Jordan Day 13 by Maia Coen

If you hate sand Jordan is not the place for you.  Or rather the desert in Jordan is not for you.  We headed out for our Bedouin desert camp today.  We stopped at a view point to take pictures of the valley of Petra from above.  The wind was fiercely strong and we were all holding on tightly to our hats and even bracing ourselves so we weren’t pushed around.  We lined up to take a group photo and as the camera went off a tour member’s hat went flying off his head and down the brambly hill.  We all thought that hat was long gone and started to head back to our bus when our security guard jumped over the fence and climbed down after it.  He retrieved the hat and returned it; all while wearing dress shoes.  That got a round of applause.  Another drive ensued with our first Wadi Rum viewpoint rest stop and then lunch.  After lunch it was time for the desert.  We loaded into our jeeps and set out.  Now, when I heard jeep I thought of open roofed, open windowed, safari like vehicles.  But no, these were completely roofed and windowed cars with iPhone chargers and seatbelts.  We left the paved road and crossed over onto the sand.  The sand here is very red, and so are the cliffs.  Everything has that same red tint like Petra.  The cliff faces are all so tall I felt like an ant.  We stopped many times along the way to view and photograph various impressive geologic formations.  You can see in the pictures how incredible these natural structures are.

One stop was an immense red sand dune.  I was ecstatic since I had been unable to make it to Namibia.  This was like a little taste of the Namibian desert for me.  I enthusiastically started my trek up the hill.  Here’s where all the sand comes in.  My feet sunk down into the sand and my shoes were quickly filled.  It was quite a work out trying to make my way up.  I had to take very large steps and extract my feet from the sand for each one.  By the time I made it up to the top I was breathing hard.  But the view was magnificent.  I felt like I could see the whole desert.  The wind blew and little bullets of sand attacked my face and arms and I had to close my eyes.  When the wind finally died down I quickly started down.  As I walked down the dune I started to gain momentum and I began to run.  I ran faster and faster and flew down the sand.  I jumped and leaped and made it to the bottom feeling happy and filled with adrenaline.  Unfortunately right before this stop I had put sunscreen on so I came out of that excursion coated in sand.  I had been meaning to exfoliate my face anyway.

We continued on for only about five minutes before stopping again.  We got out and headed towards some more rock faces.  These ones were different looking from the others.  Instead of looking like many layers of different red sediment these looked like cliffs that had been slathered in cake batter that was dripping down the face.  There was another siq like the one in Petra but much smaller and more intimate.  There was old graffiti on the canyon walls.  We had a few more photo stops including one completely dedicated to photographing baby camels.  Apparently this is the time when the camels are born so there were lots of infant camels stumbling around.  We found three of them with their mothers.  The babies were white rather than yellowish brown and looked much fluffier than the adults.  It was a very cute photo stop.

Our last stop before camp was a natural rock bridge, like those you see in Utah.  Except we could climb this one.  My dad, ever the daredevil, started climbing.  A few others from the group followed and the security guard went on up, again in his dress shoes.  The top of the arch is a very thin piece of rock stretching from one side to the other.  It was a precariously thin bridge.  My dad went out and stood on it and threw his hands up in the air for photos.  Show off.

When everyone was down we loaded into the very comfortable jeeps again and drove about 20 minutes to camp.  The camp was very nice – rustic but comfortable.  There were about 30 raised tents in a square with a dining tent and bathroom facilities on one side.  We were the only ones there.  We dropped our bags off and headed to the communal dining tent.  Outside our Bedouin hosts laid out cushions in a circle for us to sit on.  They passed tea around and everyone was in a great mood.  It was one of those great travel experiences you just know you’re going to remember forever.

After a little downtime the group headed out onto some nearby cliffs to watch the sunset.  We sat and chatted and watched the sun sink from the sky.  It was not the most magnificent sunset but the golden light on the surrounding red mountains was beautiful, the company was good, and the destination was perfect.  All that made it one of the best sunset’s I’ve ever seen.  Dinner was served when we returned to the camp.  They used a ground oven so we all gathered around to watch them dig it up and find out what we would be having for dinner.  They pulled out the first layer that contained potatoes and onions.  Then they lifted the tray higher and another layer emerged containing delicious looking and smelling chicken.  There were salads, soup, and pitas to go with it.  We sat on long benches with cushions inside the dining tent and enjoyed the meal.  I thought it was the best meal of the trip.  I’m sure it was largely due to the fact that it was such a change from the overcooked grilled meat of Egypt.  But I think it also had to do with the way it was cooked and the atmosphere of the camp.  Sometimes the best meals are not actually about the taste of the food but about the experience.

My dad and I commandeered some cushions from around the fire and brought them right outside our tent.  We lay down and looked up at the stars.  It was one of those skies that went on forever.  It was the kind of sky that had new stars in it every time you looked up.  The kind you never see when you live in the city.  The kind of sky I’m going to remember.  We stayed like that for a while, just lying there staring up at the sky.  I wanted to savor the moment since I’m not likely to be seeing stars like that again any time soon.  This truly was one of those travel experiences that people go searching for.  And I got it.

Faith Restored

On Imprint’s foray into the Middle East, Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJ) has been a source of both severe frustration and wonderful cultural connection.  When our first Imprint group checked in for our Cairo to Amman flight a few weeks ago, three people could not produce the credit card with which they’d purchased their E-tickets (including me, Maia, and one tour member – my CC had expired and been replaced).  I begged, cajoled, joked, cried, fumed, and threatened.  No efforts produced any flexibility and, in the end, I had to purchase three new tickets on the spot.  The Cairo branch manager swore there was nothing he could do to fix the problem.  Frustrated, angry, and short $750 I boarded our flight. Amman airport

In the meantime, I contacted my bank, got the old card numbers and a letter officially stating that the card I am carrying is the replacement for the original used to book my two flight tickets.  The third person later found their original credit card and I had armed myself with a photocopy.  Today, I am flying through Amman on my way back to Cairo.  I have 3 hours to kill – a perfect opportunity to rectify the situation with a refund.

airport security

Like everything that appears to be simple to the western mind, resolving this issue was very complicated here in the Middle East.  Just finding the correct person to talk to was an ordeal.  Conservatively, I spoke to 8 or 9 people before I found someone who really understood what I needed.  I had read that people hear want to be helpful and will give you directions even if they don’t know what you are looking for.  There were plenty of dead ends and false leads.  I finally found someone to help, Mr. Haitham Alshaibi, working the checkin at RJ’s premium class lounge.  He understood my problem, knew who could fix it, and called for someone from security to escort me out of the transit terminal (and then back in later) so I could plead my case at the sales office.  Turns out, even they were unable to help me.  But Mr Hamza H Altarawneh called, found out how to solve my problem, gave me the proper email address for making my appeal, and promised my issue would be resolved without penalty.  He was helpful, pleasant, sympathetic, and friendly.  I left that office feeling mostly confident I would get a refund.  Time will tell.

RJ premium lounge buffet

After security escorted my through the X-ray checkpoint I decided to go back and thank Mr. Alshaibi.  I offered to buy him a coffee as a gesture of thanks but he graciously refused.  And then he made all the hassle worthwhile.  He invited me to enjoy the benefits of the premium lounge as his guest while I waited for my flight.  That magnanimous gesture was so compassionate and so welcome.  It was one of those cultural connection experiences I love to talk and write about, and why I travel.  So I’m writing this blog in the comfort of the RJ lounge, enjoying a cappuccino and some snacks, my emotional ledger balanced by two kind Jordanian citizens who treated me as a person and not a number or dollar sign.

Jordan Day 12 by Maia Coen

It took us less than one minute to walk from our hotel to the entrance of Petra; the lost city of the Nabateans.  Their culture flourished 2500 years ago as a primary stop on the Arabian Peninsula trade routes.  Like the gifts of the three wise men, the primary products that were traded were gold, frankencense, and myrrh (and some spices too).  As we walked along the gravel path the rock faces began to emerge.  The red-brown tinted layers rose up and up and up.  We stopped a few times for Mohammed to tell us about the history of Petra.  I remember some of it but I was too busy staring at the cliff faces to pay any real attention. Ten minutes of walking and the road turned into cement pavement with an occasional patch of large paving stones mixed in.  The mountainous rock reached high above our heads here and formed an almost enclosed passageway.  The colors in the rock were vibrant and chalky.  The layers of sediment created a mixture of many different reds and browns.  Towards the end of the walk we came to the famous siq, which is Arabic for canyon.  This was featured in the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  They ride through the defile to arrive at the temple that contains the Holy Grail.  The temple used is actually the Treasury of Petra.  And at the end of the movie they go galloping through the siq on horseback.  Here the cleft narrowed further so when you look up you can see only the occasional sliver of sky.  When the siq opens up to a bigger valley you are greeted by the Treasury.  What is amazing about the Treasury is the way you get little glimpses of it as you’re nearing the end of the siq and then all of a sudden there’s this huge facade before you.  With its carved sandstone façade, columns, and finial top it is quite impressive.  The walk from the entrance to the Treasury was about a mile.

After a brief coffee and bathroom break we continued down the valley.  We climbed up to the royal tombs built into a cliff face and explored for a while.  My dad and I had our lunch of mixed grill since we had so much left over while the rest of the group had a buffet.  There was an option to climb up to the monastery - about 800 steps.  I opted out of this one since I wasn’t feeling too well and instead my dad and I made our trek back to the hotel.  We hung out in our air conditioned room until dinner time and took advantage of the wifi.

We tried an authentic Jordanian restaurant instead of going for pizza, where the rest of the group seemed to flock.  I totally get it though, we’ve been in these Middle Eastern countries for almost two weeks and the food has started to wear on us.  The food is alright but kind of boring; they just don’t seem to get proper seasoning.  It would have been fine if I had been able to use the salt but that was so clogged up nothing was coming out of there without a fight and I was not prepared to battle.  Right after dinner those of us who wanted to go on the Petra by night walk met at the Visitor’s Center.  So we headed back to the eroded cliffs of Petra for a walk by lantern and star light.  It was completely dark except for the yellow lanterns lining the walkway and the occasional annoying person with a flashlight.  The stars were beautiful.  It was wonderful to see them through the thin spaces between the rocks.   We hung back so that we could avoid the big crowd and the flashlights.  When we were alone it was very peaceful and quiet.  When we arrived at the Treasury we sat down on mats and listened to some traditional Bedouin music and drank some heavily sugared tea.  It was just the right amount of time.  It was calm and enjoyable and I was able to stand up without cramps in my legs from sitting cross legged.  We headed off first to again avoid the crowd.  We got back to the hotel pretty late and went to bed quickly.  It was a busy and eventful day.  All in all we walked about six miles.  I don’t think I’ve ever exercised that much in one day.  All day I was on complete sensory overload and completely blown away by Petra.  What a day.

Jordan Day 11 by Maia Coen

When we arrived in Jordan we met our new guide Mohammed and hopped on our new bus for a day of travel.  We had a few stops on our way to our ultimate goal - Petra.  We drove for about 20 minutes before stopping in Madaba to see the famous mosaic in the church.  Four new tour members joined our group for Jordan because they wanted to go to Israel and the second group is not large enough to include Israel.  We ran into a colleague of my dads from Rick Steves, talk about a small world.  Jordan, of all places, was not a place we expected to see other Americans, let alone someone we knew.  After the brief church visit we went to a little restaurant to get some snacks and drinks since we had had our breakfast at 5:00.  I saw falafel on the menu and instantly ordered that.  I had been getting tired of it early on in the trip but then it stopped being available.  I was not disappointed, it was one of the best I’d had.  Not as good as the first one but a close second. It was back on the bus then for about three hours before we arrived at our lunch stop.  After being here for a few hours I have already noticed some major differences between Egypt and Jordan.  First of all there is not trash everywhere in the streets here and there are actual public trashcans, something I never saw in Egypt.  There is still some trash but it is miniscule compared to Egypt.  The government here is also much more stable.  The people like the king and are happy with the way things are run.  Another thing - and this is a big one - in Jordan I fell like I am being stared at like an exotic creature to be admired while in Egypt I felt like I was a plate of food to be devoured.  So this is a welcome change.  Our lunch was mixed grill, something we’ve been eating a lot. Many of us had eaten quite a bit at our first stop for snacks so several people didn’t eat.  Because this was preordered my dad and I ended up with six to go boxes of mixed grill.

We got back on the road and drove for several more hours.  I took a few little naps, listened to some music, and did some writing.  We stopped one last time for a bathroom break before heading on to Petra.  The rest stop was like Target of souvenirs.  We arrived at our hotel built into the rock and checked into our rooms.  The hotel was much nicer than I had anticipated when I heard “built into the rock.”  My dad and I headed down to the cave bar.  The bar was set up inside a cave and the atmosphere was very cool.  We had some beer that cost 20 dollars for the both of us - WAY different than Egypt.  Everything is much more expensive and the Jordanian Dinar is worth about a dollar and 40 cents.  When the beer was gone we were all so tired that we all went up to our rooms pretty quickly.  I collapsed into bed and fell asleep immediately.

Egypt Day 10 by Maia Coen

We haven’t had to get up too early lately and I’m thankful for the extra sleep.  Breakfast at this hotel was scarce but suitable.  I think I had become spoiled from the abundant buffets.  We left our bags out for the bus and started on our five minute walk to the temples of Abu Simbel.  We were going to see what it was like in the day time and hear a little more about the history from Hoda. Nothing compares to when I first saw them the night before, but seeing them in the day time was pretty incredible.  We came and stood before them and listened to Hoda’s short history lesson.  Much of the history had already been presented to us the night before at the sound and light show so she didn’t talk long.  Something important to mention was the lack of other people.  We were literally the only group there.  I know people misuse the word literally a lot, but there was literally no one else there.  The entire place was completely empty.  Hoda told us that in 2010 there were 7,500 tourists here in one day.  7,500, and here we were all by ourselves.  Everyone had the same reaction; we were all very thankful that there was no one else but also very sad for the Egyptian economy.  I got the perfect picture of the temple without a single person in it, something that is nearly impossible to get at sites like these. 

We left Abu simbel and headed to the airport soon after.  We had to wait around a while in the airport before we were able to board the airplane.  The flight was very quick to Aswan; we went up and promptly came down.  But we were not getting off at Aswan, the plane was to go up again and fly to Cairo.  At Abu Simbel there had been a problem with the boarding passes and we were unable to get passes that went all the way to Cairo. When we landed in Aswan we were required to get new boarding passes.  Hoda rushed to the front of the plane and a man came on to issue the new passes.  Pretty ridiculous since we didn’t even need to get off the plane.  Our new tickets had new seat assignments on them as well.  So of course we all had to stand up and switch seats for no good reason.  So there we were on the plane shuffling around and switching seats, with only our group I might mention. Very Egypt-like.  When we landed we hopped onto another tour bus and headed to our airport hotel.

We only had a short time to relax before we needed to hop back on the bus and go to our Nile River dinner cruise.  It took us an hour to get there because of the insane traffic.  That was something I hadn’t missed about Cairo.  The boat was very elegantly decorated with gold decals and colorful paint.  The servers wore fun but slightly tacky Egyptian outfits.  We made our dinner choices and the live music performance started with a song by the Beetles.  The food was good but not to die for as seems to be the theme for Egypt.  The music was very enjoyable at first but was very loud and began to get tiresome towards the end.  There was a belly dancer who performed as well as a whirling dervish. IMG_0077 There were some little girls who got up and danced with both of them and made me think it was probably something I would have done when I was little.  By the time we left I thought I might be hard of hearing.  I don’t know if the music got louder at the end or if it just built up over time but we all had our fingers in our ears and found ourselves answering questions with “WHAT?”

It was nearly 11:30 when we got back to the hotel and I could see my grim future of getting up at 5:00 to catch our next flight.  I lay in bed and thought back on my time in Egypt.  I had wanted to come for so long that it was almost bittersweet that it was ending so soon.  I couldn’t have been happier with my time here.  The sights have been amazing.  I found that the highlight for me was not what I thought it would be.  My highlight of the trip was coming around that mountain in Abu Simbel and seeing those giant statues in the shadows.  Everything was extraordinary and I am grateful that I was able to see it.  The people were kind and welcoming, something I had not been sure about before coming.  Egypt is not scary.  I have been here 10 days and not once have I felt threatened or unsafe in any way.  This just goes to show how much the media can blow things out of proportion.  This beautiful country deserves to be seen by the world, and it needs it too.  Its economy is failing because there is no money coming in.  If there is no money coming in they can neither try and solve their problems, nor preserve these amazing sights.  They need us to not be afraid.  I am not afraid anymore.  This is a country of people not terrorists.

 

Egypt Day 9 by Maia Coen

Today we left the boat and piled onto our bus for the ride to Abu Simbel.  We were handed boxed lunches for the journey that were the size of cake boxes.  They were absolutely packed with food, more than any one person would want for a single meal.  This seems to be the trend for box lunches in many foreign countries.  They give us more than we could ever eat.  The bus trip was the longest of the tour; three hours.  I caught up on some blogging and finished my book Cats Cradle.  It’s a very good but very strange book.

As soon as we were checked into our hotel I put on my swimsuit and headed for the pool.  I spent my free time swimming and lounging around in the sun until it was time to go to the Abu Simbel sound and light show.  We walked only five minutes from our hotel before coming to the site entrance.  I got my ticket and walked in with everyone else.  I walked along the gravel path with the back of a mountain as my view.  The gravel crunched beneath my feet and I wondered what it would be like to see the temple.  It was a while before I finally made it to the other side.  As I came around the side of the mountain I spotted the statues.  Wow.  That’s all I could think.  On the other side of this mountain were four massive statues of king Ramses ll.  Although I had seen many temples at this point, this was something completely different and completely magnificent.  I couldn’t even see them very well in the semi darkness but what I did see blew me away.  The group shuffled into their seats and as soon as the last person was seated the show started.

This sound and light show is supposed to be the best in Egypt.  Describing a show like this is not something I can do to give it justice.  You had to be there, but I will do my best.  The show started with the sounds of blowing wind and pale low white lights came on that looked like mist.  I could have sworn the wind sounded real.  A deep booming voice came over us saying that he was the wind god.  It was very dramatic and I was afraid it would be cheesy.  Despite the intense drama it was not overdone and not cheesy.  The wind god told us the story of Abu Simbel with beautiful pictures and lights to go along with it.  The temple was illuminated to perfection showing us what it really looked like.  There were images of Ramses ll and his wife Nefartari, of the wars Ramses ll fought, and the deconstruction and reconstruction of Abu Simbel.  The dark shadows, booming voice, and the sound of rushing wind created a feeling of mystic and wonder.  The show was fantastic and the music went along marvelously with the lights and stories being told.IMG_0026

I was absolutely speechless upon seeing the temple for the first time. in that moment when I came around the corner I was so overwhelmed.  The shadows gave the statues a mysterious appeal.  I am at a loss for words now at how to describe this treasure to you.  All I can say is: this deserves to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World.   So far on this trip, though I have seen so much, I had not had that moment of realization that I was truly in Egypt.  I had this moment when I cast my eyes upon Abu Simbel.  I’m not in Kansas anymore.

After the show we made our way to a Nubian restaurant for a real Nubian dinner.  The food was superb, mainly because it was delicious and because it was not chicken or beef.  The food in Egypt has been fine and quite edible but being on a boat for four days with variations of the same food had begun to get tiring.  The Nubian food was a welcome break from the same old thing.  When we finished dinner we were ushered outside to see a performance.  My dad had told me there would be live music and dancing but we didn’t really know what to expect.  What we got were children.  The dancers were all between the ages of 7 and 11.  It was a fun experience and everyone had a good time.  Towards the end of their performance, as I had anticipated, they began to pull people from the audience to come up and dance with them.  The only people in the restaurant were our group and a French family so it was mostly our people up there.  I was pulled up too of course.  I’ve determined that when I am traveling with my dad’s tour groups I stick out like a sore thumb because I am so much younger than anyone else.  They always go right to me.  So I got up and I danced with the children.  The dancing was overly simple and all we really did was run around in a circle but it was a welcome experience with another culture.  This is what we travel for.

Egypt Day 8 by Maia Coen

Nile cruise breakfast buffet Today I was able to sleep in.  Thank god.  I made my way down to the lower deck for breakfast at the leisurely hour of 8:30.  There was no one else there.  The breakfast station was the same as it had been for the last few days.  Lots of fruit selections, an assortment of pastries, and an omelet station.  I learned early on that you should never take a pastry without poking it with a fork first.  If you don’t do that you might end up eating a rock for breakfast.  I had my omelet made up and picked a sufficiently soft pastry and sat down to eat by myself.

Philae

We left the boat at 9:00 to visit Philae temple.  It took us about 15 minutes to get to the landing area for motor boats.  We all piled onto a boat while the many two-stroke engines spewed exhaust.

Philae

My father, trying to lighten the mood caused by the obnoxious fumes, paraphrased apocalypse now: “Ah the smell of two-stroke in the morning.  It smells like… victory.” We all got a laugh, between gulps of tainted air.  It did not take long to arrive at the island and soon we were listening to Hoda’s history lessons.  At this point I was very “templed” out.  The temple was lovely but, after 4 days of temples, it looked like all the others.  So we wandered around a bit and took our photos but we were all done quickly.

dock chaos

We regrouped to board the boat again but found ourselves in a long line.  The dock was littered with people of all kinds.  Peddlers selling their items, tourists trying to figure out where to go, and exasperated tour guides trying to guide their people to the right vessel.  The boats were battling for space at the dock.  They banged up against each other and the dock.  Some forced their way through scraping up against other boats in the process.  Ours remained in the same place throughout all of this.  It sat in apparently perfect position for us to board but no one was allowed on.  Our captain passively let other boats bump up against ours.  We stayed patiently in our line as other groups pushed past to board their rides.  There was no discernable organization and seemingly no reason that we should not be allowed to board our boat.  After quite a while of standing in the heat and getting shoved by other tourists Hoda gave us a signal and we were able to get on.  There was no perceivable shift in the position of the boat or indication of what had changed.  That’s Egypt for you.

Boarding our felucca

After some free time on the cruise ship we departed and got on yet another boat.  This boat was called a Felucca, a traditional sail boat, and it was more for enjoying the Nile than transportation.  The sail went up and we all settled in for a relaxing cruise on the river.  We drifted along lazily and enjoyed each other’s company.  In about an hour we arrived at a Nubian village on a little island in the Nile.  We had a little village tour with a local guide and settled down at a Nubian coffee shop.  We sat and drank hibiscus tea and Nubian coffee.

henna hands

A woman came and did henna for all the woman who wanted it and our guide told us a bit about the Nubian culture.  We were carted back to our cruise ship after dark on a speedier motor boat.  I thought the evening had been nice and calm and the Felucca ride was a real highlight.

felucca

Karnak Temple

Egypt is a land of iconic sights.  The pyramids and sphinx are probably best known due to their ancient wonder pedigrees.  But for my money, Karnak Temple in Luxor should be right up there with the big guns.  Knowing that after a few days of temple visits it is easy to get “templed” out, perhaps it was an injustice for us to take our intrepid group to see Karnak first.  Truly, this is the mother of all Egyptian temple complexes.  It is the largest in Egypt and the second largest in the world after Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Entrance pylon

The complex, covering more than a square mile, boasts an amazing collection of temples, sanctuaries, obelisks, columned halls, statues, and pylon gates.  An avenue lined with ram-headed sphinxes stretches from Luxor Temple (a festival temple) in the center of town to the southern entrance pylon.  Karnak was the primary center of worship for the New Kingdom and was used daily by royals and commoners alike.

Avenue of the sphinxes

After the omnipresent security check we entered the site with our Egyptologist guide Hoda.  A secondary avenue of sphinxes leads from the Nile to the primary entrance gate.  This towering pylon stretches 130 feet high and 180 feet across.  The scale alone projects the power, authority, and majesty of the pharaohs of old.  Once inside the complex opens up to a series of courtyards and sanctuaries.

Obelisk of Hapshepsut

Two of an original four obelisks rise from a central courtyard.  These monolithic granite towers stand witness to the ancients’ engineering and building prowess.  Even with modern equipment it would be hard to imagine cutting, shaping, transporting, and erecting these huge monuments to kingly grandeur.  Hoda informed us that the obelisks have no mortar or other securing devices and merely rest on flat bases.  A couple of immense statues of pharaohs and the huge relief sculptures of various elements of Egyptian mythology carved into the 8 pylons also add to the mystical projection of pharonic power.

Sequoia grove of hypostyle hall

But honestly, everything I’ve described to this point is mere prelude to the spectacular Great Hypostyle Hall in the middle of the complex.  Audible gasps and proclamations of “wow” were heard as our group entered the hall.  This is the Egypt of our travel imaginations!  The 134 gigantic columns cover an area of 6000 square feet.  Each of the papyrus-styled behemoths is a staggering 33+ feet in circumference.  Maia described the feeling beautifully as like wandering into a grove of giant sequoias.  But these mighty redwoods are man-made and carved with the stories of gods, goddesses, pharaohs, priests, and conquests.  There is but one way to describe the feeling one has when standing among this forest of pillars:  insignificant.  One easily understands the message of such daunting architecture.  You are in the presence of the gods, and their unchallengeable representative, the king.  Even in our modern age of engineering wonders these jaw-dropping ancient stones are nothing less than phenomenal.  I shot dozens of photos, trying to find the angle that allows an image to portray the sense of being here.  But alas, photographs serve merely and only to remind one of the actual experience.  But that’s why we travel after all.

Hoda teaching

Karnak statue

IMG_9751

Maia making friends

Egypt Day 7 by Maia Coen

security guard with group Well here we are at day seven.  One week through the trip.  We have done so much in one week and everything has been wonderful.  Since I’ve been here I have felt completely safe.  It’s just a general feeling you get from being here.  The people are friendly and the security is tight.  When we go to sites there are at least one and almost always two security checks before you are able to enter.  There are security around with guns everywhere you go and they are clearly attentively looking out for the people.  Every security guard we’ve had escorting us has made sure that everyone was there and they would hang back if there were people lagging.  They were all very good about looking after us.  Every once in a while I do feel a little nervous being here but it is no fault of Egypt or its people, whenever I feel this way it is always due to my preconceived notions and never things I am seeing here.  Egypt feels as safe a place as any I’ve visited.

IMG_9853This morning we departed at 7:30.  Way too early!  We hopped into horse carriages and went to the Temple of Horus in Edfu.  Just like Karnak, the temple had monstrous gates.  Besides a small chunk missing from the top left side these are in perfect condition.  The color was gone but it still stands tall and imposing.  Immense relief sculptures of Horus and the gang adorn the massive walls.  IMG_9855Inside the walls and columns are covered in the story of Horus, the falcon god.  He was the son of Osiris and Isis and seemed to have spent a lot of his time and energy battling against his evil uncle Seth. This temple shows him first as a boy being taken advantage of and later as an adult getting revenge on the Seth.  Seth is depicted as a donkey or a hippo and Horus is shown thrusting a spear through him.IMG_9862IMG_9871IMG_9848

IMG_9999We returned to the boat and it began to sail again.  After our busy days of tour activities, drifting lazily along the Nile has been a welcome relief.  The scenery is lovely as there have been mountains to the east and desert dunes to the west.  The cruise serves tea and cake on the sun deck each afternoon at 4PM and it adds to the restful ambiance.

IMG_9895Our boat docked a bit late at Kom Ombo and we hurried to get to the famous temple before the sun was gone. This temple is unique in that it was dedicated to two gods – Horus and Sobek the crocodile god.  Hoda, always thinking of the group, set us loose as soon as we arrived to allow the photographers to get their shots of the golden temple.  We were fortunate to have so thoughtful a guide because the light was soon gone.  IMG_9903But as the sun went down the artificial lights of the temple came on.  Seeing the temple in the dark was very cool and very different from what we had been seeing.  At this point in the tour it is easy to become “templed out” so having this new perspective added interest. The artificial light made the relief sculptures more dramatic making our night excursion a big success.IMG_9897

Risk and Reward

Maia making a new friendAs Maia is doing such a good job writing about the day to day activities of the tour I’ve decided to address a completely different issue here in Egypt.  I want to share my thoughts about the security situation.  To begin with, I feel perfectly safe in every way.  And I believe I speak for the entire group.  Everyone surely came with some anxiety about issues of safety.  But the atmosphere here is very different than one would expect.  For starters, the Egyptian people are very friendly and warm. photos with locals

It is true that many of them want to sell you something, but overall I find them to be genuinely outgoing and hospitable people.  As one walks around Cairo people who speak little or no English call out, “Welcome in Egypt.”  And we learned from our wonderful guide Hoda that there is virtually no violent crime in Egypt.  Despite the dire straits of the economy, the moderate Islamic culture here is one of caretaking.  The Quran teaches that those with material wealth must share with those less fortunate.  While I can’t speak for the entire Muslim world, this philosophy seems to be working here in Egypt and even the most poor are able to survive with help from those more fortunate.

armed security guard with group

guard with us in a spice shop

Beyond the generally welcoming timbre of society, the security presence here is highly visible and ubiquitous.  Tourism is important to the economy and the government is doing everything in its power to protect the industry.  We have had an armed plain-clothes policeman with our group every day. They have been scrupulously conscientious, always aware of stragglers and watching out until everyone is back on the bus at each stop.

approaching a checkpoint

While in Cairo, we also had a police car that followed the bus.  There are security checkpoints at all tourist sights – and they’re serious.  Typically there is an armored vehicle and 2 guards on duty, armed with automatic weapons and observing from behind blast shields.  There is usually another 2 to 4 soldiers in the area, apparently as backup and relief.  Often there are others wandering within the site grounds or a few blocks from the entrance.

All bags ID'd before loaded on bus

Our bus must pass a checkpoint long before we arrive at the site entrance.  The driver must show his papers and Hoda always shows her credentials.  Then, once we actually enter a site we must pass through airport-like metal detectors and bags must be hand check or x-rayed.  When we depart a hotel, no bags are allowed on the bus until each person identifies his or hers.  In Luxor and Aswan, the major ports of call for Nile cruises, armed security forces zip around the boats in zodiacs.

Armed security in vehicle to escort us to a sight.

IMG_1383Maia has observed that Egyptians are not scary people.  Being here forces one to recognize that the vast majority are regular people who love their children, want peace in the world, and an opportunity to be productive and provide for their families.  My heart breaks for these people.  Due to a couple of highly publicized incidents and our tendency to lump the entire Middle East together as a single destination, westerners are too afraid to come.  The sights are AMAZING!  IMG_2208And as noted, the people are warm and welcoming.  But due to the lack of tourist dollars the tourist infrastructure is falling apart for lack of maintenance.  Our buses have been comfortable but threadbare.  We stayed in a 5-star hotel in Luxor but it was virtually empty except for our group.  Our 4-star Nile cruise boat is very comfortable, but it too is in need of basic maintenance.  But there simply is no money because there are so few tourists.  We are having a rich experience, a wonderful time, and seeing some of the most iconic sights on the globe – all without crowds.  But the cost is being borne by the locals trying to scratch out a living.  And no one is coming.

Imprint group completely alone at Abu Simbel

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