Day 6 - Goodbye Alexandra and the desert road to Cairo - 1/31/2010

In the morning we said goodbye to the Paradise Inn, after breakfasting on the cake we ordered the night before.  There was one last stop in Alexandria, the archeological dig of Kom el-Dikka, right in the middle of downtown. As Alexandria is a relatively new city, around 330 BC, this site was also relatively new, containing Greco-roman artifacts. Our native guide attempted to speak to the Polish excavators in order to arrange a tour, but the Poles didn’t speak Egyptian. It didn’t occur to him to try to speak English, which they spoke fluently. Unfortunately we could only view from a distance. In a general tightening up of access, much of the site was roped off. Despite Ken’s best efforts he couldn’t finagle us access to the site.

The most impressive part of the site was a nicely preserved roman theater; it even has the seat numbers intact. Very small, it was not intended primarily for theatrical efforts but for  the reading and discussion of laws. I got Charles to pose as a Roman orator. His acting chops were not up to the task. Paralleling the theater is the remains of a roman road. Lining one side is a row of columns, on the other a row of shops. Still unearthed on the opposing side is a row of shops and columns over which a canopy probably had been draped, providing shade.

Near the entrance to the site is a display of Greco-roman artifacts recovered from the sea. The statuary on display here had been smoothed and worn down by the action of centuries of the waves. There also was a series of desalination tanks. Objects recovered from the sea are placed in a series of tanks with a gradually decreasing salinity. Much of these objects were recovered near the former location of the Great Lighthouse of Alexandria. As the water level raised a large portion of the ancient city slipped into the sea. Some believe vast treasures lay out in the bay, but the action of salt and water destroys so much.

After that, it was back to Cairo via the desert road. There are two ways to Cairo now, the Nile road inhabited by farmers with donkeys slowing traffic and the new and improved desert road. Naturally we took the desert road back to Cairo. The trip took three hours, so we stopped for refreshments half way through. We stopped at one of the oldest rest stops along the desert road, a large impressive building seemingly from different times. There was a large snack shop and a cafeteria. The cafeteria tantalized us with pizza boxes but no pizza, instead selling some odd pastry or sandwich concoction. In the snack shop I found a carton of cookies called Neo that looked suspiciously like Oreos ™, they tasted like them too, much better than Hydrox. After almost buying fish flavored potato chips, we settled on vinegar and salt. Two Pepsi’s later we were back on the road.

We headed on to Cairo. We passed a futuristic village the SmartVillage, allegedly planned out and computerized by Bill Gates. We saw two traffic accidents. The closer to Cairo the crazier the drivers get. Alexandrians are paragons of driver safety in comparison. We passed rows and rows of tall palm trees, almost reaching the elevated highway on which we drove. In the middle of the divide vendors would walk selling items such as Egyptian flags to soccer fans, bread to hungry drivers and air fresheners. As we left the highway we saw open-air markets run year round, some dedicated to used clothing, some to used car parts. Traffic snarled as we reached downtown Cairo. Finally, near the banks of the Nile, we reached the Ramses Hilton our home for the next three nights.

We arrived at 2:30pm and had until 8:15pm for dinner that night. At 6pm was the Africa Cup match, much anticipated by the locals. Dinner was later the normal due to the horrible service we would likely get if eating during the match.  We would have watched the match however our TV was broken. Charles and I decided to explore the Ramses Hilton Center mall across the street from the Hilton. Everyone entering the mall has to pass through a metal detector. Tourists can walk through the metal detector without hindrance, but locals get the whole nine-yards having to take everything out of their pockets. The same went for the Hilton itself. I suppose they do a bit of profiling themselves and will continue doing so until tourists start blowing themselves up.

The first floor was a food court, the most remarkable aspect to my eyes were all the people using hookahs. Last trip I’d only seen them in the Hilton lobby, they seem to be everywhere in Cairo. Perhaps I hadn’t noticed them previously. The mall was vertical so up and up the escalators we went. Most of the shops were tourist shops, some more for the local tourists than foreigners. Most of the others were clothing and CDs.

At the top was a McDonald’s and opposite of that was a movie theater. We decided to stop and see a movie. We saw a list of movie times at one of the three box-office appearing sites. Most people seemed to be going to see Avatar, 3D glasses in hand. There were three theaters on one side and two on the other. A metal detector protects each side. After some discussions with the locals it appears that there are five movie theaters each showing one individual movie, each movie in each theater starts at the exact same time. That seemed odd given the varying lengths of the films, especially Avatar with its monstrous length.  We chose “Sherlock Holmes.”  After waiting in three different “lines” we managed to get our tickets and select our seats from a chart. Note that there is no such thing as a “line” in Egypt everyone crowds the ticket booth and the strongest one shoves themselves to the head of the line. We noted that we were the only ones going to see “Sherlock Holmes” for that showing. Security was tight, after passing the metal detector the ushers confiscated my poor camera, putting a sticker on my ticket as a claim ticket.

We had the theater all to ourselves. It was a narrow, bowling alley style theater. The movie started twenty minutes late than the 3:30pm advertised time, there must be some flexibility due to length. The movie started with no trailers. Instead a seemingly handwritten movie license card was projected on the screen. The only English on the card was “Sherlock Holmes.”  The movie was interrupted midway for a two-minute intermission. I’ve only seen that once before, on the Isle of Malta. When the movie was over we got up and the projectionist immediately turned off the projector, not wasting the precious bulb life on unseen credits.

Back to the hotel we went, keeping an eye on the Africa Cup via the BBC web site. Our dinner would be delayed if it went to a shootout. We didn’t need the web site to learn when Egypt scored their only and decisive goal. The near constant honking of horns from the Cairo streets starting honking in a melodic pattern which I can only assume was some kind of anthem. It grew louder a little later when time expired with Egypt victorious.

It was off to Paprika, a restaurant a half-mile or less from the hotel. At intersections, people waving Egyptian flags celebrated their third straight Africa Cup win. Paprika was near the Nile and we saw boats running up and down the Nile flashing lights in celebration. People walking in groups waving flags walked along the Nile. As dinner progressed we saw trucks full of fans waving flags driving back and forth along the streets. A camera crew slowed down traffic as they interviewed fans whipped into frenzy by the red light on the camera.

Dinner itself was good. I discovered “lemon drink” which was kind of like thicker lemonade with some milk substance on the top. I finally had lentil soup for the first time this trip in Egypt. It was good. Dinner was veal chops and rice. It was good, but not quite as tender as I expected. Dessert was “milk pudding” which was essentially rice pudding without the rice and a little bit of burned sugar as topping.

We walked back to crowds of soccer fans celebrating their victory, not much diminished in the hour or so we’d been eating. Back to the hotel and to sleep we went ready for medieval Cairo the next day.

Day 5- A Day in Alexandria - 1/30/2010

We had a brief breakfast. I was pleased to notice that Cocoa Crisps had made it to Alexandria, though apparently shrunken somewhat now doubt due to the milder climes. I had a rice pudding for breakfast while Charles had a bowl of the old CC. Unfortunately I forgot to put the memory card back into the camera or there’d by photographic evidence.

We boarded the bus and headed off to our first stop of the day, the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa. The Catacombs are one of the most impressive ancient I’ve experienced. It is a burial place dating back to the Ptolemaic period. Outside the tomb are many giant stone coffins showing mixtures of Greco roman and Egyptian influence. Access to the catacombs is by a spiral staircase that circles around a 30-foot wide shaft. Mourners would descend using the staircase. The bodies and their coffins would be lowed down through the staff. Windows are cut at intervals into the shaft allowing one to see the light from above and the depths below. As we reached the bottom we saw chambers carved into the rock. The path led to a impressive domed rotunda that led to other passageways. The first one we explored was for mourners to lie down and eat as part of honoring the dead. False columns were cut into the living sandstone. The main impressive tomb was shaped like an Egyptian temple. In front of the tomb were two statues one male one female, very well preserved. Surrounding the main tomb were other passageways that led to vaults containing spaces for the remains of the dead. 

It was in the catacombs that one of our team members twisted his ankle. The floor was covered with sand that caused him to slip. His ankle was sprained but not broken and had to walk with a cane for the rest of the trip.

Most archeological sites are rubble; it was odd to walk through a near intact catacomb. Frankly it reminded me of playing Dungeons and Dragons. I was expecting a mummy to come leaping out or a trap to be set off at each turn.

Our second stop of the day was Pompey’s Pillar. This was just a short distance away from the catacombs. The pillar is around 100 feet high and 10 feet high. It was carved out of a single piece of Aswan granite, similar to how the obelisks were created. The name “Pompey’s Pillar” came from the idea that an urn containing the ashes of Pompey was on top of the pillar. This is untrue. This enormous pillar was just the one remaining pillar from an enormous temple dedicated to a Roman emperor. There were also two passageways going down a hundred feet, carved into the living rock. One was closed but the other lead to a replica of the bull form of the god Serapis.

On we went to the Citadel of Quaitbay. This is a Muslim fortress that stands at the site of the Great Lighthouse of Alexandria. Some of the rocks of the fortress are made from the remnants of the lighthouse. The lighthouse was finally destroyed over a thousand years ago after an earthquake finished off what years of neglect started. Inside the keep is a mosque. Lining the walk to the keep are gun emplacements.

It was more important being at the site of the old Lighthouse than seeing the fortress. We walked all around the keep, down through the seaside tunnels and walked the outermost walls. Personally, I think they should tear down the fortress and rebuilt the fortress, but no one asks me…

Off we went to the Tikka Grill for lunch. Charles and I both had grilled chicken, which seemed natural. The best part of the meal was the bread. It was actually served warm. We stopped by the Alexandria National Museum. The small museum was formerly a mansion from the early 1900s. The first floor held some objects from the Old and Middle Kingdom. The second level was devoted to the Christian period, while the third had Islamic items up to the present day.

Then it was back to the Paradise Inn. We rested for the afternoon. We were able to connect to the internets for free via public wireless. I sent an email to Ken, our brother, and told him to Skype us. We talked to Mom, Dad, Ken and Brian for an hour or two before heading to the hotel restaurant. The hotel restaurant had been recommended highly, being cheap and having more than adequate food. The restaurant’s lighting was dimmed to almost complete darkness; candles lighted the tables. We seated ourselves at a table next to the piano player using an electronic organ. His voice wasn’t too bad, but it was obvious he didn’t know English and was memorizing the lyrics by syllable. He’d start of strong on a lyric but gradually fade at the end. His rendition of Sinatra’s New York, New York was so amusing it earned him our applause and a $2 tip. We waited with anticipation for dessert, the menu having promised brownie with ice cream. We were disappointed when all they had was a rather dry black forest cake. We were even more disappointed when the very same cake was available for free the next morning for breakfast.

Day 4 – The Road to Alexandria - 1/29/2010

Once again we awoke in Cairo at the Mena House. Before boarding the bus we decided to rectify the fifty piastre/pound. I exchanged $120 in US dollars at the Mena House while Charles was checking out. The Mena House had a currency exchange office right across from the main desk. $120 bought about 600 Egyptian pounds. I didn’t realize that the currency exchange had it’s own security guard on station until I heard the gentle snoring coming from a reclining figure of a security guard seated in the corner. No doubt he was a victim of excess celebration from the prior nights victory.

We boarded the bus to Alexandria. About halfway between Cairo and Alexandria is the Wadi El Natrun  (Natron Valley.) Until recently this area was very much a desert, known mostly for the salt lakes scattered across the valley. This area is primarily known for Coptic Christian monasteries and the natron salt used in the mummification process. Recently, the area has seen extensive growth due to desert reclamation. One new feature of the area was the dominance of little three-wheeled taxi cabs, big enough for only three people. One particularly amusing cab had a pirate flag draped over the front of the vehicle, a rather incongruous additional to such a harmless seeming vehicle.

Our first stop was to the Coptic monastery of Saint Pishoy. Along the road to the monastery was a salt lake. Farms surround the monastery, and we passed through one after the bus went through the security gate. Our bus dropped us off at the fifty-foot high walls of the original monastery. The doorway to the monastery was very low, but the door itself was wooden and bound with iron and was impressively thick. On the outside walls near the door was a bell. In ancient times a rope would have led ground to allow petitions for entrants.

Our group walked into the cloister. The cloister was a peaceful garden with palm trees and other greenery. We met our guide at the edge of the cloister near the Martyr’s Well. Our guide was Cedrack, a monk. He guided us through the monastery.

He showed us an original working donkey-driven grain mill. It used volcanic stone from hundreds of miles away and donkey power to mill flour. It is one of the oldest surviving such mills. Next up was an old refectory, where all the monks would gather together to eat. Then he took us through St. Bishoy’s Church. He explained the features that matched the ancient Egyptian temples that carried over into these churches. We had to take off our shoes before entering, something that also has to be done while visiting mosques.





He showed us the Martyr’s Well. Invaders had slain dozens of monks and had used the well to clean their swords. He took us up onto the roof. To reach it we had to pass a wooden drawbridge. This drawbridge would have been pulled up in case of Bedouin attacks. 

Once on the roof he gave a lecture. He mentioned his love for peace. He spoke about Islam and how wahhabism from Saudi Arabia was corrupting Islam with tribal beliefs that advocated violence against Christians. He compared US and European immigration policies towards Muslims with the ancient practices of the monastery. Those primitive tribal Bedouins who would attack without justification for monetary gain would not be allowed entrance to the monastery. If Bedouins rang the bell in front of the gates, the monks would lower down food and water but would not let them inside their defenses.

The tour ended and he invited us to a free lunch. On the monastery grounds was a giant open-air shelter that could accommodate hundreds. There were dozens already in the tent, visitors to the monastery that were already partaking of the free lunch. Lunch consisted of beans, bread and hot tea. The beans were flavored by oil and salt. After we ate the beans and bread we were given a cup of hot sweat tea. After lunch we met up with Cedrack once again and he talked to us in private for half an hour, answering all our questions.

He gave one of members his business card:

Cedrack Anba Bishoy

Orden Priester

p.cedrack@bluemail.ch

After leaving the monastery we stopped by the salt lake not too far down the road. The shores of the lake were crusted with natron salt. This was the salt used by the ancient Egyptians during the mummification process. Charles and I picked up a bag of the salt for any future mummification needs. Hopefully, airport security won’t mistake the sale for something else.

We continued to Alexandria. Alexandria seems less poor and more modern than Cairo. Intersections have traffic lights and the cars don’t take them as mere suggestions. The buildings are more modern but seem run down. There are none of the half-finished brick apartment buildings; instead more modern looking but weathered buildings take their place. The people wear more colorful and western clothing, but nowhere does one see women without head coverings. Alexandria is like the reverse Florida to Egyptians. When it gets too warm in the summer southerners head North to cool off in the cooler weather of this Mediterranean port.

We stopped of at the new Library of Alexander built within 200 meters of the old library’s location, now sunken beneath the waves. The building is a modernist piece with no hint of Greco-roman influence. The outside of the building is covered with letters of every alphabet known to exist.

Our hotel for the next two days was the Paradise Inn. It was a beautifully constructed hotel built in the 1920s. The ceiling of our hotel room had to be at least twenty-five feet high. The hotel was built prior to air-conditioning and the height helped keep the warm air up and the cool air down.

We were on our own for dinner and our hotel was situated a stones throw from one of the more popular Egyptian restaurants: KFC. We met a friendly Egyptian named Ahmed on our two hundred foot walk to KFC. He help translate our order and showed us where we could buy a two-liter coke for only ten Egyptian pounds.  Ahmed said that he had been in the United States before. He had lived in North Carolina for a while. Ahmed followed us back to the hotel, on our way we found another couple from our group had managed to find a similarly helpful Egyptian translator. As we slipped into our hotel, KFC and two liter coke in toe Ahmed mentioned to us that he had an uncle who owned a sneaker store just down the street and be sure to pay a visit before we left. After consuming inhuman amounts of chicken we fell asleep, eager for the next day’s adventure.