My Egypt Trip -II

The next day we woke up early, and reached the restaurant on time for our breakfast. We decided to hog as much as we could, for we didn’t know when and where would be our next eating-spot. After a while, the driver came to summon us, and we had to finish our eating spree. We went down to the lobby, and checked out for the day. And there she was, Neevin - our tour guide, sitting on the couch. She was definitely pretty, and we thought the tour should be a good one with her (smiles).

We had a private A/C van occupied only by our driver and guide along with us; so it was very comfortable with space. We got to see Cairo in the daylight for the first time, and were immediately confronted with the reality. The traffic was snarling, and the whole aura had that throwback similarity to an Indian set-up. A while later, I started feeling very much at home.

Meanwhile, Neevin too started gushing about her Indian movies fascination. She had indeed watched a lot of Indian movies, and Akshay Kumar was her favourite actor. Bollywood is everywhere, you see ….. She then started telling us about Egyptian history, and how the current Egypt had shaped up over the years on it. It was intriguing to know about 5000 year long history, all open for us to decipher and experience. Our itinerary for the day was very much aligned with the chronology of the sites – I came to realize this later on - and that indeed had a right effect on our understanding of the history, as it had gone by. Our first stop was Memphis.

Memphis:-

Memphis was the capital of ancient Egypt. Right now, there are a few statues and sculptures present on the site. We had our first encounter with the king- Ramses–II there. A long statue with his left leg pressing forward, depicting bravery, stands right in front of the enclosed place. On the sides of the pathway, are different artifacts – statuettes, sarcophagus, hieroglyphics carved figurines, and also a small sphinx. In a separate small room, a reclined but very big statue of Ramses–II awe-inspires you in more ways than one.

Overall, it was a good primer for us for the bigger things to come. Neevin had tried her best to feed all that history into our minds, but it was too much for us to digest in such a small time.

Saqqara:-

We then headed to Saqqara, the necropolis of old times. From the outskirts of the place only, we could figure out our first pyramid. Ah! I had indeed seen one, after reading about those in the history books all my life. We entered into the complex through a pathway with small cubes like chambers on either side. They were used for different purposes, like storage, mummification etc. related to the after-death rituals. Following the pathway, is a big open courtyard, and right–in –front lies the magnificent pyramid. It was Djoser’s Pyramid (also called The Steps Pyramid). I must tell some history here:-

Ancient Egypt was unified around 3000 BC by king, Menes, and since then the Dynasty Rule started. The subsequent periods were divided into different dynasties of kings. Djoser was the king of 3^rd Dynasty and with the help of his chief engineer, Imhotep, he built this pyramid - supposedly the first Pyramid to be ever built.

Egyptians had a strong fascination with their lives and wanted to live forever - so completely believed in life-after-death concepts. For them, the sun-God, Re, was the ultimate universe and life-creator, and every night, He handed over the reins to Osiris, the God of Death, to emerge out again in a new life in the morning the next day. They believed their life-cycle followed a similar pattern, and so prepared in every way for their after-death experiences. One of the after-death rituals was mummification - embalming the dead body with various herbs and chemicals to preserve it over a long time.

The king, or pharaoh, was the direct representative of God on this earth, and was the protector of all and sundry. As soon as he became king, he started preparations to meet life after death. Pyramids were built to house his mummified body enclosed in a sarcophagus. Along with his body, several other offerings were laid to help him carry over to the other world during the night. It was a valuable treasure indeed, buried in those pyramids.

Djoser’s Pyramid, as stated already, was the First Pyramid to be built, and was constructed with Six Steps all around its sides. It was a primitive but effective way of keeping the structure balanced and protected from falling.

I kept listening to Neevin’s words with rapt attention. Such a fascinating but true story, which we sometimes take for granted. Imagine the mind-set, beliefs and daily learnings of those people around 5000 years ago. I was stupefied to say the least.

We also roamed around to look into various excavated pieces and writings. From an elevated portion, we could see Bent and Red Pyramids – the next generation of pyramids - located some distance away.

After an enriching experience at Saqqara, we decided to have our lunch. But before that, we also went to ‘Carpet School’ where children worked to make supreme-quality carpets and fabric. Saurabh bought a few pieces from there.

We were skeptical about eating something non-religious, read pork, beef etc., in our lunch. It is hard to be a vegetarian outside one’s home, but it definitely helps if one eats at least chicken. We decided to taste Grilled Chicken. The rest of food was surprisingly very delicious. Another myth, this time related to food broken! We had a small beer, and Neevin too could afford it there, as she was Christian. Muslim women are forbidden to drink anything remotely alcoholic.

Giza Pyramids:-

After a sumptuous lunch, we headed to Giza Pyramids. To tell you frankly, I had heard only about Giza Pyramids before studying about and going to Egypt. And I knew then exactly, why they were the most famous monuments for non-Egyptians. The first pyramid, Khufu Pyramid, lies right in front of the complex. It is astounding. It remains the only surviving wonder of the ‘Seven Ancient Wonders of the World’.

Entering into the campus, I was immediately hounded by several knick-knack sellers. “India! Amitabh Bachchan!” was the most common and constant phrase uttered by them on seeing us, and ‘us’ here included Neevin too, as she looked remarkably similar to an Indian to be mistaken by her own people. It was a recurrent phenomenon everywhere and to be honest, it was pleasantly flattering as it gave that distinct joyous and respectful Indian identity to us. But unfortunately at Giza, I was a bit distant to the rest of my group, and one of them got me to wear that sheikh- turban and photographed. Before I had to pay something, my group arrived to my rescue (grin). These are the tidbits I remember the most now.

Khufu Pyramid is the after-work of Bent and Red Pyramids, and is considered to be the first complete and original pyramid. Its interior is open for some distance for the general public, but incurs an extra entry fee. On the suggestion of our guide, we decided to visit the interiors of the next pyramid, lying adjacent to it.

Khafre Pyramid, named after its builder Khafre, the successor of Khufu, is smaller than the Khufu one, but actually looks taller as it stands on an elevated ground. The entry fee for its interiors was also less, and we decided to go inside. While we were going down the wooden steps, the creepy faces of the visitors coming outside struck an unpleasant note about the things inside. And soon, we knew why. It was all dark and creepy inside, and after a few steps, I about-decided to return. Thankfully, I didn’t. Stooping, bending and standing in between wherever possible, we reached the inner most part where an empty sarcophagus was lying. In need of fresh oxygen, we had to return soon. But the experience was a once-in-a-lifetime one, however claustrophobic it seemed initially.

We then moved on to the famous ‘Panoramic Spot’ to take the photographs of the above-mentioned pyramids. The lilting ‘Suraj Hua Maddham’ number from ‘Kabhi Khusie Kabhi Gham’ was shot from here only.

Giza Sphinx was our next stop-over. The word ‘sphinx’ meaning human-headed lion in a sitting posture, is very famous, but it has to be seen how and where it originated from. Sphinxes were considered the protectors of the land, and they were built outside important places to keep the enemies away. This big sphinx, built by Khafre, lies directly opposite as if in a straight line to the Khafre Pyramid, and presents a captivating view above the whole ambience. Inside its complex, there are storage chambers, mummification rooms, sacred pit etc.

We were overwhelmed by the whole experience till then, but had become very tired too. The evening had started to draw out. Our sight-seeing trip for the day had also come to an end. So, Neevin then took us for some buying. We first went to a 'Khartoosh Shop'. Khartoosh–an oblong pendant with Hieroglyphics engraved name on it, is considered a good-luck charm, and is generally bought by the travellers, esp. the first-time ones. But it was very costly there, and we thought to buy it later. Adjacent to the shop was ‘Papyrus Paintings Store'. It had some very good paintings done on papyrus made papers; the first paper in human civilization is considered to be made from papyrus plants only. I and Saurabh bought some of these paintings as souvenirs. Then, we headed off to a ‘Perfumery Shop’. There another beautiful girl, Barbie, greeted us, and showed some of the most original perfumes. They indeed were natural, and very aromatic. Some were massagers, pain-relievers and even aphrodisiacs. She tried very hard to make us buy that lady-viagra, but who needs viagra of a lady if you don’t have a lady :) Anyway, we hadn't intended to buy any perfume at all with our stock already full, and we bid her adieu promising to come to her shop when our stock got over!

Finally, it was the time to end our journey with Neevin. She had indeed been a very helping and knowledgeable guide to us, and her disarming influence was never missed on us at any point during the day. She was, nevertheless, to re-join us when we came back to Cairo in the last part of our journey.

Replacing her, Mr Michael then got together with us, and he had to spend the evening with us. The Tour Company had duped us a bit by booking our flight to Aswan very late in the night, and we had no option but to spend 2-3 hours somewhere at a joint. We decided to go to a Coffee Shop and have some snacks. Michael was very adamant on us trying ‘Sheesha’. It is nothing but flavoured smoke, drawn from a long pipe connected to a silvery stand containing the smoke. It is very much like ‘hookah’ in India but obviously more prevalent and enjoyed in Egypt. The ambience was apt too, as a football match between two teams the names of which I don’t remember, but akin to Manchester United and Arsenal in EPL, was about to start. Saurabh went for it, and though I don’t smoke, I too tried a few puffs. But Michael had the longest ones, the reason why he was so insistent on us ordering it. Otherwise, he was a very affable fellow. We shared some banter about Egyptian girls and culture. He had a Canadian girlfriend and lamented how it was difficult to live with a girl without marriage in Egypt.

With time spent like that, we left the shop to go to the Airport to board the flight to our next destination, Aswan. It had been a wonderfully well wonderful day, to say in a bizarre but truly experienced way. We hoped to have similar days ahead also. Our only downside was the hectic schedule and lack of rest, which as we found out later did take a toll on us.

My Egypt Trip -I

There is so much to say, but so few ways to express it. That’s what sums up my recent Egypt trip. I have never written a travelogue before. The best attempt was a narrative of my experiences in India in the early part of this year. I will try, nevertheless, to present a vivid and honest description of each and every thing I encountered and experienced during my short trip to Egypt.

It all started during my pan-India trip, mentioned earlier, when I felt that distinct joy and joviality, and the related travails associated with a travel. I experienced India and her people as never before. Then and there itself, I had decided to undertake several more journeys of the ilk, time and money permitting.

Coming back to Cyprus, I was able to coax one of my friends, Saurabh, to undertake a journey to the mystical land of Egypt during mid-March. Egypt had always fascinated me by its uniqueness and universal appeal. Moreover, it is only an hour flight distant from Cyprus. So, it was the apt destination as a starting point for my travel plans.

After much deliberation, we decided on 13^th-17^th March as our trip duration, and booked DeCastro Tours as our tour agent in Egypt. We had to arrange for visa and the to-and-fro flight tickets between Cyprus and Egypt. The rest of our arrangement, viz. taxi, hotel, food, guide etc., in Egypt was taken care of by them.

It was all arranged perfectly by and for us. Unfortunately, as the D-day got nearer, I developed an unwanted fit of restlessness due to the boredom set in my mundane office and personal lives. In the week, running up to Thursday, 13^th March, I including Saurabh got heaps of work suddenly. So, it wasn’t an expected run up to the journey date. Finishing or better said, managing, our assignments somehow on Thursday, we left for the airport after lunch. It was really a much deserved break for us.

Our flight operator was Egypt Air and without much ado at the airport, we were through the travel formalities and soon inside the carrier, which took off sharply at 04:00 pm. On that day, I, for the first time, got some time to reflect upon the impending travel. And it invariably wandered off to the fear of the unknown. I shouldn’t say fear but thoughts of doubt about going to an unknown land, populated by the much-derided Muslims. We didn’t know anybody there, save our travel company communicated through e-mails. But again it all imparted that same travel-induced sense of excitement. And I decided to soak in all which would come my way thence forth.

Our flight landed at the Cairo airport at its right time of 05:20 pm, and we went out excitedly to meet the land of mysticism. Our first encounter wasn’t a very exciting one though, as there was a veritable bedlam at the airport. We could spot our Travel Representative, holding Saurabh’s name in his company’s placard, in the crowd, and had to really keep up with him all the time for fear of losing him out in the mess, which we admittedly did once (grin). He placed us in the serpentine and long queue for Immigration Check. Ever wondering this shabby arrangement, we came to know about the computer network failure which had occurred just before our arrival. Certainly not an auspicious start! After going through the long procedure of then manually-done passport check, we exchanged some US Dollars for Egyptian Pounds, and were finally outside the airport. A different well-attired gentleman greeted us outside, and we were off with him to our hotel.

Cairo looked to me like New York! Even better. Exaggerated, but I certainly didn’t feel that way then, because it came unexpected to me. It was so marvelously developed in its infrastructure that it belied my image of Egypt being a third-world country. Night life added a distinct glamour to it. Traffic was huge, but certainly better managed than in a similar city in India. Cairo’s views that night will certainly remain with me for a long time.

The gentleman, Mr. Michael, with us in the car then broke my daze. He asked where we came from; the answer of which, I suspect, he knew. When we answered India in chorus, he blithely said about his fascination with Indian movies and Amitabh Bachchan in particular. We were both surprised and pleased to know about his Indian association.

We reached ‘Santana Hotel’ located somewhat in the interiors of the city. There the tour company manager, Mr. Soliman, was waiting for us. We finalized our itinerary, and then we paid and signed the formal paper of agreement. He, sadly but expectedly, told us about the cancellation of our plan of Nile Cruise accompanying Dinner and Belly Dance that night, owing to the delay caused at the airport. But he suggested where we could go out nearby for dinner and recreation. He finally asked us to be ready by 09:00 am in the morning the next day, when our tour guide, Miss Neevin, would meet us and show Cairo the whole day.

We were slightly disappointed with the Hotel, as it didn’t look like a 4-star hotel promised to us. But we were prepared for it, as we knew beforehand that we, as tourists, would be the prime target of some leeching. We strolled out to the nearby shops, and to my no-surprise then, even at 11:00 pm, the life was buzzing. We went to KFC to buy some food, and it was really heartening to see that particular branch being run by the disabled people; something novel for us.

We came back to our hotel and had our meal. Bracing ourselves for the wonderful would-be tour the next day, we went to sleep. The parting shot before our retiring to bed was, “Let’s hope our tour guide tomorrow is as exciting and beautiful as this place.” We were soon to find out.

To be continued …….