Take Me to the River - Talking Heads

Giza Cheops n Me
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Helipolis-Cairo 2-20-07

Africa Last Words

Well today is my last day in Egypt, thus Africa, and my last look for a long while on the Nile. I spent it taking a final gander at the Pyramids, seeing the great sun boat, climbing into the Great Cheops pyramid and taking a peak at the first Step pyramids down in Saqqara. Going inside Cheops was way overpriced but extremely cool There were a group of French folk chanting while taking turns inside the sarcophagus and swinging pendulums like it was their religion. Wackadoos for sure but it certainly added to my experience. I also posted some pictures of the big Giza Sound and Light show that I caught between trains last week. It was too expensive, too hokey and totally worth it just to see the pyramids lit at night. Many thanks to Beth and Matt for letting me Couchsurf last night and for being my home base in Africa. Can’t wait to return the favor. So this completes my first continent and has been a wild first leg of the trip for sure. Not sure how to summarize it all so I think a few lists are in order:

Pyramids at Night 060
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Top Ten Amazings

10. Diving Cleopatra’s underwater city

9. Hyena crossing the road during bicycle safari at Hell’s Gate Kenya

8. Sunset over the Sinai hills sitting by the Red Sea while sipping Karkaday in Bedoin camp

Giza - Sakkara 020
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7. Abu Simbel

6. The people of the Luxor West bank

5. Zanzibar moonlight

4. Being alone in King Tut’s tomb

Giza Sun boat
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3. Ticked off Lion at Serengeti

2. Giza Pyramids at sunset

1. Cheetah stalk and kill at Serengeti

Top 5 Lowlights

Pyramids at Night 051
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5. Felucca captains

4. Leaking Tents

3. Long Bus rides

2. Taxi drivers

Pyramids at Night 058
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1. Touts

Top 5 Things I never really got used to:

5. Bidet/water wipe (can’t handle that pipe sticking up in the bowl - too close to the vitals and I just won’t try it)

4. Arabian music/singing (too much whining, especially the perennial singing taxi drivers)

Pyramids at Night 040
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3. The fact that a lot of folk only know a few phrases in English (they always sucker me into thinking they’re fluent until I really need something answered)

2. Muezzin (Muslim call to prayer - do they really need the loudspeakers when I’m just about dozing off?)

1. Akuna Matata

Best Food

Pyramids at Night 070
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10. Tahina dip in Sharm

9. Tusker beer in Tanzania

8. Fajita (seriously, with Egyptian Aisha bread) in Dahab

7. Kofta in Awan

Giza - Sakkara 046
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6. Falafel in Alexandria

5. Shalabra in Dahab

4. Calamari with Coconut curry sauce on Zanzibar

3. Turkey at the Carnivore - Kenya

Giza - Sakkara 001
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2. Chicken Tika in Dahab

1. Carrot and Spice soup – Tanzania

Biggest Surprises

5. Egypt can be COLD in the winter. Never expected that in the Sinai.

Giza Cairo - Heliopolis
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4. I haven’t gone berserk on anyone nor had a cigarette yet. I’ve yelled and argued when being ripped off, but really haven’t flipped out yet. I still get antsy when I’m late or waiting too long but I think I’m slowly easing into the traveler lifestyle. Maybe it’ll stick for good. Naaaah.

3. Bush is popular. Kidding, everyone I’ve met hates him. No surprise there, but other than the tiny percentage of extremists people here don’t hate America or Americans, just some of our policies. That’s the key. Of all the people I’ve met only one local even looked at me angrily but it passed quickly once we started talking. The other hostile was from Amsterdam and I ignored her. Just know there really isn’t any reason for Americans not to visit this amazing continent and her Muslim countries.

2. Costs - And you don’t need a big expensive tour group to visit either. Nice, comfortable pensions/hotels are very inexpensive a bit off the tourist trail and camping safaris in Kenya/Tanzania can be had for as little as $100 a day.

1. The ‘gigolo’ thing Egyptians guys have going on with older/scary European women (quite out in the open about it). Odd.

1a. I lost 15 pounds in a month without even trying and never having gotten travelers stomach or any illness (knock on wood) at all. Amazing what happens when you stop sitting on your butt all day.

Best Hotel : Ramses Hotel – Luxor West Bank

Sleaziest Hotel: Terminal Hotel – Nairobi (Bugs. Next question)

Cheapest but most interesting – Beach shack Kendwa Rocks – Zanzibar

Worst and most expensive – Jamariat, Nairobi

Best Tour/Dive outfit - Oosa Divers (runner up: Crown Eagle Safaris)

Worst Tour outfit – Jockey Tours, Nairobi (thieves, pure and simple)

Worst Food – The East African Sausage (a hot dog) served with every darn meal

Books Read:

The Sheltering Sky – Paul Bowles,

Out of Africa – Karen Blixen,

Heart of Darkness – Joeseph Conrad,

Garden of Eden – Ernest Hemmingway,

Congo – Michael Crichton,

Lost World – Arthur Conan Doyle,

Cleopatra- H.R. Haggard,

Atlantis Found – Clive Cussler,

Next stop Barcelona for a few days, familia reunion in Rome for a week and then off to Asia.

Thanks to all - Bill

Appendix 2-22-07

Can´t believe I totally forgot to mention the cult that was praying inside the pyramid when I was inside.  As I was climbing up the long narrow path up to the King´s chamber I hear weird humming.  At first I thought it was wind coming through one of the little passages but as I get closer I realize it´s chanting.  When I get inside the sarcophagus chamber there´s a bunch of French folk holding hands and chanting-  They´re actually taking turns climbing inside the actual sarcophagus!  A guard came running in and made them stop but then they started swinging pendulums or something to see which way the ´energy´ was flowing.  Another guys was waving the energy from the sarcophagus toward his friends so they could breathe it in.  Giza obviously brings em out like Stonehenge and I couldn´t let that go undocumented.