Day 3 - On to Luxor

Monday, November 22, 2010

Sharing the road

So Day 3, I'm moving on from Aswan to Luxor, and have decided to do it with stops at Kom Ombo and Edfu. I figured that this would be another way to see some countryside, and, of course, the guidebook has some great things to say about Edfu. I learned later on that Edfu is also where the god Horus defeated his father's killer in a final battle, so pretty neat stuff in Egyptian history / mythology. So a 6:30 AM wakeup call, with a 7:30 AM pickup, and since I conked out early the night before, I also have to pack all my stuff that's strewn all over the spare bed in my room.

More sharing

Unfortunately, the day did not start out well. 7:00 AM finds me on my rooftop for breakfast of bread, laughing cow cheese, crepes, and coffee. At 7:30 on the dot, I'm ready to go. at 7:45 [and yep, I'm watching my clock], a guy comes in and I thought it was my pickup, but nope, just the guy that counts the refreshments in their "for sale" fridge. The front desk dude has some comment about not yet. So I sit back down and continue reading my footprint guide. 7:55 and a dude pops in and he is my pick-up, but not yet, he says he will be right back. He collects a French couple and is back with them, and tells us to wait. Ok, not yet... I finally get impatient and ask the desk clerk if our pick-up is going to happen today, to which he responds, "well, you would have to wait anyway", like I'm being unreasonable about expecting a 7:30 pick-up to have occurred by 8 AM. He comes back at 8:15, and finally we think we're ready to leave, and he starts walking us, not towards the street in front of the hotel, but the Nile street. Hmmmmm... but we are moving, so ok.

Oops, I spoke too soon. There is another couple from the UK by the Horus Hotel, but no minibus with driver. Dude is on the phone and looks like he's trying to find the minibus driver. Ok... finally by 8:30 Am driver has shown up. Great. We are on our way, and with only 5 people plus dude plus driver, we have room! Yay! On our way!  

Oops, I spoke too soon again ... with no explanation, driver pulls over... well, actually he just stops - by the divider between the road to Luxor and the train tracks.... and we pickup up a family of three from the side of the road. Turns out they were on a felucca for a couple of nights thus the side of road pick-up. But we're still not moving.... Ahhh, one more person who was on a different felucca. So now we are a full minibus with 8 people and our luggage. Yay, we can finally be on our way!

Kom Ombo Temple

About 20 minutes from Kom Ombo, the driver pulls over again and the sales agent pops off, and says that we have a good driver, and that we should tip him at the end. Yay, we're moving. Shortly thereafter, driver gets on the phone. Now, my Arabic, sucks, but the cell phone with a big fat red line through it to me implies no talking on the cell phone, but I figure the call must be important, but the driver proceeds to be on one call or another for most of the rest of the day. I gues he's on the "unlimited calling plan".

Kom Ombo

So we pull into Kom Ombo and the driver says "30 Minutes". The stop was supposed to be for 45 minutes to an hour. The whole group pretty much decided to take our 45-50 minutes anyway. He can't leave without us. Kom Ombo, according to my Footprint guide, was a major cross roads between a 40-day caravan route from sudan with the eastern desert gold mines. Kom Ombo temple is the commonly given name to the Temple of Horus and Sobek. Sobek is a crocodile god, which were frequent on the nearby banks of the Nile, and the cult that developed here was of a healing nature of Horus, one of the major Egyptian deities. I'm going to repeat myself a lot, but Kom Ombo temple was cool. The carvings and the sheer size of the columns was awesome. The location by the Nile was also impressive. And one of the best parts was the lack of hordes of other tourists, so if you waited for the ebb and flow, you could actually enjoy it in peace.

Still more sharing...

Back in the bus, and we're off to Edfu. Driver pretty much takes every call he gets, and is on the phone constantly. We hit a monster traffic jam caused by train crossings, and made worse by the need that all the cars behind had to come right up on all the empty space on both lanes of traffic. Of course that's going to help when the "signal" clears and we're allowed to move forward. Finally the trains arrive and we are able to move on.

Traffic jam

A word here about the traffic. Reminded me a lot of India, with maybe a slightly wider road. The road for the most part is a single lane of traffic each way, but it's a little wider, so you can pass if the oncoming car edges over. There seem to be some rules, but I'm not sure that anyone's actually bothered to write them down. Overall, though, it wasn't too bad, except made a little more harrowing by the driver's constant cell phone chatter especially when he started to drift a little.

Edfu Temple

Edfu Temple

So Edfu. We arrive around noon, with the sun already starting to beat down. "One hour" the driver says. This stop was for 90 minutes at least, but whatever. Ticket sales and restrooms, with water replenished and it's off to see the temple. Wow! The size, the fact that both the carvings and the colors have survived for this long, the magnitude, and did I say the etchings ;) Incredible! I'm amazed once again at the columns, and much of the ceiling remains, plus the colors in some of the chambers are incredible. Also interesting ... mostly to my work friends... would be the bird control applied. How do you keep pigeon poop off an open-air monument? The answer is you don't, but you try to limit it with screens. The temple has passages and chambers and ante-chambers, and the stuff around it is just plain neat. I have a thing for colonnades, so I was loving taking tons of photos of this one, even with the sun at its zenith.

Edfu - colonnade

So, given the heat and that we were all pretty much done on time, we wander back and all arrive shortly after 1;00 pm... except there's no driver. How can that be? So we hang out in the shade by the stalls and about 15 minutes later he shows up... and... surprise! He's on the phone! At this point we're all taking side bets as to who he's talking to. He has a wedding ring, so looks like he's married, and as the volume is turned up, it sounds like he's talking to a woman, but not sure if its wife or girlfriend. We pile in, and again, on our way to Luxor.

A sidebar about the countryside... I continue to be surprised by the lush greenery that I see on both banks of the Nile, but it's easy to understand the river and it's connection to the people, because there is a stark contrast between the Nile's life and the desert just a few short kilometers away. I'm also surprised, still, that the desert is not just flat sand dunes. There are elevation changes as the desert takes over where the farmland ends. I've seen the photographs and aerial images but to see it is to understand it that much better.

Mosque somewhere along the way

To pass the time, Victoria, the young girl who's part of the family we picked up on the side of the road, and I have been talking a little about our travels. Turns out that she and her family are on a 10 month trip around Africa, and spent five months of it traveling down the western coast of Africa overland. She and I spend some time off and on talking about her experiences, as I just find that cool, with some additional comments from her father. Really neat of them to take this on, and I'm super impressed with Victoria's knowledge and grasp of what she's seen. What a fantastic experience for all of them, and I enjoy hearing them share their travel stories and really off-the-beaten path experiences.

Probably an hour from Edfu, the driver announces a 10-minute break. I realize, as a large tour bus pulls in shortly after us, that this is another tourist-oriented rest stop, with 10-EGP cups of Lipton tea bags dipped in water. So far, driver is not racking up too many points with me.

Luxor - view from Nefertiti

Close to 3:00 PM we finally arrive in Luxor and then driver pulls his worst offense yet. He pulls into this side street and open the side door, and some other dude pops his head in and asks what hotels. All except the French couple are, coincidentally, staying at the Nefertiti Hotel. The French couple are at the Fontana. Great. Then some other dude pops his head in and says, ok, this is their stop and they have to get out. As they're leaving the bus, they have a change of hear because something just seems off, and they decide to stay om and come to the same hotel as the rest of us. Cool. Let's go... but not. First dude who stuck his head in is back, and pretty much asks us for our reservations, and is being incredibly rude. Well, we're not having any of it. Most of us have reservations, so no problem. And we don't have to show them to anyone except at the hotel. We're all yelling at the dude to back off, and the driver to get in the car and take us to our hotel. And no, we're not getting off and walking because we paid to be dropped off at our hotel. It is when we threaten to call the tourist police that the driver gets in the bus and takes us to our hotel. Unbelievably, after all this, he actually has the gall to stop us and ask us for tips.

Luxor temple colonnade

So, Nefertiti Hotel... awesome location with a roof terrace overlooking the Nile and Luxor Temple's Avenue of the Sphinxes, not to mention a lit Theban Necropolis on the West Bank of the Nile. Awesome night view. But anyhow, all of this drama, plus 8 people arriving into the tiny lobby of the hotel, means that I've missed any chance of making it to Karnak that afternoon. I'm a little bummed, but things are about to look up.

More columns

The Nefertiti apparently has just launched it's tour group arm, so our group is lead up to the rooftop terrace and offered a drink in exchange for listening to their options, then given a hard sell about buying their tours. None of us really wants to commit right away, and I'm struggling with a way to fit what I want to do in the 30 hours I have in the city. After much hemming and hawing, I opt to take another tour with a hotel, as it hits the highlights, and I'm a little exhausted with the constant haggling. In the meantime, also, the woman who was picked up off the felucca, Andrea, and I, decide to utilize our evening by heading over to Luxor temple as it's open at night, and it's almost 5 pm so sunset on the river.

Luxor Temple

Well, we missed the sunset, and didn't realize that it was THE most popular time to hit the temple. The temple is just completely full of tour groups and it's hard to even make your way around some of the areas. Aside from all that, though, it's awesome. You can see where centuries of Egyptian rulers have each tried to leave their mark, and again, it's striking that with the youngest of these rulers in AD, their history was already older than 2010 years... So we wandered around with our lonely planet walking tour of the site, and then found a perch on one of the column bases in the hypostyle hall to observe, as the huge groups started to clear out. It was actually nice to see some local groups of tourists as well, and we saw a couple of groups of children come through. And my first time of being asked to be in a photograph... a group of young girls came over and four of them proceeded to take pictures with us... Yay, I'm famous :) So, of course, we asked to get a picture of them as well - fair's fair, after all.

Avenue of the Sphinxes

Luxor moonrise

It was nearing 8 at this time, and dinner time as lunch for me had been some bread and cheese on the bus. The lights have come up, and the hieroglyphics on the walls and columns are illuminated in stark relief, making them even more prounounced. Really cool to see. And, of course, we can't leave without seeing the avenue of the sphinxes. Here the light does even better things to illuminate and accentuate the statues. And it's just cool how it continues down. I'm having a blast with using the lights as tripod and shooting away. And then at the end of the lit avenue, you turn around and there's the obelisk and the temple's pylons and columns beyond and wow... awesome! [Yep, repeated and trite, but I have nothing better]. I have more fun with photos and then we're off again to Sofra for dinner, after a short "interview" of a guide who wanted to sell us his services for the next day at the West Bank. His English was a little difficult for us to follow, so we escaped when he answered his cell phone.

Wedding block party

Sofra... I suppose it is in the guide books for a reason - good food and service at decent prices. Of course, since it is in all the guidebooks, we saw a ton of tourists, and even some people that we knew from our own travels thus far! I don't understand why they asked us for reservations, and we expected a wait, but we got a private dining room - a dining room set for four - only down side was that it was right by the front door. And their rooftop dining would have been nice. Anyhow, we ordered the pigeon and a chicken tagine, with some hummus and tahine to start, and a desert tray that we split. Yum.

On our way into the restaurant, we had been side tracked by the music coming from down the street, and upon further exploration, and some information from a couple of the children running around, the street was closed off and being decked out for a wedding reception. After dinner, the decibel level of the music outside had increased quite a bit, and it appeared that we had timed our departure perfectly with the arrival of the bride! So, of course, we headed over for a closer look. They entered under this archway that was shooting out flames at intervals, and we could feel the heat from where we were, then proceeded to the stage to the accompaniment of applause and spontaneous signing and ululating from their guests. The bride's dress was very blingey and white and they both looked so happy. We were invited, although not quite sure of their relationships to the bride and groom, to join the party but we opted out and headed back to our hotel.

I paid for my tours for the next day, and my new friend Andrea decided to join me in both of them, after which time I headed to the rooftop for a fantastic view of the lit necropolis across the way, and updated my trip reports. A full day three is over, and Day 4 promises to be great fun... I can't wait.

Day 2 - Abu Simbel and the never-ending car ride

Sunday, November 21, 2010

So day 2... although I do this on day 3 while sitting on a rooftop in Luxor enjoying a fabulous view of the lit Theban Necropolis and Luxor Temple. I'm playing catch-up.

Day 2 was an early start. I didn't actually go back to sleep, as my wake-up call was at 2:45-ish that morning, with a 3:15 pickup at the hotel. There were about 8 other travelers but the funny thing was that we all got picked up separately. I guess the hotel just acts as broker of sorts and does not organize their own tours, just with other agencies. I wish I could remember the name of the actual travel agency that they booked this with [reason to follow shortly].

Pick-up went pretty timely, and at 3:40 we were on our way, 12 people plus driver, packed in one of those mini buses that we all know and hate. And then we picked up a 13th, so the driver's assistant took the jump seat in between the driver and the last woman in got the coveted front seat. I was envious for two reasons: she had the front seat and she went right to sleep!!!!

I knew we were joining a convoy, but I didn't know what that really meant, until we joined the loads of other tour buses, cars and minivans at the marshaling point. It looked like a small army ready to wage war, with all sorts of vehicles arranged in no particular order. And then we were off, and it was like the start of a road rally. Our driver was pretty good out of the gate, and the three hour trek was on. A beautiful full moon out of the right hand side lighting a dark desert.... really cool. No sleep for me, so I stared out into the nothingness, seeing the shadows that represented the changing shapes of the desert. As dawn lightened the sky, I realized I was on the wrong side of the minibus to see the actual sunrise, which was a bummer because it was spectacular. When the road curved just right, I saw this magnificent perfect orange ball arise from the horizon as the hues of dawn cast their colors on the desert sands. Ok, sorry, waxing a little poetic and probably stole someone else's lines here, but it was cool, and this was only from a few glimpses of it out the driver's window. No I wasn't leaning over the driver, just angled correctly. I hope some of my pictures come out because I'd really like to have a better memory than just mental.

Abu Simbel - Ramses statues

Looking out over Lake Nasser

So our driver got us there pretty much on the dot at 7 AM and we were one of the first minibuses pulling in. Three hours and no stops. The moment we hit the ground and he gave us our meeting time of 8:45, it was another run to the ticket office, which was not that well sign posted, or I was too tired to see, and a race against which tour group hits the sights the earliest. The setting of Abu Simbel is stunning! The blue waters of Lake Nasser and the hills of the countryside surrounding it... magnificent. It was an amazing feat of engineering to build the temples in the first place, and another one to relocate them, and that was part of my motivation for making the trek. Worth the trip, but if I were to do it over, I think I would have preferred to spend the night there and gone up to see the sunrise over the tombs. We got there early enough and had some really good light, but I can almost see it without the crowds, and that would have been much better. The different chambers in the temple are neat, but the amount of time there does not allow for sufficient enjoyment of the lake views. 

Birds

Too soon, it was time to meet the minibus again, but which minibus was it? We had the license number, but our group was just waiting for it. Dude told us 8:45 and he showed up closer to 9:00; 15 minutes that I would have preferred AT the temples, not waiting in the sun, which was pretty hot already. Back into the tin can we went, for the much hotter ride back, but thankfully this time "AC" actually meant Air Conditioning, not conditioning by rolling down the window. 

I had signed up for the "short" tour, and had been pretty specific about my return time to Aswan with the hotel. On our way back, suddenly we were at the ticket booth of the Aswan dam... hmmm., I didn't remember signing up for this... Then the driver is collecting 20EGP and I ask him when I'm going to get dropped off. He says, well, you will get out here, and wait by the side of the road by the checkpoint, because everyone else is on the "long" tour, and that I will only be taken back when he drops the rest of the group at Philae.. I'm not proud to say that the ugly tourist in me came out because I hate having my time wasted when I have so little of it at a place to begin with, and when I had specifically asked the "right" questions to make sure it would not be. With no other choice, even after talking to his manager, who said I was wasting everyone's time by arguing, I waited not the ten minutes advertised, but closer to 30-40 while the group enjoyed their tour. I was a little pissed off but oh well, what was i going to do? Well, I guess what I"m doing now, which is saying that I was not happy with that part of the tour I had. I will find the name of the agency if I can and post it. I did talk to the management at Keylany and let them know that what they advertised is not exactly what I got. I know in the greater scheme of things, it's not a lot of time, but it's my time, and it's important to me, and that's not the story they told me when they took my money.

So, I finally got back to the hotel about an hour after we would have had we not made the detours. I still had to find transportation to Luxor, and I asked about options. I signed up for their minibus to Luxor via Kom Ombo and Edfu temples [more about that shortly] and then took a break.. it had been a long day already :)

My guide

Nubian Vilalge

Hunger pangs prompted me to head out in search of food and I found myself back at the Abu Ahmed food stand off the Corniche street. Yummy shawarma with fries, of which I couldn't finish my half sandwich, and I think it was for a non-standard price but whatever. Then I decided to try Elephantine Island again, as I couldn't summon the energy for Tomb of the Nobles. The ferry that lands you by the museum is a little bit of a walk, but at least the price was only double what the locals pay at 1EGP. Upon disembarkation, and with guidebook this time, I was wandering my way up to the museum when I came across Mr. Hamada [i think that's right] who introduced himself as the chief of the village and wondered if he could show me around. He walked me through some streets and the mosque and to Nubian House, and then it was time to pay for the tour, a stiff 75EGP... I didn't have too much cash on me at the time, as I was only going to the museum, and I hadn't realized that I was on a tour, just talking with the village elder, so my bad. Next time I will ask first. I left $10 lighter, and a little put off by my own gullibility. The streets I can wander on my own. 

Ruins

Do you see the elephant?

Anyhow, Aswan Museum next... except that it is closed, but for the same price of 30 EGP they will let you into the ruins and the Nilometer, etc. The site is quite extensive and the end of it has a great view overlooking the Nile and the other islands. Plus if you go down on your way to the Nilometer, you can actually see the "elephant" rocks the island is named for. Pretty good resemblance! I had a nice couple of hours wandering around the ruins. It doesn't take that long, but I was really enjoying the views and the quiet... only a handful of tourists around. Plus, feeling a little dehydrated so I just found some shade and hung out with my bottle for a little bit. I had been holding back just a bit on the car ride, if you know what i mean :)

View of the Nile

My goal was to round out the evening with a felucca ride but I ran out of steam again. Made it to the other bank and watched dusk fall across the Nile. Finished my shawarma sandwich while contemplating plans for the evening. A quick stop at my hotel, and then it was a fast walk through the souk to the train station. My friendly shop keepers all remembered my face from the day before, so twice the hassle! Yay! Noone in line on the sleeping train booth, and 15 minutes later, I was booked on a night train in a shared cabin from Luxor to Cairo. Yikes, only one full day in Luxor? I guess so... But then I'm supposed to arrive by 2:00pm, so no problem, I can do something that afternoon.... [more to follow on this as well!].

Another Nile sunset

Finally, I was done... quick stop at a book store because I can't resist them, and then it's to hotel and to bed, with an early wake-up call as I have to pack as well.  

Whew! Aswan was awesome and there is more to it than two days can possibly cover. I think someone was there for a week, and I can see enough to fill my time. I picked and chose my activities, wisely or not, but had a great time... 8:00 AM pickup for Luxor tomorrow, so a night was called.

Day 1 [really] - Aswan and Insomnia

[Note, this was written at 1;30 AM, but due to some internet difficulties, I couldn't quite get it posted]...

Ok, so I'm going to gush.... but as it's 1:30 AM local time, and I'm still up after sleeping for only a couple of hours earlier, and my Abu Simbel wake-up call in an hour away.... I still am loving everything about this trip!

The Keylany Hotel turned out to be a good choice for me. For one thing, I've been taking full advantage of the free wifi [except when this page won't let me log on]. My room is on the main floor, and with just the fan I hear the horns tooting outside, but once I turn the AC on, the street noise is not an issue. Love the rooftop terrace. The seats are really uncomfortable, but the ambience is nice in the evening. Breakfast is a little on the sparse side, but love the coffee.

Unfinished Obelisk

Day 1 of my adventures was a little busy - the cab driver who dropped me off had talked me into hiring him again for the day. As I really dislike organized tours, and my footprint guide has some pretty detailed info on the sites, I decided to take him up on it. We started at 7:30 with the unfinished obelisk. I'm an engineer so the granite quarry in the middle of the city part was interesting.

Facade - Philae Temple

Next - Philae. Loved the temple and it's setting, but wish I'd gotten here earlier. Too many crowds and it was hot. Yes, it's a dry heat, but at 93... still hot! I could have done without the bargaining for the motorboat - why is it called felucca? I thought those were the boats with sails, no engines.  I saw a French couple who was also trying to do the same thing, so we teamed up and ended up with a decent deal for 90 minutes on the island. I think an hour may have been a little rushed, but 90 minutes worked out ok. My first encounter with ancient Egypt and I was pretty excited.

Soviet Friendship Monument

Aswan High Dam

On to the Aswan high dam, the turbines and the Soviet friendship monument. One thing that struck me here was that they were watering the green lawn, and that the lotus monument is actually surrounded by a pool of water - generally anyway. The pool was emptied and being cleaned. And I didn't see anyone stopping me from taking pictures, even at the turbines. Hmmm.... The imagery at the monument, with the hands, the village, the books, and the water, is pretty cool. Plus, as I found out, if you stand in the center, and take your picture bent over, you end up with the "crown" around your head. Yes, I am easily amused.

Kalabsha Temple

By now it's about noon, and the sun is pretty hot, but we carry on. Kalabsha was next on the itinerary, and was my favorite by far, because I had the island to myself for most of my visit. The one lonely motorboat driver and more bargaining for the ride over, almost double what the guidebook says, but there was noone else to negotiate with. The temple's location is stunning, with these never-ending views of the hills and lake Nasser. Wish I hadn't forgotten my polarizer in my other backpack, so I have quite a few blown out photos as I couldn't stop down enough for the bright sunshine, but it was great having the place to myself with noone else around.

Yes I'm holding a croc!

And finally, we drove to the Nubian village on the outskirts of town. Tea and a tip later, I ended up holding a 5-year old croc and getting my picture taken. Ick. And I didn't care that they were kept in this locked up cage. Of course, not a fan of having a croc running around the house either. We'll move on. Wandered through town but the temples had tapped all my cash, so I couldn't really take advantage, and felt a little weird shopping my the cab driver with me. Saw several "caravans" of tourists riding their camels from Aswan come through. It was pretty neat to watch them come in from the "desert" path.

Nile Sunset

One last stop - to rectify my stupidity at forgetting the right adapter to plug in my computer - and the cabbie dropped me back at the hotel for a little break. I rounded out the day by taking the ferry to Elephantine Island, realizing that I didn't have a guide book or map with me, and after some aimless wandering and doubling back because I kept running into dead ends - to the endless, but kind-hearted amusement of the local women, several of whom offered to help me find the right direction - I took the ferry back to the sit-down restaurant that is KFC.

Aswan Souk - spice vendor

Had a blast walking around the souk. I made a very small dent in my gift list, and found myself a hat. The guy kept insisting that it was 100% Egyptian cotton, but once I pointed out the "made in china" tag, it was pretty funny to watch him try to recover. that's when I really got in the spirit of things. I look like I could be from India, and calls of "India" and "Namaste" pretty much followed me around. Every now and again I'd throw out a "shukrun" and that would really throw people off, as my tan from the day's hatless activities could also have me passing for a darker Egyptian. I haven't felt weirded out because I'm a solo female, at least not too much. Following my gut's working for me so far. And it's been fun, especially letting people spin their own stories around me. "Where are you from, India" is answered with a a "sure, why not". And the people are very friendly once you get over the feeling that you're being taken for a ride. And the food is great. I can't wait for the adventures that tomorrow... I mean later today... will unfold.

Sorry about rambling on for sooooo long... Hopefully insomnia or jetlag won't strike two days in a row, so you'll be spared tomorrow night!

I'm here! Arrival at Aswan

I can't believe it's been almost 24 hours since I left JFK, or at least I think it's been 24 hours, as with the travel and the time change, my clock is pretty messed up.

I'm in Aswan! So far, so good. The 12-hour flight went pretty well, I think. For once I believe I got some sleep, probably thanks to some advil pm, and the fact that I had an exit row seat with a little room probably didn't hurt either. Arrival at Cairo airport was nearly as confusing as finding the entrance to the Delta terminal at JFK. Thanks to some detailed posts, and honestly, just following a guy who seemed to know what he was doing, I bought my visa for $15 [USD] at the money exchange window [different] then went to stand in line to enter the country.

Traveling with just a backpack and a ... backpack, so carry-on items only, I didn't have to wait around for the baggage claim, so it was directly on to running the gauntlet at the International Arrivals Hall. Having been to Delhi and to Lima, I have to say that Cairo was not bad. Lots of "La Shukruns" later, I almost walked past the tourist info helper, who pointed me to the general direction of the bus that travels between terminals. Signage is a little lacking in the entire area, but I was soon on the bus on my way to Terminal 3, while watching an awesome sunset from the bus' windows.

One thing I didn't realize, so wasted a lot of time looking for... you actually go through security BEFORE you get your boarding pass here. Duh! I kept looking for the check-in counters. Since things had been moving pretty smoothly so far, I was able to get on an earlier flight - no mention of change fees. I dozed for most of the one hour flight, and upon landing once again had to figure out where to go. Since I was early, and couldn't quite figure out how to work a phone before I left Cairo to let my hotel know, I had to gear up for some stiff negotiation with the cab drivers. No metered yellow cabs when you need one! We started at 60EGP [guidebook that was three years old had said 25EGP, and ended up at 45. I just wanted out at that point. So I probably paid a little more than a local, but the dude was friendly, and is now going to be my driver for all of tomorrow for an incredibly cheap price.

Keylany Hotel is a few steps off the main street, with it's tooting car horns, but thankfully I have an inside room. No view, but it's quiet, which is my preference. It's a cute hotel typical of budget places anywhere, with a very friendly staff. They pointed me to a local joint where I picked up my first local shawarma sandwich, served on a hamburger bun, not pita, and also my first ever french fry sandwich.... that part was probably miscommunication! I realize that one of the things on my to-do list was to brush up on arabic.... Crash course coming up!

I spent probably a half hour or so walking through the bazar. Since I can't obscure that I don't look Egyptian or American, I'm sticking with people's guesses of Indian. The bazaar is pretty cool. Lots of fresh spices, scarves, shoes, purses, etc, and it looks like this is not just for tourists but locals shop here too.

So I haven't yet taken a photograph or broken my camera out. I'm enjoying just taking in the sites. I thought I would feel a little weird being Muslim in a Muslim country, and looking somewhat like the locals but not covering my head, and I do. But I think the reason I get some stares is because I'm out and about by myself, without either a male or female escort. Or perhaps it's all in my head, which is also possible. The people are friendly and very helpful. I'm not sure what to make of the "Come into my shop and I'll get you some coffee... No hassle, just hospitality" line, so I'm going by gut and wandering in when I see something interesting but otherwise moving on. The best line so far was... "Let me tell you how much that scarf is... it's FREE!". Yes, I pretty much ran in the other direction :)

Looking forward to an equally enjoyable tomorrow. On the slate is the Philae Temple, the unfinished obelisk, the Aswan High Dam, the Kalabsha Temple, and the Nubian Museum. Hmmmm.... better get to sleep, I'm getting a 7:30 AM start!

The Countdown

In five days from today, I will be sitting in my hotel room in Aswan, Egypt. The sense of anticipation is mounting. Four more work days, five more sleeps in my bed, and I'm off to a destination I have been wanting to visit for the last four years. Ten days, with seven in Egypt and three in Jordan. The Pyramids and Petra ... these two words were the genesis of this trip, although I've since come to learn that, not surprisingly, Egypt is much more than the pyramids, and that Jordan has so much more to offer than the facade of the treasury shown in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

For a number of years, the thought of travel to this part of the world was cause for intimidation and I never could just take the plunge and buy my ticket. This year, the stars finally aligned to enable me to do just that, for which I am grateful. Past travels to countries such as India and Peru certainly were preparation, but more so was the feeling of wanting to expand my horizons. The more I read about the places I could go and the history that I could see first hand in these two countries, the more excited I became to actually do that. What a wealth of past knowledge and current events! One could easily spend years in the region, but unfortunately all I have "five business days" ... as I've justified my ten days away to the powers that be at work. I am fortunate to have understanding managers.

So the countdown is on ... four sleeps, and I'm off! I hope you'll accompany me on my trip, and will enjoy it as much as I undoubtedly will.