4W1D Back "home" in Cairo

Getting train tickets in Aswan was the first time I’ve been pushed over the edge since the start of my trip. Let’s just say it took me two days, a non English speaking, a somewhat apathetic tourism officer, a Polish guy blocking the hoards of men behind me and me pushing my way through a crowd of at least 40 men and throwing myself up against the ticket window and yelling that I need a ticket back to Cairo to which he responded “Kalhass!” (finished).

Try two consisted of the same procedure, but this time the attendant ignored me, slowly took a puff of his cigarette and just sat there staring at the computer screen. He also ignored the other men, so I guess I don’t feel so bad. A few minutes later he finally acknowledged my screams of a mixture of English and Arabic - “Sir! Please I need a ticket to Cairo tonight!” and told me to come back an hour before the train leaves to buy the ticket.

Mr. Ticket man, didn’t you just say it was sold out? At this point I’m also kalhass! (hmmm Emily, the stories of you getting a ticket in Cairo are starting to come back to me.) and fed up, especially with the heat causing me to feel very faint.

So I give up and was about to leave, when I notice a ticket attendant in the window next to mine, with only 2 people in line. I run to this window and ask politely if there were any tickets back to Cairo… and viola! There are tickets! He scribbles on a blue piece of people with handwriting so bad it looks like a bunch of squiggles (though I could make out that it said Cairo in Arabic). Now I know there is a “tourist” cart and regular cart (which tourists are still allowed to ride) on the train – the “tourist” cart costing almost twice as much, but at this point I was just happy to get a ticket, which is why I didn’t mind so much paying for the “tourist” cart.

I find out later that it is a holiday, hence the trains being so crowded. Even the “tourist” cart was filled, and not with tourists, but with Egyptians as well. Next time I will make sure to travel during non peak times… but hey, I made it back “home” to Cairo.

On another topic, home is a relative and constantly changing term for me. People's hospitality has made me love Egypt even more. So in this sense I feel at “home”; comfortable, welcome and accepted here.

On the other hand, I also felt at “home” when I was living in Como, Italy and miss it quite a bit. I miss that view out of my studio window, walking along the lake to get to class, enjoying kebabs that seemed so out of place, exploring the piazzas and streets, the little hobbit bar where we had a jenga competition…One day, I will return.

3W6D Camera Toting Tourist in Abu Simbel

Lake Nasser

I am continuously waking up in the middle of the night or staying up all night to go visit sites. Awakened at 3am to make the bus ride to Abu Simbel with a police convoy, I’m extremely tired and easily irritable. I somehow make it onto the bus and sleep the whole way from Aswan to Abu Simbel.

Abu Simbel is located on the west bank of Lake Nasser and is 40km from the Sudanese border. The great Sun Temple of Abu Simbel was built by Ramses II to show his power and majesty on the Nubians, hence the four gigantic statues staring at those who entered Egypt from Africa. A little egotistical don’t you think?

The temple was actually meticulously dismantled and reconstructed over a period of four years at a cost of 40 million USD due to the rising waters of Lake Nasser damaging the structure. Its artificiality is apparent but beautiful nonetheless.

I became a complete tourist for the day, running around the temple and snapping pictures due to the ridiculous heat and my lack of motivation for sketching. I guess it’s okay to do that sometimes. :)

After less than two hours at this temple, we then took the 3.5 hour bus ride back up to Aswan, stopping at the high dam and Philae Temple along the way. The high dam is only impressive if only that it was built to secure Egypt’s future and was funded by the Soviet Union because the World Bank took back its promise on a loan due to pressure for the US.

Philae Temple is reached by motorboat, which we unsuccessfully haggled on a price for since all the motorboat owners worked as a team and decided to set their prices artificially high. This temple was also reconstructed due to rising waters of Lake Nasser. In my opinion, the only interesting thing about this temple is that it sits on an island, so the approach to the island with the temple standing before you is impressive. The hieroglyphics are in good condition too – but I have to wonder how much is reconstructed vs how much is just looked after.

Upon return, I immediately took a shower and a nap until the evening, where I enjoyed the sunset on the rooftop of my hotel, which had a highly chlorinated pool and a great view of the Nile. It seems that my nightly ritual is watching the sun set over the Nile – but I’m not complaining. I rarely get to do this back home so I will savor ever moment of it. Sorry for the slightly boring post but I am quite tired and creative skills are drained. :)

3W5D (mis)Adventures of Falafel the Camel #8

"What you looking at, eh?"

3W4D Reflecting in Luxor

The sheer amount of satellite dishes on rooftops never cease to amaze me...

...nor the stunning sunsets...

...or the extraordinary number and massiveness of ancient monuments here in Egypt.

I ride down the Nile on a felucca as the sun sets over Luxor, bringing an end to a hot and sticky but absolutely beautiful day. My brain is filled with images and information of the past few days of the Temples of Luxor, Karnak and Hatchepsut, West Bank Valley of Kings and Queen Tombs, and New Guerna.

But this is all a blur as I sit in the sunset sipping my diet coke and eating the pita bread I attempted to bargain down to the Egyptian price (I'm not even really sure what price it was supposed to be.) Not even the past few days of constant hassle and harassment of numerous taxi, horse or felucca ride offers, ka ni chi wa’s and nee how’s, “come inside my shop, I’ll give you a good price” and scorching heat has any effect on me. It has been a day filled with much learning about Egyptian culture while wandering through Luxor, discussing British and American politics while eating sundaes from McDonalds, conversing deeply about life goals and purpose while sitting on a column of the hypostyle hall in Karnak, and negotiating prices throughout Luxor while sweating profusely.

Traveling alone has its advantages and disadvantages but I’m starting to think that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I really do enjoy traveling alone as I can create my own schedule, but mostly because it allows me to meet more people, both local and travelers. The other day I met the first Americans since I’ve been abroad. We instantly bonded– which was a relief because I was starting to think I would not meet any Americans. Being abroad has made me realize how little Americans travel and if they do, most do not come to this part of the world. And today I enjoyed a day of exploring Luxor with two Scottish guys, learning more today than I ever have about Scotland and the UK than in my entire life.

I’m not sure why it is that Americans don’t travel more, besides not having as much vacation time as Australians, Brits, Europeans, or perhaps even the rest of the world. They get at least 1 month, if not more, as opposed to our 1-2 weeks of vacation time. I can speculate why a lot of Americans don’t travel to this part of the world though – and it is because this part of the world is highly misrepresented in the media. In addition, there have been several attacks here, most notably the one at the Temple of Hatchepsut where 58 tourists and 4 guards were shot or stabbed to death while helpless donkey keepers could only watch from the hilltops above. There are those few who make decisions that do not put Egyptians in a good light, but with my experience so far, Egyptians are some of the kindest and welcoming people I have met on my travels. I really love this place.

Amazingly chill rooftop of my hostel :-)

After being here for almost four weeks, I have learned I am equipped to handle more than I thought I could. For one, the heat is nothing like I have experienced. But every day I start to get used to this. And I also wonder how workers were able to create such beautiful temples in the past in this heat. It’s not like they could just step inside the air-conditioning to cool down, or go grab a bottle of water to quench their thirst. I am also becoming a better haggler, but I prefer to say better negotiator. There is something satisfying about bargaining. You know the seller will not give you a price that will make him lose money so you just continue to negotiate until it is worth what you think it is. This is great practice because there is no risk involved – negotiating a few Egyptian pounds (less than 1 USD) as opposed to negotiating a few thousand or more if I was in a business back home.

I couldn't help but include this picture of McDonalds taking over the world - this is almost as bad as the McDonalds sitting RIGHT IN FRONT of the Pantheon in Rome.

Tonight is my last night in Luxor (for now) but I think I would like to return for a few days in December if time permits. I like the relaxed atmosphere. If I could compare some of the cities I’ve been in Egypt to cities in the USA, I’d say Luxor is comparable to San Diego, Dahab is comparable to Santa Cruz, and Cairo is comparable to NYC. Tomorrow I head to Aswan, to hotter temperatures and closer to the border of Sudan.

3W3D (mis)Adventures of Falafel the Camel #7

"Then come up on Mount Sinai, and stand in my presence on the top of the mountain."