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Published: February 9th 2010
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Cairo: Jan. 2 - 11 After spending almost three weeks in the Sinai we succumbed to the fact that we would eventually have to leave. Despite the many warnings from locals, divers and tourists alike, we headed to one of the world's largest cities, Cairo. As soon as we got off the bus in Cairo it was clear we were no longer in the peaceful haven of the Sinai. In a high paced city with a population of 20 million, the honking, yelling and arguing was almost immediate. Luckily, Dan's friend Mohamed, from Toronto was working in Cairo and was able to pick us up from the bus station. He was a wonderful host for our entire stay, and truly saved us from the real Cairo experience. Mohamed was kind enough to find us a beautiful apartment, which quickly became our sanctuary. He spent numerous days with us, driving us around and showing us Cairo like we would have never seen by ourselves. We even did a day trip to Alexandria, about a 3 hour drive north on the Mediterranean coast. Although we were only there for a few hours, we did get to see the famous library on the
waterfront and the royal palace. It was a long day in the car, but worth the drive. Then it was back to Cairo... lucky us.
To get a true feel for the city, one must imagine the following; constant honking, a maze of traffic, unbearable smog, dirt & garbage everywhere, children playing and hustling in the streets, people selling everything from food to carpets, and of course the many unique smells...throw in a few camels, donkeys and horses...and this is Cairo! The amazing thing is that among this chaos, lies one of the magnificent wonders of the world, The Great Pyramids. There are approximately 110 known Pyramids in Egypt, but none are more famous then the pyramids on the Giza Plateau near Cairo. Built as the tomb for king Khufu, the largest pyramid was completed around 2550 BC. In the middle is the pyramid of Khafre and the smallest of the three major Giza pyramids is that of Menkaure. How these magnificent structures were built, remains a source of debate almost 5000 years later. One surprising thing, even though we knew about it, was that they are located in a sprawling suburb, so close to the everyday lives of
Egyptions living in Cairo... nonetheless, seeing them was another dream come true for us.
While in Cairo we also braved the polluted waters of the Nile on a Felucca ride, visited the Egyptian Antiquities Museum and finally the Lazzar bazaar. The Bazaar was definitely one of the more memorable experiences. We discovered that you could do all your shopping while drinking tea and smoking a strawberry tobacco shisha. While relaxing at the shisha bar we were offered everything from watches, sunglasses and genuine silver, to henna tattoos and hair braiding. Lesson learned: why go to the shops, when the shops can come to you?
Luxor - Jan. 11 -14 After an unexpected 8 days in Cairo we were exhausted and ready to leave to a more relaxing city. Little did we know our Egyptian adventures were just beginning. After an exhausting 10 hour night train, we exited the Luxor train station only to be greeted by the harassment of the locals yelling; "Taxi? Hotel? Bakshish!" You barely have a minute to regroup and gather your thoughts before you are being pulled into a taxi or in the direction of a hotel. After a short nap, we were
off to see The temples of Karnak.
No site in Egypt was more impressive for us than Karnak. It is the largest temple complex ever built by man, and represents the combined achievement of many generations of ancient builders. The Temple of Karnak is actually three main temples, smaller enclosed temples, and several outer temples located about three kilometres north of Thebes (modern day Luxor). The sheer detail and size of Karnak is awe inspiring. The impressive thing is that excavations are still taking place. Who knows how much larger the sight will be in several decades. On our second day in Luxor, after many negotiations and arguments, we hired a taxi driver for the day to take us to the Hatshupsut Temple and Valley of Kings. Valley of Kings is the ancient burial ground of many of Egypt's New Kingdom rulers. The most famous of the 63 royal tombs is the one belonging to King Tut. Naturally, the entry ticket allows access to three tombs, but excludes the one of King Tut. Typical.
Aswan & Abu Simbel Jan. 14-17 From Luxor, we made our way to Aswan. When we arrived we were prepared for the fact that
there is not much to see in Aswan, our only reason for coming here was to take a day trip to Abu Simbel. On our travels through Egypt we quickly discovered the meaning of the word "Bakshish" which by definition means "A relatively small amount of money given for services rendered." To our amusement and eventually frustration, many of the Egyptian people have adapted this to mean asking for money for pretty much anything or for no reason at all. A perfect example is when I was getting off a Felucca a teenage boy grabbed my arm, almost tripped me while pulling me against my will up the ramp and then he demanded Bakshis for helping me! None the less, Abu Simbel was well worth the trip out into the middle of nowhere. Our three hour ride from Aswan was part of a police escorted convoy through the desert. To this day we still don't know if the convoy was truly for safety reasons or just another ploy to get money out of tourists. Abu Simbel is home to two of the most magnificent monuments we have seen to date, The Temple of Rameses II and the Temple of Nefertari
dedicated to his wife. What makes this site even more unique is that it was dismantled, relocated and reconstructed in 1964 because it was threatened by submersion in Lake Nasser when the High Dam was constructed. The two temples were raised approximately 60 meters and reassembled in the same relationship to each other and the sun as they were. An amazing feat considering the size of the temple and the fact that it is 3000 years old.
In order to get back to Luxor we opted for an over night experience on a Felucca instead of taking another bus. What started as a beautiful, relaxing fun filled day in the sun, with great food and fantastic Gin & Tonics, quickly turned into a horrendous night with a Spanish Hog. There were 8 of us attempting to sleep on the deck of the Felucca, unfortunately none of us succeeded because of a Spanish guy who snored louder then feeding pigs! At about 4am John came up with a genius plan to roll up a blanket and prop him up on his side. Finally, the snoring came to an abrupt halt! Sleep at last...for 3 hours at least! One of the
highlights of this Felucca trip was a stop at the Edfu Temple. Never have we seen a temple that was almost completely covered in carvings. The intricate carvings depict the advent and defeat of the Sea Peoples during the reign of Rameses III. There is not a square foot in the entire massive structure that is not covered in carvings or hieroglyphics!
Hurgada - Jan. 17-21 After Luxor we headed to Hurgada only to arrive in the middle of the largest storm in 8 years! Some of the streets were flooded and diving conditions were treacherous. Within two days we were on a ferry heading to Sharm el Shikh. Due to the astronomical costs of accommodations in Sharm we headed directly back to Dahab. It was good to be home!
By the time were were finished touring around Egypt for three weeks we were completely exhausted and mentally drained. Every day activities such as eating, finding a place to sleep, taxi rides and even going to the toilet became just another battle over money. Most men and even children were hustlers, all trying to "help" you get to a certain store, hotel or taxi because at the
end of the day they got a cut for luring in the tourists. All of them wanting bakshish for the help you never required in the first place. Despite this, our tour of Egypt was an amazing time. Ancient Egypt must have been the one of the grandest civilizations of all time, judging by the monuments left behind. Another check off the "Things to do in Life" list.
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