Tue 29 May 2007
It’s been said that all things dread time, but time dreads the pyramids. Few civilization can compare with ancient Egypt’s prolific history.
Egypt is known as the Land of the Pharaohs, Land of the Papyrus, and home to extravagant ancient temple ruins and glorious pyramids. Prominent names throughout history had been there: Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Mark Anthony, Napolean Bonaparte; just to name a few.
I had a pleasant time with my friend on the trip. Our journey in Egypt started out with a tour group for 8 days, then we extended another 5 days on our own to explore Sinai.
Day 1 - Landed in Luxor. Visited Temple of Luxor.
Day 2 - Visited High Dam in Aswan, and checked-in to a Nile Cruise. Our ship name is M/S Nile Beauty.
Day 3 - Woke up at 3 a.m. and joined an armed escort (police convoy) on our journey to visit Temple of Abu Simbel. Sailed along the Nile and visited Temple of Kom-Ombo.
Day 4 - Visited Temple of Edfu along the Nile.
Day 5 - Visited Valley of the Kings (hot and dry!) in the morning and later Temple of Karnak. In the evening, we checked-in overnight train to Cairo.
Day 6 - After breakfast on train, we visited the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. In the afternoon, we visited the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Day 7 - Bus journey to Alexandria in the morning. Visited Montazah Gardens, Pompy’s Pillar, and the Catacombs.
Day 8 - Tour group ended. After saying goodbye to the group, we went hiking around town. Alexandria is situated by the Mediterranean Sea, so the weather’s perfect. We tried local ice-cream and fruit juices, then lazed around on the beach late afternoon.
Day 9 - Took a domestic flight from Alexandria to Sharm El Sheikh in Sinai region of Egypt, then transferred to Dahab on public bus. Went hunting for a cheap room to stay for couple of nights.
Day 10 - Went hiking in Sinai desert with a Bedouin tour guide. Visited Color Canyon, White Canyon, and a Bedouin village for lunch and tea.
Day 11 - Transferred to Sharm El Sheikh on public bus. Stayed in Marriot Red Sea Resort and they upgraded our room to a suite. Went hiking around town and took a dip in the Red Sea late afternoon.
Day 12 - Took a domestic flight from Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo. Spent the day walking around town and ate at Hardee’s.
Day 13 - Visited Coptic Cairo and Islamic Cairo in the morning. Returned to Cairo airport in the afternoon for flight home.
Egyptians are a nice bunch (we had helpful directional assistance from locals several times), but some Arabs can be very cunning, deceiving, and intimidating to tourists. I have a few observations to share.
Lessons in Egypt backpacking:
1. Always bargain with Arabs. Even when buying bottled water or paying toilet entrance fee.
2. Always say you’re from some third world country like China or some armpit dirt cheap. They snag and slaughter your wallet according to your purchasing power, based on where you’re from. A Malaysian pays a lot less for a desert safari than a Swiss does. If you’re American, try to be more Mexican.
3. Learn how to read the Arabic numerals and some Arabic phrases. I read in Rough Guides that French can come in handy in Alexandria, but the only French words that I uttered there were french.
4. Hanging around Scots, you get to make fun of the Brits. Hanging around Brits, you get to watch them make fun of themselves being jealous of the Americans. Hanging around Arabs is difficult, because most of the time they’re interested in your pocket. In any case, you can make fun of the French and still make friends that way.
5. Don’t settle for sunscreen less than SPF 50. In fact, forget SPF 50. Get something really strong, and wear a hat and a sunglass.
6. In Egypt, a female travel companion is by default assumed to be your wife. And it is wise to let the assumption prevails.
While certain parts of Egypt is anus mundi even by New Jersey’s standards, let’s not forget that the ancient Egyptians were a highly advanced civilization that its works and monuments had passed the test of time. Two of the world’s wonder is located in Egypt, three if we give credit to the original Great Library of Alexandria.
It’s definitely worth a visit, and travelers to Egypt must not miss the journey on a Nile cruise.
