Just a note to any silent readers I haven't spoken with--
Chris and I are safe and out of Egypt. We did stay around for a few weeks of the uprising, even took a trip along the northern coast!
I'm in the process of updating my blog, however my camera was stolen so I am trying to locate some early pictures saved on a friend's computer...
Our final days in Cairo were very eventful so please stay tuned :)
Monday, January 24, 2011
Cairo (pre-revolution!)
After and early, pizza-filled, low-key night at the hotel Chris and I woke early to catch our 6:30 am train. Low and behold we entered the lobby downstairs to find our escort already up and waiting for us. He ran as we casually biked to the station.
Catching the train out of Asyut- police escorts behind
Once on the train, we comfortably watched scenes from life on the Nile quickly passing by from our window seats. I barely had time to notice whole towns fly by, unaware of how slow their morning rituals are. Outside the villages an early morning fog hovered to create a thick sea of whiteness, covering the ground and allowing only the tops of the date palms to be seen.
Early morning river fog from train window
We arrived around noon at Giza Station, then biked our way over the bridge to Garden City, a slightly upscale neighborhood where many embassies are located. Chris and I stayed here a few days with a friend and former ASU student, Na'ila, who is currently living and freelance writing for some arts magazines in Cairo. She knew Chris through the Islamic Students Association and Al Hamdulilah for Facebook she invited us over!
Cairo left and right, divided by the Nile
We spent the next few days exploring the ins and outs of Cairo together, getting tips on which street food vendors won't rip us off and sharing endless stories of Egyptian men being creepy and sometimes outright sexually harassing. Chris and I always have attention on us but especially in Egypt and Cairo I face a near constant army of men staring, yelling, hissing, kissing, and trying to talk to me. While on my bike a guy reached out a taxi van window and slid his hand down my back as I passed. So freakin creepy. It's much harder for Na'ila because she is alone.
Chris and Naila entering the Coptic Quarter
Na'ila took us first to the Coptic neighborhood, where we wandered in and around the empty churches, admired the architecture, silently observed Egyptian scenes of Jesus' life and biblical figures exibited through various art mediums, and soaked in the thick clouds of burning frankincense. We even paid some baksheesh to get into a tomb, peering through lattice screens from the women's hidden quarter upstairs.
Coptic Cairo by night
Ladies' view of the pew, upstairs and behind lattice screens
Afterward we went to a chic art gallery to see exhibits by contemporary Egyptian artists. Some pieces were interactive, some mixed media, others photography and paint exhibits. Outside in a garden sat what looked to be a large tomb; inside a table with bottles of snake venom and a warning that tonight the hallucinogenic drink would be free. (It was actually just water but fun to take the first sip)
Testing the weight of the glass floor inside the Darb1718 Art Gallery
Same man, many disguises
Mystery snake venom tomb
Entering the snake tomb
Hallucinogenic Snake Venom
Then a large crowd of hip and in-the-know Cairians gathered to sit on plush orange bean bags strewn across the lawn, comfortably watching Egyptian electronic ("egyptronica") performers playing from the gallery's rooftop. I am glad to see and experience this unique atmosphere, but simply sitting to listen to sounds of the moog is not my cup of tea.
Egyptronica at Darb 1718
Chris and I also rode our bikes over to the National Egyptian Museum, an enormous warehouse full of ancient artifacts and statues. The interior is that of an old British library; dusty and stuffed full of worn, wooden cases. I was incredibly disappointed in the complete absence of labels, English or otherwise. At best they might say the carbon date or pharonic period, but overall nothing in the museum actually taught or enlightened visitors about the life, culture, habits, etc., of the Egyptian people.
Outside the Egyptian Museum
I'm glad I took several archaeology courses and have a fairly good knowledge base already, but then what is the point in coming to a museum? On the plus side, highlights include a display case of ancient wigs (have you seen 3000 year old hair??), Tutankhamen's bust, and several rooms full of papyrus scrolls depicting hieroglyphs and Greek scribbles.
No cameras prohibited inside, so we capture the public statues
Our first (and only) sphinx outside the National Museum
Na'ila took us to meet a friend and explore the grand Khan el-Khalili bazaar, the endless maze of Egyptian treasures. Without realizing we arrived on a Sunday night, all the shops were closed down. Instead, we wandered around the Islamic quarter, a street of magnificent mosques and old shops that is colorfully illuminated at night.
Strolling the well-lit cobblestone cooridor on Muizz Street
Minbar at the Qalawun Complex, Along Muizz Street (Islamic Cairo)
Ancient architecture on Muizz Street (Islamic Cairo)
Inside a han, from the early Islamic-Ottoman dynasties, inside Islamic Cairo
A note about biking:
Despite the insanely traffic-clustered streets we have found Cairo to be fairly easy and enjoyable to navigate through. This is mostly because it is flat and we can slip passed cars by sliding along the side gutter gaps, allowing us to bike faster than cars and reaching "far" distances sooner than we would by metro. Having said that, I will admit we are almost constantly suffering headaches due to the smoggy pollution and exhaust.
Beautiful, old buildings on every corner
One afternoon Chris and I biked over above the citadel to Al Azhar Park, a beautifully landscaped greenspace overlooking the city. The park was created by the Agha Khan Trust for Culture, as part of a historical preservation project, helping to recapture and renovate the land, as well as creating "lungs" for the city.
Fountains at Al Azhar entrance, where families splash around
Young couples and families picnicing at Al Azhar park, overlooking Cairo's cityscape
Peaceful picnis at Al Azhar Park
Dusk and mosques from Al Azhar Park
From there we popped in to the Khan el-Khalili bazaar (again), a series of long streets bustling with Egyptian goods and tourists. Most of it is just highly marked up Chinese junk, and everybody says as soon as you enter you will get ripped off. Lucky for us we don't want to stock up on pyramid paperweights or shiny belly dancer costumes.
Open all night: Khan el-Khalili street vendors
Sheesha browsing inside Khan el-Khalili
Over in the Islamic quarter is the sheesha street, where dozens of sheesha supply shops await entrepreneurial cafe owners. After about a half dozen shops Chris decided on the place, where a trio of Muhammeds helped assemble 5 sturdy and ornately decorated sets. They are more expensive than most other options we saw, but definitely higher quality. Next trick will be trying to find a way to pack them on the plane!
Personalizing all the parts of pieces of Chris' sheeshas
Chris and Muhammeds 1, 2, and 3, the sheesha salesmen
Chris' first set! Hookah lounge here he comes!
Before leaving town we stopped at our favorite street stall, where fhuul (bean) sandwiches are 20 cents. Not only beans, but any combo of falafel, egg, egg stuffed falafel, deep fried egg, eggplant, babaganoush, salads, fried potatoes, and chips can be arranged. I'm partial to bean, boiled egg, and eggplant pide, a protein packed meal I've been severely lacking. We also ran across a small series of protestors out in the streets. Small and civil, nothing outrageous, which made us scoff a bit about the rumors of big demonstrations to come.
Street meals: falafel, fried eggplant, boiled eggs, beans, pickled veggies... all delicious!
One of the first protestors we ran across
Small, orderly protests before the Big Day
Police units are organized (if not nervous!)
This time we departed from Ramses Station, which is under heavy construction. Navigating through ply board passageways and with a near constant sprinkling of dust from overhead rafters, we booked seats on the two pm departure.
Typical Garden City apartment entrance, influenced by early century English gardens
Final train ride- to Alexandria!
Catching the train out of Asyut- police escorts behind
Once on the train, we comfortably watched scenes from life on the Nile quickly passing by from our window seats. I barely had time to notice whole towns fly by, unaware of how slow their morning rituals are. Outside the villages an early morning fog hovered to create a thick sea of whiteness, covering the ground and allowing only the tops of the date palms to be seen.
Early morning river fog from train window
We arrived around noon at Giza Station, then biked our way over the bridge to Garden City, a slightly upscale neighborhood where many embassies are located. Chris and I stayed here a few days with a friend and former ASU student, Na'ila, who is currently living and freelance writing for some arts magazines in Cairo. She knew Chris through the Islamic Students Association and Al Hamdulilah for Facebook she invited us over!
Cairo left and right, divided by the Nile
We spent the next few days exploring the ins and outs of Cairo together, getting tips on which street food vendors won't rip us off and sharing endless stories of Egyptian men being creepy and sometimes outright sexually harassing. Chris and I always have attention on us but especially in Egypt and Cairo I face a near constant army of men staring, yelling, hissing, kissing, and trying to talk to me. While on my bike a guy reached out a taxi van window and slid his hand down my back as I passed. So freakin creepy. It's much harder for Na'ila because she is alone.
Chris and Naila entering the Coptic Quarter
Na'ila took us first to the Coptic neighborhood, where we wandered in and around the empty churches, admired the architecture, silently observed Egyptian scenes of Jesus' life and biblical figures exibited through various art mediums, and soaked in the thick clouds of burning frankincense. We even paid some baksheesh to get into a tomb, peering through lattice screens from the women's hidden quarter upstairs.
Coptic Cairo by night
Ladies' view of the pew, upstairs and behind lattice screens
Afterward we went to a chic art gallery to see exhibits by contemporary Egyptian artists. Some pieces were interactive, some mixed media, others photography and paint exhibits. Outside in a garden sat what looked to be a large tomb; inside a table with bottles of snake venom and a warning that tonight the hallucinogenic drink would be free. (It was actually just water but fun to take the first sip)
Testing the weight of the glass floor inside the Darb1718 Art Gallery
Same man, many disguises
Mystery snake venom tomb
Entering the snake tomb
Hallucinogenic Snake Venom
Then a large crowd of hip and in-the-know Cairians gathered to sit on plush orange bean bags strewn across the lawn, comfortably watching Egyptian electronic ("egyptronica") performers playing from the gallery's rooftop. I am glad to see and experience this unique atmosphere, but simply sitting to listen to sounds of the moog is not my cup of tea.
Egyptronica at Darb 1718
Chris and I also rode our bikes over to the National Egyptian Museum, an enormous warehouse full of ancient artifacts and statues. The interior is that of an old British library; dusty and stuffed full of worn, wooden cases. I was incredibly disappointed in the complete absence of labels, English or otherwise. At best they might say the carbon date or pharonic period, but overall nothing in the museum actually taught or enlightened visitors about the life, culture, habits, etc., of the Egyptian people.
Outside the Egyptian Museum
I'm glad I took several archaeology courses and have a fairly good knowledge base already, but then what is the point in coming to a museum? On the plus side, highlights include a display case of ancient wigs (have you seen 3000 year old hair??), Tutankhamen's bust, and several rooms full of papyrus scrolls depicting hieroglyphs and Greek scribbles.
No cameras prohibited inside, so we capture the public statues
Our first (and only) sphinx outside the National Museum
Na'ila took us to meet a friend and explore the grand Khan el-Khalili bazaar, the endless maze of Egyptian treasures. Without realizing we arrived on a Sunday night, all the shops were closed down. Instead, we wandered around the Islamic quarter, a street of magnificent mosques and old shops that is colorfully illuminated at night.
Strolling the well-lit cobblestone cooridor on Muizz Street
Minbar at the Qalawun Complex, Along Muizz Street (Islamic Cairo)
Ancient architecture on Muizz Street (Islamic Cairo)
Inside a han, from the early Islamic-Ottoman dynasties, inside Islamic Cairo
A note about biking:
Despite the insanely traffic-clustered streets we have found Cairo to be fairly easy and enjoyable to navigate through. This is mostly because it is flat and we can slip passed cars by sliding along the side gutter gaps, allowing us to bike faster than cars and reaching "far" distances sooner than we would by metro. Having said that, I will admit we are almost constantly suffering headaches due to the smoggy pollution and exhaust.
Beautiful, old buildings on every corner
One afternoon Chris and I biked over above the citadel to Al Azhar Park, a beautifully landscaped greenspace overlooking the city. The park was created by the Agha Khan Trust for Culture, as part of a historical preservation project, helping to recapture and renovate the land, as well as creating "lungs" for the city.
Fountains at Al Azhar entrance, where families splash around
Young couples and families picnicing at Al Azhar park, overlooking Cairo's cityscape
Peaceful picnis at Al Azhar Park
Dusk and mosques from Al Azhar Park
From there we popped in to the Khan el-Khalili bazaar (again), a series of long streets bustling with Egyptian goods and tourists. Most of it is just highly marked up Chinese junk, and everybody says as soon as you enter you will get ripped off. Lucky for us we don't want to stock up on pyramid paperweights or shiny belly dancer costumes.
Open all night: Khan el-Khalili street vendors
Sheesha browsing inside Khan el-Khalili
Over in the Islamic quarter is the sheesha street, where dozens of sheesha supply shops await entrepreneurial cafe owners. After about a half dozen shops Chris decided on the place, where a trio of Muhammeds helped assemble 5 sturdy and ornately decorated sets. They are more expensive than most other options we saw, but definitely higher quality. Next trick will be trying to find a way to pack them on the plane!
Personalizing all the parts of pieces of Chris' sheeshas
Chris and Muhammeds 1, 2, and 3, the sheesha salesmen
Chris' first set! Hookah lounge here he comes!
Before leaving town we stopped at our favorite street stall, where fhuul (bean) sandwiches are 20 cents. Not only beans, but any combo of falafel, egg, egg stuffed falafel, deep fried egg, eggplant, babaganoush, salads, fried potatoes, and chips can be arranged. I'm partial to bean, boiled egg, and eggplant pide, a protein packed meal I've been severely lacking. We also ran across a small series of protestors out in the streets. Small and civil, nothing outrageous, which made us scoff a bit about the rumors of big demonstrations to come.
Street meals: falafel, fried eggplant, boiled eggs, beans, pickled veggies... all delicious!
One of the first protestors we ran across
Small, orderly protests before the Big Day
Police units are organized (if not nervous!)
This time we departed from Ramses Station, which is under heavy construction. Navigating through ply board passageways and with a near constant sprinkling of dust from overhead rafters, we booked seats on the two pm departure.
Typical Garden City apartment entrance, influenced by early century English gardens
Final train ride- to Alexandria!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Asyut and the Po Po
Today we woke in the hotel, the one place that seemed ok with police officers sticking us here. Our bathroom is just outside the door, but heck for $6 I can't complain.
Our fancy $4 hotel room in Asyut
As we finally left the building in the late morning a group of police officers were downstairs waiting. They said wait one moment, as if we should also be waiting around for them to ferry us to another check point, but we walked on. What's this? We are in a big city, abiding by normal tourist roles. Chris and I walked in circles for an hour, partly trying to ditch the team of cops trailing us (actually walking with us, taking the orders not to leave our site quite literally), we finally got a group of guys to help us find an internet cafe. Several people we asked refused to help or talk to us because of our entourage.
A little worn, but classy hotel entrance in Asyut (which we were turned away from)
Two of our police escorts waiting outside our hotel
Asyut itself is incredibly unremarkable. As a city it is dirty, crowded, and loud, but can also give a quick urban injection of the bright lights and restaurants and shopping plazas most tourists crave. Quite a change of pace from the tranquil Nile villages. Culturewise there is clearly a large population of Coptic Christians, with several enormous churches and equal numbers of uncovered women. There are also many gargantuan, overgrown estates tucked among the neighborhoods (we explored extensively, trying to lose our officer pals by darting down narrow and one way alleys...), giving the illusion of a once-opulent bourgeois class...
Asyut architecture
From the overpass above Asyut's train, connecting Cairo to Aswan
Chris and I decided to stay another night and take a morning train, so we booked our tickets and ordered a pizza to take down to the riverfront. Such a break from endless falafel and bean sandwiches-- and surprisingly well made! I am suddenly a little nostalgic for Albanian-Italian cuisine.
Feluccas-- still used to cross the Nile
Before takeoff, courtesy Chris' camera
Around twilight we sat by the Nile, watching as a few feluccas drifted between banks, and listening to the chirpy chatter of thousands of birds overhead before heading back to a quiet night in our fondouk.
Our fancy $4 hotel room in Asyut
As we finally left the building in the late morning a group of police officers were downstairs waiting. They said wait one moment, as if we should also be waiting around for them to ferry us to another check point, but we walked on. What's this? We are in a big city, abiding by normal tourist roles. Chris and I walked in circles for an hour, partly trying to ditch the team of cops trailing us (actually walking with us, taking the orders not to leave our site quite literally), we finally got a group of guys to help us find an internet cafe. Several people we asked refused to help or talk to us because of our entourage.
A little worn, but classy hotel entrance in Asyut (which we were turned away from)
Two of our police escorts waiting outside our hotel
Asyut itself is incredibly unremarkable. As a city it is dirty, crowded, and loud, but can also give a quick urban injection of the bright lights and restaurants and shopping plazas most tourists crave. Quite a change of pace from the tranquil Nile villages. Culturewise there is clearly a large population of Coptic Christians, with several enormous churches and equal numbers of uncovered women. There are also many gargantuan, overgrown estates tucked among the neighborhoods (we explored extensively, trying to lose our officer pals by darting down narrow and one way alleys...), giving the illusion of a once-opulent bourgeois class...
Asyut architecture
From the overpass above Asyut's train, connecting Cairo to Aswan
Chris and I decided to stay another night and take a morning train, so we booked our tickets and ordered a pizza to take down to the riverfront. Such a break from endless falafel and bean sandwiches-- and surprisingly well made! I am suddenly a little nostalgic for Albanian-Italian cuisine.
Feluccas-- still used to cross the Nile
Before takeoff, courtesy Chris' camera
Around twilight we sat by the Nile, watching as a few feluccas drifted between banks, and listening to the chirpy chatter of thousands of birds overhead before heading back to a quiet night in our fondouk.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Playtime on El Neel
Sohag Checkpoint to Asyut
Distance: 55 km
Time: 3:27:00
Ave Speed: 16 km/hr
Max Speed: 23.2 km/hr
Temp: 15 C
Weather: Cold and foggy until peak noon warmth, no wind
We woke to a thick layer of fog, too thick to even see the road. A new shift of very intrigued policemen awaited us, eagerly insisting we come speak to the captain. He sat in his office, a young guy from lower Egypt, comfortably directing the other officers. He speaks English well and offered us the use of his laptob to check our email.
Early morning fog at the Sohag station
Camping behind the Sohag check point
They finally agreed to let us bike ourselves, as long as their motorcop escorted us. After 20 minutes or so an old man arrived on his bike and we took off. He quickly learned the limitations of our speed, obviously annoyed at our rate of 20 km/hr and constant stops to take photos.
Our police escort
After 30 min or so he finally gave up, speeding away into the fog. The river around Sohag is spectacular; life unchanged throughout the centuries. We watched as people performed their early morning chores-- heading to the fields, cooking breakfast, crowding an outdoor cafe for tea.
Those cows are wearing clothes!
People excited to see foreigners in their village
By noon the sun birned off all the fog clouding the air. We continued along passing village after village. There are hardly any cars on this national highway, probably because everyone takes the train. Its nice not to be surrounded by semis!
Endless fields on both sides of the river
Typical village and mosque, reflecting in the water
Nileside mosque
During a brief stop along the river, in search of some quite time where we don't automatically become swarmed by crowds of screaming children, a man in a truck pulled over to talk with his. His English was fairly good, but he was clearly nervous to speak. We turned down an invitiation to follow him home, only because we really needed 10 more minutes of not talking and explaining ourselves (exhaustion of the same we're American, we've been biking from Albania, we're married, no children, maybe later....).
Standard mud homes-- so eco friendly!
Rare moment of peace and no children
After he left we biked on, turning the corner and immediately found ourselves facing a police truck, patiently waiting. Like old friends, we jokingly climbed into the back and began another parade from checkpoint to checkpoint. The officers are always extremely pleasant, though insistent, and are only following orders.
Sure ok we'll get in...
From the open truckbed we noticed caves up in the mountains, tombs we were told, from Pharonic times. Who knows really how old they are, but they certainly are intriguing. I am shocked there is no tourist circuit set up along here-- such a beautiful place young backpackers could be exploring, especially with homestays. But at the same time I selfishly love that no foreigners come here, a side of Egypt not touched by development.
Pharoah's caves? Perhaps
Sunset over the Nile
Eventually the police took us into a large city, Asyut. They intended to drop us off at a checkpoint, but when we said we had no clue where to stay they drove us to the downtown area. They even took us from hotel to hotel, asking for a room, but we were consistently turned down. After awhile we noticed the pattern of being "full, complete, sorry-- goodbye!" and then watching someone else would walk in and they'd have an opening. One propriator outright refused us a room specifically because we came with the police. Apparently nobody wants these guys around.
Finally we found a place who didn't mind our escorts, right near the train station. Ranging from upscale suites to low key shared-bathrooms, we checked in and climbed up the flights of stairs to ours, happy for a warm night on a real bed.
Distance: 55 km
Time: 3:27:00
Ave Speed: 16 km/hr
Max Speed: 23.2 km/hr
Temp: 15 C
Weather: Cold and foggy until peak noon warmth, no wind
We woke to a thick layer of fog, too thick to even see the road. A new shift of very intrigued policemen awaited us, eagerly insisting we come speak to the captain. He sat in his office, a young guy from lower Egypt, comfortably directing the other officers. He speaks English well and offered us the use of his laptob to check our email.
Early morning fog at the Sohag station
Camping behind the Sohag check point
They finally agreed to let us bike ourselves, as long as their motorcop escorted us. After 20 minutes or so an old man arrived on his bike and we took off. He quickly learned the limitations of our speed, obviously annoyed at our rate of 20 km/hr and constant stops to take photos.
Our police escort
After 30 min or so he finally gave up, speeding away into the fog. The river around Sohag is spectacular; life unchanged throughout the centuries. We watched as people performed their early morning chores-- heading to the fields, cooking breakfast, crowding an outdoor cafe for tea.
Those cows are wearing clothes!
People excited to see foreigners in their village
By noon the sun birned off all the fog clouding the air. We continued along passing village after village. There are hardly any cars on this national highway, probably because everyone takes the train. Its nice not to be surrounded by semis!
Endless fields on both sides of the river
Typical village and mosque, reflecting in the water
Nileside mosque
During a brief stop along the river, in search of some quite time where we don't automatically become swarmed by crowds of screaming children, a man in a truck pulled over to talk with his. His English was fairly good, but he was clearly nervous to speak. We turned down an invitiation to follow him home, only because we really needed 10 more minutes of not talking and explaining ourselves (exhaustion of the same we're American, we've been biking from Albania, we're married, no children, maybe later....).
Standard mud homes-- so eco friendly!
Rare moment of peace and no children
After he left we biked on, turning the corner and immediately found ourselves facing a police truck, patiently waiting. Like old friends, we jokingly climbed into the back and began another parade from checkpoint to checkpoint. The officers are always extremely pleasant, though insistent, and are only following orders.
Sure ok we'll get in...
From the open truckbed we noticed caves up in the mountains, tombs we were told, from Pharonic times. Who knows really how old they are, but they certainly are intriguing. I am shocked there is no tourist circuit set up along here-- such a beautiful place young backpackers could be exploring, especially with homestays. But at the same time I selfishly love that no foreigners come here, a side of Egypt not touched by development.
Pharoah's caves? Perhaps
Sunset over the Nile
Eventually the police took us into a large city, Asyut. They intended to drop us off at a checkpoint, but when we said we had no clue where to stay they drove us to the downtown area. They even took us from hotel to hotel, asking for a room, but we were consistently turned down. After awhile we noticed the pattern of being "full, complete, sorry-- goodbye!" and then watching someone else would walk in and they'd have an opening. One propriator outright refused us a room specifically because we came with the police. Apparently nobody wants these guys around.
Finally we found a place who didn't mind our escorts, right near the train station. Ranging from upscale suites to low key shared-bathrooms, we checked in and climbed up the flights of stairs to ours, happy for a warm night on a real bed.
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