Trip Report: Egypt, July 2012: Day 1 (Cont.), Luxor Temple

By the time I arrived in Luxor almost all of the historical sites were closed for the night, but Luxor Temple stays open later and it is lit.

https://plus.google.com/photos/117979873980470474698/albums/5767928231328802657

Luxor Temple is the ultimate add-on construction with a small central temple that was engulfed by a larger one and yet another and another.  Each new pharaoh would add a new and grander facade to embellish on the old.  Early Christians played a role by defacing the idols of the past and changing the central holy of holies into a church, and Muslims added a mosque.  Each generation has left its mark on the place and the history is rich.

Wikipedia does a good albeit brief job of documenting the history of the site.

To facilitate the trip, I was met at the airport by a local guide, Gerges Hasan and a driver from ToursbyLocals.com.  They were very appreciative of the business.  Tourism has dried up since the Arab Spring conflict a year and a half ago.  It was interesting to me that Gerges and others in Egypt refer to Arab Spring and the resulting conflict as “the Revolution”.   That is, this was a local event unique to Egypt, and not part of a larger, multinational movement.

Egyptian Temple converted by early Christians into a place of worship.

Baboon Guardians

Entrance to the Luxor Temple

I don’t want to point out Gerges views specifically, because I wouldn’t want to cause him harm should his views not match the current or future administrations of Egypt.  However, all the locals I spoke with were quick to voice their opinions about what happened in the Revolution and what will come to pass in the next few months.

Heavenly transportation: a boat for the Gods

Opinions about the situation tended to fall into two major camps, and distribution among those camps was mainly due to socioeconomic status.  The poorer and more downtrodden people (greater population) that I spoke to were strong supporters of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.  They spoke of the good things to come: a more even distribution of wealth, a greater voice, and freedom to say what they thought.  They also tended to be more militant and had a greater tendency to speak of violent means to force societal change.  The other camp spoke of a conspiracy by the US government and the Egyptian Supreme Military Council.  The story recounted independently by people in Cairo, in Luxor and Aswan was very similar.  Fearing civil war, the US and the Military Council rigged the election so that Morsi would receive just over half of the vote.  People told of letters mailed to people throughout the country stating that Morsi supporters has amassed weapons and would take to the streets in a violent revolution if he was not elected as the new president.  They were upset that Hilary Clinton was meeting with Morsi the next day, but seemed to trust that the Council would find a way to rule to the “middle” with help from the US.  In general, this second camp tended to express that a peaceful transition would take place enabling stabilization within the next year; however, some people were clearly scared by what they had seen from militia groups.  They had either been beaten, or seen others who had.  One example of a woman and her fiancé being beaten to death because she had not covered her face in public was of particular concern.  In any case the consensus from both groups was that a resolution would be in place by this time next year.  I am hoping that it will be peaceful.

I mention the Revolution here, because it was a theme throughout the trip.  Many things had changed for better or worse since the Revolution and the topic was top-of-mind for our hosts and for me.

Capitals are closed lotus blossoms

Column filled hypo style hall.

Capital is an open papyrus blossom.

Taking pictures at Luxor Temple was a great experience, but challenging.  The temple is grand in scale with many columns and tall walls in small spaces.  I used a wide-angle lens and tried to limit my use of flash to maximize contrast for the relief carvings with mixed results.  I also tried taking a few shots with a small point-and-shoot camera, but the images from the small camera were plagued by dots resembling water spots.  Gerges (the guide) said that the spots were the spirits of past pharaohs and kings, but I think it was due to refraction.

Ghosts of pharaohs past or refraction? You decide.

After touring the temple, Gerges and his driver dropped me off at the Sonesta Moon Goddess for a trip up the Nile to Aswan.  The boat was also the place where I met up with longtime friends.

Trip Report: Egypt, July 2012: Day 1, The Arrival

As I write this report, it is 3:00 am in Washington, D.C. (9:00 am Cairo time).  Quark is asleep to my left, and Jackie has claimed my right.  Po dog is curled up and soundly sleeping on my head.

It is well known that I am cheap, so it should come as no surprise that I booked tickets for this trip through CheapO Air.  They are a company after my own heart.  If it costs money, they don’t do it.  All confirmations are automated, and no paper tickets are issued.  Also, because it is a third-party system booking international travel, boarding passes cannot be issued online.  “No problem” I thought.  I’ll go to the airport early with all of the reservation information and get my travel documents at the airline desk—old school.

I parked my car in long-term parking and hopped the bus to the terminal three hours early.  Arriving at the American Airlines counter, I started my conversation with a jovial greeting and requested assistance in printing travel documents.  The woman behind the counter said with a gravelly voice, “You’ll have to use a kiosk. Personalized is reserved for First Class only.”  So, I made my way to a kiosk and entered my information only to receive an error message.  When I reported the error, the hairy gravel-throated woman told me to try again.  After the third attempt, I convinced her that the error was legitimate, and she told me to go back to the original line, because I would need to talk to a real person.  That is when Mary, the angel of mercy and light appeared.  There were two blocks on my record: one because I used a third-party system to book an international ticket, and a second block because the plane from BWI connecting to JFK had blown a tire and was delayed.  Mary sprinkled pixel dust on her keyboard and the first block disappeared, but alas she could not fix the tire on the plane because there was no replacement in Baltimore.  Tires for AA are housed in Chicago and one had to be flown in.  My three-hour early arrival just turned into a two-hour delay in JFK.  Mary tried valiantly to find other options on other airlines, but nothing was available, so she overrode the second block and sent me back to the kiosk for my boarding passes.  She also instructed me to say three Hail Mary’s on the way through security, and to beg for mercy at the flight check in counter.  I did as she said.  The flight from Chicago was quicker than expected, and our chariot was fitted with new kicks in time to make connections in New York.  The flight on Egypt Air was uneventful with good service, and the plane was a new 777.  International flights on Egypt Air rock!

We arrived in Cairo the next morning to light brown, hazy skies.  Cairo has a major smog problem.  At 11:30 am, it was 111F outside.  Thank goodness for air conditioning.  After going through customs, I had a 4 ½ hour layover before connecting to a flight to Luxor, so I opted for lunch.  The only two dining options outside of security in Cairo are a coffee/sandwich shop, and Burger King.  After seeing that all of the sandwiches at the coffee shop were premade and stuffed full of green leafy vegetables, I decided to try my luck at Burger King.  The BK menu featured 12 options plus a new grilled chicken sandwich all printed above the slogan “Have it Your Way!”  The burka-clad lady behind the counter said, “Welcome to Burger King. Please have your way.”  Seeking a gluten-free option, I ordered the grilled-chicken sandwich without the bun.  She said, “Only advertisement…we have only 7, 8, 9, and 11.  Have your way.”  Given the options, I chose #9, a cheese burger, but I requested no bun.  Her response, “Burgers have buns.  It is not possible to choose no bun.  Have your way.”  After three additional attempts to order including a trip through Google translator, I requested a bottle of water and had a snack bar from my backpack.

Getting through security in Cairo is mostly for show.  There is a metal detector and an x-ray machine, but I am not sure that either works.  The real trick is getting past many people that grab your bags and pull you into another line stating, “Here is faster.”  In exchange they ask for “bakeesh” (tips) in exchange for their help.  Security bounces you back in line anyway, so the help only delays and confuses the process.  Groups of guys also bump you with carts to distract you while others try to pick your pockets, or grab something from your bags.  My advice is to pick your approach in advance, say “no thanks” to helpers and ignore any other annoyances.  Once through security, the world becomes calmer.

Domestic flights on Air Egypt are not the same as international ones.  The aircrafts are much older and dirtier.  The air terminals outside of Cairo are also bare bones, so it is best to handle any transactions (money exchange, etc.) before leaving Cairo.

Next post Luxor…

First Post: An explanation...

I am starting this blog for longer and irregular posts that don't fit on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.  It is not often that I have more that 144 characters to say, but it happens sometimes.  And this will give me a place to extend those thoughts and discussions.

I will continue to post on Facebook and Google+ on a more regular basis.  This is for the overflow.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/davidharwell