Monday, April 27, 2009

A Full Day in Cairo

I'm very grateful for the rain, but it does wreak havoc with our internet connection. It seems I can upload about 2 pictures a day. So thanks for your patience...

As I think back on our second day in Egypt, I can't believe all that we did! In the morning, we headed the Egyptian Museum, pictured here. Cameras were not allowed inside, but there were some pretty cool hieroglyphics and statues out in the courtyard. The museum itself was vast, and I could have spent a lot more time there. I wasn't much a fan of the leering guards (or the leering Egyptian men in general), but the museum itself was terrific- I especially enjoyed the Mummy Room and the artifacts from King Tut's tomb.

The day before, we had been to the Pyramids, a papyrus factory, and a clothing store specializing in Egyptian Cotton (oh, and McDonald's, and Chilis). Today we continued our journey, heading from the Museum to the Citadel. Here we are eating snacks while waiting in line to get in. Anyhow, inside the Citadel there's an impressive mosque- the tallest minarets I've ever seen- and beautiful architecture. We took off our shoes in respect; now I can prove that my toes have been in Egypt. =)

From the Citadel we moved on to a big bazaar: Khan El-Kalili. Now, I thought I was pretty adept at bargaining and at ignoring pushy salesman. I was wrong. This was _much_ more intense than bargaining in Kenya, and I was quickly overwhelmed by the narrow streets, heaps of vendors, and winding alleyways. Eventually I and the Chrises bailed, while Wendy and our guide Marwa went back for round two. But despite my early exit, I did get some good stuff for my apartment, and I bought my grandmother the pyramid she requested.

The sun was going down, but our day was not yet over- time to catch the overnight train to Luxor. At the train station we stood around for hours waiting for our train, observing the groups of tourists, trying to guess nationalities, and eating the KFC we had picked up along the way (our 2nd meal from there that day...). A prisoners' train came through, we got cussed at and tried to avoid eye contact, and the next one was our "luxury sleeper" to Luxor. After a few hands of Rook, we fell asleep to prepare for the next day in Upper Egypt.

More to come- we visited my favorite place the next day...

Monday, April 20, 2009

Pyramid Pictures

The basics: a Pyramid, the Sphinx, the people.
The people from left to right are Chris Lehman, Jessie Gac, Wendy Porter, and Chris Ritchie.

The second pyramid, with a little of the original covering still on it.

Did you know the pyramids aren't in the middle of nowhere? They're practically in the city, and definitely affected by that city's haze early in the morning...

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Egypt Observations

You've probably noticed the delay in getting any Egypt info up since my return... How do I summarize a trip like that- the silly, the serious, the majestic, the tacky, the wonder, the frustration, the expected, the surprising?

Hm. Maybe I'll work from least to greatest. We went to McDonalds a lot. Five times in fact. I say this with utter embarrasment, but have to quickly add that I was a willing participant, and that we also went to Starbuck's, KFC, Pizza Hut, TGI Friday's, and Chili's. If I had been coming from the US to Egypt, I would have scorned these things and been disgusted by the sprawl of American marketing. Coming from Kenya, where none of those chains exist, they were welcome tastes of home. I maintain enough of my scorn to have mixed feelings about our eating habits, but I'll confess that I enjoyed my chicken crispers.

Another unexpected taste of home- I ran into people from Los Alamos in our little tour group! There were the 4 of us Rosslyn teachers, a woman from Tasmania, and a couple who work at the Lab. Weird. My Rosslyn friends are _starting_ to believe the stories I tell about "the other LA" after being asked questions like "What latitude do you live at?" =) I love nerds.

Of course the sightseeing was phenomenal: I'VE BEEN INSIDE A PYRAMID! You know, the Great ones! In Egypt! It was hot and stuffy and narrow (and made me want to sing the Indiana Jones theme). I've dipped my hand in The River Nile- our tour guides never referred to it as The Nile, nor The Nile River. Always The River Nile. I've feared for my life while an Egyptian cab driver takes his hands off the wheel to clap along to his favorite song while navigating crazy traffic. I've been to The Egyptian Museum. Not the wing in the British Museum, nor the stuff displayed in the Louvre. The one in Cairo. That one. I've been inches away from mummies and wondered at how their hair is still preserved. I've seen alabaster canopic jars with the organs still inside (ew). I now own some Egyptian cotton and know what the costume designer in The Incredibles was talking about. =) I've bargained for jewelry in an Arabic bazaar (didn't bargain in Arabic, of course), and I've touched hieroglyphics in the Valley of the Kings. I've wandered the catacombs in Alexandria and pondered The Citadel in Cairo. I've been dwarfed by the columns at Karnak and burned my feet on desert sand.

What I apparently _can't_ do tonight is get my pictures to upload, so I'll have to save my further musing for another date. But I hope you enjoyed this preview (hint: comments inspire further blogging).

Friday, April 3, 2009

I'm Off!

Well, Spring Break is officially here! My grades are exported, my lesson plans written, my xeroxing done. I can walk into my classroom on the 14th ready to go. So I feel free and easy, but I've worked plenty hard this week and am in that beginning-of-vacation crash mode, the one where I fall asleep watching a movie on Friday afternoon and _maybe_ wake up Saturday for dinner...

But I'll have to forgo my usual hibernation this time: I'm leaving for EGYPT!!! =) =)

Yes indeedy, at 2 AM tonight/tomorrow the taxi will stop outside my apartment, and I'll load in myself and my big blue backpack. 3 more folks to pick up, flight leaves at 5:15, arrive in Cairo mid-morning, and head straight for the pyramids. The camera's charging, I have an extra pair of contacts, we've stocked up on Dramamine for the plane/bus/boat/train rides, and I'm ready to kick Chris, Chris, and Wendy's butts at Sudoku. They're ready to kick mine at Rook no doubt, and they promise to teach me ?Yuker? Eucher? Euchre? Youkurr? Sure. I look forward to a lot of laughter, some amazing sights, and stories to tell for years.

Pictures are sure to follow. Have a terrific Easter!