Aswan, Egypt

After a 14 hour overnight train ride  (982 Kilometers south of Cairo) we arrived in Aswan. Like Cairo, Aswan is rich in temples, history and culture. Located "north" on the Nile River, it has been a main city for transportation of import/explort and electricty as it is home to the largest damns on the river. We first went to visit the damn - yup, it was a damn, but it did help to create Lake Nasser, the largest man made lake in the world. Then we got on a boat and went to visit Philae Temple. I wish I could recall who or why the temple was built, but to be honest, after 5 straight days of Egytian History lessons, the only thing I know for sure is that none of the temples are in the original locations or the original forms. Most have been replicated, restored or relocated because they were distroyed, erroded or sunken under sand or water. Although I never expected for everything to be entirely orignal from thousands of years ago, I was hoping for more authenticity (I guess one could say). This particular temple was on an island half concealed by water, and half defaced during the crusades. 

The next morning, we had to wake at 3:30 am for a 3 hour drive through the Sahara to the Abu Simbil Temples. The interesting thing about this drive is that the government has created a convey to keep tourist safe. All tour groups and busses have to register, then everyone drives together through the desert with a police escort in the front and back to make sure that everyone arrives safely. Let's be honest, no one wants to get a flat tire and end up stranded in the Sahara.... When we arrived at Abu Simbil, we got another history lesson. This temple was again consumed by water so it has since been relocated and recontructed. Originally, the two temples were built for a narsisistic King and his less important wife. We were not allowed to take photos inside, as UNESCO is working to preserve what little is left of the hieroglyphics and carvings on the wall. However, it is exactly what you would picture thinking of Egypt. That night, we went on a Felucca ride down the Nile River for sunset and ate dinner at a local restaurant with the other girls.

 Jen and I also went to the market where we endulged in buying spices, teas and more Egyptian Cotton. The market was lots of fun! Although some of the people were still a bit pushy and aggressive, they were mostly funny and welcoming. The men of the shops kept asking us, "how many camels" so ask us how much we were worth to marry.. it was funny! We also recieved several marriage proposals and cheesy pick up lines. My favorite, a man said, "Hey, I think I know you. I have seen you before.... do you know where? In my dreams!" I had to give him a high-five and a gander in his shop!

Walk Like an Egyptian

It is hard to believe that I am writing this entry sitting in Cairo, Egypt - the oldest civilization in our history, dating back thousands and thousands of years, a place I have dreamed of visiting... and here it is.

After an eleven hour a flight to Abu Dhabi, a quick lay over and another four hour flight, we landing in the dusty desert of Cairo. Thankfully, our tour guide met us right before costumes, got us set away with our visas and baggage, and off to meet Keri, her friend and another tour guide who brough us flowers to welcome us to Egypt! To be honest, I don't even know where to begin to describe my first impressions... dusty, dirty, chaotic, underdeveloped, abandoned, broken... To say that Egypt is in a rough spot at the moment is an understatement as they are undergoing a cultural revolution; attempting to free themselves from of overbearing government and transform the city that they adore. They are fueding with other countries in addition to civil unrest. With all of that being sad, I can appreciate Cairo for its strong sense of pride, respect, and hospitality (contrary to popular belief). As Egypt has held a bad reputation for quite some time, the people of Cairo are trying to gain back loyality from foreigners with unbridaled kindness. People always fear differences, or the unknown. Of course their are cultural differences that I do not understand which cause me to be more cautious than usual but it does not make me afraid of the people or the country itself.

Visually, Cairo may be one of the most unappealing places I have seen. It is a dusty desert - sand on ever inch and lacking color and nature. Lucky for us, we arrived the day of a sand storm, leaving the air rather heavy, gray and gloomy. As we drove through the city, it is clear to see that the majority of the people are poverty stricken. Egypt lacks a proper trash removal system leaving the streets litered with rubbish. People live in unfinished brick buildings without electricity or running water. Because the government collects a heafty tax on buildings once they are completed, contractors begin buildings but leave them incomplete, or begin a building and realize that they do not have the funds to complete it. These buildings are left as a brick frame and abandoned.

So on with the trip... we arrived on Saturday afternoon, and although we were pretty beat from the long day of travel, we hit the ground running. After checking into the hotel and freshening up, we met back up with Keri and some of her longtime mates, Mohammad, Zilla, Fedy, Melissa, and Becky (a combination of local Egyptians and expats) who wanted to take us horeback riding through the Arabian Desert around the parimeter of the Pyramids. We quickly learned that everyone runs on "Egyptian Time" (similar to CPT, island time, and my mother's time) as "just five more minutes" really means an hour or two. We spent so much time waiting... waiting for this person to come, then another person, then waiting in traffic, waiting at the stables, etc. Horseback riding was quite the experience. I can't say I wasn't more than a little apprehensive once I saw herds of underfed but overworked horses and camels that were treated poorly, therefore had a bit of a temper! After the waiting game, I was finally saddled up and galloping through a small village on our way to the desert. It was completely unreal. Let's be honest, how many people can say they have been horseback riding in Arabian desert at dusk next to the Great Pyramids. Unfortunately, 30 minutes or so into our ride (just as I was really getting comfortable), one horse started running up a sandy hill, which in turn caused our other horses to begin to run. I was able to slow mine back down, but Jen's took up and her saddle slipped right off the horse throwing her to the ground! Thankfully, she was just a bit shaken up with a couple bumps and bruises, but what a way to begin our Egyptian experience! After that, we turned around to head back in as it was beginning to get dark! After the horse experience, we went for dinner in Al Azhar Park - a huge space that was once a garbage dump, but now has been transformed into the only green space in Cairo.

the only picture that I have from horseback riding before Jen fell off

The next day, we took it easy, had some lunch, did some shopping in Maadi and meet up with Keri and Fedy again and went to the mall, City Star. Keri wanted to do some girly pampering stuff, so Fedy chaperoned us while we walked around the mall. To be honest, I did feel better having him there! Keri had known Fedy for about 7 years. He is a 24 year old Egyptian and a teacher at an international school in Cairo. He became sort of protective of Jen and I as he insisted on staying with us, gave us lots of tips and information and answered all of my ridiculous questions. The best part though was that no body messed with us while we were with an Egyptian man. It is no secret that Egypt is a male dominate society, in addition to Muslim culture. People stared at us where ever we went, and we later found out that they became rather aggressive when we did not have an Egyptian man with us - but I'll get to that later!

So while Jen was shopping and trying on hundreds of clothes, Fedy was filling me in on Egyptians. He told me that he has never left Egypt, similar to most Egyptians because it is nearly impossible. The Egyptian government believes that if a citizen leaves, he/she will betray the country so it is next to impossible to get a visa out. If someone was lucky enough to be released by the government, there are not many other countries that would grant a visa for an Egyptian since the revolution. I can't imagine being held hostage in my own country, but to them, it is life. He wants to be able to travel, but it has never been an option. Even so, Egyptian citizens even need a passport to travel between different cities within Egypt - and only the upper class 10 percent can afford a passport, let alone the means to travel.

That evening, Jen and I went back to the hotel for a nap to gear up for a long night. Keri and her friends were insistant on showing us the night scene, however, after our nap, Jen was just too tired and her body was beginning to ache more from being thrown off the horse, so she elected to stay in and I went out. We went to a place called Jonny's, located in a large boat with several clubs and restaurants floating on the Nile. They had a DJ and kereoke, and it was a fantastic time! We were drinking beer and singing songs, dancing the night away. Next thing we new, it was nearly 3:00 am and they were kicking us out of the bar! Keri, Melissa and I jumped into a taxi, and of course, Fedy insisted on making sure we got home safely (he really was very, very sweet). Keri also insisted that we stop and get McDonalds for a late night snack. I finally arrived home just before the second "call to prayer" at 4:45!

My Egyptian love, Fedy 

The next morning, we began our city tour through the travel group we arranged. First, we went to see the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. Built for father, son and grandson, the three Pyramids were once the tombs for the mummified bodies of the ancient farrohs. The Spinx was built by the son to resemble his face on top of a lions body and serves as the protector over the Pyramids. We got the go inside of the middle sized Pyramid (for the son), and although we were not suppost to take photos, Jen and I snuck just one!). The Pyramids and the Sphinx were pretty incredible, not as a modern display of architecture, but based on the fact that they were built thousands of years ago sans technology and machinery - each limestone brick of the solid Pyramids weighing a ton! Egyptian tale says that they were created by aliens, but no one actually believes it. Next we took a camel ride around the "panoramic view", and let me tell you that camels are rather scary! My camel's name was Charley Brown, and although he was slow and lethargic, he was also 9 feet tall and very unsteady of top of those humps. Imagine being 9 feet in the air, holding onto only a rope, going straight down a steep hill. Anyway, a once in a lifetime opportunity to take a camel ride at the Pyramids... check.

Dusty day, but there they are... The Great Giza Pyramids 

 No trip to the pyramids is complete without a camel ride

inside the middle pyramid (no pictures allowed)

Next, they took us to Old Cairo city to visit the Hanging Catholic Orthodox Church, a Synogue and a Mosque all in one small square - which is highly unusual. The Hanging Church dates back to the 4th Century AD and was built by Romans ontop of pillars to give the illusion of it hanging from the ground. The Old Cairo city is significant because it is believed to be one of the places that the holy family stayed at along their journey. When Jesus and his mother Mary were told to flee Jeruselum, the family spent three years and two months traveling through Egypt, stopping in Old Cairo for only three nights, hiding out in an underground cellar. Since then, a place of warship has been built on top of the cellar, and the celler has been preserved for worship (although it is blocked to visitors because it often floods).

After a delicious lunch overlooking the Pyramids, we ended our tour at the Khan Kahili Bazaar - a popular market in the city. This is where shit got annoying! Our guide let us go off on our own and gave us a meeting point after an hour. We did want to do a little souviner shopping, but the men at the market were so aggressive. They ran at us with all kinds of cheesy pick up lines selling their products and themselves, trying to pull us in different directions of their shops. One man asked us, "Would you like to give me the chance to make you happy?" Another, "If you come buy something, I can marry you right now!" And another, "Hey honey, let me make you happy, dont break my heart!" I put on my sunglasses and tried to ignore most of it, but to be honest, I thought they were playful and funny! I did find a shop with a kind man who did not talk to me while I parused his shop, and gave me a decent price on some small token items. Jen and I also got a couple Egyptian Cotton tunics.

As a side note, I will say that Egyptian men are rather good looking and very charasmatic - tall, dark features, muscular build - like a mix of middle eastern and latino. As touching and public displays of effection are not part of their culture, they have to be smooth talkers. They also love foreign women because sex before marriage is strickly forbidden, they date foriegn women, sleeping with them, then go back to marry the virgins within their own kind.

Anyway, at the end of the tour, we were taken to the trainstation to board an overnight sleeping train headed for Aswan...