Rolling on the River

  It seems that almost all of our trips involve a cruise of some type and this one was no exception. Coming all the way to Egypt it was obvious to us that a Nile cruise was a must do. This was a great decision.

   We booked our cruise on the Sonesta Star Goddess, a beautiful ship with excellent service, food and accommodations. We had a top floor suite with an extended balcony. It included the excursions to incredible ancient sites as well as visits to reputable vendors for papyrus, alabaster, essence and

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cotton.

  This is the best way to see the real country. The ship took us through villages where people live as they did centuries ago. Clothes were being washed in the river, homes were mud and straw and donkey cart was a major mode of transport. We even went for a sail on a falluca, an Egyptian sailboat.

  Our tours took us from the tombs of pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings to the Aswan Dam.  We visited temples of the Egyptian gods during the day and early evening. Some of our tours required buses to get to the sites, sometimes we walked and one morning we had a somewhat harrowing ride in a horse drawn carriage while another required a motor boat to reach our destination.

 Under watchful eyes, our guide Hani led us to each destination He was incredibly knowledgeable about both Ancient Egypt  and modern human nature. While providing vast information about each sight he kept his eyes on all of us. The ladies from Lebanon  were celebrating their 70th birthdays and were more interested in shopping and selfies than history. Alex and Gina and their family from Canada were experiencing a lifelong dream to visit Egypt, especially Alex. He was like a kid in a candy shop and his enthusiasm was infectious. Hani always made sure that Alex and the British guys had a chance to take every photo they could have wanted. As for us Hani quickly realized that sending us ahead to a meeting point would give him the opportunity to move along those who were slow or easily distracted. He showed us the best places for photos, warned us of overly aggressive vendors and coordinated all of the transportation requirements of each stop. He even offered us a private evening tour out of Aswan that would have included a visit to a Nubian school and home but we had to decline as the next morning we had to be up early for a car ride back to Luxor.

  The crew of the ship could not have been nicer. We were greeted with damp towels,a drink and a welcome back after each excursion. On the last morning  breakfast was packed for us to take on our drive back to Luxor and a car was arranged by the ship. A member of the crew even waited with us outside to be sure we were safely on our way. I don't know if we will ever return to Egypt but I would definitely return to Sonesta.

  

Walk Like an Egyptian part 2

  While we thoroughly enjoyed this first step to Egypts past we were just learning about Egypts present. Throughout the day on Luxor's west bank the vendors were more than persistent; They bordered on aggressive. A simple no thank you was never enough. Vendors would follow us down the street determined to sell a “genuine” alabaster head of King Tut or a scarf woven by someone's blind mother. Children would stop in front of us in order to sell  a bookmark. Experience has taught us that if you buy from one the other vendors will descend on you to get their sale so as firmly and politely as possible we said no thank you and kept walking. But sometimes even the most seasoned and experienced traveller finds themselves in a difficult situation with a local.

We had chosen to stay on the west bank because that is where most of the historical places are located. between donkey carts, foot traffic and too many vehicles of questionable road worthiness, renting a car and driving ourselves was not an option. We decided to try to find a taxi or single car hire to take us where and when we wanted to go. This had worked well in the Caribbean and in Northern Ireland. As we went out for dinner the night we arrived we noticed that  this type of arrangement was available almost everywhere. We were approached by many and ultimately negotiated the price and details of our excursion with Muhammad believing he would be our driver. Our first surprise came the next morning when he introduced us to his “brother” Omar who would actually be the driver. Our next surprise was when Omar drove us to the tourist office to buy our entrance tickets to the sights we had chosen. No wonder we had such a good price, Muhammad had been deliberately deceiving in his information showing us pictures and information about what he would provide as an independent tour guide.

 As he dropped us at our first sight, Medinet Habu, Omar said he would be back in an hour after he had some breakfast. We pointed out that we were told he would wait as we might not need an entire hour. Sure enough, we were done in 45 minutes and Omar wasn't there. We went across the street (where he said he would be) and had a cup of coffee while we waited.The waitress was not surprised.. She told us this happened all the time; drivers would drop people, leave to smoke a hookah with friends then come back much later for the customers. This was good for her business she admitted but not for the tourist industry in general. Fifteen minutes later-which made our wait a half hour- he returned.

  Our displeasure was expressed in no uncertain terms and at the Ramesseum Omar waited in the parking lot. However as we approached our next stop Deir el-Bahari, Omar told us he had to pick up someone else and drop them off at the temple we had visited earlier but he would definitely be back to pick us up at 2. He arrived at 2:45 with more excuses than a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar; the people arrived late, there was traffic, the road was closed by the police, a train crossing held him up.

 As we approached the neighborhood where we were staying we saw Muhammed  waving to us. With him was a very large German Shepherd. Was he just out walking his dog or was this a not so subtle attempt at intimidation knowing we had not received what we had paid for? It didn't matter. John took the lead on the direction of the conversation, firmly stating that we had been deliberately mislead as to price and terms of service and we would not pay the amount previously agreed upon. Omar stood by the car, nodding in agreement as Muhammed looked to him with the description of each charge .Our position being stated, Muhammed said something in Arabic to Omar who quickly got in the car and drove away.

 With his attention completely on us now Muhammed suggested we go into his friends shop next to us to discuss this matter and have some tea. At this point the friend, Ahmed, came out to also invite us in for tea. Ahmed had lived in England for a few years and had a better command of the English language. It appeared he was the designated mediator in these situations. We went in but declined the offer of a seat and tea. John again explained why we would not pay the full price. Ahmed agreed that we had been mislead, but deliberately? Oh no it was just a different way of doing business. After all how could an independent business compete with large companies if the costs were all included? So ,Ahmed decreed, we should pay the agreed on price, have some tea and the matter would be settled.

  Not so fast. At the time of the negotiation John had asked if everything was included in the price. There was no misunderstanding.  Also, the driver was to be available at our convenience which, John reiterated, was a reason we had not gone with a large group. Another conversation in Arabic between the Egyptians began, complete with head shaking and hand waving. Finally Ahmed turned to us and said,”Muhammad is very upset that you were abandoned by Omar. He will be dealt with, but what can you expect, he is just some boy from the neighborhood Muhammad was trying to help by giving him a job. So go ahead and pay the money and we will drink some tea.

 Ok, stop with the tea. And this morning Omar had been your brother. The issue of the price not including tickets as promised had not been addressed. We were getting more irritated by the second. Another conversation, then Ahmed expressed what we discovered was the mantra of the merchants; It is unfortunate that you are not happy but you can afford to pay the agreed price. It is nothing to you. You have money he does not so if you feel cheated that is regrettable. Just pay the price, we will have some tea and it will be done.

 That was it. Apparently its Ok to cheat and deceive us because we are tourists. John had had enough  He took out his wallet and some money. ‘This is what I have and this is what I will pay for the transportation.” he said. “ The amount we agreed upon included tickets which we have already paid for. Take this or nothing but we are leaving now”. As we moved for the door the men quickly agreed that this would be acceptable and would we now like some tea? I don't think we even answered as we walked out, wiser for the experience and better prepared for the remainder of our time in Egypt.

Walk Like an Egyptian

 It is impossible to call yourself a world traveller and not visit Egypt.  It is often the place most people ask if we have visited. Is is the pyramids, the mummies, King Tut or Queen Cleopatra? Friends and family, old and young, this seems to be a dream destination. So here we were starting our exploration in the City of Luxor.

 We chose to spend a few days on the west bank of the Nle in an apartment away from the more touristy hotels  and more modern east bank. Although the apartment came with a kitchen we decided that since it also came with breakfast we would  not cook while we were here (the very small stove also influenced our decision). The apartment had been designed for the brutally hot summer months but was quite cold in late February. Thankfully the heater and blankets kept us warm at night.

 Days however were the perfect temperature for exploring some of the less visited sites on the west bank. We hired a local driver to take us to three places. He was to let us explore them on our own

and wait in the parking lot so we would have as much or as little time at each as we liked. Our first stop was at Medinet Habu a  temple dedicated to the god Amun for the burial of Ramesses III with some above ground tombs for priests. We were amazed at the vividness of the remaining paint, thinking it surely must be a restoration. But no! this was original paint from thousands of years ago. Egyptian law allows for preservation but not restoration. We met a man working on preserving this monument and he told us of the Valley of Rainbows, many miles north of Luxor where there were color producing minerals. Mixing ground minerals with limestone resulted in paint which in areas unexposed to the elements could last for over two millennia.

  Our next stop was at the Ramesseum, a newly re- discovered temple built by Rameses II. Active archaeological work is going on so some of the areas were fenced off. A spectacular statue of Anubis has been reconstructed at the entrance. Originally the entire walkway would have been lined with similar statues.  In addition to being built to honor and record the significant events in the life of Rameses II the recent excavations have discovered evidence of bakeries, kitchens, supply rooms and a school for scribes. At the entrance to the temple are the remains of two seated statues of the king; one in pink granite and the other in black. The head of the black granite statue was removed in the early 1800’s and is currently in the British museum. This is the artifact that inspired the

poem, Ozymandias by Percy Shelley.

  Our third and final stop was Deir el-Bahari. Here there is a collection of underground tombs of noblemen from the middle kingdom through the Ptolemaic period. Until recently egyptian squatters were living in these tombs. Long , narrow and steep stairs took us underground to view the

magnificently painted walls. These walls were covered with plexiglass to prevent damage and there was always someone in these small to tombs to : 1. guarantee no one vandalized the walls, 2. be sure that we didn't take photos unless we had paid the photo fee, 3. explain the hieroglyphics, 4. ask us for money. After three nearly identical experiences and knowing we would be visiting the Valley of the Kings later that week we decided not to climb down to see the remaining  tombs. Instead we walked around the site, seeing the stone outline of what had been homes and shops in the village and over to an ancient temple that had been turned into a church by 1st century Christians.

  It was a mostly enjoyable day. There were few tourists at these sites which was nice allowing us to enter our journey into ancient Egypt without fighting crowds of people.

Freedom

The Flame of Democracy on Constitution Hill

After our over the moon experience on Safari the politics of South Africa were once again brought to the forefront during our stay in Johannesburg. Although we were in a suburb we were warned by local  residents of Cape Town and Pilanesberg to be careful in Joburg. As we drove into Bryanston, a few miles outside of the city, everything appeared quite nice. It was not until we were walking to a restaurant for dinner that we began to notice things; 1. all of the homes had walls at least six feet tall with barbed or razor wire on the top and signs declaring this or that armed security company protected this home. 2. we were the only white people out walking even though the sun was up and it was a pleasant afternoon. The other people all appeared to be domestics returning from their day off (it was Sunday) 3. drivers in passing cars would turn around to look at us as if we were unusual. And we were.

 Our apartment was lovely. We were able to Uber to the market for groceries, very upscale, and the selection was very good. We even found some of the produce which had been served at the Lodge. Things seemed normal yet somehow not.

 We asked our hosts for suggestions of things to do and see in Joburg. This question seemed to confuse them. They finally suggested the one place we knew about-Constitution Hill and the old prison and fort.  They admittedly rarely went into the city. Again this seemed odd for the owners of a vacation rental.

 Having just finished reading Trevor Noah’s book, Born a Crime, I was very interested to see Joburg. As our uber driver took us to Constitution HIll we passed more walls and wire clad buildings. The entire area appeared as if an attack was imminent. Armed guards were patrolling shopping centers and bus stations while above them campaign posters with faces of all colors promised a “government for all”.

 The old fort and prison on Constitution Hill were a continuation of the story at Robben Island. Even among prisoners discrimination was overt. The amount and type of food depended on the prisoners race. The same went for shower time and sleeping conditions. This prison had been “home” to some of the most influential civil rights leaders of the 20th century including Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. Some of the buildings were torn down but the bricks and other materials were used to construct walkways and part of the Courtroom that now stands at the top of the hill. The glass walls and TV monitors attest to the desire to make the law and its enforcement equal and visible to all. In one of the remaining towers formerly used to house prisoners awaiting trial and sentencing there now burns the Flame of Democracy. This perpetual flame was lit in 2011 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution.

 But flames and symbols and campaign promises can’t hide the very visible truth. This is a country still struggling in many areas for equality and opportunity. People in the townships, areas on the edge of the city, are living in what amounts in many cases to a refugee camp. Some of the people are indeed from other countries but many are citizens of South Africa. One or two room dwellings made from corrugated metal are pushed in next to each other with limited or no indoor plumbing.  Piles of garbage fill any space between the homes. People wander aimlessly or sit in a small bit of shade provided by the homes. There are no trees to give shelter from the summer sun. Unemployment is high and so is crime. We were cautioned more than once by drivers to avoid these areas. Apparently even the police won't enter certain townships.

 And so people don’t go out. They don't walk in their neighborhoods. they don't sit in their yards unless it is behind guarded walls. They don’t visit their city. In an attempt to equalize racial profiling by governments of the past the new South Africa has allowed for crime without consequence. This combined with a 27.6% unemployment rate has resulted in a rise in the crime rate particularly robbery.

 While Capetown had been such a friendly, vibrant, multi ethnic city, Johannesburg and the surrounding area is one of suspicion, fear and division. The promise of freedom has not been realized. The struggle continues.