We started our journey in Cairo, a manic, chaotic city that can change from intriguing to overwhelming in an instant. "Crazy crazy Cairo", "From Cairo to Aswan" and BTBtv episode #5 tell the story of our five (or was it six?) days there.

From there we took a train to the extreme southern end of the country, which in Egypt is called the Upper Nile Valley. This is because the Nile flows from south to north. We spent a couple of relaxing days in Aswan, taking a day trip to see the impressive monuments of Abu Simbel. "From Cairo to Aswan" again.

From Aswan we went north, down the Nile, to Luxor. Four days in Luxor were plenty for us to see what we wanted to without getting overwhelmed by it all. "Luxor: City of History, City of Hassle".

Once we left Luxor, we left Pharaonic Egypt behind in the search for the other side of Egypt. Our first stop was Alexandria, an interesting city that bears pretty much only the name of the city that was home to both the Library and Lighthouse at Alexandria. "Alexandria". And don’t forget "Train Madness" that tells the story of our epic journey from Luxor.

After Alexandria we hit the interesting and isolated oasis town of Siwa. I got sick and spent a few days in bed, but then we spent a few more relaxing around the oasis, sitting in the shade of the thousands of palm trees. We also booked a desert safari. Our experiences are recounted in these posts. "Sick in Siwa (but still having fun)" and "Safari in the Western Desert".

Our last stop in Egypt was Dahab, a backpacker magnet,and rightly so. The Sinai Peninsula is beautiful and is worth a separate trip, but our main goal was relaxation. We managed that just fine. "Doing Nothing in Dahab".

We spent Thanksgiving in Cairo before heading to Nepal, which Val recounts nicely. "Thanksgiving in Cairo".

Egypt can be trying at times, but it’s cheap, most of the people are really friendly, and it’s been a top travel destination for centuries. You can’t go wrong!

Luckily it was all pretty small because the main course was a large plate of our old favorites packed together: three turkey breasts, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, and a bit cranberry sauce. We were pretty impressed with how spot-on the food was. For dessert they brought pumpkin pie cheesecake with a little blueberry sauce.

We were completely stuffed, and it was great. Afterwards we digested our feast with the help of some mint tea and a waterpipe in the relaxed ambience of the outdoor tea garden. The evening couldn’t substitute for being home (or a week’s worth of leftovers), but it was pretty special.

Then I came back to Sinai with my older brother in 2003, and we spent about four days in Dahab. We took a quick trip to Cairo to see the pyramids, but spent a couple of relaxing days snorkeling and reading. We also took an amazing two day camel trek into the Sinai desert. Both times I stayed at the Penguin, which at the time was managed by Jimmy. He has a way with backpackers that I imagine is something like a politician has with donors at a fundraiser. He remembers everyone, what trips they’re taking, where they’re from, what they’ve been up to for the last couple of days, what they’re doing next. He seems to have limitless energy and he’s always smiling. It’s people like Jimmy that make independent travel so fun – sometimes your hotel or hostel in a neat and exciting location is as memorable down the road as the place itself.

So I was disappointed to hear when I talked to Alex and Rose (of BTBtv fame) that they ate at the Penguin a lot when they were in Dahab, but didn’t meet Jimmy. I had been looking forward to going back for my third visit, and this time with almost a week to do as close to nothing as possible. We decided not to stay at the Penguin, mostly because it’s more expensive than it used to be. Like most places in Dahab, the past few years have been prosperous and it’s shifted from a budget place to upper budget or even midrange.

Alex and Rose recommended Sunsplash Divers to us, and for 30 pounds (about $6) the price was right. We emailed Anita, the friendly German owner, and were excited to get the same cabana Alex and Rose had, the one with the little balcony. It was a great place to spend six days. Because we had the mosquito net, we could sleep with the balcony door open, letting in the moonlight in the evening, and giving a perfect view of the sun rising over the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Aqaba every morning. Going to sleep and waking up to nothing but the sound of the crashing waves (only 20 feet away) was incredible.

Now there’s a sidewalk that runs the entire length of Dahab, connecting Assalah, the northern end, with Mashraba, the southern end. All along this sidewalk are little restaurants, hotels, and dive shops. The only hassle you ever get in Dahab is when you run the gauntlet of restaurants, with each trying their best to get you to sit down there. During this first walk, right past the Penguin, I heard a familiar voice and saw that it was Jimmy. He still worked in Dahab, and now instead of managing the Penguin, he had his own place, the Funny Mummy. He recognized me and said he hoped to see us later on at his place.

We went all the way down and had some Indian food, and on the way back hit up the Funny Mummy for some beers and a sheesha. It quickly became our favorite spot because of the friendly staff. Everyone always takes time there to sit down for a few minutes and talk to you, especially when they see you several times a day.
If you ever go to Dahab, which you should, make sure you pay the Funny Mummy a visit. You won’t regret it!

The only active thing we did in Dahab was go snorkeling. It’s one of the best spots in the world for diving and snorkeling, so we chose the cheaper of the two. I’m sure we’ll get our diving certifications one day, but for now, just swimming above the reef and occasionally diving down for a closer look is enough for us. We rented some equipment from Sunsplash and walked down to a place called the Island two days in a row and spent a few hours in the water.

Other than that we did a lot of reading, sleeping in, walking up and down the beach looking for new places to try, and researching our upcoming trip to Nepal. It was sad when those six days came to an end, but we had to make it to Cairo for Thanksgiving, then our flight to Nepal, the beginning of what we’ve been calling Phase Two.

Back in the 4×4, Hamada tried to entertain us a little with his driving. He would swerve the wheel around the bottom of a dune, and we’d slide sideways in the sand as he would pull the wheel the other way and do it on the other side, hitting the gas at all the right times. After a big one he’d turn all the way around and smile at us. What else could we do but throw him a large grin in return?

We pulled up to an area the size of a football field of fossilized rock from when the desert used to be under the ocean (how cool is that?). Some of the rock was loose enough to pick up, and we kept a few nice shells. After that Hamada upped the ante again by driving up a very steep dune, letting gravity do its work on the top, then sliding us straight down the equally steep other side. The first time I was so tense and braced myself, but by the last time I could enjoy it comfortably.

Suddenly we saw some small clusters of palm trees and tall grasses, and we were coming up on the Bir Wahed hot spring and cold lake. About 20 other tourists were there with their guides, too. A big group pulled up of people over age 65 and I wondered if they had the same driving experience plowing around the dunes. Probably not. The hot spring was relaxing and the lake pretty but too cold to swim in. The sun was sinking fast, so after a dip we cruised around looking for a clear view. On a high hill we watched the colors and shadows change with the setting sun.

Hamada drove us about 20 minutes away to a big fenced-in area with a couple of small buildings and a big tent. He built a fantastic fire then disappeared to cook dinner. We got warm and watched the stars slowly appear as it got darker and darker. After being in Kyoto for two years, we forgot how much we love a clear starry night not obstructed by city lights. I can’t remember the last time I’d seen the Milky Way, and it was breathtaking from the desert, not to mention a few shooting stars. After a long time of waiting, Hamada came out to grill 4 chicken halves over the fire. Then he brought out big bowls of vegetable stew, salad, and rice. It was delicious. We fell asleep quickly in the cozy tent, and headed back to Siwa early the next morning.

The first few days we spent in the Oasis were miserable for me. Somehow Val managed to escape whatever toxin or bug I picked up, which is miraculous because we do almost everything together. Even if we order something different at a restaurant we usually share. At its worst I had a fever of about 101 and felt horrible. I didn’t have an appetite and could do little more than sleep (uncomfortably, at that) for the better part of two days.

I’m finally better now, so that’s good. The only really annoying thing is that we actually have a ticket booked for Nepal, so a few days in bed means a few days not doing something else. The rest was good for both of us though, and it’s something that was bound to happen sooner or later. And I have a feeling that one of us will get something worse with some of the places we’re heading to. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.

Still Isolated

Egypt has around five or six separate Oases in the Western Desert. All but Siwa have been connected by asphalt road to the Nile Valley for years. It was only about twenty years ago that they built a road from Marsa Mutrah to Siwa, so it is one of the most interesting places in Egypt. The Siwans have their own language and a culture that is very different from that of the rest of Egypt.

It’s a 9 hour bus ride from Alexandria, so most tourists go to one of the closer oases to arrange a desert safari. I went to Bahariyya the first time I came to Egypt, so this trip I was really interested in visiting Siwa. Despite getting sick, I’m really glad we did. There are only about 25,000 people in the oasis, and it’s landscapes are beautiful. It appears out of the stark desert like a mirage, with its lush palm trees and lakes.

The most striking feature when you arrive in Siwa Town is the Shali, the old living quarters. It was destroyed by rainfall in 1926, but the remains help the imagination picture what it must have looked like. It was built of mud bricks and used to be both housing and protection from the occasional desert raiders from Libya. Now it looks like an organic mess, melted out of the rocks on which it sits. There are the remains of the mosque and some of the rooms, but most of it is just a mass that was fused together by the heavy rains that destroyed it. It’s particularly beautiful at sunset, and they light it up at night.

The oasis has a laid-back attitude, which we enjoyed. Passing through Alexandria reminded us of Cairo, with the manic traffic and pollution. There are a few nice hotels and restaurants nestled among the palm gardens, which are great places to sit for a few hours sipping tea and reading a book.

One of the main reasons most people visit Siwa, in addition to see the unique culture of such a formerly isolated place, is to organize a desert safari. Siwa is near the Great Sand Sea, a huge stretch of inhospitable desert filled with every kind of dune imaginable. In order to really go deep into it you need seasoned professionals and lots of expensive equipment. Or, you can just drive to the edge of the Sand Sea from Siwa and still feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere.

I’ll let Val tell you about the desert safari we took.

The most interesting historical site in Siwa is the Oracle of Amun. Amun was the most powerful Egyptian god, and later became associated with Zeus. The Oracle to Amun in Siwa was one of the most powerful and influential in the ancient Mediterranean area. The most famous visitor to the oasis was Alexander the Great, who came after founding Alexandria to consult the oracle. He wanted to ask the oracle if he was really the descendant of Zeus. Apparently the Oracle said that he was, and afterwards his status as a god among men was unquestioned.

There is also a story of the Oracle releasing a prophecy about a Persian king dying early. He sent an army into the desert to destroy Siwa, but it vanished in a massive sandstorm. As you can imagine, this only increased the prestige of the Oracle at Siwa, and its power and influence continued to grow.

We visited the Temple, which isn’t really much to look at these days, but its historical significance is more than enough to make it interesting. The oasis probably looks much as it did when Alexander the Great would have visited, and if you stand at the top of the complex and look out over the lake, the palm groves, and the desert beyond, you can really get a sense of how old and mystical the place is.

The next day we set out early and bought our bus tickets for Siwa for the next morning. Then we ventured through several back streets to find the ruins of the old city and some Roman catacombs. We went through some small markets, squeezed by donkey carts and taxis, dodged livestock poop, and held our breath by the butchers. It was the Friday afternoon call to prayer, so we walked past a handful of mosques blasting passages from the Koran over loudspeakers and groups of men outside praying. It made it difficult to walk and hear each other, so we were pretty glad to find our destinations. The ruins weren’t very impressive, but the catacombs were cool. They were discovered only about a hundred years ago when a donkey fell through the ground into them. Inside the tombs were beautiful carvings from both ancient Egyptian and Roman death/rebirth myths. After a tiring morning we treated ourselves to Little Caesar’s pizza for lunch (Who knew Little Caesar’s was still a company, let alone operating out of Alexandria) and made our way down to the waterfront to the new library of Alexandria. It’s shaped like a discus half-buried in the ground, and the roof is covered in skylights. A letter from every known alphabet is written on the walls. It was pretty fancy inside. Lots of students do work there, but it also houses art exhibits and hosts important events.

After a tea and a waterpipe on the waterfront, we walked down to the Fish Market, the most upscale seafood restaurant in town overlooking the eastern harbor. We picked out some fresh fish from a glass case and told them how we wanted it cooked. Then they brought it with bread, rice, and nine bowls of dips and salads! Most of them were delicious and we were completely stuffed trying to make a dent. The fish was priced by weight so were scared about our bill, but it turned out to be about only 20 US dollars! Afterwards we went to the fancy Grand Cafe outside and had some Turkish coffee and a nice waterpipe. The atmosphere was lovely and it was good place to people watch. It was such a stark contrast to the other side of town we saw earlier, and we wondered if any of the rich, attractive, and well-dressed Egyptians in the Grand Cafe made their way over to the other side, or vice versa.

We hopped into a cab toward the center of town and caught the 9:30 showing of the Departed with Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, and Leondardo DiCaprio. It was a much better movie than we saw the day before! The theater was packed with mostly young men, who were pretty loud and boisterous. So many times guys would answer their cell phones during the film and chat away. I noticed, too, that during any scene with a woman that was slightly sexual, most people giggled or made loud comments. I guess they just couldn’t handle it. Anyway, it was a pretty fun Saturday night!

A bit worried, we entered a random car in case the train started to leave while we were looking around. We found what appeared to be first class, and asked a woman sitting nearby to look at the paper for us. She said we should be in car number 4, the next one over. We went into that car, and our seat assignments were already occupied. So we gave the paper to someone else, and they led us through countless cars towards the back of the train. Then there was a lot of discussion among 3 or so attendants, and they pointed us into a pretty shabby room with six seats, 3 on each side facing each other. They said, “OK OK OK.” Then a man stayed in the doorway and asked, “Sleep? Sleep?” over and over. To get him to go away, we said, “yes, um, thank you. OK. Goodbye.” The seats did not recline, and there was no door, just an open doorway for people to walk by and look in (which happened pretty often). We were completely confused and very curious about what was written on our slip of paper. To us, it clearly wasn’t the first class we had paid for! Rose and Alex took the paper and tried to find our “real” seats again, but it was about as fruitless as all of our other attempts. Finally, a young guy came by and asked if we wanted anything, and we asked if he spoke English. He said, “Yes.” Then Rose pointed up the train and said, “First class?” He replied, “Breakfast?” Then she said, “Carriage one?” To which he replied, “Courage?” It was pretty funny. We then gave him the piece of paper, and he said “please wait.” I saw him go next door and show it to the passengers in that room. They spoke for a little while. Then I saw them all laugh and shrug, to me a sure sign that we were stuck in that room for the night. He came back, returned the paper, and said, “It’s OK. You can stay here” with a kind smile on his face, as if it was exactly what we wanted to hear. We smiled back and said “Thank you.”

So we turned out the light and did our best to make ourselves somewhat comfortable, which never really happened. I woke up to see a random man standing in the doorway staring long and hard at all of us. A little while later a different man came in and pointed at the seat by Rose and Alex and said, “Yes? Yes? I? Sit down? Sit down?” really loudly. Kevin wanted to say no, but the guy seemed pretty firm about it so he said OK. The man sat down and slept but was off of the train by morning. A guy came in around 8 something and said we’d be getting into Cairo soon. We ordered some tea from him and he came back with it. We had brought some bananas for breakfast and he peeled them and gave them to us, and peeled one for himself even though we didn’t offer it to him. Cairo was the last stop, so we knew we would have no problem understanding when to get off. However, the “Sleep? Sleep?” attendant had come by earlier and said, “Giza? Cairo?” We said, “Cairo.” And when we arrived he came in and said, “Here. Cairo.” and stood there for a minute. As we got our stuff together, he stuck out his hand and said, “Money? Money?” I assume he was asking for a tip for telling us our stop. We told him no and were pretty glad to get off that train.

The thing is, we still have no idea what was written on that piece of paper or why several people couldn’t seem to figure out where we really needed to be! For me the funniest part was that a couple of times the train attendants asked regular passengers to help them find our seats. We also don’t know if we got screwed by the ticket office (probably) or if our “private car” was some kind of first class. In the end, as Rose put it cheerfully, “At least we made it to Cairo.”

But the reason there is so much hassle in Luxor is because there is just so much to see here, bringing in tourists by the millions each year. Luxor is divided into two areas, split by the river: the East bank and the West bank. The East bank has several impressive temples, and is the site of the modern town. The West bank is where ancient Thebes sat, home to the Valley of the Kings, Queens, and several large funerary temple complexes.

The average traveler spends about three days in Luxor, each day packed with sightseeing. It all can become a blur. When I first came here four years ago, I remember being at my last tour destination for the day just waiting for it to end so I could grab a beer at my hotel. We tried to take a slightly more laid-back approach, doing it independently without organized tours. Of course, this just means more hassle.

On the walk from our hotel to the docks to catch a ferry to the other side, we were assaulted constantly by people offering carriage rides, taxis, trying to steer us into the bazaar, food, tea, everything. When you get to the river, people start offering (in addition to taxis and carriage rides, etc.) felucca rides, and private ferries. Then when you finally get on the ferry, one or more taxi drivers attaches themselves to you and spends the entire trip across trying to convince you to overpay for a car for the day. There are always drivers who spend the better part of the morning riding the ferry from one side of the river to the other, looking for tourists.

If you have managed to get across the river without agreeing to anything, as soon as you get off you are approached by even more taxi drivers, all offering their services. There are several things about this that are annoying. First is of course the fact that you are always having to tell people no constantly, no exaggeration. Second is that people won’t take no for an answer. This is common “sales” practice in Egypt. They never seem to understand that when you say no, it is often because you simply don’t want the taxi/camel/horse/felucca/carriage ride, or the scarf/necklace/pyramid paperweight/papyrus/alabaster/chess set, etc, regardless of the price. So when you say no, they insist on asking you what you are willing to pay. Usually they’d have to pay us for their stuff, something that isn’t likely to happen soon.

The third most annoying thing about all of this is that many times these people will flat out lie to your face. Not just mislead you, or tell you half-truths, but tell you lies that will soon become evident for what they are. Some of these people are ruthless and have no shame. “It is very far, too far to walk,” when it’s 100 meters away. “It’s closed, wait in my shop,” when it’s open. “You must have a guide when the people are praying,” when that’s just stupid. Fortunately I’ve been through it all before on my previous trips, so the cons people usually fall for I’ve already fallen for, and I know better. So that’s what the independent traveler is up against in Egypt. Still, it’s worth it, I just feel it’s a part of our experience that needs to be mentioned. We always show the fun, beautiful and amazing aspects, and rarely the frustrating, dirty, or unsavory aspects.

During our three days in Luxor we visited the Valley of the Kings, the Tombs of the Nobles (a less visited site of tombs surrounded by a village that used to make a living by selling artifacts found in the tombs), the rock-cut Temple of Hatshepsut, the Ramesseum, the Luxor Museum, and the massive, unbelievable Temple of Karnak. Val put some great pictures up, and there’ll be a whole episode of BTBtv on Pharaonic stuff. If you’re interested in reading more about ancient Egypt, check the wikipedia, they’ll have more info than we do here.

Cairo Recap

Val gave a pretty basic recap of Cairo, but it’s such an interesting place it requires a little more. I’ll just highlight my favorite parts.

The traffic in Cairo is insane. There are very few rules. No rules even. And what’s bad for pedestrians is that there are no crosswalks. There are one or two in the downtown area, but cars don’t stop even when you have the right of way. This makes crossing the street tricky in some places. And it’s not like you can just avoid the busiest crossings. Unless you want to be held hostage by the traffic, stuck in one area of the city, you have to find a way across.

The easiest way to do it at first is to find some Egyptians about to cross the street and just stick to them like glue. This takes a leap of faith, because in order to cross the street without waiting twenty minutes for a miraculous break in the traffic, you have to do things that most of us are taught from a young age to never, ever do. Like step into oncoming traffic. Crossing is kind of like frogger. You rarely get a clean shot all the way across the five or six lanes; you must cross one lane at a time, waiting in between lanes for your next chance. It sounds crazy. It is crazy. Fortunately you get used to it, and it gets easier, but I can’t imagine doing it all the time.

Episode 5 does a pretty good job of showing the touristy stuff we did while we were in Cairo. Hanging out in Islamic Cairo was a lot of fun, something I didn’t get to do very much during my two previous visits to the city. Wandering around and finding hidden treasures among the old, dilapidated buildings is lots of fun and rewarding.

Aswan, Jewel of the Nile

Most people head south from Cairo, all the way down the Nile to Aswan. There’s an overnight train and it’s fairly cheap, taking about 14 hours. It’s here in this relatively calm (by Egyptian standards) city that the Nile is at its most picturesque and beautiful. There are only a few main streets, almost all of which run parallel to the Nile. The main drag is along the corniche, lined with floating restaurants and big Nile cruisers. Feluccas ply the waters, and everything is fairly relaxing.

The only annoying part about Aswan are all of the felucca touts, always trying to get you into one of their boats while you’re walking along the corniche. There’s an island in the middle of the Nile at Aswan called Elephantine Island. There is a temple complex there with ruins from every period of Egypt’s history, as well as lots of prehistoric finds. We took a ferry across and walked along the island, through a Nubian village, and did some exploring.

The main reason people come to Aswan though, except to sit by the Nile in a cafe and watch its placid waters, is to visit Abu Simbel. It’s a massive temple complex built by Ramses the II, a great warrior Pharaoh. Val’s pictures will do better justice than my description, but it’s a very impressive site. It was saved by UNESCO, because it would have been flooded under Lake Nasser as a result of the Aswan Dam. They actually cut the temple up and moved it to another location 9 kilometers away. The main attraction there are four colossal statues of Ramses the II that would have once looked out over the Nile as it flowed into Egypt from Sudan, a striking sign to all entering the Pharaoh’s lands that he was very powerful and mighty.

Observations of Modern Egypt

Traveling around Egypt is not always easy. The traffic is chaotic, touts and hustlers are everywhere. Being a foreigner usually means that most people interacting with you see you as walking dollar signs. Taxis aren’t run on meters, so when you get in you are just supposed to know how much it should cost. Since foreigners usually don’t, taxi drivers try to extract a ridiculous fare. If you don’t know any better, you pay it. Even if you do know better, they still sometimes act angry and start yelling, demanding more money. This is very annoying.

Then there is the backsheesh. It means tip in Arabic, and is a fundamental aspect of daily life in Egypt. Everyone gives backsheesh for opening doors, parking cars, finding things for you, getting something done. Tourists are huge targets for backsheesh at every tourist attraction. Tourist Police, armed with AK-47s, will try to show you something off the beaten track, then ask you for money. It’s tough to say no when they are holding a kalashnikov. Or there are just old men who hang around the tombs and temples, and will try to just start leading you on a tour, even though you don’t want one. And they are hardly Egyptologists; often they just point to the obvious. “Fish,” while pointing to an obvious hieroglyphic of a fish. “Bird” at a bird, etc. This happens in museums, temples, tombs. It can be very annoying trying to get them all to leave you alone.

And then there’s the issue of buying tickets at the train station. There is no line, only a window with one guy at it and anywhere between five and twenty Egyptians crowded around, trying to push money at him. When we try to buy tickets, obviously this makes it difficult. We like lines, order, organization. But if you wait for your turn you’ll be there forever. So you have to try to push in, and when it is obviously your turn, someone will just stick their hand in the window with money and start talking to the guy. We’ve been lucky and the guy at the counter usually recognizes that we’ve been waiting, but still, very frustrating.

When you finish dealing with it all, it’s hilarious, but at the time it can be irritating. A taxi driver will quote you at 20 Egyptian pounds, when you know a local would pay 3. Or when you buy water, they tell you five, and you have to bargain them down. It’s just all part of traveling in Egypt, but it’s worth it.

Next Stop, Luxor

Tomorrow morning we’re taking a train to Luxor. It’s brimming with artifacts, temples, and tombs from ancient Egypt. There’s actually too much stuff there – if you saw it all, you’d suffer an information overload. But it’s most famous for the Valley of the Kings and Queens and a few temples, like Karnak, Luxor, and the Temple of Hatsepshut. So we’ll see the big sights and then move on to the desert portion of our travels.

Anyway, we took the night train to Aswan and will be editing our Cairo/Pyramids media shortly, so take a look soon. Thanks for checking in!