ChinaTeacher

I joined up with my Imaginative-Traveller tour after 2 days of exploring Cairo on my own.  We had a wonderful group consisting of just 8 people, most in their 30’s and 40’s.  4 from Australia (1 couple and 2 guys; a young honeymooning couple from the U.S., a Mexican/Canadian ESL teacher from Toronto, and then me.  I was the oldest in my group, but it worked out just fine. 

First thing on our schedule was a visit to the great Pyramids of Giza which we discovered were just a 20-minute private bus ride away from our hotel.  The city of Cairo has continued to expand to the point where it comes as a bit of a shock to see that the sandy desert surrounding the pyramids themselves is actually located in the middle of the congested city suburbs of Giza/Cairo. 

The hassling began even before we stepped off the bus! ‘Friendly’ young men try to convince you to visit their shop, or their ‘brother’s shop’.  And once you pay your ticket and enter the premises, watch out!  The camel touts are relentless!  Be careful where you walk because you never know when you will back up into a camel!   

Not even the touts could diminish the wondrous effect of seeing the pyramids for the very first time.  To be honest, they almost don’t look real – you see them many times over the years – you never expect to actually see them in person!  They are truly immense in size – it is hard to believe that humans managed to build such structures.  It is believed that Egyptian farmers (and not slaves) laboured on the pyramids during the flood season while their fields were under water.  Apparently they considered it an honour to participate in such an undertaking.  Some people still don’t believe that the ancient Egyptians were capable of building such structures, especially when you take into consideration the precise placement of each stone, and the cosmological significance of the dimensions of each pyramid – some believe the Pyramids were constructed by angels, the devil or perhaps aliens.  Who knows! 

Our bus took us to several vantage points around the site of the three large pyramids.  At the highest point, the desert rose all around us – shops were set up on the sands, manned by men in flowing robes, groups of tourists trotted off into the distance on camels, while the great Pyramids continued to distract me from taking in anything else.  It’s impossible to describe the feeling of seeing these structures with my own two eyes! I am told that each pyramid was originally capped with limestone and would have gleamed like giant crystals under the desert sun. Unfortunately, over the centuries, it has been stripped away and used to build palaces and mosques, exposing the softer inner-core stones to the elements.  Chambers and passageways can be visited in the pyramids can be visited but are extremely claustrophobic, especially with the crowds nearby.  I elected not to go inside since I already had the memorable experience at the Red Pyramid where I was the only person inside the pyramid at one point – how cool is that?! 

One of my fellow travelers was talked into taking a picture on a camel (people often have to pay extra before they are allowed to get off the camel).  Anyway, he got away with spending just 20 Egyptian Pounds so I thought I’d give it a try too (provided he stuck around to make sure I got off)!  The camel squats down so you can easily get on; but you have to hold on real tight while he pulls himself up – you get thrown forward and then back before the process is complete, and it repeats (in reverse) when you want to get off.  It was a fun experience, but not comfortable, I have to say.  But hey, I did it – I can say that I rode a camel! 

Egyptian Museum

It is said that even if you don’t like museums, you must go to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.  And they’re right.  There are more than 120,000 relics and antiquities in this museum.  It feels like a warehouse packed with stuff, much of it poorly labeled and presented – it’s a little bit like exploring your grandparent’s attic.  But trying to get around to see everything is likely to cause “Pharaonic Phatigue”.  They recommend 2 visits because you really do hit overload after a couple of hours – I was practically blind by the time we left.   

We spent time at the Tutahkhamun Galleries, the Royal Tombs, the Old Kingdom Rooms and many more.  I even paid extra to see the ghoulish Royal Mummy Room. To be honest, I felt I should do my part to support financially the efforts they are making to preserve such exhibits.  (In Luxor I saw a mummy which was once stored in a museum at Niagara Falls, Canada – it is believed to be Ramses II, but they are still not sure.  I’m just glad they returned him to Egypt!   

Back to the museum – The most unbelievable thing to me was seeing items made of wood, linen, leather and even hair, that have survived to this day, despite the fact they are thousands of years old – unbelievable!  The gold-leaf used in those times is much better quality stuff than we can find today – it looks like it has just been applied!  I can’t believe how many treasures I saw that used golf-leaf and gems for decoration.  I also was amazed to see how many things were made of solid gold, ie Tutan Khamen had 3 coffins, one was sold gold, one was gold-leaf over wood and the final one was stone.

 Even trying to get to our meeting place in the museum at the end of the day was a tough endeavour – On my way back, I kept running into rooms I hadn’t yet seen, full of sarcophagus and coffins, tombs, mummies and statues and figurines – there is absolutely no way you can see everything in one day.  And everything is original – not ‘replicas’ such as what I often see back in China. 

Dinner for our small group was a local Egyptian restaurant where we sampled the local favourite “Kushari” which tasted like my mom’s macaroni casserole.  You get a bowl of pasta, ground beef, tomato sauce and dried onions.  Mix it up, and add some lime juice, chili sauce and yum, you’re done!  It’s real cheap too! 

Then, we packed up and headed off to the train station for our overnight ‘seater’ train to Aswan in the south of the Nile where we were scheduled to take a 4-day cruise up the Nile – until then! 

July 14, 2008 – I’m here in Cairo, but I almost never left Shanghai! Emirates Airlines wouldn’t let me check in because they received a security alert about my credit card. Supposedly it was ‘fraudulent’! I was shocked to say the least. The big problem was the fact that I didn’t bring that particular credit card with me. I did however have my bank card, and was able to go to their offices and access my bank’s website to show the flights had indeed been paid for. Finally they permitted me access to the airplane, but it was a close call, that’s for sure!

Despite the rocky start, I must recommend Emirates highly. For one thing, their food is fantastic, plus you get access to over 400 channels of movies, TV programs, music and computer games – nice! There’s even ‘knee room’!

I had to connect through Dubai and spent 4 hours there. The very first place I saw upon arrival was… (wait for it!)….STARBUCKS! Can you believe it?! Walking through the airport I saw people lying on the floor everywhere – if it wasn’t 4am I might have mistaken them for corpses. Now, due to the culture over here in the Middle East, most men and women don’t sit together in public. I wandered around the terminal, trying to find a place to sit – even though I found many empty seats, most were where the ‘men’ were sitting – a no no. The women sat together on the other side of the hall. I did finally find a nice British couple to sit with – whew, problem solved! And Dubai Airport’s Duty Free section is huge! I ran into a lady from North Carolina – turns out, she works in Sudan and had just been ‘evacuated’ to be sent back to the U.S. She loves the Middle East and gave me lots of recommendations. She can’t wait to return.

Finally I got onto my flight to Cairo. Due to my outstanding research skills, I learned that if you sit on the ‘left side’ of the airplane, you will have a good chance of seeing the pyramids. It’s true – Seat 11A was great! I can’t begin to describe to you the wonders of watching the changing desert landscape from Dubai to Cairo. Despite the fact that it is always comprised of sand and stone, at times it looked like the ocean (with waves), then small rivers flowing into a large one (remember, this is all sand). Rocky Mountains covered in sand soon appeared, and then the expected Sand Dunes. I also got to see the Red Sea, a gleaming emerald against the white desert and blue skies. The view was never boring. During our final approach to Cairo Airport, there they were – the Pyramids of Giza – the only remaining original Wonders of the World! Unfortunately the city boundaries come up less than 1/2 kilometer from the site which takes away from the impact somewhat. But still, there they were – unbelievable!

A man with my name on a sign met me as I exited Customs in Cairo. We were finally on our way into the city of Cairo, and my hostel (Nubian Hostel).  By the way, my hostel was pretty good, and the staff very helpful – paid 80 Egyptian Pounds per night for a single room with bathroom.   It compares well with other hostels in Lonely Planet’s book. 

Driving through the city, at first glance, most of the older apartment buildings are quite ugly – brown square boxes, or simply crudely built brick boxes. But the newer areas of Cairo depict a more western-style of architecture (ie glass skyscrapers and such). The Mosques and other architectural wonders are what I am really here to see and they don’t disappoint. I haven’t visited them yet, but just catching a glimpse of them from the car took my breath away. Some of the banks are also worthy of a photograph, although the police have already prevented me from taking such photos – too bad for me!

Directly outside my hostel are tables and chairs set up café-style. Every evening the people of Cairo gather outside over Sheesha (fancy tobacco smoking pipe) and non-alcoholic beverages. For 2 days I have been dying to pull up a chair, but being a single female, from the West, is inviting trouble. Thankfully, last night, while 2 waiters were hassling me, a young woman from the States waved me over and invited me to join her. She is traveling around the world over a 2-year period and got stuck here in Cairo after breaking her arm a few weeks ago. She has become addicted to Sheesha and goes to such cafes at least twice each day! We had a fantastic chat while she introduced me to Hisbiscus Tea and peach-flavoured Sheesha. Not being a smoker, I was hesitant, but it is the thing to try for tourists apparently. The waiter sets up a fancy gizmo next to the table – he adds hot coals and then hands me a really long pipe – every time I take a puff, the water at the bottom boils up. It’s kind of cool, but I don’t think I will do it too often. The interesting thing is that ‘everyone’ seems to smoke Sheesha, men and women alike.

Speaking of the women, I would have to say that at least 50% of the women wear long robes and at least 90% wear head scarves. The ladies wear quite dramatic makeup and look quite regal and beautiful. A woman on my plane put her headscarf on before disembarking and I couldn’t believe the transformation! Many women here also wear western clothing, but they coordinate their headscarves in such a way that it comes across as quite fashionable – I’m jealous! As a matter of fact, I have started wearing a headscarf, especially when my hair needs to be washed! Due to the culture here, if I want to avoid being hassled, I have to keep my eyes down and try not to answer men’s questions when they stop me on the street. It’s very trying, but I know it would be worse if I were blonde and in my twenties! Oh, and the young men here tend to wear western clothes, while the older men (40’s and up) usually are garbed in “gallibayas” (robes). Those robes hide a multitude of sins – there are some really ‘big’ and ‘fat’ people here in Cairo, but everyone looks quite elegant dressed in robes and scarves!

For my first big day in Egypt I booked a driver. We traveled south to see the ancient pyramids of Saqarra and Dahshur. These are the first pyramids ever built and are over 4,500 years old (built in 2650 BC). Many tourists only go to Giza which means I got to visit these pyramids in the desert with no crowds! I saw the Bent Pyramid, the Steppe Pyramid, the Red Pyramid and the Pyramid of Teti. I actually entered two of these pyramids and yes, I felt a little like Indiana Jones. Each pyramid has several different rooms, of different sizes.

The Red Pyramid has ceilings as high as 12-15m and the other exciting thing is to see some of the ancient graffiti – explorers and egyptologists from previous expeditions have actually written their names and dates on the walls, can you believe it?! And the Pyramid of Teti still has the original granite coffin inside. I climbed up on a stone and shone my flashlight into it to see the inscriptions inside and, yeah, I was expecting ‘Indy’ to show up! You have to descend down narrow shafts to the core of these pyramids, but without the crowds it’s not quite so claustrophobic. In my pictures you will see stone pyramids and you should take note of the square limestone blocks – in fact every pyramid was originally covered in these, but over the years they were stolen and used to build palaces and mosques – most unfortunate because they protected the stone pyramids from falling into disrepair. The limestone also made the pyramids much more beautiful – can you imagine the effect of the sun hitting those limestone blocks?!

I got access to one of the nearby tombs and was surprised to see how large it was. I could easily walk from room to room and the original inscriptions and pictures carved in the limestone were really amazing to see! Every so often I came across a square ‘hole’ in the wall – I’d shine my flashlight into it, expecting to see a skull leap out at me, or a statue, or something akin to ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, but it was simply too dark in those holes to see anything. I’m still convinced there was something in there, though. I had a wonderful time visiting these remote pyramids which are considered the earliest forms of pyramid structures anywhere!

I have added a few photos to the Photo LINK on the right.  Keep checking as I will update these as often as I can.