Egypt

August 11 - 14

I had almost resigned to the idea that I didn't have enough time left to merit an Egypt trip. I'm glad I reconsidered, because this past weekend, I was able to cram in a satisfying amount of ancient pharaonic tombs, temples and pyramids to last for at least a few years... I traveled with Josh and Beth, two friends who are both also doing MISTI Israel. To save transport time, we flew from Amman to Cairo, a one hour flight, replacing the 10+ hour drive across the Sinai. We had to deal with transport to and across the Jordan border, but we fortunately met minimal delay in transit.

Again coming in clutch in the crucial moment, Omer was willing to drive us to the northern border crossing with Jordan. Our alternative had been to take a bus on Wednesday night, spending the hours of darkness walking from the nearby town of Beit She'an to the border. But instead, Omer picked us up at 4:45 am and drove to the crossing, which we got to right on time, when it opened at 6:30. Omer left to raid some abandoned army bases for reusable equipment and electronics on his drive home, while we began our journey to the land of the Nile.

We were lucky that timing worked out so well, making it across the border in a couple hours and to the airport in Amman comfortably early for our 12:00 flight.With a one hour time difference in Cairo (daylight savings is dropped during Ramadan), we landed at 12:30 in Cairo. By the time we made it through customs, we had each spent close to $75 each just in entry/exit visas between countries, but fortunately our arrival in Cairo was accompanied with wonderfully cheap taxis, delicious and inexpensive food, and ever-barterable prices.


Cairo

It was nearing the halfway point of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar during which Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar-based, Ramadan ends up moving up 11-12 days each year, shifting through the seasons only to realign every 30 years or so. Clearly some parts of the year are much easier for fasting, with shorter hours of light and fairer weather in the winter. With Ramadan falling exactly on the month of August this year, the intense heat and long days are a formidable challenge for those fasting. While we stopped for meals and made sure to stay hydrated, our tour guides, taxi drivers and locally-made acquaintances would hold out all day. Many slept in, but those who had to work were able to push through. 90-95% of Egypt is Muslim, so Ramadan is just as much a cultural as religious practice there. It was especially cool at sunset, when big crowds would come together in the streets to celebrate the breaking of the fast.

The off-season for tourism in Egypt falls in the summer, due to the brutal 40+ °C heat, and with the recent revolution and continued protesting, as well as the reduced activity of Ramadan, we were among a very small number of foreigners traveling the country. I really enjoyed this fact, because it meant we were able to get a more personal experience. The tourism economy desired our business too, which gave us an upper hand in price negotiations.

Rush hour in Cairo hits at 2 pm, when the streets of this dense, 8-million-person metropolis overflow with cars, buses, taxis and motorbikes. It takes considerable skill to drive here, as little attention seems to be paid to road markings. If there is a space to squeeze, there's a car maneuvering through it. Motorcycles and Vespas with extra passengers zip through the pulsating gridlock. Pedestrians are in a constant game of Frogger, playing chicken with the oncoming traffic as they forge a path to cross city streets. A language of honking including messages of salutations, alert and aggravation builds to an earful at rush hour, while continuing through all hours of the night.

After a slow two hours, we made it to the King Ramses train station, where we penetrated the crowd of commuters to locate the ticket office for the overnight train to Luxor. We bought three tickets for that night's train, leaving Cairo at 8 pm and arriving in Luxor at 6 the next morning.

We spent the rest of the day exploring some of the Islamic District and downtown, both on the east bank (of the Nile). Khan el-Khalili, a historic marketplace in Cairo's Islamic District, sits amongst a number of beautiful, old mosques. The narrow streets of the market were somewhat empty because of Ramadan, and none of the famous coffeehouses noted in my guidebook were open. We saw few other tourists as we wandered the streets.

Josh in Khan el-Khalili

Some kind of amusement ride? Not sure I'd sign up for this one.

One of many shisha shops in the souk.

We caught a taxi downtown to Tahrir Square in search of local food and to see the site of the protests. Since the Egyptian Revolution and Mubarak resigned in February, the military has held government control. This transitional situation is meant to prepare for presidential elections later this year (although some locals expressed concern that they may be delayed). Protests have continued in Tahrir Square, with many camping out in the square for weeks in July, up until they were forcibly removed by military force on August 1, the start of Ramadan. Protesters seek swifter reforms and replacement of government officials. It was inspiring to see the optimism of many Egyptians in building a more democratic nation, although so far it does not appear that very much progress has yet been made.

January 25th Revolution t-shirts for sale in front of Tahrir Square

Riot police guarding Tahrir Square

Worn out from trekking in the heat, we welcomed a meal in a small restaurant downtown that specialized in kushari, a traditional Egyptian dish. Kushari is made of a mix of macaroni, rice, lentils, chickpeas with a spicy tomato sauce and often vinegar. It is a simple, cheap and delicious meal while on the go, which we took advantage of more than once during our trip.

Kushari

Satiated and satisfied with our first taste of Cairo, we headed back to the train station. While the quarters were cramped, the cabins on the train easily fit two bunks, which fold out from the wall. The rooms also include a private sink, and dinner and breakfast is served during the ride (not especially appetizing though).

Overnight train car for two; beds fold out from the right wall.

Luxor

Morning view of the lush Nile-fed agriculture from our train window.

We arrived in Luxor around 6 am after a decent sleep. Outside the train station we were met with taxi drivers and tour organizers, whom we spent a good half hour arguing with before reaching a final price for our day's explorations. The final agreement included a private tour guide and van driver, and five sights spread around the region. In ancient Egypt, the city of Thebes was located here on the Nile's east bank. From the sixteenth to eleventh centuries BC, Thebes was the capital of the Egyptian empire.


Valley of the Kings

We first drove to the west bank of the Nile, where all the ancient pharaohs' tombs are located. Because the sun sets in the west, over the river, it was customary for the pharaohs to be buried on the west bank, where they would follow the setting sun into the afterlife. In the Valley of the Kings, many notable pharaohs were buried, surrounded by a wealth of treasures to aid them in the afterlife. While hidden, most tombs had been ransacked by thieves back in the era of their creation. One of the exceptions was the tomb of King Tutankhamun, which was discovered untouched in 1922. All the priceless artifacts are now located in the Egypt Museum in Cairo, located in Tahrir Square.

Arrival at the Valley of the Kings

Josh climbs down the steep entryway into one pharaoh's tomb

Josh and I picked up a couple traditional jelabiyas. They helped with the heat.

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

Our second stop was the temple of Queen Hatshepsut (or "HotChickenSoup," according to our tour organizer). Hatshepsut was one of few female pharaohs. She ruled for a successful 22 years and was recognized for building new trade relationships with foreign kingdoms. To garnish respect, she presented herself in the form of a man in many of the statue and carved depictions of her, and she wore a strap-on pharaoh's chinbeard.

The first of many statue imitations

Our new temple guardian friends

We made many new friends with our Egyptian garments. All of the tombs and temples were overseen by local workers whose job it was to keep tourists inside the marked boundaries and prevent flash photography. However, with such a ridiculously low government wage there was little motivation to enforce these rules, and instead many would invite us into off-limits areas and to take pictures, hoping afterwards for a small tip ("baksheesh").

This shop owner wasn't as friendly after I refused to buy his Arabic headscarf.

Valley of the Nobles

Our next stop was at Valley of the Nobles, where wealthy Egyptians from the same time period commissioned their own tombs. An interesting element of these tombs was that their hieroglyphs depicted Egyptian culture and everyday life, as opposed to the stories of the afterlife always shown in pharaonic tombs.

It was common to see faces scratched off, supposedly an act of Romans

Harvesting grain

Colossi of Memnon

 

The Colossi of Memnon are two massive statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. They originally stood at the entrance to the Amenhotep's temple where he was worshipped as a god during and after his lifetime, but close to nothing remains of the temple today.

Josh and I were on a quest to explore more of the local cuisine, and for lunch we partook in the Egyptian delicacy of stuffed pigeon.

Tastes like chicken...

Karnak Temple

Back on the east bank of the Nile, our last stop was at the great Karnak Temple, an enormous stone structure that housed places of worship to a number of Egyptian pharaohs and gods. It is actually the largest religious structure in the world. The temple is to the god Aman-Ra, originally a cult sun god of little importance outside Thebes until the Egyptian capital was moved to the region and bolstered the god's importance.

The entrance through a row of ram-headed sphynx

That column is huge!

Sweet wing glyph

Huge obelisks

While most statues and structures were constructed by stacking a bunch of sandstone blocks, sometimes with an overlaid soft stone to create a clean surface. However, ancient Egyptian obelisks were cut as a single piece of rock, and transported down the Nile to be erected all as a single 30 meter monolith. Just one of the Egyptians impressive technical feats...

Ya gotta give a little baksheesh to the guy with the gun

Our guide explaining how epic this pillared hall is

To give you a sense of scale...

Felluca on the Nile

With a couple hours to kill, we headed to the harbor to catch a ride on an Egyptian sailboat called a felluca. The water was refreshing. We hopped in to cool off, careful of the strong current. We mostly had the river to ourselves, catching the sunset before hopping ashore to catch our railway hotel back to Cairo.

Back at the Luxor train station

Back in Cairo


Again arriving in the early morning hours, we took a taxi to our first and only stationary lodging for in Egypt, the Luna Hotel. The staff were very helpful and friendly, especially given that we were able to sign in to our room for that night before 8 am!

On our way to the hotel we drove by Tahrir Square, where a protest had taken place the previous night. We had seen clips of violent clashing with the police on the news. There was a drastic increase police presence at the square.

Shoulder to shoulder riot police at Tahrir Square

The Pyramids of Giza

 Working with the hotel staff, we arranged a driver to take us to the pyramids in Giza. About a thirty minute drive from downtown, crossing the Nile again to the west bank, where the pyramids stand on the edge of the city. We arranged a tour on horseback, and made our way into the walled off park where the last remaining wonder of the ancient world still stands.

Peeking over the rooftops

Approaching on horseback

With an expansive sandy desert to cross, we took off at full speed to the edge of a hilltop lookout. I had never galloped before. The adrenaline rush as I feared for my life was amazing. Broken bones from horseback riding wipeout in Giza would probably make a pretty good story, but fortunately enough I somehow stayed on Rambo's back as he charged ahead. Once at the lookout, our guide led a killer photoshoot, showcasing his baller tourist photo-taking skills.

Cairo in the distance

The Great Pyramid, still retaining part of the smooth outer surface at its tip

Friendly camel dude

Let me borrow his camel

Even though I had no baksheesh

Can you see me?

Sphynx post nose reduction

The horseridin pyramid crew

Our driver also stopped at a papyrus shop, where we saw how easy it is to make robust paper out of papyrus (oldest writing material, great success!). Tried some Egyptian beer at lunch.

Unfortunately not very tasty

On our way back to downtown Cairo, we drove near the step pyramids of Saqqara. These were essentially the prototypes of the Giza pyramids. They were smaller and did not have the clean faces that once covered those at Giza.

Looks a lot like Mayan ruins, no?

When we got back from our jaunt to the pyramids, we took a much needed nap. We had been going strong since 6 am. It was nice to lie down on our first real bed in three days. By the time we woke up, the sun had set, and the Ramadan nightlife was beginning to spread through the streets. We ventured out into the night, wandering by vendors and large crowds of Egyptians throughout the streets.

We caught a taxi to Zamalek, an island on the Nile in the middle of Cairo, home to many chique restaurants and cafes. The area we explored appeared to be frequented by students and international travelers. We stopped for dinner and shisha at a great restaurant, where Josh and I tried our next unusual menu item, rabbit. It was quite delicious, although the meat was rather tough. Similar to Jordan, we found that Arabs really knew how to deliver on a well-packed hookah.

After dinner, relaxed and content from our intensive travels and evening rest, we explored more of Zamalek. We had developed an inclination toward grabbing a drink somewhere in the city, and so began a quest for a bar or nightclub to satisfy our thirst. We had little luck nearby, but did come across a shisha bar on the street where we befriended some local Egyptians.

FIFA and shisha

We were directed towards five star hotels to find someplace that would serve alcohol, but after finding only one bar, which turned out empty and super shady, we settled on nonalcoholic smoothies at a rooftop cafe overlooking the city. We eventually caught a taxi back to our hotel and slept until our early morning flight.

The drive back to the airport took only 15 minutes without traffic

I'm glad we were able to see so much in the brief time that we spent in Egypt, but there was clearly much that we had missed. I expect I will find myself back here sometime during future world travels.