My last day abroad after 5 countries, 23 cities, 342 days, and a lot of pictures. We leave tomorrow morning for JFK, West Grove, DC, Pittsburgh, and Bloomington.
I'm not sure how I will react to all the transitions that I'll face, and perhaps I'll see no difference. Somehow I don't seem to be very perceptive when traveling...broken glass and stinky trash don't bother me, cats or dogs, minarets. I seem to miss the differences. This is is all to say I'm not sure how I will react to the States. I think it will just be the same? Plus, Bloomington is an entirely new city also, so it's not as if I'm really going "home" yet. Not until the paintings are on the walls.
Next stop, Peru.
This is NOT "that year I traveled when I was young."
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Alexandria and the Med
Today we had a looong day trip to Alexandria and it was wonderful.
Short story: my perception of Cairo changed a bit last night when we went to the market in Islamic Cairo away from tourist stops and most touts. Shopkeepers hassled less and children smiled and even dad's smiled.
Short story: my perception of Cairo changed a bit last night when we went to the market in Islamic Cairo away from tourist stops and most touts. Shopkeepers hassled less and children smiled and even dad's smiled.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Cairo Days 1 and 2
Saturday, August 14th and Sunday, August 15th
I've been grumpy recently. We took the night train Friday from Luxor to Cairo. Very cool, although I was afraid we wouldn't wake up for our stop, so I didn't sleep very well. Since we've arrived in Cairo, I've been hot, unhappy, and altogether have an unfortunate view of the city. The people at our hostel are very nice, but here are some of the factors contributing.
We arrived at 6:30 in the morning, 45 minutes after we told the hostel we would be there. After searching for the driver they had sent, we hired our own taxi, thinking the driver was not there. Nearing our hotel area, the driver didn't have a clue where to go, so we got out on the street with our huge backpacks and small bags, totaling 7. Josh left me with the bags near some policemen guarding something. All fine and well until a few (45?) minutes later they started to really wonder what I was doing there. After a lout of shouting to each other, they found a guard who spoke English and I explained to him. Just after this fiasco, Josh returned, having finally found our hostel down a back alley.
We spent the morning and afternoon in the Egyptian Museum of Cairo, a beautiful building full of glass and wooden containers. The museum holds many interesting treasures, including most things found in King Tutankhamun's tomb. Unfortunately, most artifacts are stored in poorly lit glass boxes. The museum is not climate controlled, and most displays are not labeled. A whole corridor is filled with sarcophagi, only in old glass boxes. The lack of interpretive information severely limited our understanding of what we were looking at. Several exceptions include the animal mummy room, which gave explicit details about animal mummification. The royal mummies room, at a cost of 100 pounds, had the bodies of many famous Phaorohs, including several whose tombs and temples I have already seen. We saw Ramesses II, III, IV, V, IV, Amenhotep II, Hapshetsut, Tuthmosis III, and several others. It was most interesting to see Ramesses II, famous Phaoroh of the old testament. Although we couldn't learn a lot about the artifacts themselves, or about their excavation, we did see many amazing things from Ancient Egypt.
One of the most fascinating were the Roman mummies, preserved as the Egyptians did it, but with painted faces in Roman style.
After the museum, we walked to an island on the Nile which we had heard was more western, and might have restaurants open before 6:30. After walking for several hours from the museum, we weren't able to find anything. Finally, we got in a taxi and directed him to a street which had a restaurant. He, in arabic, explained to us something like "it's closed" and dropped us in front of a shop with meat hanging in the window (sans glass). After a round of misunderstanding, the waiter brought us something unrecognizable, bread, and tahina. We ate the bread and tahina and gave the shredded lamb, chicken, fat, intestine or something to the men gathered on the street breaking their fast.
Finally, we walked further down a row of embassies (yes, the meat shop was within two blocks of the Algerian embassy) and found "Euro Cafe." Maybe our food experience is funny now, but it was one of the most expensive meals we've had here and we couldn't even eat it.
Cairo is crowded, dusty, stinky and full of trash. Some people are extraordinarily nice, but it's become hard to trust anyone after continual attempts to cheat us. This perception continued while we visited the pyramids today, as camel drivers and touts continually offered us rides and souvineers, sometimes relenting only after 17 attempts.
We're going to walk to a nearby park now. Last night's walk afforded some good shade and green areas, until the dinner fiasco. We're going to go explore, but it's difficult not knowing where I will be eating tonight.
A recap of the pyramids will have to wait. Just know...they're big. It's sandy. There are lots of police officers. The step pyramid of Djoser is really interesting too, and accompanied by a well done museum about the architect and related finds. I'm also fascinated, but it's exhausting and I can't articulate enthusiastically what I find intersesting. I'll try again soon!
I've been grumpy recently. We took the night train Friday from Luxor to Cairo. Very cool, although I was afraid we wouldn't wake up for our stop, so I didn't sleep very well. Since we've arrived in Cairo, I've been hot, unhappy, and altogether have an unfortunate view of the city. The people at our hostel are very nice, but here are some of the factors contributing.
We arrived at 6:30 in the morning, 45 minutes after we told the hostel we would be there. After searching for the driver they had sent, we hired our own taxi, thinking the driver was not there. Nearing our hotel area, the driver didn't have a clue where to go, so we got out on the street with our huge backpacks and small bags, totaling 7. Josh left me with the bags near some policemen guarding something. All fine and well until a few (45?) minutes later they started to really wonder what I was doing there. After a lout of shouting to each other, they found a guard who spoke English and I explained to him. Just after this fiasco, Josh returned, having finally found our hostel down a back alley.
We spent the morning and afternoon in the Egyptian Museum of Cairo, a beautiful building full of glass and wooden containers. The museum holds many interesting treasures, including most things found in King Tutankhamun's tomb. Unfortunately, most artifacts are stored in poorly lit glass boxes. The museum is not climate controlled, and most displays are not labeled. A whole corridor is filled with sarcophagi, only in old glass boxes. The lack of interpretive information severely limited our understanding of what we were looking at. Several exceptions include the animal mummy room, which gave explicit details about animal mummification. The royal mummies room, at a cost of 100 pounds, had the bodies of many famous Phaorohs, including several whose tombs and temples I have already seen. We saw Ramesses II, III, IV, V, IV, Amenhotep II, Hapshetsut, Tuthmosis III, and several others. It was most interesting to see Ramesses II, famous Phaoroh of the old testament. Although we couldn't learn a lot about the artifacts themselves, or about their excavation, we did see many amazing things from Ancient Egypt.
One of the most fascinating were the Roman mummies, preserved as the Egyptians did it, but with painted faces in Roman style.
After the museum, we walked to an island on the Nile which we had heard was more western, and might have restaurants open before 6:30. After walking for several hours from the museum, we weren't able to find anything. Finally, we got in a taxi and directed him to a street which had a restaurant. He, in arabic, explained to us something like "it's closed" and dropped us in front of a shop with meat hanging in the window (sans glass). After a round of misunderstanding, the waiter brought us something unrecognizable, bread, and tahina. We ate the bread and tahina and gave the shredded lamb, chicken, fat, intestine or something to the men gathered on the street breaking their fast.
Finally, we walked further down a row of embassies (yes, the meat shop was within two blocks of the Algerian embassy) and found "Euro Cafe." Maybe our food experience is funny now, but it was one of the most expensive meals we've had here and we couldn't even eat it.
Cairo is crowded, dusty, stinky and full of trash. Some people are extraordinarily nice, but it's become hard to trust anyone after continual attempts to cheat us. This perception continued while we visited the pyramids today, as camel drivers and touts continually offered us rides and souvineers, sometimes relenting only after 17 attempts.
We're going to walk to a nearby park now. Last night's walk afforded some good shade and green areas, until the dinner fiasco. We're going to go explore, but it's difficult not knowing where I will be eating tonight.
A recap of the pyramids will have to wait. Just know...they're big. It's sandy. There are lots of police officers. The step pyramid of Djoser is really interesting too, and accompanied by a well done museum about the architect and related finds. I'm also fascinated, but it's exhausting and I can't articulate enthusiastically what I find intersesting. I'll try again soon!
A Plague of Lotus
Thursday August, 12
Day four in Luxor, Egypt. We started the morning with a wonderful felucca ride down the Nile. Last night we were offered a ride by a nice-looking guy outside of a restaurant. This morning we saw him immediately and asked how much. He was very pleased that we remembered him from the day before, and turned out to be a very honest captain. He needed to get a tugboat to pull us upstream because there was very little wind. Sometimes, a felucca captain will then, at the end of the ride, add a lot of extra costs to what you had agreed on. But nothing from Abdul. Then he offered to take us across the river for free, and he took us with a driver around to two other West Bank sites we couldn’t see during our tour. It’s amazing in countries like this, that drivers will wait an hour, or six hours, while you do what you want. It was this way in Cambodia and we see it here. Abdul was a very kind man.
I’ve noticed here that some shop owners and service providers make sure to say “no hassle here.” There are so many touts who sell fakes or get up in your face, that honest business owners must have a hard time getting customers to trust them. For example, we went to a jewelry store just to look around, and the man had to repeat several times that he wouldn’t hassle us. We make the decisions, etc. Of course, in saying “no hassle” it’s a little hassle, but I’ve found generally these men who say it mean it. We found the same in one alabaster store and a papyrus store. The same was with Abdul. Continually they assure us that “this is our job, so take your time.”
After we got back from the West Bank, we went to get some soda and water. Then back to the hostel to rest, then out for a great dinner, where we ran into an Argentinean we had seen earlier in the day. We talked for a great while about his travels, what we’re doing, American politics, etc. It’s been a good trip for meeting interesting people (and making me realize just how little I’ve traveled in this world).
On Ramadan: Ramadan started on Wednesday, the third day we were in Egypt. It is a month long festival in Islam for which people fast from sunup to sundown. They eat breakfast early in the morning, and then go without food, water, cigarettes until 6:30 at night. At 6:30 everyone breaks fast with a huge meal of delicious things, in restaurants, on the streets, in homes. Josh and I have tried to keep a modified version. Because we are spending enormous amounts of time in the hot desert sun, we drink water as we need it. When the hunger gets bad and we’re starting to get sleepy/delirious we stop for a fanta. The first day we had to sneak a little bread left over from dinner the night before, but yesterday we made it on liquid. Of course, it makes health sense to eat the bread instead of drink a soda, but it goes a long way in making friends here if we can be just as happy when 6:30 comes around.
Day four in Luxor, Egypt. We started the morning with a wonderful felucca ride down the Nile. Last night we were offered a ride by a nice-looking guy outside of a restaurant. This morning we saw him immediately and asked how much. He was very pleased that we remembered him from the day before, and turned out to be a very honest captain. He needed to get a tugboat to pull us upstream because there was very little wind. Sometimes, a felucca captain will then, at the end of the ride, add a lot of extra costs to what you had agreed on. But nothing from Abdul. Then he offered to take us across the river for free, and he took us with a driver around to two other West Bank sites we couldn’t see during our tour. It’s amazing in countries like this, that drivers will wait an hour, or six hours, while you do what you want. It was this way in Cambodia and we see it here. Abdul was a very kind man.
I’ve noticed here that some shop owners and service providers make sure to say “no hassle here.” There are so many touts who sell fakes or get up in your face, that honest business owners must have a hard time getting customers to trust them. For example, we went to a jewelry store just to look around, and the man had to repeat several times that he wouldn’t hassle us. We make the decisions, etc. Of course, in saying “no hassle” it’s a little hassle, but I’ve found generally these men who say it mean it. We found the same in one alabaster store and a papyrus store. The same was with Abdul. Continually they assure us that “this is our job, so take your time.”
After we got back from the West Bank, we went to get some soda and water. Then back to the hostel to rest, then out for a great dinner, where we ran into an Argentinean we had seen earlier in the day. We talked for a great while about his travels, what we’re doing, American politics, etc. It’s been a good trip for meeting interesting people (and making me realize just how little I’ve traveled in this world).
On Ramadan: Ramadan started on Wednesday, the third day we were in Egypt. It is a month long festival in Islam for which people fast from sunup to sundown. They eat breakfast early in the morning, and then go without food, water, cigarettes until 6:30 at night. At 6:30 everyone breaks fast with a huge meal of delicious things, in restaurants, on the streets, in homes. Josh and I have tried to keep a modified version. Because we are spending enormous amounts of time in the hot desert sun, we drink water as we need it. When the hunger gets bad and we’re starting to get sleepy/delirious we stop for a fanta. The first day we had to sneak a little bread left over from dinner the night before, but yesterday we made it on liquid. Of course, it makes health sense to eat the bread instead of drink a soda, but it goes a long way in making friends here if we can be just as happy when 6:30 comes around.
Day 3
We took the morning easy today, getting up slowly and eating breakfast before going to Karnak. We spent into the afternoon wandering among some of the most impressive monuments here. In the Great Hypostyle Hall, huge pillars shaped as lotuses rose up from their bases. Each was engraved with hieroglyphics, and remaining spots of color suggest the entire hall was once covered in vibrant blues and reds. From there we turned right and went out into a field covered in old stones, as if they were being sorted through to rebuild. Then, a quite Egyptian man ushered us up some steps onto the roof of a temple. From there you could see the lay of Karnak. Our next stop was a quiet room behind a locked door with colors you couldn’t believe. The whole room was still vibrant with hue, in the best condition we have seen since being here.
We spent the rest of our time wandering around the now outdoor temples, and resting in the far corner on some cardboard. When we sat down, I wondered how many of the tourists at Karnak today would give no thought to sitting in a trashy corner to rest….maybe 50%? Then along came a fellow who pulled up a piece of cardboard.
After Karnak, we went to the Mummification museum, an expensive one-room trip that holds the tools of mummification, including the pincers for the brain. Mmm.
Walked to a restaurant we’d been to before for drinks (no food) and headed back to our hostel for a brief rest before we broke fast. As we were walking down the street of our hostel, a young man shouted down from a balcony “want to eat?” It was a small restaurant, with four tables. At a big one, three men sat with a beautiful meal, so we joined them for the Ramadan feast. Brown rice or lentil soup (Josh and I disagree), greek salad, rice with a cooked potato and tomato dish, and for Josh, a chicken leg. At the end, they told me it was 20 pounds for the two of us. For the record, 1 US dollar is 5.65 Egyptian pounds. So we paid approximately 4 US for this incredible meal. We spent the rest of the evening wandering around down by luxor temple, people watching and trying to avoid touts. Overall a beautiful evening.
We spent the rest of our time wandering around the now outdoor temples, and resting in the far corner on some cardboard. When we sat down, I wondered how many of the tourists at Karnak today would give no thought to sitting in a trashy corner to rest….maybe 50%? Then along came a fellow who pulled up a piece of cardboard.
After Karnak, we went to the Mummification museum, an expensive one-room trip that holds the tools of mummification, including the pincers for the brain. Mmm.
Walked to a restaurant we’d been to before for drinks (no food) and headed back to our hostel for a brief rest before we broke fast. As we were walking down the street of our hostel, a young man shouted down from a balcony “want to eat?” It was a small restaurant, with four tables. At a big one, three men sat with a beautiful meal, so we joined them for the Ramadan feast. Brown rice or lentil soup (Josh and I disagree), greek salad, rice with a cooked potato and tomato dish, and for Josh, a chicken leg. At the end, they told me it was 20 pounds for the two of us. For the record, 1 US dollar is 5.65 Egyptian pounds. So we paid approximately 4 US for this incredible meal. We spent the rest of the evening wandering around down by luxor temple, people watching and trying to avoid touts. Overall a beautiful evening.
Nile Story
...the name of a cruise ship but also the reason for West Bank tombs.
The touts continued today. Understanding that we are tourists, being offered a look in a shop is not problematic to me. The rest, however, is. By the end of the day, we are too exhausted for more bartering, and simply walk away.
This morning we joined several other couples form our hostel for a guided tour of the major sites in Luxor. We decided an aircon bus and a tour guide was worth the hassle of being crowded and kept to a schedule. It turned out to be lots of interesting young people and just about the right amount of time.
First, we went to the valley of the kings. This is where many ramses were buried. We saw the tombs of Ramses I, III, and IX. Josh and I then paid an extraordinary amount of money to go see the tomb of Tut, which of course is just as empty as the others. There is a mummy inside which, based on differing reports is a copy, or is Tut himself. Most of the treasures from the tomb are in the Luxor and Cairo museums. The paintings on the walls of each tomb are much more impressive than I thought they would be. Everything is first carved into the stone or plaster, and then painted. Understanding what each scene is makes it all more tangible and engaging. Note: Ramses II is the Ramses in the bible, so we saw his grandfather and…son? I’m not sure how Ramses II and III are related. Ramses II’s dad is Seti I. Ramses I and II are some of the most famous and powerful pharaohs.
After visiting the Valley of the Kings, we went to the temple of Hapshetsut. The temple is three stories, built into the side of the mountain. Our actual first glimpse came yesterday, as Josh and I looked across the Nile from our restaurant. It was enormous from across the river, and just as big up close. We were not allowed to take pictures in the Valley of the Kings, so we scrambled around with our cameras, hoping to get a few shots from the day. We saw many statues of Hapshetsut, one of the most important female pharaohs. Hapshetsut was the wife of a pharaoh, but she only “bore him” four daughters. Her husband found another woman to marry, who then had a son. When the Pharaoh died, the baby son was supposed to take the throne. Hapshetsut was pissed, so she dressed herself as a man, and took the throne by herself. She ruled for 21 years, bringing henna and many spices and goods to Egypt from abroad. In her temple, you can see statues of the goddess of love, Hathor, and a relief of Hapshetsut drinking the love milk of Hathor the cow.
After Hapshetsut, we went to the Valley of the Queens, where we saw the tomb of one queen and the tombs of her two sons who died at 11 and 16. She was so distraught at the death of one of her sons, that she miscarried the baby she was pregnant with. The mummy of the fetus is displayed in one of the tombs.
Then to the Collosi of Memnon, two giant statues erected for Amenhotep III. They guarded a temple that is now long destroyed.
That all happened before 2 pm, when we returned to the hostel. Very hungry after a measly breakfast, I had a snack of bread to recover. Then, we walked a mile to the Luxor museum where there are many wonderful things displayed. Then we walked along the nile (after dark) back to Luxor, stopped for a snack of greek salad and french fries, and mosied back to the hostel. It was a terribly long day, with sore feet by 2…before the 7 hour walk we took.
It’s a wonderful and interesting place here. So far I’ve only talked about Ancient Egypt, but soon I will try to touch on the modern, or at least my outsider interpretation of it.
The touts continued today. Understanding that we are tourists, being offered a look in a shop is not problematic to me. The rest, however, is. By the end of the day, we are too exhausted for more bartering, and simply walk away.
This morning we joined several other couples form our hostel for a guided tour of the major sites in Luxor. We decided an aircon bus and a tour guide was worth the hassle of being crowded and kept to a schedule. It turned out to be lots of interesting young people and just about the right amount of time.
First, we went to the valley of the kings. This is where many ramses were buried. We saw the tombs of Ramses I, III, and IX. Josh and I then paid an extraordinary amount of money to go see the tomb of Tut, which of course is just as empty as the others. There is a mummy inside which, based on differing reports is a copy, or is Tut himself. Most of the treasures from the tomb are in the Luxor and Cairo museums. The paintings on the walls of each tomb are much more impressive than I thought they would be. Everything is first carved into the stone or plaster, and then painted. Understanding what each scene is makes it all more tangible and engaging. Note: Ramses II is the Ramses in the bible, so we saw his grandfather and…son? I’m not sure how Ramses II and III are related. Ramses II’s dad is Seti I. Ramses I and II are some of the most famous and powerful pharaohs.
After visiting the Valley of the Kings, we went to the temple of Hapshetsut. The temple is three stories, built into the side of the mountain. Our actual first glimpse came yesterday, as Josh and I looked across the Nile from our restaurant. It was enormous from across the river, and just as big up close. We were not allowed to take pictures in the Valley of the Kings, so we scrambled around with our cameras, hoping to get a few shots from the day. We saw many statues of Hapshetsut, one of the most important female pharaohs. Hapshetsut was the wife of a pharaoh, but she only “bore him” four daughters. Her husband found another woman to marry, who then had a son. When the Pharaoh died, the baby son was supposed to take the throne. Hapshetsut was pissed, so she dressed herself as a man, and took the throne by herself. She ruled for 21 years, bringing henna and many spices and goods to Egypt from abroad. In her temple, you can see statues of the goddess of love, Hathor, and a relief of Hapshetsut drinking the love milk of Hathor the cow.
After Hapshetsut, we went to the Valley of the Queens, where we saw the tomb of one queen and the tombs of her two sons who died at 11 and 16. She was so distraught at the death of one of her sons, that she miscarried the baby she was pregnant with. The mummy of the fetus is displayed in one of the tombs.
Then to the Collosi of Memnon, two giant statues erected for Amenhotep III. They guarded a temple that is now long destroyed.
That all happened before 2 pm, when we returned to the hostel. Very hungry after a measly breakfast, I had a snack of bread to recover. Then, we walked a mile to the Luxor museum where there are many wonderful things displayed. Then we walked along the nile (after dark) back to Luxor, stopped for a snack of greek salad and french fries, and mosied back to the hostel. It was a terribly long day, with sore feet by 2…before the 7 hour walk we took.
It’s a wonderful and interesting place here. So far I’ve only talked about Ancient Egypt, but soon I will try to touch on the modern, or at least my outsider interpretation of it.
Song Long and Hello
After about 31 hours of traveling, we are in Egypt! Layovers in Bangkok and Kuwait afforded plenty of people watching, especially as many Egyptian men gathered at our gate, buying duty-free tang and mars bars for their family. From the window flickered the lit coast of China, the Persian gulf, dusty hills and patches of farmland in Iran, Kuwait, Saudia Arabia and oil tankers off the coast, the Red Sea and finally Egypt’s dry rugged landscape and the green band of the Nile Valley.
We landed in Luxor at 11:30, and after a fight to procure a luggage cart, met our host outside. A cab ride to the hostel included views of Luxor temple, the Luxor museum and mummification museum, feluccas along the river, and many side streets and alleys of Luxor.
After settling into our hostel room, Josh and I went wandering for lunch/dinner. We had had four airline meals before this, and although the filafal in the last flight was tasty, we were looking for something with a little more sustenance. Trying to balance between stern and polite, we walked through a market of venders, touting their goods. Putting a scarf on my shoulder and refusing to take it back is not the way to get my money. We actually want to go shopping, and probably would buy a lot of things, but the constant assurance of a fair deal turns off our desire to look for one. We bought a couple of paintings on “papyrus” that is probably banana leaf. They are beautiful, so I guess we’re not too concerned about their authenticity.
After our meal, we went out on a felucca for sunset. Leaving at 5, Josh and I, a German guy staying at the hostel, our boatman (17 years old) and his helper (10) spent three hours up and down the Nile. The birds are incredible, and the flocks of egrets exactly how I imagined them. We got off at banana island to rest and explore. I’m assuming the island is named for the banana farm we walked though. Our captain has us smell the different fruit tree leaves, identifying mango, guava, mandarin, orange, and fig. I was fortunate to see a Hoopoe (also found on Kinmen, Taiwan) and get an excellent picture. After a snack of bananas, we got back on the felucca and sailed for several hours, watching to sunset and enjoying the fresh air and water.
We landed in Luxor at 11:30, and after a fight to procure a luggage cart, met our host outside. A cab ride to the hostel included views of Luxor temple, the Luxor museum and mummification museum, feluccas along the river, and many side streets and alleys of Luxor.
After settling into our hostel room, Josh and I went wandering for lunch/dinner. We had had four airline meals before this, and although the filafal in the last flight was tasty, we were looking for something with a little more sustenance. Trying to balance between stern and polite, we walked through a market of venders, touting their goods. Putting a scarf on my shoulder and refusing to take it back is not the way to get my money. We actually want to go shopping, and probably would buy a lot of things, but the constant assurance of a fair deal turns off our desire to look for one. We bought a couple of paintings on “papyrus” that is probably banana leaf. They are beautiful, so I guess we’re not too concerned about their authenticity.
After our meal, we went out on a felucca for sunset. Leaving at 5, Josh and I, a German guy staying at the hostel, our boatman (17 years old) and his helper (10) spent three hours up and down the Nile. The birds are incredible, and the flocks of egrets exactly how I imagined them. We got off at banana island to rest and explore. I’m assuming the island is named for the banana farm we walked though. Our captain has us smell the different fruit tree leaves, identifying mango, guava, mandarin, orange, and fig. I was fortunate to see a Hoopoe (also found on Kinmen, Taiwan) and get an excellent picture. After a snack of bananas, we got back on the felucca and sailed for several hours, watching to sunset and enjoying the fresh air and water.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)