Egypt Complete

Hey duders!

Time for my summary on Egypt!

Let's start off at the Bangkok airport and actually getting into Egypt. On February 25th I flew from Bangkok, Thailand into Istanbul, Turkey. I had to fly standby into Turkey because my ticket was dated for a month later. All in all it took me about 26 hours to finally get into Istanbul only to have to wait another 6 hours to get a flight down into Cairo. Do the math and that is over 34 hours of solid travel without bed-sleep. I actually enjoyed this time. It gave me a chance to reflect on my time in Asia and how far ive come. I had an especially good book to read as well!

When I imagined Egypt, I always thought of the pharonic gods, monuments, camels, perfumes, and carpet. Egypt gives you these things but in an afterthought. I arrived in Cairo with a good positive outlook on my 1 month stint. Wow was I in for a shock.

Cairo is dirty. Cairo takes second place behind Mexico City for being the most polluted city in the world. Not only does the air knock you over but the noise does as well. You are assaulted by the sounds of honking horns, street bazaars, and the bustle of city life. When I stepped out of the airport I was thrown into the chaos. People attack you like you’re a bank machine. Egyptians will lie, steal, cheat, or befriend you all with the goal to take as much money from you as possible. If you ask for directions and they point left, go right. No joke. Egypt is renowned for its terrible treatment of tourists. Scams abound left and right. Getting into a taxi without a 10 min fight over price? Forget about!

Just getting to the hostel in central Cairo was a massive chore. Imagine buses with no windows, holes in the floor and a very inhospitable bus driver that wants you to pay 10x the price of locals. Buses do no stop. When you get onto a bus you run and jump. After a 2 hour tour of downtown I finally found my hostel. Although the hostel was clean and seemed busy there is always the hassle of what you are actually paying. "How much is a room?" gets you the response, "Don’t worry friend, no problem!" In other words, fight for your right to know what you should pay. Thank God for Lonely Planet travel guides.

What is there to do in Cairo? Ever heard of the Pyramids? The famous Giza Pyramids are in the busy city district of Giza. But before we go there we need to head to the museum in central Cairo to check out all the cool stuff. This museum really is just a giant warehouse. No apparent order has been made. Signs are in disarray and you don’t actually learn anything. But it was great! Dusty, musty and old you feel like you're in old Egypt. Mummies, sarcophagi, and all sorts of giant stone monuments litter the crannies of this museum. Plus you can pay quite a fee to see 8-10 mummies. Most of them are Pharaohs and there Queens. People like, Amenhotep I, Tuthmosis IV and II, Seti I, Ramses II and V, and more! Of course nothing beats the treasures of Tutankhamun and the famous death mask! The animal mummies were quite a treat as well.

So now its time to see the last standing wonder of the ancient times, the Pyramids of Giza. When you visit the pyramids it is recommended you see the oldest pyramids first then work your way up to the newest and tallest at Giza. So we start our day by driving out to Dahshur. There were originally 11 pyramids at Dahshur but only 2 remain intact. These pyramids are over 4000 years old and are the oldest monument in the world. Check out the pictures in previous posts to check out how great they are. There was literally nobody at the sights because most people do them either really early in the day or simply skip them in favor of Giza. I got to climb inside the pyramid down deep into the hot centre and stand around by myself. It was quite an experience and ive got some photos to show how narrow and small it is inside. After Dahshur I headed to the open-air museum of Memphis then on to Saqqara and the step pyramid. Again Saqqara has many pyramids and was an active burial ground for over 3500 years. Amazing! Here is the link to the photos of this day: http://danaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2007/03/africa-egypt.html

After taking the rest of the day off I started early the next morning for Giza. When you are in the bus to Giza you stare off into the distance at Cairo and wonder how anyone is alive in this city. Its chaos. You're tired of the noise, smells and hassles. Suddenly you look up from your daze and seem what looks so alien and foreign you cannot believe it. Standing massive over the busy district of Giza, The wondrous Pyramids of Giza! I can't tell you how amazing they are. They hype is very real. You get a sharp jolt in you stomach and your heart races when you first see them. You cannot imagine how incredible it is to see something like that sticking right out of a dirty, smelly city district. I got off the bus and started to head up the slopes to the entrance. Of course people are yelling and literally screaming at you from 50 feet away telling you the entrance is this way! You of course go the opposite way because they are liars and that way (the direction they are pointing) is infact the wrong way.

When you enter the compound you can't really enjoy them because the camel ride touts just follow you around and bother you. I had one follow me for about 15 min constantly nattering, "Camel? You know how much? Cheap price my friend, Camel?" So I needed to get away from the people and walked about 15 min into the desert. What peace! From a short distance into the desert you only get harassed every 10 min instead of 15 seconds. It's great! You can get a nice view of all 3 of the pyramids in relative peace. Getting pictures from different angles is great as well. After about 3 hours of wandering around the massive complex I headed towards the Sphinx. The Sphinx is really cool and it’s a shame the pollution is going to cause it to collapse soon. It's quite cool to look into the face of the Sphinx with the great pyramids behind it. Just like a postcard!

Funny thing that most people don’t realize is that you're literally right in a district of Cairo. You turn around and there are apartments and merchants. You can even stop for some pizza at the Pizza Hut or KFC. Here is the link to the photos of this day:
http://danaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2007/03/giza-pyramids.html

The following day was spending wandering around Islamic Cairo and absorbing Egyptian life. As you can imagine there are some wonderful mosques and buildings in and around Cairo. Here is the link to the photos of this day: http://danaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2007/03/islamic-cairo.html

After four day in Cairo you need to get away. I headed straight north for the Mediterranean and the west 9 hours into the desert. Now this is real Egypt! Nothing but sand, donkeys, and the mirage of the oasis waters. Siwa is quite the place to just relax and enjoy the sunsets. If you can imagine dirt streets and a place both Alexander and Napoleon visits you get some idea how romantic it is here. Gorgeous donkeys wander the streets with taxi cabs taking the form of donkey pulled carts. It's great! Some historic sights are here like the Fortress of Shali and the Oracle (For those that have read The Alchemist).
http://danaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2007/03/siwa-oasis-egypt.html

Time for the desert! The western desert (part of the Sahara) is amazing! We headed out of a 2 day trek through nothing but the yellow/white sands of western Egypt. Cruising through the desert in a 4x4 at 80km/h is a blast! You can grab the wheel and spin yourself around almost floating through the deep sand. We stopped and random sights like an old reef with fossils from where there was previously an ocean. How cool! I also tried sand boarding and was surprised at how easy it was. After a nice Bedouin dinner, lunar eclipse, and fire lit tea we headed back to the Oasis.
http://danaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2007/03/western-desert-libya-border.html

After 3 days in the Oasis it was time to check out the famous Alexandria. The name comes from Alexander the Great who was deemed the new Pharaoh of Egypt sometime in 300 B.C. There is nothing really to do in Alexandria other than a couple Museums, the library and walking the cornice soaking up the salty air of the med. What a treat!
http://danaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2007/03/alexandria-egypt.html

From Alexandria I headed south into Upper Egypt. A two hour bus ride and a 10 hour sleeper train bring you to Aswan. This was my first sleeper train and it was really great! I think it's by far my favorite form of travel. Aswan is set along the rivers of the Nile and is quite beautiful. Unfortunately the touts here are too aggressive to ever be allowed to just walk around and enjoy the views. Constantly being chased through the streets like a dog is something you never get used to. Here in Aswan they have elevated this harassment to blocking your path, grabbing your arm and causing a scene by screaming, "Hello!" 8 or 9 times when you don’t answer. Your shield is up and you resume your war on the locals. Every transaction is an effort on patience. You give the vendor a 20, he argues that you gave him a 10, that sort of thing. It's just tiring as heck.

Aswan is a gateway to the southern attraction of Abu Simbel. Here is a quick explanation how to get to Abu Simbel. From Aswan wake up at 3am. Jump in a bus and wait for about an hour until the entire tourist population of Aswan joins you. Travel 3 hours south in a police convey covering 3 or 4 gun toting check stops. Make sure Sudan doesnt attack. (20 kms from Sudan) Make sure you've paid Egypt not to bomb stuff, Israel for example. Disembark and stare in awe at the Ramses II temple. Rewind. Check out the photos of Abu Simbel here: http://danaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2007/03/abu-simel.html

After 3 days in Aswan and Abu Simbel I headed back north into Luxor. Luxor is the hassle capital of Egypt and I was very close to physical confrontations with many of its locals. Luxor really does have some of the most beautiful temples and it’s a real shame to miss out on it if you do come to Egypt, but almost not worth the mental torture that are the locals. Ive seen tourists in tears because they cannot handle the rigors that the locals will go through to get your money. It’s the dishonesty that really gets to you. You cannot ask anyone anything because 99% of the time they will lie to you for no apparent reason. It's very disheartening and the government identifies the problem but doesn’t nothing about it. Photos: http://danaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2007/03/temples-of-luxor.html


Two hours north of Luxor are two noteworthy temples that are probably the best of Egypt. Abydos and Dendara was truly magical and worth the troubles to trek out to. More shots: http://danaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2007/03/abydos-and-dendara.html

After three weeks of temples you can imagine how tired you would be. Heading out to Sinai Peninsula was an easy decision and I don’t regret it. The Red Sea has some of the best diving in the world, and don’t forget about Mt. Sinai! Relaxing from the rest of Egypt was my primary goal. I headed up to a little town called Dahab, which reminds me a lot of some places in Thailand. I visited the Colored Canyon, Climb Mt. Sinai at 3am in the morning to catch the sunrise, and dove into the Red Sea. All good experiences.

I actually had momentary scare when I was diving. As I started to ascend on my first dive I started to smell blood. After another min or so my mask started to fill with blood. Hrmm? What could this be? I had a serious sinus infection that lasted about 6 weeks just after the New Year. Although I had fought this off with 3 doses of anti-biotics I seemed to have some blockage that didnt go away. When I ascended the Nitrogen Oxide was forcing its was out of my body and in the process getting rid of that blockage. I think it was more of a positive than a negative because I seem to be breathing a little better now. Good news! The second dive brought more blood and I decided to stop there.

So what have I learned about Egypt?

Culture: The culture of Egypt is not what you would expect. I hate to keep ranting on about it but everything is very dishonest. Nowhere else in the world do people systematically lie to you with every breath. There are a few exceptions like Siwa Oasis and some parts of Sinai but the majority of Egyptians seem to revel in there dishonest, aggressive, and sexist ways. Poverty is no excuse for there actions. I don’t believe I spoke with another tourist that didn’t agree with me. Other than Siwa no opportunities to enjoy the lifestyle of the average Egyptian showed themselves, the days were spent dodging touts and hiding inside temples and hotel rooms. For those of you that know me I can be a little on the dominant side. *Grin* I dont back away from any aggresive behavior but this Egyptian bombardment got to me. I handled 7 months of asia and this was just too much.

Tourism: You would think with arguably the best attraction in the world that there would be an influx and steady stream of tourists. There is, but due to the bombings in Dahab, Cairo, and Sharm El Sheik the money generated from tourists real does dwindle. Nobody wants to spend money here. No effort is made to help support the people. Everyone I talk to just feels dirty walking down the street. You need a shower just by leaving your hotel (No because of the air, its more emotional filth) In countries like Cambodia and Laos you want to get out and help the less fortunate. You are willing to pay extra to help them. You should! In Egypt you want nothing more to be left alone and are given no opportunities to see the good behind the bad. You aren’t given that options. Its simply all bad folks. If Egypt didn’t have great stonemasons 3000 years ago I don’t know how they would survive. Im sadened to say this.

Religion: Egypt is Islamic. They seem to be pretty liberal in there interpretation on there faith but practice it none the less. Women are rarely seen and efforts are being made to change certain questionable practices ongoing in most areas of Egypt. Cairo seems to set a good example of allowing women the options of how they want to carry themselves. I would wear a head scarf if I had to deal with the hassles.

Food: Bland. Breads and basic chicken/beef dishes. Egyptian Pizza is excellent. Ive gain an easy 5 pounds of fat. Ugh.

Weather: Its pretty nice this time of year. In the day it rarely hits the 30's and then drops to about 12 or so at night.

Well…What can I say? It’s the first country I really didn’t enjoy all that much. The people are just so aggressive it wears on you. This is just not my opinion, its fact. The government recognizes this problem and people refuse to come back to Egypt. It's an emotional battlefield over here. The temples, tombs, crypts, monuments, desert, diving, and mountain range, barely make up for it. So you can imagine that with all the amazing things to see how bad the hassle must be for me to say this. It's like trying to read an excellent book in a war zone. I have many stories of just awfully weird and backwards things that are so silly you would shake your head. Ive heard it's only an Egyptian thing and that the rest of the Middle East is NOT like this. Let's hope.

Again, sorry for the negative summary. I will never visit Egypt again, but that doesn’t mean I would like to forget it. I truly saw some spectacular things. I just wish those spectacular things could have been more cultural and I could have interacted with the locals in a friendlier way.

*crosses fingers for Turkey*

Lost in Arabia,

D.

White and Coloured Canyon

White Canyon







Mushroom rock. Looks more like a tree.






Coloured Canyon. Looks like the inside of a jawbreaker.

Abydos and Dendara

Abydos Temple, Seti I.

Seti I's stonemasons were true artists.

Dendara Temple.

The roof in the temple was amazing.

The camel on the far right is darn cute!

The Temples of Luxor (Part One)

Karnak Temple, Luxor.








Wheres Waldo?




Obelisk's, my fave!





Samson would be proud!








Kodak what?! 3000 year old colour!