Reflections on the trip.
Marvelous trip. Trips, really. The combination of places we saw makes me feel as if we were on several different journeys. The only comparable experience was our trip to the Galapagos and to Peru, 8 or 9 years ago, which felt like two separate vacations. It's a nice way to travel, if you have the time.
And "marvelous" is really the word for it, too, because we saw marvels of many types. In Ghana, we saw the marvels of simplicity, and the ability of people to be joyous with what they have. We had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the work we've heard about from the Kipharts for many years and to appreciate exactly how their work had enriched their lives, while also enriching the lives of those they were helping through their work. While the work they are doing could be rewarding and commendable if it were done merely through writing checks, it is their deep personal involvement and obvious connection and true partnership with the people that makes it truly enriching.
Dubai showed the marvels of oil money, creating a glittering, modern city out of a desert. Spending a day there allowed us to see this firsthand.
Petra is certainly a magical place, by day as well as by night. And the Roman ruins of Jerash were also well worth visit. The brief visit to Mt. Nebo, imagining Moses being able to see, but not enter, the Promised Land, was emotional. And seeing the King, or more accurately, waiting with the crowd to see him, was great fun.
And Egypt showed us the marvels of history and civilization, made us appreciate how US history is a brief moment by comparison. The enormity of what they created and left behind is overwhelming, and humbling. Being in the area gave us a far greater appreciation of the political realities we read about daily in the papers. Squeezing in a day of diving in the Red Sea was a great treat. And cruising the Nile or sailing it briefly in a felucca was a wonderful experience. I think it's not possible to consider that you've traveled the world if you haven't seen Egypt.
We were fortunate to have excellent guides and accommodations (particularly Taybet Zaman in Petra and Al Moudira in Luxor and, I guess I'd have to add our ship, Alexander the Great). The logistics went remarkably well overall, with only very minor glitches. As always, it is the people--particularly those we met in Ghana--but also, Ossama in Aswan, Ahmed and his friends in Cairo, and our guides that make the trip particularly memorable.
I'd give the trip an "A," and rank it right up,with the best we've had. And that's high praise. Makes me appreciate the incredible privilege we've had in being able to travel as much as we have and how enlightening, broadening and humbling that experience has been.
October 25
Last day of the trip, and we opt for a rather late, 10:30, start so as to avoid a lot of dead time before our late night flight.
Kimo meets us at the hotel to check on plans for the day, then our guide, Henry, arrives. Henry is the third of ten children, three of whom are physicians, three engineers, three teachers and him. His five brothers all work in Kuwait, because of the money they can earn. We're very pleased with Henry, who is extremely knowledgeable and has a good sense of humor.
We visit the Gayer Anderson Museum, the home of a 19th century British Army officer and great collector of all sorts of things that fill his 17th century home. Worth seeing how he lived. From there we went to the 9th century Ibm Tulun Mosque, holiest sight in Egypt built by the leader who both ruled Egypt and was the religious head. Climbed the minaret for views of Cairo.
We strolled briefly through the Arab town of Cairo, from the Bab el-Futuh (North Gate) to the Bab Zuwaila (South Gate), lined with mosques and shops. From there we continued through the Khan el Khalili Bazaar, which was loaded with touristy things and the sort of market we've seen many times elsewhere.
We drove to the only functioning synagogue in Cairo, Shamayim, and, after passing fairly heavy security went through the building, home to some 200 congregants. Very sad to see what's become of a once large and vibrant Jewish community. Apparently, there's an even smaller congregation in Alexandria.
We move on to the fabulous Egyptian Museum, where the two and a half hours we spend is not nearly enough, but as much as we can absorb in a visit. Henry is a fount of information. Highlights of our visit include the Narmer Tablet, some 5000 years old, depicting the exploits of King Narmer, who unified Egypt, the mummy room, with mummies of some eight or ten kings, and the overwhelming collection from the tomb of that minor king, Tutankhamon. It boggles the mind to think of what might have been held in the tombs of more important kings, had they not been stolen and melted down by tomb robbers. The famous mask of Tut, his chair and two of his coffins are just a few of the fabulous treasures we see. We continue for a while to other parts of the museum, but are too tired to continue after about two and a half hours.
We return to our hotel, though, we checked out in the morning and hang out in the lobby, the bar and a restaurant, before being picked up at 8 for our 11:30 flight home. Heavy traffic, but we make it by about 9 and are shepherded expertly through the airpot maze by Kimo. We make it into one of the lounges, where I am writing this blog, which I'll post shortly.
Kimo meets us at the hotel to check on plans for the day, then our guide, Henry, arrives. Henry is the third of ten children, three of whom are physicians, three engineers, three teachers and him. His five brothers all work in Kuwait, because of the money they can earn. We're very pleased with Henry, who is extremely knowledgeable and has a good sense of humor.
We visit the Gayer Anderson Museum, the home of a 19th century British Army officer and great collector of all sorts of things that fill his 17th century home. Worth seeing how he lived. From there we went to the 9th century Ibm Tulun Mosque, holiest sight in Egypt built by the leader who both ruled Egypt and was the religious head. Climbed the minaret for views of Cairo.We strolled briefly through the Arab town of Cairo, from the Bab el-Futuh (North Gate) to the Bab Zuwaila (South Gate), lined with mosques and shops. From there we continued through the Khan el Khalili Bazaar, which was loaded with touristy things and the sort of market we've seen many times elsewhere.
We drove to the only functioning synagogue in Cairo, Shamayim, and, after passing fairly heavy security went through the building, home to some 200 congregants. Very sad to see what's become of a once large and vibrant Jewish community. Apparently, there's an even smaller congregation in Alexandria.
We move on to the fabulous Egyptian Museum, where the two and a half hours we spend is not nearly enough, but as much as we can absorb in a visit. Henry is a fount of information. Highlights of our visit include the Narmer Tablet, some 5000 years old, depicting the exploits of King Narmer, who unified Egypt, the mummy room, with mummies of some eight or ten kings, and the overwhelming collection from the tomb of that minor king, Tutankhamon. It boggles the mind to think of what might have been held in the tombs of more important kings, had they not been stolen and melted down by tomb robbers. The famous mask of Tut, his chair and two of his coffins are just a few of the fabulous treasures we see. We continue for a while to other parts of the museum, but are too tired to continue after about two and a half hours.
We return to our hotel, though, we checked out in the morning and hang out in the lobby, the bar and a restaurant, before being picked up at 8 for our 11:30 flight home. Heavy traffic, but we make it by about 9 and are shepherded expertly through the airpot maze by Kimo. We make it into one of the lounges, where I am writing this blog, which I'll post shortly.
October 24
Picked up at 7, after breakfast at the hotel. We head straight out to the pyramids, at Giza, about half an hour from the hotel. We need to get there early, as we are to get two of the 150 tickets available daily to go inside the big pyramid, Cheops.
Henry, who is a real expert on this stuff, about to publish a book on it, briefs us outside about the pyramids. The pyramid of Cheops contains over 2,300,000 limestone stones, weighing from several tons to nine tons each, quarried from the Giza area. The pyramid is larger than St. Peter's and St. Paul's combined, and took 10,000 men twenty years to complete. Most astounding, to me, was the statement that, from the time it was built, in 2600 BC, until the Eiffel Tower was built in the 19th century, or for some 4,400 years, the Great Pyramid of Cheops was the tallest structure in the world.
We walk a little ways up to the entrance, the, inside the pyramid, crouch very low and climb the narrow, sloping path up to the burial chamber. It's a bit challenging and gets warm and tight, especially squeezing past the other 148 coming down, all of whom appear to be Japanese. After we descend, we drive a short distance for views of all three Great Pyramids, including Chephren and Mykerinos. Another short drive takes us to the sphinx, half man and half lion, with faces of the incumbent king or of noblemen.
We visit the boat museum, where we see an absolutely fabulous wooden boat that was found not long ago, and which took 29 years to reconstruct. Made of cedars from Lebanon, it days to the time of Cheops. It is marvelously displayed, elevated high above the ground and surrounded by a walkway.
We stop at a cotton place, but do not buy anything, as there's fixed prices, and so no fun for Carol.
We lunch at Mena House, an Oberoi Hotel, at the Kahn el Khalili Restaurant, enjoying an excellent Indian meal in view of the pyramids. After lunch, we continue to the old Egyptian capital of Memphis, where the principal attractions are a great reclining and two standing statues of Ramses the Great (II) and an alabaster sphinx. We end our day at the step pyramid of Zoser (2700 BC), the oldest stone structure ever built.
Given our short night's sleep, we are happy to return to the room to rest. We have dinner at Al Azhar Park, which, though it affords lovely views of the lit Muhammed Ali Mosque, is very disappointing in both food and service. Return to the hotel, where I blog in the bar, and Carol reads in the room.
Cairo is something of a surprise to me. We'd heard of the horrific traffic and filth, and certainly that reputation is not made out of whole cloth. Traffic is very heavy and, as Kimo said to us, the lane markers appear to be "for decorations.". And, yes, Cairo is dirty. A canal we drove along was filled with garbage. People throw trash out of the windows of their vehicles. But I don't think that I would have made traffic and dirt the cornerstones of my description of Cairo. While there are certainly donkey drawn carriages along the roads, Cairo has a modern flavor to it that contrasts strikingly with the antiquity of the pyramids. And the Nile, particularly at night, is quite beautiful.
Henry, who is a real expert on this stuff, about to publish a book on it, briefs us outside about the pyramids. The pyramid of Cheops contains over 2,300,000 limestone stones, weighing from several tons to nine tons each, quarried from the Giza area. The pyramid is larger than St. Peter's and St. Paul's combined, and took 10,000 men twenty years to complete. Most astounding, to me, was the statement that, from the time it was built, in 2600 BC, until the Eiffel Tower was built in the 19th century, or for some 4,400 years, the Great Pyramid of Cheops was the tallest structure in the world.
We walk a little ways up to the entrance, the, inside the pyramid, crouch very low and climb the narrow, sloping path up to the burial chamber. It's a bit challenging and gets warm and tight, especially squeezing past the other 148 coming down, all of whom appear to be Japanese. After we descend, we drive a short distance for views of all three Great Pyramids, including Chephren and Mykerinos. Another short drive takes us to the sphinx, half man and half lion, with faces of the incumbent king or of noblemen.
We visit the boat museum, where we see an absolutely fabulous wooden boat that was found not long ago, and which took 29 years to reconstruct. Made of cedars from Lebanon, it days to the time of Cheops. It is marvelously displayed, elevated high above the ground and surrounded by a walkway.
We stop at a cotton place, but do not buy anything, as there's fixed prices, and so no fun for Carol.
We lunch at Mena House, an Oberoi Hotel, at the Kahn el Khalili Restaurant, enjoying an excellent Indian meal in view of the pyramids. After lunch, we continue to the old Egyptian capital of Memphis, where the principal attractions are a great reclining and two standing statues of Ramses the Great (II) and an alabaster sphinx. We end our day at the step pyramid of Zoser (2700 BC), the oldest stone structure ever built.
Given our short night's sleep, we are happy to return to the room to rest. We have dinner at Al Azhar Park, which, though it affords lovely views of the lit Muhammed Ali Mosque, is very disappointing in both food and service. Return to the hotel, where I blog in the bar, and Carol reads in the room.
Cairo is something of a surprise to me. We'd heard of the horrific traffic and filth, and certainly that reputation is not made out of whole cloth. Traffic is very heavy and, as Kimo said to us, the lane markers appear to be "for decorations.". And, yes, Cairo is dirty. A canal we drove along was filled with garbage. People throw trash out of the windows of their vehicles. But I don't think that I would have made traffic and dirt the cornerstones of my description of Cairo. While there are certainly donkey drawn carriages along the roads, Cairo has a modern flavor to it that contrasts strikingly with the antiquity of the pyramids. And the Nile, particularly at night, is quite beautiful.
October 23
Short flight from Sharm el Sheikh was on time. Met at the airport and driven to the Old City, where we meet our guide, Henry, an expert on the Coptic Religion, who lectures in the US and Canada. "Coptic" is a bastardization (my word, not Henry's) of the islamic words for the former Egyptian capital of Memphis and the Arabic name for Egypt itself. The art is characterized by a particular focus on the face, and on large eyes.
We visit the Hanging Church, built by Christians on the walls of a fortress abandoned by the Romans, and one of the oldest churches in Egypt. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by an earthquake and so much of it is rebuilt. Also visit the 10th century Abu Serge Church, reputedly above the spot where the Holy Family rested when fleeing King Herod. We stop at the Ben Ezra Synagogue, built on the site of a 4th century. Severely damaged by theArabs after the 1967 war with Israel, it has been renovated, but is no longer used as a synagogue.
We see the Coptic Museum, which is full of all kinds of religious and secular artifacts from the 300-1000 AD Christian era, and shows the influences of Pharaonic, Greco-Roman and Islamic art. Much of it is very impressive, including some wonderful old frescoes from the Jeremiah Monastery and old manuscripts. Some of the carved and painted wooden ceilings are fabulous. There are also textiles, pottery, metal work and more. This would have merited more time than we gave it.
From there we move on to the Citadel, a fortress on a cliff, built to defend against the crusaders. The Citadel contains the famous mosque of Muhammed Ali, the Albanian who came to lead Egypt (who were weary of Turkish rule) in the early 19th century and who established a dynasty that lasted through King Farouk in 1952.
Ali, like the rest os the Arab world, except Iran and Iraq, was Sunni. The Sunnis differ from the Shiites in that the former believe that Muhammed was the sole messenger of God, while the latter believe that it was Muhammed's son-in-law, Ali. This difference, like other such seemingly kin or differences, has led to much bloodshed in the world.
We're driven to our hotel, The Four Seasons Nile Plaza, which is quite spectacular, in the Four Seasons' tradition. They're we're met by our man, Muhammed (nickname Kimo), who checks us in, while we sit in the lobby. Our room on the 27th floor has a spectacular view of the Nile, which is much more beautiful than I'd anticipated.
We relax in the room and then I go down for the felucca ride on the Nile that we'd booked, Carol passing. It's chilly enough that I'm glad to have taken a jacket. What a refreshing difference from Aswan and Luxor.
We shower and relax, awaiting dinner with Dick Kiphart's friend, Ahmed Alfi. So far, the dirt and impossible traffic we've been told to expect in Cairo has not materialized. But we have two more days.
Ahmed booked dinner at Spice, the Chinese restaurant in our hotel. I'd expected that it would be the three of us, but, in fact, the were nine. Ahmed and his wife, a business associate of his, Frank, who lives in LA, and his wife, Mona. Both Ahmed and Frank were lavish in their praise of Dick and William Blair. Of the others, Sherif Waheed Rasfat was the most interesting. From a family of prominence, his father a well-known lawyer, who was imprisoned in the 50s, when Sherif was ten, (and later fled the country)he had been in various businesses, including running Kidder's London office, being the head of the stock exchange in Cairo, being involved in a high-end Eco-tourism business with an environmentalist partner and currently running half a dozen or so funds. He had strong and well- thought-out views of modern Egyptian history and economics, and was not reluctant to share them. Carol and the two other women were seated at the other end of the table, and held their own conversations. At our end discussions ran from iPads to business, politics and travel. Ahmed seems passionately interested in new ideas and is committed to helping develop entrepreneurs. The other two men were a business friend of Ahmeds who had traveled in South and East Africa, and attended Bradley University in Peoria and a fellow named Sammy, who was a friend of Frank's that Ahmed did not know. Ahmed was a very kind host and the dinner itself was excellent.
We did not finish until after midnight, which made for a short morning before our 6 AM wakeup call.
We visit the Hanging Church, built by Christians on the walls of a fortress abandoned by the Romans, and one of the oldest churches in Egypt. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by an earthquake and so much of it is rebuilt. Also visit the 10th century Abu Serge Church, reputedly above the spot where the Holy Family rested when fleeing King Herod. We stop at the Ben Ezra Synagogue, built on the site of a 4th century. Severely damaged by theArabs after the 1967 war with Israel, it has been renovated, but is no longer used as a synagogue.
We see the Coptic Museum, which is full of all kinds of religious and secular artifacts from the 300-1000 AD Christian era, and shows the influences of Pharaonic, Greco-Roman and Islamic art. Much of it is very impressive, including some wonderful old frescoes from the Jeremiah Monastery and old manuscripts. Some of the carved and painted wooden ceilings are fabulous. There are also textiles, pottery, metal work and more. This would have merited more time than we gave it.
From there we move on to the Citadel, a fortress on a cliff, built to defend against the crusaders. The Citadel contains the famous mosque of Muhammed Ali, the Albanian who came to lead Egypt (who were weary of Turkish rule) in the early 19th century and who established a dynasty that lasted through King Farouk in 1952.
Ali, like the rest os the Arab world, except Iran and Iraq, was Sunni. The Sunnis differ from the Shiites in that the former believe that Muhammed was the sole messenger of God, while the latter believe that it was Muhammed's son-in-law, Ali. This difference, like other such seemingly kin or differences, has led to much bloodshed in the world.
We're driven to our hotel, The Four Seasons Nile Plaza, which is quite spectacular, in the Four Seasons' tradition. They're we're met by our man, Muhammed (nickname Kimo), who checks us in, while we sit in the lobby. Our room on the 27th floor has a spectacular view of the Nile, which is much more beautiful than I'd anticipated.
We relax in the room and then I go down for the felucca ride on the Nile that we'd booked, Carol passing. It's chilly enough that I'm glad to have taken a jacket. What a refreshing difference from Aswan and Luxor.
We shower and relax, awaiting dinner with Dick Kiphart's friend, Ahmed Alfi. So far, the dirt and impossible traffic we've been told to expect in Cairo has not materialized. But we have two more days.
Ahmed booked dinner at Spice, the Chinese restaurant in our hotel. I'd expected that it would be the three of us, but, in fact, the were nine. Ahmed and his wife, a business associate of his, Frank, who lives in LA, and his wife, Mona. Both Ahmed and Frank were lavish in their praise of Dick and William Blair. Of the others, Sherif Waheed Rasfat was the most interesting. From a family of prominence, his father a well-known lawyer, who was imprisoned in the 50s, when Sherif was ten, (and later fled the country)he had been in various businesses, including running Kidder's London office, being the head of the stock exchange in Cairo, being involved in a high-end Eco-tourism business with an environmentalist partner and currently running half a dozen or so funds. He had strong and well- thought-out views of modern Egyptian history and economics, and was not reluctant to share them. Carol and the two other women were seated at the other end of the table, and held their own conversations. At our end discussions ran from iPads to business, politics and travel. Ahmed seems passionately interested in new ideas and is committed to helping develop entrepreneurs. The other two men were a business friend of Ahmeds who had traveled in South and East Africa, and attended Bradley University in Peoria and a fellow named Sammy, who was a friend of Frank's that Ahmed did not know. Ahmed was a very kind host and the dinner itself was excellent.
We did not finish until after midnight, which made for a short morning before our 6 AM wakeup call.
October 22
Up for breakfast, then down to the dive center. My dive master, Patrick, is German, and learned to dive in Grand Cayman, where his uncle, Martin, has managed the Grand Old House restaurant for twenty-five years. I told Patrick that we'd tell Uncle Martin that he'd said that we'd get special attention in December, if we mentioned his name.
Patrick proposes that we do our first dive off the shore at the hotel, but I nix that, telling him that, after 30 years of diving, I don't need a check-out dive. He inquires, and says that we can go out in a zodiac, but we'll have to share with some other people, though he and I will dive together, alone. This is fine with me and, after I'm outfitted with gear, we bounce over waves at high speed, our rubber boat propelled by two 200-horsepower motors.
Rolling backwards into the sea at wood house Reef, I find that the current and inadequate weight on my belt requires some adjustment, but within a few minutes, with Patrick's help, I'm fine. Our second dive, at Ras Nasrani, it's just me, Patrick and the boat driver. The first dive had a maximum depth of 68' for 52 minutes, the second, 84' for 55 minutes. Diving was terrific, the water clear and warm. The reefs of hard coral were vibrantly colorful and in great condition.
Among the creatures we saw (not divided by dive) were mushroom coral, red amenome (sp?), clownfish, checkerboard wrasse; crown, exquisite and threadfin butterfly fish; regal and yellow bar angelfish; peppered and giant morays; fluted and common clams (which were beautiful), lion fish,Red Sea bannerfish, common reef squids, varicose wart slug, pajama chromodroids (sp?), and Picasso triggerfish. In short, the experience lived up to expectations, and I wish I could have done a few more days of diving.
Came back to the room and lost two of three games of gin rummy, despite wearing the ring I'd been given by the monk at St. Catherine's. Disappointing. After a rest, we went down to the lovely pool area and lay on some lounges, an experience marred somewhat by loud children, egged on and uncontrolled by a grandfather in the pool. A great relief not to have to deal with the excessive heat we've encountered elsewhere in Egypt. Hope that Cairo will not be oppressively hot. Took the funicular up to the room and relaxed a bit before dinner.
Excellent Indian dinner outside by the pool, cool breeze and nearly full moon. Back to the room to prepare for tomorrow's departure to Cairo, our last stop, and something that's likely to be dramatically different from anything we've experienced on the trip.
Patrick proposes that we do our first dive off the shore at the hotel, but I nix that, telling him that, after 30 years of diving, I don't need a check-out dive. He inquires, and says that we can go out in a zodiac, but we'll have to share with some other people, though he and I will dive together, alone. This is fine with me and, after I'm outfitted with gear, we bounce over waves at high speed, our rubber boat propelled by two 200-horsepower motors.
Rolling backwards into the sea at wood house Reef, I find that the current and inadequate weight on my belt requires some adjustment, but within a few minutes, with Patrick's help, I'm fine. Our second dive, at Ras Nasrani, it's just me, Patrick and the boat driver. The first dive had a maximum depth of 68' for 52 minutes, the second, 84' for 55 minutes. Diving was terrific, the water clear and warm. The reefs of hard coral were vibrantly colorful and in great condition.
Among the creatures we saw (not divided by dive) were mushroom coral, red amenome (sp?), clownfish, checkerboard wrasse; crown, exquisite and threadfin butterfly fish; regal and yellow bar angelfish; peppered and giant morays; fluted and common clams (which were beautiful), lion fish,Red Sea bannerfish, common reef squids, varicose wart slug, pajama chromodroids (sp?), and Picasso triggerfish. In short, the experience lived up to expectations, and I wish I could have done a few more days of diving.
Came back to the room and lost two of three games of gin rummy, despite wearing the ring I'd been given by the monk at St. Catherine's. Disappointing. After a rest, we went down to the lovely pool area and lay on some lounges, an experience marred somewhat by loud children, egged on and uncontrolled by a grandfather in the pool. A great relief not to have to deal with the excessive heat we've encountered elsewhere in Egypt. Hope that Cairo will not be oppressively hot. Took the funicular up to the room and relaxed a bit before dinner.
Excellent Indian dinner outside by the pool, cool breeze and nearly full moon. Back to the room to prepare for tomorrow's departure to Cairo, our last stop, and something that's likely to be dramatically different from anything we've experienced on the trip.
October 21
A different sort of day. No Egyptian ruins with confusing names, symbols and dates. And no excessive heat, for the first time since we hit Egypt. Quite a relief, that.
After an early breakfast at the Four Seasons, we're picked up by Ahmed and our driver. We're surprised to have a third occupant of the car, a young, tall guy, dressed rather nattily in a mafioso-looking striped black suit and tie.
He's our personal security guard, occasioned by some attacks that took place in Sharm and nearby Nahab, seven and six years ago. As a result all American tourists are assigned a police guard with them.
We start our three and a half hour drive to St. Catherine's Monastery, through rugged sandstone and granite mountains set off by desert. A striking landscape.
After an hour and a half or so, we com me upon vehicles stopped by the side of the road, viewing and trying to help the occupants of what, judging from the look of the overturned crushed car, was a terrible accident. While the driver and two occupants are hurt, they appear, somewhat miraculously to have escaped what looked like am extremely grim site.
After a half hour delay, we proceed to the monastery, the site where Moses saw the burning bush, where he first saw Miriam at the well and where he returned from Sinai to see the golden calf that the people had built. Ahmed tells us these stories and the exodus story (in which he places Ramses II as pharaoh), referring to "prophets" Moses, Jacob and Joseph. Being at the places where these biblical events supposedly took place is oddly moving, and brings the stories to life, by putting you at the spot they occurred.
In the temple of St. Catherine, we find ourselves primarily among devout Russian worshipers and in the par of the sanctuary reserved for orthodox Christians (though, apparently, Reconstructionist Jews qualify, too. Waiting for the monk, the blessing, the incense and a gift of a small ring, I wish we were permitted to take photos, not because I want photos of the church and iconography, but because I would lo e to photograph the rapt, devoted faces and colorful scarves of the worshippers.
Out tour does not include the museum there, which is closed at noon anyway, but Ahmed gets us in and we see some marvelous sixth century paintings and very old bibles in Greek and Arabic, some of them illustrated, as well as other religious objects donated to the monastery over the centuries. The museum is a little gem and we are very happy to have seen it.
Afterwards, we relax with one of Ahmed's very close friends, also named Ahmed, a guide and a very funny, jovial fellow, together with four Aussies he is guiding, James and Maria, their son, Tim, and his girlfriend, Jess. Turns out that this Ahmed is a dive instructor, knows the people at The Four Seasons and offers to set up a private trip for me, which he does by making several phone calls.
Both Ahmeds have been married three times, our Ahmed engaged again to a Dutch woman, having already tried Italian, French and Norwegian. His father was a diplomat, so our Ahmed lived in various places, including Mexico and DC. He clearly had his wild days, but professes now, at 35, to want to have a family.
Both of our groups decide to drive on to Nahab to have lunch at a restaurant right on the sea. We do that, enjoying both an excellent lunch, some pleasant conversation and cool sea breezes. After lunch, we stop briefly for unsuccessful shopping, before driving back to the hotel arriving after 6 PM, a long but very enjoyable and scenic day.
After resting a bit and showering, we go down to the Observatory Bar for a drink and light dinner before retiring.
After an early breakfast at the Four Seasons, we're picked up by Ahmed and our driver. We're surprised to have a third occupant of the car, a young, tall guy, dressed rather nattily in a mafioso-looking striped black suit and tie.
He's our personal security guard, occasioned by some attacks that took place in Sharm and nearby Nahab, seven and six years ago. As a result all American tourists are assigned a police guard with them.
We start our three and a half hour drive to St. Catherine's Monastery, through rugged sandstone and granite mountains set off by desert. A striking landscape.
After an hour and a half or so, we com me upon vehicles stopped by the side of the road, viewing and trying to help the occupants of what, judging from the look of the overturned crushed car, was a terrible accident. While the driver and two occupants are hurt, they appear, somewhat miraculously to have escaped what looked like am extremely grim site.
After a half hour delay, we proceed to the monastery, the site where Moses saw the burning bush, where he first saw Miriam at the well and where he returned from Sinai to see the golden calf that the people had built. Ahmed tells us these stories and the exodus story (in which he places Ramses II as pharaoh), referring to "prophets" Moses, Jacob and Joseph. Being at the places where these biblical events supposedly took place is oddly moving, and brings the stories to life, by putting you at the spot they occurred.
In the temple of St. Catherine, we find ourselves primarily among devout Russian worshipers and in the par of the sanctuary reserved for orthodox Christians (though, apparently, Reconstructionist Jews qualify, too. Waiting for the monk, the blessing, the incense and a gift of a small ring, I wish we were permitted to take photos, not because I want photos of the church and iconography, but because I would lo e to photograph the rapt, devoted faces and colorful scarves of the worshippers.
Out tour does not include the museum there, which is closed at noon anyway, but Ahmed gets us in and we see some marvelous sixth century paintings and very old bibles in Greek and Arabic, some of them illustrated, as well as other religious objects donated to the monastery over the centuries. The museum is a little gem and we are very happy to have seen it.
Afterwards, we relax with one of Ahmed's very close friends, also named Ahmed, a guide and a very funny, jovial fellow, together with four Aussies he is guiding, James and Maria, their son, Tim, and his girlfriend, Jess. Turns out that this Ahmed is a dive instructor, knows the people at The Four Seasons and offers to set up a private trip for me, which he does by making several phone calls.
Both Ahmeds have been married three times, our Ahmed engaged again to a Dutch woman, having already tried Italian, French and Norwegian. His father was a diplomat, so our Ahmed lived in various places, including Mexico and DC. He clearly had his wild days, but professes now, at 35, to want to have a family.
Both of our groups decide to drive on to Nahab to have lunch at a restaurant right on the sea. We do that, enjoying both an excellent lunch, some pleasant conversation and cool sea breezes. After lunch, we stop briefly for unsuccessful shopping, before driving back to the hotel arriving after 6 PM, a long but very enjoyable and scenic day.
After resting a bit and showering, we go down to the Observatory Bar for a drink and light dinner before retiring.
October 20
Very good and different day today. The places we saw were less spectacular (though still pretty terrific), but much more accessible because there were virtually no crowds.
Picked up at Al Moudira after breakfast by our guide, Katrin, a diminutive and very cute young lady, with English that is clearly a cut above what we've had with our other Egyptian guides (though their English was quite good, too). When we asked Katrin about it she attributed a good deal of her English to her devotion to TV, in particular to "Friends," her favorite. Clearly, we had a bond.
Our first stop was the temple of Ramses III, at Medinat Habu, with it's excellent hieroglyphs and the adjacent remains of his palace. Though not as spectacular as Karnak, the lack of crowds makes exploration enjoyable, and Katrin is able to explain at a leisurely pace.
In the car, we ask what Katrin's favorite places are, and she says that she loves the village of workers. At our request, she calls and adds it to our schedule. We are able to see the remains of the houses that the workers on the temples lived in. These people were employees, not slaves, and many of hem were artists. In fact, they gave Ramses III considerable trouble, organizing to form the first strike, when they were not treated well. We go into the steep tombs of two of the workers, which have strikingly bright colored decorations. After that, we walk out to the interesting small temple. This stop was well worth making (and adding $40) in cost for.
We stop for a cold Coke, necessary because of the continuing heat, en route to visit the mortuary temple of Ramses II, the Ramasseum, perhaps the most stunning feature is the broken monumental statue of Ramses II, which would have been 25 meters tall, and which inspired Shelley's My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look upon my work, ye Mighty, and despair!"
We go to visit the Tombs of the Nobles, where wealthy men were buried and, in particular, the tomb of Ramose an assistant to Achnatum, whose unfinished tomb affords a ready glimpse into how the tombs were constructed. Katrin takes us through all the steps and points out many of the features and details of the carvings and paintings.
The West side of the river seems to be a farming area. We pass through rather dirty village areas, though not dirty like India. Donkey drawn carts carry food for animals and some produce.
By now we are withering again from the 107-degree heat and happy to return to Al Moudira for lunch, shower and rest. By 4:30, we have recuperated enough to prepare for our pick up by Tony and travel to the East Bank, where we are met at the Luxor Museum by Katrin.
The Luxor museum is small, modern and terrific, containing some fabulous pieces that have not been sent to the Cairo museum. Among them is a hall of some twenty-nine statues in excellent repair found buried at Luxor Temple in the late 1980's, and displayed together. Katrin, in a bright, pink Mickey and Minnie Mouse t-shirt shows us around and is not at all bashful about pointing out her favorites. She loves the off-beat people like Hatsheput and Achnatum (need to go back to check some spelling). We have only about an hour and a quarter, and would happily have spent twice that amount of time.
We say good-bye to Katrin, who has been a wonderful guide, and drive on with Tony to make a quick visit to the grand Winter Palace Hotel that had one belonged to King Farouk. While the common areas and garden are very lovely, we're not at all sorry to have stayed at the Al Moudira, instead. We go to the restaurant Tony has recommended, but leave quickly, because the air conditioning has not bee turned on. Instead, we wind up at the Hussein Restaurant near Karnak Temple where we both have a really quite excellent meal.
On the way to and from our restaurants, we drive through parts of Luxor that seem to be alive at night. We really have not gotten a sense of either Aswan or Luxor as cities, because it's been far too hot to even consider exploring them. On the way to the airport, Tony tells us that his second daughter, Holly was born only eight days ago (which nets him an extra tip).
We've cleared all the Luxor Airport hurdles and are awaiting our flight to Sharm, which should board in fifteen minutes. Forty-five minute flight is uneventful, and we are met at the airport by our man in Sharm, Ahmed. We check in to our upgraded sea view room at The Four Seasons, which appears to be as spectacular as everyone has told us it is.
Picked up at Al Moudira after breakfast by our guide, Katrin, a diminutive and very cute young lady, with English that is clearly a cut above what we've had with our other Egyptian guides (though their English was quite good, too). When we asked Katrin about it she attributed a good deal of her English to her devotion to TV, in particular to "Friends," her favorite. Clearly, we had a bond.
Our first stop was the temple of Ramses III, at Medinat Habu, with it's excellent hieroglyphs and the adjacent remains of his palace. Though not as spectacular as Karnak, the lack of crowds makes exploration enjoyable, and Katrin is able to explain at a leisurely pace.
In the car, we ask what Katrin's favorite places are, and she says that she loves the village of workers. At our request, she calls and adds it to our schedule. We are able to see the remains of the houses that the workers on the temples lived in. These people were employees, not slaves, and many of hem were artists. In fact, they gave Ramses III considerable trouble, organizing to form the first strike, when they were not treated well. We go into the steep tombs of two of the workers, which have strikingly bright colored decorations. After that, we walk out to the interesting small temple. This stop was well worth making (and adding $40) in cost for.
We stop for a cold Coke, necessary because of the continuing heat, en route to visit the mortuary temple of Ramses II, the Ramasseum, perhaps the most stunning feature is the broken monumental statue of Ramses II, which would have been 25 meters tall, and which inspired Shelley's My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look upon my work, ye Mighty, and despair!"
We go to visit the Tombs of the Nobles, where wealthy men were buried and, in particular, the tomb of Ramose an assistant to Achnatum, whose unfinished tomb affords a ready glimpse into how the tombs were constructed. Katrin takes us through all the steps and points out many of the features and details of the carvings and paintings.
The West side of the river seems to be a farming area. We pass through rather dirty village areas, though not dirty like India. Donkey drawn carts carry food for animals and some produce.
By now we are withering again from the 107-degree heat and happy to return to Al Moudira for lunch, shower and rest. By 4:30, we have recuperated enough to prepare for our pick up by Tony and travel to the East Bank, where we are met at the Luxor Museum by Katrin.
The Luxor museum is small, modern and terrific, containing some fabulous pieces that have not been sent to the Cairo museum. Among them is a hall of some twenty-nine statues in excellent repair found buried at Luxor Temple in the late 1980's, and displayed together. Katrin, in a bright, pink Mickey and Minnie Mouse t-shirt shows us around and is not at all bashful about pointing out her favorites. She loves the off-beat people like Hatsheput and Achnatum (need to go back to check some spelling). We have only about an hour and a quarter, and would happily have spent twice that amount of time.
We say good-bye to Katrin, who has been a wonderful guide, and drive on with Tony to make a quick visit to the grand Winter Palace Hotel that had one belonged to King Farouk. While the common areas and garden are very lovely, we're not at all sorry to have stayed at the Al Moudira, instead. We go to the restaurant Tony has recommended, but leave quickly, because the air conditioning has not bee turned on. Instead, we wind up at the Hussein Restaurant near Karnak Temple where we both have a really quite excellent meal.
On the way to and from our restaurants, we drive through parts of Luxor that seem to be alive at night. We really have not gotten a sense of either Aswan or Luxor as cities, because it's been far too hot to even consider exploring them. On the way to the airport, Tony tells us that his second daughter, Holly was born only eight days ago (which nets him an extra tip).
We've cleared all the Luxor Airport hurdles and are awaiting our flight to Sharm, which should board in fifteen minutes. Forty-five minute flight is uneventful, and we are met at the airport by our man in Sharm, Ahmed. We check in to our upgraded sea view room at The Four Seasons, which appears to be as spectacular as everyone has told us it is.
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