A Felluca Ride and Minnesotans in Luxor

Our first day in Luxor was packed full of new experiences. We took a ca from the train station to a cheap hotel by the name of Arabisque. We had a twin and single to share and our own bathroom. There was even a swimming pool on the roof. Ramsey and I went for a quick dip and soak I the sun before we took on the rest of the day.

We wanted to take a tour of the Valley of the Kings so we talked with the hotel manager and a friend about doing a day tour of the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of Queens,  and Hatshepsut. We managed to get a student discount on our tickets even though we didnt have the proper ID. I did have an old Itasca Community College ID that worked out and Ramsey and Linds got by with old driver’s licenses. We ended up paying 150EP each which we were happy with.

After our negotiations we planned a felucca ride to Banana Island. It was a 60EP excursion and well worth the money. Our captain was a funny man with many riddles to share with us. He showed us all of his postcards ad recommendations people had written him over the years. He even had a few photo albums to share. The island did have plenty of bananas on it but there really wasn’t all too much to see. We sat and talked with a British couple at the café near the port for a while who had been in Egypt for a week or so. We had the opportunity of indulging in some free bananas, compliments of the café and were laughed at by our British friends when I put some in my bag for the ride back. Free food is the best food!

Lindsey was feeling quite sick when we left. She lied down to try and ease her pain during the ride back. It was a beautiful journey back watching the sun go down over the island and seeing the Nile dance with all of the colors from the setting sky. We talked with the captain for a while, while he puffed on his hookah and the said thank you and farewell once darkness was upon us.

We thought we were getting heckled by some local guys on our walk back to the hotel but we noticed that they had some tourists with them. They asked where we were from and it turned out that they are American as well. Not only that, they were from Minnesota! I can’t remember which Twin City suburb they were from but it was clear from the accents that they were true Minnesotans. It was a mother and daughter duo. The daughter had been studying abroad and her Mom came for a short visit.

The most talkative and friendliest guy was a man named Mohammad who owned the shop right next to where we were sitting. He had his little brother go get some koushari, ful, and bread for us. The sun was down and we were ready to breakfast. Apparently we found out later that Mohammad was asking the Minnesota girl in Arabic if he should rip us off with the price of food, but she told him not to. Kind of messed up but I guess that’s just the Egyptian way. Everyone’s out to make a buck.

We also met an older chap from the U.K. by the name of Jim who had been to Luxor more than once and knew all of the guys we were with. He had some insight for us after telling him we were going to Jordan. He said Wadi Rum is one of the most beautiful places he had seen. He also raced one of the boys for a lock ad early won! The kid he raced was 24 and Jim was 44. He told the boy that when he turned 44, he had to race a man 24 years old.

After our dinner we wanted to go back to the hotel ad go to bed but we were flagged down by a carriage driver who told us that we could have a ride for 5EP for all three of us. We made sure he was talking EP and not USD and once he confirmed we got on for a ride. We were accompanied by his friend who was talking to us the entire time, telling us that today was a special day and that we could stop by the Egyptian Art Museum for discounts on paintings. We didn’t have any desire to even look at these paintings but we knew we wouldn’t have a choice. We went straight to the museum and had a glace around while our carriage waited outside. It was a lot of paintings we had seen before but there were so many of all different styles and sizes. I wanted to buy a few smaller paintings but the guy wouldn’t give me a good deal, although my interest wasn’t high enough to really care when he wouldn’t come down in price.

The men in the carriage weren’t too happy to see us come out empty had. I guess there wasn’t going to be any commission for them tonight. They were quiet during the ride back to the carriage park. The talkative one wanted to stop the carriage about a half mile short of where we were picked up ad collect his money but I told him he wasn’t getting paid until we got back to home base. I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised but it was really annoying when he started asking us for $5 a person. That’s the whole scam. They try and tell you the ride costs only 5, having you think they mean 5 Egyptian Pound. Once the ride is finished they slap a $5 or 5 Euro or 5 British Pound fee on you acting insulted that you thought the ride would only cost 5EP. They wanted the money before returning to where the rest of the carriages are because just down the road from them is a tourist police booth and they do not want any trouble from them. That’s why I refused to pay until the end. Once we exchanged a few friendly four lettered words, the driver ended up with the 5EP we promised and we walked off. Victory!

After that it was back to the hotel to get some sleep before the tour I the AM. Lindsey ended up not feeling well in the morning and decided not to go on the tour. We were surprised that she was willing to sacrifice 100EP to stay in bed but I guess when you’re sick you’re sick and you can’t do anything about it. Ramsey and I told our driver that we would only be a duo and he did not hesitate to get all the money we promised him. There were a total of around 20 people that was in the group with us. There were folks from all over: China, Germany, America, Japan, etc.

The Valley of Kings was amazing. It was surreal to get to see all of the ancient hieroglyphics up close. We didn’t get to see the tomb of Tutankhamun or Ramses VI. You had to pay extra for that. We got to see three tombs that were in the Valley of the Kings. It was quite impressive to see hieroglyphics up close. It had always been only books ad movies that I would see this stuff and now I could stand only inches away from it. Unfortunately pictures weren't aloud at Valley of the Kings and Queens so I had to store what we saw in the memory bank as best as I could.

The next stop was at a little alabaster shop where we were pressed to by some lamp covers and bowls but I really had no interest. It was all only stuff. We were the led to the Valley of the Queens where we got to see one tom and get a little talk on the tom of Nefertari. Apparently it cost thousands of dollars to see Nefertari’s tomb. It is the most pristine of all of the tombs between the Valley of Kings ad Valley of Queens. Our guide told us that only Chinese people pay that much to see the tomb. She didn’t know why.

After parading through all of the shop people and knickknack sellers we went to Hatshepsut. It was a beautiful fortress carved into the side of a mountain. We were there for only a little while to snap a few photos. Ramsey and I were taking pictures in front of the large statues out front and a man with a turban joined in, arms folded like the statues, for the photo shoot. Of course, he was asking for money afterwards but we paid him no attention. This is where we were acquainted with our new German friend Julia. She was on holiday from school and had bee travelling around Africa for quite some time.

We were escorted back to the hotel at the end of the trip and had a conversation with the receptionist about our journey. We were greeted by a very emotional Lindsey shortly after our arrival. She came in with tears running down her face. She had been hassled by some local men and a guy on a carriage and had had enough of the harassment. She spent a little while in the restroom calming herself down. Luckily nothing serious happened to her. I was a little worried.

We checked out of our room after that and kept our luggage in the lobby area while we went and got lunch before our bus ride to Dahab. It was a long way from Luxor but it sounded amazing and Mt. Sinai was pretty high up on my to-do list. We boarded the bus at 4pm and were set to arrive in Dahab around 10am the following morning. It was difficult to sit for that log on a bus but we did get a couple opportunities to stretch our legs, one being when the bus broke down in the middle of the night. We had to wait for an hour with 7 other tourists out on the street for the arrival of the replacement us. At least there was no ass-grabbing going on this time.

Return to Cairo

The second coming in Cairo was short-lived but just as memorable as the first. We had lined up a meeting with Mustafa, the third couch surfer we were supposed to stay with. We wanted to get out of Cairo ASAP so we told him that we would just hag out for the day and then board the train to Luxor that night. We went back to our beloved Nubian hostel and managed to talk the guys into letting us nap for a while and hold our bags until we had to get to the train station that night. We had to pay them 60EP but it was well worth it.

We met Mustafa at the hostel and went for a ride with him to an electronic store. Ramsey finally had enough of not having a camera and thought now was the time to buy a new one. Mustafa warned him that it was most likely a refurbished model but it fired up for him just fine so he went with it.

We went to see the Citadel which was closing, unfortunately. We had showed up right as they were closing the gates. We snapped a quick photo and moved on down the road to a nice park Mustafa knew of. We sat around a pond and chitchatted for while. I found out that Mustafa was a professional hand ball player. He said he was the worst pro in the entire league and didn’t see much playing time but I think he was being modest. We also told him that we were on the fasting kick for Ramadan and he couldn’t believe it. He was impressed that we were staying true to the fast because even he cheated once in a while.

There were men in the street handing out dates and juice just before sundown. We grabbed a couple bags and kept on driving back to the city. Mustafa brought us to Hardees where we were able to meet some of his friends. We had some big greasy burgers and cokes which was a nice treat as well. The guys didn’t speak English all that well but it was still nice of Mustafa to introduce us. We didn’t linger too long. It was getting late. Mustafa brought us to a nearby oriental sweet store where he bought a few dozen little oriental delights and had us try them all. They were all very good. He made us take the rest with us to the train station where he dropped us off.

It was short-lived but I am happy we got to meet Mustafa. It as unfortunate that we had the worst of our couchsurfing experiences right away because the others we had met were great people. We thanked our new fried for toting us around all day and then headed straight to the ticket counter to get our train seats to Luxor. We had a hour to kill before we boarded so we sat out behind he trail station to escape the hoards of people. Boarding the train was a nightmare because there were no numbers on the seats and nobody to really direct us to the correct end of the car. It was a cluster of bodies for about a half hour but we managed to get in a cabin and in our own chairs. It was lights out after that and goodbye to Cairo again. Good riddance.

Siwa Safari

We told Mario we would meet him in the morning for the sunrise but that wasn’t going to happen due to the fact that we didn’t even get to bed until 3am. We ended up meting him in front of Mohammad’s. He brought his mother with him too. I went to get some money from the ATM but had no such luck. It is really hit or miss with the Siwa ATM and more often missing that hitting. When I got back to the shop Mario said it to me that it looked like he wasn’t going to be able to come with us on the safari. Not if we go with Mohammad. I said “OK” and threw my bag in Mohammad’s jeep. Mario’s mother was trying to plea to Mohammad that Mario was a good guy and didn’t mean what he said but we were all set. Mohammad was originally going to have his cousin take us but as soon as Mario was out of the picture, he was back in guide mode.

We hit the road with nothing but smiles. Mohammad and his cousin kept yelling “Chin Chin!” I had no idea what it meant but it was getting us excited. Mohammad was so grateful that Mario wasn’t coming along and so were we. We stopped at a salt lake a few km’s out of town where we got to walk through the crystallized mud trying not to sink our feet and forever lose a shoes.

The next location was the old Roman tombs. It was several levels of small rooms carved into the side of a mountain. You could enter all of the rooms and the best part was that there were no lines to wait in. We were the only people there. Mohammad and his cousin took refuge in the shade to shelter themselves from the scorching sun. It was over 100F in the sun. It was a big change from the cold and rainy Rossendale I had just come from. Ramsey and I searched a few tombs and climbed to the top of the mountain. Some of the tombs had bones in them which were said to be human but I’m pretty sure they were goat or cow or something.

After overheating in the Sahara sun we were taken to a cold spring down the road. What I had pictured was a small pond or pool of water in the middle of the sand but it was much more developed that that. The spring was encase in concrete giving it an appearance of a small diving well. The cement shell kind of stripped the spring of its’ oasis vibe but it was still nice to go for a dip and cool off. It was here where Mohammad taught me to wrap my scarf the right way around my head. Bedouin style.

After our core temps were back to normal we head further into the desert stopping at another small mountain range along the way. This place was home to the oldest footprints on record. Human footprints that is. They were discovered not long ago by an archaeologist doing research in the region and could be more than 3 million years old. There were only a few of them. It wasn’t the most exciting part of the trip but at least I can now say that I have seen some really old footprints!

We then drove full speed into the Sahara. It was such a inimitable an invigorating experience to watch the mountains and shrubs fade into nothing but sand. Hundreds of miles of sand. It sounds like it would be a boring sight but the dunes were massive! The contrast of the white sand and the blue sky was amazing. I had never seen sky that blue before. I felt like a little child seeing snow for the first time. We were weaving all over the place jumping dune tops, sliding sideways halfway down the slopes and yelling the entire way. The sand seemed infinite.

We drove for about an hour when out of nowhere arose this beautiful lake. It was nestled between two giant dunes and surrounded by green plants. It was stunning. They call the lake Bir Wahed. We ran out of the jeep and dove right in. The water was a perfect temperature. The lake was small and were able to swim across with no problems. The best was the fish! There were minnows everywhere. Mohammad showed me how to catch one with my hands and then presented me with a bamboo pole. There was a hook and line already attached to the pole so I rigged up my bate and made a cast out along the shore. Within seconds I had a bite. I pulled in what looked like a small sunfish. It was such a bizarre feeling to be fishing in this little body of water when all around me was nothing but sand, stretching far and wide.

The next location was not far from Bir Wahed. It was a hot spring not far from the lake. It was another small pool encased in concrete. It was extremely slippery as well. The sunshine and temperature of the warm water was a utopia for algae. Lindsey slipped and fell right in to the springs. She didn’t injure herself but she did make one hysterical spectacle for all to see.

The last stop before sunset was at an old coral bed. One might forget that the desert used to be an ocean bed as long time ago. Seeing the coral beds there made it more believable. There were many people at this sight. It seemed to be the last place for most people’s tours. The beds were located in a small valley so when the sun had disappeared, we knew it was time to get out of there so we could get to higher ground for a wonderful sunset.

They brought us to our camp so we could drop off our gear. It was beautiful spot with its own cold spring, hammocks, and tents for us to sleep in. We didn’t linger long though. The guys dropped us off on top of a dune near camp and said they would return in an hour to pick us up. They had to prepare dinner and get the tents set up for us as well.

The sunset was one I’ll never forget. The sky was a beautiful array of colors. It was dancing with oranges, pinks, and blues. I had a great perspective of how vast the desert truly was. It was such a peaceful feeling. The temperature was perfect and there was a gentle breeze blowing sand grains across the ground, covering up our tracks. It was so calm and quiet. It was one of the first times I had felt entirely at ease being in Egypt. I just let my thoughts and emotions roll away with those pieces of sand and embraced the complete serenity I was experiencing.

We had to walk back to the campsite after we watched the sun go down. It was only about 1km away so it wasn’t so bad. We were able to get some 'footprint in the sand' photos as well. It turned into a competition of who could jump the farthest into untouched sand without stepping or falling forward. It not as easy as one would imagine. The camp was full of other tourists when we got back. There was another group there that had a combination of Aussies and Spanish people. Ramsey and I went swimming on the cold spring and met one of the Aussie girls. She was on vacation from work and decided to come to Egypt with her friend. Mohammad had gone into the city to take care of some business while we were away. They served us grilled chicken with rice and veggies for our dinner. Being that it was after dark it was alright for us to eat. We had told Mohammad that we would fast while we were with him to see what for ourselves what the Ramadan experience was like.

Once Mohammad returned we sat around the table telling stories by candlelight for hours. He even performed a little belly dance for us with my scarf. I made him feel embarrassed by teasing him for it and he refused to do it again. We walked out into the desert to just sit and stare at the stars. We laid back and talked about all the mysteries of life. It was here where Mohammad told us he could see into the future and see what other people are doing at any given moment. He told us there was an old man sitting in front of his shop and a little boy running around outside. He tried to tell us what kind of house Lindsey had back home but was not even close. He said it was too far away to tell.

We took our mattresses out of the tent after we ate and placed them in the sand outside the camp to sleep under the stars. It was a great way to fall asleep. We had some heavy blankets to keep us warm in the cool desert air. It is impressive how much the temperature will fluctuate from sunup to sundown. I slept like a baby as well, but it got extremely warm as soon as the sun hit. I had to keep moving into the shade for a couple of hours as the sun kept rising. Once it was too hot to bare anymore I ran into the spring to cool off.

Mohammad was supposed to drop us off after we had packed up from the camp but he invited us to stay with him all day. We didn’t have to leave until 8pm that evening anyhow so we were more than happy to attend to him and his daily rituals. We would have only been sitting around otherwise.

He brought us to his garden right away to see how the crops were doing. He had palms, apple trees, pear trees, carrots, potatoes, onions, peppers and many other plants growing there. They were all growing in the sand too. No added soil or chemicals. Just sand and water. I couldn’t believe how well everything grew there. We sat in the shade for a while, a very popular activity among the Egyptian people during Ramadan, and discussed what we were going to do the rest of the day.

Mohammad had a group of Italian people coming for a stay at his salt lake camp that night so we had to go out and check to make sure everything was set up. On the way we stopped at his shop to drop off our things and then to yet another cold spring where some local boys were swimming. There was a small cave down at the bottom but I didn’t have the lung capacity to swim down and into it. The kids were fascinated with the baseball I had. We threw it around while we swam but not for long. We had to get out to the lake.

This was the fist salt lake I had gotten to swim in. It was such a cool feeling to be floating so high in the water. It was hot as well. It was almost uncomfortably hot. We only stayed in for a few minute while Mohammad took refuge in the shade for a quick nap. It’s tough business being active during the day without food and water. Some people do drink water during their fast but I decided to go all out and to the full fast. The hunger leaves you after a while. You totally forget that you are starving.

We jumped in yet another cold spring to rinse the salt off our bodies and then went with Mohammad back to the village. We had to get squared away with our debt to him for the trip so I went to the ATM to see if it was working but of course it was not. I tried to ask the bankers when it would be functioning but they weren’t too helpful. They said maybe 5pm. I went back to Mohammad’s shop and waited there with Ramsey while he ran some errands. We both fell asleep and were woken up by Lindsey. It was nearly five so I went back and lucked out with the ATM. When I told Mohammad that had his money he was shocked. Even though he had told me the ATM works most of the time, in reality, it never worked. He was happy though because he got his payment.

He invited us to eat at his family’s home before we left which was a great honor. They fed us loads of bread, chicken, rice, tomato and cucumber salad, cheese, and juice. We ate with Mohammad in the living room while his family ate in the kitchen. Muhammad gave us a ride to the bus stop in his jeep to see us off. Our bus departed at 8pm for Cairo and would drive all through the night. It was sad to say farewell to our new friend but I was thankful for all of the new memories.

It wasn’t until we left that I realized I forgot my baseball in his jeep. It seems like anytime I get some type of new knickknack I want to bring with me around the world ends up getting lost within the first few weeks of possession. Sorry Ma. I guess the lucky baseball you sent wasn’t so lucky for me.

The bus ride was a real blast. Being hungry the entire way didn't help with the sleep situation and Lindsey got her buns tweaked in the backseat without her permission by some perv. She came and slept by me after that. We did stop at 4am for dinner. Ramsey and I got some bread and foul before sunrise and Lindsey just slept I the back seat. I made quite the mess trying to eat those beans out of a bag but it was enough food to put me right to bed. Goodnight and farewell Siwa.

Escape to Siwa Oasis

We thanked our hostel receptionists for all of their help although I was still bitter with them for screwing us over on the first night. We managed to get a cab to the bus station for a pretty good deal although it was not the station we had picked our tickets up from. This one was a ways away from the mall on the side of the road. The cabbie insisted that it was the correct bus station but we were so confused. Other people waiting for buses and the ticket counter man assured us that our bus to Mersa Matruh was coming to this stop. We agreed to stay and paid the cabbie.

Our bus was on time and we were on our way to Mersa Matruh around 10am. The ride was 5 hours long and once we got to Mersa Matruh we had to get on a different bus to get to Siwa. I couldn’t help but cringe as we passed the pyramids as we drove by. Damn you Mohammad and Mahmud! The entire drive was pretty boring but I couldn’t believe all of the construction going on outside of the city. It looked like condos and resorts were going up everywhere. There would be random blocks of fancy looking condos with lawns and ponds out in the middle of the desert.

Once we were in Mersah Matruh we had about two hours to kill before we had to board our final bus to Siwa so we talked a cabbie down to take us to the beach and come back for us after an hour so we could get lunch and then bring us back to the bus station. The beach was amazing! We had no expectations coming into the city and had no idea how white the sands were and how blue the water was. It was a treat indeed. We sat and read for a while and Ramsey and I went for a swim. The water was the perfect temperature.

It was tempting to stay in Mersah Matruh instead of going to Siwa but when our cabbie showed up we decided we would get back to the bus station. We bought some falafel and ful before going back to the bus station. I love Mediterranean food! It is simple and so delicious. My new favorite. We found a spot on the curb away from the local people so they didn’t have to watch us eat. We were trying to be respectful since it was Ramadan and they couldn’t eat.

It was well passed dark when we arrived in Siwa. It was nothing like I imagined it to be. Considering it was an oasis I had the image of palm trees, springs, and little huts everywhere, but Siwa is basically a small city. All the buildings and paved roads were a surprise to me. We got directions to a hostel and walked. It was about one kilometer from the bus stop to the Cleopatra Hotel and was well worth the walk. It was very cheap only costing us 30EP for all three of us for three beds and our own bathroom. We got showered up and went for a walk to the souq.

We found a small restaurant that seemed like it would suit our fancies. We met some nice travelers at the restaurant as well. There was Jimmy and Jan who were from the U.K. traveling with some friends through Egypt . They had been to Egypt a few times and said that Alexandria was their favorite places. There was also Lisa who was our age and lived near Rossendale. She was amazed that we had been to Helmshore and stayed for so long. She was traveling with a friend but she was back at their hotel to rest after their day's safari. There was also Mario. Oh Mario. He appeared to be a cool guy on the surface. He was from Australia and a doctor. He was traveling through Egypt with his Egyptian mother. We talked with him at the restaurant for a while and said farewell after we were getting antsy to move elsewhere.

We found a spot in the souq to sit and smoke sheesha and enjoy the night atmosphere. We attempted dominoes as well but couldn’t remember the correct way to play that damn game. Mario showed up within 15 minutes of us sitting down and joined us. He declared that it was rude to not offer sheesha to someone who you invite to sit with you. I was annoyed by this because he had literally just sat down and we didn’t even invite him. We gave him some anyways.

We began talking about how we wanted to take a desert safari but we hadn’t looked yet. Mario said he had talked to a couple guys about it and was able to negotiate 800EP for a two day safari. We came up with a game plan and decide we would talk to the guides Mario had already spoken with and Mario would go talk to another guide he hadn’t seen yet. The first guy was a s alt carver, who took salt blocks from the salt flats and made figurines, bowls, etc… and sold them in his shop. He was missing an eye as well which was a little disturbing to look at but he was a very nice man. He wanted to charge us 800 EP and no less for a full day out and one night in the desert. We would get to see the Shiata salt lake, the Roman tombs, the world’s oldest footprint, cold spring, hot spring, Bir Wahed lake, on old coral bed fossils in the middle of the desert. It sounded pretty good but we wanted to way al of our options first.

We then went to Mohammads shop. I took a liking to this guy right away. He was only 24 years old but had been giving tours for a while. He had his own tour company, his own shop, and his own restaurant, although it wasn’t open yet. He even showed us the restaurant after we got to talking with him for a bit. It was an awesome place with palm trees and sand everywhere and several small tables and cushions for the customers to sit on. Mohammad showed us how to shake a palm tree and collect the dates. Ramsey and I caught a few in our shirts and then walked with our guide back to the shop. He said he would give us the same tour for 600EP for the four of us. We were happy.

When Mario showed up though things got intense. Mario couldn’t believe that we talked Mohammad down that much. He said he was concerned about the knowledge that Mohammad had about the sites we would be seeing. He wanted to have the most educated guide there was. Mario had a discussion with Mohammad in Arabic (Mario knew Arabic from his mother) even though we couldn’t understand Arabic. Mario was seething with arrogance. Mohammad told him twice to speak in English since we didn’t know Arabic but Mario insisted on playing translator for us. I thought it was extremely rude. Mohammad eventually got mad enough that he said he would not do the tour because of Mario. We were real annoyed. Mario told us we could still do the tour with the other guide for the same price which we wanted to do anyway. We told him we would discus t in the morning and waved him off as he went to the hotel.

Mohammad was pissed but not at us. He offered to take us out into the desert for a good look at the stars and to just sit in peace for a bit. We were ecstatic. He was so nice to us there was no way we could turn him down. He told us we would individually pay the same price as if there were four people going on the tour, if we told Mario not to come. He would not be in the same vehicle with such a bad guy. We didn’t like Mario that much anyway so that was fine with us. The desert was amazing at night. Everything seemed so muted and so clean. The sand was like a warm comfortable cushion beneath us and we laid out under the brilliant night sky for hours. We talked with Mohammad about his childhood and about where we come from. It was an awesome night. I could wait to see the desert in the daylight. Mohammad dropped us off at the hotel and said he would be by around 9am to pick up our passports and that we should meet him at the shop around 10am. It was already 3am at this point so we went straight to bed.