heymo

Please be kind to me...first time trying this!

Itinerary:
Oct. 11-Amsterdam (10 hour flight layover)
Oct. 12-14- Cairo
Oct. 15&16- Aswan
Oct. 17-19 Nile Cruise (Aswan, Edfu, Esna, Luxor)
Oct. 19-22 Hurghada (Makadi Bay)
Oct. 22-drive back to Cairo
Oct. 23&24- Alexandria & home

We left Detroit at 7pm and arrived in Amsterdam at 8:30 am. (half an hour early...a good sign) Since our flight to Cairo wasn't until 8:45pm, we decided to take the train into the city. For a change, the weather in Amsterdam was sunny and comfortable-seems every other time I've flown into there it's been rainy! Didn't really have any set plans for the day, thought we'd wander the canals and stop when we felt like it. Found an Irish pub and had a pint along the way. What is it about Irish pubs...we've found them in Venice, Florence, Paris…seems strange but somewhat comforting to find one here. I thought we’d try to go to the Van Gogh museum, he’s my favorite and the Toledo museum of Art had a marvelous traveling collection from the one in Amsterdam a few years ago I thought it would be good to see them again up close without hundreds of people crowded around. I’m sorry to say I was very disappointed. Most of the museum was under construction, so there were not very many paintings displayed. We then walked to the Anne Frank house, but the line was enormous, so we kept going. Wandered over to the red light district, I think I disappointed an old man in front of me who saw me walking behind him- he looked like he was ready for some action! We hit the wall around 3 and decided to take a canal ride to rest up. Maybe we got too rested…we kept falling asleep on the boat! And why is it that every street sign advertisement makes me think of the opening credits for Monty Python and the Holy Grail (…a moose once bit my sister…) Headed back to the airport to await our flight to Cairo…

Arrived at the Cairo airport around 1 am. Was met by a tour company rep named Usama, who had all the personality of a dung beetle. Not a good start…he however was apparently just the guy who greets customers. Our REAL rep, Joseph, was waiting for us outside with our driver for the next few days, Yasser. Load up the luggage and we’re off to our hotel. We’re staying at the Pyramisa, which is in the Dokki district of Giza. Not a bad hotel, though as everyone said a 5 start hotel in Egypt is not a 5 star hotel elsewhere. But the room is nice, and the bed doesn’t hurt my husband’s back so that’s a plus. We finally get to bed around 3-3:30. Our plans have us just visiting the Pyramids and the Sphinx on the first day, they took pity on us. We’re picked up at 11 and introduced to our guide for the next 3 days, Hossam. (or just Sam, as he informed us) There was some confusion as we left the hotel, apparently the tourist police either didn’t get a copy of our itinerary (or couldn’t find it) and they weren’t going to let us leave. But Joseph got them a copy and we were off. Sam is great, very funny and knowledgeable. He tells me on the way to the Pyramids that I have thrown them all off kilter with my request to go to the camel market in Birqash tomorrow. No one has ever asked to go there! He’s actually looking forward to going himself, having never been there before.

As we’re driving to the Pyramids I catch a glimpse of them along the highway. I have to catch my breath! My husband said before we left he was hoping the Pyramids were going to be as big as he imagined…and as we pull up we both realize he was NOT going to be disappointed. Sam said he’d give us 15 minutes or so to take some pictures, then we’d make our way up to the main viewing sight. We had opted NOT to go inside the Pyramids. And, as expected, the onslaught of vendors began in earnest. It was the beginning of what seemed to be an endless assault on our wallets for the next two weeks.
I learned quickly to adapt the dead stare and walk right by them. I am amazed at the sheer size of the blocks, and even though I have seen countless Discovery Channel shows to witness them in person is astounding. I asked Sam about Zahi Hawass, the minister of egytpian Antiquities you see all the time on Discovery. He laughed uproariously, and explained that there is no love lost between him and the other Egyptologists and tour guides. They regard him as more of a showman than a true Egyptologist. Frankly speaking, that was always my opinion of him as well…




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Author: heymo ([email protected])
Date: 10/26/2006, 11:14 am
Up to the spot where you can see all 3 Pyramids together. We pass the theater where they used to perform Aida every year. They stopped performing it after 9/11, another casualty of terrorism…we take the obligatory pictures by the Pyramids, and head over to negotiate a camel ride. Our guide informs us (in front of the camel guy) that we shouldn’t accept his first price, and that we should make sure the price includes getting back and getting down off the camel. We haggle back and forth, and finally agree on $50 US for both of us for an hour ride. (Sam says we did great!) Off we go…the camel boy (I have no idea what you call someone who leads the camels…camel boy is working for me!) takes us to a spot where you can see all 9 Pyramids and we get our picture taken. Of course, we also get some guy who comes up with 2 bottles of 7 UP, opens them and hands them to us, and wants 10 Egyptian pounds each for them. We say no, we’ll give them $5LE for both and if he doesn’t like it he can have the open bottles back. No more hassle. We head back to the small Pyramid, and our guide Sam meets us at the end to make sure we can actually get off the camels! (their names, incidentally, were Moses and Mickey Mouse!) He tells us we have a slight delay, our van has a flat tire and poor Yasser, in his dress clothes and fancy shoes, is feverishly trying to change the tire along the side of the road. It gives us time to walk around Menukare, the smallest of the three Pyramids. We get back to where Yasser was to be waiting for us…no driver. There was a miscommunication and he thought he was to pick us up from the Great Pyramid. We then head to the Sphinx, where the onslaught of children selling tourist crap was in full swing. You can’t get as close to it as I would have liked, but it is nonetheless impressive. We were then taken to a Papyrus Institute, where we were given a demo on how it is made, and made the obligatory purchase of said papyrus. Then lunch and back to the hotel for a rest before we head back out in the evening for the Nile Maxim cruise.



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Author: heymo ([email protected])
Date: 10/26/2006, 11:33 am
Should be interesting...but it isn’t. It’s tacky, gaudy, and cheesy, everything I hate about tourism. Food was marginal at best, and the band is playing Guantanamera, for heaven’s sake! The belly dancer is pretty but I have seen better dancing…Jospeh says she’s an American. She’s acted in several Egyptian movies, and he’s quite star-struck to see her in person. The Dervish dancer was the highlight of the evening-he was amazing! Don’t know how he avoids falling over when he’s done! Back to the hotel and sleep for the early morning jaunt to the camel market.



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Author: thit_cho
Date: 10/26/2006, 11:54 am
Great report (the name of my camel when I first visited the pyramids, in 1997, was Michael Jackson, so they've been changed since then).

I'm interested in your review of Birqash -- I visited that market on my first visit to Cairo in 1997, and I was the only tourist there. I take it from your guide's reaction that it has not become a staple on the tourist circuit.



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Author: heymo ([email protected])
Date: 10/26/2006, 01:27 pm
Up at 6 for the ride to the camel market. Birqash is about 18 km northwest of Cairo, and the drive there it is a good opportunity to get a glimpse of every day life for Egyptians. The canal along the road is the source for everything- bathing, washing clothes, getting water for cooking. And just at the moment I am enjoying the sights…a dead donkey floats by. That bottled water is looking better and better! Sam seems to be as excited as we are to go-he’s never been there before and it’s a nice break from the same old sights. We find out that our driver Yasser, came out this way the day before to scope out the best route since he’d never been here before either. We had to stop a time or two for directions, but when we started seeing trucks with camels piled in the back we knew we were on the right path.
We parked and got out, and to our surprise our driver (who normally stayed in the car) came in with us. This WAS a new thing for them. It was funny to see him walking around in his dress shoes trying to dodge the camel dung. It doesn’t smell nearly as bad as I would have expected, no different than any horse farm. The sheer number of camels was astounding, there had to be a thousand at least! The camels are marked with paint to identify them for each vendor, and their front leg is tied up so they can’t run as fast. It is quite a sight to watch as a camel races by followed by a boy who looked like he was about 5 running after it with a cane in his hand. We wander around trying to keep an eye peeled for any prison breaks, and stop to watch a rather lively auction of what seems to me to be the largest camel I have even seen. It’s quite loud, with lots of hand gestures and clenched hands. The bartering seems to go on forever, and finally a price was met. I asked Sam to find out how much the camel sold for. He came back and said the price was $4000 Egyptian pounds, about $800. I said I thought one could easily make that back in a day or two at the Pyramids selling rides! We did not see any other tourists there, so this truly is an off the beaten path excursion. I like that. Out of the corner of my eye I see a camel lying in what seems to be a very strange position, until I realize that the reason it seems strange is that its throat has been slit. Don’t know if it had been injured or sickly and no longer valuable , but nevertheless there it lies. A calf wanders over and nudges it, and I am surprised at how calm I am at the sight. Maybe it is just that it seems normal given the surroundings, I don’t really know.
We wander around some more, talk to some of the sellers (who seem genuinely surprised and pleased we are there) and left. I am so glad we went! As we leave the market we talked about how they load some of these camels into the trucks, and right outside the market we get our answer. They park the truck on a hill, and walk the camels right in! I am truly amazed at how many camels they fit in these little Chevy trucks. Might be a good advertisement…From there we made our way to Memphis and Saqqara. Along the way Sam said they had decided to take us to KFC for lunch since we had visited the camel market today, but in Egypt KFC stood for Kentucky Fried Camel! What a kidder…

heymo

We arrive in Memphis around 11. There are some buses, but not as many as I was expecting. The Russian tourists we had seen the day before at the Pyramids had gone somewhere else today it seemed. A side note, as a person who tries to pay attention to what is culturally acceptable in different countries, I was appalled at the dress of the Russian tourists. How tacky…they looked like they belonged on the Vegas strip rather than a Muslim country during Ramadan of all things. (okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now) we stayed a short time at Memphis, and I have to say the statue of Rameses II was quite impressive. We then proceeded to Saqqara. You can certainly see the pyramid building process here, and it still is enormous. On the back side we see the other pyramids there…and the Pyramids at Giza as well. Sam says we hit it on a good day, usually it’s too hazy or smoggy to see them! Head to lunch at a restaurant called aptly enough…Sakkara restaurant. The band playing at the entrance was hilarious…they only play until either you walk by and don’t tip-at which point they stop cold, or until you do tip and walk no more than 2 feet away. It was fun to watch them start and stop. One thing is for sure-I think they only know about 8 bars of the song!
Food was pretty good- they make their own bread which was fabulous. We liked the Tahina (sp?)- some kind of paste made with sesame seeds. I got chicken kabobs, Bill got beef. Mine was MUCH better than his! We ordered Turkish coffee when we were finished-my first try at it. It tastes like they left the grounds in it, and mixed it with pepper. Even sweetened it was awful! To each his own- and my sincere admiration to those of you who can get through it!
We went back to our hotel and relaxed by the pool for a while before getting ready for the sound and light show. Hopefully it won’t be as tacky as the Maxim cruise!

heymo

Okay…so the show is cheesy. The visuals are great-to see the pyramids all lit up at night was pretty cool. What frustrated us was the fact that A) they left the lights on in the back so you had big spotlights on while you were trying to watch the show (they turned them off finally about 20 minutes into the program) B) there was metal scaffolding everywhere- but it seemed to have nothing to do with the show but blocked your view of the pyramids and most importantly C) they have a big building at the top of the hill be the Great Pyramid which is SO conspicuous it detracts from the sight. Hey guys, ever thought of maybe moving the building so it can’t be seen or making it look like it belongs there? In the end we had mixed feelings about going. Would I do it over if I knew what I know now? Maybe…
Saturday- Egypt Museum, Alabaster Mosque & Old Cairo. Since it was Ramadan, the museum was closing at 3 instead of 6pm. Unfortunately for us, it seems EVERY tourist in Cairo had chosen today to tour the museum. I came very close to telling Sam we should go somewhere else, but before we knew it we were in the line to go in. We focused mainly on King Tutankhamen since we were basically having to do a “highlights” tour of the museum. Some of the pieces that have survived are truly a wonder- a shield that still has leopard skin attached was amazing to me. We arrived at the room with the artifacts from Tut’s tomb, and Sam explained that guides are not allowed to go in. Too many people going through there for guides to stop and explain each item. What a nightmare that room is-too many people for too little space, and a group of elderly Spanish women who kicked and clawed their way to the front of every case. Left the museum, but not before I stopped in the bookstore across the street and bought a book on the museum and one that has pictures of some of the famous places in Egypt with overlays of what they would have looked like in the day

heymo

Moved on to the Citadel and the Alabaster Mosque. I asked Sam about the City of the Dead, and it just so happened we drove past it as we talked. It fascinated me that people were actually living in some of the crypts…but we didn’t go in. we sat in the mosque and Sam explained the history of the building and we talked at some length about the Muslim religion. We felt bad-we constantly forgot he was Muslim and would offer him water, or a mint, or to even sit with us at lunch. He brushed it off and said it was okay. I think he wanted to make sure we understood that not all Muslims are extremists…maybe that’s part of being a tour guide in a Muslim country these days.
We then traveled to Old Cairo, and then bravely made our way to the Khan al Khalili market. I must preface this by saying that A) I am not someone who is easily intimidated and B) I had done extensive research on the market and how one deals with the vendors and such. But I was not prepared for the assault that followed. Sam pointed us into a path to lead us back to the café where he was going to wait for us, and after a few practice transaction with him, we were off. Not even a mosh pit at a heavy metal show could prepare me for the pushing and pulling that awaited us along the route. I had my game plan-had the dead-eye stare all set and knew I only wanted to stay on the main drag and not get suckered into going off the beaten path-but my husband wandered through the street like a puppy. He almost immediately got pulled into an alleyway by a vendor wanting to show him his collection of camels (something my father-in-law asked us to bring home. I followed-not because I wanted to but because I knew we couldn’t or SHOULDN’T get separated! Didn’t buy from the man- when the negotiations were not going well he grabbed my husbands arm and tried to pull us back. I yelled and we walked briskly back to the main drag. He followed, but I told him I’d call the tourist police if he continued. Made our way around the path we had originally planned and headed back to Sam. Back to the hotel to collect our luggage, then off to the train station for the overnight trip to Aswan.

Leely

Just wanted to let you know I'm finding your report hilarious. Oh, and helpful too.

Keep up the good work.

Grcxx3

Heymo - love your report!

The camel market sounds great. I always wanted to go and felt it was something my boys would enjoy, but there is no warm-fuzzy feelings about camels with them. In all our years, they never even rode a camel.

Sorry the museum was so crowded - it really has so many treasures just sitting around, many unlabeled. As for Tut's room, I think it's hit or miss. I went once and it was crowded like you experienced. I went another time and almost had the whole place to myself!

I hope you ended up buying some stuff in the Khan. It can be intense, but I loved it! Of course, I think the vendors recognized us as "locals" and didn't bother us as much. THey would often greet us with "Hello, Maadi!" (Maadi being the main ex-pat suburb).

Can't wait to hear the rest of your report!

sundowner

Great report, Heymo! The trip to the camel auction sounds very interesting/fun. It must be pretty cool to see that.

We went to a market in Namibia that sounds just like the market you were in. We made the mistake of saying each other's name and the onslaught began. People thru the whole market were calling us by name. But at least they weren't pulling on us. That's horrible.

I'm really enjoying this and look forward to more. Thanks for posting.

heymo

The train system in Egypt is anything but efficient. Our train was supposed to leave at 8, but didn't arrive until 9. We boarded and attempted to load our luggage in the sleeper compartment. I thought we were going to have to leave them out in the hall when we discovered an overhead compartment for luggage. Thank heavens! This should be an interesting experience. We're wishing we had brought a deck of cards...I highly recommend taking along something like that if you do take the train from Cairo to Aswan.
Dinner was served shortly after we left Cairo…and honestly I couldn’t identify what exactly it was! Good thing we brought a jar of peanut butter and some granola bars with us…and a bottle of rum for good measure. That bottle of rum really came in handy from time to time-if either one of us was having trouble sleeping or for myself an alternative to drinking Egyptian wine…whoever told me to avoid it was absolutely right! The one glass I had tasted like cough syrup!!!!!
We stayed up for awhile then the steward came and opened the upper bunk and we turned in for the night. Slept in fits and starts, the bunks are hard and not exactly the height of luxury, but it was an interesting experience and I was glad we went this way. We arrived in Aswan about 9 am, earlier than expected. Our original plan was to check into the hotel and catch the 11 am convoy to Abu Simbel. But because the trains are notoriously late, our tour company switched our schedule and we would take the 4am convoy to Abu Simbel the next day.

heymo

Checked into the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan. I felt like I had stepped back in time. This place is magical. (And yes, I know that sounds corny, but it’s how we both felt. I expected to see Agatha Christie strolling by at any moment!) After getting settled in our room (With the first bed we’ve had so far we could sleep in together…YAY!!!) We headed down to explore the hotel for awhile before we start our day in Aswan. It is beautiful…everything I expected it to be. From the terrace we could look over at both Elephantine and Kitchener Islands, and to watch the feluccas sail down the Nile was so relaxing. Our company rep met us in the lobby and introduced us to our guide for the next 4 days, Ahmed. He would be traveling with us all the way to Luxor on the Nile cruise.

We started at the day at the High Dam, and then made our way to the Philae temple. It wasn’t crowded, surprisingly enough, and we were able to wander around without much trouble. After Ahmed took us around and explained the significance of the temple, we had about 15-20 minutes to explore on our own. Bill went one way, I went another. After I had finished taking pictures I started looking for my husband. I see him at the entrance to the temple, with a “guard” standing in front of him. He motions for me to come to him, but when I get up there I don’t see him, just this “guard”. By guard I mean a man not in a tourist police uniform, but dressed in shirt and pants and carrying a machine gun. When I get up to the entrance the man with the machine gun says to me “come, I show you my wife”….and I quickly came to the conclusion that when a man with a machine gun asks you to do something….you do it! I followed him towards the back of the temple, the hairs on the back of my neck at full attention. I called my husband’s name several times, but to no avail. Finally I came around the corner and there he is, talking with 4 other “guards”. Apparently he had wandered where he wasn’t supposed to be, but instead of the guards getting angry they took him on a private “tour” to see the Nile-o-meter and a few other off limit places. Of course, baksheesh was expected, and once again, 5 men with machine guns = BAKSHEESH!

BayouGal

OMG, Heymo, this is awesome . . . and it's your first TR?

You are so funny!!!

I read the first 2 segments, but MUST wait to read the rest with my husband.

This is excellent, girl! Well done! Can hardly wait to read the rest!

kopp

Excellent, heymo! I'm really enjoying this. This is something I have planned and postponed for at least 3 years now. Last spring we even had all the reservations, but cancelled at the last minute. Somehow I always get "scared" away from going. Your story at the market is unnerving to me, but certainly it's a place you must go when there for sure.

Great job! I anxiously await the rest.

Paulie

Heymo, your report is terrific!
I'm enjoying it very much!!
Thank you!!

heymo

I'm not going into too much detail? I hope not...anyway, we press onward...

In answer to your question Grcxx3...we did end up buying things at the Khan. I just decided I wasn't going to let them stop me from enjoying the experience, and we went on from there.


I told Bill to pay the guards and let’s get the heck out of there. They all were very friendly…they kept saying over and over how much they love Americans, but I felt uncomfortable nonetheless. Bill was sorry he didn't talk to them longer. Are you kidding me???? Our guide told us that it’s illegal for them to do that- they aren’t supposed to have any interaction with the tourists-but I remember reading about it happening often before we left. We would encounter this 2 more times, both occasions in Alexandria. And I felt just as uncomfortable on those occasions as well. I will get into both of those times later. We head back into town and to the Unfinished Obelisk- but it was closed early due to Ramadan.

A note about being in Egypt during Ramadan- I found it quite an interesting time to be there. We had several occasions where we had to be up early, and the sound of either the call to prayer or the reading of the Koran was quite lovely. On the other hand I felt bad for the waiters and tour guides and vendors who had to work when they should be fasting and praying. And frankly speaking, I don’t know how our guide Ahmed could go all day in the hot sun at places like the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut’s temple WITHOUT WATER!!!!

3:45 am- and we’re waiting to be picked up for the convoy to Abu Simbel. Our driver, Bebo (I have no idea how it’s spelled, it’s my best shot at it!) picks us up at 4 and we drive right around the corner for the convoy. There are at least a dozen buses, and about 20 vans like ours. Once the convoy begins, it’s not so much like a convoy as much as it is a race to the finish line. I think they basically said “on you mark, get set, Go” and they were all off! We were at least the 30th vehicle in the convoy, but Bebo must be in training to be a NASCAR driver, because I believe he broke all land-speed records and by the time we arrived 3 hours later to Abu Simbel we were 4th in the convoy! I think the convoy is just a good excuse to have everyone go at the same time. And you better not have to pee or break down along the way, there’s NOTHING out there! Not even a tree to go behind! We slept off and on for the 3-hour trip. (A 3-hour trip…sorry, I started channeling “Gilligan’s Island” there for a minute!) Once we got there, paid our 1LE for the 4 SQUARES of toilet paper at the bathroom (God forbid you have an attack of the “Pharaoh’s curse with only 4 squares of toilet paper!) we were off. Guides typically do not go to Abu Simbel, the site itself hires guides who are trained to take you around and explain the temple. We were told to ask for an English speaking guide when we got our ticket. We found one right away (Mohammed, is EVERYONE named this? It must be like the name Joe in Arabic…) and he explained he would be gathering up a few more people to take in a group. We’ve been so spoiled by having a private guide I was feeling very selfish…I want my own guide!
When he finally comes up to us he apologizes and explains that the rest of our group is from Thailand and speaks very little English but there was no other guide who spoke a language they could understand. So-off we go with a group who look like they belong in a punk rock band-one woman had pink and yellow striped hair, the guy had black hair with blue streaks, and the kid just looked like he wanted to lay down and sleep! Let’s just say time schedules meant nothing to these people, and we were constantly waiting for them to come back to the group. The guide was apologizing to us as much as he was explaining the temple! The temples are amazing- worth the 3-hour drive! (You can take a flight if you so choose…)

heymo

The convoy left for Aswan around 10…Bebo slept while another man who came with him drove back. I couldn’t sleep on the way back- this driver kept nodding the whole time he was driving- I wanted to say “hey, let ME drive-you sleep!”
We made it back in one piece, thankfully, and were dropped of at our Nile cruise boat where we met up with Ahmed our tour guide. We had lunch on the boat, got settled in our room (which was bigger than I imagined) and headed off. We hit the Unfinished Obelisk first (since we’d missed it the day before) then took a felucca ride to visit a Nubian village. Ahmed was Nubian, and when we explained the day before we were not interested in really “touristy” things, he suggested this. The Nubians were largely displaced by the building of the High Dam, and a lot of villages were lost under the waters of Lake Nasser. Two men, and older man and his son piloted the boat. The older man explained to Ahmed (in Nubian language, which is a completely oral language and is also a dying language) that he thought it was much better in Egypt when the English were in control. This was the third Egyptian we had heard make this statement, Ahmed being the second and our guide in Cairo Sam saying his father had told him the same thing. We were surprised, to be sure!
They don’t have nearly the freedoms they had when the British ruled, and were more prosperous. The old man brought out some jewelry to sell, and it was so pretty and so inexpensive I bought several things. We arrived at the village and walked through the streets. Camels wandered aimlessly-and people were selling their handicrafts as we walked by. We then entered a Nubian house and were greeted by the head of the family. We sat and had some Hibiscus tea, while Ahmed explained the house. I was struck by how sad it was that these people had to have tourists like us go through their home to make ends meet- and I had a hard time just sitting there. We walked up to the roof of the house and looked over the village, then made our way back to the boat. It was nearing 5:30-almost sundown and time for the breaking of thr fast. That WOULD have seemed rude to me to be there at that time…and I hoped that maybe they had another place where they actually lived and this was just for show. I don’t think so, but it made me feel a little better to think so.
Ahmed had the boat drop us off by the Aswan souq- Bill needed a gallabyia for the night on the boat! This was much less aggressive than the Khan al Khalili, and the street was much wider! I was surprised the souq was still open this late-especially during Ramadan. Ahmed stayed with us while we shopped, and he said he knew of a place for Bill to get what he needed. He’d let us barter, but would remove his satchel from his shoulder when he thought we had reached a fair price. I liked this! Bill got a gallabyia and a headscarf (plain white-not the Arafat type…) for about $8 US. Not bad…we stopped at a coffee shop and talked for a while before walking back to the boat for dinner.
More tomorrow...my eyes are getting blurry!

heymo

BG- glad to see you made your way over here! Trying to monitor two boards at the same time is hard work!

Grcxx3

heymo - you're taking me back to sooo many fond/interesting memories!!! Great report!

And I'm happy to see BayouGal on this board as well! Another New Orleans gal is always welcome!!!

heymo

The other passengers on the boat with the exception of a father and son from Wyoming were all from Holland, and not exactly a lively bunch. Dinner mostly consisted of us sitting by ourselves (in the very first able as you walked in the room-I felt like I was on display!) and having EVERY waiter on the boat ask if we had a daughter and if they could marry her and move to America! It became a running game- how many e-mail addresses and pictures we were going to receive that day. We attempted to go to the “disco” that night- but we were the only ones in there and to hear Shaggy singing “It Wasn’t Me” playing was a little too surreal for us. We opted for drinks on the top deck of the boat. That was our favorite place to hang out, watching the world float by, listening to the Imams reading Koran, and watching for the next Mosque all lit up like Christmas. (We thought this was strange-but it was explained it’s only done during Ramadan) Tomorrow is Kom Ombo temple, so we head off to bed. (Ooh-and we get to sleep in the same bed-YAY!)
The temples are starting to blend together, and I start to become concerned that it will be difficult to identify one piece of hieroglyphics from another. So I focus on what makes each temple unique and take pictures of that only. Kom Ombo is so close to the Nile- it’s probable been one of the coolest days we’ve spent with the breeze coming in from the water. Back on the boat, we’ve got time before we arrive in Edfu. We sit on the deck with Ahmed and have an interesting conversation about life in Egypt. He tells us also that they had more freedoms when the British ruled- there are books that are banned, movies and music as well. It’s a good lesson for us in appreciating the freedoms we have. We talk movies for a while (BG can attest- I’m a movie fanatic!) then have lunch and get ready for our visit to Edfu. We have to take a horse drawn carriage, and as we get on a shopkeeper approaches and asks me to come back to his shop when we return. He says “You will like- everything for nothing”. I had to laugh. That became our motto for every shopkeeper we saw for the rest of the trip! I like when we travel through the middle of town- it’s nice to see people in their every day environment. The temple is beautiful-and I am surprised again just how many Greco-Roman temples there are in Egypt that honor Egyptian Gods. (I remember someone mentioning the horses in Edfu-ours seemed to be slightly gaunt but was not mistreated by the driver- and didn’t see any others being mistreated. They could use a little more alfalfa, though!)
Back to the boat, and we find out that the people from Holland had already been on the boat for a week, and had already HAD gallabeyia night! We’re disappointed, but Ahmed said if we wanted to wear them to dinner he’d wear his and sit with us so we wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. I’m up for it-but my husband isn’t so sure. But I convince him that he already spent so much time getting one to fit and all-he should wear it. We sit on the deck and I take even MORE pictures, I think I might just fill up this 1G memory card before I’m done! I’m up to 800 pictures-I think it’s possible! We see a boat chug by that looks like it’s straight out of the “African Queen”- I fully expect to see Humphrey Bogart behind the wheel!

heymo

We get dressed for dinner, and Bill still feeling very uncomfortable-realizes you can see his underwear through the gallabeyia! I told him the lighting is low in the dining room, no one will notice and we head off. Once we get downstairs, everyone says how comfortable we look (in broken English) and he felt better. Up to the top deck after dinner (of course he changed clothes…) Our bed decoration tonight was a Nile crocodile. Our steward has had something new for us twice a day, one after breakfast and one at night after dinner. They’re great, and I am tipping him extra-I don’t care.
Last day at the temples…we have breakfast in the bar-the Dutch people don’t have to be up as early as us so we get a box breakfast and some coffee. (pseudo coffee, to be sure-can’t wait for a Starbucks when I get home!) We’re off to the valley of the Kings first- and it’s a lot smaller than either of us think it would be. Our ticket gets us in to three tombs, and we have debated back and forth which 3 to visit. I had really wanted to visit Rameses VI, but unfortunately it was not open. After much debate we opted for Merenptah, Tutmosis III and Rameses IV. The tomb of Tutmosis was a climb both up the stairs and down into the tomb, but I was glad we chose it. The pictures were more like cartoons than I had seen before, and I found it quite fascinating. Each one was unique in it’s own way, and it seems we chose one from 3 different dynastys. Did my good deed for the day in the tomb of Ramses IV- a little German girl had gotten separated from her parents, and I walked around with her until we found them. How frightening- how would you like to lose your child not only in a foreign country but in a tomb? We did not go into the tomb of King Tut, and I have mixed feelings about that. Both our guide in Cairo and Ahmed said they didn’t think it was worth the extra money, but we’ve seen and heard so much about THIS tomb there is a part of me that regrets not going in. As we leave it occurs to me that we should have checked to see if we bought an extra ticket if we could have visited other tombs- might have been worth the extra $5…

thursdaysd

Thanks heymo - great report. One question, you write: "There was some confusion as we left the hotel, apparently the tourist police either didn’t get a copy of our itinerary (or couldn’t find it) and they weren’t going to let us leave". Could you explain? I was in Egypt in 2000, and I just walked out of my Cairo hotel and went where I liked. Is security so bad now?

heymo

I don't know if security is bad or not, but it seemed that if someone was coming to pick us up from the hotel to take us somewhere they had to talk to the tourist police first. Maybe it was just this hotel-I didn't notice it with the others outside of Cairo. It didn't make me uncomfortable or anything-quite the opposite. I was glad they were looking out for my well-being!