Egypt trip report
Mar 25th, 2007, 12:09 PM
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Egypt trip report
I thought I'd share some impressions, thoughts, and other tidbits from my nine days in Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, and Aswan. I was in Egypt from March 3-12.
From a broad perspective, there are two things I'll take away from the trip. The first is the kindness and hospitality of the Egyptian people. They are, without a doubt, the nicest and most generous people I've come across. You often hear that Nebraskans and midwesterners are nice people, but we've got nothing on the Egyptians. In Luxor I met a teacher tending his brother's shop. He asked me to sit down for a moment and talk and before I knew it, we were on our way to a coffeehouse where we chatted for more than an hour over coffee and tea. The next night in Luxor, I met a young man who sailed a felucca. (A felucca is a small sail boat prevalent on the Nile throughout Egypt. As gondolas are to Venice, feluccas are to Egypt). He wanted to show me his felucca, so we went aboard and sat there for an
hour on the Nile talking, drinking beer, and looking at photos of his family and friends. In Aswan, I met a very old gentleman in a Nubian village on Elephantine Island. (Nubia is the part of Africa in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Nubian civilization reaches back about 9,000 years). He took me around the village, explained Nubian traditions passed down for generations, took me into his home and introduced me to other family members, all before sitting down for tea. Many other people I crossed paths with were just as eager to interact and share a part of their country with foreigners.
On a related note, the reception I received as an American couldn't have been better. Just about everyone I had the briefest of interactions with asked me where I was from. When I said America, every single person replied, with no hesitation, that they loved Americans and our country. There were no exceptions. Even the people who knew no more than a few words of English knew enough to express how much they liked Americans. I had one security guard (a government employee, mind you) say that America was the best country in the world and that Egypt was only #2. Only one person brought up the subject of politics and the US government without it first being raised by me. Everyone who I asked said that while America was loved by Egyptians, George Bush was hated.
The other thing I'll take away from the trip is the poverty and decay I encountered. Cairo is a dirty and dingy city. The air pollution in Egypt, and particularly in Cairo, is horrible (before the trip, I read somewhere that spending one day in Cairo is like smoking 20 cigarettes -- I won't argue with that). Nothing seems very modern -- most of the buildings in Cairo are old and in a general state of decay. Some of the non-tourist sections I wandered into, and even in some sections of Cairo in the middle of downtown, seemed third-worldish. Even at a sight as important to Egypt as the Pyramids in Giza, you might round the corner in a tomb and come across a heap of garbage. Many people seemed to have great pride in the things they did have, like the man in Luxor and his
felucca, or the old man in Aswan who was very proud of his home, but it was disappointing to see that the people didn't have a greater collective sense of pride in how their city and country presented itself. After seeing the economic conditions first hand, it is easier to understand why some people might dedicate their lives to a more fundamentalist version of Islam and lash out in violence toward the west -- even becoming suicide bombers. These people merely need to look around them to see that the rest of the world has passed them by and that they have little hope of someday having a better life. The teacher in Luxor explained that most Egyptians hate their own president, Hosni Mubarek, because he does nothing for his own citizens (but they tolerate him because Egypt hasn't gone to war in 34 years). It seems to me that winning the war on terror means
raising the economic conditions of the people in that part of the world. You're not going to do that with guns and bombs. In a world where a knowledge based economy is essential, Egypt is in really big trouble. And considering that Egypt is supposedly one of the more progressive countries in the Arab world, the Arab world is in really, really big trouble.
Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. Other thoughts:
-- One of the most trilling experiences I've ever had is riding in a cab in Cairo. The traffic is absolutely crazy. There appear to be no formal rules of the road. Lane lines, on the few roads they even exist, are meaningless. Use of headlights at night is apparently optional, and many drivers decline the option. For the uninitiated, crossing a busy street is a death wish.
-- As I've found out from other trips, some of the most memorable moments are the ones that you don't have to share with huge crowds of other tourists. Like when I went inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza and was able to spend about 10 minutes in the burial chamber before anyone else entered (I even climbed into the sarcophagus and laid down!). Or like when I visited King Tut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings and was there all by myself for 10-15 minutes, just me and the mummified remains of Tut himself. Or like when I climbed the mineret (a tall spire) of one of Cairo's most famous mosques and was able to admire the views of the city all alone (too bad the smog was as bad as it was). Or like when I visited some other famous pyramids south of Cairo that precious few tour buses
venture to. Or like when I climbed the mountain out of the Valley of the Kings on my way to a nearby temple and had some amazing views of the Valley and other ancient ruins nearby (the cushy organized tours stick to their air conditioned tour buses to get around). Or like when I visited the Egyptian Museum in Cairo -- just before closing the museum was almost empty and I was the only person in the room containing the famous death mask and coffins of King Tut; a few hours earlier the room was packed and you almost had to elbow your way up to the display cases.
-- In Alexandria, I visited the new library that opened 5 years ago. One of only a handful of buildings I went into the entire trip that would meet western standards for cleanliness and modernity, the library is intended to reestablish Alexandria as a great seat of learning, as it was a few thousand years ago before the ancient library was destroyed. It is an impressive piece of architecture (go to www.bibalex.org for a picture).
-- The Egyptian Museum in Cairo probably has one of the most impressive collections anywhere in the world, but the museum does an incredibly poor job of presenting them. The building is just over 100 years old and has never been renovated, despite obviously needing it. Many of the artifacts are dusty and very few are accompanied by any descriptions of what they are. Plus, the museum is just packed with artifacts everywhere. I can just imagine that before the building opened, a worker carried in a 5,000 year old statue or whatever and asked his boss where to put it and the boss replied "just set it down there for now" -- and thats where is still is today. My advice for anyone going to the musuem is to hire a knowledgable guide to take you through the museum, or at the very least have a detailed guide book with you.
-- Most people I encountered spoke some English, but not much. Actually, the less English a person spoke, the more fun it was to try to communicate with them (hand gestures, pointing at pictures in my guide book, etc.). Smiling help break down lots of barriers -- everyone knows what a smile means.
-- On my way home, I had a long layover in Frankfurt, Germany so I wandered around downtown for a couple of hours. The contrast between Frankfurt and Cairo could not have been more stark: clean sidewalks and streets, orderly traffic, skyscrapers, modern architecture, Starbucks, a reluctance of its citizens to jaywalk, drinkable tap water. But then again, Frankfurt doesn't have the Pyramids.
-- Speaking of which, one night I went to the laser light and sound show at the Pyramids. They used lights to make it appear as if the Sphinx was narrating the show. While the dialogue and music was pretty cheesy, the lights were impressive. At the beginning of the show, the Pyramids were only partially lit, but after a few minutes the story and music built to a climax and then suddenly, in an instant, all of the Pyramids were flooded in a bright white light. Talk about a take-your-breath-away moment.
-- Another highlight was visiting the Temples of Ramses II at Abu Simbel, only about 20-30 miles north of the Sudan border. The temples were carved into the rock on the banks of the Nile about 3000 years ago. Some huge statues of Ramses sit in front and were meant intimadate any potential enemies that might sail down the Nile. The amazing thing is that when Egypt built a dam at Aswan in the early 1970's, it was determined that the rising waters of the lake behind the dam would completely flood the temples. So the international community got together and cut up the temples into blocks and reconstructed them on the higher ground where they are today. You can barely tell.
-- Another interesting thing about Abu Simbel is getting there. Its a three hour drive from Aswan through the desert -- I'm sure the terrain you see on that drive is exactly what the surface of the moon looks like. And individuals aren't allowed to hop in a car and drive themselves (you'd be crazy anyway to drive yourself in Egypt). Vehicles can only drive the route if they are part of a convoy, of which there are two per day (mine left at 4:00 am). The convoy rule is meant to protect people from terrorists who might ambush vehicles on the road. Because tourism is so vital to the Egyptian economy, they go to great lengths to provide security, especially after the 1997 massacre of 65 tourists in Luxor -- you see the "tourism police" at all the main tourist attractions. They carry big guns.
From a broad perspective, there are two things I'll take away from the trip. The first is the kindness and hospitality of the Egyptian people. They are, without a doubt, the nicest and most generous people I've come across. You often hear that Nebraskans and midwesterners are nice people, but we've got nothing on the Egyptians. In Luxor I met a teacher tending his brother's shop. He asked me to sit down for a moment and talk and before I knew it, we were on our way to a coffeehouse where we chatted for more than an hour over coffee and tea. The next night in Luxor, I met a young man who sailed a felucca. (A felucca is a small sail boat prevalent on the Nile throughout Egypt. As gondolas are to Venice, feluccas are to Egypt). He wanted to show me his felucca, so we went aboard and sat there for an
hour on the Nile talking, drinking beer, and looking at photos of his family and friends. In Aswan, I met a very old gentleman in a Nubian village on Elephantine Island. (Nubia is the part of Africa in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Nubian civilization reaches back about 9,000 years). He took me around the village, explained Nubian traditions passed down for generations, took me into his home and introduced me to other family members, all before sitting down for tea. Many other people I crossed paths with were just as eager to interact and share a part of their country with foreigners.
On a related note, the reception I received as an American couldn't have been better. Just about everyone I had the briefest of interactions with asked me where I was from. When I said America, every single person replied, with no hesitation, that they loved Americans and our country. There were no exceptions. Even the people who knew no more than a few words of English knew enough to express how much they liked Americans. I had one security guard (a government employee, mind you) say that America was the best country in the world and that Egypt was only #2. Only one person brought up the subject of politics and the US government without it first being raised by me. Everyone who I asked said that while America was loved by Egyptians, George Bush was hated.
The other thing I'll take away from the trip is the poverty and decay I encountered. Cairo is a dirty and dingy city. The air pollution in Egypt, and particularly in Cairo, is horrible (before the trip, I read somewhere that spending one day in Cairo is like smoking 20 cigarettes -- I won't argue with that). Nothing seems very modern -- most of the buildings in Cairo are old and in a general state of decay. Some of the non-tourist sections I wandered into, and even in some sections of Cairo in the middle of downtown, seemed third-worldish. Even at a sight as important to Egypt as the Pyramids in Giza, you might round the corner in a tomb and come across a heap of garbage. Many people seemed to have great pride in the things they did have, like the man in Luxor and his
felucca, or the old man in Aswan who was very proud of his home, but it was disappointing to see that the people didn't have a greater collective sense of pride in how their city and country presented itself. After seeing the economic conditions first hand, it is easier to understand why some people might dedicate their lives to a more fundamentalist version of Islam and lash out in violence toward the west -- even becoming suicide bombers. These people merely need to look around them to see that the rest of the world has passed them by and that they have little hope of someday having a better life. The teacher in Luxor explained that most Egyptians hate their own president, Hosni Mubarek, because he does nothing for his own citizens (but they tolerate him because Egypt hasn't gone to war in 34 years). It seems to me that winning the war on terror means
raising the economic conditions of the people in that part of the world. You're not going to do that with guns and bombs. In a world where a knowledge based economy is essential, Egypt is in really big trouble. And considering that Egypt is supposedly one of the more progressive countries in the Arab world, the Arab world is in really, really big trouble.
Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. Other thoughts:
-- One of the most trilling experiences I've ever had is riding in a cab in Cairo. The traffic is absolutely crazy. There appear to be no formal rules of the road. Lane lines, on the few roads they even exist, are meaningless. Use of headlights at night is apparently optional, and many drivers decline the option. For the uninitiated, crossing a busy street is a death wish.
-- As I've found out from other trips, some of the most memorable moments are the ones that you don't have to share with huge crowds of other tourists. Like when I went inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza and was able to spend about 10 minutes in the burial chamber before anyone else entered (I even climbed into the sarcophagus and laid down!). Or like when I visited King Tut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings and was there all by myself for 10-15 minutes, just me and the mummified remains of Tut himself. Or like when I climbed the mineret (a tall spire) of one of Cairo's most famous mosques and was able to admire the views of the city all alone (too bad the smog was as bad as it was). Or like when I visited some other famous pyramids south of Cairo that precious few tour buses
venture to. Or like when I climbed the mountain out of the Valley of the Kings on my way to a nearby temple and had some amazing views of the Valley and other ancient ruins nearby (the cushy organized tours stick to their air conditioned tour buses to get around). Or like when I visited the Egyptian Museum in Cairo -- just before closing the museum was almost empty and I was the only person in the room containing the famous death mask and coffins of King Tut; a few hours earlier the room was packed and you almost had to elbow your way up to the display cases.
-- In Alexandria, I visited the new library that opened 5 years ago. One of only a handful of buildings I went into the entire trip that would meet western standards for cleanliness and modernity, the library is intended to reestablish Alexandria as a great seat of learning, as it was a few thousand years ago before the ancient library was destroyed. It is an impressive piece of architecture (go to www.bibalex.org for a picture).
-- The Egyptian Museum in Cairo probably has one of the most impressive collections anywhere in the world, but the museum does an incredibly poor job of presenting them. The building is just over 100 years old and has never been renovated, despite obviously needing it. Many of the artifacts are dusty and very few are accompanied by any descriptions of what they are. Plus, the museum is just packed with artifacts everywhere. I can just imagine that before the building opened, a worker carried in a 5,000 year old statue or whatever and asked his boss where to put it and the boss replied "just set it down there for now" -- and thats where is still is today. My advice for anyone going to the musuem is to hire a knowledgable guide to take you through the museum, or at the very least have a detailed guide book with you.
-- Most people I encountered spoke some English, but not much. Actually, the less English a person spoke, the more fun it was to try to communicate with them (hand gestures, pointing at pictures in my guide book, etc.). Smiling help break down lots of barriers -- everyone knows what a smile means.
-- On my way home, I had a long layover in Frankfurt, Germany so I wandered around downtown for a couple of hours. The contrast between Frankfurt and Cairo could not have been more stark: clean sidewalks and streets, orderly traffic, skyscrapers, modern architecture, Starbucks, a reluctance of its citizens to jaywalk, drinkable tap water. But then again, Frankfurt doesn't have the Pyramids.
-- Speaking of which, one night I went to the laser light and sound show at the Pyramids. They used lights to make it appear as if the Sphinx was narrating the show. While the dialogue and music was pretty cheesy, the lights were impressive. At the beginning of the show, the Pyramids were only partially lit, but after a few minutes the story and music built to a climax and then suddenly, in an instant, all of the Pyramids were flooded in a bright white light. Talk about a take-your-breath-away moment.
-- Another highlight was visiting the Temples of Ramses II at Abu Simbel, only about 20-30 miles north of the Sudan border. The temples were carved into the rock on the banks of the Nile about 3000 years ago. Some huge statues of Ramses sit in front and were meant intimadate any potential enemies that might sail down the Nile. The amazing thing is that when Egypt built a dam at Aswan in the early 1970's, it was determined that the rising waters of the lake behind the dam would completely flood the temples. So the international community got together and cut up the temples into blocks and reconstructed them on the higher ground where they are today. You can barely tell.
-- Another interesting thing about Abu Simbel is getting there. Its a three hour drive from Aswan through the desert -- I'm sure the terrain you see on that drive is exactly what the surface of the moon looks like. And individuals aren't allowed to hop in a car and drive themselves (you'd be crazy anyway to drive yourself in Egypt). Vehicles can only drive the route if they are part of a convoy, of which there are two per day (mine left at 4:00 am). The convoy rule is meant to protect people from terrorists who might ambush vehicles on the road. Because tourism is so vital to the Egyptian economy, they go to great lengths to provide security, especially after the 1997 massacre of 65 tourists in Luxor -- you see the "tourism police" at all the main tourist attractions. They carry big guns.
Mar 25th, 2007, 02:16 PM
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I enjoyed your report. What was the weather like while you were there? I hope to visit Egypt in the future and have heard that going with a group is the best way to go. Did you go with a tour group?
Mar 25th, 2007, 11:32 PM
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Oh Sunshine..........my husband REALLY didn't need to know that!!!!! Where is it???? We had to bring in our Starbucks during the years we lived there! Rumor has it that one is opening in a few months here in Azerbaijan - but I'm not holding my breath. I'll just bring in my usual supply this summer.
Mar 26th, 2007, 01:20 AM
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Hi there! I'm Rcon Franchesca Pascua, 22, writer, who also loves to explore and write about exotic destinations like Morocco. I had a great time reading your travel report and I have to agree with you on your comment regarding the warm and friendly traits of local Egyptians. They truly are number one when it comes to Middle Eastern hospitality.
Mar 26th, 2007, 05:05 AM
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Grcxx3, There's one open in City Centre Mall in Nasr City and another one will open soon at Carrefours in Ma'adi. I was told that there's one going in on Road 9, but I'm not sure that that information is correct.
I went there shortly after it opened & I felt like I was in the little one in Eastlake, my neighborhood in Seattle. No not homesick, just homey.
I went there shortly after it opened & I felt like I was in the little one in Eastlake, my neighborhood in Seattle. No not homesick, just homey.
Mar 26th, 2007, 09:11 PM
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Thank you so much klg for your insightful report; I have a similar itinerary booked this Oct 07 & am more excited than ever. I decided to fly to Abu Simbel however...
I'm staying 2 full days post-tour based in Cairo. Any advice on doing Alexandria in a day as I don't hit it on my tour.
I'm staying 2 full days post-tour based in Cairo. Any advice on doing Alexandria in a day as I don't hit it on my tour.
Mar 28th, 2007, 11:30 AM
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To answer a few questions that were posed:
- the weather was very nice while I was there. Temperatures were very comfortable in the early morning and evenings, with afternoon highs probably in the upper 70's. But beware the sun, particularly if you are out in the afternoons: after a couple of days I had a nasty sunburn.
- I traveled alone, acted as my own tour guide and made all travel arrangements myself. I've found that if you travel as part of a large group, you may see the same sights (on the tour operator's timetable), but you miss out on so many smaller experiences that make the trip memorable (for example, my experiences riding in taxis in Cairo that I described above, not to mention haggling with the cab drivers over the fare).
- to tennis woman: its possible to do Alexandria in a day, but that obviously depends on how much you want to see. I took the early train from Cairo (8:00 am departure as I recall) and was in Alexandria around 10:00 - 10:30. I spent a couple of hours at the Library because that was what I was most interested in, and then took a cab to Fort Qaitbey. From the Fort, I wandered down the Corniche and eventually ended up in Alexandria's market, or souq. I don't remember the name of the street it is on (I know it extends from Midan Tahrir westward) but just walking through the market was an incredible experience. There were a lot of sights I wasn't interested in visiting during my one day in the city, such as Pompey's pillar, the Greco-Roman museum, the catacombs. It might be tough to see all those things in a day.
- the weather was very nice while I was there. Temperatures were very comfortable in the early morning and evenings, with afternoon highs probably in the upper 70's. But beware the sun, particularly if you are out in the afternoons: after a couple of days I had a nasty sunburn.
- I traveled alone, acted as my own tour guide and made all travel arrangements myself. I've found that if you travel as part of a large group, you may see the same sights (on the tour operator's timetable), but you miss out on so many smaller experiences that make the trip memorable (for example, my experiences riding in taxis in Cairo that I described above, not to mention haggling with the cab drivers over the fare).
- to tennis woman: its possible to do Alexandria in a day, but that obviously depends on how much you want to see. I took the early train from Cairo (8:00 am departure as I recall) and was in Alexandria around 10:00 - 10:30. I spent a couple of hours at the Library because that was what I was most interested in, and then took a cab to Fort Qaitbey. From the Fort, I wandered down the Corniche and eventually ended up in Alexandria's market, or souq. I don't remember the name of the street it is on (I know it extends from Midan Tahrir westward) but just walking through the market was an incredible experience. There were a lot of sights I wasn't interested in visiting during my one day in the city, such as Pompey's pillar, the Greco-Roman museum, the catacombs. It might be tough to see all those things in a day.
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