Walk Like An Egyptian

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From one full-on day to the next, it was an early start on Wednesday morning when the sounds of the ship docking at Port Said literally woke up most of the passengers at five-am. As the main points of interest in Egypt are situated around Cairo, it would be a three-hour drive before we could begin our sightseeing. Egyptian immigration had come on board earlier in the morning while we were all sleeping to stamp our passports. Just when we thought Egypt was going to be a lot more relaxed than Israel the day previous, we found out that all of the coaches were travelling in a convoy with police cars at the front and back. A surly officer also accompanied each bus wherever it went for the duration of the day. The only people we had to fight past, though, were the salesmen waiting for the passengers to get off the boat. They sell everything from miniature crystal pyramids to imitation papyrus paintings and hassle you until you’re blue in the face. I would like to say this is the only place you encounter such hagglers, but unfortunately they follow you wherever you go, even to the foot of the pyramids.

First stop in Cairo was the Egyptian Museum, home to the largest and oldest collection of artifacts found anywhere in the world. There are literally so many pieces in this museum that they are mostly just numbered (there’s just too many nameplates to print) and you need to buy a guide book or take a tour to understand what each piece is. Unfortunately, no photography is allowed in the museum (as they damage the artifacts) and if you are caught you have your camera taken off you- for good! Luckily, our group had an Egyptian tour guide who talked us through the Top 10 attractions of the museum. In Egypt, if you are a tour guide it is a full-time job, one that requires university level study in ancient history. Needless to say, our tour guide gave us all the background information on the statues of the first Egyptian ‘female-pharaoh’ Hatshepsut as well as the thousands of pieces found in the tomb of the child-king Tutankhamen. The highlight for me here (as was most) was the jewelry room featuring the famous pharaoh’s one-hundred-and-ten kilogram sarcophagus- made of pure gold. It was breathtaking to see the belts, headdresses and jewelry produced by this most ancient culture also. Other interesting pieces for me included board games, make-up pots and foldable beds- all made and still in-tact some five thousand years later.

Hunger got the better of us after the mere hour at museum so it was off for a buffet lunch during a cruise on the Nile River. The floating restaurant was huge- enough to fit entertainment and the crowds were treated to Egyptian belly dancing and a traditional hoop twirling/balancing show. The boat had a police escort as well, although I don’t know how effective they would have been in a hostile situation. Nonetheless, it was nice to feel a bit safeR everywhere we went.

After lunch, it was a short bus ride to Giza where the grand pyramids materialized behind downtown buildings, perched on top of a sandy hill. I was surprised to see how close they were to ‘civilisation’. Somehow I was expecting to travel hours through sparse desert to find the ancient icons. But there they were, a short bus ride from Cairo. There were rows and rows of coaches, hundreds of visitors armed with cameras and liters of sunscreen. The first thing I noticed was how huge the pyramids were. When I stood in their shadow, all I could think of was how in the hell they managed to build these some five thousand years ago. It truly is a marvel.

Luckily our tour guide arranged our camel rides for us for the price of eight euro each. Giza is renowned for swindlers getting you on a camel for an agreed price then not allowing you down off the camel or holding your camera ransom, until you give them more money. One guy on our tour had his wallet and camera taken and couldn’t get it back until he let them take one-hundred euro off him. I spent most of my hour here by traipsing around the large rock formations (nearly slipping on more than a few occasions) and taking photos. Of course, I couldn’t resist taking one ‘walking like an Egyptian’- yes I am such a dag. One of my favourites here was the massive Sphinx, whose cat-like body and female face I connected with. Any culture that worships cats and dogs wins points with me. Again, the vendors were very aggressive in this area and there were a lot more kids running around trying to sell bookmarks and the like.

It was hard to walk away from the Giza precinct but we did have another three hour bus trip, this time to meet our ship at the port of Alexandria. We had a quick stop at a genuine papyrus store where I picked up a few gifts as well as the cartouche pendant I had ordered earlier that day with my name engraved in hieroglyphics. Gold is one of the main exports of Egypt and so the price was relatively cheap. It would be great to go back to Egypt, make the trip down to Luxor especially, but you would have to go in a group for the safety factor. It was sad to sail away from Alexandria, but with a cruise there’s always the knowledge you’ll be in a new and exciting place within twenty-four hours.

Within around eighteen hours the ship was docking in the idyllic port of Agios Nikolaus on the largest Greek Island, Crete. The waters were crystal clear beneath the large mountains and the typical white houses lined the marina where endless fishing boats were tethered. It was a very short stay on the island, only three hours, so it was a very quick bus trip up to the best viewpoints of the coast and then off to an Olive Farm/Winery. It was interesting to hear about the traditional ways of olive oil and wine making and even nicer to taste test the olives, tapenades and wines. Trying the raki wasn’t so nice; the well-known Greek liqueur went down fine but sat burning in my chest for a little longer than most alcohols. As we ate fresh, hot cheese pies under the setting sun, traditional Cretian dancers entertained. They were different to those in Athens, much more demure and Turkish-influenced. No matter where in Greece, it’s always great to get up and have a jig to Zorbas dance though.

I would love to go back to Crete. There were many beautiful boutique hotels nestled into the sandy beach inlets which I’m told are a lot more affordable than the famous islands of Santorini and Mykonos. The people were super lovely and the weather, perfect. It was definitely a shame to have such a short visit there.

The last night on the cruise was ‘Greek night’ and many of the passengers dressed in blue and white. I decided to have a somewhat early night (eleven is quite early on the ship) and get a nice rest before heading back to the busy city of Athens on Friday. My last four days in Greece was upon me…time to jam in as much yummy Greek food as I can!

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