Busride to Dahab

After a looooong 10 hour midnight bus ride from Cairo to Dahab, we finally made it. The ride itself was pretty awful. We kept ourselves awake all night so that we'd sleep on the bus... or so we thought. We load the bus at 12:15 and we crash pretty much once we settled in. At 2 a.m. they start blasting an Arabic version on Grease on the TV. The color is awful, the sound is even worse, and to top it off, the one light they leave on in the bus is above my head.

Every hour or so we stop. Passport check. seat check. Check point check. Poor Kate isn't feeling well and is constantly being woken up by all the commotion. If you drove a car from Cairo to Dahab it would only take 5 hours. It took us double. This is the way of Egypt.

Sunrise over the desert however, was spectacular. With nothing in its way, the sun beams over the horizon- just a huge ball of fire turning the beige sand orange. And then as if out of nowhere, the mountains began. Large brown piles of jutting rock. So tall and massive. And then, as if the landscape couldn't be more breathtaking, the Red Sea begins. Welcome to Sinai.

In 1948, Egyptian forces passed through Sinai on their way to invade the newly-created state of Israel based on a United Nations partition dividing the land between the Jews and the Arabs. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Israeli forces entered the north-eastern corner of Sinai, but withdrew shortly after, following British and American pressure. Under the terms of the 1949 Armistice Agreement, Sinai, together with the Gaza Strip, remained under Egyptian control, although parts of it were demilitarized.

In 1956, Egypt used its control of Sinai to impose a blockade on the Israeli port of Eilat. Following this, Israeli forces, aided by Britain and France (which sought to regain control over the Suez Canal) invaded Sinai, and took control over the entire peninsula within a few days. Several months later, Israel withdrew its forces from Sinai, following strong American and Soviet pressure. Following this, the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF), was stationed in Sinai to prevent any military occupation of the Sinai.

In 1967, Egypt reinforced its military presence in Sinai, renewed the blockade on Eilat, and on May 16 ordered the UNEF out of Sinai effective immediately. In response Israel initiated the Six-Day War in which, the Egyptian army was defeated, and Israel took control over the entire peninsula. The Suez Canal, whose east bank was now controlled by Israel, was closed.

In 1979 Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty, in which Israel agreed to transfer all control over Sinai to Egypt, despite the fact that large amounts of oil reserves had recently been found in the region. Subsequently, Israel pulled out of Sinai in several stages, ending in 1982. The Israeli pull-out involved the dismantling almost all of the Israeli settlements including the town of Yamit in north-eastern Sinai. The exception was Ofira, which became the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. (which we stopped in on the bus, but didn't go to- hardcore party town, and we are not hardcore partiers- we stayed in Dahab)

Dahab is a small town situated on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula. Formerly a Bedouin fishing village, located approximately 62 miles northeast of Sharm el-Sheikh. Dahab is still considered to be one of the Sinai's most treasured diving destinations.

Today Dahab has examples of cultures from around the world, a multi national group of people have decided to settle in Dahab or have made this their second home. This gives Dahab an interesting mix and a very continental flavor.

The second largest population group in Dahab is made up of Bedouin Tribes who settled here some 800 years ago. In the past 30 years they have seen much change, some has had a positive impact on their lifestyle while some of it has been negative. The Jeep has long replaced the camel as the transport method of choice (but some still do- I saw 'em!), but fortunately the Bedouin Culture in Dahab has remained largely intact for now, with Assalah being the Bedouin Village.

In Dahab today there are around 10,000 Bedouin people made up mostly from The Muzzeina Tribe. In addition there are about 20,000 people here from the rest of Egypt and around 3,000 people living or working here from all over the world.

Bedouins are REALLY interesting. Bedouins are Arabic speaking nomadic tribes that originate from the Arabian Peninsula (mainly Saudi Arabia) and would travel the desert to locations where they would find food and water, sometimes traveling for days before they arrived at their final destinations. Each tribe would have an area of land under their responsibility from which they would make income by allowing travelers and traders to pass through. As knowledgeable guides of the desert they controlled the desert trade routes, and escorted caravans. Almost all those who live in Dahab, minus the expats who work at the dive stores, are Bedouins.

So we check in to our hotel ("Seventh Heaven," whatever that means) and go to find some breakfast. It's not hard to find. It's not tourist season so every restaurant is dying for business, giving you great deals. We settled on a place right on the water (literally) and had some yummy eggs, foul (type of delicious bean dish) and falafel. We then just walk around most of the afternoon to get our bearings and find the dive center where we would be renting our equipment for tomorrow's big excursion.

Sunset came quickly after roaming the beaches all afternoon and we headed for a rooftop deck for dinner. We had the best fruit smoothies and pizza. The view was fantastic- across from us is Saudi Arabia, to the left of us Jordan and Israel... but all around us amazingly turquoise water. At this point, I felt like the biggest hippie of all time. Jack Johnson music playing in the background. Small cats and dogs lounging everywhere, and the three of us just sipping smoothies (I can't emphasize enough how good these were) on the rooftop deck over the Red Sea. Kind of ridiculous, but I took it all in and just enjoyed being a part of the moment.

After dinner we did a bit of shopping. The stores were pushy, but not too pushy. I got some things for my friends, and then we headed to the hookah store, where one of Nic and Kate's roommate said we had to go. Enter: Omar, Master of Shisha.

Now, before I begin telling you about my experiences with hookah/shisha, I'd like to clear up what it is...

A hookah is a multi-stemmed, glass-based water pipe device for smoking flavored tobacco, originating from India. From India, it was made popular as the form we now see it in today in Turkey and Egypt. (so yes, FLAVORED TOBACCO. Nothing else. Amen, and let's move on)

So back to Omar: Master of Sheesha. This dude is one crazy guy. He is very good friends with Nic and Kate's roomie, so he was very warm and welcoming and invited us in to smoke. Now, I'm not a smoker by any means, but hookah is a very fun communal thing, and is enjoyable every once in awhile. The flavored tobacco he had was apple with a bit of mint. I wish I could explain the experience more, but it's difficult. He has two videos on YouTube, if you're really interested. Anyway, we spent a lot of time with him and he's a very nice, yet crazy guy. You must see the pictures below of Nic with Omar kiving him "Shisha Kisses." Wild.

After the craziness of Omar: The Master of Shisha, we went back to the hotel and crashed.

Lucky to Have Friends Like This

I met Nic at the very beginning of his time at AU- I was his orientation leader. He was the kid who didn't want to participate too much, but went along with it anyways. I remembered him because he was so nice and he was from Alaska, a place that no one else I had met at AU was from.

A year later I had a class with Nic and we struck up a friendship. We both love photography and spoke about it quite often. Soon after class began, we found out we had both signed up for a Spring Break trip to Cherokee Nation, North Carolina, and that his girlfriend Kate was coming too.

We weren't even in the van for an hour before I knew these two were going to be lifelong friends of mine. They are kind, gracious, giving, and so down to earth. As a senior, I was blown away with their maturity level. I will never forget that trip and how much fun we had together. I saw Kate and Nic on a regular basis for the rest of the semester, and then I graduated.

I kept in touch with both of them over the summer, and stumbled across a fantastic flight price to Egypt. Kate told me to get it and I did. I was nervous about coming and intruding on their life, studies, etc., but they have made my time here so fantastic.

Both Kate and Nic are outstanding people. They speak very good Arabic already and aren't afraid to tell cabbies they are being ripped off. I watch them haggle and am in awe!

They have been the most gracious hosts. I never would have imagined how great they would be. They picked me up from the airport, had a room all ready for me, bring me back lunch after they go to class, set up mini tours of Cairo for me (even though they are so sick of the Pyramids!) and are always making sure that I'm having a good time. I can't even begin to tell you how impressed I am.

In the midst of 20 hours of class a week and side jobs, Nic and Kate still run 3-5 miles almost everyday, cook fantastic dinners every night, study Arabic on their breaks between classes, and have great friendships. I don't know how they do it and stay so composed. And all the while I'm here, interrupting their flow, and do not seem to mind or be affected by it.

I am just so proud to have these two as my friends. I know they are going to go so far in life and have amazing stories. They are doing so well here in Egypt, and are really taking care of themselves. I think some days are harder than others, but their strong relationship helps get them through the rough patches of living in an Arab country where no one really wants you there.

Their maturity in not only themselves, but in their relationship with each other is staggering. The other couple that is living here is a bit older and have been dating for over four years- they have nothing on Nic and Kate. Nic and Kate aren't clingy or too far detached- they have just the right balance of "Nic and Kate time", "alone time" and "friend time" ...and for that I give them major points.

These two are very very special, and I'm really proud of them, and to be their friend!

We're off to the Red Sea now for the weekend. (Weekends in Muslim countries are Fridays & Saturdays) I'm looking forward to Sinai and Dahab, and going snorkeling. I get to use my new underwater camera, too!

I hope all is well in the states... I heard you had a few snow days!

Mad Cabbies

I've been in cabs all around the world.

In DC I've nearly been run over, been evangelized to, and learned all about why Ethiopians and Eritreans don't get along.

In Zambia I was packed into a mini bus with 15 others (only ten seats) with live chickens running at my feet.

In Thailand I've been in a cab where the driver fell asleep at a red light and didn't wake up when it was green.

In Egypt, well, they're just crazy.

Nic, Kate and I were on our way home back to the apartment and flagged a cab. He picked us up and knew the area he was going to (not all of them do, then they get out and try to find someone who does.) The cab ride wasn't more than 5 minutes long and costs 2-4 pounds. We got out, Nic gave the cabbie 3.5 pounds and we walked away. Naturally, because we aren't Egyptian he tries to haggle us for more money. When you've paid the correct amount and they still do this, you are told to just walk away. We did. We got halfway into the building and the cabbies GETS OUT OF HIS CAB. I was a bit freaked out. Nic and Kate weren't.

We start walking up the stairs and he FOLLOWS US, yelling and cursing at us in Arabic. Halfway up he grabs Nic's arm and yelling directly at him. He then throws the money on the ground. Nic then says, "Either 3.5 pounds, or zero pounds, your choice!" The cabbie makes a spitting noise and turns around.

I'm not gonna lie, I was terrified. If this happened in the US, my guess is that one of us would be in the hospital. But here they aren't very violent and just want to get you riled up, and totally rip off foreigners. They really think they should get more just because we aren't Egyptian.

Tonight we're going to see Sufi dancing. I am so excited. However, I am beyond extremely sore from yesterday's camel ride. I've been stretching all day but still haven't been able to fix my back. Hopefully I'm fine before we get on a bus for 9 hours tomorrow to Dahaab. Red Sea, here I come!

The Pyramids of Giza

Well, it happened. I've crossed off one of my life's to do's... I've been to the pyramids!!!

Me and Kate doing a silly pose that the Tourist Police demanded we do

I don't even know where to start, other than it was incredible. The whole ride out there (40 minutes in cab) I was so excited. When I saw the first pyramid peeking out from above a building I didn't know what to do with myself. I appreciate Kate not shooting me for being so giddy.

Once we get there we immediately start getting haggled about tours and trips. We find some guy who offers camels, and decide we want to see them before we get on them. After almost a half-hour of haggling (This was all Kate and her amazing Arabic speaking abilities) we finally get two camels. We found out camels smell, have bad gas, are mean, and aren't comfortable to ride. Of course, if I was one of these poor animals being abused in the desert, I probably wouldn't be very nice either.

We go into the park illegally through a hole in the gate... nice. I couldn't keep my eyes off of the pyramids. Six of the nine in Cairo are at this location. They are absolutely stunning. You thought they were big? They are bigger. Bigger than anything I could imagine. And thinking of what they must have looked like 5,000 (5,000!!!) years ago when they were covered with a smooth limestone just blows my mind.

Our guide, Mohammed, was 20.

The Great Pyramid (farthest to the right in my picture) is the oldest and the largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis. The oldest and only remaining member of the Seven Wonders of the World, it is believed to have been constructed over a 20 year period concluding around 2560 BC. The Great Pyramid was built as a tomb for Fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu, and is sometimes called Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu.

The Great Pyramid is the main part of a complex setting of buildings that included two mortuary temples in honour of Khufu (one close to the pyramid and one near the Nile), three smaller pyramids for Khufu's wives, an even smaller "satellite" pyramid, a raised causeway connecting the two temples, and small tombs surrounding the pyramid for nobles. One of the small pyramids contains the tomb of queen Hetepheres (discovered in 1925), sister and wife of Sneferu and the mother of Khufu. There was a town for the workers of Giza, including a cemetery, bakeries, a beer factory and a copper smelting complex.

A few steps south-west of the Great Pyramid lies the slightly smaller Pyramid of Khafre, one of Khufu's successors who is also commonly considered the builder of the Great Sphinx, and a few hundred metres further south-west is the Pyramid of Menkaure, Khafre's successor, which is about half as tall. (but still tall!)

We were lucky to have clouds in the sky when we went... the pictures are very dramatic. Usually it's just plain 'ol blue.

The generally accepted estimated date of its completion is c. 2500 BC. Although this date contradicts radiocarbon dating evidence, it is loosely supported by a lack of archaeological findings for the existence prior to the fourth dynasty of a civilization with sufficient population or technical ability in the area. Regardless, it's incredible!

After we got off our camels and back at the "entrance" Kate and I met up with Nic. We went to the Pyramid's "Sound and Light Show." It was hilarious. Very dramatic music, laser lights on the pyramids, very silly commentary. But it was fun and I'm so glad we went.

Sound and Light show at the Pyramids... they put the Sphinx's face back on at one point... with lasers!

By the time the show was over, we were all starving. We went to an awesome Thai restaurant and chowed down.

And now I'm exhausted and I want to go to bed! For more pictures from my trip today: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mk2/

Night!

Kate & Nic eat dinner at a yummy Thai place

Oops

I just realized that people who didn't have Blogger accounts couldn't comment! I've now changed that. If you have any questions or comments on my travels, just click "comment" and type away! Sorry!

Positive Thought of the Day: I Didn't Die!

My guidebook warned me about the streets of Cairo. This is what it says: “At all times crossing the road takes boldness. Drivers will slow down to give people time to dart across, but dithering or freezing midway confuses them and increases the risk of an accident. A prolonged horn burst indicates that the driver can’t or won’t stop. Remember that motorists obey police signals rather than traffic lights, which were only installed in the 1980’s and have still to acquire any real local credibility.”

My greatest feat of the day: not getting killed. (don’t worry mom and dad, I’m still in one piece!)

The streets are CRAZY. I can’t even begin to describe how nuts it is- think K Street rush hour traffic times a thousand with no rules. The first few times I needed to cross I got very panicky. My heart was racing and I felt nervous. I really didn’t want to do it and thought about going really out of the way to go to where I wanted to go. So then I decided to just follow the Egyptian men. It was so scary. Cars and busses are whizzing past you. You are in the middle of the street, in-between vehicles. I hated it! By the tenth time or so, you see how it works, but it never became less scary to me. I don’t like it!

The American University in Cairo (AUC) where Nic, Kate and several of my friends study Arabic

For much of today I was on my own. Nic and Kate both had classes, and I didn’t want to sit in the apartment all day, so I came along. American University in Cairo (AUC) is downtown. We took the Metro there, which is surprisingly clean. It’s packed like Japanese trains, though, and that stinks… literally. We were, of course, the morning freak show. Guys were taking pictures of us with their camera phones. Upper-class Egyptians refuse to take the Metro, so they are always surprised to see tourists on it. Hey, it’s 1 Pound (5 pounds= $1 American dollar) But we made it after only two stops.

The Cairo Metro- supringly clean, but very crowded

Kate showed me a good place to grab coffee and breakfast, and I was on my own until the afternoon. Now, mind you, I know no Arabic other than a few phrases, I can’t read the numbers (but now I can! I learned numbers 1-10 this afternoon!) and I don’t quite understand the money.

Somehow I found the coffee place and managed not to screw anything up. I picked a good spot to people watch and settled in to watch the rush hour traffic of downtown Cairo.

This isn't where I ate breakfast, but it's a big hot-spot in Cairo. So are Pizza Hut, McDonald's and Hardee's.

You’d never know it was rush hour because it’s always busy on these streets, always. But everyone on the sidewalks is taking their time, slowing their pace. This is unlike DC where if you’re not paying attention a women with red heels, a blackberry and a two-shot mocha cappuccino will mow you over. The old men are smoking hookah in small storefronts. Everything is taking double to triple the amount of time it would take in the US, including getting my orange juice.

I watched the “car parking attendants” and how they “moved” cars. Basically they smash the bumpers of all the cars together that are parked on the curb to make room for more. It’s hard to watch… I hope they don’t do that in the states.

After walking all around downtown, making friends with two guys at the car dealership and watching kids at school play on their “exercise hour,” I was already hungry again. So I stopped at the place I was supposed to meet Nic in an hour and got some pesto. Nic showed up and we headed to Coptic Christian Cairo. (Read about it in the journal entry below)

An Egyptian crosses the street in front of the museum

After visiting all the Coptic churches, Nic had to get back to school for one more class. He put me in a cab and I was on my way… sort of. Traffic was horrible downtown. It was clear the driver was very frustrated. He tried several different routes, but just couldn’t get by.

So after 10 minutes of this, he motioned for me to get out of the cab. He was tired of dealing with the traffic and was giving up. I didn’t pay him and I got out. I had NO clue where I was. I knew Nic and Kate lived on the other side of the Nile, so I started walking in that direction. After awhile I saw the Metro stop that was one stop away from their apartment. Thankfully Nic showed me how to use the Metro earlier!!! So I got on, went one stop and got home no problem. I crashed on the couch for a bit then started uploading all my pictures. Some life I have right now! :-)

I got one picture out of the cab window before I was kicked out

Tomorrow afternoon Kate and I are going to the pyramids. I can’t tell you how excited I am. I don’t even know where to start. Just the thought that I will fulfill one of the many things on my “Must Do Before I Die” list is so neat to think about.

We may get home late tomorrow, so the entry might not go up for awhile, but I promise to keep you all posted!

Coptic Christian Cairo

I have really been looking forward to this part of the trip. Coptics and their religion are fascinating to me. My dear friend Annie who spent much of her childhood in Cairo furthered my interest in college.

A small bit of background:

“The word Copt is an English word taken from the Arabic word Gibt or Gypt. It literally means Egyptian. The Arabs, after their conquest of Egypt in 641 AD, called the population of Egypt Gypt. In contemporary usage, the term "Coptic" refers to Egyptian Christians. Today, Copts form almost 13% to 15% of Egypt’s population though they are not ethnically distinct from other Egyptians as they are fully integrated into the body of the modern Egyptian nation. In 1992, there were over nine million Copts. (out of a population of some 57 million Egyptians)

The history of the Coptic Church in Egypt is basically the history of Christianity in Egypt, for the current Coptic Church is a direct evolution from those earlier times. However, it traditionally begins with the visit of the Holy Family to Egypt. Copts relate that the blessing of Christianity on their country goes back to the days when Jesus was a young boy. The holy family, consisting of the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph traveled to Egypt and lived there for some time. Numerous traditions exist about the exact locations that the holy family visited and many take annual pilgrimages following this route (it is also a popular tourist route) However, historically it was Saint Mark the Evangelist, during the first century AD, who actually is considered to be the founder of the church. He preached and suffered martyrdom in Alexandria around the time that Nero ruled Rome.

After the invasion of the Arab Muslims around the middle of the seventh century AD, the church suffered a slow decline but around the middle of the twentieth century, it experienced an unprecedented revival. This spiritual renaissance had its start in the forties and fifties in the Coptic Sunday School movements in Cairo, Giza and Asyut. Inspired by the challenges they experienced in the Sunday School classes, young men consecrated their lives to God and joined the desert fathers.”

The museum is fascinating. So many amazing found treasures that date back to the 4th century- now that blows my mind! I kept staring at the holy papers written in Coptic trying to grasp how old these documents were, and I just couldn’t do it. Americans have no sense of time or history, myself included.

Old Coptic Cairo (Masr al-Qadima) is the oldest part of Cairo, and predates what is now modern Cairo. It is believed that there was a settlement here as early as the 6th century BC. Later, the Romans built a fortress here which we know today as "Babylon". Some of these Roman walls still exist today.

After the spread of Christianity throughout Egypt, it became a Christian stronghold, with as many as twenty churches built within an area of just one square mile. Now only five remain, along with the earliest mosque ever built in Egypt.

The ones we went to:

Keniset Mar Girgis: The church of Saint George, Cairo. Originally built in 684 and rebuilt in 1857. It is best known for its wedding chamber, which dates from the 4th century AD and was reserved for marriage ceremonies.

El-Mu' Allaqa: The hanging church, Cairo. Cairo's most famous church, may have been originally built in the 7th century on the site of an older 4th century church. Built on top of the Roman walls.

The Churches and Convents of Harat Zuwaila: The church of Saint George. The church of the Virgin Mary, and the church of Saint Mercurius. Tradition holds this district was blessed by the Holy Family during their travels in Egypt.

Sitt Barbara: The church of Saint Barbara, Cairo. Exact date of construction unknown. Burnt in the Fustat fire of 750 AD and restored during the 11th century.

All very cool. I still want to do more research on these- it’s so interesting!

Coptic Christian alley

A guard at one of the Coptic Christian Churches

Clouds in Cairo- a miracle!

Alley in the Marketplace in Coptic Cairo

A little girl looks into the ruins of a Coptic Church

A door to a moseuleum in the Coptic Christian cemetary

A fantastic Coptic Church

Loved this one!