Egypt part 1: superlatives

The most interesting thing I have learned since I have been in Egypt is that my subject was named after it.  I never knew I taught Egypt, but I do.  If you look up chemistry at dictionary.com it will tell you that it comes from alchemy, but I know better...My guide Dr. Zak had told me this when he found out I was a chemistry teacher, but then I found it again at the science museum in Alexandria; and I quote, " According to English Egyptologis Wallis Budge, the Arabic word al-kimiya actually means "the Egpytian science," borrowing form the Coptic word for Egypt: keme, which is in turn derived from the ancient Egyptian kmt.  The word refered to both the country and the color black, as Egypt was calle the 'Black land.'"  So there you go.

The most beautiful thing I have seen so far has been the sunset from my hotel balony in Aswan.  I arrived in Aswan today at 4:30, after all the sites closed, but about an hour before the sun set.  I already like Aswan better than Cairo or Alexandria because 1) there is very little traffic (meaning it didn't take forever to get to the hotel from the airport) and 2) the air is less polluted (meaning I can breathe without feeling like the air is full of knives.) I am not excited about getting up at 3am tomorrow to get to Abu Simbel but I didn't do anything today, so I am excited to do something tomorrow.

The Nile River as seen from my hotel room balcony in Aswan.  It certainly looks much better than it did in Cairo.

The sunset over the Nile from my balcony in Aswan.  The air is so much cleaner here than in Cairo, I am not sure I want to go back. 

The scariest thing I did was get onto a camel and ride from the back of the pyramids to the front.  Camels are incredibly tall and they walk funny.  Going down hill is not something to be taken lightly.  Of course this was also the most incredible thing I have done so far.  There are very few tourists in Egypt right now, which has good and bad points, but one of the perks for me, was being the only one on a camel at the pyramids at sunset the other day.  Even my guide, who says he has taken a thousand camel rides, said that this one was the best. 

I am on the back camel.  Notice there are no other tourists around.  The other camels in the distance are being led home by thier owners for the day.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is actually the one farthest away.  The sun came out just in time to set, but it had been rather chilly.

They told me my camel's name was Casanova.  I cant say he was all that charming, but I am glad I did it and with this picture I will even get a free breakfast!

What I thought was going to be the scariest was going into the Great pyramid.  I am a bit claustrophobic, but Dr. Zak talked me into going in saying that they might close it soon and don't I want to be able to say that I went in before it was closed?  I am a sucker for being able to tell the good story, so I did it.  I am sure that if it had been any warmer, or if there had been anyone else in the passage way with me, I wouldn't have handled it as well, but I am glad that I did it.

The farthest north I went was at the citidel in Alexandria, where I steped out onto some sea slime covered concrete blocks to touch the Medeteranian, again just so I could say that I did.  My guide at the time, Randa, was freaked out, afraid I was going to slip and fall to my death, but I didn't. 

The Mediteranean Sea as it meets Alexandria.

The Citadel of Alexandria was built on the location of the great lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the wonders of the ancient world which is no longer standing. 

The grossest thing I saw were the mummies in the Egyptian musuem.  These dead bodies are thousands of years old and look pretty good for it.  Of course I dont have any pictures as no cameras are allowed in the musuem at all, let alone the mummy room. 

The most frustrating thing I have done is sit in traffic for hours in Alexandria. People say that since the revolution the police dont want to come to work and so the rules of the road are not inforced the way they should be and may be this is true.  I do agree that Americans may have degenerated further into chaos after a year with no police, but I dont think all the traffic issues can be blamed on their lack.  The white lines that separate lanes are really just guidelines, and why stick to your lane if there is clearly space for another car in the width of the road.  You can certainly turn left from the middle lane, hopefully the person in the left lane is turning left too.  The light turned red? great! that means there wont be anyone in front of you when you run it.  Need to cross several lanes of traffic, do it one lane at a time, nosing your way out until the other cars have to stop or run into you.  Who cares if this creates gridlock and it takes an hour to go 2 km? 

Traffic in Alexandria

It looks like we are merging since we are right on the lane line, but no, this is where we drove most of the time.  In China, chess is played on the lines instead of in the squares, I guess the same is true for driving in Egypt. 

The traffic may have been made worse by the gasoline shortage.  Many of the stations we stopped at were out, and others had long lines of cars and truck waiting to get fuel. 

The most hopeful thing I saw was the people genuinely excited about the new parlement, the changes that are possible since the revolution and the chance to elect thier own leader for the first time in a very long time (for ever if you listen to Randa). 

On a freeway over pass support on the way into Alexandria.

January 25th was the 1 year anniversary of the revolution.  Many people are still waiting for the effects to settle down. 



I'll post this now, since I have internet today for the first time on my trip.  I am sure I will have more to say next week.