Slamming Planes and Dancing Norwegian

Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Today is definitely a day I will never forget since the highlight of my trip was the visit to Abu Simbel to see the Temple of Ramesses II. I am one that prefers the temples over the pyramids! 

This day started very early, with a 3:30am wake up. I was actually tired that night so I managed to grab about 3 hrs of sleep, more than what I had slept the previous two nights combined! And the 3:30am wake up call was not too bad considering previous tour groups have had a 2am wake up call. I guess it all depends on the time of your flight. Lisa and I went to breakfast and it was rather quiet; you can tell most were still half asleep. After breakfast, we headed out to the bus and it was quite a chilly morning! Thank goodness I packed a jacket and long sleeve shirt because there were a few cool mornings and evenings during my trip. On the bus ride to the airport (Abu Simbel is a 40 minute flight from Aswan or a 3 hr bus ride), Sherif didn't give a history lesson or pep talk since most just wanted to sleep. Shane and I on the other hand were so excited we couldn't stop talking; who would have thought that me who loves sleep so much and is rather cranky in the mornings would be so chipper with 3 hrs of sleep! We arrived at the airport and it was a lot nicer than the Cairo airport but then again, I'm sure it didn't handle that many flights. Sherif distributed the boarding passes and we headed to the trams that took us to our airplane. I am not a good flier and flying Egypt Air had me a bit nervous but at least it was a normal plane, not one of those small things with propellers. The take off was uneventful and then the flight attendants proceeded to go down the aisle with a cart full of water bottles offering passengers little cups of water. I know it was a short flight but couldn't they have offered at least some juice or soda?!? Sorry, it just felt weird being offered a tiny cup of water. The flight was going great when all of a sudden BAM, SLAM, WHAM! Someone forgot how to land a plane!! There was no slowing down, no slow descend...nope this pilot apparently got bored of flying and thought it'll be funny to slam the plane down. Those that were half asleep were now definitely more than an awake. Elisa, tour mate sitting next to me, and I were still in shock and our hearts were racing. I wanted out of that airplane and now!

We got off the plane and walked into the Abu Simbel airport which was the size of a hotel lobby. Then again, the airport serves less than half a million people a year and all those are tourists stopping by to visit the Temple of Ramesses II and the temple of his favorite queen, Nefertari. On our way to Abu Simbel, I started feeling a bit overwhelmed because this was what I was waiting for. The pyramids were interesting and amazing but nothing compares to the magnitude and importance of the Temple of Ramesses II especially to someone like myself who is so familiar with the life, conquests, and struggles of one of Egypt's greatest leaders. As we were walking around the outside of the temple and I caught my first glimpse of the four giant statues of Ramesses II, I got a tad emotional and had a few tears in my eye (luckily my sunglasses covered that up). It was then that it hit me...I was in Egypt fulfilling a life long dream! Until then, everything felt like a dream but seeing the Temple of Ramesses II brought me down to reality and to the fact I really was in Egypt and everything I had read in books and articles and everything I had seen in pictures was now coming to life before my own eyes. I no longer had to dream because I was living it!

Now back to the day's events...

The group gathered around Sherif for a history lesson on Ramesses II and here is the basics...The Temple of Ramses II was carved out of a solid cliff during the 13th century BC and was dedicated to the patron deities of Egypt's great cities - Amun of Thebes, Ptah of Memphis, and Ra-Harakhty of Heliopolis. Next to his temple, is the temple dedicated to his favorite wife, Queen Nefertari. In the 1960s, the construction of the High Dam in Aswan threatened to submerge the whole temple under Lake Nasser. With the help of UNESCO, the whole cliff was cut into blocks and moved 688 ft back and 213 ft above their original position.

Then it was time to go inside the temple!! Tour guides aren't allowed inside the temples in Abu Simbel so Sherif took a few minutes to tell me where I could find specific stories on the walls inside the temple. He knew I was particularly interested in the story of the two spies from the Hittie Empire that tricked Ramesses II, an action that almost caused the demise of the Egyptian Empire. As Shane and I walked into the temple, we were amazed at the amount of detail and hints of colors found throughout (unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures inside). The temple was really crowded so it took some patience navigating from room to room and sometimes when you would be standing in front of a wall looking at the paintings and inscriptions someone will just walk in front of you. While the Egyptians were really nice people, quite a few of the tourists I came across lacked basic manners! Since we only had 40 minutes to visit both temples (Queen Nefertari's temple was next door), I unfortunately didn't have much time to really look at each painting and take the time to read some of the stories (I can pick up quite a few hieroglyphic symbols). It was amazing to see the amount of detail and workmanship that went into each painting and how a few were drawn to look animated. In one of the rooms, an unfinished room, you can actually see the charcoal highlights of where an image would have been painted along with a few grid lines. The Egyptians usually drew grids then outlined an image in charcoal before drawing the black outlines and filling in with color. After about 20 minutes of walking through the temple, we headed out to visit the Temple of Queen Nefertari. Her temple is a lot smaller but I thought the art was a lot more impressive. The paintings and inscriptions were chiseled in a lot deeper so the images looked almost 3-D. Also, the colors were better preserved especially the green and red hues. While walking around the temple, I noticed quite a few unfinished rooms which are always interesting because you could see the different stages of work from the sketches to the outlines to the first layer of coloring.

Another wonderful thing about Abu Simbel is the breathtaking views of Lake Nasser! Standing in front of the temples, you get a magnificent view of the water and since it is early in the day, the sun is still low in the sky creating some amazing photo opportunities.

When we finished, we headed off to the bus for the drive to the airport. After the morning's slamming landing no one was looking forward to the flight back to Aswan. We boarded the plane and when the came time to land, my tour mates and I all had this panic look on our face. I grabbed my seat belt and placed it as tightly as I could. Another one of my tour mates was holding on to the armrests for dear life. Then the moment of truth...we got a pilot that knew how to land an airplane!! We were all so happy that we started clapping and cheering!! Others on the plane must have thought we were nuts but after that morning's experience, a great landing meant the world to us. Back on the bus and off to the cruise for an afternoon of relaxing!

After our journey to Abu Simbel, the rest of the afternoon and evening was pretty relaxing. We had free time on the boat until about 6pm when we visted a temple in Kom Ombo and in the evening it was our Egyptian themed party. We returned to the boat at around 11:30am and most headed to the top deck for some tanning and lounging. I too headed to the top deck where I met up with Sherif and we spent a little over an hour talking about Ancient Egypt and Egypt in general. Then it was time for another big all you can eat meal! The lunch was really tasty and after lunch I stopped by the jewelry store on the boat to order my personalized cartouche, which has my name written out in hieroglyphs. I had planned on returning to the top deck to hang out with some tour mates but I actually took the free time to return to my cabin and take a much needed nap. In the middle of my nap, I woke up feeling really hot and rather nausea. I figured it was maybe something I ate so I took some meds, drank some water, and tried going to bed. About an hour later, I woke up on fire and feeling really light-headed and nausea. This will be the start of a long day and a half that would consist of me bonding with the toilet since I frequently had to puke (sorry for the graphic image!). I was starting to think this was some sort of bug/virus and not food poisoning since I didn't have any of the symptoms associated with the latter. I kept drinking water and I tried munching on a granola bar I brought from home but nothing was settling right. I laid in bed until it was time to go to our next temple.

Despite feeling like garbage, I wasn't going to miss out on anything! Luckily, this temple was just a walk away from our boat so it wasn't too bad. I was still feeling a tad light-headed but the cool, fresh breeze was helping a little. We were off to the Temple of Kom Ombo!! This temple is the most symmetrical of all temples and it has a lot of Greco-Roman influence. It is unusual in that the temple is dedicated to two gods; the left side to the falcon god Horus and the right side to the local crocodile god Sobek. The temple was built during the reigns of Ptolemy VI through Ptolemy XII, hence the Greco-Roman influence. This was our first night visit to a site and while it provided for a nice view, when it came to taking pictures and viewing the details of the temple, I would have preferred daylight. Some parts of the temple were poorly lit so you couldn't clearly see the details and colors on the wall. The history and stories behind the temple were really interesting especially the stories of our how the Egyptians feared the Nile crocodiles hence creating an altar so they could make offerings to appease the creatures. After Sherif finished the tour, Shane and I spent about 20 minutes walking around the temple. Then came the fun part; on the way to the boat we had to pass this market which had really aggressive sales people, some of the worst I encountered in Egypt. As we were walking towards the boat, this young boy, maybe 8 or 9 years old, kept following us trying to sell us some trinkets. Shane and I kept saying no and then he started grabbing my arm trying to get me to stop. After about 3 minutes, I lost my patience and elbowed (not that hard) the kid so he could leave me alone. I tend to be a patient and tolerant person but since I was not feeling well and just wanted to get to the boat, my patience was a tad shorter than normal. 

Once on board the boat, I decided to skip dinner to get some rest before the party. I ate some snacks that I had and just relaxed on my super comfortable bed. Then it was time to get ready, time to wear my belly dancing outfit!!! My outfit was sheer so I wore a red tank top underneath (thank God I packed one!) and a tour mate let me borrow her shorts (thanks Megan!!). Sick as I was, I was feeling awesome in my belly dancing outfit. I finished getting ready and walked downstairs to join the party. It was great seeing everyone all dolled up in their outfits and accessories and it was especially hilarious seeing the boys in their Egyptian tunics. I didn't dance since I was feeling really nausea and was actually starting to feel a tad worse. But since I was not going to miss one thing on this trip, I sat and watched the crowd go wild. HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT: The best part of the evening was the Dancing Norwegian. No this wasn't an act courtesy of the cruise, it was one of my tour mates gone wild. Erik had been really shy and quiet throughout the trip but today all that changed. After arriving from the temple, Erik started drinking some whiskey so by the time the party rolled around, he was a total dance machine! Hands up in the air, hips moving from side to side, and sometimes a little break dancing on the floor. Sometimes, it looked like he was going into seizures but he was totally living it up. When they played the Isley Brother's "Shout", Erik completely set the place on fire! I'm not sure if any of my tour mates caught his dancing on video but it was definitely one of the highlights on everyone's tour. After the party, quite a few of us went to the top deck to hang out and relax making it another long, but very fun evening! 

Sun shining over Lake Nasser 

My first glimpse of the Temple of Ramesses II. 

Statues of Ramesses II

Front view of the Temple of Ramesses II

Lake Nasser

Temple of Nefertari

Temple of Kom Ombo

Nile crocodile being appeased at the altar

Floating Along The Nile And An Evening With Pushy Sales People

Monday, November 1st. Today was very different from Sunday in that it was more relaxing and the schedule wasn't as packed. We received our "wake up knock" at around 6:30am and Lisa and I were off to get ready in a cabin the size of a closet. What made the cabin that much smaller was our two luggages and day bags but we did manage to get ready without too much trouble. Then we had our "breakfast is here knock" and which was nice because I was starving! Breakfast was served in a small blue tray which had the following: three pieces of bread (a croissant, some sort of French toast,  and some sort of roll), butter, jam, and cheese. Sherif had warned us not to eat the butter so I assumed if the butter was not safe then the cheese wasn't either. I tried a piece of each of the breads and two were really good but the third was very dry (don't remember which is which). After breakfast, Lisa and I enjoyed the views of Aswan from our window as the train rolled on to the Aswan train station.

The moment you step outside of the train station, you notice several differences between Aswan and Cairo. The air is a lot more clear, the city is a lot less crowded, and there is obviously a lot less traffic. We board our bus and head on over to the Aswan High Dam which built between 1960 and 1971 with the support of the Soviet Union. The dam is 12,562 ft across, 364 ft high, and 980 ft wide. The construction of the dam created Lake Nasser, the largest man made lake. The lake covered a lot of towns and historical sites which is why before it was built, there was a lot of archeological activity in Southern Egypt so historians can grab as my artifacts and information before the area became flooded. A lot of the important temples and structures were actually moved to higher ground. We got off the bus and walked around for about 10 minutes. It was a beautiful cool morning and the views were just breathtaking. Lake Nasser was a lovely shade of blue and the sand dunes in the distance provided a great backdrop for some wonderful pictures. We then headed to visit a monument, a lotus shaped tower, that was built to commemorate the Soviet Union's support in the dam construction project. The tower was interesting but there wasn't much to see so after 5 minutes of posing for pictures we were back on the bus.

Next stop was the unfinished obelisk! A lot of the stones used for the pyramids and temples came from the stone quarries in Aswan. The unfinished obelisk dates from the Ancient Egyptian New Kingdom and was never completed because after they quarried three sides of the shaft, the Egyptians discovered a major crack in the stone. Had the obelisk been completed, it would have weighted 1,197 tons and stood 134 ft high meaning it would have been one of the largest obelisk in history. Shane (who is a big Egypt nerd like myself) and I likened the experience to a theme park ride. We first saw a short documentary on the obelisk, then we visited the "attraction", and afterwards, there were stores at the end of the "attraction". The documentary is actually something that we had seen on TV before but nevertheless we found it interesting. The quarry itself is very interesting since you can see how the Egyptians carved the massive stones, how they removed the stones from the rock walls, and how they moved the stones down ramps. Shane and I also found areas were other smaller obelisk were created. In the market, we came across a bookstore from the American University in Cairo and I did some serious shopping there. It was great in that they had a good selection and everything was a fixed price meaning no haggling. By the time Shane and I arrived at book store, the majority of people were already on the bus and Sherif was a stickler for people getting to the bus on time. But when Sherif saw his two fellow Egypt nerds in the store, he actually joined us and said we could have a few extra minutes. He knew I was very interested in purchasing good books and that this might be my last opportunity to do so on the trip. Sherif helped Shane and I pick out an awesome book titled "Historic Egypt" which has tons of pictures and information. I also purchased the "Official Guide to the Egyptian Museum", "Christians in Egypt", and "Los Dioses de Egipto", a Spanish guide to the gods in Egypt (yes, I'm fluent in both English and Spanish). In total, I spent roughly $80 which isn't too bad for the amazing books I purchased! I also like to think that included in those $80 was a tranquility fee which allows one to browse without the annoyance of haggling sales people.

Now it was time to relax on the Nile! We boarded a boat that went around Elephantine Island and took us to the Aswan Botanical Gardens. Not only were the views amazing, Shane and I had a great time talking about the history of Elephantine Island. The island was home to several forts that the Egyptians used to protect the country against attacks from the Nubians, their neighbor to the south. The island also has a few temples and interesting sites. We unfortunately did not visit the island but Shane and I do plan on returning to Egypt and do have Elephantine Island on our things to see! The boat ride was amazing since we did get to see a lot including giant cartouches (oblong enclosure with a horizontal line at one end and the name of the pharaoh written in hieroglyphs inside) carved on boulders, the Sofitel Cataract Hotel where Agatha Christie wrote "Death on the Nile", Nubian fishermen preparing their nets and gears, plenty of sand dunes, and remains from many temples and historic sites. We also saw the Aga Khan Mausoleum which its history is one of Egypt's greatest love stories (the love story is below the pictures).

After a relaxing ride on the Nile, we visited Aswan's Botanical Garden in Kitchener's Island. This little island was truly an oasis in the middle of the desert! It was filled with trees and flowers from around the world and in the distance, the mighty Saharan sand dunes provided a magnificent backdrop. We spent about 20 minutes in the garden which I felt was not enough. I would have liked more time to really enjoy the variety of plants and to take in the amazing views. But alas we had to move on to our next adventure, a ride on a Felucca, a typical Egyptian sail boat. Unlike our previous boat, this one was more peaceful since there was no sound from a motor and I found the ride to be smoother. Of course, the peacefulness was interrupted when one of my tour mates decided it will be fun to take a "dive" in the Nile. This tour mate gave the impression that she just wanted to bend over and dip her hands in the Nile so Sherif volunteered to help her balance. As Sherif was holding her, said tour mate lunged forward to stick her whole upper body in the river. Needless to say hilarity ensued when Sherif was struggling to not to lose his grip and since said tour mate was wearing a dress, we all got a lovely view of her underwear. It was a moment I don't think any of us will ever forget!! Then things got better. One of the "captains" on the boat brought out this giant tambourine and we all sang and danced. I managed to capture a lot of the moment on video! :)

Then the Felucca docked and it was time to board our Nile Cruise (M/S Norma), the opportunity to live in luxury for three days! I think this is the moment everyone was looking forward to; spacious rooms, lots of hot water, all you can eat buffets, a gift shop without the haggling, and an upper deck with amazing views. Once we boarded the cruise, we met in the lounge to wait for our room assignments and were offered something to drink. It was some sort of tea but it was tasty. Lisa and I were assigned room 323 and much to our dismay there was no elevator on the boat though fortunately, cruise personnel took care of our luggage (I don't think I would have survived dragging my suitcase up three flights on a spiral staircase). But then came the fun part, apparently you needed a PH.D to figure out how to open the cabin doors. It went something like keep turning your key to the right, then you pull the door, and then you push it open. Sometimes you would hear the moans of frustration from a tour mate as they valiantly struggled to open the door. Luckily, Lisa and I were able to figure out the door opening thing pretty quickly. After getting a lesson in how to open a door, we were off to lunch!!! I think a few of us were quite hungry because we attacked that buffet like dinosaurs on the hunt. There were all sorts of salads, veggies, dips, cheeses, hot entrées (rice, potato, veggies, meats), and a whole lot of desserts. Oh, and there was a table filled with a variety of breads and a few bread sculptures. At this lunch, I learned lesson 4...to recap: Lesson 1: Egyptians are crazy drivers. Lesson 2: Egyptians love their bread. Lesson 3: Egyptians love their metal detectors. Lesson 4: Drinks are never included. After lunch, it was time for a hot shower and a little relaxation before an evening of dealing with some very annoying sales people.

This evening, we had the opportunity to visit a local perfume shop and the Aswan market. Not everyone went, a few stayed behind enjoying the luxuries of the ship while I was enjoying the luxury of self-constraint. Sherif told us this perfume shop was owned by a good friend and that he was going to give us a talk about local perfumes and essential oils. What he did not tell us is that we were going to be hounded by people very skilled in the art of pressure selling. And unfortunately, while most tour mates were able to say no and just buy what they wanted, I caved in to one of their so called "great deals". When we walked in, there was a guy giving a quick demo on glass blowing so we stood and watched while he created a perfume bottle. Then we walked upstairs where my tour mates and I sat on these sofas to hear the owner talk about various perfumes and essential oils. We were offered some tea while listening to this guy ramble on in what can be described as a cheesy speech with equally cheesy sound effects. You could tell the guy and his employees had rehearsed the skit for the "enjoyment" of tourists. After the guy finished talking, this herd of sales people came barreling towards us with pads in hand ready to take orders. I was only interested in the eucalyptus essential oil but the guy assigned to me refused to accept the fact that was the only thing I wanted! After about 5 minutes of going back and forth, I caved in and went for the buy 3, get 1 free deal. I bought a bottle of following; eucalyptus, sandalwood, peppermint, and frankincense. I think your experience at the perfume shop depended on your sales rep because some tour mates said they had a great time and that their rep wasn't that pushy. But I survived and to this day I'm still figuring out what to do with my bottles of essential oils.

After the perfume shop, we headed to the Aswan market. I was a tad worried after all the horror stories I had heard about Egyptian markets but I found this one to be quite tame. Shane and I were "husband and wife" for the trip so we ventured together into the Aswan market. As we were entering the market, a typical crazy Egyptian driver almost ran me over and Shane said "good grief, we just got married, I don't want to lose my wife on the first day". Hahaha...That was a classic and I still laugh at that line! We met up with Matt and Kim, a real life couple, and we went into this store that had all sorts of belly dancing outfits. Tuesday night is theme night were the girls have to wear some sort of belly dancing attire (a full outfit or the scarf with jingles) and the guys wear the tunic so tonight my mission was to find something to wear. I wasn't too fond of the scarves with jingles and then I spotted this awesome belly dancing outfit!!! It was a dark red color and had the jingling coins on both the top and bottom. Shane knew I was looking for a full outfit and he too thought that was the best of the bunch. There were some seriously hideous outfits in that store! I asked the guy in the store to grab the outfit for me and then I went to the back of the store to try it on. The store obviously didn't have a dressing room so I just tried it over my shirt and jeans. It fit almost perfectly!! It was the right length (I had to go Egypt to finally find a pair of pants that were the right length) and the top fit just right. Then the fun part began, the haggling. The guy started out at 400 pounds which is about $70 USD. Way too high! I told him 300 pounds and he was a little iffy but when I saw he was willing to to decrease the price, I said 200 pounds. The guy said "no no no too low 270" and I said "no 200 pounds". I knew 200 pounds ($35 USD) was still a tad high in Egyptian standards (everything in that country including silver is very inexpensive) but I had my heart set in that outfit. It was an awesome color and the fit was almost perfect. Shane was just standing next to me with a smirk on his face watching me haggle with the guy. I kept saying 200 pounds until he brought it down to 240 pounds and at this point, I pretended to walk away. He then said "no no 230 pounds" and I said "no 200 pounds" and continued walking. The guy finally caved in and said ok 200 pounds. Woohoo!! I got my outfit!! I'm sure I could have haggled a bit more but time was running out since we only had an hour and Shane still needed to get his outfit. Either way, I was very happy with my purchase and now I have an authentic belly dancing outfit to wear on Halloween ($35 is not too bad when you consider the average Halloween costume in the US costs upwards of $60). Now we were off to another store for the "hubby's" tunic. Right across the street, we found a place that had more menswear so Shane went at it and started looking for an outfit. He found one right away, a black tunic, and purchased a head piece as well. I can't remember what he paid but I remember he got a really good deal. We wrapped up just in time and headed over to the bus. The market experience wasn't too bad and I was rather happy with my purchase. When I got to the bus Sherif asked us what we had purchased and how much we paid. He obviously laughed and said I needed to work on my haggling skills! Later in the week, he would say that the outfit I purchased was worth the 200 pounds because the outfit I purchased was of better quality in terms of the workmanship and material.  To this day, I love my outfit and I can't wait for the opportunity to wear it again!

After a crazy evening, we headed back to the boat for dinner and an evening show. Dinner again was an all you can eat buffet but with different items. I was rather hungry so I piled on the plate especially with the desserts! After dinner, some of my tour mates and I headed out to the lounge to watch the show. The first act was a "whirling dervish" which is basically a guy that spins around nonstop for about 10 minutes (see picture below). He doesn't get dizzy but we all do. I thought it was rather interesting especially since I had never seen a "whirling dervish". Next up was the belly dancer! She was definitely not your stereotypical belly dancer with the great body and beautiful face. Nope, this lady was packing some serious rolls, had a rather manly face, and was wearing the weirdest belly dancing outfit I had ever seen. My outfit seemed more authentic! After a few minutes of dancing, she starts walking towards me and I was horrified; I so did not want to go on the dance floor to dance with this lady. Instead, she picked Shane that was sitting next to me!!! I stayed for a few seconds to watch Shane and then I ran upstairs before I became the next victim. After a while, I returned to the lounge but the show was over. Very short show, maybe lasted 25 minutes. A group of us then headed to the top deck to relax under a sky filled with stars! The weather was great, there was a cool breeze blowing, so a few of us were tempted to actually sleep there. But alas, it was time to call it a night because the next morning we had a 3:30am wake up call to go to Abu Simbel!!!!!!!

Aswan Train Station

Lake Nasser

Aswan High Dam

Lotus Momument

Unfinished Obelisk

Boulders with cartouches around Elephantine Island

Nubian fishermen

Aswan Botanical Gardens

Saharan Sand Dune

Trees in the gardens.

Beds on the cruise.

Whirling Dervish

Belly Dancer

One of Egypt's Greatest Love Stories: Aga Khan III was born in 1877 and went to become one of the richest men in the world as a result of being one of the founders and first presidents of the All India Muslim League. He married four women but his favorite was the fourth, Yvonne Blanche Labrousse whose name changed to Begum Om Habibeh when she converted to Islam. When Aga Khan passed away, in 1957, he wanted to be buried in Aswan next to the house he shared with Habibheh so she commissioned the construction of the Aga Khan Mausoleum. When the tomb was completed 16 month later, Habibeh visited it every single day leaving a red rose for her late husband. She continued doing this until she passed away on July of 2000. For a little over 40 years, without missing a day, Habibeh did this and at times tourists will gather to see her leave the house and walk up the hill to the mausoleum. Today, a red rose still finds its way to the tomb every so often. 

Aga Khan Mausoleum

Mummies, Pyramids, Camels, and Funky Trains

October 31, 2010 will be a Halloween I will never forget!! I can't even begin to express in words how I felt this day that was just one adventure after another. 

It all started out at midnight at the Victoria Hotel. Lisa and I had prepared our day bags for the next day and we were headed to bed. Or so I thought. Lisa slept like hibernating bear throughout the night but unfortunately that was not my case. For about two hours, all I can do was think about the trip and everything I was going to see the next couple of days. My mind was going a mile a minute with all sorts of questions; will Egypt meet my expectations, am I going to like this tour, am I going to like the food, will I survive haggling in the markets, did I pack enough socks, is Ramesses II really that annoying of a pharaoh, will I fall off the camel. In between all the questions, I kept going through my knowledge of Egyptian history and making mental notes of questions to ask Sherif. Yeah, at this rate I wasn't getting any sleep but I was slowly starting to doze off. At about 2am, these roosters start crowing and will not shut up!!! Finally at about 2:30am they stopped and again I attempted to fall asleep. Roosters 1 Sleep 0 I tried doing everything I could to fall asleep including counting camels but nothing will work. At around 4am, I was starting to fall asleep....yup you guessed it, the roosters are back!!!! Roosters 2 Sleep 0 Then at 4:20am, the first call to prayer could be heard over speakers located near the hotel. It wasn't loud as most slept through it but I am glad I got to hear it because it was an interesting experience. The opening prayer lasted a few minutes, then there was a moment of silence that lasted about 10 minutes, and then the closing prayer could be heard. I unfortunately did not record the call to prayer on this trip but on my next visit to Egypt, I will definitely make it a point to capture it. (During the trip, I learned a lot about Islam which was great because I was in Egypt to experience not only the history but to learn about the country, its culture, its people, and its religions.) 

At around 5am, I gave up trying to sleep and decided to start my day!! I headed to the shower but this morning I wouldn't have the luck I had the night before. I had to run the water for about 5 minutes before I got some decent warm water but it was nothing like the hot water I had the previous night. Since my roommate was still sleeping, I was able to take my time showering and getting ready. I was all set and ready to go by 6am and about 30 minutes later Lisa woke up! We were supposed to have received a wake up call by 6:30am but that call actually came in at 7am. It is a good thing I always set the alarm on my phone because the Victoria Hotel was not the best when it came to those calls. A few tour mates never received a call. They had told us the night before to leave our luggages in front of our doors but since Lisa and I were a bit weary that our luggages will be left behind, we actually grabbed them and started going in circles looking for the elevator. After a while, we gave up and just left the luggages in front of the door. Although we couldn't find the elevators, we found the stairs rather quickly. Down we went for our first breakfast in Egypt!! We had breakfast at the hotel and it was pretty good! It was an all you eat buffet with breads, cheeses, eggs, veggies, juices, etc. I had a croissant with some slices of cheese and I found it to be great. The coffee was from a pouch which you added hot water to and that was not great. 

After breakfast, we all made our way to the bus for our journey to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities! It was this morning that we learned Sherif's famous catchphrases: Wakey Wakey Contiki, Yalla Yalla Habebi (Yalla means lets go and Habebi means sweetheart/beloved). We also learned that Sherif is very hyper in the mornings and once he grabs the microphone on the bus, there is no stopping him! The ride to the museum was rather uneventful so that gave us a chance to talk and for a few, take a quick nap. Then we arrived! At first glance, the museum doesn't seem all that spectacular; it's painted a pale pink color and covered in scaffolding. Sherif gathered the group to give us a history lesson (we got one of those before entering each site), this time it was a crash course on Egypt 101. Since I knew the basics, I took the time to read the inscriptions on the museum walls and look at some of the statues in the garden. Upon entering the museum, I learned another valuable lesson; each site has a metal detector and/or bag scanner but 60% of the time they don't work. (Lesson 1: Egyptians are crazy drivers. Lesson 2: Egyptians love their bread. Lesson 3: Egyptians love their metal detectors). Once inside the museum, the Egypt nerd in me burst with happiness....the statue of Djoser, the Menkaura Triads, stones filled with hieroglyphs recounting stories of conquests, and so much more! I felt like a fat kid in a candy shop!! :) What made this visit that much more amazing was Sherif and his knowledge for some of the pieces; I greatly enjoyed the stories he shared on some of the best artifacts at the museum. One of my favorite pieces was the statue of Seneb and his family. You see so many statues of the pharaohs, their queens, and the gods that is is refreshing to see another side of ancient Egypt. After an hour tour, we had some free time to explore exhibits we were interested in. The group I was with decided on two, the exhibit that housed King Tutankhamen's greatest treasures (including the famous gold mask) and the mummy room. It was difficult to enjoy King Tutankhamen's treasures because the room was so crowded and people kept bumping into each other. I did get to stand in front of the gold mask and words can't even begin to describe it!!!! Afterwards, we headed to the mummy room which was an additional 100 Egyptian Pounds (LE) ($17.30 USD) but worth every penny. The mummies in this room were unwrapped so you got to see every detail: the hair, the eye lashes, the nails, and in one mummy, his eyes. After reading so many books and articles on Ancient Egypt, it was quite the experience to be standing before some of the greatest leaders of the ancient world. Some of the mummies I saw were those of Ramesses II, Ramesses III, Amenhotep III, and Thutmosis II but the most amazing was that of Queen Hatshepsut whose mummy was just identified three years ago. Before leaving the museum, a few of us decided to use the restroom and boy was that a mistake!! With our luck, while waiting in line, someone decided to really stink up the place. I don't think I have ever been so traumatized in my life. :( 

We couldn't take pictures inside the museum but I later purchased the "Official Guide to the Egyptian Museum" which is a very detailed, 600 page book. I'm glad I purchased the book because it has images of almost every item in the museum and tons of information. 

Back in the bus and off to one of the highlights of our trip....the pyramids and the Sphinx!!! On the drive to Giza, I caught my first glimpse of the Nile along with the middle class apartments that line the river. You might think that apartments near the Nile will be nice but many were run down and obvious signs of the poverty that is prevalent in Cairo. Other things we saw on the drive were the American Embassy, the British Embassy, the American University in Cairo, several Nile Cruise boats, and tons of beautiful trees. I was amazed at the amount of beautiful trees and flowers there was in Egypt; it wasn't all desert! As we approached Giza, we saw farmland were wheat and corn was being harvested. Giza is a small city and it is rather poor. Most homes are multi-storied since families live together and then the next generation will add floors. A lot of homes are very run down but were "decorated" with brightly colored clothes hanging from clotheslines. None of the roads were paved and the stores I saw were rather small. I got a laugh at the taxis; they were these real tiny cars painted bright yellow with black highlights. After 10 minutes of driving through Giza, we caught our first glimpse of the pyramids!!!! At first I couldn't believe it but there in the distance you could clearly see the peak of Khufu's pyramid. I of course started taking pictures every time we could see one of the pyramids even if it was just sliver. 

The schedule for the afternoon consisted of a camel caravan through the desert to get great pictures of all three pyramids, the opportunity to go inside one of the pyramids, and the opportunity to climb some of the stones of Khufu's pyramids. The camel ride and the journey into the pyramid were optional but there was no way I was going to pass on such great opportunities! As we got off the bus, there were some vendors selling Bedouin headpieces, the scarf with the black band, and quite a few purchased one since it just added to the experience. I was very anxious at this point and my fears were confirmed when I figured out I got the drunk camel. It wasn't difficult to get on the camel but holding on to dear life was another thing. My camel was stumbling all over the place and enjoyed making sudden stops. After about 5 minutes, I finally got the hang of things and was able to start taking pictures and videos. Something that made the camel caravan so memorable is not so much the amazing views but the terrified look on some of my tour mates!! When we got back to the bus in one piece, and smelling like camel, we were off to the pyramid of Khafre! What makes Khafre's pyramid special is that it contains a piece of the original limestone covering; the pyramids in antiquity were completely covered in a limestone coat. This made the pyramids shine in the sunlight and be seen for miles. You had to pay 30 Egyptian pounds to enter this pyramid and they warn you beforehand that there is nothing in the burial chamber but just the opportunity to actually go inside one of the pyramids makes it all worthwhile. The journey into the pyramid is quite an adventure since the ramp is narrow, steep, and you need to walk crouched down because of the very low ceiling. I am a very short person but I still managed to bump my head several times; I felt bad for the giants we had in our group. It was pretty cool walking around the burial chamber and being inside the only surviving wonder of the of the ancient world!!! :) It also gives you the ultimate bragging rights because now when I see a picture of the pyramids I can say...ha I went inside! Once you are done walking around the burial chamber (unfortunately pictures were not allowed) it was back down the ramp for some more head banging. We then headed over to Khufu's pyramid, the largest of the three, to climb up a few stones to take pictures standing on the pyramids!! (You could pay 100 pounds to enter Khufu's pyramid but just like Khafre's there is nothing inside, the only difference is that you pay 70 pounds more.) The height of those stones was overwhelming and just to think that the mighty pyramids were built with basic engineering. You truly get a sense of appreciation for the ingenuity of the Ancient Egyptians once you have entered and climbed the stones of a pyramid. Next stop was the Sphinx!! I was honestly underwhelmed by the statue. It seems so BIG in pictures and on TV but when you see it in person it is not that big. After about 15 minutes and a few pictures, I was headed back to the bus still in shock and amazement at everything  I had seen that day. And it was just the beginning! 

Since we had not had lunch (we finished site seeing at about 4pm) and dinner on the train is dangerous, Sherif took us to a "resort" where we could unwind and relax a bit and then have a huge meal. The resort was not what a lot of us pictured; we had in mind a big place, with a nice pool, decent bathrooms, etc. This was a run down place, with a half filled pool, and funky bathrooms. On the plus side, the lounge chairs were quite comfortable so it was a nice way to end the day and to relax before boarding the train. We had all thought the highlight of the day was the pyramids until these guys show up with this adorable lion cub! They were charging 20 pounds for a picture of the cub and of course I couldn't resist. It (I can't recall if it was a boy or girl) was the cuddliest, cutest thing ever!! After relaxing for a bit, it was time for dinner. I was placed in the vegetarian table with three other girls and a whole lot of food. On the menu was hummus, pita bread, stuffed cabbage leaves, rice, vegetables in a tomato sauce, falafel, French fries, and a few other items. The meal was really good and very filling. One thing I greatly enjoyed was the pita bread; Egyptian pita bread is very soft and thick, not like the American pita bread purchased in the stores which is dry, thin, and crumbly. And since the pita bread was always baked fresh, it was nice and warm. I also enjoyed the veggies and falafel and couldn't get enough. 

Once dinner was over, we boarded the bus to head on over to the train station. This was a moment no one was looking forward to especially after all the horror stories we had heard. Lisa and I were assigned to Car 6, Cabin 7/8. Upon entering the cabin, I could confirm that yes, they are the size of a closet. But the cabin was clean, the beds were decent, and I did not find any bugs or rodents. The cabin manager knocked on our door to offer us dinner trays but we declined since we were warned not to eat the dinner food. Luckily we had eaten a big meal at the resort and I had a few snacks in my luggage in the event I got hungry later in the night. For our first night on the train, I got the top bunk and Lisa claimed the bottom one. The top bunk was nice since there was a storage compartment so I had a bit more room. After relaxing and getting used to our cramped quarters, I headed over to the club car where the party was! There was quite a group in there and we had a blast dancing while flying around every time the train will brake. My legs and back were covered in bruises the morning after. At about midnight, I was getting tired so I head on over to my cabin just to be welcomed with a surprise. When I opened the door, Lisa goes "there is someone on your bed". Yup, she was right. Apparently one of my tour mates had had a bit too much to drink and winded up in the wrong cabin. After a while, she found her way to another bed and I was in mine. Unfortunately, between the rocking of the train and the sudden braking, I once again managed to get no sleep. I think I slept for about 2 hrs that night! 

The infamous roosters

Egyptian Museum of Antiquities

Nile River

Nile River

First glimpse of the pyramids

Taxi in Giza

Camel caravan

Pyramids

Sphinx

Meal at the resort

Giza Train Station

My bunk bed

The train

In Egypt: First Impressions

At around 3:45pm on Saturday, October 30th, I started to catch my first glimpses of Cairo! At first I was very excited but then, when the thought of the airport transfer popped up in my head, I started to get rather worried. As the plane circled around Cairo International for about 20 minutes, I couldn't stop taking pictures of the city below. First impression was not that great; the city looked brown, dusty, and ragged. Then we landed and we're off!!

There is no bridge connecting the plane to the airport gate. You have to climb down a flight of stairs and walk to waiting trams that take you to the airport. When I walked through the doors, I saw several individuals holding signs with the name of the various tour companies but I could not find a sign that said "Contiki". After about 5 minutes of looking, I gave up and decided to head out to grab my Visa and make it through the passport verification station. Getting the Visa was easier than expected; I paid $15 USD and received this sticker. So far so good but still no site of my airport transfer rep. I headed over to customs and after about 4 minutes in line, I saw a sight more magnificent than the pyramids and all the temples....my airport transfer rep!! :) He was waving a sign on the other side of customs by the baggage claim area. I guess my happiness was obvious because those in line around me started laughing. I couldn't help it, I was relieved I wouldn't need to hail a cab to the hotel! Then I received more happy news, my luggage made it to Egypt in one piece. A perfect beginning to what would be an almost perfect trip! 

At the airport, I got to meet a few of my tour mates. Some had arrived on an earlier flight but a few had actually been on my flight. I had had the opportunity to meet some tour mates on Facebook before the trip but I didn't recognize those in the airport. The airport transfer rep whisked us away and led us to the bus that will take us to the hotel. In a few minutes, we would get our first glimpse as to what is best described as "hell on wheels". Those that think the traffic and driving in Miami, NYC, and Los Angeles is bad have obviously not traveled to Cairo. Everything related to driving is a total free for all. There might be three lanes painted on the road but there will be 7 rows of cars. Buses continuously weave in and out of traffic while pedestrians jump on and off the bus while it is still moving. Brave souls dart out of no where trying to cross traffic. And cars in Egypt do not use their headlights since they apparently bother pedestrians. Oh, and the honking is nonstop to the point you hear it in your sleep (I know I did!). 

While on the bus, there was one group of girls, a couple, and another girl traveling by herself. I decided to sit next to her and I quickly learned she too was traveling solo and this was her first Contiki tour. Her name was Lisa (remember this name for later). While on the bus, the rep (he works for Spring Tours which is Contiki's parent company in Egypt) told us to remember three very important things: 1) do not drive in Cairo (that was obvious) 2) do not drink tap water, just bottled water 3) an explanation on Egyptian money. As we continued driving (at a snail's pace because of the traffic), I chatted away with both Lisa and the rep. Little did the rep know he was sitting next to an Egypt nerd because he was amazed I was able to identify a few of the sites including the Ramses Train Station. After we arrived at our hotel (Victoria Hotel) in one piece, it was already 6:15pm and our first group meeting was at 7pm. Upon checking in, I received the wonderful news that Lisa was my roommate!!!! :) Lisa and I ran to our room (208) and we were in for a pleasant surprise; big room, clean, comfy beds, hot water in the shower! After my shower, I almost burned down the hotel in an attempt to figure out how to use the power converter with my blow dryer. Lisa comes out of the bathroom and her first words are "What's that burning smell??". After that experience, I stuck to using the blow dryers provided by the hotel and cruise.

The moment of truth, our first group meeting! At the meeting, I immediately recognized Angele, Matt G., Brigid, Thomas, Shaun, and Amanda from the Facebook group. That was good until I learned we had a full house, 36 in total (should have been 40 but 4 never made it to the tour)! It was going to be a challenge to learn all those names and to be quite honest, by the end of the trip there were a few people whose name I did not know. The meeting started of with our beloved tour guide/manager, Sherif, talking about the tour and everything we should expect. And there was one thing I quickly learned, Sherif LOVES to talk!!! After the talk, we were off to pay for a few of our optional tours and then dinner. I went to Egypt with the idea of doing everything offered so I obviously signed up for every optional tour available. That night, I paid for the Abu Simbel tour, the Sound & Light Show, and the tips that are given to the bus drivers, cruise managers, etc.

Then I was off on my first Egyptian adventure! While the hotel was rather nice, the area surrounding the hotel was not. The hotel was located in Old Cairo, in the heart of an industrial part of town. There were barely any street lights around the hotel and the majority of sidewalks were not paved. A group of us headed out to the Mobil Gas Station's On The Run convenience store and this falafel place Sherif recommended. On our way, we kept tripping over broken sidewalks and at times had to walk on the street because chunks of the sidewalk were missing. While the area was a tad shady, we really didn't have any issues with the locals. Upon arriving at the gas station, I felt I was in the states once again. There were tons of Pringles, Oreos, Aquafina, and other American brands. But then, I realized I wasn't in the states when we were offered baskets to place our items in. Those basic nice gestures are a bit rare where I come from! I spotted this chocolate muffin and since I was craving chocolate I grabbed one. The muffin was from the brand "Yummi" (more on this "muffin" later). When I went to pay for my items (two bottles of water, one big can of Pringles, the infamous muffin, a bag of M&Ms) the total was 40 Egyptian pounds. At first I thought that sounded like a lot but when you do the conversion it adds up to about $7 US. Egypt was a really inexpensive country!!!! When my group finished, we bravely crossed the street, to head on over to the falafel place. At first glance we were a bit weary; the "restaurant" was an open air store where you just grabbed your food and ate it standing up or took it "to go". Since we were all hungry, we went for it and the majority of us ordered the falafel sandwich. I was starving so I ordered two for a total of 3 Egyptian pounds (52 cents...I told you Egypt was cheap!!). And these were not small sandwiches, they were pretty big.  

With our snacks and dinner in hand, we made the walk back to the hotel. We had a few locals smile at us and some spoke but since none of us knew Arabic we just smiled and continued walking. I had one guy wink at me which by the end of the trip I was used to guys trying to flirt with me. Upon arriving at the hotel, we all headed out to the "garden" where we sat and talked for a while. There was a moment of silence since apparently a few of us were starved and eating was our main focus. Those sandwiches were amazingly delicious and I gobbled them up before I realized I forgot to take a picture!! Then came the "muffin". There was definitely no truth in advertising, that "muffin" was not "Yummi". I took one bite and I think the expression on my face said it all because those around me busted out laughing. The frosting tasted like soap and the muffin had a weird texture to it. I just stuck the muffin back in the bag because there was no way I was going to finish that!!! After dinner, a few of us stayed in the garden to talk and listen to the adventures of those who had arrived a day or two earlier.

I was really liking my group which made me that much more excited about the trip!! I was off to bed at midnight (or so I thought) since we had a 6:30am wake up call (more on that in the next blog). It was going to be a long day full of adventures involving mummies, camels, pyramids, and a train.

Comfy beds at the Victoria Hotel

Awesome fafafel place

The infamous "Yummi" muffin