Anyway, back to the travel stories. John, Ben and I were very excited to meet up with Mia in Cairo especially as we had been emailing with her that morning from Nairobi. It was time to switch gears and weather. No more winter in Kili it was time for the desert in summer! We flew from Nairobi to Cairo with a nervous stop in Sudan on the runway. As you can imagine everything else changed as we moved on from eastern African culture, food, and landscape to that of the Middle East.
Here´s your brief taste of Egypt if you have not been yet…Egypt has 76 million people (22 million in Cairo) accounting for about 25% of the world´s Arab population. Arabic is the main language, but a good number of people speak some English (less than in Kenya), especially people that work in tourism and hospitality. Somewhere between 80-90% of the population is Muslim and the bulk of the remaining people are Christians. Given that Friday is the big prayer day their weekends are actually Friday and Sunday – much less convenient if you want to get away for the weekend, although maybe that means more three day weekends?? About 95% of Egypt is desert and from flying over and traveling through it I would agree! The Nile River does provide a surprisingly blue and green (via trees and grass) contrast to the tan desert.
Egypt is clearly famous for its ancient pyramids and Sphinx, but there was so much more to see and do as well. Not surprisingly tourism is one of their main industries. The Suez Canal tolls, oil, natural gas, electricity, and textiles are all exported and make up the bulk of the economy. I was spending their currency, the Egyptian pound, at 5.5 per US dollar. For the most part people were friendly, and it was slower paced and relaxed which makes sense given moving generates even more heat and the desert supplies more than enough of that.
We arrived late at night and Mia came stumbling down from her hotel room to cheerily greet us. She had done a great job organizing our ten day tour, so it was going to be smooth sailing. After catching up with Mia (and perpetuating her jetlag) until all hours of the night, it was suddenly time for our early morning at the pyramids and hanging out with the Sphinx. We figured we could not see all 109 pyramids in Egypt, so we headed to see the three pyramids of Giza along with many other tourists. These pyramids are the best preserved attraction of the 7 Wonders of the World.
The Great Pyramid of Cheops is the highest at 147 meters (485 feet), so we climbed part way up it for some random pictures. It was incredible to see how large the pyramids were in person and to imagine the people building them without the equipment of today. Inside the pyramids are mazes of hallways that go into and beneath the pyramids housing the tombs of pharos. We chose to enter the much much smaller Queen’s pyramid tomb to see what it was all about. It was a very narrow steep walk down to the tomb for about five minutes into the small room that could hold about ten people. It was oven hot and crammed. People could only go in or out one at a time, so we were stuck in this free sauna for several minutes. We were so glad we did not attempt the large pyramid tomb visit which takes 30 minutes to get to the inner tomb.
We had a BLAST taking ridiculous stereotypical pyramid pictures together, and I learned that I have very little skill posing and taking those pics. Then we headed to the nearby Sphinx with its lion’s body and man’s face. It was smaller than I expected, don’t get me wrong it was still too large to pet him. We were able to snap some shots and get a closer look (since it was the low season) at the nose-less beauty which was replicated throughout Egypt.
After I was done looking ridiculous in front of the camera we headed to a papyrus shop to see how the ancient paper was made from plants and to browse through the unique paintings. Clearly I could not afford nor understand a giant print with hieroglyphics, so I had to pass. Afterwards our guide, Fatima, explained what each letter in our names meant, for example: SARAH means: S – Independent, A – sharp sighted (good at reading people), R – talks too much (this made the system seem reliable), A – another dose of sharp sighted, and H – diplomatic. Many of our guides knew this system which made it seem like an important part of their culture or something to pass the time with tourists.
We then toured the Egyptian museum where we saw numerous statues of gods and pharos, sarcophagi they were buried in, and even some crazy mummified animals (fish, dog, alligators, etc). Fatima was extremely educated in history and archeology, so it was a fantastic tour. The highlight was the King Tut exhibit. There was a great deal of his gold, treasures, and tombs which were nice to see in person since I missed the exhibit in Los Angeles.
We then headed through the busy streets of Cairo seeing the old ruins and mosques mixed with the newer buildings and restaurants. Finally we were back at the airport headed to the Sinai Peninsula for some beach and water time. The red mountains of the Sinai Peninsula were gorgeous as we drove through the canyons to Dahab. The white beaches were surrounded by these mountains and splashed by the amazingly clear green and blue waters.
We stayed at a fancy German run resort called Happy Life Village where the scenery blew us away daily. For three full days we chilled out and played in the water, which was needed after the intensity of Kili. John and Ben went scuba diving a few times and loved it. Mia and I snorkeled in the Red Sea’s Aqaba Bay at the South Oasis Three Pools site the first day and then did a trial scuba dive the next day. After learning how to breathe calmly, clear our mask, and pressurize our ears we both really enjoyed it. I hope to eventually get certified. Beneath the water housed a Dr. Seuss like village of coral in various shapes, sizes, and colors. We swam along the coast for over an hour mesmerized by the endless reefs that awesome fish including moray eel (grossie slimy long black fish with teeth), parrot, butterfly (with feather like appendages), angel, and clownfish (Finding Nemo) swam and ate. It was so hot (well over 100 degrees) that the water felt incredible and was like bath water in some spots. Despite an annoying guy following Mia in the water and pointing at random stuff we enjoyed ourselves.
When we decided to stop playing Little Mermaid, staring below the surface, the bright white buildings, green palm trees and grass, blue sky, and red jagged mountains offered plenty to gaze at on land. Saudi Arabia was also visible eleven miles across the bay. We tried a local juice bar where I gulped down cold sugar cane and lemon juice after watching full lemons and sugar cane go through a huge juicer. They served it up in a “take away” bag with a straw – interesting packaging.
At night we took a shuttle into the town of Dahab where we strolled along a strand of restaurants and shops known as Asilah. There was tons of fresh seafood for you fish lovers and restaurants offered free drinks, appetizers, dessert, and shisha to entice you to dine with them. Our favorite spot was Shark where we sat two feet from the water with no barriers preventing us from a splash. We ate fantastic Egyptian food consisting of spicy lamb kebabs with rice and grilled vegetables and chicken tagen (chicken and vegetables in a spicy tomato sauce – clearly a Sarah favorite). We also tried some shisha and drank local beers that we brought since the Muslim culture keeps most places from selling alcohol.
The last full Sinai day proved to be the longest and most eventful. We started by heading to the famous Blue Hole for some snorkeling. The four of us jumped in the back of an old school Jeep and sat on benches as we off-roded in the desert along the sea. After getting geared up we stumbled into the water and started snorkeling around the coral. It was a very large ring of coral, maybe 20-30 feet in diameter and extremely deep. The downside was the large number of other tourists that did not always respect the sea life or Mia who got repeatedly kicked. I had some equipment struggles as the extremely salty water invaded my mask, burning my eyes like hot peppers, and I chugged water through my faulty snorkel – too funny. It got more amusing as I tried to fix the problem. I drifted and slightly brushed against some coral, fire coral to be exact, so I was stung (it looked like 2 large bee stings) and it hurt tons for several days. Who knew coral could be so vicious - lesson learned - fire coral literally burns.
Later we got cleaned up and rested prior to our late night Mount Sinai hike. We ate at the resort buffet which proved to be a problem for me. Mia and I perused the dessert area at the end, but it was a bit dark, so I popped a little white bar in my mouth. It was soooo gross and NOT a dessert. I wanted to spit it out as Mia laughed, but it had to be forced down. Sick, yet hilarious.
Upon surviving the buffet we got ready and packed in our little tour bus for the 11PM to 1AM ride to Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai is 2,285 meters (7,540 feet) high and is the site where Moses received the 10 Commandments, although that is debated given the numerous mountains. We began hiking in the dark at 2AM with headlamps and camels frequently passing us. As we hiked, numerous guys said, “camel?” with varying accents trying to get us to ride one to the top. We took the winding dirt path used by the camels to the top, so we had to watch our step and dodge the landmines of camel droppings.
About an hour in, the dinner buffet attacked my stomach with a fury, and I became very ill. That’s what I get for trying some salads and other new foods. My stomach was rumblin’ in the Bronx, so I had to stop quite often. I felt badly for slowing the group down. Luckily there were quite a lot of little shops/cafes built on the side of the mountain. It was bizarre seeing Cokes, Snickers, and hot chocolate being sold on a historical and religious site. It was extremely commercial all the way up to the top. Sadly most of them did not have bathrooms – cruel joke. I had the pleasure of finding five random sketchy “bathrooms” to survive. Eventually we made it to the top after three hours, so it was 5AM. We rested for an hour before doing the last 20 minute hike to the peak.
The sunrise offered unbelievable views at the top that were worth the hike. We lost Ben along the way as he leveraged his hiking skills to power ahead. Sadly we could not find him until we made it to the bottom. There was a church at the top of the mountain teetering on the peak with 360 degree views of the Sinai area. As the sun slowly emerged everything glowed a deep red color and the unique jagged edges could be viewed as well as the St. Catherine Monastery below. After our usual photo shoot with Mia’s skills and nice camera it was time for the hike down.
We took the Steps of Repentance also known as the “Path of our Lord Moses” down. I can see why it was for repentance it was 3,750 steps of varying sizes down the steep mountain in fiery heat. It was a pretty hike with a couple of stone archways built into the mountainside and other notable scenery. After making it back down we regrouped and prepared for a visit to the Monastery of St. Catherine.
The monastery was built in 337 AD originally to protect the burning bush that Moses encountered in the Book of Exodus. We saw the most famous shrub in the world – of course it is debated that it is the actual bush, but it is the only bush of its kind able to grow on the Sinai Peninsula, and it has been there well over 2,000 years. From 542-551 AD the actual church was built including granite walls, 12 pillars (representing the months of the year), and cedar wood doors that are all still originals. There was also a beautiful mosaic of Jesus flanked by Moses and Elijah on separate panels, although it was partially blocked by a number of low hanging chandeliers. I loved seeing all of the art in person after learning about it in Early Christian Art and the Byzantine Empire at University of Wisconsin. I was also able to light a prayer candle while in the church, which was moving for me.
The monastery also has a nice garden in the middle of this dry area, Monks’ residences, Moses’ well, and a library with over 3,000 manuscripts and 5,000 books (only the Vatican has a larger collection). I really enjoyed the whole experience despite being sick and the extreme temperatures.
On the way back, much like a scene out of a Hollywood film, our van overheated in the middle of the desert. For thirty minutes we sat baking as our driver pretended to know what he was doing. They also took our remaining drinking water to try to cool the engine, so there we sat lonely and waterless in the middle of the desert. It was pretty comical, yet slightly disconcerting. Eventually a pickup stopped to help. They led us ten minutes away to a small factory with a hose. The guys at the factory popped the hood, cranked the hose, and began flooding the car. It was a hilarious display of car repairs. Mia was crying as she laughed at the whole crazy scene and a German mother and daughter joined in. I, being the nerdy risk person I am, insisted on filling empty water bottles in case we overheated again. We collectively argued with the driver to keep the A/C off to lower the risk of another round of overheating. Luckily we made it back alive. It was quite the hour detour.
I really hope to go back to Sinai again sometime, maybe as part of an Israel and Jordan trip. There will be lots of Egyptian sites discussed in my next entry. I hope you like ancient descriptions or you may want to skip that one! Until next time…Sarah.
i am not going to read this whole thing now, will need to come back to it since it is one am. where is the pic of you destroying the pyramid? LOVE that one.
ReplyDeleteALSO LOVE THE TITLE OF THIS ONE
if this asshole asks me to type in random letters again i am going to throw my computer