April 25th
We went out on super adventures today. I wanted to see the spices and maybe get a shirt or dress because I have been wearing the same thing for 8 months now and it would be nice to have something else to wear...It is fun to see all of the people selling their goods. They all have a story or something to say about something. Haggling is just what they do here and many times it is very dramatic. There was a guy that was selling what I thought was licorice root and he wanted 20 pounds for it, when the guy down the street had offered it for 2 pounds. We ended up leaving the store and the guy ran down the street yelling “OK OK 3 for 5...3 for 5...” It was all very heart wrenching... We were gone for so long that we had to book it back to the ship because the ship was about to leave. So we ended up running the last leg and we just make it. Sailing was fun and the dinner was excellent. Cruising down the Nile is beautiful. The landscape is lush and you can see some structures that people live in. Sometimes you can see fishing boats or people standing on the shore. There were a bunch of people on deck one night and just after they all went in we came upon some temples on the side of a cliff face during sunset. The sunset was another matter. There was so much smog in the air you could actually look at the sun directly for a long time like it was the moon.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Another ship and adventure day
April 24th
We wake up and have breakfast and then go on a boat ride around some islands. The one Joseph our friend really wanted to go to was Elphante island. Which we thought would have more on it, but it was just a small museum and some ruins which were not very exciting. That night dinner was fabulous. We did a small tour around town, but everyone was tired so we got some sleep for the next day.
We wake up and have breakfast and then go on a boat ride around some islands. The one Joseph our friend really wanted to go to was Elphante island. Which we thought would have more on it, but it was just a small museum and some ruins which were not very exciting. That night dinner was fabulous. We did a small tour around town, but everyone was tired so we got some sleep for the next day.
The Nile Cruise
April 23rd
Today we get a ride to our cruise ship. The ship is pretty nice, we are not sure how 5 star it is, but it is fine and we are glad to be there. When we get to our room we realize that it has two beds and it is very hot. So we ask for a room with one bed and they say they don’t have one for us. Now...we are almost the only ones on the boat and they definately have another room for us, but they are not budging. Also our room seems to be getting hotter and we are just not very happy. So we call the guy who booked our trip and he sends over the guide and he takes care of things. We end up getting a fancier room with a big bed and lots of windows, two bathrooms and an air conditioner. We even got bathrobes! Deluxe!
After a while we realize that the boat is not sailing until tomorrow. Which is very upsetting to us because we had booked this 2 day cruise, but we really are only going to be sailing on it for 1 day. We tel our guide about how upset we are and he ends up taking us to a Museum and to a couple islands so we don’t feel like we missed out on doing anything fun.
Today we get a ride to our cruise ship. The ship is pretty nice, we are not sure how 5 star it is, but it is fine and we are glad to be there. When we get to our room we realize that it has two beds and it is very hot. So we ask for a room with one bed and they say they don’t have one for us. Now...we are almost the only ones on the boat and they definately have another room for us, but they are not budging. Also our room seems to be getting hotter and we are just not very happy. So we call the guy who booked our trip and he sends over the guide and he takes care of things. We end up getting a fancier room with a big bed and lots of windows, two bathrooms and an air conditioner. We even got bathrobes! Deluxe!
After a while we realize that the boat is not sailing until tomorrow. Which is very upsetting to us because we had booked this 2 day cruise, but we really are only going to be sailing on it for 1 day. We tel our guide about how upset we are and he ends up taking us to a Museum and to a couple islands so we don’t feel like we missed out on doing anything fun.
Cleopatra's Temple of Isis
April 25th
We finally get to Aswan 12 hours later and we get picked up from the airport by this guy who is on the phone and not really talking to us. We get to our hotel after another crazy car ride and he says “OK you guys are late for your tour so we have to drop off your bags and you are going to get on a bus to go on your tour....OK...first of all I am wearing jeans because I figured I would just change when I got to the hotel. I also have not brushed my teeth yet because I didn’t even want to think about bring my toothbrush into that filthy bathroom on the train. (Did I mention they never wash them? I am not over dramatizing either...it’s really true. Yes...it is true.) So we drop our bags off and he walks us over across the street and we are waiting for this bus...he is still not talking to us, he is talking on the phone and we are tired and cranky, but feeling like there is nothing we can really do, cause I guess this is the way it is, kind of thing.
The bus finally pulls up and it is hot in there. Everyone is dripping wet and sweaty; we are sitting in the back and not getting any sort of air at all. Finally I open the window and get some sort of air moving, but I need to close the window every once in a whole because it is so hot it starts feeling like we have a hairdryer on full blast. But in the beginning it is nice because it helps evaporates all of the sweat off your clothes and that helps cool you off a little.
We drove around town fast with the “tour guide” telling us things as we were going by. Everyone was hot and cranky and not really even listening. The bus stops at a dam and the bus driver says 8 pounds for everyone to go here and the whole bus says “NO! We don’t want to go here!” So the bus driver moves on and we go to a fairy which takes us to the Philae Temple. This temple is the last temple dedicated to Isis. It was made by Cleopatra’s dad for her. This temple was originally somewhere else, but the place where it was got flooded so they moved it piece by piece to this place where it rests now. Which is very beautiful by the way. It is right by the water and the rocks are amazing to see as well.
One of the things that I found wonderful about this temple is the carving. Some temples and tombs have carvings some have paintings. Here the carvings were done so that if you run your fingers across them you can feel and see what is on them. The curve of a knee or the wrinkles on the toes. At one point I was running my fingers along the wall and I burst into tears. I felt like I was a little girl remembering the times when I used to feel the walls. I remembered all of the people I was with. I had forgotten the connection I had with Egypt before this moment. For many years I had studied Egyptian mythology. The love story of Isis and Osiris was one of my favourites. I had dedicated myself to the Goddess and she had taken care of me and somehow I had forgotten, but everything came back in these moments of feeling and remembering as I touched the pictures. It took me a while to stop sobbing, but I was able to pull myself together and continue on with the tour.
After Philae Temple we got back on the boat and went to a Botanical Island, where we got to smell Henna flowers. Henna flowers smell so sweet and wonderful. Flowers here are so colourful. Not all of them have fragrance, but the ones that do are very memorable.
After Botanical Island we make it back to our hotel room and get a rest and clean up. David, Joseph and I went walking around the town. There are many people all wanting you to buy something for 5 pounds, one pound. Buy this, where are you from, that is a good place, need help buy this. Hi my friend, come see this, No hassle No hassle. We make it back to the hotel again and David and Joseph decide to go find some place to get beer. I decide to stay back and do some laundry. It’s good to get some time alone to just chill out. When travelling there is very limited time you are by yourself. There are always people around. This doesn’t always keep you from being lonely. I get lonely lots, not for lack of people around, but for lack of hugs or fun giggly talks with friends. I really miss that these days... Anyways this laundry night I watched Daddy Daycare as I washed our clothes and hung them out to dry on the balcony. Just as I finished up David got back and said they saw a drum and dancing circle as they walked around the streets. I was sad I missed it, but I was glad to have some time to just chill out too.
We finally get to Aswan 12 hours later and we get picked up from the airport by this guy who is on the phone and not really talking to us. We get to our hotel after another crazy car ride and he says “OK you guys are late for your tour so we have to drop off your bags and you are going to get on a bus to go on your tour....OK...first of all I am wearing jeans because I figured I would just change when I got to the hotel. I also have not brushed my teeth yet because I didn’t even want to think about bring my toothbrush into that filthy bathroom on the train. (Did I mention they never wash them? I am not over dramatizing either...it’s really true. Yes...it is true.) So we drop our bags off and he walks us over across the street and we are waiting for this bus...he is still not talking to us, he is talking on the phone and we are tired and cranky, but feeling like there is nothing we can really do, cause I guess this is the way it is, kind of thing.
The bus finally pulls up and it is hot in there. Everyone is dripping wet and sweaty; we are sitting in the back and not getting any sort of air at all. Finally I open the window and get some sort of air moving, but I need to close the window every once in a whole because it is so hot it starts feeling like we have a hairdryer on full blast. But in the beginning it is nice because it helps evaporates all of the sweat off your clothes and that helps cool you off a little.
We drove around town fast with the “tour guide” telling us things as we were going by. Everyone was hot and cranky and not really even listening. The bus stops at a dam and the bus driver says 8 pounds for everyone to go here and the whole bus says “NO! We don’t want to go here!” So the bus driver moves on and we go to a fairy which takes us to the Philae Temple. This temple is the last temple dedicated to Isis. It was made by Cleopatra’s dad for her. This temple was originally somewhere else, but the place where it was got flooded so they moved it piece by piece to this place where it rests now. Which is very beautiful by the way. It is right by the water and the rocks are amazing to see as well.
One of the things that I found wonderful about this temple is the carving. Some temples and tombs have carvings some have paintings. Here the carvings were done so that if you run your fingers across them you can feel and see what is on them. The curve of a knee or the wrinkles on the toes. At one point I was running my fingers along the wall and I burst into tears. I felt like I was a little girl remembering the times when I used to feel the walls. I remembered all of the people I was with. I had forgotten the connection I had with Egypt before this moment. For many years I had studied Egyptian mythology. The love story of Isis and Osiris was one of my favourites. I had dedicated myself to the Goddess and she had taken care of me and somehow I had forgotten, but everything came back in these moments of feeling and remembering as I touched the pictures. It took me a while to stop sobbing, but I was able to pull myself together and continue on with the tour.
After Philae Temple we got back on the boat and went to a Botanical Island, where we got to smell Henna flowers. Henna flowers smell so sweet and wonderful. Flowers here are so colourful. Not all of them have fragrance, but the ones that do are very memorable.
After Botanical Island we make it back to our hotel room and get a rest and clean up. David, Joseph and I went walking around the town. There are many people all wanting you to buy something for 5 pounds, one pound. Buy this, where are you from, that is a good place, need help buy this. Hi my friend, come see this, No hassle No hassle. We make it back to the hotel again and David and Joseph decide to go find some place to get beer. I decide to stay back and do some laundry. It’s good to get some time alone to just chill out. When travelling there is very limited time you are by yourself. There are always people around. This doesn’t always keep you from being lonely. I get lonely lots, not for lack of people around, but for lack of hugs or fun giggly talks with friends. I really miss that these days... Anyways this laundry night I watched Daddy Daycare as I washed our clothes and hung them out to dry on the balcony. Just as I finished up David got back and said they saw a drum and dancing circle as they walked around the streets. I was sad I missed it, but I was glad to have some time to just chill out too.
The "First Class" Train
April 24th
We have a gentle day today and at night time we head out to the night train to Aswan. We are told that there are First class seats which recline back and there are also sleeper cabins, but the sleeper cabins are $120 per person. So we decide on the First class seats....Don’t be fooled people...’First Class’ and ‘Reclining’ are very loose terms here. These are pretty filthy trains which bathrooms are never cleaned and the reclining part of the program means that 4 inches later you are kind of leaning back a little. Our cabin consisted of David, a guy from our hostel named Joseph, and two Egyptian men. The rest of the train was filled with teenage French girls who were running around laughing and talking for most of the night. Before the train started moving Joseph got relocated, evidently the number we thought was on the ticket was a different number. (It was in Arabic so we just kind of had to trust who ever told us.) As Joseph was whisked away a very nice Mexican couple came to sit across from us. Mario and Adriana. It was the fourth day of their world journey. We could tell because their backpacks were very clean and shiny still. They both work as movie producers. Some American movies some commercials and some Mexican movies. They were both really sweet and Mario was super funny. Mario is one of those, you have to see him be funny kind of people. His whole face gets into what he is saying and he has everyone laughing. We talk for a while and then everyone tries to get some sleep. It is hard to sleep on the train even though we had sleeping masks and earplugs in. Every once in a while we would open our eyes and we would see them in a different position, they said the same thing about us.
We have a gentle day today and at night time we head out to the night train to Aswan. We are told that there are First class seats which recline back and there are also sleeper cabins, but the sleeper cabins are $120 per person. So we decide on the First class seats....Don’t be fooled people...’First Class’ and ‘Reclining’ are very loose terms here. These are pretty filthy trains which bathrooms are never cleaned and the reclining part of the program means that 4 inches later you are kind of leaning back a little. Our cabin consisted of David, a guy from our hostel named Joseph, and two Egyptian men. The rest of the train was filled with teenage French girls who were running around laughing and talking for most of the night. Before the train started moving Joseph got relocated, evidently the number we thought was on the ticket was a different number. (It was in Arabic so we just kind of had to trust who ever told us.) As Joseph was whisked away a very nice Mexican couple came to sit across from us. Mario and Adriana. It was the fourth day of their world journey. We could tell because their backpacks were very clean and shiny still. They both work as movie producers. Some American movies some commercials and some Mexican movies. They were both really sweet and Mario was super funny. Mario is one of those, you have to see him be funny kind of people. His whole face gets into what he is saying and he has everyone laughing. We talk for a while and then everyone tries to get some sleep. It is hard to sleep on the train even though we had sleeping masks and earplugs in. Every once in a while we would open our eyes and we would see them in a different position, they said the same thing about us.
First Pyramids
April 23rd
We have a breakfast of a hardboiled egg, some bread, cheese and coffee and then we are off to the pyramids. There is a choice when you get to the pyramids, you can walk, take a horse or a camel. We are thinking, “Hey, we are in Egypt why not do the whole camel thing? How fun would that be? Well, yes, for the first while it is fun. You are 2 stories above the ground. The camel is very different from anything. He has on a special outfit and everything. But really...camels are uncomfortable. You are doing this belly dancing move the entire time the camel is walking so it works out your entire midsection which is great if you are expecting it, but whew! It is work. By the time we stop the camel is complaining and I am thinking...no kidding dude, I can’t imagine having to do this every day. I give him a good patting and thank him for doing such a good job and I tell him he is working so hard and he deserves a rest. (They say that camels are mean, but I think that no body ever really takes the time to have compassion for these animals who do such hard work in such hot weather. I guess horses work hard too, but camels are just more dramatic about it...hmm now that I think about it, I guess camels are sort of drama queens of the animal world, but I think they are entitled...it’s hot out there man!
After riding around and seeing the pyramids we get to go into one. We go into the second pyramid because our guide says that it is less money and just as good. So we pay our money and go in. At this time I am overheating...it is 115 degrees and although I have my sun hat on, amazingly enough I am still really hot. Our water, which we have been carrying with us is now the temperature of a hot tub and feels like we could make tea in it. As we get ready to go into the pyramid our guide tells us that it is even hotter inside of the tomb...Now I am thinking...hmmm shouldn’t it be cooler? You’d think that underground would be cooler, but no...not so much....
We go down these steep steps to get to a stopping half way point. So I rest against the stone wall which is cool on my back and neck. I close my eyes for a moment to take in the coolness and pray to whatever God is available at the temple to please help me make it through this place. I feel my body start to resonate with the energy of this place and I start to get my energy back. We make it to a second set of stairs and this time we are going up. We make it up into an open square stone room with a stone casket at the end. I sit for a while to catch my breath, because I am thinking that there is somewhere else to go in this place, but....no. This is it. We are kind of bummed out. I think we expected to see pictures, paintings, hieroglyphics or something, but what we found was pretty anti-climactic. Maybe we thought we’d feel more...maybe we expected there to be less trash all over the place, maybe we expected the people there to care more about their land. But for whatever reason we left the pyramids feeling like we missed out on something. (Well the one thing we didn’t miss out on is a sore bottom...it took about 3 days to recover from that camel ride...)
We got back to the hostel and were hungry for dinner so we went wandering around the streets for a Doner Kabab. This is a Turkish wrap that is found in Australia and evidently in Turkey, but sometimes you can find them in other places like in Cairo. We have seen a few places and the one down the street looks promising so we stop in. It is about 1/4th the size of what we would have gotten in Australia, but it tastes really great! On the way back we buy some pita bread from a woman selling them in the street. We get a good night sleep in our air conditioned room.
We have a breakfast of a hardboiled egg, some bread, cheese and coffee and then we are off to the pyramids. There is a choice when you get to the pyramids, you can walk, take a horse or a camel. We are thinking, “Hey, we are in Egypt why not do the whole camel thing? How fun would that be? Well, yes, for the first while it is fun. You are 2 stories above the ground. The camel is very different from anything. He has on a special outfit and everything. But really...camels are uncomfortable. You are doing this belly dancing move the entire time the camel is walking so it works out your entire midsection which is great if you are expecting it, but whew! It is work. By the time we stop the camel is complaining and I am thinking...no kidding dude, I can’t imagine having to do this every day. I give him a good patting and thank him for doing such a good job and I tell him he is working so hard and he deserves a rest. (They say that camels are mean, but I think that no body ever really takes the time to have compassion for these animals who do such hard work in such hot weather. I guess horses work hard too, but camels are just more dramatic about it...hmm now that I think about it, I guess camels are sort of drama queens of the animal world, but I think they are entitled...it’s hot out there man!
After riding around and seeing the pyramids we get to go into one. We go into the second pyramid because our guide says that it is less money and just as good. So we pay our money and go in. At this time I am overheating...it is 115 degrees and although I have my sun hat on, amazingly enough I am still really hot. Our water, which we have been carrying with us is now the temperature of a hot tub and feels like we could make tea in it. As we get ready to go into the pyramid our guide tells us that it is even hotter inside of the tomb...Now I am thinking...hmmm shouldn’t it be cooler? You’d think that underground would be cooler, but no...not so much....
We go down these steep steps to get to a stopping half way point. So I rest against the stone wall which is cool on my back and neck. I close my eyes for a moment to take in the coolness and pray to whatever God is available at the temple to please help me make it through this place. I feel my body start to resonate with the energy of this place and I start to get my energy back. We make it to a second set of stairs and this time we are going up. We make it up into an open square stone room with a stone casket at the end. I sit for a while to catch my breath, because I am thinking that there is somewhere else to go in this place, but....no. This is it. We are kind of bummed out. I think we expected to see pictures, paintings, hieroglyphics or something, but what we found was pretty anti-climactic. Maybe we thought we’d feel more...maybe we expected there to be less trash all over the place, maybe we expected the people there to care more about their land. But for whatever reason we left the pyramids feeling like we missed out on something. (Well the one thing we didn’t miss out on is a sore bottom...it took about 3 days to recover from that camel ride...)
We got back to the hostel and were hungry for dinner so we went wandering around the streets for a Doner Kabab. This is a Turkish wrap that is found in Australia and evidently in Turkey, but sometimes you can find them in other places like in Cairo. We have seen a few places and the one down the street looks promising so we stop in. It is about 1/4th the size of what we would have gotten in Australia, but it tastes really great! On the way back we buy some pita bread from a woman selling them in the street. We get a good night sleep in our air conditioned room.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
First day in Cairo
We get woken up by the porter asking us if we are ready to come down with our stuff. Our alarm never went off and we are frantically running around getting things ready to go.
We get everything in to the cab in record time and head out to the airport.
The streets and the airport are deserted. It's such a change from the crush of people everywhere usually.
Our flight is pretty good. When we get off the plane we have a few visa dramas, turns out we got our visas too early and now they are all running out of time so we have to buy them all again. Stinky!
Our driver from the hostel picks up up and we go on a crazy car ride to the place we are staying. People in Cairo drive like mad men. I don't think there are any road rules and sometimes there are not even any lines in the streets. About an hour later we arrive and check in. We speak to a Chinese couple that are leaving for another hotel and we end up getting their room, which is great for us because we now have airconditioning! Wooo Hoooo. It is really hot here...like Africa hot man!
We set up a tour with George, the guy who owns the hostel. We are going to be gone for about 7 days touring around. Should be fun.
We get everything in to the cab in record time and head out to the airport.
The streets and the airport are deserted. It's such a change from the crush of people everywhere usually.
Our flight is pretty good. When we get off the plane we have a few visa dramas, turns out we got our visas too early and now they are all running out of time so we have to buy them all again. Stinky!
Our driver from the hostel picks up up and we go on a crazy car ride to the place we are staying. People in Cairo drive like mad men. I don't think there are any road rules and sometimes there are not even any lines in the streets. About an hour later we arrive and check in. We speak to a Chinese couple that are leaving for another hotel and we end up getting their room, which is great for us because we now have airconditioning! Wooo Hoooo. It is really hot here...like Africa hot man!
We set up a tour with George, the guy who owns the hostel. We are going to be gone for about 7 days touring around. Should be fun.
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