Egypt, Part I

Egypt—where the Nile snakes its way placidly along the verdant banks bringing life to an otherwise barren land; where smog and dust hang hazily over the grand buildings of Cairo; where you can reach out a hand and touch history and explore the places you’ve only read about before—it’s over, and I’m trying to accept that.

Oh, it’s not completely disappointing to be home. I’m an American, and a rather spoiled one at that, but the adventure and intrigue of an ancient culture is a little hard to let go. Not to mention saying goodbye to the most intelligent, funny, and inspiring group of people I may have ever had the privilege of spending ten days with.

As promised, I shall try to give you bits and pieces about the trip, though I make no promise on whether it shall become an unwanted inundation. So, as our guide would say, Yalla Beena! Let’s go!

Day 1:Pyramids, Sphinx, and the Egyptian Museum

The very first thing we did was visit the most iconic Egyptian site ever: the pyramids on the Giza Plateau. I had prepared myself to be underwhelmed. I half expected them to not be so impressive alongside modern skyscrapers, but I was delighted to be awed by the majestic structures. Something that is important to understand is that no one seems to know anything for sure about the ancient findings in Egypt. There are many things that are generally accepted to be fact, but an incredible amount of information is just guesswork. I found this alternately intriguing and annoying. One thing I feel we can confidently confirm is that the pyramids were not constructed by aliens.

The long line to enter the Great Pyramid moved at a decent speed, and we soon stepped inside a rustic tunnel that led us further into the heart of the pyramid. As we moved forward, we begin meeting people coming out who looked a bit hot and bedraggled. What could be ahead of us to leave one in this state? Our questions were soon answered. 

The comfortable tunnel we had been enjoying narrowed down to a passage where you had to bend at the waist and climb up a ramp akin to what you would put on a chicken house. The space wasn’t too confining for one person, but there was a steady stream of people coming back down the ramp, and it was far from comfortable for two to pass.

Finally, we emerged into the Grand Gallery of the pyramid. Here, the roof soars away many feet above your head. Short of Google, I have no way to tell you how high, but it is impressive. However, you are now faced with another ramp to climb, though at least you can stand up straight for this one. At the top of that ramp, there is a short tunnel that you have the choice of duck-walking through or crawling, and at the far end you find yourself at last in the King’s Chamber.

I hope you don’t find this disappointing, but there’s really not much to see in the King’s Chamber other than a large stone box that is said to be the sarcophagus of Pharaoh Khufu. For me, though, it wasn’t so much what to see as it was the fact that I was inside a pyramid. It was a crazy “Wow” moment that I felt like I wasn’t appreciating as much as I should at the time as I was still puffing around like a demented hippo from the climb up. That quickly became normal—the frantic feeling I should be soaking up more than I had the capacity to hold in the moment (maybe also the puffing). I wished for more eyes and a better memory more than once.

The trip back down the ramps was much better than going up. Although the guards stationed along the route kept yelling at people to move and go. I couldn’t quite understand the logic, because it was impossible to move any faster than the person ahead of you. Another tourist muttered to me something about this being “just like a man.” Eventually we were back at the section where you had to climb bent over. We knew from observation on the way up that going backward seemed to work better, so that’s what we did. It was great. I backed down as quickly as I could with little regard to who I was running into. Because my back was to them, there was no guilt or awkward eye contact. I plowed ahead unceremoniously, and eventually exited the confines of the stone walls and stood in the open once more under the big blue sky.

We walked over to the second tallest pyramid on the plateau and our guide gave us a small speech about it, then we headed toward the Sphinx. Before seeing the Sphinx, we were given another speech about a mortuary temple that is also on the premises. For me, the Sphinx was neat to see because it’s something you see in pictures and I can now say I’ve seen it, but it was smaller than I thought it would be and I’m completely unsatisfied with information about it.

I will apologize now to all my friends who are foodies. You would have loved trying the different kinds of foods we encountered, but I have no eloquent words for food. We did eat, but I’m afraid you will find few details on that part of the trip here. Any food-related trivia that appears you can probably thank some other observant Egypt traveler for.

In the afternoon we visited the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Our guide escorted us inside and we followed her about to all the main attractions—the Narmer palette which depicts the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt and is one of the earliest examples of Hieroglyphics, the screaming mummy of a young prince who, along with his mother, helped plot the murder of his father, and treasures from the tomb of Yuya and Tuya, a noble couple. Of course, we were whisked along much too quickly for my liking.

One of the high points of the visit to the museum was the room containing treasures from the tomb of Tut. I don’t think I’m usually too given to fits of annoyance and anger, but I have to admit I was tested a few times while in Egypt, and this was one of those times. I have been of the understanding my whole life that museums are places to be taken slowly, where you soak up information and ask questions and read every placard. Not here. The room where Tut’s things were located was jammed with people and some random guide kept yelling at everyone to “Hurry! Hurry! Move! Move! Go!” It made me honestly feel quite stubborn, like I wanted to dig my heels in and not give an inch. You should be pleased to know I eventually exited without making a scene.

But it was shortly after this that our guide gave us 30 minutes to explore on our own and then meet again by the exit. This was a moment of pure panic. I had no idea where to start. The rooms stretched out on every side, I was completely turned around and had no idea where the exit was, and there was absolutely no way to see everything I wanted to see. We girls all stuck together and Jane did a great job at navigating. There were a lot of crates sitting about waiting to be shipped to the Grand Egyptian Museum, but there were still a lot of things to see. I loved the miniature carvings of everyday life, the toys, the tools used for building and surveying, mummified bread, the scribe’s room, and a few ancient wigs.

Back at the Eileen Hotel we relaxed a bit (this was day one, where I still thought I might be able to keep up with journaling), then headed out to look for food. I know some of you saw my status where I said the Egyptian driving was terrible. I would like to revise that statement. Egyptian driving is extremely skilled, just a different breed than what we have in the States. There are lines on the road, but they don’t really mean anything as a four-lane road can easily become six lanes. The constant honking is not in annoyance, just a mode of communication letting others know you are there. Add to that the jumble of cars, taxis, horse drawn carts, motorcycles, and busses all moving at different speeds, and it’s like an obstacle course. To cross the road, you simply strike out toward the middle, dodging vehicles and waiting in between lanes for a car to pass before moving on. I am not brave of heart, and these crossings always terrified me, so I did my level best to always cross with some other more confident person. 

As it happened, our first day in Egypt was also the first day of the month-long Muslim celebration of Ramadan. During Ramadan, the sincere believers fast from dawn to sunset. After the age of fifteen, you are not allowed to eat, drink, smoke, or chew gum during the fast. You are also expected to do more praying and giving. It was very interesting to observe this, as about 90% of Egypt is Muslim. There were many lights and foil streamers decorating the city as well.

We spent a fair amount of time on the balcony of our hotel just watching the hustle and bustle below. From there, you could see rows of tables set up in the street and loaded with people and food, and the instant the sunset prayer call was finished there was an instantaneous digging in. A couple of guides were sure to inform us that Ramadan now was good, but when it came in the summer it was more difficult. That was certainly not hard to believe!

Day 2: Saqqara Necropolis, Serapeum, Dahshur

I haven’t mentioned it yet, but the weather was absolutely beautiful the entire trip. In the mornings you might desire a jacket, but it soon warmed up to pretty much perfect.

Our first stop on Day 2 was at the Saqqara Necropolis. This area is filled with burial places: pyramids, tombs, and mastabas. There are also temples and other structures that served some religious purpose. This is where you will find what is considered the first pyramid in ancient Egypt, although it isn’t a true pyramid, but rather a step pyramid belonging to an innovative king named Djoser. 

Here, too, we went down into a tomb that was highly decorated. Please note whenever I mention entering a tomb, you can be assured that the earlier mentioned “chicken ramps” play a part, as well as generally a few sets of stairs somewhere. Part of the interior of this tomb was made of alabaster, and when a light was shone on it, you could see the figure of a king. In another part of the complex, I was delighted by the art. Everything I had read about ancient Egyptian art praised its intricate designs, but I always felt a bit dubious because the pictures only looked moderate to me. To my delight, I discovered that in real life the carvings were, indeed, detailed and talented! In this area there were a lot of depictions of fish and butchering cows. At least, those were the pieces that caught my attention.

After leaving the necropolis, we ventured to the Serapeum. The Serapeum of Saqqara was, to quote Google, “a burial place for Apis bulls, sacred animals of the god Ptah.” Basically, the Serapeum is a huge underground catacomb full of tombs for large beasts. I have to say this was one of my favorite structures. I’m not sure what it was that I loved—perhaps the elegant arches (though I’m not sure how many were original to the construction?) and spaciousness. It was easy to imagine flickering candles in the niches along the walls. One sarcophagus had been partly finished, then left in the middle of a passageway for some unknown reason. Why did the workmen abandon it? What was the story of its half-finished presence? These questions with no certain answers are, for me, part of the charm of ancient Egypt. 

 Next we traveled only a small distance to Dahshur. This is the place of a few more pyramids. Here we ventured into the Red Pyramid. This was a better experience than the Great Pyramid because it was much less crowded. There were maybe ten or so other visitors while we were inside. The one negative was the stench, which some believe to be a result of bat droppings. The Red Pyramid is considered the first true pyramid “in the Whoooole World,” to quote our guide, although you don’t quite get the effect without the appropriate hand motions. We then headed over to the Bent Pyramid where a few of us opted out of climbing inside and just waited in the beautiful weather for the others to emerge. 

 We picked up lunch and ate in the tour van on the way back to Cairo. The tour company, by the way, was called The Magic Carpet. We did have many interesting moments wafting about in the Carpet vans. That being said, if you ever get the chance to visit Egypt, I’d highly recommend them. They did a great job of getting us in and out of places and making sure we stayed with the schedule.

Upon our arrival back in Cairo, we visited the Museum of Egyptian Civilization. As before (and as at later dates) our guide gave us the highlights, then turned us loose for a time. This museum had one of my favorite displays—the hall of mummies. I’ve been fascinated with mummies for years, and now here I was in the midst of 22 of the most famous mummies in the world! They were presented in a very elegant and respectful manner. The color schemes were navy and gold, and the halls were quiet and lit with a very ambient glow. Pretty much every chamber housed both the mummy and the royal coffin in which it had been found. Here we found the mummy of the murdered king I mentioned earlier, along with a mummy that had suffered from polio, as well as the mummy of the Pharaoh who may have been in power at the time of the Exodus. A couple intriguing things was catching a glimpse of the toe-prints that were still visible and the different hair styles that had survived amazingly well.

The other part of the museum was not terribly large, but there was still a lot to see in the limited amount of time we had (30 minutes again, by the way). One such artifact was a tent made of leather and used for body purification rituals about 3,000 years ago. It was in stunning shape with brilliant colors. Another thing I really enjoyed was a small model of what looked like stairs going up one side and down the other of a rooftop. The placard said this was an ancient clock and you could tell time by which steps were in shadow and which were in sunlight. Also available for viewing was the statue of Akhenaton, the heretic king of ancient times. He is one of my favorite historical figures of Egypt, just because he completely bucked the system and did his own thing.

Back at Eileen Hotel there was nothing to do but wait for the van to pick us up again later and take us to the train station, so we struck out en masse across the city looking for food stuff, which was fun in its own right—not just because people watching is always fun, but also because I got a kick out of watching people in our group delight in new foods.

The van arrived to pick us up and head for the train station at about 7:00 if I recollect correctly. Unfortunately, the train station is fairly new and the roads are not well-marked to reach it, so our driver bumbled about unsuccessfully for a time, trying this route and that. He stopped three times to ask for directions, and at one point performed a U-turn on a moderately busy road. The last guy he asked was on a motorcycle and led him to the correct turn. The time was tight enough that alternatives for “if we miss it” were being discussed, but the touring company representative raced us through security and we marched down the platform at the double, all the way to the very last car of the train, #13, if you happen to be superstitious.

 We made it with about 4 minutes to spare till departure time. We flung bags and baggage into our sleeping compartments, then congregated in the hallway to watch the world go by. The train ride was something I looked forward to quite a bit, and it did not disappoint. I delighted in the strange experiences and tried briefly to figure out how Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express could have happened in a similar setting. No worries, I wasn’t planning a murder myself.

 The room Kari and I shared was 11/12 and was about in the middle of the car. It wasn’t long until the porter came to helpfully prepare our room for supper. I didn’t much like eating in the room because I couldn’t see the scenery slipping by outside although it was already dark. Jeanie came by after a while and informed us we did have a connecting door to the next room which neither of us had noticed, so we ended up opening that and conversing with the next-door neighbors for a bit, which was also a little funny because you couldn’t necessarily always see who you were talking to. After supper most of us went six cars forward to the lounge car, called a Club Car in this case. We sat about and chatted and looked out the windows, then at the urging of the porter headed back to our rooms. He seemed concerned that we were still up as he planned to serve us breakfast at 4:30. So to bed we went, sponge baths in the sink and all. Let me just make a note here that I had no trouble going to sleep the whole trip, but sleeping on the train was amazing because of the lulling qualities.

Day 3: Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut’s Temple, Deir el-Medina, Temple d’Amon

 Breakfast came as promised about 4:30. I struggled with eating, especially since the meal included three different types of bread and a bag of chips. We disembarked at 6:00 at Luxor. A van met us and ferried us to the Nefertiti Hotel. All of our luggage was left in the lobby there. Some of us went up on the rooftop to survey the lay of the land, and I was so glad we did! It was a beautiful sight, with the Nile meandering by, hot air balloons aloft, the gentle light of morning, and an ancient temple just to the left of us a bit. I’m not sure if I caught on at the moment, but the hill we saw on the west bank is where Hatshepsut’s Temple is located. Just behind the hill is the Valley of the Kings.

At 7:00 we loaded back up and headed out to the Valley of the Kings. This was yet another highlight for me, as I’ve been a fan of The Golden Goblet ever since 5^th grade or so. There were no khefts in the Valley, though, just lots of tourists.

 We were privileged to enter 5 tombs. The tomb of Tutankhamun and the tomb of Seti I (both of which cost extra) are the only names I can give you without consulting maps and more intelligent people. Tut’s tomb is small, but super crowded. It came back to me with a vengeance how much I hate having to push and shove my way forward to view. Interestingly, Tut’s mummy is the only one left in the Valley. All the others have been moved. One feature that surprised me was a brilliantly painted wall featuring a number of baboons.

 The tomb of Seti I is considered one of the most beautiful tombs, as well as one of the largest. This is because tombs were worked on as long as the owner was alive, so the longer they lived, the larger the tomb. This tomb was my favorite by far. There was one section where no carving was done, but you could see the drawings they had made, intending to add decoration. Below I have included a little map to show you what the route down into the tomb looks like, as well as a picture of the beautiful blue color used on the tomb ceiling.

  

 Lurking about in these tombs are guys that try to be oh-so-helpful. They are eager to point out special features, take pictures, or give you directions—all for a tip, of course. I saw one of these men following a woman as she fled from a tomb, flapping her arms wildly in his direction and barraging him with heated words, something down the line that she refused to pay. He pattered along after her, calmly insistent that she must. I felt sorry for her because terms and conditions of these types of arrangements were a little difficult to catch on to.

 We also ran into a little French lady that was trying to ask us about our coverings. Of course, she had never heard of Mennonites, but as we struggled to explain, another woman overheard us. “Mennonites?” she said, “I’m one, too!” Now there was nothing evident in her appearance to label her as a Mennonite, and I’m afraid the poor little French woman was left even more confused by the explanation that we don’t all look alike.

 After leaving the Valley of the Kings, we headed to Hatshepsut’s Temple. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Hatshepsut, but she was a Queen who illegitimately took over the throne and ruled as Pharaoh. I think I caused Jeanie a bit of a shock when I said I admired her tenacity to get what she wanted. But do let me be clear here: I believe also that she was very self-serving and definitely not a good role model. Her temple was one I was looking forward to seeing, and I must admit I was disappointed just a little. I think it is one of the more beautiful and elegant temples—almost modern in its simplicity—but close up it is just a little… dull? There’s not much to see that makes it stand out. From afar I still think it is stunning, particularly lit up at night.

 After the temple we headed to Deir el-Medina. This was a village of the finest artisans who worked on the tombs in the valley of the kings. We were told several times that no one knew where the kings’ tombs were except these workers, but I had some trouble believing that. For some reason it seemed unrealistic. I mean, everyone would have known of the existence of this village. Were they not allowed visitors? Did no one follow them to see where they went?

 At the same site were a couple of tombs of the artisans that we were allowed to enter. They are considered to have some of the finest art of ancient Egypt inside. They were definitely smaller than the tombs of the kings, but they were very beautifully done. A couple of scenes that caught our eye was that of the god Anubis doing chest compressions and another of the god Ra depicted as a murderous rabbit. OK, so I know that’s not really what it shows, but where’s the fun in taking everything as it is meant to be?

 There was also a smallish temple to be toured at this site, but there was little to make it stand out, so I shall skip directly to a more interesting temple—the Temple d’Amon (Medinet Habou).

 Now, I’m not promising I haven’t gotten some of these temples mixed up, but here’s what I think I remember. Number one, I’d like you to take a look at that massive doorway. There was once a huge door that blocked that entrance. Inside, you can still see where the door would have been set. Something that made this location interesting is the fact that the wonderfully talented designers made some serious mistakes here. The first was in the case of the door. The hinges landed in the middle of the carving of a god, so you can see where they had to plaster it over and re-carve it. The carvings are super deep, too, perhaps in an effort to keep them from being defaced like so many of Hatshepsut’s carvings.

 A second mistake occurs inside the temple. There is a window platform that was meant for the royal couple to stand at and observe ceremonies in the courtyard. However, there was apparently some poor planning, and the pillars along that side of the court had to be redesigned and spaced differently in order to not block the view from the window. I really like this because it’s a break from the Egyptians’ love of symmetry and it makes them more human, somehow. 

 This temple was also used as a refuge by Coptic Christians, and there are gouges in the floor that they made to tie up livestock or prisoners, I’m not sure which because I thought this guide said prisoners but a later guide showed us similar gouges and said they were for livestock, so who knows.

 There were the ever-present lurkers here as well. I just wanted to wander about and enjoy things in a decidedly introverted way, but it gets a little difficult when there’s always someone at your elbow hoping you’ll give them a tip. I was sorely tempted to start tipping them just to leave me alone, but I wasn’t convinced that would even work so I cut my self-guided tour short and went to wait by the exit with a few of the others.

 I think the only other place we stopped before heading back to the hotel was at these two random statues sitting stoically in the middle of nowhere. I’m sure some other person could give you better information about them, but I have none. Please enjoy them just as they are.

 Back at the hotel I tried to take a nap which proved a mite difficult with the cheerful guy calling, “Room service!” at the door and popping in with a bottle of water, or the maintenance man poking his head in to fix our hot water heater. Which, make no mistake, I was glad he did, but it did make napping a bit of a challenge.

 We had heard that at 5:00 the Luxor Museum would be open, so with hearts full of hope, we girls set out to walk there. I was the only one with the capability of maps on my phone, so I was in the lead. The walk would have been fine except for the ever-present taxi drivers of the horse carriages who kept insisting that we take a ride. This was a lot different from what I remember in Zimbabwe. There, if you declined, they soon left you alone, but not these guys! They would follow you and keep trying to talk to you and sometimes there would be two or three of them all at once. This isn’t to count the random other people who kept trying to talk to us and be of help and ask where we were from.

 By the time we made it down to the museum, I was completely finished. And wouldn’t you know it? The museum was closed. Deciding to make lemonade from the lemons, we wandered down to the edge of the Nile. It was a bit quieter there, and we discovered more of our party had also ended up there. I was very glad to see them at that point. While the others chatted and enjoyed the sunset, I took a moment to sit by myself and decompress, getting over being so upset about the harassment from the taxis.

It also disturbed me that it made me so upset. I was thankful Jeanie explained it later—we feel vulnerable and helpless, and there’s nothing we can say or do to make them go away, so our anger is rooted in fear. That made perfect sense to me, not sure why I hadn’t figured it out sooner.

 At any rate, we eventually walked back towards the hotel, detouring to meet Heath’s for supper. After supper we walked back to the hotel, taking a shortcut through the souk, or market, that is right beside the Nefertiti. We girls all ended up on the rooftop enjoying the view. No picture can do it true justice, but maybe you can imagine it.

 And so ends Day 3. I’m going to stop here for now. I think this is the longest part of my report finished. I’m hoping I’m halfway through, at least. But I need a break, and I reckon you do, too, if you’ve survived reading this long. I'm not sure why some of my format is doing weird things; I've tried to fix it and can't manage to make it do what I want, so there's that. Stay tuned for Part II.

Until next time, take care.