Another Wonder Down!

Leon and I arrived in Cairo on Wednesday November 7^th at about 2pm. We got off the plane and made our way down the corridor to find our guide waiting and holding a sign for “Miss Amanda Siegert”. I loved that he used my name! He introduced himself as Ahkmet and he was the person arranging our tour. He helped us buy our visas and get through immigration. So now I have an Egyptian visa and stamp in my passport. When we got through we went to baggage claim and picked up our bags then walked out to the tour van. We loaded up and piled in to drive to our hotel. Ahkmet told us that since it was after 2pm and all the government workers were off for the day the traffic would be horrible going through the city so we drove around the outside then up along the Nile to our hotel. It was actually a fun drive and gave us both a look of what it was like outside the city. It is a real eye opener to see what peoples lives are like in under developed countries. I wasn’t shocked by any means having already traveled through parts of rural China and Vietnam. Leon got a great picture of a guy sitting on a wood cart pulled by a donkey laughing hysterically on a cell phone. It is quite the image and I’m going to steal a copy of the picture. The drive took about an hour and a half, but eventually we made it to our hotel the Sheraton Cairo. Ahkmet got us checked in and gave us the afternoon free. We decided to add on a dinner cruise for our first night in Egypt so Ahkmet would be back to pick us up at 7pm.

We got into our room and took a few minutes to get settled in before heading back downstairs to walk around the hotel. I hit up the ATM for some money then perused through the shops just to see what kind of stuff they had. We walked around a bit more until Leon found out the hotel had a casino so of course we ended up there. I have a budget that doesn’t include the unpredictability of gambling. So I watched while Leon played Blackjack and then some roulette. I’m glad I wasn’t gambling because my bat sense was way off so I would’ve lost a chunk of change. I went back up to the room about 6pm and left Leon to continue gambling. I went up and changed clothes and got ready for our dinner cruise. Leon came up at quarter till 7 and got refreshed before we went to meet Ahkmet. He was downstairs waiting for us when we arrived at 7 so we walked directly to the van and drove to the boat landing. We boarded the Nile Crystal for our dinner cruise and Ahkmet came on to make sure we got a good table. The table next to us had a mother and son from South Africa visiting Egypt for a few days. Jamie, the son currently lives and works in Dubai and his mom was up visiting him for a couple of weeks and they decided to take a side trip to Egypt. We had a nice chat with them before the dinner buffet was served. We asked them about South African and about travel there. I would love to go someday but unfortunately not this trip.

When the buffet was served it was a mad rush to get food and we quieted down and talked to each other. The food was really good and I discovered a really good soft cheese we found at buffets all over Egypt. Along with dinner there was a dinner show with a belly dancer, a guy spinning with props, guys dancing with sticks (swords). Then of course people got dragged up to dance with the pros. And of course I got picked to go up and dance. I was nervous at first but it was fun so I stopped caring. I got pulled up twice once with the guys and the sticks and again later. After the dancing was done there were 2 singers who came out and did a mixture of songs in English and Arabic. And I had a moment when the guy sang “Country Roads” by John Denver. Mom, Dad and Jason should remember “take me home country roads to the place I call home, West Virginia, mountain mama, take me home those country roads”. We were serenaded with this song on our first trip to Germany at a beer garden by a guy in tight leather pants. Well, apparently it is the quintessential English song, because I swear when I’m in foreign countries listening to people sing this inevitably gets played. So when the guy caught me singing I got pulled up again to dance. Then the girl wouldn’t let me go so I spent a few songs dancing and finally snuck away. Not long after I sat down we arrived back at the dock and the cruise was over. We said our goodbyes to Jamie and his mom and then met Ahkmet on the dock. We drove back to the hotel and were told Ahkmet would meet us the next morning at 9am and to be ready to go. When we got back Leon headed back to the casino and I went upstairs to shower before going to bed. I think I was out by 11:30 and Leon came back to the room about 1am.

The next morning I was up at 7am to get dressed and ready to go. I woke Leon up when I was done with the bathroom. I packed up as we had to check out of the hotel because we were on a night train to Aswan tonight. When Leon was ready we went downstairs to the breakfast buffet which was really nice. We ate and talked a bit about how excited we were to be going to the pyramids. We got back up to the room and collected our bags then went downstairs and checked out. Ahkmet was waiting for us and helped with the check out. We chatted a bit while we waited for our day guide a young woman by the name of Shima. When she arrived we headed out for the day in the van. Our first scheduled stop was Giza to see the pyramids. But first we had to get through Cairo traffic so we used the time to talk with Shima and find out about her and how she became a tour guide.

Once we got to the pyramids we got dropped off by the largest pyramid built for Pharaoh Khufu (aka Cheops, which is the Greek version of his name). According to Shima it was the 1^st pyramid built in Giza and the largest even if it didn’t look it as over a couple thousand years the top 50 feet or so came off. It was originally 481 feet tall and is dated about 2550 BC. It was amazing to see it up close and really surreal to be there. Having seen picture of the pyramids all my life it was almost freakish to be standing next to one. We paused to listen to Shima’s information then had a few minutes to walk up to the pyramid and touch it and get pictures. Shima told us that archeologist had found evidence that the pyramids were not built by slaves but by local Egyptians which had cities created around the sight. There is even evidence in the form of graffiti that notifies us that the builders were proud to be helping build the monument for the Pharaoh and the glory of Egypt. This 1^st pyramid is the largest ever built with more then 2.3 million stones with an average weight of 2.5 to 15 million ton a piece. Try pushing a few of those 400 feet to the top layers. Leon opted to get a special ticket and go inside the pyramid I skipped it as I get a little claustrophobic in dark and confined spaces. I waited outside and talked with Shima then did a mini meditation. It was hard to concentrate as there were hundreds of people around. When Leon came back out he was drenched with sweat and said it was quite the workout walking up and down hills while crouching over, plus the fact that the air gets stuffy and hot.

We had some free time so we walked around one of the sides to see a different angle and there I was mobbed. Apparently I’m really popular with Egyptian junior high and high school students because for some mysterious reason I got surrounded by kids wanting to get a picture with me. It’s not because I was America as there were a lot of those around so I’m not sure if I look like someone famous or not. A guy at a restaurant in Bahrain came and told me I looked just like “Chloe” who I guess is famous in Asia or the Middle East. I’m not sure. But I got surrounded and was careful to watch my purse while posing for pictures with various kids. I escaped to walk around a bit more to see the smaller pyramids for Khufu’s wife and family as well as his boat pits (5 boats were found around the pyramid) before we headed back to the van to drive to the next pyramid which was built for Pharaoh Khafre, the son of Pharaoh Khufu. Khafre’s pyramid was not quite as large as his fathers but was built on a higher elevation and with a more elaborate outside. Khafre’s pyramid stands at 471 feet and now looks higher then Khufu’s. Khafre’s pyramid is dated about 2520 BC. There we took more pictures and walked around a bit and again I was surrounded by students. Shima told me it was the beginning of there school year and that they were probably here on a school field trip as it was Thursday. Once Leon and Shima stole me away from the kids we again jumped in the van and drove past the 3^rd, smallest pyramid built for Pharaoh Menkaure, son of Khafre. While Menkaure’s pyramid is the smallest of the bunch at Giza it was more elaborate in that the two larger pyramids were covered in limestone where as Menkaure’s was covered in granite. It was built about 2490 BC and is only 213 feet tall. We drove straight out to a look out point above the 3 pyramids to get some pictures with them all in the back ground. It was really cool but packed with people. There were also some Egyptian guys trying to get in peoples pictures and then asking for money for it.

It was from here that we were supposed to get our camel rides but due to it being so busy we would have had to wait a while to get on a camel. Since we had a busy day with lots to see and do we decided to skip the camel ride and get it somewhere else. So we boarded back into the van and drove down to see the Sphinx. There we found yet another crowd of people that we had to mingle through to get down the look out on the left hand side of the Sphinx. Shima did her explanation of the Sphinx in the temple that is on the left hand side below the actual Sphinx. She said that the Sphinx is carved out of one solid piece of granite which was the bedrock below Khafre’s pyramid. It was carved as an embodiment of the Pharaoh Khafre as the god Horus. Interestingly it was not Napoleon that knocked the nose off as is rumored, but an Egyptian who was upset that the face of God had been carved in stone. It goes back to the old school commandment of no graven images. And an Arab historian writes that it was nose less in the 15^th century when visited Giza. So we walked up the path way through the temple to the look out which was really packed with tourist. I elbowed my way in and got some pictures of the Sphinx then backed up to try and get an overall picture. It was hard to really enjoy seeing it because it was so crowded and loud with all the other tourists around.

Once we loaded back into the van our time in Giza was done and we opted to go with Shima to see a papyrus factory and a perfume factory. The papyrus was fun because they showed us how the papyrus paper is made then let us roam through the gallery and look at the pieces they had for sale. Leon didn’t buy anything but I bought myself a cool key of life print to frame when I get home, a little reminder of my trip to Egypt. Next we went to the perfume factory and got to sit and smell all kinds of perfumes. All Egyptian perfume is sold as oil which can be put in a bath, directly onto the skin or in a burner for add perfume to the air. I got to smell lotus oil, rose oil, jasmine oil, and then the mixes that are sold as Chanel #5, Coolwater and most of the major perfume labels. It was kind of fun to see but they wanted 40$ for a small bottle so I passed. After our visits to the factories which are more or less tourist traps we headed to grab a quick lunch. Shima gave us the option of either going to a big buffet or going to KFC or Pizza Hut. Since time was an issue we opted for the KFC and Leon was nice and bought everyone lunch including Shima and George our driver. We ate and chatted a bit, asking Shima what she studied in school and how she became a tour guide. When we finished we piled back in the van for the drive back to Cairo to the Museum. Leon slept the majority of the drive and I talked with Shima about education, taxes, and cultural customs in Egypt. It was really interesting to get not only the information but an insider’s view of it all. She was really such a sweetheart.

We got to the Cairo Museum about 3pm and were told to leave our cameras in the van as it was either that or check them into the coat check as no photography was allowed in the museum. We went through security which we did almost everywhere and then went into the museum. Once inside we walked around with Shima and showed us some of the highlights in the museum including sarcophagi, statues, and some of King Tut’s treasure. When she finished her stuff she gave us an extra to wander around ourselves. So we went and saw the rest of King Tut’s treasure including his famous death mask, jewelry, sandals, sarcophagi (he had 3 done like those Russian dolls one within the other, we saw 2 of the 3). We walked around and saw a papyrus room, a sarcophagus room, and all kinds of stuff. By the end of the hour we were both in overload. Sometimes you have to take things in small doses and it was just so much information in one day. There was a mummy room which cost extra to go see so we passed especially since we were told that Tut’s mummy that was just unwrapped was on exhibition down in Luxor at the Valley of the Kings. We met Shima about 4:45 to head out and had to wait for George to make his way back to the museum. The traffic was really bad as it was a Thursday night (again Thursday night is the Middle Eastern version of Friday night in the States). Once we were back in the van we discussed going to the Khalili Bazaar, which is one of the oldest bazaars in Egypt.

It took a while to get us there and Shima told us we had an hour and we had to be back to get picked up by 6:15 so that we would have time to drive to the train station for our overnight train. We got dropped off and followed the crowds of tourists down the main drag of the bazaar which was choked with people. It was overwhelming with all the people and the hawkers. They shop guys (and they were all guys, no women) were extremely pushy talking and following tourists. It was almost harassment and was one of the few times I felt uncomfortable in Egypt. It wasn’t the fact that I was stared at the entire time or that Leon was told what a lucky man he was to be with me but it was the guys that would follow us and try to pull us into there shops that bothered me. We cut down a side street to get away from the thinning pack of tourist and aggressive hawkers and there we didn’t really get bothered but looked at with a questioning looks. It was like “hey tourist don’t you know this is the locals isle” as it was blankets, Korans, clothes and what not. Once we got back out to the main area, the square where we were dropped off we decided to skip the shopping and sit down for a drink at one of the tea shops that lined the side of the square. We picked one at random and sat down on a bench seat with a view out onto the square which was packed full of young people milling about. I got a glass of mint tea and Leon got a soda and we sat and talked about our crazy walk through the bazaar and just watched the crowd and other tourists as there were a lot about. At 6:00 we paid our tab which was outrageous and then walked over to where the van dropped us off and found George waiting for us. We climbed in the van and settled in and George called Hebab our new female guide who was going to take us to the train station and get us on the right train.

As soon as Hebab climbed in the van we took off for the train station and actually made good time. We arrived at the station about 7:00 and our train was leaving until 8:20 but we wanted to give ourselves extra time as you never know what the traffic will be like in Cairo (it reminds me of LA that way). Hebab was very nice but not nearly as social as Shima and didn’t really talk much with us. So Leon and I chatted while we waited for the train and people watched other tour groups on the platform. We finally boarded the train at 8:15. Hebab made sure we got on the right train and car then wished us well and said they would let us know when we arrived in Aswan. Once we were inside and the train was pulling away from the station we met our neighbors (in the cabin next door) 2 women from Arizona on vacation. They were really interesting, both rangers at the Grand Canyon State Park. We had a connection door between our 2 cabins so we opened it and sat and chatted together as the food was delivered and through our meal. I have to say the train food was not all that bad but not as good as the plane food. It was a little on the greasy side.

But we had a really nice chat with them for a couple of hours and then turned in about 10:00. I think I went to bed about 10:30 as I was really tired and I knew we would need to be up early because the train was supposed to get in at 8:00am. And I will say considering it was a train I slept remarkably well which I assume is because I was so tired to begin with. The day had been long and packed full of stuff. It felt almost like we had been in Egypt for 3 or 4 days instead of just a day and a half. But we were on to Aswan to see the sights of southern Egypt, aka the Upper Kingdom, aka and more appropriately the Nubian territory.