It's A Wedding!

The last few nights here in Jordan have been pretty cool. One night, my friend's counterpart and her husband took us out for a ride around and felafals. They pointed out some pools of lights in the distance that were coming from Israel. (It's kind of disconcerting - not in a bad way, though - to be so close to the borders of Israel and Saudi Arabia! Makes me want to visit so badly!) Then the last two nights I was invited to a Jordanian wedding. The first night was a celebration by family members and close friends but the bride was not there. First, there was time to say hello and get to know each other, to chit-chat. Then food was served. Afterwards there was dancing. All this was done with women only while the men in a separate part of the house had there own celebration. It was pretty darn cool to see some of the women remove their hijabs, kick off their high heels and start ululating and grooving! Boy, and when they groove - can they shake and shimmy! I'm still holding to the belief that they remove a vertebrae when they're really young to get their hips to flick like that!! No wonder they have to keep the women and men separate! :-)

The second night was similar except that the bride was there and the celebration took place in Ma'an instead of at the family home. First, we went to the home that the bride was at. Some of the women sang to her while the rest of us hung out. Then we all caravaned it to Ma'an, blasting music, clapping and honking horns to announce the marriage. Once we got to the reception hall, women from the groom's family danced and sang for the bride. (Again, the men and the women were segregated into their own celebration parties.) Then it was the bride's family and friends turn. After that, all the women close to the bride sang and danced. All of this was done more formally then when they were at the family home the night before. The bride was then cajoled into dancing for everyone. (Ugh...I, as with the night before, was also coerced into dancing. I felt so awkward! Don't get me wrong...I love dancing but it's so nerve-wracking in front of people that I don't know in a more intimate setting than a club! And dancing Arabic-style? Uh, yeah...about that... At least this time I wasn't being coaxed into that!) Once everyone stopped to cool down and mingle, the food was then served. Afterwards, the groom and only the groom joined us. Many people queued up to give their well-wishing, love and support for the new marriage. Since we were trying to catch up with my friend's counterpart's husband, we missed the rituals that the bride and groom went through. They did have a dance together under her veil, though.

Although I couldn't really have conversations with the women it was all so amazing to have been privileged with this opportunity to share a more intimate detail of the lives of the people here. The women were all so welcoming.

On another note, Petra was more spectacular than I could have imagined it. My friend informed me that to fully explore Petra one would need about 7 days. But I got a chance to take the walk to see the Treasury (the stone "building" that was the final shot in the Indiana Jones movie I mentioned previously) along with a hike up to see Al-Dayr (the Monastery). It's just as impressive as the Treasury, in my opinion. But for me, the most awesome visual came after a hike up to this triangular point at the very edge of the mountain for Sacrifice View. It was even better than the view I got at Jebel Musa. You can see the different colors of the layers of rock exposed by the uplifting eons ago. Dark gray, green, red, slate, beige... Again very breathtaking.

Anyhow, I'm in Amman hanging out with my friend waiting for when I leave (flight's at 3:00 a.m.!). This has been a trip of a lifetime! I have seen places that I have only dreamt about for so many years, met many beautiful people, and have experienced so much that I believe has made me a fuller woman. I am so glad that I did this! I am so completely grateful to all of you for your support and encouragement throughout this. (Especially to those that has financially helped me complete it after the thieving.) I miss you all but I will see you all very soon!

Much love, Cristella

Winding Down

Yes, this may very well be my last posting on this blog. I'm well into my last week on this amazing trip. I am very very sad to be leaving soon, especially this place where my friend lives. She's been acting as my interpreter here but strangely enough, I am starting to get the gists of the conversations and am able to pick out some of the words if everyone speaks slowly enough.

Anyhow, I've been chilling here at At Tabiyyah. It's near Wadi Musa near Petra. (Petra is the closing scene of one of the Indiana Jones movie with Sean Connery...) But let me give you a brief run down of the places and things I've seen and done.

After Op Smile, I left with my friend and another volunteer to this volunteer's village Ma'adi (in the county, so to speak, of Deir Alla). Ma'adi is located in the Jordan valley. Descending into it provided a lot of eye candy. It's so much greener than here in Tabiyyah. There's quite a few farms of various crops. In her village, we were greeted by many a folk. Lulu apparently is the "Norm" of her village. Actually, she gets teased by the other volunteers as she's gradually working her way into becoming the "Norm" of Jordan! Also, that night we got a chance to glimpse at the festivities of a wedding that took place. (The newlyweds ended up moving in next door to Lulu.)

Since Ma'adi isn't too far away from the Dead Sea we spent the next day there. Again, many a weird moment wandering around and hanging out in my swimsuit! Not to mention receiving stares, the three of us, as we came out of the Sea covered in its alleged medicinal mud from the neck down! The Sea was pretty incredible, though, as was the day. Very nice to just float on my back, staring up at the overcast sky. When we got back, we tried our hands at barbequeing. Hysterical trying to get the coals lit. The fish turned out pretty tasty but the vegetables were a fiasco.

From Ma'adi we took several different buses to get to Tabiyyah. I got another visual overload coming into Wadi Musa. The mountains here are very similar to those of the Sinai peninsula but with villages dotting some of the sides. Not too far from the doorstep of my friend (just across the street) you can see several peaks and ranges. It's much, I imagine, like living on the edge of the Grand Canyon. Breathtaking beyond words. I'm constantly smiling, giggling and laughing everytime I get an eyeload. I still can't believe that she lives here! And everyone that she's introduced me to has been so kind and generous.

One of the things that I'm most happy about with my traveling is that I was blessed with so many opportunities of meeting people. Whenever asked by others traveling or by residents about what is the best part of my trip, I always reply that the best part of traveling and one of my primary objectives is meeting the people, getting to know them a little bit and touch lives for a while. Don't get me wrong...the places that I've seen, the food that I've tasted, the bus rides and other various modes of transport has also been fascinating and educational for me but the thing that I will carry with me always are the people.

So, I'm just chilling out, preparing myself for my return home. It's been very relaxing. I'm looking forward to visiting Petra myself this Friday, inshallah. But it's been such a blessing giggling with my friend, watching movies (like "Jarhead" and "Syriana" which is very surreal to be doing so here), sleeping and simply being silly.

http://www.infoplease.com/images/mjordan.gif

Regarding The Bombings In Dahab

To all of those of you writing in to see if I'm okay and safe from the bombings in Dahab - yes, I'm okay. I missed being in the area by a day and a half. I feel very lucky since the area that was bombed was just outside where I was staying. They were places that I passed by many times during the day and night, places where I hung out. In fact, I still have friends there in town. I haven't heard from a couple of them and am praying that they are okay and safe, inshallah.

I must admit I am slightly in shock. I was there not too much before the explosions. I interacted with the shopkeepers, workers and locals of the places bombed. It's a place I was considering living and working for a bit. It's a very peaceful place full of people enjoying life and each other.

I don't know if it hit the U.S. TV news or if it was in the papers or what, but for those of you that hadn't heard of what's going on, here're some links to a couple of news stories:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/egypt_resort_attacks
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060425/ap_on_re_mi_ea/egypt_resort_blasts

Off these links there should be pictures of the aftermath.

Operation Smile - Amman, Jordan

I am in Amman with my friend from the Berkeley Free Clinic. It is really good to see her. For all you heppies, she looks absolutely fabulous! And boy, is it really amazing to watch and hear her speak in Jordanian Arabic!

Actually, not only with A, it is very cool to watch and listen to the Peace Corps volunteers here speak Jordanian Arabic. Also, it's amazing to see them in action with the Operation Smile mission going on here. (Here's a link to the operation currently happening: http://www.operationsmile.org/missions/reports/?country=JO. It's very cool!!!) They are working with the medical volunteers in coordinating the surgery schedules, answering questions and concerns from worried parents/guardians as well as talking and generally hanging out with them to keep them occupied and relaxed as much possible. They also play with the children and hold the babies to keep them entertained or to give the parents a break. It is so touching to see how gratified many of the adults are for the volunteers' efforts.

It has also been very heartbreaking at times. As mentioned in the link, most of the families were bussed in from Baghdad. They are mostly Iraquis but some are also Kurds. (A few of the patients are Jordanian.) On the way towards the Iraq-Jordan border, the bus was stopped by a group of Sunni insurgents demanding all Shi'ia or those from south Iraq get off the bus so that they may kill them. Although all the patients are from the south, someone insisted they were all from Baghdad. When an insurgent demanded to see his identificaiton, the man handed over his passport instead of his ID card which spcified the region of where he is from. The insurgents eventually let the people go but now they are very scared about what may happen upon their return as the insurgents threatened to keep watch for them. The volunteers are now trying to figure out how to get them safely back home. But how must the parents and guardians feel? I cannot even possibly start to imagine! The excitement and joy of having their child undergo a procedure that would improve one aspect of life just to face the strong possibility of having their child be killed shortly!!!

But the fear doesn't stop there. As one man related the politics of Iraq and its violent and deadly fallout to my friend, fear for their lives and even more so, fear for the lives of their family members and loved ones is a constant. As this man relayed, life was very bad before under Saddam. Despite his removal from power, life has not gotten any better. As told to me, the word chosen to describe the situation now is "bloodbath." How's that for the "War on Terrorism" in Iraq??!??

Oh. For those of you that are haven't heard of this, do please try it. Go to Google's home page. Type in the word "failure" in the Search box. Then hit the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button. Whatcha think??!

Ahhh...Woman Power

Ok. I feel so much better since my last post. I got in a nice long nap. Also, I had a great night hanging out with a new friend I met from my snorkelling adventure as well as some other really cool ladies. We had a great time relaxing, munching on chips and throwing back a couple of beers while sharing travel stories, details of our lives, and laughter. It was so nice to not have to have your guard up against the barrage of come-ons and constant "habibi"s!!

Speaking of good times with fellow female friends, i will be meeting up with my friend in Jordan with the Peace Corps. So for now, I bid Egypt adieu.

Quite Possibly The Most Stupid Thing I Could Have Ever Opted To Do In Egypt!!!

What could that possibly be, you might ask? Well, let me share that event with you. It's hiking up Mt. Sinai in the pre-dawn dark hours in order to reach the peak to catch the sun rising over many of the jagged mountain peaks of the area. Idyllic sounding? A somewhat mystical thing to do? NO! and NO! yet again!!! It was heinous.

Before I get into my rant, here's a little bit of background information about Mt. Sinai. Locally, it is known as Gebel Musa. Its peak reaches an elevation of 2285 m (~7541 ft.). Although disputed by some researchers and academicians, many people believe that Mt. Sinai is the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.

I wanted to hike up Mt. Sinai, not as a religious pilgrimage, but rather to scale a renowned mountain to check out its draw and to watch the sunrise from such a place. And I thought I would avoid the crowds for who the hell would be nuts enough to hike up a mountainside in the dark guided only by a headlamp? Not to mention I really wanted to do some hiking. Well, it seems that several hundred people also had the same idea! So, again with the massive herds of people (this time in the dark from 2:00 a.m. to 5:30 a.m.) along with several herds of camels and their Bedouin handlers, I trekked up a path not designed to handle that kind of traffic. The camels came in very useful to many of the tourists who were fearful of hiking in the dark or were not physically able to make the ascent.

There are several problems with this, however. The first is that those of us who chose not to ride a camel up are then stuck trying to sidestep the piles of camel dung and pools of camel urine as well as being careful to not be directly behind a camel to avoid being the recipients of these gifts. (Oh, and to avoid the jets of gas as well!) The second problem is to avoid being run over by these camels. While some of the handlers shouted "Camel!!" to alert the trekkers, other handlers will only cluck, hiss, or smack their lips together to alert the trekkers (which we were obviously expected to hear over all the noise) that they and their caravan of camels were bearing down on us. Despite doing this, they really didn't much care whether or not those on foot were knocked on their keister or trampled on.

Luckily, having backpacked around a couple of countries with a 30 kg pack for about 2.5 months has put me in decent shape. Consequently, I was able to escape my group from the microbus and, not needing to take rest brakes, I was part of the few people who made it up to the peak first. This was a good thing since I got an excellent seat on one of the boulders to catch the sunrise. Many were not so fortunate. There were also a good number who completely missed the sunrise as I found hiking back down the mountain. Since I wanted more solitude and to avoid the slow shuffle back down, I fast-walked it down after quickly looking around at the peak. It was nice having the path mostly to myself and the peace I was able to enjoy in the parking area before everyone else showed up was pretty nice.

Trying to leave was a different matter. The driver threatened not to leave until everyone paid the "guide fee." Everyone of us on the microbus was extremely upset about having to pay extra money for a guide (who basically did nothing except stop for rest breaks and pocketing out money). All of us fought against it, some of us eventually paid and a few escaped. Those that escaped were the ones being hassled. Outrage and anger in all of the passengers mounted until the driver and the "guide", in pissy frustration, gave up so that we were able to finally take off.

I guess I could wax philosophical about this nightmare by correlating the crowded climb up the mountain to struggling through life to be rewarded with the sense of acheievement/accomplishment, light, fresh start, renewal, yada yada crap but right now I'm too tired and too grouchy. Maybe some other time.

http://acs2.aucegypt.edu/hekman/sinai.html
http://www.ehabweb.net/mount_sinai.html

The Beautiful Deep Blue

So today I went snorkeling in a couple of places. It was kind of weird in couple of regards: 1) To take my clothes off (outer ones, that is) in public after having so consciously made efforts to ensure that I was appropriately covered for almost 3 months now in the Islamic countries with long-sleeve shirts and long pants/long skirt (not to mention having been covered for many months before that due to the cold weather back home!), and 2) To wander to and from the water in my swimsuit, albeit it is a one piece, racing-style. (There was no way I could bring myself to bring a two-piece...) Granted I was more fully covered than many of the other women but I felt so completely naked, so to speak.

Anyhow, one of the places I went to is called the Canyon and the second place is called the Blue Hole. Both are locations that the scuba diving outfits in town take newbies (the former) and those looking to get more experienced (the latter). There are so many diving clubs! It's very big out this way in the Red Sea as well as the Sea of Aqaba as there are many beautiful reefs to check out. Unfortunately, as I'm informed, many of the diving spots are gradually being destroyed by the overwhelming number of tourists looking to obtain their diving certifications and the government hasn't made too much effort to controlling the overuse and destruction of the diving spots.

I got a chance to see some of this snorkeling at the Canyon. The area where the divers and snorkelers are supposed to wander into is not a rock area but actual reef that is now dead from all of us trampling in and out of the water. Away from this there are still some very nice marine life to watch. Very similar to other areas that I've snorkeled in.

The Blue Hole was something completely different, though. Although I have really wanted to learn to dive (and had thought I might be able to on this trip), snorkeling around the Blue Hole reefs has really firmly blown that idea up in my head. There was so much color and designs, immense marine flora and fauna, and such mystery from the walls of the sea canyon that seems to just drop away infinitely. It's like something straight out of a National Geographic/Discovery/Animal Planet/etc. marine show! It was also very cool to watch the divers taking pictures of some of the tunnels burrowing into the reef, learning new dive techniques and just generally having fun. The bubbles that they release tickle as you swim over and through them. Some of them are so big that they almost look like some kind of jellyfish. A dive master that was snorkeling with me freedived down about 10 meters or so to touch this porcupine fish. (Here's a link to a picture of the fish I'm talking about: http://www.divegallery.com/porcupinefish.htm.) It was all so completely incredible! As I've mentioned before, I have always daydreamed about learning how to dive but have been lazy about following through...now I am going to actually going to do it! As a matter of fact, I received a serious offer from the owner of the hotel I am stayed at to become a dive master so that he can try and capture the small but growing number of Chinese tourists as well as to head up the development of massage therapy services to be offered by the hotel! Things that make you go "Hmmmm...."!

Here's some links to websites with some pictures to give you an idea of Dahab and the bodies of water in the area:
http://www.divernet.com/travel/0602dahab.htmt http://www.divesitedirectory.co.uk/
http://www.anatol.org/images/egypt/dahab_all/index.html
http://www.divesitedirectory.co.uk/dive_ site_red_sea_dahab_reef_the_blue_hole.html
http://www.sinaidivers.com/redsea/diving-dahab.html

An Ordeal That Ultimately Provided A Beautiful Reward!

Thinking that I would be able to not have to deal with the heat of traveling by bus during the day as well as to save on lodgings for the night, I opted to take a bus from Ismailia to Dahab (located on the eastern side of the Sinai peninsula by the Sea of Aqaba; it's name is Arabic for "gold").

BUT WHAT A LONG AND EXCRUCIATING BUS RIDE!!!

It wasn't because it was a night bus. It was simply because I was traveling via a bus. And I've been on much longer bus rides in Morocco but for some reason, this ride really hurt.

As with the buses in India, they play movies at the start of the trip. At a very, loud volume. (I can't tell you what the movie was about as I was able to constantly drift off to sleep...as far as I can tell it involved men beating each other up, gun fights where no one is able to hit each other and lots of yelling. Then again, they could just be talking in really loud voices...who knows?) But that wasn't what made the bus trip so hard. What took so long were the numerous number of stops that were made. Other than two restroom breaks and one to wait our turn to traverse the tunnel that goes under the Suez Canal, the rest (10 or so?) were for identification checks. For a trip that I don't think should take that much time, it took about 8.5 hours or so because every time we entered a "new zone" (city limits), we had to present our ID. Other than the first ID stop, all the other ones had the guards/policemen pulling some of the passengers off the bus for a check. As I understand it, Egyptians must carry ID cards that have a scan code on it. Once that is scanned in, all their personal information is pulled up: personal stats, marital status, crimes, travel movement within the country, employment, education, etc. I wasn't sure why certain men were chosen to be checked - whether or not it was random or something didn't sit well with the guard/policeman. I thought it best that I didn't get too terribly nosy about these things although the really nice woman I was sitting next to was happy to explain things to me and help me out during the bus ride by letting me know what was up. (She has the most beautiful children, one of which was only barely two. Egyptians really do love children as some of the men around played with them, feed them, and held them. What was even more amazing was the complete ease with which the mother let these strangers hold and play with her kids. Other Americans I've met have commented about this complete faith and trust that we don't have regarding our children!)

Despite the ID checks and the seemingly painfully long ride, it was definitely worth it as we approached Dahab. There are peaks after peaks of mountains, all noticeably bare of any flora. In the early morning light they are truly breathtaking, reflecting the increasing sunlight in shades of reds, browns, and greenish-grey. There were very few people left debarking by this time so there was no rush or crowding. The taxi ride had me in the back of an open pick-up truck/jeep. This was great as I was able to get 360 degree views approaching the little beach town. After the taxi driver helped me find a cheap enough yet decent hotel, I settled in for a nice nap.

Here're some links with pics and some info on Dahab:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahab
http://centre4sinai.com.eg/environment.htm
http://centre4sinai.com.eg/galleries.htm
http://www.travelsinparadise.com/egypt/dahab/index.html

Ismailia

My travel companion and I took a second-class train to Ismailia. Although it is NOWHERE near as bad as the local second-class train of India (then again, I don't even think anything could be as bad as that), it was still interesting. The train itself wasn't too bad but the tracks were in terrible condition. Those that connect Cairo to Alexandria (as I'm told) and to Luxor and Aswan (as I've experienced) are pretty decent. Totally different than the other routes within the country. I don't think that there is as much care and maintenance invested into them as not that many tourists use those trains. Consequently, you are being rattled to death on them. Although I didn't think that anything was going to really happen, there were a couple of moments when the thought that the train was going to rattle itself apart or into derailing did cross my mind!

Anyhow, Ismailia is a smallish town between Port Said (located on the Mediterranean Sea) and Suez. Despite it's proximity to the Suez Canal, I did not get a chance to watch some of the boats manuevering their way through. I was just so completely pooped. So I ended up sleeping quite a bit here.

I did get a chance to explore parts of the town on foot for the afternoon and early evening before I took off for Dahab. The town is really laid back with more of a developing modern city feel to the northeast and the quaint colonial charm of the south. There weren't any other tourists that I could see. As a matter of fact, especially in the northeastern part that I roamed around, there were very few people that could speak English. But they were very patient with me and my few horribly-chopped up Arabic phrases. They were so nice! It's clear that the tourism industry hasn't spoilt the charm, grace, and generosity of the people here. But it is a shame that tourists don't see this side of Egypt. For the most part, many only get the hassle of the touts, demands for baksheesh and the price-gouging of shopkeeps. Which really is too bad as the people that I've had the pleasure to meet have been so wonderful. It certainly was a relief for me as I was getting a bit grumpy from the hassles as well as being shuttled around in herds. It's definitely coming back to what I enjoy and have grown accustomed to from the earlier parts of my travels.

A Day of Firsts

It was pretty nice to be back in Cairo. This time I stayed in a different part of town called Zamalek. It has a lot of colonial-style buildings, lots of trees, and is much quieter than in downtown. Reminds me of parts of New Orleans.

Anyhow, due to my bad luck of not being able to catch an early enough train back, I wasn't sure that I'd have time to visit all the pyramids that I wanted to visit - Giza, Saqqara and Dashur.

Just to make sure that I would at least get in one set, I set off to those at Giza - Khufu (Cheops), Khafre (Chephren), Menkaure (Mycerinus) as well as the Sphinx. As with many locals that cater to the tourist industry, my taxi driver "had a friend" that had horses that people could take to visit the pyramids and the Sphinx. Not really into it but agreeing to at least check it out, I assented.

And boy. Am I glad I did.

After haggling for a decent price, I took off with my guide. It was my first time riding (I don't count the one time I did it when I was like six) and I was a bit nervous. But looking around at the desert around me completely took my mind off of my anxiety. It was so completely incredible! There were very few other people out on horses or camels so it was really quiet. You weren't shepherded in with the hordes of visitors pouring out of the tour buses.

And what a way to approach the pyramids and Sphinx! You come up from the back side through the nearby village called Nazlet as-Samaan at a slow walk to get accustomed to riding (for the newbies) which was pretty cool in and of itself. Then you go over a couple of small dunes. On top of the larger ones, looking behind, you can actually see the other pyramids at Saqqara in the distance with the flat desert in between. To your left is the huge metropolis of Cairo. Standing like this you had the pyramids behind you not too far. I can't even begin to put into words how phenomenal the whole landscape was!

And the pyramids and the Sphinx!!! They were so immense and grand! Woo-hoo! Another life dream turned into reality!

P.S. I never got to see the other pyramids which definitely calls for another visit to Egypt. Also, by the end of my tour of the area by horse (which was named Mickey Mouse, by the way!), I was able to ride at a gallop - no problem! Can I just tell you just how incredibly fantastic it was to have the wind in my face, hair streaming behind as I said good-bye to Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure and the Sphinx while my guide and I raced across the desert flats?! (Well, okay. I was kinda racing to get away from my guide!)

3 Cities and 3 Stalkers Later...

Okay... Brief update as far as where I've been.

On the 15th I met up with a British traveler that I had met in Aswan. After hanging out and doing our own thing on the 16th, we traveled back up to Cairo on the 17th so that I can get a look at one set of Pyramids (the ones at Giza). Then we traveled on the 18th to Ismailia on his recommendation. After that, I took off on the 19th on the night bus for Dahab. Details on all this to come...

Some Tidbits of Interest

1. Sugar cane fields are not allowed to be grown closer than 400 m anywhere near roads that tourists travel by. This is because terrorists have used them in the past as places from which to ambush and to which the run through to escape capture and possible death. Only very short crops such as clover are allowed grow within the 400 m.

2. Almost all buildings throughout Egypt look to be in perpetual construction. This is to accommodate families as they expand. Construction then predominantly grows upward. Also, as long as the buildings remain unfinished, the tenants/owners are not taxed. Once construction of the building is completed, taxes that run about 40% of the value is then assessed - a very huge amount that is impossible and crippling to many.

3. After the 1997 massacre, the number of tourists visiting Egypt has dropped tremendously. This drop was exacerbated by September 11th. According to numbers that I was given, the number of tourists once ranged at about 6000, dropping to an a low of 800 on any given day (during high season, of course; I'm told only the Spanish are crazy enough to brave the 50-55 degree Centigrade temperature during the summer months). It has recovered somewhat but now because of the war waged by America against Iraq the number of tourists still has not recovered. Hmm... another reason for the Americans to be so disliked?

3. General "impressions" I was told that Egyptians have of the tourists (as a joke but with some seriousness thrown in):
* English - beer in one hand and an arm thrown around a partner
* Aussies - beer in both hands
* Japanese - camera in one hand and an opened umbrella in the other
* Canadians - packs always decorated with the Canadian flag to be distinguished and separated from being identified as American
* Americans - packs decorated with the Canadian flag to be mistakened for Canadian
* Spanish - hands and packs always holding food being consumed
* Dutch - beer in one hand and a sack of weed and other drugs in the other

4. The Egyptians really want their treasures that are now languishing in other countries back. Badly.

5. Despite latitude given to tourists to dress as they please, it's really not appreciated by most Egyptians. Some secretly take it as a sign of disrespect. You know, the attitude of "when in Rome" is preferred. Those that take that into account and also try to learn a few phrases in Egyptian Arabic is hassled much less.

The Dead of Thebes (Luxor)

Today I took a tour of the west bank of Luxor, once known as Thebes, again with a great small group of people. Places visited:
Colossi of Memnon, Valley of the Kings (tombs of Ramses IV, Ramses VI, Ramses I), Valley of the Queens (tombs Khaemwaset [44], Titi [52], and Amunherkhepshef [55]) and Deir al-Bahri (Temple of Hatshepsut).

You know, watching some of the public television shows and seeing the experts wander around and work in these places I've always wondered what it would be like to walk in the same places as they've walked. Now I know! And can I just say? It just gets more and more incredible. In a previous blog, I had mentioned that it was a shame that not more of the color has survived because what little I saw, in my opinion, added more dimensions, richness and details. Well, that became so much clearer in all the places that I visited today for so much more color was extant here. AMAZING, FABULOUS, JUST SO DAMNED INCREDIBLE!!! One is able to see the different types of clothing that different persons, whether priests, royalty or god(dess) wore and the colors that the ancient peoples attributed to them. Yellow, blue, red, black, red, white - all painted on. They are mixtures of ground up stones and minerals with egg. Malachite, lapis lazuli, iron oxide, limestone, carbon, alabaster. The details are so fine and precise. So accurate. Since I can never do this justice with words, here are some links with pictures (not complete but to give you an idea):

http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/egypt/thebes/colossi/colossi.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/egypt/explore/memnon.html
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/ramessesvit.htm
http://touregypt.net/featurestories/ramessesi.htm
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/khaemwasett.htm
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/Amenherkhepshef.htm
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Egypt/Luxor/Hatshepsut/

So. My mantra for Egypt thus far is ... Wow!...

Ripped Off Horoscopes For Ya

(The following was something I ripped off from the Cairo Jazz Club...)

"The horoscopes were compiled by chanelling the spirits of Nermal the cat, Mighty Mouse, The Transformers, and other loser cartoon characters throught the gay Teletubby."

Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 21)
Take a great big deep breath early on in the month, and prepare for a severely heavy workload. This will be a blessing in disguise, because you need the work to get your mind off your personal life. Take care of your finances though; don't be tempted to blow a hole in your wallet just because it's there. Forward thinkg is key!

Taurus (Apr 22 - May 21)
You need to do some serious thinking about your long-term goals, and where you see yourself five or ten years down the line. Even though you're very successful now, what's your ultimate goal? What are the costs and benefits of going for it? Big questions that need big thinking. It's time to make use of your analytical skills, and apply them to your life.

Gemini (May 22 - Jun 21)
Things are coming apart at the seams, but you are still holding the fort. You've never been a quitter, so anything less just wouldn't become you. In the same vein, there will be change aplenty this month, both good and bad. However, when you do your accoutning at the end of April, it'll all come out balanced, and you'll be amazed at what you've been able to navigate through yet again, consider the extremely rocky ride.

Cancer (Jun 22 - Jul 23)
Your recent career change has proven to you that bureaucracy and bullshit is pervasive no matter where you go. You can run, but you can't hide! But since this pays better, enjoy the heavy pockets until you get sick of this too and decide to move on again.

Leo (Jul 24 - Aug 23)
Your health is your Achilles heel this month. A spate of ill health is going to follow you around, and just when you thought you'd got over that bad spell, it'll catch up with you again. Don't worry; you'll eventually be rid of it. On the upside, you'll be the centre of attention for a while!

Virgo (Aug 24 - Sep 23)
Strange cravings will overcome you this month. You'll yearn to do things that are just not your usual fare, and you'll be into things that people would have never expected you'd even be interested in. You'll have fun pursuing these new avenues, so go for it. You're only going to live once.

Libra (Sep 24 - Oct 23)
Expect a surprise visit from someone you wouldn't have thought you'd see again so soon. April is going to be something out of the ordinary for you. Your comfortable routine will be pushed off its tracks in a big way, but just keep your cool. It could turn out to be great.

Scorpio (Oct 24 - Nov 22)
You need some focus in your life, and soon. Shifting about aimlessly isn't going to make things happen for you. Take a trip, change the scenery, do whatever you have to do to get your creative energies flowing again, and focus them on your life. It's definitely makeover time!

Sagittarius (Nov 23 - Dec 21)
You have turned a new page in your life, and you feel exhilarated. Take full advantage of the upcoming free time to think and reflect on what it is you want to do, and what path you want to take. The worst thing you can do at this point is rush into something new without really giving yourself a chance for thought and reflection.

Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 20)
Even though work will not be all-consuming this month, you'll find that you'll be kept completely busy finishing up little takss that you've had on your to do list for ages, and that you need to finally get done. You're also feeling bored with a place where you spend a lot of your time, and it's stifling you. Rather than throwing in the towel and moving elsewhere, see if you can give the place a makeover. It might do wonders.

Aquarius (Jan 21 - Feb 19)
Your mind is wandering to places it really shouldn't be wandering to. This means you have to take another look at a personal relationship and see where things are not right, and fix them. If you don't have the inclination or the courage to do that, the honest thing to do is to move on and not string people along.

Pisces (Feb 20 - Mar 20)
The sprawling metropolis that is XXX has become all too small for you, giving you a serious case of claustrophobia. The only thing for you is to become a serial vacationer. Which is just as well since you desperately need to meet some new people anyway.

Lazy Days On The Nile

11 April 2006 -
Had a short felucca ride to visit a couple of the islands in the Nile within the city limits of Aswan - Kitchener's Island and Elephantine Island. It was a really cool intro as to what I would be on for the next 3 days and two nights. Nothing fancy but the nice thing was again meeting other fellow travelers. Now I have a connection in El Salvador who is more than happy to have me and anyone else I know visit El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. Particularly to do outdoor adventure sports like trekking, surfing, and diving. Yay!! I also met up again with the two ex-UCSF Med students who will be a part of the longer felucca ride up the Nile.

To explain, a felucca is a truly barebones sailboat. But it's enough to do a completely memorable trip along the Nile. (There are other ways to travel up and down the Nile such as in cruise ships which are similar to the larger versions that haunt the seas.) Anyhow, the felucca will take up to 8 passengers so the companionship is much more intimate, true, and laid back. Meals are simple, and restroom breaks allow you a quick visit with locals living/working along the Nile!

Along with the UCSFer's, there were three absolutely lovely ladies from Spain, and a really sweet couple from Taiwan (now living in the Czech Republic). We played card games, told riddles, talked about each others traveling/lives/plans, and just plain relaxed. As the evening hours approached we docked along with eight other feluccas in an area, had a basic dinner and then listened to each other sing songs. A group of the felucca captains came to our felucca to sing some Nubian songs accompanied by drumming. What a completely awesome night this was!!!

12 April 2006 -
Just a really, really lazy day. I realize how much I enjoy these days - so much more so than those days when I'm in a big city or at a tourist site crowded with hordes of other foreigners. Ah...I think the nature-side of me is screaming to be let out! Anhow, we stopped off by this really small village called Daraw. We toured through it by taxi and also visited the camel souq. It's where they keep all the camels that are brought up from Sudan. (I'm informed that it's approximately 1500 km of which they walk most and are trucked in part of the way. They journey supposedly takes about a month since the walk is only done in the morning hours as the afternoons and early evenings are much too hot.) By this time only the 3 Spaniards and I were left. Since we really wanted to just to sail and enjoy the tranquility of the Nile we really didn't want to hang out for too long in Daraw. So off we went again.

13 April 2006 -
Our felucca journey ended near the village of Kom Ombo. From there we, along with a massive number of tourists visited the Temple of Kom Ombo. Here're a couple of websites that I found that has some decent pictures (the second link has more):
http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~ancient/kom_ombo.htm
http://www.horus.demon.co.uk/Nile/photos/KomOmbo/html/index.html

From Kom Ombo, we again traveled in a police escorted convoy to the next stop, Edfu. (We even had a policeman complete with a very nice big rifle in the microbus with us!) At Edfu, we stopped to visit the Temple of Horus. Here're some links:
http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~ancient/edfu.htm
http://www.sights-and-culture.com/Egypt/edfu-horus-temple.html
http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~nicholson/egypt/temples.html

It is just how amazing the detail of the artistry that adorns these ruins. They are not just sporadic but rather cover completely the entire complex, even the ceilings! (It's amazing how many tourists don't look up, especially since the carvings run from the ground all the way up onto the ceilings!) In some spots you can still see the coloration that was applied to the carvings. It really is a shame that not much more exist for they really do add many details of the jewelry, clothing and decorations of the carvings, providing them with greater richness and fullness of the artisans perspective and royal demands. How just absolutely INCREDIBLE and awe-inspiring these monuments must have been in their day!

After Edfu, we finally stopped off at our various accommodations in Luxor from where I am posting this blog.

There are two things that I'd like to comment about visiting Egypt. More often than not, you are "sheep-herded" to visiting many of the tourist places like the temples I've mentioned above by being forced to travel in these police caravans. Yes, there are ways to get around it but for the most part, the majority of the tourists are subjected to this process because of the 1997 massacre that happened in Luxor. (Here are some links as to the event:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/32179.stm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_1997_Luxor_massacre
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9711/18/egypt.attack.on/
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9711/18/egypt.attack.mubarak/)

Anyhow, it would seem that after the amazing pharaonic treasures of Egypt, the tourists are the next prized possession. Consequently, the Egyptian government is taking very serious measures to protect this resource of theirs. It also works in that you have a completely captured audience. Anyhow, it's very interesting to be a part of this.

The second thing that I wonder about is just how truly the Egyptians feel about the tourists and the tourism industry they are so heavily reliant upon. Yes, you have your usual hassle from the touts, shopkeeps, and street vendors (that are really just young boys). And there are a LOT of tourists and visitors. There are some Egyptians that appear to make a very good living off of them but what about those that are roped into providing services for the tourists? They smile all day and it's "yes, sir...yes, madame" and then it's back to a home that houses an extended family - struggling to make ends meet while all these other people are enjoying themselves. Even though I am chosing to travel "on the cheap," the fact that I still have enough disposable income to travel... Well. It doesn't really matter to them, does it? How does this truly affect the psyche of the Egyptians that I come into contact with?