We are back in Cairo after our tour through Middle Egypt, cruise to Upper Egypt, and all sorts of stops in between. I am overwhelmed with all of the experiences and lessons. Hope that I start to process the notes & pictures, I can at least share a fraction of the wonder.
Two more days and we'll be stateside again. Talk to you soon!
- Mb
All is well here in Egypt. Days have been long and intense work, but it makes the wonder of the experiences all the better.
The students are really good sports, even after 12 hour days of hiking, crawling through tombs, fending off aggressive vendors, and wrestling with gurgling stomachs. It is balanced by the mind-blowing sights and experiences. Art students are the best travelers! When photos are not allowed--often, especially in tombs & pyramids--many people sketch what they see. They're always taking notes.
Last night, as we were exploring the Luxor temple, I looked up in appreciation for making it through a hard day. Just then, a shooting star crossed the sky! No one else in the group saw it, but a little girl across the plaza jumped up and down and cheered.
We just returned from a sunrise sail over Upper Egypt in a hot air balloon. After visiting Karnak this afternoon, we embark on our Nile cruise. It will be great to sleep in past 6am!
We have an amazing guide, Amany. She is tremendously knowledgeable on ancient history, but also offers perspectives on modern society as well. It's been great for us to have both. Especially with a group of 15 girls.
Some experiences we've had are so off-the-beaten path. We "negotiated" with some folks to let us explore sites that are not open to the public. We hiked the mountain between the workers' village and Kings' Valley in Der El Medina. We climbed through hills and hills of broken pottery in an ancient labyrinth. We rode through Middle Egyptian villages along the way. Amany said that some of those places haven't seen a bus in maybe ten years, and in some villages, we had police escorts and/or a convoy of vehicles surrounding our group.
Of course, we've also enjoyed more traditionally touristy things that are just as amazing! Crawling through the great pyramid at Giza, riding camels to the second, visiting the Sphinx, even (some) hookah smoking in Cairo.
I mentioned this in an earlier post, but one of the most mind-blowing realizations is that everything was in vivid color, not this sandy stone color that I've always assumed! Some of the tombs look like they were painted yesterday. Blues, yellows, intricate detail and textures. Even the stones used to build temples and pyramids were black basalt, red granite, or white limestone. I'm sure descriptions do not do it justice. I wish pictures were allowed!
- Mb
Again, not so coherent here, just trying to get notes out. (So strange, this quantified Internet.)
Spent the day in Giza, visiting the three pyramids, funerary temples, and the Sphinx. Crawled around in the passageways and chambers, tried to re-imagine the temples as we walked through the remains of the causeway. Amazed at the different colors of the rocks! In my mind, the pyramids are sand-colored. In reality, they are built with an orchestrated combination of bright white limestone, red granite, and black basalt. Can you imagine them polished and stunning in their heyday??
We rode camels between the panorama point and the last of the three pyramids. Those suckers are tall. (I meant the camels, but the pyramids too...) Hopefully some people got good pictures--I was busy holding on for dear life. The third pyramid and funerary temple aren't as popular with the tourists. It's such a treat to have John lead us through these places--his passion really is contagious. Amany said she only gets to visit these places when he comes around too. She is right there with us, as he walks us through imagining the scenes as they existed thousands and thousands of years ago.
After sightseeing, we went to Felfela, a small, yet popular chain for cheap local food. I'd go back! Finally got to try some Egyptian food, other than the "safe" breads and neutral dishes. Yummy om ali, a sweet bread & dairy dessert, and khoshury, a pasta/rice/lentil/spiced dish. (Sorry for spelling issues.)
Last night, while walking through Cairo, one of the locals following us decided that I must be the Egyptian tour guide for this American group. He jokingly offered six million camels to John for me. He introduced himself and said I must speak Arabic, and I said "Only when necessary." The only Arabic I have used is Shokran (Thank-you).
Also on the way through the city last night, a little girl latched on to a bunch of students in the group, begging for money. I respectfully declined/ignored, but after one girl gave her a dollar, she moved onto the next person, not taking no for an answer. I actually pried her off of one of our students after a few blocks, and deflected her away as she chased others. In the end, I had to hold onto her while the rest of the group went inside--she would not let go of Robert's coat. We all could have given her money. I could have let the students make their own individual choices. What do you think?
- Mb
There is absolutely way too much to write about for one day. I'm not going to try to be coherent, sorry.
In particular, there is one thing that I can never explain here, but I also don't want to let it go without mention. So, only briefly and without much detail, a stranger approached me in the lobby of our hotel asking me to pass on a message to a woman for him the next day, saying that he would "be no more." He was planning on jumping into the Nile the next day; "the river has been like a mother" to him. I talked to him for an hour, and finally felt that there was nothing I could do to change his mind. I dunno. Like I said, too much to share here. I called hotel management afterwards. I dunno. His last name was Arora.
If I can possibly move on to a completely opposite topic, I can list some of the sites we've visited today. Again, sorry for no pictures to accompany the posts. They'll have to come after the fact upon my return.
- The Red Pyramid & Bent Pyramid of Snefru at Dashur. We crawled through the bowels of the Red Pyramid!
- The step pyramid of Zoser and limestone constructions by Imhotep
- Many tombs--who am I kidding, I didn't write all the names down. More details when I post photos. Having Ms. Amany explain the carvings is such a luxury.
- Carpet making school/factory. Silk, wool, cotton, tapestry... Amazing!
I have been enjoying getting to know the students and John. "Always dress to be going into deep holes," says John, about preparing for our sightseeing days. Also, in terms of getting lunch on those days, the strategy he proposes is to "store it in your humps."
- Mb
Unfortunately, my posts here won't be as detailed, nor will they be illustrated--I did not bring a laptop, so my internet access will be limited to whatever's available at the hotel. We are switching places every other night, so I'll take what I can get!
Day 1 was pretty much all travel: BOS-JFK was delayed; long layover, then JFK-Cairo, then customs, then bus ride, then checking into hotel 24 hours later. We have some free time before a group welcome dinner, so some of the students are roaming the city till then. Me? I charged up--the cell phone, the camera, and me (I took a nap).
Some interesting points so far:
On a lighter note, we are in CAIRO! Saqqara and Dashur tomorrow. Camels and donkeys and pyramids, oh my!
- Mb
Taken from the Egypt pre-departure guide, prepared by Spiekermann Travel Service.
Gotta love having a grown-up job that gets snow days :) I'll use the opportunity to follow up on the pre-vacation post about light.
In that post, I said I thought the analogy that applied to me was that of a glow-in-the-dark toy--something that emits light only after charging up on what others give off. Well, aside from being terribly narcissistic, that's a lot to ask of people, huh? On the other extreme end, I offered the example of a candle that is built from its own fuel. If K is a candle, does that mean he'd live in contentment without human interaction?
So while we can apply those examples to different relationships in our lives, you can see how the concept falls apart when taken too far. In real life, I think people draw light from many sources.
In fact, I've posed a question to a lot of my close friends: "What's your frosting?" Like licking the icing off of the top of a yummy cupcake, what reliably makes you happy, even for a moment? No matter how tough a day you're having, what will make you smile on the inside?
Obviously, the most common answers were the people in their lives--family, friends, lovers, comrades. I guess I'm also looking for the simple things. In your lonely times, or when people are not available, what lights you?
Someone once told me that if you make a list, you'll have something tangible to turn to in times when you're lost in sadness. Here's the start of mine:
- Mb
Early this morning (~3:30am), my brother sent me a text about Lent. Blinking awake in the dark, it took me a while to figure out where I was. Did we change hotels to the Manila Pen? No, I must still be at the Renaissance. Except the lamp looks funny. As I reached for my phone, I remembered that I'd already had a cuddly day with my puppy.
Spent Ash Wednesday at home with Apple, and we had a quiet night too, as K was out with his trivia/poker buddies. As with Lenten seasons past, a portion of my efforts will be put towards fasting and moderation--no eating out, no second servings, less processed food, etc. I want to be less driven by chasing after my cravings. Didn't do so well on the first day; it'll be a long seven weeks!
Other than the momentary disorientation this morning, I haven't noticed signs of jet lag. However, it didn't hit me in the Philippines until a couple of days in, so we'll see! I've got a week and a half here before I leave for the Egypt trip. I would love to see everyone & pass out souvenirs, so if you're in the neighborhood, please stop by!
- Mb
I'll be home in just over 40 hours--can't believe it! As the last days of this vacation unfolded, I got used to the time difference and seemed to have less energy to write posts at the end of the day. Thanks to K for posting a puppy pic. Just what I needed as the homesickness kicked in!
Some of the things I've wanted to post:
About to head out to our last meal (after a late merienda), then I'll get packing. See you soon!
- Mb
…we dogs shall play!
Have fun and come home soon!
-k
