Last day in Cairo, first day in Aswan...
The last day in Cairo actually never really ends since I don't get much sleep (and in fact, it's meshed right into this second day in Aswan, today)...
My third, and last, day in Cairo was not very eventful to be honest. I tried nursing myself back to health a bit...did laundry, read some of my book, blogged!, and then took a cab out to see "Islamic Cairo" and the citadel. In one of the mosques (Muhammed Ali) I was given a cape (seriously) to keep my already covered self (shoulders, that is), more modest. The walk around was nice...the Military Museum in the citadel was quite interesting actually. There was an entirely different outlook on history that I had never experienced. The tanks used from the "1948, 1956 and 1973" wars were displayed with pride, as well as the captured Israeli tanks (U.S.-made)...and everywhere people were mumbling about that.
I wanted to checkout "Coptic Cairo" and the synagogue there, but it closed very early (Friday in a Muslim country), and so, like many things here, I will have to return to take a better/first look.
After chatting with some people at the hostel and buying some dinner ($3.50 for a bag full of falafel (10-15 balls), three salad cases and maybe eight pitas), I headed out for the train station. Traffic was dismal and I was a little worried I'd miss the train, but I got there 10 minutes ahead of schedule and really nice people there helped me find my car. "Welcome, welcome..."
In my "first class" (ehmmm) compartment--a cubicle for six--an "Indian" (actually I found out they were Kenyan, but looked Indian) family joined me. They were living in London and in Egypt for a "vacation" because their eldest son (they had two boys) had done well on his exams. The family was very awesome and we chatted and played travel Scrabble (woohoo! they had it!) for a lot of the time. I won both games, which was really fun...was less than 30 away from breaking 300.
Anyway, the interminable voyage--and really, it became that as the train stopped constantly and was delayed by three hours en route for no particular reason--continued. An Egyptian man sat in the remaining seat of the car but didn't say much. The family and I commiserated on our lack of vacations, constant battling, bargaining and tourist treatment. It was nice to vent.
It was a sleepless night and day...it took 12 hours to get to Luxor--their stop--and then 15 hours to get to Aswan...with a freezing air-con car (they only do extremes here, so it seems).
When the family got off the train the Egyptian man told me to come with him for tea, practically ordered me out of my seat and told me to leave my sac with his there. I took a couple bags with me even so...and off we went down the platform. I was worried the train would leave, but he seemed to know what he was doing. He got me a cup of tea as well as himself, and we went back to the car, and got in right as the train took off. The tea was delicious.
I chatted with the man, Ahmed Hawash, and we talked about everything--he was glad to hear of my ethnicity, but we couldn't speak too much as he had rather broken English. The guy knew the essentials though to be kindly and hospitable...and he had an incredibly jovial laugh that made me chuckle every time. When these two police officers came by and tried questioning me he covered for me and gave them a whole story. Later he went to the bathroom and while he was gone one of the officers came by and eyed the compartment, then came in and spoke to me (I think he was trying to chat me up). Anyway, the other guy got back soon enough and the officer sat down next to me and Ahmed across the way. Ahmed kept him preoccupied, telling the guy I was from London, and all this other stuff (couldn't understand it all), I nodded my head in agreement a lot of the time, and the two chatted away. A couple times the officer tried to get me involved, but Ahmed would wave things toward another direction. After what seemed forever, the officer left.
Ahmed gave me his cheese sandwiches he'd packed, his mango juice box, and before we left the train (finally in Aswan), his water. Then he took one of my bags and walked me out. He had told me during the trip that he worked in a five-star hotel in Aswan, Basma Hotel, and he worked a month there, then went back to Cairo for a week to his house by the pyramids. Our entire family was invited to stay with him, and me and my future husband will get the key to his house, apparently, for as long as we like.
He tried walking me to a nearby hotel, but I found it too expensive, plus I wanted to meet some cool people I'd seen in Cairo at another hostel I was interested in. I was a tad suspicious about the hotel thing, but then soon enough realized he was willing to walk me anywhere, but that was the only budget option he knew of near the train station. Ahmed apparently knows all the officials and the police in Aswan, he kept telling me if I had any problem or if anything went wrong, to call him and there'd be "no problem." He also invited me for tea and dinner at the Basma Hotel that night. I told him I'd call him later, thanked him profusely, and headed off to the hostel.
After bargaining down my rate, showering and catching up on a little sleep (1.5 hours), I headed out--met up with Liz and Dan (two Brits I'd met in Cairo) and we proceeded to do a bit of research on the prices of trips to Abu Simbel and a felucca trip up the Nile (2 nights, 3 days)...They had less time, so they'd be on a different trip. Our hotel, like any other place, was aggressively trying to sell us trips and rip us off. However, we were able to force them down after some good researching. I got them down from 205 Egyptian pounds for everything to 140 Egyptian pounds. Others on my trip had paid significantly more...which kinda sucked (for them, at least).
Then it was nearly 9:30 p.m. and I called up Ahmed. He told me that I shouldn't eat, and that I should come by! I felt badly leaving Liz and Dan behind, so they came along as well...though I was worried about how that would work as well.
When we got to the hotel--a beautiful immaculate palce overlooking the Nile--we sat in awe at the reception feeling rather dirty and ratty. Ahmed came down with the hotel management, dressed in his chef clothing, complete with hat. He graciously escorted all three of us to the dining room where an entire staff was on call in the empty room just for me (us)! We were put at a table and I was told that "Chef Hawash also invites your friends."
Ahmed jovially took me around to meet all the hotel administrators, managers and the owner, then we proceeded to get stuffed with food. First we ordered drinks (fresh lemonade), a round of soup, salad, fish, vegetables, meat (beef and chicken), rice, pasta, and then a whole case of dessert to choose from...plus tea.
We were all in awe.
The only taint on the night was this adminstrator who joined us for dessert and started heaping criticsm on the US, Israel, praising Hezbollah and Osama Ben Laden. Dan and Liz were visibly disturbed (both are studying Islam and interested in converting, they also know I am American and Jewish)...they both kept questioning the man "but killing in Islam...etc..."...I finally understood why Ahmed had told the people there that I was English...because it was safer for me. This man was scary. Ahmed just gave me a wink, rolled his eyes at me and chuckled softly to himself. I half grimaced back to him...
Throughout the ordeal I stayed calmly silent and made blase grand statements, "there's a real problem in the world today," "Ah, politics."...somewhat amused. I was used to it. After the man left I told Dan and Liz (Dan was so upset his face was red) not to worry, that I was okay, and that they should pick their battles...the man was way too extremist to change, and there's not point angering him, etc.
After dinner we all piled into a car together supposedly to go back to the hostel (it was nearly midnight), but there was a Nubian wedding!...well, anyway, after getting a nice tour of the Nubian villages, we found out the wedding ceremony was that night, but the party the next night (it's a three day affair). We were all exhausted, and headed back for the hostel where we were dropped off. I would have to wake up at 3 a.m. to head to Abu Simbel with the police convoy (for "security" reasons) the next day. It is about 3.5 hours south of Aswan, and only 24 miles away from the Sudan. When we got out of the car, Ahmed gave me a big bag full of breakfast foods, yogurt, jams, breads and pastries, plus a bottle of water--he told me to call him when I got back the next day (today) and come by for dinner again "Insh'Allah."
I'm a tad too overheated and exhausted in this net cafe to document my day today. Let's just say for now that it was a day that passed in murky half-awake, half-asleep state. I still have a reverberating headache and I think I will go to sleep early tonight. Humdel'Allah and Insh'Allah.
It's about 9 p.m. here, and I think I should give Ahmed a call. I don't think I will take him up on his offer tonight...skipping dinner and the Nubian wedding. I'm quite exhausted and tomorrow I head up the Nile in a felucca for two nights and three days of travel up to Kom Ombo, and then Luxor (with the Valley of the Kings and all that!). It seems like I will never be up to date on this site...one day behind right now...and soon to be three days behind. Oh well. Bear with me.
Mom and Dad, I don't have net access these next couple days, but I'll still be reachable on my cell. I leave at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, Egypt time (and Egypt standard time--meaning perhaps later). If anyone ever wants to give me a call or text...checkout facebook for my Egyptian cell number. =)
My third, and last, day in Cairo was not very eventful to be honest. I tried nursing myself back to health a bit...did laundry, read some of my book, blogged!, and then took a cab out to see "Islamic Cairo" and the citadel. In one of the mosques (Muhammed Ali) I was given a cape (seriously) to keep my already covered self (shoulders, that is), more modest. The walk around was nice...the Military Museum in the citadel was quite interesting actually. There was an entirely different outlook on history that I had never experienced. The tanks used from the "1948, 1956 and 1973" wars were displayed with pride, as well as the captured Israeli tanks (U.S.-made)...and everywhere people were mumbling about that.
I wanted to checkout "Coptic Cairo" and the synagogue there, but it closed very early (Friday in a Muslim country), and so, like many things here, I will have to return to take a better/first look.
After chatting with some people at the hostel and buying some dinner ($3.50 for a bag full of falafel (10-15 balls), three salad cases and maybe eight pitas), I headed out for the train station. Traffic was dismal and I was a little worried I'd miss the train, but I got there 10 minutes ahead of schedule and really nice people there helped me find my car. "Welcome, welcome..."
In my "first class" (ehmmm) compartment--a cubicle for six--an "Indian" (actually I found out they were Kenyan, but looked Indian) family joined me. They were living in London and in Egypt for a "vacation" because their eldest son (they had two boys) had done well on his exams. The family was very awesome and we chatted and played travel Scrabble (woohoo! they had it!) for a lot of the time. I won both games, which was really fun...was less than 30 away from breaking 300.
Anyway, the interminable voyage--and really, it became that as the train stopped constantly and was delayed by three hours en route for no particular reason--continued. An Egyptian man sat in the remaining seat of the car but didn't say much. The family and I commiserated on our lack of vacations, constant battling, bargaining and tourist treatment. It was nice to vent.
It was a sleepless night and day...it took 12 hours to get to Luxor--their stop--and then 15 hours to get to Aswan...with a freezing air-con car (they only do extremes here, so it seems).
When the family got off the train the Egyptian man told me to come with him for tea, practically ordered me out of my seat and told me to leave my sac with his there. I took a couple bags with me even so...and off we went down the platform. I was worried the train would leave, but he seemed to know what he was doing. He got me a cup of tea as well as himself, and we went back to the car, and got in right as the train took off. The tea was delicious.
I chatted with the man, Ahmed Hawash, and we talked about everything--he was glad to hear of my ethnicity, but we couldn't speak too much as he had rather broken English. The guy knew the essentials though to be kindly and hospitable...and he had an incredibly jovial laugh that made me chuckle every time. When these two police officers came by and tried questioning me he covered for me and gave them a whole story. Later he went to the bathroom and while he was gone one of the officers came by and eyed the compartment, then came in and spoke to me (I think he was trying to chat me up). Anyway, the other guy got back soon enough and the officer sat down next to me and Ahmed across the way. Ahmed kept him preoccupied, telling the guy I was from London, and all this other stuff (couldn't understand it all), I nodded my head in agreement a lot of the time, and the two chatted away. A couple times the officer tried to get me involved, but Ahmed would wave things toward another direction. After what seemed forever, the officer left.
Ahmed gave me his cheese sandwiches he'd packed, his mango juice box, and before we left the train (finally in Aswan), his water. Then he took one of my bags and walked me out. He had told me during the trip that he worked in a five-star hotel in Aswan, Basma Hotel, and he worked a month there, then went back to Cairo for a week to his house by the pyramids. Our entire family was invited to stay with him, and me and my future husband will get the key to his house, apparently, for as long as we like.
He tried walking me to a nearby hotel, but I found it too expensive, plus I wanted to meet some cool people I'd seen in Cairo at another hostel I was interested in. I was a tad suspicious about the hotel thing, but then soon enough realized he was willing to walk me anywhere, but that was the only budget option he knew of near the train station. Ahmed apparently knows all the officials and the police in Aswan, he kept telling me if I had any problem or if anything went wrong, to call him and there'd be "no problem." He also invited me for tea and dinner at the Basma Hotel that night. I told him I'd call him later, thanked him profusely, and headed off to the hostel.
After bargaining down my rate, showering and catching up on a little sleep (1.5 hours), I headed out--met up with Liz and Dan (two Brits I'd met in Cairo) and we proceeded to do a bit of research on the prices of trips to Abu Simbel and a felucca trip up the Nile (2 nights, 3 days)...They had less time, so they'd be on a different trip. Our hotel, like any other place, was aggressively trying to sell us trips and rip us off. However, we were able to force them down after some good researching. I got them down from 205 Egyptian pounds for everything to 140 Egyptian pounds. Others on my trip had paid significantly more...which kinda sucked (for them, at least).
Then it was nearly 9:30 p.m. and I called up Ahmed. He told me that I shouldn't eat, and that I should come by! I felt badly leaving Liz and Dan behind, so they came along as well...though I was worried about how that would work as well.
When we got to the hotel--a beautiful immaculate palce overlooking the Nile--we sat in awe at the reception feeling rather dirty and ratty. Ahmed came down with the hotel management, dressed in his chef clothing, complete with hat. He graciously escorted all three of us to the dining room where an entire staff was on call in the empty room just for me (us)! We were put at a table and I was told that "Chef Hawash also invites your friends."
Ahmed jovially took me around to meet all the hotel administrators, managers and the owner, then we proceeded to get stuffed with food. First we ordered drinks (fresh lemonade), a round of soup, salad, fish, vegetables, meat (beef and chicken), rice, pasta, and then a whole case of dessert to choose from...plus tea.
We were all in awe.
The only taint on the night was this adminstrator who joined us for dessert and started heaping criticsm on the US, Israel, praising Hezbollah and Osama Ben Laden. Dan and Liz were visibly disturbed (both are studying Islam and interested in converting, they also know I am American and Jewish)...they both kept questioning the man "but killing in Islam...etc..."...I finally understood why Ahmed had told the people there that I was English...because it was safer for me. This man was scary. Ahmed just gave me a wink, rolled his eyes at me and chuckled softly to himself. I half grimaced back to him...
Throughout the ordeal I stayed calmly silent and made blase grand statements, "there's a real problem in the world today," "Ah, politics."...somewhat amused. I was used to it. After the man left I told Dan and Liz (Dan was so upset his face was red) not to worry, that I was okay, and that they should pick their battles...the man was way too extremist to change, and there's not point angering him, etc.
After dinner we all piled into a car together supposedly to go back to the hostel (it was nearly midnight), but there was a Nubian wedding!...well, anyway, after getting a nice tour of the Nubian villages, we found out the wedding ceremony was that night, but the party the next night (it's a three day affair). We were all exhausted, and headed back for the hostel where we were dropped off. I would have to wake up at 3 a.m. to head to Abu Simbel with the police convoy (for "security" reasons) the next day. It is about 3.5 hours south of Aswan, and only 24 miles away from the Sudan. When we got out of the car, Ahmed gave me a big bag full of breakfast foods, yogurt, jams, breads and pastries, plus a bottle of water--he told me to call him when I got back the next day (today) and come by for dinner again "Insh'Allah."
I'm a tad too overheated and exhausted in this net cafe to document my day today. Let's just say for now that it was a day that passed in murky half-awake, half-asleep state. I still have a reverberating headache and I think I will go to sleep early tonight. Humdel'Allah and Insh'Allah.
It's about 9 p.m. here, and I think I should give Ahmed a call. I don't think I will take him up on his offer tonight...skipping dinner and the Nubian wedding. I'm quite exhausted and tomorrow I head up the Nile in a felucca for two nights and three days of travel up to Kom Ombo, and then Luxor (with the Valley of the Kings and all that!). It seems like I will never be up to date on this site...one day behind right now...and soon to be three days behind. Oh well. Bear with me.
Mom and Dad, I don't have net access these next couple days, but I'll still be reachable on my cell. I leave at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, Egypt time (and Egypt standard time--meaning perhaps later). If anyone ever wants to give me a call or text...checkout facebook for my Egyptian cell number. =)
posted by IJW at 11:00 PM
2 Comments:
I am glad you stayed calmly during the conversation with the hotel adminstrator. That's smart.. not to create more problem on the road. In any case, you were pretty lucky been treated in the 5-star hotel :-)... Take care of yourself and hope you can get a good night sleep this time..
Love, Mom
Hey Tami!
Sorry I haven't been by to read your blog more often ... it's the second week of school and already things are at a hellacious pace. I read this entry, though, and will sit down and read the whole thing one day when I get a chance. Sounds like you are still enjoying yourself, for the most part :)
And um, I'm not at work anymore so I don't have the free phone expenses to call your EGYPTIAN cell phone!!!!
*hugs you* Be safe!
Post a Comment
<< Home