EGYPT – First Days
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.
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