Epilogue

Kim: The SS Sudan was awesome. I’d recommend this trip to anyone. The Mediterranean and the Red Sea were both beautiful. The pyramids were awe inspiring. The negatives: Summer temperatures in Africa, the constant tipping, days of diarrhea, and the flies all over our food in the Sinai.

Jon: Without a doubt, the best experience was sleeping on the sands between several palm trees, looking up at the stars before falling asleep. The cruise on the Sudan was also great; we were treated like royalty! Snorkeling over the reefs in Sharm el-Sheik was also a great experience. The coral and fish were very colorful. The constant tipping and bargaining for basic necessities does drive you crazy after a while. For a country that derives most of its income from tourism, the constant hassle from vendors and people expecting tips creates an environment where tourists leave with a bad impression of the country. How could you dislike a trip where you bring your wife back several pounds lighter than when she left!

Aerocontact was a great agency to work with. Hussein Fahti tried to work in all of our requests. The guides he supplied were very good. Our main guide Salma Kassem, was the best!

Sheik Mousa at the el-Milga Bedouin Camp set-up a good itinerary based on the time of year we were there. Our guide Ragab was very good.

Day 24 – Long Road Home

We got up for a breakfast of ham and cheese. We had not seen any pig meat since we left the States. Since the Muslims do not eat pork, bacon was really beef bacon and pulled pork sandwiches were pulled lamb. Mmmmm, pork – the Muslims do not know what they are missing!

Once in America, we tried to find the missing box. We met some helpful Delta baggage claim people who tried to find the box. It is now lost in some baggage claim area. Hopefully they will find it soon.

On the last flight, my back was hurting. We only had one seat per side. I loosened my seat belt and leaned over and put my head on the opposite seat. It wasn’t long before the co-pilot came back to see if I was OK. They thought I was sick or dead.

It is good to be home!

Day 23 – London Calling

We were sad to leave Egypt, but were looking forward to getting home. We have been traveling for over three weeks. We have seen so many things, that there is not much else to see!

London was a shock to the body. After 45°C or higher temperatures of Egypt, the 20°C temperatures of London seemed like the middle of winter. We even saw some rain. We have not seen rain in weeks!

We arrive in London after a long plane ride. We had booked a B&B several Tube (subway) stops towards town. We had a ten minute walk to the B&B. There were no signs out front. They had put a note on the door to call them if they didn’t answer the doorbell. We did not have a phone, so we had to go door to door to find someone who had a phone. I finally found a lady who would let me use her phone. When I entered the house, the same odor we smelled in the Red Pyramid greeted me (ammonia). There must have been thousands of cats peeing in that house or she must have had a severe bladder control issue.

After we checked-in, we went downtown. We had planned everything in Egypt, but didn’t really plan anything here. We knew we were getting in late and the sites would be closed or almost closed by the time we got there. We walked around Big Ben and Parliament. We found an old pub for dinner and drinks. They had four ales on pump-engines. I was able to get the two best before we left. They were very good. Kim was amazed to see the big smile on my face after each sip.

We had read about the walking tour for Jack the Ripper from London Walks. Jack the Ripper killed five women in just several months. Each new murder was more gruesome than the last. He usually took some part of the victim home as a trophy. Just as we got there, it started to rain. Luckily, it stopped right before the tour started. Our guide would take us to a sight that had something to do with a murder. As we walked through this part of London, we could see several other Jack the Ripper tours. Most sites, we had to wait or take a different spot because another group beat us to the site. He went through each murder as we walked through London. At the last site, he wanted to talk in a covered narrow alley. However, a homeless guy was sleeping in this spot. When we assembled in another spot, I asked if the homeless guy was victim six.

Day 22 – Long Ride to Cairo

Today was our last full day in Egypt. After breakfast, we loaded up the van and started the long journey to Cairo. We stopped in Marsa Matruh to see Cleopatra’s bath. There isn’t much left, but the tidal pools were nice to walk around.

We made a few stops in el Alamain to see the memorials to the WW II battles that were fought here.

Our driver, Magdey, gets a little goofy when he is tired. He has been singing and “acting” for the last half hour. In tight traffic situations, he has the appropriate amount of road rage. The Egyptians apparently use a lot of hand gestures. He zig-zags through the traffic like Mario Andretti. We would not want to drive here; it takes a lot of skill to navigate without any apparent rules. Before we left Alexandria, Magdey disconnected the device that limits his speed. He told Salma that he would fall asleep with boredom if he had to drive at 100 Km/hr. At some points, we were well over 150 Km/hr.

For our last supper, we went to the Hard Rock Café in the hotel. I promised Kim she could have a burger. It was good to have “American” food for a change. It is not that the food we had been eating was bad; it was good to have something that familiar.

Day 21 – Oracles and Oasis’s

Today we were to see the temples and springs of Siwa. The original settlement in the oasis was Aghurmi. A temple to Amun was built here by the Pharaohs. Alexander the Great visited this temple and was declared a Pharaoh by the priests (they knew how to keep their jobs!). A governor, a hundred or so years ago, decided that he needed the stone of this temple for his residence, so he blew-up the temple and carted off the stones. All that is left is a wall and some fragments. It looks like they are excavating the foundations.

We visited Cleopatra’s Spring. There were two springs. The smaller one was marked as her spring and did look old. The large spring was very deep and clear. There was a small boy swimming in the large spring. He would swim a little and then get out and jump back into the water. If we knew we only had one more sight to see, we would have also gone for a swim.

The last stop was the temple for the Oracle of Siwa. It was here that Alexander the Great consulted the Oracle. It is not known what was said, but it was supposed to have scared him. He came out with a different attitude than when he entered. Supposedly he was told of his death. With-in a year or so of the consultation, he was dead. There is not much left of the temple, but the locals have built their mud-brick houses near the temple. I also had a consultation with the Oracle. She said that I must be able to pick my wife up while standing on one leg. If I could not do it, I must get a new wife!

Salma took us to Old Shali. When the town in Aghurmi was attacked by Bedouin from Libya, the residents decided to build a fortress on top of a hill a few Kilometers away. The houses were made with mud bricks and salt chunks. It was a strong construction method for a place that doesn’t really see any rain. A few years ago, a few freak storms came and weakened the old houses. There is a local project that is trying to restore the old houses. We arrived long before sunset. Kim and Salma left to go shopping while I waited for the sun to set. I met a local teen who spoke good English. We talked for a half hour. He was telling me what it is like to live in Siwa and the changes over the last few years.

I met Kim and Salma on my way home through the market. I had given Kim a lot of money and hoped she hadn’t spent it all. Salma wasn’t helping much by telling her where the best jewelry shops were located. Luckily she didn’t really buy much jewelry!

Day 20 – Siwa Oasis

We awoke early to see the sun rising. When we arrived last night, it was dark and we could not see the area. The beach looked very nice. Kim wanted to take a walk, but there was a problem with the door’s lock last night and all we had was a latch. If both of us went out and the door shut, no one could get into the room. Kim loves to collect beach glass and was in a hurry to look for some. I sat up in the balcony to watch her while she went walking. I remember reading that it is never good for foreign women to walk alone. They could get molested or raped. After a while, I could not see Kim. I started to get concerned. About 40 minutes later, she comes walking into the apartment complex. She did not find any beach glass. Perhaps the Egyptians do not throw their trash out into the environment.

Salma recommended a beach for us to see. It is a valley that empties into the Mediterranean Sea. There were steep walls on either side. You could walk out on a ledge around the base of the cliffs. After we had a few pictures taken of us, people came up and wanted pictures with us. It was like we were movie stars. Salma explained that having your picture taken with foreigners is something to brag about. It shows your friends that you have acquaintances from around the world and that you can speak other languages besides Arabic.

We went back into Marsa Matruh to get Kim’s glasses fixed and to look for another bag. Kim has bought so much stuff, that we have filled our two suitcases and still have stuff leftover. Both Kim and I tried to blend in and look like locals. I think they could see we weren’t. After we hit the market, I spotted some olives. Salma helped me get a small bag for a snack. Whenever she gets a chance, Salma wants us to try local foods. There was a vendor selling a sugarcane drink. It is crushed sugarcane without added water. It looks like a grey, green drink served in a plastic bag. We were hesitant to try it, but it wasn’t bad. It took a few sips before you could get used to the flavor.

On the way to Siwa, we drove into a sand storm. It reminded us of a white-out in winter. It was one of the few times we saw our driver slow down. It didn’t last long, but it was interesting to see it.

We both slept on the way to Siwa and missed a lot of the desert. However, we were both awake when we drove into the depression. Siwa Oasis is situated in a large depression in the desert. This depression is below sea level. Siwa is at the bottom and the water pools in its lakes and springs. Thousands of years ago before there was a shift in the earth’s axis, all of northern Africa was a lush savanna. After the shift in the Earth’s axis, the savanna dried up and turned to desert.

Even though we had read about the size of Siwa, it was still amazing to see the size of the oasis. As we got into town, it was evident that this was not a typical tourist destination. Only in the core down-town location could you see tourist shops. Our hotel was the Siwa Safari Paradise Resort. It was situated down a dusty back alley. We thought that our driver had made a wrong turn. The signs out in front were dusty and faded. After our time in the Sinai, I was afraid that Kim would be very unhappy in anything other than a 5-star hotel. Once through the gate, my fears were gone. It was like a tropical paradise inside. Our room was not exactly swanky, but it was still nice. Since we were here during the off-season, the pool was closed. However, the manager said we could go in. It was refreshing and for two days we had a private pool.

Salma asked us if we wanted to go to a small café to watch the sun set. We were keen to get a few good pictures. It really wasn’t a typical café. There were some chairs and tables at the water’s edge. It was very beautiful.

Day 19 – Alexandria and the Mediterranean Coast

We were on our way to Alexandria very early, so we could have a full day here. Last time I was here, we only toured the catacombs and were dropped in a local market. At one point, we came across a truck hauling tomatoes. The driver said if you can grab some, they are yours. Our driver tried, but couldn’t get one. One of the passengers reached up and grabbed two and passed them to our driver. The driving here can still be daunting.

We started with a park and palace that belonged to the last king of Egypt, King Farouk. We could not tour his palace, because it is for the president and visiting dignitaries. The beaches were packed with locals. The beaches looked nice and I wish we would have had time for a swim.

We then went to the Library of Alexandria. Luckily Salma gave us some information before we went in for the tour. Our library guide only showed us the layout of the library and the library Web Site. I actually thing we may look at it when we get home.

Our next stop was Fort Qaitbey. It is supposed to be built on the foundations of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. An earthquake in antiquity brought down the lighthouse. It is another of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world. The museum that used to house the remains of Napoleon’s fleet that was destroyed by the British moved a few years ago. It would have been nice to see it.
























Our last stop was the Greco-Roman catacombs. Driving from the main road next to the beach to the catacombs was like navigating a crazy maze. Or a better analogy would be a drunken rat in a maze. We had no idea what direction we were going. The catacombs were tucked into a poor-looking residential area. In fact, we could not drive up the street to the catacombs, because a house had started to fall down and there was debris in the street. Once in the catacombs, we were led into several tombs. One was decorated with Egyptian gods and motifs. Even we recognized some of the mistakes that the artist made in representing some of the gods. The Greeks really didn’t know what the gods were and tried to make their version of how they should look.

We had an emergency on the way to Marsa Matruh. We got a flat tire. It took over an hour to get it changed and a replacement tire. Most of the time was bargaining for the tire. Our driver had to leave the facility several times before they settled on a price.

We were supposed to stay in Cairo tonight and then drive to Siwa tomorrow morning. It didn’t make sense, so Salma found a cheap summer flat for $20 a night. It is nothing special, but it will save us about six hours tomorrow morning. The woman that greeted us was very friendly; so many people along the way have asked us to think of them as family. She had picked us fresh flowers and supplied us with a bottle of Sprite and water. We are on the fifth floor and there is an elevator. However, it doesn’t work. As we started up the steps, it reminded me of the TV show, The Big Bang Theory. I suspect we are the only foreigners in this area. We are living like the locals who vacation in this area!

At the club/restaurant/non-alcoholic bar next door, there was very loud Arabic music blaring. We were hoping it would end so we could get some sleep. We had noticed that the locals like to stay awake very late. They do not drink alcohol, so Jon does not see the point of being out late!

Day 18 – More Pyramids

Just like AMTRAK, the train was over an hour late getting into Giza Station. We were met by Saggy and quickly put in our van. We were on a crazy ride to Dahshur to see the Red and Bent Pyramids. These pyramids have only recently been open to the public. It used to be on military property. Both pyramids were built by Snefru, father of Khufu who built the Great Pyramid. The Bent Pyramid was started at a very steep angle. At some point the builders realized that the pyramid was going to be too tall or the weight would cause the pyramid to be unstable. They reduced the angle of the pyramid and then finished it. It is assumed that Snefru was not happy with the shape and decided to build another one. This was the Red Pyramid. It was the first true pyramid. It gets its name from the color of the reddish color of the limestone casing. It was the only one of the two pyramids we could enter. Salma warned us that it has a strong ammonia smell inside (I wonder how it got that smell? Hmmmm.) We had to climb a staircase to get to the opening and descend a low passageway to get into the tomb. When it finally opened up, there was a corbelled ceiling that extended up for a great distance. It was beautiful. True to her word, a faint odor of ammonia could be smelled. (Kim: I wouldn’t exactly call it faint. I was practically overcome with the stench.) After we entered another room, a rickety staircase awaited us. It leads to the burial chamber. As we progressed further into the pyramid, the ammonia odor got stronger. Kim could no longer bear it and got out of the pyramid as quickly as she could. Although smaller that the Great Pyramid and it doesn’t have a Grand Gallery, but it was just as impressive.

We then went to Memphis. I’m hoping that we can get a tour of Graceland. Salma knew what it was, but said we couldn’t do it on this trip. This was the capital of Egypt during most of the Pharaohnic period. It was founded by the first Pharaoh, Narmer. At one time, it was a large palace compound. It fell into disuse and was covered with mud from the Nile floods and scavenged for building materials. All that is left now are some foundations and statues.

Our final touring stop was the Stepped Pyramid in Saqqara. It is the first all stone construction in the world. It was built for the Pharaoh Zoser. His architect was Imhotep. Because of the designs he created, he was worshiped by later Pharaohs as a god. They were working on some restorations and we could not go near the pyramid. As we walked through the funeral complex, we saw a tail sticking down from the top of a column. Several dogs had made their way to the tops and were trying to cool themselves in the breeze.

All around this area, there are earlier pyramids, but they were just a limestone casing over sand and rocks. The very first pyramid is located here.

Salma asked if we wanted to see how the carpets are made. In the basement, there were about a half dozen children about 10 or 11 years old. They each were working on a carpet. We were taken to one child who was tying knots so fast, you could not see what his hands were doing. They use the children because their hands are small. They can easily tie the small knots that are needed. Kim was allowed to try tying a knot. She did OK.

Once we hit the showroom floor, I suspected this was going to cost me. Kim always reminds me of the carpet we did not buy in Tibet. I decided that I did not want that to happen again. At first, Kim was not interested in any of the patterns. Then they pulled out one that we both liked. We got them to drop the price to half of what they were asking. Afterwards, Salma told me that when we bargain the price lower, it reduces the commission that the children get. I did feel bad after knowing that. I suspect that Salma gets a commission for bringing a paying customer, as well.

We had a special evening planned. We were going on a belly-dancing cruise. It is supposed to be the best in Cairo. The dinner was good, but not like the Sudan. The entertainment to start the evening was a little hokey. They had a electric piano and a bongo playing 1980’s easy listening music. I was just about to tell Kim that I don’t have any of this on my Ipod; when they played a version of Shocking Blue’s Venus. It was like being at a cheesy lounge. After the break, the real show started. The first number was the best of the night, the Tannoura dancer. He has what looks like a polka skirt which is vibrantly decorated. He starts to spin and the skirt starts to rise. He pushes it down and then up on the skirt to make it move around like a wave. He then takes some disks and stacks then around his head as he spins. After a while, he pulls the skirt above his head. Don’t worry, we don’t see his knickers. He has another skirt! It is an awesome display. We cannot figure out how he didn’t get dizzy and fall over.

After him came the gay cowboys and the belly dancer. The belly dancer did not wear traditional costumes. She was good, but we were told later that she was not an Egyptian. She was from Romania. They must know about silicone implants in Romania.

Day 17 – Abu Simbel

We had to get up and check-out early for our flight to Abu Simbel. It is a complex of two tombs built by Ramses II. One is for his wife Nefertari and the big one is for him. We only had an hour and a half to tour, because we had a return flight scheduled. We met our representative and tour guide at the airport. This one thing I really enjoy about having one tour company coordinating the trip; there is always someone to meet us at the various connections. Our guide was very good. I was surprised Kim didn’t hit him. He told her to be careful; his grandfather was looking for a new wife. Now that I look at her, she is looking a lot older on this trip!

The temples are not painted as brightly inside as some of the others that we had seen, but there were still impressive. Our guide could not go in the tombs, because they are trying to keep the tourists from clogging the monuments, so he had to talk about the interiors outside before we went in to see them. From all of the temples we have seen so far, we are starting to recognize some of the gods. As we walked around the interiors, we could name some of them. This helped us locate the painted scenes he explained earlier.

The main temple has four huge seated statues of Ramses in the front. An earthquake in ancient times broke one of the statues and it lies in front of the temple. Inside there are four statues in the “holy of the Holies”. On February 21st and October 21st, the sun shines into the room and aluminates three of the statues. One statue is the god of the darkness (maybe) and is not illuminated. The original location of these temples is now under 70 meters of water. UNESCO helped to rescue this temple and many more. Several countries, including the US, donated money and expertise to move the temples to higher ground. For their efforts, they were each given a temple. The one given to the US is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

On the way out, we were paraded through the bazaar. At each shop, they would call out Nefertiti for Kim and Ramses for me. One vendor tried to block my way. I turned around and walked around behind him. He was not expecting the move. After that, the vendors called me Aladdin.

The flight back to Aswan was a little un-nerving. We have experienced turbulence before, but never this close to the ground. It must have been caused by the hot desert.

We opted to do the Nubian village tour. Since we did not make it to the two villages yesterday, we thought we should see a village. We started with a boat ride up the Nile to the village. The many small islands below the dam are very pretty. Because the vegetation is so high, you cannot really see Aswan. At one point, a small boy paddled out in a barely floating box with pieces of wood strapped on his hands. He paddled out in front of the boat. He barely made it past the bow of the boat. I actually thought we hit him until I saw him hanging on to the boat. He started singing in different languages. One of the men on our boat would prompt him to change languages.

At the village we were ushered into someone’s house, well, it was their tourist house. They have a “modern” one behind this one. Because there are many tourists that visit this village, each house has a crocodile or two. We were treated to a show. The owner would poke the croc to make him snap and hiss. Then the owner would stick his head in the pen and the croc would try to grab him. Luckily, the owner was a little faster than the croc. There was a baby croc in an aquarium that was brought out for us to hold.

Kim wanted a henna tattoo. I now have a painted woman!

We were then taken to the school. They wanted to teach us how to say the numbers. Luckily I had been practicing them for the last few months.

We went to the representatives’ local office for an hour to wait until we could board the train. We were like celebrities. Everyone in the office had to come by to see the Americans.


















We had assumed that the “Tourist Train” would be very modern. When we were looking the pictures on the Internet, it looked nice. When we got to the platform, a very old looking train was all we saw. We asked the representative where our train was. He informed me that we were looking at it. Hmmmm, we started to think that we were going to have a problem. However, inside was much nicer than the outside. It was still old looking, but clean. About an hour after we started to move, supper was brought. We also assumed that we would be going to a dining car. Hmmmm, this is not like AMTRAK. The meal looked and tasted just like a bad airline meal. Jon lost a crown tonight. We hope he doesn’t have any problems. We are not sure how or if they have dentists here!

(Kim) Here we go again, another bathroom predicament. My biggest problems on these trips revolve around the eating and eliminating of food. I know this wasn’t going to be pretty as soon as we climbed aboard the train. The bathroom was hot. Metal boxes sitting in 100 degree plus heat tend to get that way. With heat comes stink. The toilet was a metal box. There was no water in the toilet and no toilet paper. Not a problem, I learned a long time ago to carry tissue in my pocket. Okay girls, this is what you do if you ever find yourself in this situation. Pull your shirt up over your mouth and nose to help control the gag reflex. Bite your shirt to help keep it in place. Pull down your pants being very careful not to let them touch the floor, toilet or anything. The room was small so you can lower your head and wedge it against the wall so as to support yourself into a hovering position above the toilet because there is no way in hell you’re going to sit down. Say a pray and hope the pee comes out quickly and not down your leg. Get out as fast as you can.

Day 16 – Good-bye Sudan

It was sad to leave the Sudan this morning. We were living large on board. We found out that Sabina and Luke were also going to the Mövenpick hotel tonight. We made plans to get together after our tour. They were going to relax in the hotel for the day. Our new tour guide met us in the lobby and we were off to the unfinished obelisk. Aswan was the only convenient source of granite next to the Nile. It is hard to believe that they could have quarried granite with only stone tools, but you can see the marks for many blocks of stone that were removed from this site. Our guide showed some marks in the rocks where the Egyptians would cut rectangular holes and then fill them with wood. Water would be added to make the wood expand. This would create enough force to crack the granite in the direction they wanted to cut the rock. When I was here nine years ago, you could walk on the unfinished obelisk. Now there is a fence to keep you off of it.

As with any monument, you exit through the bazaar. It is the hot season and tourism is low. We think this makes the venders more aggressive. Kim found a “hand-carved” camel statue she wanted. I started the bargaining process by asking his price. He said “400 Egyptian Pounds”. My reply was 5 pounds. He laughed at me and said my offer was ridiculous. I replied that it was no more ridiculous than his offer. He only dropped to 300 pounds before we walked away. Ten feet further we got the same camel for 15 pounds from another vendor.

Our guide was good at the quarry, but he fell apart in the Nubian Museum. Once we got to the main floor, he would read the tag and then repeat it back to us. He must have thought that we couldn’t read the signs that were in English. He must have thought that most Americans were illiterate. Once we got to the modern period, he was very animated. He did a good job of describing modern Nubian life. This area of Egypt is populated by the Nubians. They are darker than the northern Egyptians. During the Pharaohnic times, the Egyptians conquered Nubia. At one point, they returned the favor.

We were to meet Sabina and Luke to walk through the two Nubian villages on Elephantine Island. We could not find a gate to exit the Mövenpick compound. We were informed that we would have to jump the fence at the water’s edge. We opted for the pool instead.

After dinner, we met Sabina and Luke for drinks in the hotel’s tower. It afforded a great view of Aswan.