For the past 2 days we have been touring Egypt. This was a tour of good and bad, poor and rich, history and present conditions. For all it was, we wouldn't have missed it for the world. It began with warnings, in a letter from guest relations, from our waiter, our head waiter, and from people we met who are familiar with the area. We were warned not to eat or drink anything that may have been washed with or contain local water. We should only eat cooked foods, canned soda, and bottled water provided by the ship. Even purchasing bottled water from a vendor is risky because it may have just been filled from the local water supply. The second warning was that we would be hassled and badgered by people selling things wherever we went. Our tour was for 2 days with an overnight in a hotel, so we packed only a change of clothes, essential toiletries, medications, cameras and 4 large bottles of water.
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| At Citadel of Salah Al-Din, |
Monday morning at around 7:30AM we left the ship at the port of Alexandria and queued up to pass through Egyptian security. That was chaos, as the authorities tried to send everyone with overnight bags or backpacks to the right and everyone else to the left. When we finally got through, we discovered that our bus was the one furthest away from the ship in a lot containing at least 40 buses. We joked that they were making us walk to Cairo.
We were in the first bus going on the overnight tour. The bus was packed - no empty seats, but we discovered over the next 2 days that we lucked out. Our guide, Hany, was the man who designed the tour, and he had connections around Cairo that helped us in many ways. Plus, he was knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and entertaining. He said he is a history teacher and that he gives lectures on Egyptian history all over the world. He also claimed to be the guide chosen to show President Obama around when he visited Cairo. (Ray doesn't believe him, thinks he is a great guide, salesman and storyteller. I plan to try to look him up on the internet when I get home.)
The tour started with a brief bus tour of Alexandria before we headed out on the 3 hour drive to Cairo. I was surprised to see the Pyramids of Giza to our right, just beyond the city as we drove into Cairo. I always thought they were further out in the desert, but they are practically at the edge of the city. Our first stop was at the Citadel of Salah Al-Din, a lovely, large mosque, built by an Egyptian ruler named Mohammed Ali (no, not the boxer) between 1176 and 1182 A.D..
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| Great Sphinx at Night |
After spending time there learning about the mosque and Muslim religious practices, we continued on to the Egyptian Museum. Hany gave us a great tour of the highlights of this museum, including the Tutankhamen exhibit, the papyrus room, and several mummies. We got to see the 4 sarcophagi and 4 outer boxes that contained Tutankhamen’s mummy, plus the wonderful gold mask. It was a thrill to be able to walk around it and see the intricate detail on all sides, not just the face everyone sees in photos.
By this time is was 4pm and we had only had an early breakfast and a small snack on the bus. We headed to our hotel for a late lunch. This was at the Mena House Oberoi, a 5 star hotel, on a site right next to the pyramids. The food was good, although we were careful not to touch any salads or fruit. After lunch we checked into a very nice room and managed a half hour rest before the next event.
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| Step Pyramid |
At 6PM we boarded the bus again for a short ride to the viewing area for the Pyramids Sound & Light show. Seats are positioned in front of the Sphinx, with the 3 main Pyramids of Giza behind and they play a recording of the history of these pyramids while lighting the pyramids in different color lights and projecting shapes onto them and the structure next to the Sphinx. It is done as if the Sphinx is narrating. Although not the kind of laser light shows we have seen in the U.S.., it was wonderful to see the pyramids lit up at night and to hear the story.
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| Camels at Giza Pyramids |
The tour included a dinner back at the hotel after the show, but we were tired from walking and not really hungry, so we went straight to our room. We had to wake up at 6AM the next morning.
Tuesday we got up, boarded the bus again and headed out to see the step pyramids at Saqqara. Hany showed us that this is at the edge of the Sahara Desert, with the lush Nile Valley bordered by immense distances of sand. From there we visited the Mit Rahina Museum, which boasts artifacts from the ancient city of Memphis, a small Sphinx and a huge statue of Ramses II. Our next stop was at the Pyramids of Giza for daytime photography and camel or chariot rides for anyone in our tour so inclined. And no, neither of us had any desire to ride a camel. We just watched and took pictures.
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| At Giza Pyramids |
The other points to note are that the temperature on Tuesday was well over 100 F. As you will see from the photo of us, my hair was completely wet from perspiration under my hat. There was no way I wanted to ride a camel off into the desert in that heat. The second point is that, they were right about the hawkers. Everywhere we went, men and young children were trying every way possible to sell us something at outrageous prices. Our guide instructed us on how to deal with them, so we did fine. Of course, then our guide gave us numerous sales pitches on the bus, offering various tourist items for sale. He worked with local merchants to get the things most likely to sell and offered them to us at reasonable prices. By the end of the tour, there were jokes that he would try to sell us his underwear next, but I think we all appreciated his fair prices and getting the kinds of things we wanted without having to haggle with street vendors.
After Giza, we boarded a lovely river ferry for a lunch cruise on the Nile. It was only in the city, but we can say we cruised on the Nile. Food was good and we were entertained by a belly dancer and a whirling dervish. If you don't know what that is, you'll have to wait for the video.
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| Whirling Dervish |
Our last stop was for souvenirs. We were able to pick up and pay for things we had ordered on the bus, plus shop for other items that were off the shelf at 2 stores where Hany helped tour members bargain. One store sold only papyrus art, the other sold jewelry, clothing, and miscellaneous statues and trinkets. By the time we re-boarded the bus for the drive back to the ship it was about 5PM. Our ship was scheduled to leave port at 7:30PM, so this was cutting it close. We got back about 7:45 and at least one of the 5 buses that made this journey got back after us. Of course, if you are on a ship sponsored tour, the ship waits for you, so we weren't too concerned. We felt the ship move away from the dock within a few minutes of our getting back up to our room.
It was too late for the dining room and we didn't feel like buffet, so we found the Johnny Rockets "diner" on board and ordered burgers, fries, onion rings and shakes.
It was a great trip. I do have to add a few other notes. As we drove to the various sites, we couldn't help but see the poverty around us. In this city of 18 million people, traffic is horrendous, and to complicate things, there are donkey and horse drawn carts mixed in with the cars, motorcycles, trucks and buses. People bring small herds of cattle, sheep and goats into the city to sell alongside the road. An irrigation canal runs through part of the city, and it is the most polluted, garbage filled water I have ever seen, yet I saw poor people fishing in it, trying to provide some protein for their family. I saw men sitting in cafes drinking coffee and smoking water pipes, waiting for someone to come along hiring workers. Men who had been hired for a job were standing waiting for their employer to pick them up. All around there were women in long dresses and head scarves. (I only saw one burka.) Everywhere there were buildings under construction. I also noticed something I have seen on Caribbean islands - lower floors lived in and the top floor showing open vertical pipes or metal beams so the buildings are ready to add the next floor when money and need coincide. In contrast to this, we passed lavish homes and apartment buildings. Like any large city, it has rich and poor areas, but in Cairo, the differences seem at the extreme.
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