life on planetm

We started our tour on Friday and arrived back to Cairo from Aswan the following Friday.  As those of you following recent Egyptian history carefully will know, Friday is protest day.  Apparently the pattern was established as part of the Arab Spring.  People  would go to mosque and then spill into Tahrir Square to protest the regime.

We met Sonia for the first time on Saturday afternoon – and she told us we had brought luck as Friday had been very quiet (unlike the previous week when I was already en route checking the BBC on a regular basis trying to understand precisely what was happening in Cairo.

The scarab is a good luck symbol in Egypt.  There are scarabs everywhere!  There are all kinds of symbols in Egyptian culture.  It adds extra meaning to some of the jewelry I purchased.

Even more fascinating was trying to understand Egypt in 2012.  It’s not too often you see things on a holiday tour that have just been in the recent news headlines.  I think I already mentioned that we saw Mubarek’s former headquarters looking like something from World War II and the bedraggled remnants of the Arab Spring in Tahrir Square.  Apparently the scattered tents are homeless merchants who came to sell their wares to the crowds and now have nowhere else to go.  When we got back from Aswan, they drove us by the Defense Ministry, the site of all the protests I had been following on BBC the week before.  We also saw some live electioneering on the streets.

More fascinating was Riccardo’s account of how they got the A&K tourists out of Cairo the week one million tourists fled the city.  The staff set up camp for five days at three different hotels, including the Four Seasons I stayed at in downtown Cairo, one in Giza near the Pyramids and the Fairmont at the airport.  They shuttled people to the airport hotel as they found them seats on planes.

They ran the gauntlet of the airport staff and walked each tourist through the airport and safely on to his plane as other stranded tourists looked on enviously.  To get the final tourists back home, they chartered a plane and flew them to Jordan where they could secure them connecting flights back to their home cities. What was even more impressive was that Riccardo told us they had achieved all of this despite all communications in Cairo being shut down for 3 of the 5 days!

A&K definitely has your back and the level of service is exemplary even when you are not in the middle of a revolution.  Riccardo practically put me on the plane at the airport and I told him it was going to be tough having to take care of myself again when I landed.

So, really, the least we could do for them was act as human scarabs and help to keep Cairo safe so the staff could get some sleep 🙂  Most of the staff had barely worked since the revolution so the atmosphere during our trip was highly charged with hope and I don’t think any of us will ever forget the wonderful A&K staff who guided us through their home country as though we were on a royal tour and they had cleared away all the pesky tourists just for us 😉

I think we appreciated it best at Philae Temple.  Apparently at New Year’s there are normally about 375 tour buses.  The day we arrived, we were number 2 or 3…

I really hope good luck will continue and the historic elections in Egypt this week will yield a productive government.  If that happens, get there as fast as you can!  Before the other tourists catch on…

I have been writing the posts,  just haven’t been able to get them on the internet…

Day 3 was also full of adventure and scheduled activities.  Our day began with a 6:30am transfer to the airport to catch our flight to Luxor.  There was an accident in Cairo so we were late arriving at the airport and got hustled onto the plane with a minimum of airport security and protocol.

When we arrived at Luxor airport we didn’t even waste time collecting our luggage (it arrived on the boat as if by magic).  We were transferred to an air-conditioned bus and taken to the Temple of Karnack.  I’ve already related my adventures there – but I did get to spend more time on the air-conditioned bus than anyone else!

Following Karnack, we had a delicious lunch on the boat.  That’s when I met Mohammed, who was my personal server for the entire cruise – and always made sure I had the best wine 🙂  It was a brief interval of happiness as we were quickly shuttled back onto the bus so that we could spend the hottest day of the trip wandering the desert looking at tombs.

By mid-afternoon it was so hot you just felt like you were being roasted in a large oven.  I seem to have managed to avoid sunburn despite the heat – the suggestion on the internet to drape yourself in a large shawl and wear a hat has proven to be great advice.

As already explained, my knowledge of Egyptian culture is a little more focused on the charming manners of the cute guys than on any proper understanding of Egyptian history.  I will buy a book – or more – and try to learn more to put all the incredible sites I have seen in context but for now you will just have to focus on the photos – once I post them.

Sonia organized our tour really well and made sure we saw both the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. The Valley of the Kings has the tombs of a bunch of famous pharaohs, including Ramses II and King Tut, so is on the top of the tourist list for Luxor.

Because of this Sonia reversed the order and we did the Valley of the Queens at peak tourist time and then snuck into the Valley of the Kings just before closing.  Egyptian tombs are incredible.  The amount of effort and expense put into a coffin!  But if you are coming back again – and will need all your stuff – it makes perfect sense.  It is mind boggling the level of detail in the decorations in the tombs.  What is more astonishing is that originally it was all in technicolour.

We finally got to spend some time on the boat.  My room was palatial.  You only knew you were on a boat because the shower was so tiny you bruised your elbows trying to wash your hair.  And the boat was air conditioned!  A few of us thought about ditching the sites and just hiding on the boat after that day in the Egyptian sun.  One of the Americans had the temperature on his watch – it was 118 degrees farenheit!

As you can tell, between being in Egypt just before the elections and being the sole Canadian in a sea of Americans experiencing Egypt – and likely Africa – for the first time, there is so much to think about besides the tomb and temples they keep dragging us to under the hot sun 🙂  So the proper travelogue keeps getting sidelined…

Let’s see if we can correct that.  Finally, some details about my travels.  The tour has been wonderful.  We’ve seen a lot. The A&K staff are excellent and Sonia is like a character from a film.  She knows a lot about Egypt and is very proud of her country and its history.  She tells us we are her children and she protects us like we are.

When she yells “pharaohs”, we all come running.  Apparently she started doing this on an A&K trip called “Pharoahs and Kings”.  She sings it out in a really loud voice and it’s far more entertaining and effective than shouting “A&K group”.

One of the first things she taught us was how to deal with merchants.  Apparently things were more civilized prior to the revolution and you didn’t have to deal with a gauntlet of people trying to drape a scarf around your neck, thrust something into your hand or get you to tell them your name.

It’s hard to not be friendly but at most locations it’s a bit like a mob and any signs of weakness will have you targeted as the easy prey.

It all began when we left the sanctuary of the Mena House to see the pyramids and the Sphinx.  That location not surprisingly is the biggest zoo.  I ignored the merchants but was fascinated by camels so caught the eye of a boy named Mohammed.  He wanted to take a picture of me with his camel and actually said “no money.”  Instead I got a photo of him – and a close up of Mickey Mouse (his camel) – and he got a dollar cause he hadn’t asked for it.

Our next stop was a different location where you could see all three pyramids at the same time for a photo.  There I met Abdullah and his camel Daisy and got more photos.  He asked for a pen for school in addition to his dollar.  It’s a bit challenging in Egypt right now to have friendly exchanges with the locals but Mohammed and Abdullah proved it is possible.

They opened the gate for Adriano in the afternoon when we toured Memphis and the step pyramid (the first pyramid ever).  I was still a newbie at the vendor game and made the mistake of saying maybe and telling him my name.  He then told me his name in a loud, singsong voice at least eight times before we went into the ruins.  He popped up again in the middle of the columns : “it’s Adriano!” 

And then he found me on the way out so I decided I would reward his efforts and buy some necklaces from him.  Sonia said I got a good price – and I even got a bonus necklace – a gift with purchase.  I also got a marriage proposal and a lot of entertainment for $30.  Cheaper than a ticket to the theatre 🙂

Here everyone introduces themselves and wants to know your name.  It’s just part of the culture.  I’ve noticed the same thing in Europe.  It’s a nice practice.  Manners are a wonderful thing.  And North Americans could learn a thing or two from Africans.  People in Egypt are happy and hopeful for the future.  I guess they can’t afford Prozac 🙂

Day 2 was jam-packed with activities.  It was cool to see the Pyramids.  I got eaten alive by bugs while watching a cheesy show where they lit up the Pyramids and a neon green Sphinx told us the history of Egypt in an imitation of James Earl Jones.  We went to the Solar Boat Museum, Memphis and a few other places as well but the highlight for me was using the telephoto lens I had lugged to Egypt to get some face shots of the Sphinx.

We also toured some venture where rural children go to school and also learn how to weave carpets.  So I confirmed the information Nizam and gang had told me in Istanbul was accurate – and even got a demonstration of the process.  The sales process was really low key so quite a few of us bought carpets.  Mine is a weaving of King Tut!  It’s hard to resist charming Egyptian guys 😉  And the purchase led to a delightful conversation about the current state of affairs in Egypt.  He told me I could use it as a mouse pad.  And it will last forever.  The coolest mouse pad I have ever owned!

I will now attempt to do a bit of travelogue and catch you up on what I have seen!  What I have also seen is the influence of being a major power on your people.  I was shocked at lunch to hear Americans defend their dollar bill with such vehemence and complain that coins were too heavy.  For a country with such a gigantic fiscal debt, this seemed an irresponsible choice.  But of course the fact that every other country in the world uses coins for that denomination of currency because of economics is the same as the fact that every other country (except an obscure African one I believe) uses the metric system.  Somehow, as Americans, they are above logic and global practices.

There seems to be something of the same in the Egyptians.  Sonia emphasizes at least once a day the accomplishments of ancient Egypt and how Egypt is not a third world country.  Apparently she hasn’t got the memo that “developing economy” is the politically correct term 🙂  And Egypt is a developing economy.  I am mostly alone in spending a few dollars every day on stuff kids sell me.  Sure, they should be in school but I don’t think there is free public education in Egypt so you do what you can when you can’t change the system.  They have to engage me and work for it but I am spending less than the cost of a visit to Starbucks so how can it be a bad thing…

So here is the time to be arrogant about my own people 🙂  I am very happy to be Canadian every day.  But when I travel I am generally pretty proud of my people.  We don’t go around puffing out our chests or proclaiming our accomplishments.  We just troll around in the background, many of us trying to learn about the culture and meeting the local people with an open mind.  And we are starting to get noticed 🙂  CNN gets on my nerves pretty fast so I normally listen to BBC World News when I travel.  I haven’t managed to catch an episode yet but they are doing a series on CANADA this month.  Cause apparently we are happy and prosperous and the Brits are trying to figure out our secrets 🙂

The most fun I have had this trip chatting was with an Englishman I met in the bar at Mena House on my last night.  It was such an easy conversation.  I didn’t have to watch my tongue.  And he told me to exchange some money and carry around a handful of carefully folded five Egyptian pound notes (about $1).  He explained how poor the average Egyptian person is and how tipping is how the economy runs.  Maybe not the ideal system but I am not going to change it in 10 days.  So I am the Canadian girl who tips… but only if I like you and think you have worked for it.  So not everybody gets money…

I realize the travelogue has been diverted… you will get it!  But I am really fascinated by cultures – and how they interact.  Today we had to take a horse and carriage ride to Edfu Temple, a lot closer to the ground and the local culture than we normally get.  I thought it was brilliant.  But apparently it’s politics.  There used to be an air-conditioned A&K bus instead of the horses.  I am happy I am here now.

It’s definitely interesting trying to understand the political situation in Egypt in 2012.  Suzanne is a little obsessed in understanding the politics, which has endeared her to me.  But I think there is no obvious answer.  Despite how much the Egyptians seem to want to deny it, we are in Africa…  and in Africa nothing is simple or logical… but people are generally happy and really easy to crush on… kind of like Canadians… There is a lot to be said for not being the chosen people and using humility as your trump card…

Soon I will be back in Amsterdam.  One of the things that has endeared the Dutch to me so much (in addition of course to the fact that most of them are gorgeous :)) is that they are the only empire I know that managed to navigate the tricky path from world superpower to lesser power with grace and still maintain a vibrant economy and enviable culture.  Perhaps the 21^st century belongs to the also-ran powers – the Netherlands, Norway, Canada… nice places to live – with happy, friendly people… 🙂

Here in Egypt we are “Canada… Canada Dry”… but they sing it… I think we have to thank the Italians for that 🙂  It really makes me feel proud to be a Canadian.  The Americans are important to Egyptian politics and to its economy and they get a lot of respect… but when I say Canadian, not American, the Egyptians seem to light up a little bit… and then I smile… and they tell me I will break their heart when I leave Egypt… it’s gonna be tough going back to reality 😉

Sonia’s style is exclusively focused on the trees so trying to find the forest a bit of an intellectual puzzle.  I know there were a bunch of Pharoahs from different dynasties, the Greeks and Romans (Alexander, Cleopatra and the gang) messed things up and the Hixus (sp?) were an evil mob from the Middle East.

It’s complicated when you are confronted with one of the oldest, most complex civilizations of all time.  One of my big takeaways so far is the impact of religion on Egyptian society.  That fact really hit home this morning when Sonia said the Greeks have no religion.

I think what she meant was that they were pagans.  They had whole bunch of gods, one for everything, if I have my primary school education correct.  Their gods were pretty glamorous but kind of mean – The Real Housewives of Olympus…  I guess religion means one god – even if it seems a lot of people get killed every day trying to sort out exactly who he is.  It’s like The Dating Game and there are three mystery suitors.  You ask some inane questions and then decide it’s god number 1, 2, or 3 that seems like the best prospect.

Last night I had an interesting discussion on comparative religion with a family from Chicago.  The punch line of the conversation is that the children are named Rachel and Noah – but they didn’t seem to be very pious 🙂

The Chicago family are my favourite people on the trip.  I also have a fondness for Suzanne and Chuck.  They are all from Chicago… what that means I am not sure.  I would venture perhaps the answer is that they are interesting and cosmopolitan yet down to earth.  Some of the others seem a bit inexperienced with the world and I feel a bit nervous I might state an opinion that will get me in trouble.  Despite the crap state of their economy and the humbling effect you might expect that to have, most of the Californians seem a bit haughty.

As expected, it’s the Egyptians that I enjoy the most.  They are warm, gracious and charming.  Everyone noticed today that I wasn’t at breakfast.  And Tito was worried he had done something wrong cause I didn’t say “hi” yesterday but I didn’t know his special spot by the obelisk when he wasn’t in his shop.

I think we were talking about religion… believe me, I am no expert on religion in Egypt at this stage.  I gather it started with the Pharaohs who mostly worshipped the sun.  They discovered that many of their systems and beliefs were very similar to the early Christians so they embraced Christianity at an early stage.  Then there were the conquerors from other Arab states and from Greece and Rome so it got all mixed up.  It wasn’t said out loud but I think “deface” came from the habit of one of the groups to scratch out of the faces of the previous groups.  The Pharaohs each have a kartouch – and they would wipe out the kartouch of the original guy and overwrite their own.

It’s fascinating but there is so much writing on the wall in most of the tombs and temples we have been to that it is very challenging to figure out what is going on.  Today we went to Edfu Temple.  It’s for the falcon god.  I’m not quite sure what he was god of but there were a lot of falcons so I got some photos – and could at least recognize some of the stuff on the walls.  Edfu was fairly recently discovered buried in sand and is very well preserved.  The carvings are incredible.

I think the praying to the falcon god is from the religion of the Pharoahs.  Yesterday we were to Luxor Temple and there was a church and a mosque on the same property.  We were even in the right time to hear to call to prayer.  But not everyone was headed for the entrance to the mosque.  It’s a fascinating country – religion has always played a key role in society – but the religion of choice – and the mix of religions has always been changing with the shifting of the sands in the desert we get to experience every day.