When I left Athens on May 1 to spend spring break in Egypt, I knew I would be seeing, in the flesh, the pyramids, tombs and temples I've only read about in books. I did not know of the cultural awakening I would experience and how deep of an impact it would leave. As always, I want to impart every detail of every experience, but I could literally write thousands of words. So for now I'll just share the major highlights and let future conversations fill in the holes.
I fell in love with the people of Egypt our very first night in Cairo. Cairo itself is an overpopulated, polluted city with drivers honking their horns 24/7. But down side streets and in smaller neighborhoods, the people practice a sense of community togetherness lacking in America. We decided to wander toward the Nile River and got what seemed to be rather easy instructions from the hotel owner. We ended up taking a wrong turn somewhere, and we had no detailed map of Cairo. Our plan was to get lost and then hail one of the ubiquitous taxis to get back to the hotel. And I'm so glad we meandered because we ended up walking through this neighborhood with people working outside their shops and children running around playing. Men and women wore the traditional clothing--women with their headscarves around their hands and men in their gallibaya. You could immediately tell it was an area through which not many tourists walk, but nearly every one of them waved at us and said "Welcome to Egypt." They were so excited to see us. They didn't condemn us for being different but were truly happy to welcome us to their country. I instantly felt safe and at home, as if I had been to Egypt numerous times before. Once we finally found the Nile, we walked across one of the bridges, and I could not fathom the great fortune I had received.
All together, I have a collection of 17 ticket stubs to tombs, temples and museums in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan. Our first full day was spent riding camels and horses around the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. They were awesome in the truest sense of the word and more impressive than I ever imagined. On Sunday we spent about two-and-a-half hours in the Cairo Museum, where we saw the special exhibit of pharaoh mummies and the items found in King Tut's tomb, including the famous mask. Then we explored a bazaar. Bargaining is an art form in Egypt. You casually look around but don't try to appear like you're really interested in something. You ask how much, they give a much higher price than what they want, you say it's too much and that you'll look at other places or you just saw it for half that price. I learned to throw in that I was a student and that there should be a discount for that as well. It worked because I got some good deals on papyrus, perfume, Egyptian glass and some other trinkets. On a side note, it did take awhile to get accustomed to the currency, the Egyptian pound. The exchange rate to the dollar is about $5.60, so when something would be 30 pounds, my initial reaction would be "whoa," but then you have to divide by 5 to get an idea of what that's worth in American dollars, so 30 pounds is actually only a little less than $6.
On Sunday night, we took a sleeping train from Cairo to Luxor, a beautiful relief from the craziness of Cairo. We explored the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens, walking through the tombs of the ancient monarchs. I was struck by how well-preserved the wall decorations are and how vivid the colors and designs still are. It was neat to point how different scenes of funeral processions and the different gods and goddesses. The next day we spent wandering how the Karnak and Luxor temples--absolutely massive statues and tall columns covered in symbols and friezes. On Wednesday we hit up the other tombs and temples on the West Bank, including Workers' Village, Tombs of the Nobles, and the temples of Ramses II and Ramses III.
Luxor is divided into two areas by the Nile River--the East Bank and the West Bank. The East Bank is much more developed, but our hotel was on the West Bank, and we all feel so fortunate for the cultural encounters we experienced there. Our hotel was a short walk from the ferry dock, but to get there we walked through a part of a small village, where men and women walked and sat, wearing traditional clothing, children ran around playing asking us our names. We truly experienced the real Egypt and how the average people live. On Tuesday night we attended a wedding on the street right outside our hotel. We were told that it would start at 10 p.m. but Egyptian time always runs about an hour behind, so we got to at least watch some of the music and dancing. Men and women sat in different areas, and it was neat to observe the social interactions. The village is like one big family, everyone looking out for each other.
On our last night in Luxor, we rode on a felucca boat to Banana Island, an area filled with banana trees. There's a restaurant and all they serve is tray of fresh bananas--so I ate 10 for dinner. It was so peaceful just floating along the Nile, taking in the beauty. I could have very well spent the evening just floating around napping.
Thursday morning we woke up early to catch a train to Aswan, where we spent the day wandering around the Philae Temple, visiting the High Dam, eating a delicious Egyptian meal along the Nile and watching the felucca boats. We then took the sleeping train back to Cairo that night. On our last full day in Egypt, we explored Coptic Cairo, an area full of Christian churches, as well as a synagogue and nunnery. The inside of the churches are gorgeous. Of course, we were in Egypt so we wanted to see the inside of a Mosque. Friday, however, is the most important day of prayer for Muslims, so the main mosques were closed to visitors and non-Muslims throughout the afternoon. However, we did experience something incredible. We walked to the Bab Zuwayla city gate, where we walked up a minaret. From the top we had an amazing view of the city, interesting because you can see tall skyscrapers on the horizon but filthy roofs in front of us covered in trash and just run-down. Most breathtaking, though, was the number of minarets towering over the city, signifying their importance. It was a little after 1 p.m., peak time for the Muslim prayers. The prayers are distribute through a loudspeaker, and it was so amazing to hear all of these different prayers at once from all directions. The combined sounds were so beautiful and impressive.
Although seeing the pyramids, Sphinx, tombs and temples was extremely exhilarating, the most incredible experience of my time in Egypt came Friday afternoon.
While waiting for the sleeping train to arrive on Sunday night, we met Travis, a guy around our age who spent some years of his childhood in Egypt. He gave us tips for what to see in Luxor, and we actually ended up bumping into him quite a few times at the tombs and temples. We found out he was going to be in Cairo on Friday, when we planned to go back since we were to fly out on Saturday morning. He invited us to join him at the farm of a family friend for a traditional Egyptian lunch. We traveled about 45 minutes to the north of Cairo, passing beautiful countryside. Nabil, Travis' friend, treated us to this flat, flaky bread as large as a pizza crust, which we ate with fresh honey and cheese. We then spent a few hours just sitting with the family that works on Nabil's farm and lives in an apartment complex just behind the one cornfield. In Egypt, the strong sense of family is wholly overpowering. There was an 8-month-old baby girl named Amil that the mother let me hold for awhile, and at least 6 or 7 other children. Most of the younger ones were a little on the shy side, but one of the older girls, probably around 14 or 15, grabbed my hand and asked me to join her while she helped prepare the tea. She showed me her room and we sat around. I found some pen and paper and drew a smiley face and wrote my name, and had one of the younger girls do the same. I could tell they all had many questions for me but didn't know enough English to ask. When it was time to leave, I said goodbye to the older girl Egyptian style (kisses on both cheeks), and then one of the most moving experiences of my life occurred--she called my name with both hands extended and asked "You'll come back?" I felt the tears coming and knew that I will have to return again very soon.
I was just amazed at the happiness they emitted with their beautiful smiles and laughs, and how close they were as a family, working together day in and day out, living in a small house. I feel in America we take family for granted, and as a society we're missing out on the pure joy community connectedness can bring. I can't pinpoint the feeling just yet, but after leaving that farm, I feel a compelling urge to immerse myself more fully in their lives and the lives of others like them in third-world countries.
But...Greece is still pretty amazing, too! I can't believe I have just 6 weeks left to explore.