The 11 hour drive

Up Early

The wakeup call was scheduled today for 2:45am. I was to check out, have breakfast, prior to meeting the driver outside the hotel at 3:30am. Unlike in Israel, the drivers here have no problem waiting a few minutes for me. Today I would be running 7 minutes late - not too bad given I'm still not well physically. I'm still battling a head cold with chest congestion and have lost my voice almost completely. I can whisper though. To my surprise I would be greeted by Mr. George who did the tours with me the day before - I had thought I would be meeting a guide at the temples.

On the road

At $100, this excursion was the priciest so far. I know this is Africa, but it surprises me that $100 would go that far even here. This tour involves a 3-4 hour drive each way. I have a private driver, a decent air conditioned full sized car, a driver, an educated tour guide for the entire day...all for $100?

Tourism is down...way down

Talking informally with the various tour guides I've had, I'm beginning to feel just how difficult it is for them here in Egypt. With all the travel alerts and warnings, tourism in Egypt is down. Way down. Mr. George told me that in the low season (summer) he would normally work around 8 days a month. During the high season (winter) he would work around 30 days a month. It's still high season here and he has worked 7 days in the past 30 days. I.e., it's high season and it's slower than than low season. Tourism is Egypt's number 3 industry. Only income from the Suez Canal and Oil/Gas exports surpass tourism - so a lot of people are impacted. One thing I've noticed is that the poor of Egypt are not beggars. Sure you occasionally get grabbed by the arm as you walk through bazaars, but that's only because the merchant desperately needs to make a sale. They want to sell you or provide a service to you in exchange for money - they are not asking for a handout. To date, a single person at the train station with Osama was the only time I experienced a beggar asking for a handout.

You say you want a revolution?

It's been a little over 2 years since the revolution here in Egypt. To date I've had 3 different guides. Since all tours are private and several I've gotten to know each guide pretty well. Surprisingly, two have been Christian, or Copts as they are called here, and one has been Muslim. Since we're together almost the entire day, normal conversation about family and children comes up and naturally will segway to something deeper. All guides have talked quite comfortably about Egyptian politics. Nothing appeared off limits, even Mubarak (former leader of Egypt), Morsi (current leader of Egypt), or the Mulsim Brotherhood (political party of Morsi) were topics of conversation. More than one guide would tell me that prior to the revolution, talking like we were would not be possible. All have felt strongly that other governments, primarily Iran and Saudi Arabia, are interfering and want the revolution to be seen as a failure. They insist those countries would be threatened should the revolution be a success. For 200 Egyptian pounds, roughly $30 USD, they can pay a homeless man to make lots trouble. They also insist the media is corrupt and is overly critical of Morsi. “They blame everyone on him, even things he can not control”. All believe Morsi has a good heart and that he cares very much about the Egyptian people – but most agree he is not effective and will not be elected again. There is also consensus that the former leader Mubarak was corrupt and embezzled countless amounts of money for his family. One suggested Morsi was only elected because there was such a strong divide amongst other candidates – Arrow’s impossibly theorem at work.  I asked more than one, rather bluntly, if creating an Islamic state in Egypt is the master plan of the brotherhood. “They’d (Muslim Brotherhood) like that”, I am told, “but even they know they Egyptian people would not tolerate that”. “Egypt is the most moderate nation of all the Arab world” I hear repeatedly. I was surprised by lack of contrast in opinion on Morsi and the Brotherhood between Christians and Muslims alike.

Protests along the way

I had expected to sleep during the 3-4 hour drive to the temple. After about 20 minutes of driving I noticed we had stopped. I went back to sleep briefly and realized the car was stopped as was traffic around us. It was around 4:15am, we had left about 45 minutes earlier. I ask Mr. George why and he says there is a checkpoint further down and one of the drivers is arguing with the police over a fine. “He was going too fast, he says”.  Apparently we are on an entry to a main road to the temples and there is a safety checkpoints prior to entry. We are surrounded by tour buses, many filled with people from the west. There’s a huge line of buses both in front and back of us. At this point almost all cars are stopped and many tourists are sitting outside their bus. It’s not much different than when traffic is completely stopped on a highway in the states. Since I wasn’t feeling well I was fine staying in the car. The car was off and I was in a desert, but it was still chilly since the sun had not risen yet. I get out of the car and talk a bit to Mr. George. I ask Mr. George if I can take a picture – sure he says, but don’t get too close.  I can see cars lined up for at least a quarter to half mile, so I know I’m very distant from the action. I snap a pic and ask again what’s going on.  I ask again what’s going on. This time Mr. George is a bit more honest. “There are protests against the government because they do not feel enough is being done to help tourism.” I ask if this has happened before and he tells me no. I would find out later that’s likely not the truth. It’s not uncommon for that road to be blocked by protestors. The protests are non violent and a means of getting the government’s attention – free speech and a consequence of the revolution I’m left to believe. About 30 minutes later traffic starts moving again. In the end it would take about 5 hours to get to the temples, but since I slept most of the way it was not a big deal. In my opinion, non-violent protests are a good thing. Protests indicate the presence of a free people. That state department safety bulletins suggest protests can become violent in a flash - advice I take very seriously. But those same bulletins suggest the areas I am in, or will be traveling to,  over the next few days remain calm. 

 

Lines of buses as we wait an hour to proceed at a checkpoint

Arriving at Abu Simbel

 

Walkway to the temple

We got to the temples around 9am. Mr. George gave me an overview and walked over with me to the temples. As was the case at certain exhibits in the Egyptian Museum, guides are not allowed in the temples. They do all instruction outside and let the groups go in solo. There isn’t much to see inside the temples, but looking at them from the outside and going in them was an amazing experience. There are two different entries and touring them took about an hour. Mr. George tells me he’ll wait for me at the small snack shop setup up the hill from the temple. He offered to take my picture in front of the temples, but I was out of it and didn’t respond as I would have liked. After touring the temples I now realized what he had asked and did want a picture. Walking back and forth to the coffee shop was grueling, but I was determined to have photo. After about an hour and a half we head back. Mr. George says the next stop is the Nubian Museum. I was pretty certain I had opted not for that excursion and replaced it with the Abu Simbel tour. He insists otherwise. I check my itinerary and realize he is incorrect. I would have been up for the museum, but I wasn’t feeling well and knew I needed rest. After a couple of phone calls Mr. George says everything is okay. Although I’m normally dubious, I don’t think the tour company was trying to upsell me…I think this was an honest miscommunication. I was excited to have the opportunity to rest and relax back at the resort. The hotel pool area was very nice and the temperature was in the 90s – great for a dip in the pool if I was feeling better after my anticipated nap.

 

Me in front of the Large Temple

 

Me in front of the Small Temple

 

Mr. George

Back at the Hotel

We got back to the hotel around 1pm. The first thing I wanted to do was take a nap. After about an hour I woke up feeling a bit better and head for the pool. Even though it was 90 the water was cold. Very, very cold. After resetting my Kindle I noticed 3g worked – I picked up a book on my next destination, Dubai, and did some reading. After about 45 minutes I made it into the pool, and than resumed reading. 

 

Back at the hotel

 

The Sahara at it's finest

Getting Dinner...or not

 

It was around 6pm when I left the pool and I was starting to get hungry. I left the hotel and was approached by a man asking if I wanted a ride – he was extremely friendly. I said no and kept walking. He was very persistent. “10 pounds” he says. “I’ll take you to market. You need to go to market, you will like it”. After confirming the 10 pounds he was asking for were indeed Egyptian and not British (thanks, Ryan) we were on our way. I’d be riding in an open horse carriage the mile or so ride for under $1.50 US. The driver’s name is Abdul and we chat for a while. He gives me his cell number and asks that I call him when I am finished. He asks for 10 pounds, I give him 15 or 20. I felt wrong paying him even that. When I did get him the money he asked about the horse, “feed my horse” he says. I smile, tell him I gave him more than he asked for.  He smiles graciously and thanks me – “call me when you’re done” he says.  I ask him how much a good price for a Coke is and he tells me 10 pounds. He offers to get it for me but I say no. He directs me to the supermarket. There I am charged 4 pounds (60 cents) for a 500ml bottle of coke. What a country.

 

Mr Abdul and his horse 

Detouring to the Market

By the time we got to market the sun had already set. What remained of sunlight was now gone. The market was incredible. Street after street of merchants selling just about anything – spices, food, pots, pans…anything. Since I hadn’t eaten, I picked up some popcorn from a vendor. 5 pounds he says (75 cents). Robbery I think, but I pay it anyway. The bag was tiny and I’m pretty sure 1 pound was the prevailing price – the popcorn was worth every cent. After walking around the market for a couple of hours I walk around the waterfront. I walk by and enter a restaurant with a view of the Nile. The host is very friendly. “Where you from”, he asks. I tell him Chicago. He looks at me and says with a smile “Really…it’s very dangerous there I hear”. I respond back saying with a laugh “I hear the same about Egypt”. He laughs, laughs and says – “so true, my friend”.  After more reading I head to the only restaurant I can find, a McDonald’s on the Nile. The McDonalds here is packed with locals and very popular. After finishing my meal I try to call Abdul but the call does not go through. No worries, the street is lined with horse carriages and the hotel isn’t far. I approach a driver and ask how much – 20 pounds he says. I walk away and he chases me. “What” he says. I look coldly at him and tell him he’s ripping me off. I had fully intended to give him 20 pounds, if not more, but did not want to be conned. I continue to walk away and he apologizes profusely. “Okay, 10 pounds, I’m so sorry. Business is terrible and I’m doing what I can to get by.” I ride back to the hotel just as I came,  in a horse and carriage. I pay him with a 50 pound note and he tries to short change me 5 pounds, saying it’s for the horse. I call him out on it, but in the end let him have it. I told him I had planned on tipping him even more but I’m not sure he believes me. When I returned to the hotel, I hear a disappointed man say yelling "Mr. Chris, why did you not call".  Right across the way was Mr. Abdul. I show him my phone and tell him I tried - he proceeds to ask for "5 pounds for the house". I bid him goodnight. I had a change of heart though. I thought about how much I enjoyed the market and how I would have missed it had it not been for him. After updating my blog I went out to look for him but could not find him. And so it goes...

Coffee and juice restaurant on the Nile...very nice. 

 

McDonald's on the Nile

 

View of the Nile from McDonald's

Tomorrow

Tonight was my last night in Aswan and I really liked it here. The main street along the Nile is very busy. The people are extremely friendly and the city is much cleaner than Cairo. The hotel I’m at is like one of the grand Mexican resorts, huge and a world of its own. That said, aside from the few hours of sitting by the pool, I’ve spent little time at the resort. Although I’ve been sick most of the time at Aswan, I’ve really enjoyed it here.  I’d wake up tomorrow at 4am to catch a train to Luxor – the train ride is about 3 hours. 4am sounds pretty easy given I had to be up at 2:45am today!