Cairo & Aswan: Pyramids, Saffron and Convoys

We arrived in Aswan, from Cairo, two days ago. Our whirlwind experience over the past 72 hours has been indicative of our first impressions of Egypt...fun, energentic with a dash of crazy. Since we spent an extra day in Zanzibar we arrived the morning that the tour began and upon a quick breakfast of pita bread, cucummbers and cheese, we were wisked away to the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx.

For those of you who have never stood before the Pyramids of Giza, it is a bit surreal. I am still having trouble fully convincing myself I was there.

What with all the pictures one sees from the time they were little, one might confuse the experience with a well detailed dream.

We met our tour guide, Ashcraft, this mo rning. He has a bit more of a run and gun flavor to him. This may just be the M.O. of Egyptians as it has manifested itself everywhere, from the orchestration of people in and out of the Pyramids, to the currating at the Cairo Museum. Which reminds me--To Do List--Letter to England..."Dear Brits, please keep all valuable Egyptian artifacts you have pillaged from Egypt despite avid requests

from Egyptian historians for their return. The priceless antiquities will last far longer in your possession there than in the 102F hot box know as the Cairo Museum. Thank you and Cheerio." Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed with the state of the Cairo Museum despite the most incredible historic artifacts.

What trip to the Pyramids would be complete without a shot atop a camel with the three Great Pyramids and Cairo bascing in the distance? This is about as touristy as it gets but can you blame us. Even Anthony Bourdane would want a shot like that (while simultaneously drinking the local fire water and smoking a cirgarette). It is difficult to imagine that ancient mankind created such celestial entities--no not Anthony Bourdane.

After a quick shot infront of the Sphynx, where a least a dozen men proported to be the official and solely authorized photographer of the Sphynx, we were quickly sucked back from our historic fantasy by a KFC placed sharply 50 yards from the feet of the Sphynx. We did not dine here but did indulge in some killer falafel at what resembled an old-school Fosters Freeze (sorry was that redundant?).

With only half a day to kill before catching a late all night train to Aswan, Mina, Ryan and myself headed out to see as much of Cairo as we could. Cairo is as complex as it is crazy, and would take

a life time to explore and appreciate--my only regret of this whole trip was that we only got a half day in Cairo. From our short time there, here is what I gather. The city at first can seem a little much amongst the sea of greyish-brown buildings, endless satellite dishes and waves of business men trying to draw you into their shops. Once you scratch a little deeper, however, there is a beatiful culture of food,

religion and pride which has "thrived" in this desert city for centuries. Until next time Cairo...I look forward to the reunion tour.

For any couple, traveling together can be a testing experience. A 12 hour train ride in the middle of Egypt has the potential to be a deal breaker. Luckily for us, we were so obsessed with trying to keep our AC working we worried very little about anything else.

Aswan is the opitmay of a river city--sprawling out of the east banks of the Nile while the Sahara desert sits across idolly as a constant remind of the life vain which is the Nile. The predominate mode of transportation during our time here was via motor boat as we moved across the different parts of the city nesetled up to the shore.

Aswan is a place where, as a tourist, you can get lost in the real nature of Egyptian culture once the sun has set and fasting has ended. One night, when we were all hungry for a little "authenticity," we ventured into the back alleys of the

Aswanian markets. For the first time since we entered Egypt we were the only tourists as far as the eye could see and the calls from the merchants pettling spices and fake stone statues ceased, but were replaced with stares of confusion. Perhaps it is because I abhore the skin tax but the most refreshing part of this exercise, besides not being hassled to buy fake saffron, was walking into a pastrie shop and getting real Egyptian prices--$0.75 for a full plate of deliciousness.

Another appeal of Aswan is that it serves as a jumping off point for the famous temple of Abu Simbel, the once southern boundary landmark of the Egyptian empire. Yes, waking up at 3am to catch a 3hr bus ride escorted by armed convoy

through the desert is not my ideal situation, but once you reach Abu Simbel any frustration will fade away; it is that spectacular.

Since the time we touched down in this energetic country we have been moving like a New York cab driver on speed. You eat, see and sometimes sleep on the run. Even the cultural experience jumps 5000 years in a matter of seconds from ancient Egyptian Sphinxes to modern political uncertainty. For all my ADD laden friends, Egypt is your place, and probably mine.