Egypt Part 1

We awoke lazily at around 10:30 to the continual sound of horns and traffic 17 floors below our window. Some might have found it obtrusive, but it is Egypt and that is just the way it is.

We began slowly, with no sense of urgency. We meandered around the hotel, checking our email, taking long showers, or writing a short journal entry until around 2 o’clock. However, despite its lackluster start, in retrospect, that first day in Egypt was probably the most memorable and amazing day of the entire trip. We engaged what Jeff correctly dubs Macro-tourism. Which basically means, we want the big picture-the high points and the things that you would regret not doing if you missed them. We got our bus, (oh yes it was a 20 passenger bus), at around 2:15 which came armed with a bus driver and our tour guide named Ahmad.

There was something very ethereal and otherworldly about this first day. Part of it was just being around Joel who I hadn’t seen for almost 6 months, but more it felt like for the first time I really was in a foreign country. On one hand, we were looking at these ancient artifacts from a culture so vastly different from our own, and on the other, we were also surrounded by a modern culture which was vastly different from our own. It wasn’t that the people were so different, most of the people we met were pretty similar in most represents or that their religion was so different (although it definitely was to a degree) but rather that it was just different. The air was different. The mindset was different. Maybe it was just that I was waking up to a new perspective.

The first place we visited was the impressive Egyptian museum, which is the largest holder of ancient Egypt artifacts and the famed King Tut tomb. The area was strictly secured with guards, gates, and metal detectors with no cameras allowed. Upon entering I become so over-awed by the amazing artifacts (err…or something like that) that I stupidly left my bag (which I shouldn’t have brought anyways) on the security X-ray. It was not until 5 minutes later, when we were already into the tour that I suddenly grabbed, my butt, my thighs, and said “Where the heck is my bag!” Ahmad, our new acquaintance, burst into action moving like a jack-rabbit towards the security guards. Passionately (on the verge of furiously) he demanded what was in my bag. Scrambling through the contents of my head I was desperately drawing a blank on the contents of my bag. “Just some clothes and a book” (wrong). “Just some clothes, a book, and a wallet” (closer). “Just some clothes, a book, a wallet and an Ipod” (Ahmad froze, “What is that?”). Crap. How do you explain what an Ipod is? It is an MP3 player! That meant even less to him. Dang it.

Of course by now I am feeling slightly sick to my stomach for being such an idiot. I can easily read the expression on Ahmad face (“Ugh Americans”). Joel is giving me the evil glare and Jeff is wandering around looking at the statues. And I am standing by Ahmad and the security guards with a perturbed look, staring at my gray bag (which is most definitely mine) but they won’t let me have until I can fully inventory the contents. Finally, they reluctantly give it to me. That was a great way to start off the day. Luckily that was near the height of my stupidity for the trip. It could have been much worse.

The museum itself was very impressive. We learned about the kings and the northern and southern kingdom, and saw the statues and golden trinkets to prove it. We saw how they viewed death and judgment. And we saw how they imagined life began. What was most interesting was how they viewed death and judgment. In many ways it only differed in ceremony from Islam, Christianity and Judaism. It showed that in every culture even on thousands of years old, they still had a concept of judgment day and an afterlife. It was quite extraordinary.

King Tut’s Tomb was elaborate and gaudy. And the sheer wealth and grandeur was impressive—but to me rather unwarranted. The mummies we saw were interesting, but not spectacular or anything other such superlative. Overall, the museum was a star in my journal, but not a highlight. It was definitely worth wandering through, but it wasn’t a defining moment.

Afterwards we got some lamb sandwiches from a local fast food type restaurant which was very pleasing. Lamb is wonderful in case you were wondering.

After that we went to see how papyrus was made and how the ancient Egyptian’s made paper and saw replications of some of the most famous and amazing paintings that found on the walls from thousands of years ago. It also happened to be a shop which sold such replications. Jeff half-jokingly said to our salesman “aww and your name is Mohammad correct?” (Which as it turned out was correct, but it might have been Osama or Akmad or any other typical Arab names if Jeff had said so). And for the next half hour we were treated to a wonderful display of salesmanship and near perfect English. Joel’s comment to me was that there are probably few BMW salesmen who were more smooth than Mohammad. I smiled and agreed.

Naturally, we had both bought something.

Jeff later told explained to us the inner-workings of the tourism business, for you see Ahmad (our tour guide) and Mohammad had an arrangement and Ahmad got a cut on anything sold. This explained why Ahmad pulled out a few sales tricks of his own (most notably the passive “don’t feel you need to buy anything” trick) right before we entered.

And later we will see how the rest of the day unfolded.