were showing? We had to wait inside the entrance for a while, while the prayers were finishing up, then we got to wander around a bit. It's quite grand in scale, but not nearly as ornate as some other mosques I've seen.
Now for an adventure...let's take the Metro back! We figured from a map that we had to get off at Mohammed Naguib station. There are only two lines in Cairo at the moment (more are in development), so it had to be easy. We asked some guards at the station in Coptic Cairo after buying our 1LE each tickets, and they gave us directions, only enough English for us between the three of them. We got the point though, and headed to the train. When it came, we all pushed onto the cars, which were very crowded. G, Alice, and I went though one door, and Martin through another, but when Martin looked outside, he saw Ashraf stuck on the platform. We went 4 stops up, then got off and waited for Ashraf - luckily he made it, no problems. We changed lines, then one more stop and we were at our station. Amazingly, we even navigated our way home quite easily.
After chilling out for a half hour at the hostel and saying goodbye to Ashraf, who was flying out that night, the four of us headed to a Sufi dance performance near Al Azhar mosque. We had been informed of the dance by our not-so-hustler friend the week prior, and thought it'd be worth checking out. Initially, two things shocked us, though...it was free, and there was no smoking inside. Were we really in Egypt?! Apparently, it's government subsidized, which was surprising, considering the astronomical entrance fees we've become accustomed to paying at the temples, tombs, and other tourist sites.
The dance itself was incredible. It started with about 8 men on stage, all in white galabeyyas. They started playing music slowing, then it built up, with more and more drums, etc. It was really exciting and fantastic, but only got better when the whirling dervishes came out and started their performances. One young man spun for 25 minutes straight, including taking of layers of kilts and unfolding and refolding a flag, all while spinning. I wish I could describe how awesome this was in words, but I'll let the photos do the talking. And I took a LOT of photos (even snuck up right beside the stage!).
After the dance, we were greeted by our not-so-hustler, Talfut, I think his name is. He invited us to his shop, and we obliged. We had tea and shisha, then he walked us to the herb pharmacy that we had gone to with him before. This time, we got to smell perfume essences...with no oil or alcohol added. They were amazing. G and I bought some mint, which is good for rubbing on the temples and under the nose to awaken you, but can also be put in bath water. Martin bought one called Aida, which was supposedly a men's cologne, but could really be worn by either gender.
From there, we got a cab home and crashed.
We're also trying to buy our tickets to Ethiopia, as 2 weeks in Egypt seems to be plenty...
More details from the day:
After spending some time on the hostel's computer and chatting with an Aussie couple (Alice and Martin) about their recent travels to Ethiopia, we decided to head out to Coptic Cairo, as it's known to tourists. We also adopted a guy from California named Ashraf, and the five of us grabbed a cab around 3pm.
After some interesting attempts at communication with our cab driver due to the language barrier, we ended up making it there successfully. The Coptic area is a quite small, walled-in area with old buildings and small staircases. We wandered around to the Greek Church of St. George, but found we were too late, as it closed at 4pm. We also were too late for the Coptic Museum. Oh well...on to the next site, which is the famous Hanging Church, or Suspended Church. It was built on top of a Roman water gate, hence it's name. The church itself was quite beautiful, with lots of relics and even a glass tile placed in the ground so you can see to the water gate below. We also missed St. Sergius church, but made it to Saint Barbara (a newer church with more relics). I guess we might have to come back.
We then found our way to a cemetery with mausoleums that didn't appear to be all that old (since at this point we can read numbers in Arabic). The guidebook said for single women to be careful, as there tend to be flashers in the cemetery, but fortunately (unfortunately?) we didn't see any.
From there, we headed to a mosque, where Alice and I had to enter through a separate women's entrance. We both had scarves with us, but they still made us wear these ridiculous bright green robes. Shoulders were covered, but I guess our arms were showing? We had to wait inside the entrance for a while, while the prayers were finishing up, then we got to wander around a bit. It's quite grand in scale, but not nearly as ornate as some other mosques I've seen.
Now for an adventure...let's take the Metro back! We figured from a map that we had to get off at Mohammed Naguib station. There are only two lines in Cairo at the moment (more are in development), so it had to be easy. We asked some guards at the station in Coptic Cairo after buying our 1LE each tickets, and they gave us directions, only enough English for us between the three of them. We got the point though, and headed to the train. When it came, we all pushed onto the cars, which were very crowded. G, Alice, and I went though one door, and Martin through another, but when Martin looked outside, he saw Ashraf stuck on the platform. We went 4 stops up, then got off and waited for Ashraf - luckily he made it, no problems. We changed lines, then one more stop and we were at our station. Amazingly, we even navigated our way home quite easily.
After chilling out for a half hour at the hostel and saying goodbye to Ashraf, who was flying out that night, the four of us headed to a Sufi dance performance near Al Azhar mosque. We had been informed of the dance by our not-so-hustler friend the week prior, and thought it'd be worth checking out. Initially, two things shocked us, though...it was free, and there was no smoking inside. Were we really in Egypt?! Apparently, it's government subsidized, which was surprising, considering the astronomical entrance fees we've become accustomed to paying at the temples, tombs, and other tourist sites.
The dance itself was incredible. It started with about 8 men on stage, all in white galabeyyas. They started playing music slowing, then it built up, with more and more drums, etc. It was really exciting and fantastic, but only got better when the whirling dervishes came out and started their performances. One young man spun for 25 minutes straight, including taking of layers of kilts and unfolding and refolding a flag, all while spinning. I wish I could describe how awesome this was in words, but I'll let the photos do the talking. And I took a LOT of photos (even snuck up right beside the stage!).
After the dance, we were greeted by our not-so-hustler, Talfut, I think his name is. He invited us to his shop, and we obliged. We had tea and shisha, then he walked us to the herb pharmacy that we had gone to with him before. This time, we got to smell perfume essences...with no oil or alcohol added. They were amazing. G and I bought some mint, which is good for rubbing on the temples and under the nose to awaken you, but can also be put in bath water. Martin bought one called Aida, which was supposedly a men's cologne, but could really be worn by either gender.
From there, we got a cab home and crashed.
Things we've learned about Egypt
1. No one will tell you they don't know where something is. They'd rather point you in the wrong direction than not know.
2. Everyone wants baksheesh (tips) but mostly in the larger cities. Good to keep small bills (1LE) in your pocket for this purpose.
3. Nothing is free. If something is offered to you (tour, soda, etc.) be prepared to pay or say "no, thank you" (laa shukran)
4. 90% of men are named Mohammed
5. Egyptians work on a different time schedule, which we've dubbed EET (Estimated Egyptian time)
6. Crossing the street is a bit like the game, "Frogger," only real, and therefore scarier.
7. People love to honk their horns. For any occasion. They put Chinatown drivers to shame.
8. If you're going to try and take photos in a forbidden area (tomb, museum, etc), be prepared to have them deleted or pay a 1000LE fine. (Luckily hasn't happened to us...touch wood.)
9. For many purchases, there are two prices: Egyptian and tourist. Know how much something should cost and bargain hard.
10. A bottle deposit is worth 1LE each. If you get a Coke, you have to drink it before you leave so they get the bottle back. If you find a store that sells beer (rare), take the bottles back for a refund!
11. It's very easy to buy tissue packets on the streets from both women and children as young as four, for 1LE each.
12. Said tissue packets double as toilet paper in the W.C.'s that almost never provide it.
13. The Nubian people like to have a good time, are a lot more relaxed, and won't hassle you to buy things from them.
2. Everyone wants baksheesh (tips) but mostly in the larger cities. Good to keep small bills (1LE) in your pocket for this purpose.
3. Nothing is free. If something is offered to you (tour, soda, etc.) be prepared to pay or say "no, thank you" (laa shukran)
4. 90% of men are named Mohammed
5. Egyptians work on a different time schedule, which we've dubbed EET (Estimated Egyptian time)
6. Crossing the street is a bit like the game, "Frogger," only real, and therefore scarier.
7. People love to honk their horns. For any occasion. They put Chinatown drivers to shame.
8. If you're going to try and take photos in a forbidden area (tomb, museum, etc), be prepared to have them deleted or pay a 1000LE fine. (Luckily hasn't happened to us...touch wood.)
9. For many purchases, there are two prices: Egyptian and tourist. Know how much something should cost and bargain hard.
10. A bottle deposit is worth 1LE each. If you get a Coke, you have to drink it before you leave so they get the bottle back. If you find a store that sells beer (rare), take the bottles back for a refund!
11. It's very easy to buy tissue packets on the streets from both women and children as young as four, for 1LE each.
12. Said tissue packets double as toilet paper in the W.C.'s that almost never provide it.
13. The Nubian people like to have a good time, are a lot more relaxed, and won't hassle you to buy things from them.
Day 14 - White and Black Deserts, back to Cairo (Nov 18)
We woke up around 6:30am in the desert to see the beautiful sunrise in the extremely bright desert. There are white rocks in strange and beautiful formations, some that look like animals (a rabbit, a chicken under a tree, etc). We had breakfast, packed up camp, and headed out to see some sights on the way back to Bahariyya.
One of the places Ahmed stopped was a huge whale fossil, that you could go inside! You can see the ribs and everything. Amazing.
Next, the Old White Desert, where the formations are more rounded off from the wind (think mushroom shapes). Then the Black Desert, where the three of us climbed a mountain to a spectacular view. One more stop at Crystal Mountain (aptly named), where most of it is ropped off "protected", but you can climb a bit. If you take any crystals, which are strewn all over the sand, you could face penalty if caught by the police. We weren't caught.
Back to the oasis, lunch, and tea, then we hopped on the bus back to Cairo for another 5 hours. On the bus, a woman behind us had three live ducks in a bag on the floor. She let me hold one, which seemed nice, except for the fact that after a few photos, it pooped on G and myself. Ewww...the smell...I almost lost my lunch, but thank goodness for tissues and shout wipes!
One stop at a middle-of-nowhere bus station for a bathroom/cafe break, then we continued "home". The bus dropped us off in Giza, not Cairo, so we got a cab with Cho and a Japanese guy he was trying to befriend. Our portion was 20LE, but the hostel refunded it for us, since they forgot to tell us how we were to get back. Not bad. We arrived at the hostel around 9pm, ate, showered, and off to sleep.
One of the places Ahmed stopped was a huge whale fossil, that you could go inside! You can see the ribs and everything. Amazing.
Next, the Old White Desert, where the formations are more rounded off from the wind (think mushroom shapes). Then the Black Desert, where the three of us climbed a mountain to a spectacular view. One more stop at Crystal Mountain (aptly named), where most of it is ropped off "protected", but you can climb a bit. If you take any crystals, which are strewn all over the sand, you could face penalty if caught by the police. We weren't caught.
Back to the oasis, lunch, and tea, then we hopped on the bus back to Cairo for another 5 hours. On the bus, a woman behind us had three live ducks in a bag on the floor. She let me hold one, which seemed nice, except for the fact that after a few photos, it pooped on G and myself. Ewww...the smell...I almost lost my lunch, but thank goodness for tissues and shout wipes!
One stop at a middle-of-nowhere bus station for a bathroom/cafe break, then we continued "home". The bus dropped us off in Giza, not Cairo, so we got a cab with Cho and a Japanese guy he was trying to befriend. Our portion was 20LE, but the hostel refunded it for us, since they forgot to tell us how we were to get back. Not bad. We arrived at the hostel around 9pm, ate, showered, and off to sleep.
Day 13 - The desert! (Nov 17, Tues)
The next morning was leisurely in pace, and we had our breakfast around 11am. A freezing cold shower (no hot water) was a "refreshing" start to the day. The other 3 campers came back, then it was our turn to head into the desert. We again took a land cruiser with our driver, Ahmed (son of the camp's owner). On the way, we picked up another traveller (Singaporian Cho), and headed out for a 3 hour ride to the desert. On the way, we stopped by a little hut with a cold spring running through it (though the water was soooo temperate), had lunch, and back in the Land Cruiser.
We drove through the Black Desert (strewn with little purplish-black rocks), then on to the White Desert. We had to pay $5 entry plus 10LE camping fees a Crystal Mountain, then continued on. A bit of off-roading through the sand (and getting stuck only once) at sunset, then we headed into the New White Desert to set up camp.
Ahmed built an L-shaped tapestry wall with rugs and thin foam mattresses for us to hang out on. We taught our new card game (courtesy of David and Suzanna) to Cho, and the three of us played while Ahmed built a fire and cooked dinner. When dinner (rice, veggies in thin tomato sauce, and barbequed chicken), Ahmed was trying to eat alone, but of course we insisted he join us. Only minutes into dinner, and a small desert fox found us, and about 15 feet away, silently requested some table scraps. We threw him some chicken bones, which he would take, one at a time, and bury for later. Ahmed also gave him a cup of water, which he said all the guides do for the foxes in addition to feeding them each time they come out. I think the fox...a mix between a chihuahua and a cat with a fluffy tail and big ears...was probably the highlight of the trip for me, though it's hard to pick just one.
After dinner, the four of us played card games together for a while. Cho went to bed, as he had been up since the wee hours, and G and I sat by the fire with Ahmed and another guide. G and I played a drawing game in the sand (I draw one line, he finishes he drawing, then vice versa) for an hour or so, then we climbed into our Arctic-grade sleeping bags and mulitiple blankets as the desert gets quite cold at night. We had another visit from the fox...and this time, he got within arm's reach of G! Then we lied under the stars which can be seen so clearly out here (I saw my first shooting star! Finally!), and the yellow-orange moon came up over the horizon.
We drove through the Black Desert (strewn with little purplish-black rocks), then on to the White Desert. We had to pay $5 entry plus 10LE camping fees a Crystal Mountain, then continued on. A bit of off-roading through the sand (and getting stuck only once) at sunset, then we headed into the New White Desert to set up camp.
Ahmed built an L-shaped tapestry wall with rugs and thin foam mattresses for us to hang out on. We taught our new card game (courtesy of David and Suzanna) to Cho, and the three of us played while Ahmed built a fire and cooked dinner. When dinner (rice, veggies in thin tomato sauce, and barbequed chicken), Ahmed was trying to eat alone, but of course we insisted he join us. Only minutes into dinner, and a small desert fox found us, and about 15 feet away, silently requested some table scraps. We threw him some chicken bones, which he would take, one at a time, and bury for later. Ahmed also gave him a cup of water, which he said all the guides do for the foxes in addition to feeding them each time they come out. I think the fox...a mix between a chihuahua and a cat with a fluffy tail and big ears...was probably the highlight of the trip for me, though it's hard to pick just one.
After dinner, the four of us played card games together for a while. Cho went to bed, as he had been up since the wee hours, and G and I sat by the fire with Ahmed and another guide. G and I played a drawing game in the sand (I draw one line, he finishes he drawing, then vice versa) for an hour or so, then we climbed into our Arctic-grade sleeping bags and mulitiple blankets as the desert gets quite cold at night. We had another visit from the fox...and this time, he got within arm's reach of G! Then we lied under the stars which can be seen so clearly out here (I saw my first shooting star! Finally!), and the yellow-orange moon came up over the horizon.
Day 12 - Bahariyya Oasis (Nov 16)
We woke up early at the hostel, took a cab to the bus station, and headed off on a 5 hour journey to the Western Desert. We arrived at Badr's Sahara Camp in the afternoon, and were finally able to chill out. Mohammed was our host, and we later exchanged emails with him. We met some other travellers who were only spending one night in the desert (Norwegian Monica, Aussie Dave, and Argentinian Serge). The first night, G and I stayed at the camp in the Bahariyya Oasis camp while the rest spent their night in the desert. During the day, we went riding a Land Cruiser over sand dunes and deserts, visited a salt lake, climbed some small mountains, put our feet in a HOT spring, and saw the villages by car.
Back at the camp, we sat by a fire and played cards before dinner. More cards after dinner, then off to sleep in a thatched hut. There was a huge spider (sand colored, like everything here) in our hut, but we chased it out without too much trouble.
Back at the camp, we sat by a fire and played cards before dinner. More cards after dinner, then off to sleep in a thatched hut. There was a huge spider (sand colored, like everything here) in our hut, but we chased it out without too much trouble.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Day 11 - Lazy Sunday in Cairo (Nov 15)
We woke up pretty early and got our laundry together (40LE at the hostel), then our things to ship home. A cab to the post office was 10LE. Seemed simple enough...we'd mail our parcel and take off to the citadel. Well, not as easy as it sounds. By the time we went to one place to buy a box, then another to buy tape, then back to the first for packing paper, then to the post office, then to another parcel post office, to have our things examined (supposedly to make sure we weren't sending any antiquities home), it was two hours later. Yikes.
We took another cab, hoping to go to the citadel, but we ended up at the Al Azhar mosque/El Kalili bazaar area. We went into the mosque and had a private tour (in Arabic..ha) of the mosque and the top of the minaret (sp?) for 70 LE total. Not bad, but he did take the amount of money he wanted out of my hands after I unsuccessfully offered 10LE. I think it was probably worth the view and experience. And of course we had to remove our shoes and I had to cover my head (ended up using G's straw hat).
When we exited the mosque, we ran into a man we had met our second night in town, who we thought to be a hustler. He flagged us down and we ended up have him take us to a bathroom, which of course happened to be in a papyrus art shop. We had tea there, then escaped without a purchase, and he wasn't too pushy. He suggested we go to see the Sufi whirling dervishes dance for free nearby from 8-10pm. Sounded good to us.
Next stop: citadel. It's quite fantastic, and of course 50LE to enter. Basically a compound of museums and mosques upon a hilltop with a lot of history and a great view (including the pyramids in the distance!). After about two hours, we left, ate, napped, and woke around 7:30pm to head to the Sufi dance.
The cab dropped us off at one end of the bazaar and pointed to the left. We headed into that direction and ended up running into four fellow hostel guests (Americans studying in Greece). We invited them to join us, but after two hours of getting "directions" from people who obviously had no clue where they were sending us (noone says they don't know where something is), they ended up bailing. Not that we could blame them. The irony of it all was that after we had a police man lead us around and finally call the phone number on our not-so-hustler friend, we ended up almost exactly where the cab had left us-just in time to see the crowd leaving the dance hall. ARGH. It was slightly repaired by the our new friend offering us coffee and shisha, so we hung out while he showed us "Hidden Treasures" - the name of his shop. I eventually bought a nice scarf for 50LE, then we headed back.
Tomorrow...the DESERT! We'll be waking up early then taking a bus for 5 hours to the Western Desert, Bahariyya Oasis in particular for 3 days and 2 nights. Should be relaxing - and a nice contrast to the chaos that is Cairo. Sand dunes, here we come.
We took another cab, hoping to go to the citadel, but we ended up at the Al Azhar mosque/El Kalili bazaar area. We went into the mosque and had a private tour (in Arabic..ha) of the mosque and the top of the minaret (sp?) for 70 LE total. Not bad, but he did take the amount of money he wanted out of my hands after I unsuccessfully offered 10LE. I think it was probably worth the view and experience. And of course we had to remove our shoes and I had to cover my head (ended up using G's straw hat).
When we exited the mosque, we ran into a man we had met our second night in town, who we thought to be a hustler. He flagged us down and we ended up have him take us to a bathroom, which of course happened to be in a papyrus art shop. We had tea there, then escaped without a purchase, and he wasn't too pushy. He suggested we go to see the Sufi whirling dervishes dance for free nearby from 8-10pm. Sounded good to us.
Next stop: citadel. It's quite fantastic, and of course 50LE to enter. Basically a compound of museums and mosques upon a hilltop with a lot of history and a great view (including the pyramids in the distance!). After about two hours, we left, ate, napped, and woke around 7:30pm to head to the Sufi dance.
The cab dropped us off at one end of the bazaar and pointed to the left. We headed into that direction and ended up running into four fellow hostel guests (Americans studying in Greece). We invited them to join us, but after two hours of getting "directions" from people who obviously had no clue where they were sending us (noone says they don't know where something is), they ended up bailing. Not that we could blame them. The irony of it all was that after we had a police man lead us around and finally call the phone number on our not-so-hustler friend, we ended up almost exactly where the cab had left us-just in time to see the crowd leaving the dance hall. ARGH. It was slightly repaired by the our new friend offering us coffee and shisha, so we hung out while he showed us "Hidden Treasures" - the name of his shop. I eventually bought a nice scarf for 50LE, then we headed back.
Tomorrow...the DESERT! We'll be waking up early then taking a bus for 5 hours to the Western Desert, Bahariyya Oasis in particular for 3 days and 2 nights. Should be relaxing - and a nice contrast to the chaos that is Cairo. Sand dunes, here we come.
Day 10 - Back in Cairo (Nov 14)
We arrived in the morning, and realized that the floor of the train car we had slept on for part of the evening smelled of vomit. Great. So glad we were in a sleepsack. That may need a bit of laundering now, though....
The sleeping pills hadn't worn off, even after a good 7 plus hours of the 9 hour ride, so we ended up taking a nap for a few hours after having tea back at the Nubian hostel. When we awoke, we found Suzanna in the lobby, and she invited us to have tea and play dominoes at the street cafe downstairs with herself and David. Richard and Fiona had already taken off to Alexandria, and Suzanna and David were leaving the same night for Madrid. We had tea, shisah, pizza, soda, and juice over the course of a couple hours of domino playing, feeding cats with pizza crust, and buying tissue packets from little kids who were selling them for the standard 1LE each. Our half of the evening's cost was 80LE each, which seemed fair.
To top of the lazy recovery day, we checked email, uploaded some pics with a very slow internet and USB1 connection. G went to bed, and I'm about to do the same. Until then, enjoy some pictures of Cairo, Giza, and Sakkara here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/leslie.walsh/CairoGiza#
London pics are also there in a separate album.
The sleeping pills hadn't worn off, even after a good 7 plus hours of the 9 hour ride, so we ended up taking a nap for a few hours after having tea back at the Nubian hostel. When we awoke, we found Suzanna in the lobby, and she invited us to have tea and play dominoes at the street cafe downstairs with herself and David. Richard and Fiona had already taken off to Alexandria, and Suzanna and David were leaving the same night for Madrid. We had tea, shisah, pizza, soda, and juice over the course of a couple hours of domino playing, feeding cats with pizza crust, and buying tissue packets from little kids who were selling them for the standard 1LE each. Our half of the evening's cost was 80LE each, which seemed fair.
To top of the lazy recovery day, we checked email, uploaded some pics with a very slow internet and USB1 connection. G went to bed, and I'm about to do the same. Until then, enjoy some pictures of Cairo, Giza, and Sakkara here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/leslie.walsh/CairoGiza#
London pics are also there in a separate album.
Day 9 - Last day in Luxor (Nov 13)
We woke up relatively early (6:45am), packed, grabbed a breakfast box (mmm...bread and jam...again), and hopped on- guess what-a minibus!
We headed out to the West Bank to visit the Valley of the Queens and Valley of the Kings. They are desert valleys, nestled between sand mountains with hidden tomb entrances to try to deter grave robbers. You enter most by heading down a series of stairs, where you'll find either a corridor leading to a burial chamber, or possibly several preceding rooms. Some of them even disguised the burial chamber (typically at the back) by putting it in a side room, again to confuse robbers. Almost all have very, very well-intact paint on the walls. It's so amazing to think of how old these are and how well preserved they still are. I tried to imagine the people in here painting them, with the light of a mirrored disk to reflect sunlight in, or by sunflower seed oil, so that it wouldn't burn black and discolor the walls. Most of these were painted directly on plaster, or on plaster that had been made into a relief while it was still wet.
The depth of a King or Pharaoh's tomb indicates the duration of his (or in two instances, her - Nefertiti and one other) reign. The reason is that they begin digging the tomb when the Pharaoh comes into power, and continue until he dies. If he died suddenly, it's apparent by the hastily finished burial chamber, as they only have 70 days to complete a tomb during the mummification process.
In the Valley of the Queens, we saw Nefertari's tomb and one other (forgive me for not remembering right now). In the Valley of the Kings, we saw Rameses I, Rameses IX, and Thutmoses III. Thutmoses III's tomb had really unique hyroglyphs that were like stick figures, much smaller, and all painted on instead of carved in. No photography in any of the tombs, but I managed to get a couple, of course. King Tut's tomb is an additional 100LE to enter, so we didn't bother...besides, all the artifacts are in the Egyptian museum. Rameses II tomb was closed for restoration.
While there, we also saw some archaelogists overseeing the excavation of a site about 15x30ft. It had been excavated before, so they were just removing the top 5 meteres of sand and gravel before they start the delicate excavations. They're in search of Rameses VIII tomb, which is currently missing.
After the morning tour, we had about an hour or so to kill, so we grabbed a lunchbox at a nearby deli and soaked our feet in the rooftop hotel pool. And on to the second half of a day's worth of tours! (exhausting!)
We now visited the East Bank. First, Karnak temple complex. It was built over 2000 years (from about 2000 B.C. on). It was huge, and interesting to see what kings did to the structures of the preceding rulers (like building a wall around Nefertiti's obelisk). There's a 2km Avenue of the Sphinxes that leads to Luxor temple. That was our next destination, and we stayed there from sunset till about 8pm. I was bombarded by local schoolgirls, who were eager to practice their English and get pictures with me. We hung out mostly with Nick, and a bit with Glyn. Then G, Nick and I wandered around, grabbed dinner at the same falafel place as we had the night before, and went back to the hostel.
We had a couple beers in Nick's room to kill time before the night train. We got them from the same deli owner as the day before, where he had them stashed in the back, and it was "our secret" that we had gotten them there. We also stopped at a pharmacy and bought what should be prescription sleeping pills for the train ride. Nick is a pharmacy tech in Brighton, UK, and helped us pick out what was good and what was to be avoided. He couldn't believe the medicines you could get sans prescription there (or the prices...very low).
On the night train with our four Aussies, we tried our best to set up sleeping conditions in the less-than-comfortable-or-clean six-seat car. We played a card game that David and Suzanna taught us, had a beer, then took our pills and slept the whole ride.
We headed out to the West Bank to visit the Valley of the Queens and Valley of the Kings. They are desert valleys, nestled between sand mountains with hidden tomb entrances to try to deter grave robbers. You enter most by heading down a series of stairs, where you'll find either a corridor leading to a burial chamber, or possibly several preceding rooms. Some of them even disguised the burial chamber (typically at the back) by putting it in a side room, again to confuse robbers. Almost all have very, very well-intact paint on the walls. It's so amazing to think of how old these are and how well preserved they still are. I tried to imagine the people in here painting them, with the light of a mirrored disk to reflect sunlight in, or by sunflower seed oil, so that it wouldn't burn black and discolor the walls. Most of these were painted directly on plaster, or on plaster that had been made into a relief while it was still wet.
The depth of a King or Pharaoh's tomb indicates the duration of his (or in two instances, her - Nefertiti and one other) reign. The reason is that they begin digging the tomb when the Pharaoh comes into power, and continue until he dies. If he died suddenly, it's apparent by the hastily finished burial chamber, as they only have 70 days to complete a tomb during the mummification process.
In the Valley of the Queens, we saw Nefertari's tomb and one other (forgive me for not remembering right now). In the Valley of the Kings, we saw Rameses I, Rameses IX, and Thutmoses III. Thutmoses III's tomb had really unique hyroglyphs that were like stick figures, much smaller, and all painted on instead of carved in. No photography in any of the tombs, but I managed to get a couple, of course. King Tut's tomb is an additional 100LE to enter, so we didn't bother...besides, all the artifacts are in the Egyptian museum. Rameses II tomb was closed for restoration.
While there, we also saw some archaelogists overseeing the excavation of a site about 15x30ft. It had been excavated before, so they were just removing the top 5 meteres of sand and gravel before they start the delicate excavations. They're in search of Rameses VIII tomb, which is currently missing.
After the morning tour, we had about an hour or so to kill, so we grabbed a lunchbox at a nearby deli and soaked our feet in the rooftop hotel pool. And on to the second half of a day's worth of tours! (exhausting!)
We now visited the East Bank. First, Karnak temple complex. It was built over 2000 years (from about 2000 B.C. on). It was huge, and interesting to see what kings did to the structures of the preceding rulers (like building a wall around Nefertiti's obelisk). There's a 2km Avenue of the Sphinxes that leads to Luxor temple. That was our next destination, and we stayed there from sunset till about 8pm. I was bombarded by local schoolgirls, who were eager to practice their English and get pictures with me. We hung out mostly with Nick, and a bit with Glyn. Then G, Nick and I wandered around, grabbed dinner at the same falafel place as we had the night before, and went back to the hostel.
We had a couple beers in Nick's room to kill time before the night train. We got them from the same deli owner as the day before, where he had them stashed in the back, and it was "our secret" that we had gotten them there. We also stopped at a pharmacy and bought what should be prescription sleeping pills for the train ride. Nick is a pharmacy tech in Brighton, UK, and helped us pick out what was good and what was to be avoided. He couldn't believe the medicines you could get sans prescription there (or the prices...very low).
On the night train with our four Aussies, we tried our best to set up sleeping conditions in the less-than-comfortable-or-clean six-seat car. We played a card game that David and Suzanna taught us, had a beer, then took our pills and slept the whole ride.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Day 8 - Happy, busy birthday to me! (Nov 12)
We woke up to breakfast and tea again (this time eggs, pitas, and Laughing Cow cheese and jam), then packed our bags and into a minibus we went...again. We were carted to the Temple of Kom Ombo. Half of the symmetrical temple was dedicated to Horus (falcon-headed god), and half to the local crocodile god. We only had an hour to see it, and were scolded by the minibus driver for being late to return.
On the minibus again (see a pattern here?), and off to the Edfu to see the Temple of Horus. This was really remarkable, huge, and interesting. The majority of these temples suffered defacing in the form of chisels to the face and feet, sometimes the whole body. It's a shame, but thankfully there is plenty that has been left untouched. We latched onto a tour group for a bit and learned more about Horus and his mother, Isis, and the unification of Upper Egypt (south) and Lower Egypt (north) and the combination of their crowns. Most of this I learned in Survery of Art History 1, but it was nice to have a refresher. Again, we only had one hour, which wasn't nearly enough, but this time we made it back to the bus on time.
After a checkpoint and another half hour or so, we arrived in Luxor. Our hotel, the Royal House Hotel, is 3 stars, and the best place we've stayed in so far. They even have a pool on the roof! We took VERY MUCH NEEDED showers after two days on the felucca, then went in search of a few beers. Not easy to find, but I asked a local deli if they had any, and he hinted to me that they did, but to keep quiet, as there was another customer in the shop and it was a secret. When she had left, he got the beers from the back of the shop and double bagged them. He didn't charge us tourist prices either, which was nice. We took our beer and headed to the roof deck to chill out a bit. When we arrived, we ran into our friend, Nick, from the felucca. After a while the three of us headed out for dinner and a bit of a birthday celebration.
We ended up at a falafel place where again, we weren't overcharged (17LE for all three plus drinks!). From there, we wandered down to the Luxor temple and the big square in front of it. Boys were kicking around a soccer ball, and though there were people selling things, we didn't get hassled much because everyone thinks Guevara is Egyptian. This is a very nice advantage, trust me. We walked back into the market area after a while and had tea and shisha again for 15LE for the three (doing well!). When G asked what else I wanted to do for my birthday, I decided to be super touristy and get a horse and carriage ride. It was only 30LE for the three of us, and was totally worth it. Our guide's name was "Shaggy" like the singer...haha. A cross-eyed and sweet characted who took us all around and acted as a tour guide, letting us see parts of Luxor we surely wouldn't have had time to find on our own. While out, G bought a (I can't spell it for the life of me, so won't try now) long white garmet made of lightweight cotton that goes down to the ankles. Now he really fits in, and when someone was trying to coerce Nick into a store, he just turned around and put his hand out to say "no", and the guy apologized in Arabic. Too funny. We headed back, and here I am, typing away for 5LE an hour. Now, to bed, as we have an early start and a ton of sight-seeing to do tomorrow in Luxor before boarding the miserable night train back to Cairo (arriving Nov 14).
A great and memorable birthday, but I miss you all. Hugs and kisses!
On the minibus again (see a pattern here?), and off to the Edfu to see the Temple of Horus. This was really remarkable, huge, and interesting. The majority of these temples suffered defacing in the form of chisels to the face and feet, sometimes the whole body. It's a shame, but thankfully there is plenty that has been left untouched. We latched onto a tour group for a bit and learned more about Horus and his mother, Isis, and the unification of Upper Egypt (south) and Lower Egypt (north) and the combination of their crowns. Most of this I learned in Survery of Art History 1, but it was nice to have a refresher. Again, we only had one hour, which wasn't nearly enough, but this time we made it back to the bus on time.
After a checkpoint and another half hour or so, we arrived in Luxor. Our hotel, the Royal House Hotel, is 3 stars, and the best place we've stayed in so far. They even have a pool on the roof! We took VERY MUCH NEEDED showers after two days on the felucca, then went in search of a few beers. Not easy to find, but I asked a local deli if they had any, and he hinted to me that they did, but to keep quiet, as there was another customer in the shop and it was a secret. When she had left, he got the beers from the back of the shop and double bagged them. He didn't charge us tourist prices either, which was nice. We took our beer and headed to the roof deck to chill out a bit. When we arrived, we ran into our friend, Nick, from the felucca. After a while the three of us headed out for dinner and a bit of a birthday celebration.
We ended up at a falafel place where again, we weren't overcharged (17LE for all three plus drinks!). From there, we wandered down to the Luxor temple and the big square in front of it. Boys were kicking around a soccer ball, and though there were people selling things, we didn't get hassled much because everyone thinks Guevara is Egyptian. This is a very nice advantage, trust me. We walked back into the market area after a while and had tea and shisha again for 15LE for the three (doing well!). When G asked what else I wanted to do for my birthday, I decided to be super touristy and get a horse and carriage ride. It was only 30LE for the three of us, and was totally worth it. Our guide's name was "Shaggy" like the singer...haha. A cross-eyed and sweet characted who took us all around and acted as a tour guide, letting us see parts of Luxor we surely wouldn't have had time to find on our own. While out, G bought a (I can't spell it for the life of me, so won't try now) long white garmet made of lightweight cotton that goes down to the ankles. Now he really fits in, and when someone was trying to coerce Nick into a store, he just turned around and put his hand out to say "no", and the guy apologized in Arabic. Too funny. We headed back, and here I am, typing away for 5LE an hour. Now, to bed, as we have an early start and a ton of sight-seeing to do tomorrow in Luxor before boarding the miserable night train back to Cairo (arriving Nov 14).
A great and memorable birthday, but I miss you all. Hugs and kisses!
Day 7 - I've fallen for you, felucca! (Nov 11)
We woke up to tea and breakfast in the morning after having slept quite well on the boat. We set sail and lazily zigzagged back and forth down the Nile for most of the day.
We stopped in a small village called Agaba, where Ramadan is from. He took us to his family's house there, where we met his mother and grandmother. They served us hot hibiscus tea and we sat on a mat in the mostly unroofed living area. There were several baskets of hibiscus flowers, in need of having the petals peeled, so I asked if we could help. Soon everyone was in on the fun, and we sat around chatting and picking the petals. Eventually, his mother and grandmother joined us, and though there was a language barrier, it was clear to read their warmth and hospitality from their faces. After an hour or so and with dark pink fingertips, we headed back to the felucca again.
At one bathroom break (at a cow pasture...watch out for patties!), we met up with another felucca, and their very animated guide, Ayob (ee-yop). He invited us to another Nubian village called Dawar (?) for an extra 20LE, and we all thought it would be worth it. He took us to an amazing house there, that even with dirt and concrete floors and no roof in places, was like a mansion. Beautiful decorations and wall coverings made of dried fruits adorned every nook you could find. We saw the kitchen, and how they store and prepare foods like flour and cheese. Apparently, the building has become somewhat of a community center, and there are regular meetings and weddings held here. The sad news came when we learned the patriarch of the house had passed just 2 months earlier, followed by his wife one month after that.
From there, they took us to a tea and coffee shop, and we each got one for free, as included in the aforementioned fee. We were carted around with the guests on the other felucca as well (a couple Germans, a couple Americans Amy and Jason, and a couple of Vietnamese girls) by a rickety and small tuk tuk-type truck with two bench seats in the covered-but-doorless back end.
Back at the boat, dinner was waiting...camel! I tried a bit, and, well, I guess it was something like beef, but darker and a bit more flavorful. I tried it to say I tried it, but ate vegetables and rice for the main part. After dinner, we danced on the bow of the boat to what sounded like Reggae-style music, had some sweets and drinks, and at midnight, they sang happy birthday to me, followed by an Arabic happy birthday song from Ayob. It was a wonderful and memorable way to start my 26th year.
We stopped in a small village called Agaba, where Ramadan is from. He took us to his family's house there, where we met his mother and grandmother. They served us hot hibiscus tea and we sat on a mat in the mostly unroofed living area. There were several baskets of hibiscus flowers, in need of having the petals peeled, so I asked if we could help. Soon everyone was in on the fun, and we sat around chatting and picking the petals. Eventually, his mother and grandmother joined us, and though there was a language barrier, it was clear to read their warmth and hospitality from their faces. After an hour or so and with dark pink fingertips, we headed back to the felucca again.
At one bathroom break (at a cow pasture...watch out for patties!), we met up with another felucca, and their very animated guide, Ayob (ee-yop). He invited us to another Nubian village called Dawar (?) for an extra 20LE, and we all thought it would be worth it. He took us to an amazing house there, that even with dirt and concrete floors and no roof in places, was like a mansion. Beautiful decorations and wall coverings made of dried fruits adorned every nook you could find. We saw the kitchen, and how they store and prepare foods like flour and cheese. Apparently, the building has become somewhat of a community center, and there are regular meetings and weddings held here. The sad news came when we learned the patriarch of the house had passed just 2 months earlier, followed by his wife one month after that.
From there, they took us to a tea and coffee shop, and we each got one for free, as included in the aforementioned fee. We were carted around with the guests on the other felucca as well (a couple Germans, a couple Americans Amy and Jason, and a couple of Vietnamese girls) by a rickety and small tuk tuk-type truck with two bench seats in the covered-but-doorless back end.
Back at the boat, dinner was waiting...camel! I tried a bit, and, well, I guess it was something like beef, but darker and a bit more flavorful. I tried it to say I tried it, but ate vegetables and rice for the main part. After dinner, we danced on the bow of the boat to what sounded like Reggae-style music, had some sweets and drinks, and at midnight, they sang happy birthday to me, followed by an Arabic happy birthday song from Ayob. It was a wonderful and memorable way to start my 26th year.
Day 6 - More minibuses and temples (Nov 10)
Our wakeup call came in the form of a loud pounding at the door, courtesty of Ahmed, who hadn't gone to sleep at all. At 3:15, we boarded yet another minibus, and headed into the desert for a 4 hour ride to Abu Simbel. The bus traveled by convoy, and we had to go through a security check for the bus itself. Mirrors checked the underside of the bus, then they opened the back door and looked inside. Once approved, we were on our way.
The ride was uncomfortable, crowded, etc, but we tried to sleep anyway. At one point we were all VERY rudely awakened, by what we thought was our bus flying down the side of a rocky hill. As it turned out, it was a flat tire, and we pulled over on the side of the road in the middle of the desert, under a clear, starry sky. I got a great shot of G standing in the broken tire in front of the bus as they put on the new one. Surprisingly, they were quite efficient, and we were back on the road within 15 or 20 minutes.
We arrived at Abu Simbel around 7:30 am, and bought our tickets. For the most part, everything in Egypt is very cheap. That's with the exception of "tourist prices", baksheesh (sp? bribery/tips), and temple/tomb entry fees. Here they were 80LE each. We walked down a stone pathway, and all of a sudden, we turned the corner and were struck by the amazing sight that is the Ramses II temple and his wife Nefertari's temple. They are colossal and amazing to see. There are four giant Ramses sculptures at the entrance, and inside, a lot of the original paint has been preserved. The Nefertari temple also. I snuck some non-flash photos inside the Nefartari temple, but didn't want to risk having to delete my photos by being caught in Ramses II.
One of the most amazing things about these is that they were relocated here, mountain and all. Piece by piece, they were cut into squares and transported, again, to escape flood waters from the creation of Lake Nassar.
After our 2 hours was up, we started heading back to the bus. There are a million guys that want to sell you something, and of course at a site like this, they're offering items for inflated prices. I ended up buying a scarf for 20LE and a pen (apparently a hot commodity) for a scarf that was originally 120LE. Oh yes, don't haggle with this one-they never see me coming!
We boarded the bus and headed back to the hotel. We then had 10 minutes to buy water and snacks before boarding a felucca (sail boat). There were ten of us on the trip, including the four Aussies we rode the train in with (David and Susanna, Richard and Fiona), another Aussie named Rob, 2 Brits named Nick and Glynn, and our friend Jorge from the previous evening. Our captains, Mohammed (yes, another) and Ramadan took our bags and placed them in a storage space underneath a foam mattress-covered platform, where we would be hanging out and sleeping for the next two days.
Naturally in a Muslim country, one has a difficult time finding alcohol, but they offered, and we bought some beer and wine for the trip. Keep in mind there are no bathrooms on board- just a couple stops along empty beaches where you can dig a hole and bring some tissue. We set sail early evening downstream (North) on the Nile River.
They prepared all the meals on the boat; breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most were vegetarian, and included pita, cucumber salad, rice, vegetables in thin tomato sauce, etc. Mohammed was the cook, and quite a good one at that. We had a great time with our captains, and everyone on the boat really clicked. That evening, we played cards, told jokes, and finally slept while "docked" at a small empty beach.
The ride was uncomfortable, crowded, etc, but we tried to sleep anyway. At one point we were all VERY rudely awakened, by what we thought was our bus flying down the side of a rocky hill. As it turned out, it was a flat tire, and we pulled over on the side of the road in the middle of the desert, under a clear, starry sky. I got a great shot of G standing in the broken tire in front of the bus as they put on the new one. Surprisingly, they were quite efficient, and we were back on the road within 15 or 20 minutes.
We arrived at Abu Simbel around 7:30 am, and bought our tickets. For the most part, everything in Egypt is very cheap. That's with the exception of "tourist prices", baksheesh (sp? bribery/tips), and temple/tomb entry fees. Here they were 80LE each. We walked down a stone pathway, and all of a sudden, we turned the corner and were struck by the amazing sight that is the Ramses II temple and his wife Nefertari's temple. They are colossal and amazing to see. There are four giant Ramses sculptures at the entrance, and inside, a lot of the original paint has been preserved. The Nefertari temple also. I snuck some non-flash photos inside the Nefartari temple, but didn't want to risk having to delete my photos by being caught in Ramses II.
One of the most amazing things about these is that they were relocated here, mountain and all. Piece by piece, they were cut into squares and transported, again, to escape flood waters from the creation of Lake Nassar.
After our 2 hours was up, we started heading back to the bus. There are a million guys that want to sell you something, and of course at a site like this, they're offering items for inflated prices. I ended up buying a scarf for 20LE and a pen (apparently a hot commodity) for a scarf that was originally 120LE. Oh yes, don't haggle with this one-they never see me coming!
We boarded the bus and headed back to the hotel. We then had 10 minutes to buy water and snacks before boarding a felucca (sail boat). There were ten of us on the trip, including the four Aussies we rode the train in with (David and Susanna, Richard and Fiona), another Aussie named Rob, 2 Brits named Nick and Glynn, and our friend Jorge from the previous evening. Our captains, Mohammed (yes, another) and Ramadan took our bags and placed them in a storage space underneath a foam mattress-covered platform, where we would be hanging out and sleeping for the next two days.
Naturally in a Muslim country, one has a difficult time finding alcohol, but they offered, and we bought some beer and wine for the trip. Keep in mind there are no bathrooms on board- just a couple stops along empty beaches where you can dig a hole and bring some tissue. We set sail early evening downstream (North) on the Nile River.
They prepared all the meals on the boat; breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most were vegetarian, and included pita, cucumber salad, rice, vegetables in thin tomato sauce, etc. Mohammed was the cook, and quite a good one at that. We had a great time with our captains, and everyone on the boat really clicked. That evening, we played cards, told jokes, and finally slept while "docked" at a small empty beach.
Day 5 - ASWAN! (Nov 9)
After a grueling train trip with very little sleep, we were greeted by Mohammed (yet another) of the Nuba Nile Hotel. We dropped our bags, showered, did some laundry in the sink, and hopped on a minibus.
Somehow, we found ourselves on organized tours for the next couple days, but I suppose that's the most cost effective (and simplest) way to do it. We visited the new and old dams of Aswan, the amazing Philae temple (which had to be relocated to another island after the Nile flooded in creation of Lake Nassar), then headed back to the hotel.
After a very short 10 minute break, we walked down the the Nile River; about a 3 minute walk. We boarded a boat at sunset, and rode on the roof upstream (south) to the Nubian village on the West Bank. The Nubians have their own culture, food, music, and even language, which is only spoken, and not written. We arrived in a small village of all white stucco houses with blue doors and either no roof or a thatched one. The place we visited was a family's home that they had opened up to tourists a couple times a month (it rotates between families) for a bit of extra income. Their house was really beautiful, with sand floors in the common areas, simple furniture, and hand made decorations. They keep a crocodile for luck in the house (a big, scary one in a cage), and also smaller ones that I held and had sit on my shoulder (not scary at all, actually quite cute).
To start, they served hibiscus tea, which is either served hot or cold with sugar. For dinner, we ate crocodile soup (which at this point I felt a bit guilty about), and it was very good. A bit like chicken rice, but with a slight sea taste to it. The rest of dinner was mainly vegetarian (potatoes in thin tomato sauce, barley, minced cucumber tomato salad, and pita), but then they threw a chicken leg on top. All very good. After dinner, I had a henna tattoo painted on my hand in a traditional wedding style (for lack of imagination on my part, and suggested by our guide, Ahmed). Before we left, we bought a few handmade trinkets, and boarded the boat again to head back into town.
Ahmed took us to have tea (black with fresh mint leaves) and smoke shisha (hookah). We played dominoes, and I was doing very well until I played him. I lost 103 to 32, and as punishment, had to run full speed to the end of the street and back. I felt like a fool, but had a fun time anyway. Around midnight we headed back to the hostel with our new Colombian friend, Jorge, and crashed. Wake up call the next "morning" was at 2:30 am! ahhh....sleep isn't happening for us at this point.
Somehow, we found ourselves on organized tours for the next couple days, but I suppose that's the most cost effective (and simplest) way to do it. We visited the new and old dams of Aswan, the amazing Philae temple (which had to be relocated to another island after the Nile flooded in creation of Lake Nassar), then headed back to the hotel.
After a very short 10 minute break, we walked down the the Nile River; about a 3 minute walk. We boarded a boat at sunset, and rode on the roof upstream (south) to the Nubian village on the West Bank. The Nubians have their own culture, food, music, and even language, which is only spoken, and not written. We arrived in a small village of all white stucco houses with blue doors and either no roof or a thatched one. The place we visited was a family's home that they had opened up to tourists a couple times a month (it rotates between families) for a bit of extra income. Their house was really beautiful, with sand floors in the common areas, simple furniture, and hand made decorations. They keep a crocodile for luck in the house (a big, scary one in a cage), and also smaller ones that I held and had sit on my shoulder (not scary at all, actually quite cute).
To start, they served hibiscus tea, which is either served hot or cold with sugar. For dinner, we ate crocodile soup (which at this point I felt a bit guilty about), and it was very good. A bit like chicken rice, but with a slight sea taste to it. The rest of dinner was mainly vegetarian (potatoes in thin tomato sauce, barley, minced cucumber tomato salad, and pita), but then they threw a chicken leg on top. All very good. After dinner, I had a henna tattoo painted on my hand in a traditional wedding style (for lack of imagination on my part, and suggested by our guide, Ahmed). Before we left, we bought a few handmade trinkets, and boarded the boat again to head back into town.
Ahmed took us to have tea (black with fresh mint leaves) and smoke shisha (hookah). We played dominoes, and I was doing very well until I played him. I lost 103 to 32, and as punishment, had to run full speed to the end of the street and back. I felt like a fool, but had a fun time anyway. Around midnight we headed back to the hostel with our new Colombian friend, Jorge, and crashed. Wake up call the next "morning" was at 2:30 am! ahhh....sleep isn't happening for us at this point.
Day 4 - Camels and deserts and pyramids...oh my! (Nov 8)
G, Lauren, and I had a hired car take us to a camel stable in Giza, and from there, we rode into the desert to see the great pyramids! The ride cost us 220LE total, and the camel ride for 2.5 hours was 300LE each (student price). It was so much fun, and we got some great pics. Mine was named Mickey Mouse, but it seems that every camel/horse/donkey is named that or Michael Jackson for American tourists...
Our guide was a lot of fun, leading us by horse, and doing tricks like standing up on it. He took a million goofy pictures of us acting like we were holding, sitting on, and high kicking over the pyramids. We got to touch and climb on one of the smaller pyramids, and also saw the Sphinx from a short distance. The scenery was beautiful, save the hoards of tourists and the buses that brought them there (and the bit of litter in the desert...).
After Giza, he drove us to Sakkara to see the Imhotep Museum and the oldest pyramid in Egypt. Here's more info from Wikipedia because I'm being lazy...
"While Memphis was the capital of Ancient Egypt, Saqqara served as its necropolis. Although it was eclipsed as the burial ground of royalty by Giza and later by the Valley of the Kings in Thebes, it remained an important complex for minor burials and cult ceremonies for more than 3,000 years, well into Ptolemaic and Roman times. The step pyramid at Saqqara was designed by Imhotep for King Djoser (c.2667-2648 BC). It is the oldest complete hewn-stone building complex known in history. It is also the location of the newly opened (in 2006) Imhotep Museum.It is also where the tomb of King Menes, the first pharaoh of Egypt lies."
We then tried to go to Memphis, but it was 4:01 and the museum closed at 4. Bummer, but maybe when we go back to Cairo we can try to see it again.
Our driver was very sweet, stopping to buy us sodas and ho-hos along the way. We ended up tipping him 90LE altogether because he spent a few extra hours with us as well. He seemed pleased, as were we. He took us back to the hostel to chill out for an hour or so before packing up.
That night, we boarded an overnight train with four Aussies and headed to Aswan. "First class" isn't what you think...unless you're thinking in Egyptian terms. It was a 6-seat cabin with six people in it, and not all that clean. Regardless, we made it 12 hours later, and that brings me to the next post.
Our guide was a lot of fun, leading us by horse, and doing tricks like standing up on it. He took a million goofy pictures of us acting like we were holding, sitting on, and high kicking over the pyramids. We got to touch and climb on one of the smaller pyramids, and also saw the Sphinx from a short distance. The scenery was beautiful, save the hoards of tourists and the buses that brought them there (and the bit of litter in the desert...).
After Giza, he drove us to Sakkara to see the Imhotep Museum and the oldest pyramid in Egypt. Here's more info from Wikipedia because I'm being lazy...
"While Memphis was the capital of Ancient Egypt, Saqqara served as its necropolis. Although it was eclipsed as the burial ground of royalty by Giza and later by the Valley of the Kings in Thebes, it remained an important complex for minor burials and cult ceremonies for more than 3,000 years, well into Ptolemaic and Roman times. The step pyramid at Saqqara was designed by Imhotep for King Djoser (c.2667-2648 BC). It is the oldest complete hewn-stone building complex known in history. It is also the location of the newly opened (in 2006) Imhotep Museum.It is also where the tomb of King Menes, the first pharaoh of Egypt lies."
We then tried to go to Memphis, but it was 4:01 and the museum closed at 4. Bummer, but maybe when we go back to Cairo we can try to see it again.
Our driver was very sweet, stopping to buy us sodas and ho-hos along the way. We ended up tipping him 90LE altogether because he spent a few extra hours with us as well. He seemed pleased, as were we. He took us back to the hostel to chill out for an hour or so before packing up.
That night, we boarded an overnight train with four Aussies and headed to Aswan. "First class" isn't what you think...unless you're thinking in Egyptian terms. It was a 6-seat cabin with six people in it, and not all that clean. Regardless, we made it 12 hours later, and that brings me to the next post.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Day 3 - Cairo (museum, Nile, bazaar - Nov 7)
In the morning, we changed hostels, and are now staying at the Nubian. While in the lounge, I met a girl named Lauren, who was travelling for work then made a stop in Cairo by herself. G and I already planned on going to the Egyptian museum, and she planned to go too, so she joined us. A short walk from our hostel and 60LE later, we were in (and fyi, with student ID, all museums seem to be half price...too bad for me and G).
The museum is huge. And old. And unkepmt. And unlabeled. However, it's still fantastic. Over 100,000 exhibits, and no time to see everything, but we did our best. The highlight of the museum is definitely King Tutankhamen's room. His funerary mask, two sarcophagi, jewelry, and four canopic mini sarcophagi (where they stored the internal organs) were all in one room. When approaching the mask, I felt like I was approaching a casket for some reason...anxiety and respect? I got caught taking a picture (no photos in the museum), and the guard asked to look through my pictures to see how many I had taken. There was no fooling him, going through the opposite direction. He was going to make me delete them, and asked if I wanted handcuffs via some sort of sign language. I begged him not to make me delete them, and upon giving my reasoning (having studied art and Egyptian culture in school, I wanted to remember the actual experience of the museum itself-not something that was in a book), he replied "that's sweet. Ok, no more." YES!
We finished up looking at artifact after artifact. All amazing, but overshadowed by the "most amazing" pieces. And the oddest part to us, besides lack of labels and dust-coverings, was that there were no ropes or cases for so many sculptures-and it seemed to be ok for the children and adults alike that we saw climbing all over the laps of once mighty rulers for a photo-op.
A quick lunch break at the museum coffee shop cost us 80LE (insanely high for here, esp considering that included 3 sodas, two yogurt salads, and one chicken shawarma). Then we went back in for the mummy room (an additional 100LE). It was small, but pretty cool. I snuck some photos of that, too!
After the museum, we walked down to the Nile, which was quite lively at night. Lights, music, touristy cruise boats, and people hanging on the sidewalk overlooking the river all provided a lively atmosphere. We had a guy follow us for a while for money, but he eventually gave up.
Oh, and I haven't mentioned...EVERYONE here thinks G is Egyptian. They all speak Arabic to him, ask him in Arabic if he's Egyptian, etc. He thought it was cool at first, but now is a bit annoyed..hah.
From the Nile we caught a cab to the bazaar, open 24 hours and completely nuts. But first, we kind of got hustled by a guy, but I did end up buying two really nice gifts (just at double what they should have been, I found out later from our hostel guy...and that was after serious bargaining. oh well.). We eventually ditched him and walked through the bazaar's main part. It encompasses many streets in the area, including every side street off of them. Everyone's selling something, but surprisingly, it's fairly organized (lighting district, clothing, ceramics, wedding, electronics, etc.). Everyone is trying to walk by, we're trying not to buy anything, and in the middle of all of it, a small truck completely loaded at twice it's height is driving through all the people. I bought four pitas from a boy carrying a wooden rack on his head for 1LE (about 20 cents). We walked and walked until we ended up in an area selling bathroom furnishings-an area of unpaved roads that smelled of urine. Eventually we got a cab to the Egyptian museum area (Tahrir Sq), and managed to still have a hard time finding the hostel, but we did make it. Off the feet, on the computer, then off to bed.
The museum is huge. And old. And unkepmt. And unlabeled. However, it's still fantastic. Over 100,000 exhibits, and no time to see everything, but we did our best. The highlight of the museum is definitely King Tutankhamen's room. His funerary mask, two sarcophagi, jewelry, and four canopic mini sarcophagi (where they stored the internal organs) were all in one room. When approaching the mask, I felt like I was approaching a casket for some reason...anxiety and respect? I got caught taking a picture (no photos in the museum), and the guard asked to look through my pictures to see how many I had taken. There was no fooling him, going through the opposite direction. He was going to make me delete them, and asked if I wanted handcuffs via some sort of sign language. I begged him not to make me delete them, and upon giving my reasoning (having studied art and Egyptian culture in school, I wanted to remember the actual experience of the museum itself-not something that was in a book), he replied "that's sweet. Ok, no more." YES!
We finished up looking at artifact after artifact. All amazing, but overshadowed by the "most amazing" pieces. And the oddest part to us, besides lack of labels and dust-coverings, was that there were no ropes or cases for so many sculptures-and it seemed to be ok for the children and adults alike that we saw climbing all over the laps of once mighty rulers for a photo-op.
A quick lunch break at the museum coffee shop cost us 80LE (insanely high for here, esp considering that included 3 sodas, two yogurt salads, and one chicken shawarma). Then we went back in for the mummy room (an additional 100LE). It was small, but pretty cool. I snuck some photos of that, too!
After the museum, we walked down to the Nile, which was quite lively at night. Lights, music, touristy cruise boats, and people hanging on the sidewalk overlooking the river all provided a lively atmosphere. We had a guy follow us for a while for money, but he eventually gave up.
Oh, and I haven't mentioned...EVERYONE here thinks G is Egyptian. They all speak Arabic to him, ask him in Arabic if he's Egyptian, etc. He thought it was cool at first, but now is a bit annoyed..hah.
From the Nile we caught a cab to the bazaar, open 24 hours and completely nuts. But first, we kind of got hustled by a guy, but I did end up buying two really nice gifts (just at double what they should have been, I found out later from our hostel guy...and that was after serious bargaining. oh well.). We eventually ditched him and walked through the bazaar's main part. It encompasses many streets in the area, including every side street off of them. Everyone's selling something, but surprisingly, it's fairly organized (lighting district, clothing, ceramics, wedding, electronics, etc.). Everyone is trying to walk by, we're trying not to buy anything, and in the middle of all of it, a small truck completely loaded at twice it's height is driving through all the people. I bought four pitas from a boy carrying a wooden rack on his head for 1LE (about 20 cents). We walked and walked until we ended up in an area selling bathroom furnishings-an area of unpaved roads that smelled of urine. Eventually we got a cab to the Egyptian museum area (Tahrir Sq), and managed to still have a hard time finding the hostel, but we did make it. Off the feet, on the computer, then off to bed.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Day 3 - Cairo, Cairo, Cairo! (Nov 6)
We made it! We arrived a bit late, just after midnight. Grabbed our luggage, then to find a cab...everyone wants to drive you. We did our homework beforehand, and learned we should pay about 30 Egyptian pounds to get to downtown, but the driver we found wanted 70. We got him down to 40, which at that time of the evening was fine.
The guy in the passenger seat, Mimoo, was very nice and became our "friend" instantly. He took us to our hostel, but first wanted us to see his new hostel, where he is 25% owner. The place is brand new (2 months old), and the place we had booked is 10 years old. We had already paid for our place, and his was booked that night anyway, but man, what a difference. We booked Dahab hostel ($6 each per night for a private ensuite), which is on the 6th floor/roof. It has a nice garden roof with many cats and kittens running around, but the room left a bit to be desired. One sheet on an old mattress and now towels, but luckily we brought our own. We were also right by a construction site, and they were hard at work till Allah knows what hour.
This morning, we moved to Mimoo's hostel, the Nubian. MUCH nicer, and cheaper! (and only $5 per night each because we're his "friends"!) $10 = about 55 Egyptian pounds, fyi). I am writing from the lounge at the Nubian, with colorful wall coverings, tea, and cute round floor cushions. The room is much nicer and cleaner, too. We made a friend named Lauren from DC, and now we're all off to the Egyptian museum together.
Until next post...
The guy in the passenger seat, Mimoo, was very nice and became our "friend" instantly. He took us to our hostel, but first wanted us to see his new hostel, where he is 25% owner. The place is brand new (2 months old), and the place we had booked is 10 years old. We had already paid for our place, and his was booked that night anyway, but man, what a difference. We booked Dahab hostel ($6 each per night for a private ensuite), which is on the 6th floor/roof. It has a nice garden roof with many cats and kittens running around, but the room left a bit to be desired. One sheet on an old mattress and now towels, but luckily we brought our own. We were also right by a construction site, and they were hard at work till Allah knows what hour.
This morning, we moved to Mimoo's hostel, the Nubian. MUCH nicer, and cheaper! (and only $5 per night each because we're his "friends"!) $10 = about 55 Egyptian pounds, fyi). I am writing from the lounge at the Nubian, with colorful wall coverings, tea, and cute round floor cushions. The room is much nicer and cleaner, too. We made a friend named Lauren from DC, and now we're all off to the Egyptian museum together.
Until next post...
Day 2 - Lovely day, London day (Nov 6)
We had an 8 hour layover in London, so we ventured into the city via the Underground with a day pass (14.50L for 2). We gave ourselves a whirlwind tour (actually G gave the tour, having been a few times before), and saw pretty much every major tourist site! Tower Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, Tate Modern museum, Big Ben, Buckingham palace, Westminster abbey, Green park, Hyde park, etc etc. What a nice surprise! 114 pictures to prove it.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Itinerary (in progress)
Flying out of New York- Nov 5
Arriving in Cairo- Nov 6
Flying out of Cairo- Jan 25
Arriving in New York- Jan 25
Africa Trip:
Egypt (Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Aswan, Luxor?)
Ethiopia (Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Asbe Teferi, Harar. historic route: Gonder, Axum, Lallibala)
Fly into Addis Ababa
1 hr flight (7-8 hr bus) to Dire Dawa (Eastern side)
2 hr bus or hired car to Asbe Teferi
while there, also go to Harar
http://www.festethiopia.com/TourPackageItinerary.aspx?TourPackageID=FE0100
http://www.seeyouinethiopia.com
Kenya (Mombasa, Masai Mara National Reserve, Gede Ruins, )
Tanzania (Ngorongo crater, Serengeti, Zanzibar, Pemba Island, Mafia Island, Dar es Salaam)
Travel to and from Zanzibar http://www.predators-safaris.com/howto.shtml
Mozambique?
Mauritius? (boats to Madagascar)
Madagascar (Tsingy de Bemaraha Nature Reserve, Rainforests of the Atsinanana,
Helpful site:
http://www.travellerspoint.com
http://tripplanner.airtreks.com
http://www.travel.com
Arriving in Cairo- Nov 6
Flying out of Cairo- Jan 25
Arriving in New York- Jan 25
Africa Trip:
Egypt (Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Aswan, Luxor?)
Ethiopia (Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Asbe Teferi, Harar. historic route: Gonder, Axum, Lallibala)
Fly into Addis Ababa
1 hr flight (7-8 hr bus) to Dire Dawa (Eastern side)
2 hr bus or hired car to Asbe Teferi
while there, also go to Harar
http://www.festethiopia.com/TourPackageItinerary.aspx?TourPackageID=FE0100
http://www.seeyouinethiopia.com
Kenya (Mombasa, Masai Mara National Reserve, Gede Ruins, )
Tanzania (Ngorongo crater, Serengeti, Zanzibar, Pemba Island, Mafia Island, Dar es Salaam)
Travel to and from Zanzibar http://www.predators-safaris.com/howto.shtml
Mozambique?
Mauritius? (boats to Madagascar)
Madagascar (Tsingy de Bemaraha Nature Reserve, Rainforests of the Atsinanana,
Helpful site:
http://www.travellerspoint.com
http://tripplanner.airtreks.com
http://www.travel.com
Trip preparations
Pre-departure "to do" list:
Book hostel in Cairo (so cheap!)
Plan out specific cities to visit in each country-still developing
Done:
Flight Itinerary to and from Cairo
Immunizations (Hep A and B, Typhoid, Tetanus, MMR, Polio)
Buy Backpack
make copies of passport, credit card, etc
go shopping for trip
buy hiking shoes (New Balance)
VISA to Egypt
Travel insurance (thanks dad!)
Book hostel in Cairo (so cheap!)
Plan out specific cities to visit in each country-still developing
Done:
Flight Itinerary to and from Cairo
Immunizations (Hep A and B, Typhoid, Tetanus, MMR, Polio)
Buy Backpack
make copies of passport, credit card, etc
go shopping for trip
buy hiking shoes (New Balance)
VISA to Egypt
Travel insurance (thanks dad!)
Packing for the trip....
Almost all packed!
Big backpack
Small daypack/sack, worn on front
Clothes: (give or take)
1 jeans
1 khakis
1 zip up hooded sweatshirt (thin)
3 t-shirts (not too tight)
2 tank tops
1 linen shirt
l long skirt
1 pj pant (that could be worn as bummy pants)
1 pair shorts
1 medium weight jacket/rain jacket
1 light sweater- acrylic is good so you can dry it easily.
1 bathing suit
7 underwear
3 bras
4-5 socks
1 hiking shoe
1 flip flop or similar
1 sarong
Accessories:
2 silk scarves
1 belt
1 headband
3 hair clips
lots of hair ties
sunhat?
Toiletries:
dry shampoo
regular shampoo/cond
soap, puff
cotton balls, qtips
razor
rubbing alcohol
baby wipes
deodorant
lotion
sunscreen
tweezers
little scissors
nail clippers
mascara
chapstick
Face Cloth
Thin Towel (so it will dry quickly)
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Dental floss
Brush or comb
kleenex pack (small)
nu-skin blister prevention
Random:
swiss army knife/leatherman
sewing kit
small and 1 regular padlocks
hand sanitizer
shout wipes
small detergent (packs)
painting/drawing supplies
notebook/journal
sleepsack, pillowcase
money belt(s)
inflatable neck pillow
guidebook (tear out unnessary sections)
book for reading
ipod?
sunglasses
cutlery set, collapsable cup, bowl
small alarm clock (battery operated)
bug spray
camera
water bottle
Medicine cabinet:
First Aid kit
Advil
Anti-diarhea medicine
Anti-Malaria medicine (Malarone)
Important:
passport
driver's license
credit card
debit card
cash
copy of important info
flight itinerary
traveller's cheques
Notes from my Europe trip about packing: (That I'll be re-using)
Pack in vacuum seal bags that you roll up to get the air out of them. They save a lot of space, and also protect and organize your clothes. I have 2 big ones, one for tops, one for bottoms, then one small one for underwear, socks, etc.
Ziploc bags are also awesome! I packed stuff in them, and also brought a bunch of medium and large freezer bags folded up and rubber-banded for later in the trip. A very good thing to have.
I used a cosmetic case for my toiletries. One had shampoo, conditioner, soap (in case), razor, small puff. (all shower stuff).
Another had lotion, deodorant, mascara, tweezers, etc. I also had aziploc bag first aid kit, with a little bit of everything, minus boxes, and such.
Info used when planning my Europe trip:
http://euroexp.blogspot.com/2005_08_28_euroexp_archive.html (my own site)
http://members.shaw.ca/guideforeurope/packinglist.html (packing)
Big backpack
Small daypack/sack, worn on front
Clothes: (give or take)
1 jeans
1 khakis
1 zip up hooded sweatshirt (thin)
3 t-shirts (not too tight)
2 tank tops
1 linen shirt
l long skirt
1 pj pant (that could be worn as bummy pants)
1 pair shorts
1 medium weight jacket/rain jacket
1 light sweater- acrylic is good so you can dry it easily.
1 bathing suit
7 underwear
3 bras
4-5 socks
1 hiking shoe
1 flip flop or similar
1 sarong
Accessories:
2 silk scarves
1 belt
1 headband
3 hair clips
lots of hair ties
sunhat?
Toiletries:
dry shampoo
regular shampoo/cond
soap, puff
cotton balls, qtips
razor
rubbing alcohol
baby wipes
deodorant
lotion
sunscreen
tweezers
little scissors
nail clippers
mascara
chapstick
Face Cloth
Thin Towel (so it will dry quickly)
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Dental floss
Brush or comb
kleenex pack (small)
nu-skin blister prevention
Random:
swiss army knife/leatherman
sewing kit
small and 1 regular padlocks
hand sanitizer
shout wipes
small detergent (packs)
painting/drawing supplies
notebook/journal
sleepsack, pillowcase
money belt(s)
inflatable neck pillow
guidebook (tear out unnessary sections)
book for reading
ipod?
sunglasses
cutlery set, collapsable cup, bowl
small alarm clock (battery operated)
bug spray
camera
water bottle
Medicine cabinet:
First Aid kit
Advil
Anti-diarhea medicine
Anti-Malaria medicine (Malarone)
Important:
passport
driver's license
credit card
debit card
cash
copy of important info
flight itinerary
traveller's cheques
Notes from my Europe trip about packing: (That I'll be re-using)
Pack in vacuum seal bags that you roll up to get the air out of them. They save a lot of space, and also protect and organize your clothes. I have 2 big ones, one for tops, one for bottoms, then one small one for underwear, socks, etc.
Ziploc bags are also awesome! I packed stuff in them, and also brought a bunch of medium and large freezer bags folded up and rubber-banded for later in the trip. A very good thing to have.
I used a cosmetic case for my toiletries. One had shampoo, conditioner, soap (in case), razor, small puff. (all shower stuff).
Another had lotion, deodorant, mascara, tweezers, etc. I also had aziploc bag first aid kit, with a little bit of everything, minus boxes, and such.
Info used when planning my Europe trip:
http://euroexp.blogspot.com/2005_08_28_euroexp_archive.html (my own site)
http://members.shaw.ca/guideforeurope/packinglist.html (packing)
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