Egypt So Far

As I am learning is often the case, what was planned is not what is realized.

The Belgium girl (Lisa), four New Zealand guys (Jarod, Joel, Logan, and Sam), and myself did stay for a third day in Dahab. Lisa decided to stay for another day or two and the five guys were planning on going to Mount Sinai. On the morning we planned on leaving, an ATM ate Joel's card and delayed our departure. I decided I would try to catch a bus to Mt Sinai instead of the taxi they were going to take to minimize my costs. Upon arriving at the bus station, I found there are no buses to that location but managed to find a driver that would not only drive the five of us for a reasonable price but was willing to wait a bit until my friends arrived. Meanwhile, Joel got his card back when the bank opened without issue, but learned what I learned at the bus station at the hostel and found other means of travel figuring I would do that same (I was not going to travel in the same taxi as them because five is too many people for a trip this long).

At the bus station I waited patiently while my driver-to be grew more and more frustrated. Eventually I got "traded" to another driver (this is commonplace) and then traded again. I convinced the driver to drive me back to the hostel and see if my friends were still there and then he would at least know how much longer he would have to wait (I figured he was just having some problem with the bank getting his card back). I got there and they were not there, but Lisa told me they had left about an hour before. I pieced together what probably happened, asked the driver to drive me back to the bus station, and bought a ticket headed to Cairo in 10 minutes. According to the ticket office, the ride would take "7 to 10 hours," a comment me and three Australians and I enjoyed throughout the nine hour trip.

Once in Cario, I stayed at the hostel that I was supposed to meet the German couple (whose names are Kathi and Jan) hoping to catch them on their back trip. (No luck here.) However, I did meet two guys from upstate New York who were leaving that evening. I spent the day with them walking around the city and going to a museum that was "closed for 1-2 months" so the guy "can eat lunch." We decided we did not know what that could possibly mean and went to another museum that was pretty cool. Since they were leaving, they gave me their copy of their guidebook, Rough Guide Egypt. In return, I gave them my copy of Fight Club.

Before they left we were sitting outside the hostel just talking and I saw Joel walk by. Then the three other "Kiwis," as they are called. They are staying at the same hostel. Then, later that evening, I noticed a new bag in my dorm room. I am on my bed reading and in walks a Asian girl that looks familiar. At first, I tell myself that I am racist for thinking this is the same girl I met nearly a week earlier in Amman, Jordan, but, it was. Christina, from Hong Kong, also out of pure coincidence, is staying in the same hostel as well.

Now for the stuff you might care about. Today I went to see the Pyramids of Giza. Getting there, and especially getting back, was needlessly complicated. We elected to take camels and horses around (which cost 150 Egyptian pounds (less than $30) instead of 240 (nearly $50) thanks to my negotiating skills). It goes without saying, but the Pyramids are spectacular. It is difficult to fathom unless you see them in person and even then you have doubts. Seriously. Pictures just do not do them justice. We decided to purchase tickets to go inside the only pyramid that was open at the time, called Pyramid Number 2, according to the ticket. If the ticket was not so inexpensive (about $3 for me because I still have my student ID and about $6 for them because they did not) and if otherwise I would not have had to say that I went to Cairo and did not go in a pyramid, I am not sure the ticket was worth it; you follow a tunnel that is about 4' high for 3ish minutes, see a room that may have been a tomb that is no bigger than 20'x50', and then walk back out the tunnel. The whole thing takes 15-20 minutes if you take your time. There are no decorations or writing on walls save for some information about when it was discovered in 1818 written in what looks like black spray paint. The other pyramids may be different, but I doubt it. Cameras are not allowed inside because if they were everybody would know not to go in.

Tomorrow we are going to the Egpytian Museum, which is enormous with 120,000 items, then taking a 12-13 bus ride to Aswan, Egypt.

Until next time...