Katie and Tommy: Around the World

We arrived in Luxor early on Saturday after a relatively restful 11 hour train ride. Our entire experience in Luxor has been markedly different from that of Cairo. With a relatively small local population and high tourism influx, tourists are far more vulnerable to the annoyances and discomforts of commission-seeking touts here than in Cairo. Immediately upon exiting our train, we felt as though we had stepped into a mangrove of flailing arms, each holding out countless numbers of business cards promising “great deals” on hostels or tours. Eventually though, we arrived to our hostel and after a three hour mid-morning nap, we were ready to venture out to the city again.

Throughout our stay in Cairo over the previous week, we were amazed at how friendly the locals were. Whereas nearly all the Caireans we encountered were sophisticated and honest, we literally felt as though the citizens of Luxor just viewed us as walking ATM machines. When we walked along the streets, fairly well-dressed individuals would fall in step with us, welcome us to Luxor, ask us where we were from, and after about 30 seconds or more of small talk they would ask us for baksheesh (an Arab word meaning tip or bribe) as if they had done us some favor in talking with us. That afternoon, we booked a felucca (sailboat) to take us on a sunset Nile cruise and as we approached the West Bank we were humored when we heard the children incessantly yell to us, “Hello! Baksheesh?” And though we found little amusement the first time someone asked me how many camels Katie was worth, it became intolerably annoying the time the 50th individual inquired.

Despite the frustrations we encountered that first day there, we reminded ourselves that the citizens were responding in a somewhat predictable way to the situation in which they found themselves, namely wealthy westerners constantly entering a city filled with a poor and uneducated populace, and that despite the unwelcome stares or comments that Katie received, the timeless beauty of the Ancient Theban ruins were the real reason why we had come here.

Unfortunately, not only did the locals seem to be out to get us, the local bacterial flora proved to be as well. I woke up on Sunday feeling a bit feverish and nauseated, food poisoned perhaps from the day before, so I ended up spending the entire day in bed while Katie practiced her Polish and made a few harassment-filled trips to the pharmacy. We must emphasize though– we have felt extremely safe throughout Egypt, far more than any other country we have visited thus far, so any troubles we have had here have been more of an annoyance than any real cause for concern.

The new day brought new-found energy, so we left the hostel early Monday morning and headed to the ferry so that we could cross over to the West Bank, the ancient necropolis of the New Kingdom Pharaohs! They chose a desert valley, known today as the Valley of the Kings, to be their resting place. Though they didn’t want their riches or bodies to be disturbed, they still wanted to still be remembered, so many fantastic temples exist a few kilometers outside the valley. We visited two– the ones of Ramses III and Ramses II. They were absolutely amazing. Despite having been exposed to three millenenia of sandstorms and adverse weather, the hieroglyphs are still vividly clear and those that were protected from direct sunlight are still vividly colored from their original paints (if only Sherwin-Williams lasted that long!). Also, the enormous collapsed statue of Ramses II at his temple was supposedly the inspiration for Percy Shelley’s poem, “Ozymandias.” Finally, it was a sight to see so much 19th century graffiti left by fellow travelers almost 150 years ago.

Many of the guards that have welcomed us have told us (as have other locals) “Welcome to Alaska.” When we asked one why on earth they told us that, he replied, “because it is so hot here.” Seeing as it has been coolly comfortably in the 60s and 70s here, we’re still not sure what they mean, but we’re just heaping it onto the Luxor pile along with our other favorite nonsensical phrases, “Lucky man, how many camel?” and “baksheesh!”

After having sufficiently explored the temples, we headed over to the burial sites in the Valley of the Kings. We ended up entering three tombs, Ramses IX, IV, and Thutmose III. These were even more spectacular than the temples because they have been underground for so long–the details of the frescos have been amazingly well preserved.

By this point it was late in the afternoon so we began to head back to Luxor proper. We got some falafel sandwiches and visited the also very, very well-preserved Luxor Temple. Two giant oblelisks used to mark the entrance. Now, only one remains as the other sits in the Place de Concorde in Paris.

Though we had hoped to catch the comfortable night train, when we tried to purchase our return ticket on our first day in Luxor, we were shocked to learn that all the train tickets were sold out till the 17th. We had to settle for a rumbling bus that played blaring Arab movies all night long. Right before we departed, our hostel owner informed us that if we wanted, he could have probably secured us some tickets if we had wanted. For some baksheesh, of course.

We were so relieved, though exhausted to arrive back to Cairo on Tuesday. We had about 20 hrs to kill before red-eye flight so we spent the day visiting the last bastion of Cairo we had really wanted to see, the ancient Christian area of Coptic Cairo. Having been able to save a lot of money on meals and lodging, we managed to spend only about half of our allotted budget. So before changing out our last remaining Egyptian pounds for Euros, we are planning on treating ourselves to a fancy dinner at the Intercontinental in celebration of my pick to USA Today, our past few days of thriftiness, and simply….life in general.

Photos from Cairo

And check out our finished albums:

Photos from Dar es Salaam

Photos from Safari

Photos from Zanzibar

Last Monday, we flew from Zanzibar to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where we had a 12 hour layover before our flight to Cairo. Initially we were excited about this free stop; we thought we might leave the airport and go get some Ethiopian food. But a visa for an American, even for just a few days, costs upwards of $50. That would have been an expensive dinner. So we landed in Addis Ababa Monday night resigned to find some comfortable-looking airport seats and huddle up there for the night. Much to our surprise, Ethiopian Airlines provided us with a free hotel voucher, including dinner, breakfast, transport to and from the airport, and a transit visa. The hotel was comfortable, and we even got the Ethiopian food we had been hoping for. I think we have a new favorite airline.Tuesday morning we continued on to Cairo, arriving at our hostel around mid-afternoon. We set out into the city as soon as possible. After Tanzania, walking around Cairo was like a breath of fresh air. It’s such a big city, it’s very easy to just blend in. We did not feel conspicuous and constantly on-guard as we had in Tanzania. We were able to just walk the streets and enjoy ourselves. We were never overcharged for street food or taxis, and only rarely approached by touts. Meanwhile, the city was vibrant and fascinating. Like Zanzibar, most of its citizens are Muslim. However, instead of the very traditional garb of the women in Zanzibar, many women in Cairo walk around in typical clothing with their heads covered fashionably to match. Storefront windows display mostly mannequins in long skirts with something on their heads. Men also dress in more modern garb, although is not unusual to see them in long tunics called galabeyas.

The city is busy and bustling. Our hostel is in the center of downtown, and the streets surrounding it are filled with shops. Much as it was in Buenos Aires, window shopping is a big activity at night. Stores display nearly everything they are selling in the windows with prices, so one does not have to enter in order to browse. It does create some sidewalk congestion, though! Taking the subway was an experience. When the doors opened, a crowd would spill out while everyone on the platform began pushing madly to get in. People shoved others aside without discrimination, trying at all costs to force their way onto the train. As Tommy and I were getting on, the doors began to close with loads of people still climbing through. They held them open as long as possible, squeezing into the car before it took off. I have seen busy subways before, but nothing like this. Similarly, there are a few pastry shops near our hostel that were positively insane in the evenings. The entire store would be packed with people trying to buy chocolates and cakes. There was a crowd at the pay counter of people just holding out money and tickets. Orderly lines are scarce here, and we have frequently been blatantly cut in front of when we were about to reach a ticket window or checkout. And people cross the street as if they are suicidal, walking right out into oncoming traffic without a glance in either direction. Somehow the cars just seem to whip around them harmlessly. It’s as if everyone is in a hurry all the time. It’s very, very different from Tanzania, where we would marvel at the numbers of people just loitering around at all hours of the day, not really doing anything.

Wednesday we spent walking around the city some more, and also at the Egyptian Museum. Contrary to what our guidebook implied, it was very well kept-up and labeled. There was so much there, it was impossible to give everything the attention it deserved. Like everyone else, we particularly enjoyed the treasures from King Tut’s tomb, and the mummy room. We made lunch and dinner from the wonderfully cheap and delicious street food available. The most popular items are schwarmas with chicken, beef, or liver, ta’amiyya (falafel sandwiches), fuul (bean sandwiches), and kushari (a unique bowl of many types of pasta, rice, lentils, chickpeas, fried onions, and tomato sauce). Juice stands are very common, and for a few pounds you can purchase a delicious glass of juice to drink there. The locals can positively guzzle them. Everything we’ve ordered has been delicious, except one experience where inability to speak Arabic earned us two glasses of carrot-grapefruit juice. Yum.

The transformer we bought in Durban broke, but as it turns out, Egypt has RadioShack! We bought a new one Thursday morning and then went to the Khan al-Khalili market in Islamic Cairo. There is a local market and also a more touristy section. We ate fatir for dinner (stuffed flatbread, very good) and went to a free sufi dancing show nearby. The whirling dervishes were unbelievable–one of them spun for a full half hour without stopping.

The next day was reserved for the Pyramids of Giza, which are actually only a short bus ride from Cairo. We had no trouble knowing when to get off, either–the pyramids loom huge over Giza. You never see photos of them from that angle; on one side they are bordered by desert, but on the other the city comes right up to the base of the plateau. From the bus stop we walked right up to them, pausing only to pay admission. We were bombarded by salesmen and touts, people trying to sell us horse and camel rides or cheap souveniers. We firmly ignored them all. The pyramids were magnificent. Just being there was incredible. We took our time and wandered around the area, finally settling on a distant spot to take some photos from. It’s difficult because they’re so big. They’re also more worn-down than I imagined. People give the impression of them as structures untouched by time, but the many huge stones crumbling off of them, and the remnants of limestone covering at their tips and bases gave me the impression of something very much affected by the passage of years and the toll of many visitors. One thing that struck Tommy and I was that not only are the pyramids old (roughly 4500 years, which is actually pretty hard to grasp), but they have also never been lost. They’re so big and breathtaking, they’ve probably been a tourist attraction throughout the ages.

We walked down the plateau to visit the Sphinx, which was also really spectacular. Nearby there are hundreds of chairs set up for a nightly laser lights show, which we hear is actually rather tacky. From there we walked out into the desert to a nearby dune for a more panoramic view of all three pyramids. There’s a good view of Giza and Cairo from the plateau. Twice, once at noon and again at three, the clamoring sounds of prayer and song drifted up from every mosque in the city until they filled the air where we stood. It was a nice day; we took our time and really enjoyed being there.

The next day, we took a taxi out of the city to the Birqash Camel Market. After reading about it in our guidebook (“If you went to Egypt to see camels but feel like an ass because all you’ve seen is donkeys, the Camel Market is for you!”) we knew we couldn’t miss it. It really was an experience. For one thing, it’s not a tourist attraction. It’s a real local market, far enough out that only really determined visitors make it. There was a walled in area with some low buildings and pens, and there were camels everywhere. They’re really quite big, much bigger than we thought. They tie one of their front legs up so they can’t run, but it doesn’t stop one from trying to hobble away every now and then, only to be brought back into place by angry keepers who whack them with bamboo sticks. Every now and then a truck would drive through with five or six camel heads peering out from the bed. It was such a unique sight.

We managed to find a minibus to take back to the city, and we visited the Citadel of Salah al-Din where we saw the spectacular Mosque of Muhammed ‘Ali. Its entire exterior is covered in alabaster–a gorgeous building. From the high Citadel it was also possible to get a spectacular view of Cairo, and in the distance the Pyramids were visible as well. That night, we took a train from Cairo to Luxor. Being in Luxor has been quite an experience, one we’ll write about soon.