Monday March 20
On Monday, we flew to Cairo and checked into our sweet old hotel, the Nile Hilton. Our room was enormous and not at all the sterile, place-less space I've come to expect of high-end hotels. We had a little balcony overlooking a court yard and some of the city beyond.
We were also a stone's throw from the Egyptian museum, and we headed over there for an afternoon tour, our last from our guide, Essam. The museum is not enormous, but it is stuffed full of things. In fact, at one point, I looked up and saw a little blue pottery hippo. It turns out this guy is fairly famous, but it was about five feet up on top of something else, with a typically badly typed piece of paper explaining what it was.
The museum contains tremendous treasures, including the contents of Tutankhamun's tomb, so valuable, that I'm sure they have no possible assignable value. It was a thrill to see them.
An amusing thing happened in the bath room. It was located at the landing half way between the first and second floors. I went in, and saw a sign in four languages that said "Please no tipping." A woman handed me about six squares of toilet paper and asked for money. I pointed out the sign and she said "No, that's only for *this* bathroom" and pointed out the one with the picture of a wheelchair on it. At this point, I was used to Egyptian logic, gave her some money, and went to the bathroom area for able bodied people. On the way out, she again pointed out the sign and as I walked the rest of the way to the first floor, I mused about how someone in a wheelchair just might climb half a flight of stairs to get to that bathroom. (Or a full flight of stairs to get to the second floor, but I digress.) But how thoughtful of the Egyptians to provide one wheelchair accessible bathroom for which you didn't have to tip for your six squares of toilet paper.
I finally stumbled out and went back to our room via a few shops. It was then that I noticed the tremendous police presence in the area. I'm not sure if they were protecting us, or the museum, or if it was because Prince Charles was in town.
Tuesday March 21
We went to Coptic Cairo by subway (cheap and convenient if the subway goes where you're headed). The settlement in this little village goes back to about the 6th Century BC, and it's where many Christians worship (there are more than 20 churches in one square kilometer). You find one of a few entrances into the old wall and duck almost underground to a series of narrow alleys, and then just stumble on churches. Most are Coptic; a few are Greek orthodox.
It's also home of the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in the country. When we left the synagogue proper, we walked around the grounds a bit. We stumbled on a little house and went inside. It's apparently the third largest Jewish library in Egypt, with 3000 volumes. The man who welcomed us said that they have books in Arabic, Hebrew transliterated into Arabic, Ladino, Yiddish, Hebrew, and perhaps a few other languages. He even showed us a 300-year old book published in Italy, that at least the worms have been enjoying.
We met a Jewish vendor on the street who told us that there are 42 Jewish families living in Cairo. I'd heard that the synagogue was no longer in active use, so perhaps there's another temple where they can worship.
Also, at a Christian church, we saw a man in long black robes with a black skullcap. People were coming up to him and kissing his ring and his robe... while he was talking on a cell phone.
The churches were beautiful, with lots of inlaid mother-of-pearl, light, and surprisingly, live birds. There's of course a lot of history, with one church claiming that Jesus, Joseph, and Mary came to its crypt when they were wandering around Egypt.
For lunch and some shopping, we went to Souk al Foustat, a fair trade crafts center that's enough off the beaten path not to receive a lot of visitors (at least while we were there). There were some very lovely items, including cross-stitch, hand-made body lotions, wooden toys, cut metal lampshades, and so on.
Wednesday March 22
For our last day in Cairo, we headed to the huge souk, Khan al-Khalili. We first went to the Street of the Tentmakers, which required us to go through a souk where Egyptians go for their table and bed linens, clothing, and so on. This is a very old part of the city, with narrow winding streets, vendors spilling out of their shops, mosques everywhere, hand-carved wooden grills, garbage in the streets, wild cats, lots of crowds, and of course, the occasional car or mule and cart pushing through it all.
After going through one of the city gates, we were finally on the SotTM. They do still make a few tents there, but now, it's a street where people sit in the dark of their shop embroidering appliqued banners and pillow covers. The work is all very fine. Some of the designs are bold and colorful with few pieces; others are intricate and just stunning.
Then, back to the Khan al-Khalili. By this time, things were starting to heat up -- more people were out, more vendors were open. The Khan is immense, and people sell everything, both to Egyptians and to tourists. You can get all sorts of brass and copper items, tee shirts, stuffed toy camels, scarves of any variety, leather hassocks, expensive jewelry, beautiful antiques, collectibles, carpets, glass, stationery, belly dance supplies, spices, and on and on.
You'd duck down one narrow alleyway and be overwhelmed by tourist tchotchkes. We ducked down another alleyway and were suddenly in the land of spices, about two blocks long. We turned down an even narrower path and there were more spices, though not aimed at the tourist trade.
We finally sat down in a little coffee house (not the famous one, but the lesser one which I think is right next door). We were seated on benches and chairs on a corner outside, so we could watch the entire world go by. A mute shoe shiner came up to us but had little luck with our hiking boots. Various vendors tried to sell us leather wallets, badly made hassocks, fake rolexes, and so on. And a little kitty came over to visit and climbed up on my bag. I finally put him next to me where he went to sleep for a while, shutting out the hustle of the marketplace.
We went into a jewelry shop, where our companions seriously looked at some serious jewelry, and said they'd revisit the decision on the store's web site.
Finally, another woman and I decided we couldn't take anymore (shopping is exhausting after all), and we settled into an overpriced coffeeshop on a busy square while the menfolk went off to a local mosque and got a great tour. Another member of our tour group joined us at our table for a while before drifting off.
Thursday March 23
And home. We got up early, ate breakfast, and got on the bus to head to the airport. It was then that our tour organizer realized that when he'd gone to confirm our flight, the airline had failed to return one of the tickets. After a half-hour delay, we left for the airport, where we sat in an entry hall for an hour and a half while the tour leaders tried to sort out the mess.
With half an hour to go before takeoff for New York, all our luggage was wheeled to an inspection chute, where we also placed our carry-on luggage. As soon as we each gathered our own luggage, we took it to the checkin desk. We then proceeded to a passport control desk, and then down long halls to the gate, where our carry-on luggage was inspected again. We finally got on the plane with moments to spare. Early in the trip, someone called the experience of being in Egypt as one of "organized chaos." This last bit of incompetence certainly cemented the observation.
We were home 21 hours after getting on the bus, and were glad to see our own personal beds once again.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Luxor, revisited
Sunday, March 19
The last night on our ship, the crew made a special cake, which they served on plates with "See you soon" written in chocolate. They came out to the dining room in force, singing and playing drums, and we formed a huge conga line around the dining room.
And then on Sunday, we left the boat. Some of our group departed to go home. The rest of us continued on with a day of touring in Luxor.
We went back to the West Bank. I forgot to mention that along the way, there's a giant bill board with no words. It just shows a number of pharaohs and Mubarak (the current president) wearing dark sunglasses. The term "height of arrogance" comes to mind, and I don't think the Egyptians are very fond of the image either.
Anyways, we stopped briefly at two enormous stone statues in front of a huge sight currently being excavated. We proceeded on to the Valley of the Queens (earlier in the trip, we visited the Valley of the Kings). The VoQ contains tombs (and long passage ways) with beautiful, intricate paintings. There's also a small temple and the remains of the "workmen's village," the place where the artisans who decorated all the tombs, worked.
We ate lunch at a sweet outdoor cafe where there were cats. Of course, we all sacrificed some meat to pay homage to these godly (but dirty and thin) creatures.
And then we were taken to our hotel, where we had a small balcony overlooking the Nile and from which we could see the tomb of Hatshepsut, way across on the West Bank. During the afternoon, Robert relaxed, and I set out with friends for more souk and shopping.
We first searched out a Fair Trade store that we'd heard about. We finally found it, and it contained some beautiful hand-crafted treasures. We all bought some small items, and then had a lovely chat with the shopkeeper, a Turkish woman, educated as an archaeologist in England. She plied her trade in Europe but not in Egypt.
We continued on to the souk where we bargained our little hearts out. One of the members of the group seemed a little overwhelmed and kept walking away just before making a purchase. As I followed in my friend's wake, I heard the dazed shopkeeper say "what just happened?"
The last night on our ship, the crew made a special cake, which they served on plates with "See you soon" written in chocolate. They came out to the dining room in force, singing and playing drums, and we formed a huge conga line around the dining room.
And then on Sunday, we left the boat. Some of our group departed to go home. The rest of us continued on with a day of touring in Luxor.
We went back to the West Bank. I forgot to mention that along the way, there's a giant bill board with no words. It just shows a number of pharaohs and Mubarak (the current president) wearing dark sunglasses. The term "height of arrogance" comes to mind, and I don't think the Egyptians are very fond of the image either.
Anyways, we stopped briefly at two enormous stone statues in front of a huge sight currently being excavated. We proceeded on to the Valley of the Queens (earlier in the trip, we visited the Valley of the Kings). The VoQ contains tombs (and long passage ways) with beautiful, intricate paintings. There's also a small temple and the remains of the "workmen's village," the place where the artisans who decorated all the tombs, worked.
We ate lunch at a sweet outdoor cafe where there were cats. Of course, we all sacrificed some meat to pay homage to these godly (but dirty and thin) creatures.
And then we were taken to our hotel, where we had a small balcony overlooking the Nile and from which we could see the tomb of Hatshepsut, way across on the West Bank. During the afternoon, Robert relaxed, and I set out with friends for more souk and shopping.
We first searched out a Fair Trade store that we'd heard about. We finally found it, and it contained some beautiful hand-crafted treasures. We all bought some small items, and then had a lovely chat with the shopkeeper, a Turkish woman, educated as an archaeologist in England. She plied her trade in Europe but not in Egypt.
We continued on to the souk where we bargained our little hearts out. One of the members of the group seemed a little overwhelmed and kept walking away just before making a purchase. As I followed in my friend's wake, I heard the dazed shopkeeper say "what just happened?"
Aswan, and then north
Wednesday March 15
We continued our sail south to Aswan, about as far as we could go in a boat. In the morning, we went to a huge quarry, site of the Unifinished Obelisk. It's an enormously long piece, finished on three sides, resting on its side, still attached. Apparently, part way through the effort, a flaw was discovered and it was left where it is. I kept imagining the fate of the poor stone mason who mis-struck his chisel at a crucial moment and left a crack in the obelisk.
We scrambled around the quarry and saw some wild dogs curled up, apparently comfortable, sleeping on the rocks. We had a nice walk through the shops on the way back, and in the middle went into a little book store; our guide said their prices were some of the best in Egypt, and I got some nice gifts there.
We took a boat ride to Philae, which is a temple on a beautiful little island. Our boat ride over made me think of romance on the Mediterranean; it was beautifully picturesque. The temple is not on its original site; apparently, as the waters of the Nile rose during the construction of the Aswan Dam, the temple became submerged, so it was moved, stone by stone to a site 20 m higher. It was there that an Egyptian TV crew interviewed our group about all the fun we were having on our trip.
We then went for a quick visit to the Aswan Dam. It turns out there's more than one dam. One was built at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century. The other was built with help from the Soviets after the US, the UK, and the World Bank pulled out of the project. The ride over is creepy because you're not supposed to take any pictures from the windows of your vehicle. We couldn't see anything of interest, but I suppose they're concerned about the dam itself. There is a huge military presence in the area.
At the top of the dam, we took a few pictures (there are some nice views), but there are signs saying not to use video cameras or zoom lenses. There were some cute wild dogs posing on top of the wall.
To top off the afternoon, we got into two feluccas (sail boats with canvas sails) and headed over to Kitchener Island, where there's a refreshing botanical garden. Most of the "gardens" I saw in Egypt were plots of grass with a tree or two, which I suppose is a welcome respite in a land known mostly for its desert. This garden was more like what I'm used to. For wildlife spotting, we saw some very adorable cats, small, of course, and some quite affectionate. OK, true confession: I couldn't resist petting one cat who was so friendly I wanted to take him home. There were also a lot of birds making an unusually unpleasant but amusing racket.
Back in the feluccas, we sailed past the mausoleum of the Aga Khan, another Nile island, and a beautiful old hotel in another part of Aswan.
Thursday March 16
On Thursday, many members of our group got up early to fly to Abu Simbel, further south than Aswan. Robert and I had opted out, so he went to the Nubian Museum, and I went to a souk with some friends. The Nubians are dark-skinned Egyptians whose homeland was wiped out during the construction of the Aswan dam. In apology, the Egyptian museum presented this museum to the people.
The souk -- a giant outdoor market -- was great fun. On our walk over, we were harangued by horse-and-buggy drivers to use their services. A man managed to pick us up and kept directing us, walking with us, disappearing, then reappearing again, all in an effort to get us to visit his store, which we did. A few of us looked at clothing, though I thought that some of the prices were a bit high. By the time we came downstairs, one of our (male) colleagues was drinking tea with the shopkeepers and wearing an elegant beaded belly dancer's cap.
We eventually pried ourselves loose and wandered through the market from stall to stall. There were certainly tourist items, including shawls, musical instruments, statues, jewelry, beads, and so on. There were little alleyways with stores that the Egyptians go to when they buy clothes. I was fascinated by the women's underclothing -- the bras in particular were intricate, with patterns, cut work, embroidery -- who knew what was going on under all that conservative clothing?
And there was meat, displayed and handled in ways that made me glad to be a vegetarian. There was plenty of fresh fruit, bottled water, and other small items.
That afternoon, we sailed for our next destination, Esna. And the next morning, when everyone made a brief visit to the temple, I rested on the boat, bundled up against a brief but annoying respiratory annoyance.
Friday, March 17
And then, just as quickly as we arrived, we left, headed for Luxor. We picked up a heavy police escort, including several policemen who came on board and a police boat that followed us to our next destination. The police brought with them a heavy metal stand which they set up on the back of the boat and on which they placed a rather large gun. We were all set if someone attacked us from the back. We arrived at our destination in the late afternoon, but it was not ok to get off the boat. Through a series of fences, gardens, and police, we were kept very separate from the residents of the area.
We were in Qen, apparently a fundamentalist area. The Egyptian government is desperate to prevent more attacks on tourists, so goes to extreme lengths to protect those who visit. I'm not sure how effective it was, but it felt very unreal.
Saturday, March 18
The purpose of our visit north was to see the Temple of Hathor in Dendara. We climbed up to the roof (though couldn't get past the walls, so couldn't see the view from there). There are some rooms with magnicent carvings, including a casting of the original zodiac ceiling. Of course, the ride over was quite exciting, as our tour bus was escorted by police convoy and traffic was shut down while we were passing through. As someone later said, it makes one rather a sitting duck. They mean well, but I don't think the protection provided is very effective. Fortunately, there were no incidents.
And then we headed back to Luxor.
We continued our sail south to Aswan, about as far as we could go in a boat. In the morning, we went to a huge quarry, site of the Unifinished Obelisk. It's an enormously long piece, finished on three sides, resting on its side, still attached. Apparently, part way through the effort, a flaw was discovered and it was left where it is. I kept imagining the fate of the poor stone mason who mis-struck his chisel at a crucial moment and left a crack in the obelisk.
We scrambled around the quarry and saw some wild dogs curled up, apparently comfortable, sleeping on the rocks. We had a nice walk through the shops on the way back, and in the middle went into a little book store; our guide said their prices were some of the best in Egypt, and I got some nice gifts there.
We took a boat ride to Philae, which is a temple on a beautiful little island. Our boat ride over made me think of romance on the Mediterranean; it was beautifully picturesque. The temple is not on its original site; apparently, as the waters of the Nile rose during the construction of the Aswan Dam, the temple became submerged, so it was moved, stone by stone to a site 20 m higher. It was there that an Egyptian TV crew interviewed our group about all the fun we were having on our trip.
We then went for a quick visit to the Aswan Dam. It turns out there's more than one dam. One was built at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century. The other was built with help from the Soviets after the US, the UK, and the World Bank pulled out of the project. The ride over is creepy because you're not supposed to take any pictures from the windows of your vehicle. We couldn't see anything of interest, but I suppose they're concerned about the dam itself. There is a huge military presence in the area.
At the top of the dam, we took a few pictures (there are some nice views), but there are signs saying not to use video cameras or zoom lenses. There were some cute wild dogs posing on top of the wall.
To top off the afternoon, we got into two feluccas (sail boats with canvas sails) and headed over to Kitchener Island, where there's a refreshing botanical garden. Most of the "gardens" I saw in Egypt were plots of grass with a tree or two, which I suppose is a welcome respite in a land known mostly for its desert. This garden was more like what I'm used to. For wildlife spotting, we saw some very adorable cats, small, of course, and some quite affectionate. OK, true confession: I couldn't resist petting one cat who was so friendly I wanted to take him home. There were also a lot of birds making an unusually unpleasant but amusing racket.
Back in the feluccas, we sailed past the mausoleum of the Aga Khan, another Nile island, and a beautiful old hotel in another part of Aswan.
Thursday March 16
On Thursday, many members of our group got up early to fly to Abu Simbel, further south than Aswan. Robert and I had opted out, so he went to the Nubian Museum, and I went to a souk with some friends. The Nubians are dark-skinned Egyptians whose homeland was wiped out during the construction of the Aswan dam. In apology, the Egyptian museum presented this museum to the people.
The souk -- a giant outdoor market -- was great fun. On our walk over, we were harangued by horse-and-buggy drivers to use their services. A man managed to pick us up and kept directing us, walking with us, disappearing, then reappearing again, all in an effort to get us to visit his store, which we did. A few of us looked at clothing, though I thought that some of the prices were a bit high. By the time we came downstairs, one of our (male) colleagues was drinking tea with the shopkeepers and wearing an elegant beaded belly dancer's cap.
We eventually pried ourselves loose and wandered through the market from stall to stall. There were certainly tourist items, including shawls, musical instruments, statues, jewelry, beads, and so on. There were little alleyways with stores that the Egyptians go to when they buy clothes. I was fascinated by the women's underclothing -- the bras in particular were intricate, with patterns, cut work, embroidery -- who knew what was going on under all that conservative clothing?
And there was meat, displayed and handled in ways that made me glad to be a vegetarian. There was plenty of fresh fruit, bottled water, and other small items.
That afternoon, we sailed for our next destination, Esna. And the next morning, when everyone made a brief visit to the temple, I rested on the boat, bundled up against a brief but annoying respiratory annoyance.
Friday, March 17
And then, just as quickly as we arrived, we left, headed for Luxor. We picked up a heavy police escort, including several policemen who came on board and a police boat that followed us to our next destination. The police brought with them a heavy metal stand which they set up on the back of the boat and on which they placed a rather large gun. We were all set if someone attacked us from the back. We arrived at our destination in the late afternoon, but it was not ok to get off the boat. Through a series of fences, gardens, and police, we were kept very separate from the residents of the area.
We were in Qen, apparently a fundamentalist area. The Egyptian government is desperate to prevent more attacks on tourists, so goes to extreme lengths to protect those who visit. I'm not sure how effective it was, but it felt very unreal.
Saturday, March 18
The purpose of our visit north was to see the Temple of Hathor in Dendara. We climbed up to the roof (though couldn't get past the walls, so couldn't see the view from there). There are some rooms with magnicent carvings, including a casting of the original zodiac ceiling. Of course, the ride over was quite exciting, as our tour bus was escorted by police convoy and traffic was shut down while we were passing through. As someone later said, it makes one rather a sitting duck. They mean well, but I don't think the protection provided is very effective. Fortunately, there were no incidents.
And then we headed back to Luxor.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Cruising South
Tuesday March 14
On Tuesday, we were in Edfu. After breakfast, we went out to the street, and in groups of four, took horse-drawn carriages to the Temple of Horus. I set about to wandering and soon found myself behind the inner sanctuary, listening to a French tour guide describing a wooden barque (ship). He said that this was a reproduction; the original was in the Louvre, in Paris. The tourists all murmured "Ah, Le Louvre," and then moved on. I found all sorts of stair cases and went exploring inside and out.
We continued our cruise to Kom Ombo. The temple is visible from way off -- it's on a promontory at a bend in the river, and the approach is impressive. There were beautiful gardens surrounding the temple, but apparently, there had been some terrorism there, so there were also lots of guns in evidence.
One of the emphases at this temple is the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. Another is the cult of the crocodile. I patiently waited in line to go into a little building where I saw (with the help of my flashlight -- it was dark) decaying crocodile mummies in dusty glass cases. That done, I think I never have to see another mummy up close again.
On Tuesday, we were in Edfu. After breakfast, we went out to the street, and in groups of four, took horse-drawn carriages to the Temple of Horus. I set about to wandering and soon found myself behind the inner sanctuary, listening to a French tour guide describing a wooden barque (ship). He said that this was a reproduction; the original was in the Louvre, in Paris. The tourists all murmured "Ah, Le Louvre," and then moved on. I found all sorts of stair cases and went exploring inside and out.
We continued our cruise to Kom Ombo. The temple is visible from way off -- it's on a promontory at a bend in the river, and the approach is impressive. There were beautiful gardens surrounding the temple, but apparently, there had been some terrorism there, so there were also lots of guns in evidence.
One of the emphases at this temple is the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. Another is the cult of the crocodile. I patiently waited in line to go into a little building where I saw (with the help of my flashlight -- it was dark) decaying crocodile mummies in dusty glass cases. That done, I think I never have to see another mummy up close again.
Luxor
Sunday March 12
We got up early for our flight to Luxor, about 400 miles south of (and upstream from) Cairo. We were somehow late for the flight, so were just shuffled onto the plane, with little regard for security.
In fact, security was a bit of a joke for most of the trip -- we regularly set off metal detectors, but were waved through. Many people carried guns, but one started to wonder if half the people who had them knew how to use them. The one time I was wanded, they seemed curious about the area between my ankles and knees, but declined to search for potential problems any further up.
Once in Luxor, we transferred to our "cruise ship," the Royal Serenade, our home for the next seven nights. After lunch, we went on our first excursion, to the Karnak Temple in Luxor. This is an immense temple with many pillars, all containing bas reliefs. There are some obelisks and statues, and a sacred lake. I couldn't listen to Essam for long, so wondered about on my own and felt completely overwhelmed (in a good way).
After a short bus ride back to the river, we made a detour to the Luxor Temple, this just as I was feeling that I couldn't absorb any more. By this time, I was fairly hot and tired, and wished I had more energy to appreciate this beautiful spot with city sprouting all around it. There's an avenue of smallish (lion-sized) sphinxes leading back to Karnak, so I spent some time walking up and down between the two rows as far as the current excavation goes. It was quite fascinating to ride over city streets and see other parts of the rows as they are being excavated, again, in the midst of the modern hustle and bustle.
I also discovered that all temples have what appears to be a stone "junk yard" -- a place to toss stones that haven't been placed yet. Some are carved, others contain hieroglyphs and bas reliefs. In the Luxor temple yard, I found a tiny sphinx model, perhaps smaller than a house cat.
That evening, the boat's dining room staff came out at dessert time and sang a special song, complete with much drumming. Our dessert that night was served on plates with "Welcome" written in chocolate.
That evening was also the first night we danced. I was delighted with the musicians and pleased with the callers. The dancers were really good too, and quite supportive, enough so that I started to relax a little about the English part of the dance. (I find English dancers to be critical and mean, which makes me tense up, which usually causes me to make mistakes, which seems to justify all the criticism.)
Monday March 13
Our activities in Luxor had been restricted to the east bank, where most people live. On Tuesday, we went to the west bank, the site of the Valley of the Kings. This is where one finds the tombs of many Ramses, and where Tutankhamun's tomb and treasures were discovered. (The treasures are now in the Egyptian museum; we saw them later on in the trip.) We visited two tombs, which consist of long passage ways and side alleys with rooms off them, all elaborately painted and decorated.
It's cool and a little stuffy in the tombs, but outside, the sun is relentless and the landscape forbidding. I wonder how anyone chose that site for their burial, or how anyone managed to uncover tombs after the fact.
Later, we went to Deir al-Bahri to the Temple of Hatshepsut, a woman who somehow managed to break into the male-only brotherhood of pharaohs and rule Egypt for 20 years. It's a grand temple seemingly springing out of the mountainside, and appearing from a distance like a modern hotel.
We got up early for our flight to Luxor, about 400 miles south of (and upstream from) Cairo. We were somehow late for the flight, so were just shuffled onto the plane, with little regard for security.
In fact, security was a bit of a joke for most of the trip -- we regularly set off metal detectors, but were waved through. Many people carried guns, but one started to wonder if half the people who had them knew how to use them. The one time I was wanded, they seemed curious about the area between my ankles and knees, but declined to search for potential problems any further up.
Once in Luxor, we transferred to our "cruise ship," the Royal Serenade, our home for the next seven nights. After lunch, we went on our first excursion, to the Karnak Temple in Luxor. This is an immense temple with many pillars, all containing bas reliefs. There are some obelisks and statues, and a sacred lake. I couldn't listen to Essam for long, so wondered about on my own and felt completely overwhelmed (in a good way).
After a short bus ride back to the river, we made a detour to the Luxor Temple, this just as I was feeling that I couldn't absorb any more. By this time, I was fairly hot and tired, and wished I had more energy to appreciate this beautiful spot with city sprouting all around it. There's an avenue of smallish (lion-sized) sphinxes leading back to Karnak, so I spent some time walking up and down between the two rows as far as the current excavation goes. It was quite fascinating to ride over city streets and see other parts of the rows as they are being excavated, again, in the midst of the modern hustle and bustle.
I also discovered that all temples have what appears to be a stone "junk yard" -- a place to toss stones that haven't been placed yet. Some are carved, others contain hieroglyphs and bas reliefs. In the Luxor temple yard, I found a tiny sphinx model, perhaps smaller than a house cat.
That evening, the boat's dining room staff came out at dessert time and sang a special song, complete with much drumming. Our dessert that night was served on plates with "Welcome" written in chocolate.
That evening was also the first night we danced. I was delighted with the musicians and pleased with the callers. The dancers were really good too, and quite supportive, enough so that I started to relax a little about the English part of the dance. (I find English dancers to be critical and mean, which makes me tense up, which usually causes me to make mistakes, which seems to justify all the criticism.)
Monday March 13
Our activities in Luxor had been restricted to the east bank, where most people live. On Tuesday, we went to the west bank, the site of the Valley of the Kings. This is where one finds the tombs of many Ramses, and where Tutankhamun's tomb and treasures were discovered. (The treasures are now in the Egyptian museum; we saw them later on in the trip.) We visited two tombs, which consist of long passage ways and side alleys with rooms off them, all elaborately painted and decorated.
It's cool and a little stuffy in the tombs, but outside, the sun is relentless and the landscape forbidding. I wonder how anyone chose that site for their burial, or how anyone managed to uncover tombs after the fact.
Later, we went to Deir al-Bahri to the Temple of Hatshepsut, a woman who somehow managed to break into the male-only brotherhood of pharaohs and rule Egypt for 20 years. It's a grand temple seemingly springing out of the mountainside, and appearing from a distance like a modern hotel.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Egypt -- first days
Thursday and Friday, March 9 and 10
Our plane took off from JFK airport, and we decided to rent a car and drive down rather than fly. Our trip was nail biting; with no traffic delays, we should have arrived at JFK with more than three hours to spare. Instead, there was a nine-mile backup on our route and we arrived an hour and ten minutes before our plane took off. Fortunately, we were allowed to check in, we were some of the last people to board the plane, but we were able to sit together for the ten-and-a-half hour flight ot Cairo.
In Cairo, we were met by representatives of the tour company and eventually made our way to the Mena House Hotel, near the Pyramids. The hotel is old and elegant; our bedroom was comfortable, with its own little balcony looking out onto a quiet lawn. A quick walk around the grounds led us to the swimming pool (which I never saw anyone swimming in), from which you could see the tops of the famous Giza pyramids.
We then collapsed and napped until dinner, which was mediocre, but which was followed by a show featuring belly dancers and a whirling dervish who went on for quite a while. At dinner, though, we did get to be with our entire group of 55 for the first time.
Saturday March 11
We met Essam, our tour guide and Egyptologist for most of our trip. Essam carried an Egyptian flag high over his head so that we could follow him even in a crowd. He was warm and funny and knowledgeable about ancient Egypt and modern life. He had some amusing sayings -- some day, I expect to hear his booming voice again saying "Shake a leg" or "mashie mashie" (the equivalent of "ok ok"). Another cute turn of phrase was his description of that place we all sought out after a long hard day looking at temples and tombs -- the "temple of relief;" we were nearly always happy it was there, and nearly always regretted having used it.
Our first stop was in Saqqara, a short drive from Cairo. I got to see the demarcation line between irrigated line and desert; one abruptly stops and the other starts. I got a nice taste of how very dry and punishing the Egyptian sun is and never again went out without a bottle of water. We also saw our first working camels -- the Antiquities police use them to patrol the borders of sites.
Saqqara is a huge burial ground which includes many well-preserved bas reliefs of activities of daily life. The Egyptians believed in life after death and wanted to recreate their life on earth in the next life. There were scenes of eating, dancing, playing music, and some amusing scenes of hippos and crocodiles in a mortal embrace. Another part of the area had smallish pyramids and a hippostyle hall. There was also a causeway down to the Nile. It was once covered, and a little of the original ceiling, which is painted with stars, remains.
After lunch, we went to the pyramids. Robert went in one and reported that while he was glad to have been inside, he was also glad that I'd stayed outside; they're apparently claustrophobic inside. A tour group member and I walked around one of the pyramids and were accosted by a man who wanted to wrap me in his shawl and have us take pictures. I just wasn't into it. (For one thing, the shawl smelled like it had been on an unwashed camel, which was actually likely since the man had his camel with him. For another thing, I hadn't quite gotten the hang of baksheesh yet.) We finally escaped and contined our stroll.
It turns out that you can go to the stables near the Pyramids and ride camels or horses, but you usually need to start early in the morning, and we were pooped, so we missed our chance. Maybe next time?
Despite signs forbidding the practice, we did see people climbing the pyramids. Apparently, climbing has been banned since a few tourists fell to their deaths who knows how many years ago.
We zoomed over to a spot where we had a panoramic view of the three Giza pyramids and then, for dessert, went to visit the Sphinx (or the Esphincus as the Egyptians call it -- they can't put all those consonants together). I was quite moved to be in its presence and suddenly realized I had always wanted to see it, but had never quite dared to voice that hope to myself. It was much smaller than I'd expected, while the pyramids were larger than I'd thought they'd be.
It turns out there are other sphinxes in Egypt, but none this big, at least none that we saw. There's a whole avenue of lion-sized sphinxes in Luxor, and a tiny sphinx behind the Luxor temple.
Our plane took off from JFK airport, and we decided to rent a car and drive down rather than fly. Our trip was nail biting; with no traffic delays, we should have arrived at JFK with more than three hours to spare. Instead, there was a nine-mile backup on our route and we arrived an hour and ten minutes before our plane took off. Fortunately, we were allowed to check in, we were some of the last people to board the plane, but we were able to sit together for the ten-and-a-half hour flight ot Cairo.
In Cairo, we were met by representatives of the tour company and eventually made our way to the Mena House Hotel, near the Pyramids. The hotel is old and elegant; our bedroom was comfortable, with its own little balcony looking out onto a quiet lawn. A quick walk around the grounds led us to the swimming pool (which I never saw anyone swimming in), from which you could see the tops of the famous Giza pyramids.
We then collapsed and napped until dinner, which was mediocre, but which was followed by a show featuring belly dancers and a whirling dervish who went on for quite a while. At dinner, though, we did get to be with our entire group of 55 for the first time.
Saturday March 11
We met Essam, our tour guide and Egyptologist for most of our trip. Essam carried an Egyptian flag high over his head so that we could follow him even in a crowd. He was warm and funny and knowledgeable about ancient Egypt and modern life. He had some amusing sayings -- some day, I expect to hear his booming voice again saying "Shake a leg" or "mashie mashie" (the equivalent of "ok ok"). Another cute turn of phrase was his description of that place we all sought out after a long hard day looking at temples and tombs -- the "temple of relief;" we were nearly always happy it was there, and nearly always regretted having used it.
Our first stop was in Saqqara, a short drive from Cairo. I got to see the demarcation line between irrigated line and desert; one abruptly stops and the other starts. I got a nice taste of how very dry and punishing the Egyptian sun is and never again went out without a bottle of water. We also saw our first working camels -- the Antiquities police use them to patrol the borders of sites.
Saqqara is a huge burial ground which includes many well-preserved bas reliefs of activities of daily life. The Egyptians believed in life after death and wanted to recreate their life on earth in the next life. There were scenes of eating, dancing, playing music, and some amusing scenes of hippos and crocodiles in a mortal embrace. Another part of the area had smallish pyramids and a hippostyle hall. There was also a causeway down to the Nile. It was once covered, and a little of the original ceiling, which is painted with stars, remains.
After lunch, we went to the pyramids. Robert went in one and reported that while he was glad to have been inside, he was also glad that I'd stayed outside; they're apparently claustrophobic inside. A tour group member and I walked around one of the pyramids and were accosted by a man who wanted to wrap me in his shawl and have us take pictures. I just wasn't into it. (For one thing, the shawl smelled like it had been on an unwashed camel, which was actually likely since the man had his camel with him. For another thing, I hadn't quite gotten the hang of baksheesh yet.) We finally escaped and contined our stroll.
It turns out that you can go to the stables near the Pyramids and ride camels or horses, but you usually need to start early in the morning, and we were pooped, so we missed our chance. Maybe next time?
Despite signs forbidding the practice, we did see people climbing the pyramids. Apparently, climbing has been banned since a few tourists fell to their deaths who knows how many years ago.
We zoomed over to a spot where we had a panoramic view of the three Giza pyramids and then, for dessert, went to visit the Sphinx (or the Esphincus as the Egyptians call it -- they can't put all those consonants together). I was quite moved to be in its presence and suddenly realized I had always wanted to see it, but had never quite dared to voice that hope to myself. It was much smaller than I'd expected, while the pyramids were larger than I'd thought they'd be.
It turns out there are other sphinxes in Egypt, but none this big, at least none that we saw. There's a whole avenue of lion-sized sphinxes in Luxor, and a tiny sphinx behind the Luxor temple.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Trip to Egypt -- overview
We've been back from Egypt for a few days. There were so many sights, sounds, humorous moments, contradictions, and anachronisms. In this first post, I'll write a little about my impressions. In subsequent posts, I plan to describe what we did during our two-week visit.
Egypt is about the size of France, perhaps 650 miles north-to-south and 750 miles east-to-west. It's basically a huge desert, and would be entirely devoid of plants except that the Nile runs South to North, creating a green band on either side. With the help of irrigation canals, the band includes palm trees and much agriculture. However, the demarcation between irrigated land and desert is sharp. The two do not meld into each other, but rather stop and start abruptly.
The country has about 60 million inhabitants, 10% of which are Christian (mostly Coptic, with some Greek Orthodox), and the rest are Muslim, minus a few hundred Jews. About one-quarter of the population live in Cairo, jammed together. Most of the rest live along the Nile, and a few live in the desert, presumably near or on an oasis.
Muslims range from devout to religious-in-name-only. At one end of the spectrum, there are prayers five times a day. We saw many people praying, either in a mosque or just where they happened to be at the time. In Cairo one day, I saw a man who had pulled his car over to the side of the road and was standing shoeless on a little rug he'd taken out of his trunk.
Women typically wear clothes that cover them from neck to wrist to ankle, and wear large scarves on their heads. Men, especially if they live outside of Cairo, tend to wear long robes (called gallibayas) and turbans or scarves around their necks. However, in Cairo, you see all sorts of outfits, ranging from relatively conservative clothing that you'd see in the west to burkas and other head-to-toe coverings on women, who are presumably visiting from other countries.
There's a huge disparity between wealthy and poor; most people are poor even if they work, and supplement their salaries with a steady stream of small amounts of baksheesh in return for small favors. Everyone has clean drinking water (though travelers need to drink bottled water) and there's plenty of food and electricity. However, housing is well below American standards.
Transportation can be by car, though outside of Cairo, there don't seem to be a lot of private cars. It's typical to see people on bicycles or mules or horses or mule-drawn carts. You might see three people on one small motor bike. Along the Nile, there are many sail boats, called feluccas. People also use small, covered motorized boats for commuting. Tourists can ride on camels (we didn't get a chance to do so), in horse-drawn carriages, and on feluccas.
In Cairo, there are many fewer animals, at least downtown, and huge numbers of cars; rush hour seems to last about 20 hours a day. Driving is awful, which is saying a lot for someone who is used to driving in Boston. Drivers tend to weave in and out of traffic, create extra lanes, and treat traffic lights as mere suggestions or guidelines.
People are warm and funny, quick to laugh. There's a bit of a conflict when you're a tourist, of course, because people see you as a giant wallet. But if you smile at someone, you're likely to receive a warm smile in return. On the other hand, women are advised not to go out alone, and it's best if you can go out accompanied by a man.
Vendors are typically aggressive, and feel free to touch you, brush their wares against your skin, and follow you down the street if you decide not to buy from them. On the other hand, even the vendors have a good sense of humor and are good at verbal volleys.
I also found as a tourist that the way had been paved by cranky British and German tourists. Being an American tourist with relatively low expectations is a real boon in most areas, except for food. I had gone to the Middle East expecting to eat middle eastern food (which is called "oriental food" there). Unfortunately, we were mostly served British and German food (overcooked vegetables, weird meat, and so on). It took a bit of trying to figure out how to get Egyptian food while in Egypt!
Of course, one of the highlights of Egypt is all the history, which is often smacked right up against the hustle of normal modern life. In fact, the I once asked our guide (an Egyptologist) about an intriguing statue. He replied dismissively that it was Roman and thus really not worth talking about (it was too modern).
Overall, the trip was great and I'm very glad we went.
Egypt is about the size of France, perhaps 650 miles north-to-south and 750 miles east-to-west. It's basically a huge desert, and would be entirely devoid of plants except that the Nile runs South to North, creating a green band on either side. With the help of irrigation canals, the band includes palm trees and much agriculture. However, the demarcation between irrigated land and desert is sharp. The two do not meld into each other, but rather stop and start abruptly.
The country has about 60 million inhabitants, 10% of which are Christian (mostly Coptic, with some Greek Orthodox), and the rest are Muslim, minus a few hundred Jews. About one-quarter of the population live in Cairo, jammed together. Most of the rest live along the Nile, and a few live in the desert, presumably near or on an oasis.
Muslims range from devout to religious-in-name-only. At one end of the spectrum, there are prayers five times a day. We saw many people praying, either in a mosque or just where they happened to be at the time. In Cairo one day, I saw a man who had pulled his car over to the side of the road and was standing shoeless on a little rug he'd taken out of his trunk.
Women typically wear clothes that cover them from neck to wrist to ankle, and wear large scarves on their heads. Men, especially if they live outside of Cairo, tend to wear long robes (called gallibayas) and turbans or scarves around their necks. However, in Cairo, you see all sorts of outfits, ranging from relatively conservative clothing that you'd see in the west to burkas and other head-to-toe coverings on women, who are presumably visiting from other countries.
There's a huge disparity between wealthy and poor; most people are poor even if they work, and supplement their salaries with a steady stream of small amounts of baksheesh in return for small favors. Everyone has clean drinking water (though travelers need to drink bottled water) and there's plenty of food and electricity. However, housing is well below American standards.
Transportation can be by car, though outside of Cairo, there don't seem to be a lot of private cars. It's typical to see people on bicycles or mules or horses or mule-drawn carts. You might see three people on one small motor bike. Along the Nile, there are many sail boats, called feluccas. People also use small, covered motorized boats for commuting. Tourists can ride on camels (we didn't get a chance to do so), in horse-drawn carriages, and on feluccas.
In Cairo, there are many fewer animals, at least downtown, and huge numbers of cars; rush hour seems to last about 20 hours a day. Driving is awful, which is saying a lot for someone who is used to driving in Boston. Drivers tend to weave in and out of traffic, create extra lanes, and treat traffic lights as mere suggestions or guidelines.
People are warm and funny, quick to laugh. There's a bit of a conflict when you're a tourist, of course, because people see you as a giant wallet. But if you smile at someone, you're likely to receive a warm smile in return. On the other hand, women are advised not to go out alone, and it's best if you can go out accompanied by a man.
Vendors are typically aggressive, and feel free to touch you, brush their wares against your skin, and follow you down the street if you decide not to buy from them. On the other hand, even the vendors have a good sense of humor and are good at verbal volleys.
I also found as a tourist that the way had been paved by cranky British and German tourists. Being an American tourist with relatively low expectations is a real boon in most areas, except for food. I had gone to the Middle East expecting to eat middle eastern food (which is called "oriental food" there). Unfortunately, we were mostly served British and German food (overcooked vegetables, weird meat, and so on). It took a bit of trying to figure out how to get Egyptian food while in Egypt!
Of course, one of the highlights of Egypt is all the history, which is often smacked right up against the hustle of normal modern life. In fact, the I once asked our guide (an Egyptologist) about an intriguing statue. He replied dismissively that it was Roman and thus really not worth talking about (it was too modern).
Overall, the trip was great and I'm very glad we went.
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