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Published: July 25th 2005
Donkey
Myself and my roomy Rose on the Donkeys!I think that it was interesting that a lot of the tourist attractions have gone to the bother and expense of installing x-ray machines and metal detectors but they didn't stop us on any occasion when we beeped!! So not seeing the point! I assume it was only to make all of us feel better!!
We then flew back Cairo with Egypt Air, who were definitely better than that dodgy Memphis Air we flew with from Abu Simbel!! It was quiet in Cairo as it was a Friday and Fridays are classed as a holiday - everyone goes to the mosque to pray.
We went to the bizarre and tried our hand at bartering for things we didn't really need again! It was sooooo hot though that after an hour and a half we called it a day and left to go back to lay by our pool - once again, it's a hard life I know!
Later that night we went back to watch the sound and light show which took place at the three main pyramids and the Sphinx. They told the story of times gone by with a very dramatic narration, music and light show.
It is powerful and the effects are clever and the lighting on the pyramids is awe inspiring. We sat there with a gentle breeze blowing across us on a reasonably mild night and when you looked straight forward you could only see the Pyramids and the Sphinx and you can imagine how life would have been here all those years ago.... and you can't help but wonder what happened to these people who were so brilliant beyond their lifetime... They should have dominated the world and continued to advance but they were lost somewhere and their skills not passed onto the following generations. It is just so hard to understand, these are the people who made these pyramids with dimensions that were out by only 4mm and made things that can't be re-created by machines and computers to date and you realise that something big must have happened, with the result of complete devastation to these people. However the show was very well put together and I was impressed! Due to the low light though my photos aren't that great unfortunately!
I thought that it was interesting to note that some of the smaller villages have speed bumps which
Human Pyramid
The crew building their own pyramid! i find amusing due to the fact that there that there are no cars that seem to pass through this way so I've concluded that that perhaps they are trying to slow down speeding donkeys?!?!
It was today that we found out about the bombings that had occurred in Egypt near the Red Seas tourist area. I felt sorry for the Egyptians, they have enough of a hard time with people deciding to come to their country and I'm sure this will do them immense damage.... although I am happy that once again I am managing to stay ahead of the disasters... (touch wood!!) and stressing my family out nicely!
We saw Water Buffalo. It was explained to us that these are very important to the people here. The buffalos are so important they actually sleep inside the houses with the families - gotta love that!! There are always chickens right out the back door in coupe attached to the house and a well in the front yard for water - once again I stress how much you just don't wanna be poor in Egypt....
School in Egypt is compulsory but the kids here are currently on
Camel Stunts
Egyptian man doing tricks! their 4 month vacation which I assume is due to the intense heat over here. They have 12 school years also and can actually choice to go to school and do all their learning in a English, German or French school where all learning is in that language but I believe that these schools are very expensive.
We noticed these big cement like towers in most backyards and on top of buildings which had holes cut out of it and we were told that they were pigeon towers. The locals put feed and water in the holes to attract the pigeons and when they are used to being fed, the locals just go and grab the pigeons and eat them!!! Dad you'd hate it!!! Pigeons are chosen as the traditional first meal of honeymooners also!!
Women only go to school until the age of 16 as it is thought that they will not find a husband there so need to stay at home where they learn to weave whilst waiting to find a husband.
You can see how far the Nile River floods from where it goes from green with life back through to the desert -
Jose & Myself
My 'Husband' Jose and Myself! it goes a surprisingly long way!
We then went off to visit more tombs and saw the Tomb of Mere-Ruka built in 2390BC. He was the President of Egypt at the time. His tomb is 4,000 years old.
We then went on to see the first pyramid built in Egypt, Saggara the 'Step Pyramid'. It stands 30ft tall, has 6 steps in total and was built in 27AD before Christ making it 5,000 years old. It was also recorded as the first stone building in history. This was the third dynasty in Egypt.
During the first and second dynasties the Egyptians put their tombs underground and covered them with stones on top of the ground. Then at the start of the third dynasty they tried to make the rocks step above the ground to make it look nice but as Egyptians want to reach the gods, they needed it higher, so they started building the blocks higher and widened the base until they were able to make the first pyramid.
After looking at the pyramid I had my first ride on a donkey and i have to say it was excellent fun!! They are way more
Shisha
Rose & I with our final Shisha comfortable than I ever could have expected and I thought that because they were short that they'd be rough to ride, like as a horse gets smaller they get rougher and I was applying the same principals!! But with only rugs on and stirrups it was surprisingly comfortable and easy to ride, when when you are going fast! I think I'd prefer it to a horse!!!! So Dad, I want one!!!!! and to help convince you why I should have one I've put together the list below!!!
1. They are cheaper to buy than a horse
2. There is a shorter distance to fall if you come off!
3. They are good grass mowers!
4. They fertilise at the same time
5. They eat less than a horse
6. They wont hurt you as much if they should happen to stand on you
7. A donkey can be bought for about $50US and a decent horse for about $300-400US.
So there you have it! all positives and I can't think of any reason to not buy one!!!!
Outside the pyramid an Egyptian man did stunts on his camel for our amusement and money!! Although he seemed to
enjoy it! he would stand up on top of the camel one one foot and wave his hands around! It's how they survive here in Egypt and nothing is free.
The canals that you can see running along the sides of the road on the way back to our hotel are dirty. They are littered with rubbish and you can see people fishing there whilst sitting amongst the rubbish. At one particular spot there were two horses carcasses rotting at the top of the bank and you wonder how these people don't get sick from all of this pollution of their own water ways...
People here have lots more family time, last night in the middle of a busy roundabout which was covered in grass, there were families everywhere sitting spending time together. The kids played games and amused themselves by flying kites and you just don't see that in Australia anymore! Although making a living seems more difficult here, their lives appear simple and they seem happier for it.
Today, Saturday is also a holiday day as their working week starts on Sunday.
When we went back to the markets with José, the people there
figured out that he was Spanish they'd start speaking it and José said that their spanish was really good - I found this surprising!! I went and bought a new carry on size bag. The man said that he would give it to me for 150 Egyptian pounds as he'd just finished praying!! My 'husband' wasn't helping my bargaining abilities as he said out loud that that's a pretty good price, forgetting that they too speak English!!! I managed to get it for 130 pounds after he swore to Allah that he couldn't do any better!!! and it was a good price!
It's sometimes uncomfortable walking through the markets with the constant remarks from the men and I wonder if they would do it if they knew that the western women find it offense? Quiet often I think they are making the remarks as they think that it is flattery and will ultimately get your attention... The other think that is uncomfortable is the guards standing around everywhere with machine guns.
Went to the Alabaster Mosque, even though it's not my thing - it was definitely worth a look. The Muslims have to pray five times a day between sunrise and sunset so that they remember god 5 times a day and you have to shower first - just face, arms and feet. As some of us weren't covered enough we had to wear green robes that they provided us with - it looked like a super hero cape!
There are 5 tasks in Muslim life and they are:
1. Say the opening prayer about Allah and Mohammed the prophet each time you pray
2. Pray 5 times a day
3. 3% of your wage must got to the poor people
4. for 1 month a year you must fast between sunrise and sunset- Ramadan (sorry don't know how to spell it!!)
5. Once in your lifetime you must make the pilgrimage to Mecca
Ramadan is a strict month of no smoking, no drinking and no eating between specific times. You are not allowed to speak bad words or thoughts or have sex (even if married) or even think about it otherwise it 'breaks your day'. Basically you are to live the life of a monk. Most people try to have holidays at this time so they can stay inside and try to avoid 'breaking the day'. Only healthy people are made to do this -but even so, I can't imagine having to work out doors all day in the sun without food or water.....
They celebrate after the sun goes down by eating rich food like beef which most families wouldn't normally eat at any other time as it's expensive. They say they eat 1/3 more during this month than normal months. When the whole month is over they celebrate for 3 days with a festival.
Religion has changed a lot and so have the times with with things such as religion on-line!!! Now if you are Muslim and you can't get to your Mosque and have a question about whether you are doing something illegal or against your religion you can go online to their site and type your question and they will email the response back to you! I love it!
Went to Sultan Hassan Mosque also, which was a more traditional Mosque.
Had a traditional Egyptian lunch earlier in a restaurant that was built in the 1930's which was beautifully painted inside. There was way too many courses to the meal and it made you feel like you were being force feed like cattle being prepared to be sent to the slaughter!!
We then had our final cultural experience and that was to take a cab back to our hotel from the bizarre.... and an experience it was indeed!!! We negotiated a price inline with what our guide suggested as the cabs have meters but they don't work! The car had no seatbelts for passengers and they sped through the traffic in a survival of the fittest type deal! Continually beeping to let the buses and cabs know that they were 'undertaking' them (on the wrong side). It was a little scary especially when the driver put his seatbelt on!!! but we made it back alive!
So as of tomorrow 4 of my 5 legs of my tour will be down and I'm still standing!!!
On the news we heard the news of more bombings, we are now convinced that the world has gone crazy... we got the report of the earthquake in Japan and the bombs in Spain, Lebanon, Egypt's and London - but once again, I'm still staying ahead of it all thank god.
Had the wakeup call at 4.30am to get going to the airport, yuk! Got a takeaway brekky like the others and was eating it on the bus, when I'm not sure what happened but I started choking, and I swear that is the closest I have ever come to chocking to death in my whole life, I had tears streaming down my face and gasping for air as the other 8 people on the bus looked on, it wasn't cool at all and I was relieved when I managed to actually breath again - scary stuff...
Then further up the road we saw a bus that had gone through a guard rail that was on an overpass and it had landed on the road underneath on the cars below... it had just happened as they were still pulling people out. I don't hold much hope for the people that where in the mini van they fell on and squashed, nor for the people in the bus as they are always jammed in like sardines and it was a bloody big fall... it's not the kind of thing you want to see when you are making your way to the airport... or at any time really.
As we sit here preparing to leave Egypt, knowing that I'll never ba back I note that I will not miss the following things!!
1. Having to use bottle water for everything
2. Not ever getting a really cold drink
3. Not being able to have ice in my drinks
4. Egypt Belly!
5. Continual honking of car horns when driving
6. Having to barter for things with no price tag
7. Having to pay people to ration out my toilet paper
8. Being asked 'How many camels?'
9. Being asked 'Where's your husband?'
10. Always being stinking hot!
11. Alla Alla Ha be be Contiki - War cry by Sherif meaning roughly 'Hurry up, Hurry up sweeties/darlings!!!
12. Hearing any of the following lines whilst in the markets: ' Your promised', 'You broke my heart', You need an Egyptian husband?', 'How much?', 'Please look in my shop', 'How can I help you spend your money?', 'You Australian? Ah Captain Cook!', 'You want some Saffron?', 'It's free, come look', 'I'll pay you to look', 'Wait miss, miss....', the familiar 'Hellowwww' used by all people in the bizarre.
Things I will miss about Egypt:
1.The smiling faces of the poor children when they are given pens
2.The beauty of the Nile River when you are cruising on it with the desert joining the banks
3. The amazing fast and beautiful sunsets
4. The extraordinary architecture and accomplishments of these people
What I have learnt 'Nothing in Egypt is FREE!!!'
These people welcome you into their country and seem please that you bothered to come here at all....
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kim tavener
non-member comment
photos
Hey Lisa the photos are fantastic you have done and seen some amazing things keep them coming your stories are great mum