wanderlust: exploring the world

July 25, 2010

Having been bitten by the travel bug and inspired by Rolf Potts, the author of Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel, I finally surrendered to my passion to travel and decided to go on a long-term world travel. I can’t think of a better place to do this for the first time than in Europe. In my initial leg, I will venture into Europe and explore 25 cities, across 15 countries in 56 days. I will start the adventure tomorrow. Now comes the hardest part; getting to bed with all this excitement.

So why Europe? Europe is a continent with centuries rich in history and culture, mesmerizing visual and performing arts, impressive architecture, idyllic towns, breathtaking nature, varied gastronomical treats and fine beverages, and the list goes on. It’s just perfect for this plan.

I spent the last couple of weeks planning for this adventure. I was researching on the net, mainly reading travel blogs. I enjoy reading travel blogs because they provide a more intimate description of a destination. I was also checking out the travel guide books at Chapters. I ended up ordering two books from Amazon. Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door 2010: The Travel Skills Handbook has a good section on travel tips. I like the sections written about the different destinations based on the author’s personal experience. Rick Steves seems to be the most knowledgeable on Europe and I have been watching his shows on TV. Europe (DK Eyewitness Travel Guides) I like because of the clearly labeled maps and the colorful pictures.

I thought I was so ready to be an independent traveler. But I got overwhelmed with the planning especially on the logistics; finding a good accommodation in a convenient location and figuring out the transportation. I started considering taking those coach tours but in the end I thought they’re not for me. Trafalgar caters more for the older demographics and a bit pricey. Contiki looked promising until I came across videos and read through countless threads in discussion groups. My impression was it was more focused on partying rather than experiential traveling. Plus coach tours are not flexible in terms of time and its itinerary. Then I came across Gap Adventures, a Canadian adventure travel company. Their Europe trips were categorized as YOLO (You Only Live Once) trip style. What this basically mean is it offers the traveler the freedom to explore as much or as little as he wants. The dates were set but it’s up to the traveler to explore by himself. This was perfect for me. I didn’t have to worry about finding a place to sleep and figuring out how to get to the next destination. These will be taken cared of. I can just focus on what I am interested in and explore and experience on my own terms.

So the plan is I am going to travel by myself at the beginning and at the end of the trip. Then in the earlier part of the trip, I will be traveling with old friends who I haven’t seen in more than a decade. Finally, the rest of the time I will be with Gap Adventures.

Here is my itinerary.

07/26/2010 - Vancouver, Canada
07/27/2010 - Reykjavik, Iceland
07/28/2010 - Helsinki, Finland
07/30/2010 - Hartola, Finland
08/01/2010 - Helsinki, Finland
08/02/2010 - Paris, France
08/04/2010 - Bruges, Belgium
08/05/2010 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
08/08/2010 - Berlin, Germany
08/10/2010 - Krakow, Poland
08/12/2010 - Prague, Czech Republic
08/14/2010 - Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
08/15/2010 - Vienna, Austria
08/17/2010 - Budapest, Hungary
08/19/2010 - Bled, Slovenia
08/21/2010 - Venice, Italy
08/24/2010 - Cinque Terre, Italy
08/26/2010 - Florence, Italy
08/28/2010 - Rome, Italy
08/31/2010 - Naples, Italy
09/02/2010 - Corfu, Greece
09/05/2010 - Athens, Greece
09/07/2010 - Santorini, Greece
09/09/2010 - Athens, Greece
09/10/2010 - Lesbos, Greece
09/12/2010 - Ayvalik, Turkey
09/13/2010 - Istanbul, Turkey
09/16/2010 - Cappadocia, Turkey
09/18/2010 - Istanbul, Turkey
09/19/2010 - Vancouver, Canada

July 22, 2010

Europe may be one of the safest place to travel with its minimal incidents of violent crimes.  However, travelers should be very cautious.  Europe is a pickpockets’ haven.  Interestingly, the tops cities known for pickpockets are mostly in Europe.  Some may not be surprising such as the poorer nations of Spain (Barcelona and Madrid), Greece (Athens) and Czech Republic (Prague).  But topping the list are richer nations like Italy (Rome and Florence), France (Paris) and The Netherlands (Amsterdam).

After hearing several stories from friends who have their share of being victims of pickpockets in Europe and after reading several Europe travel forums on the net which further proved the rampant cases of pickpockets, I was very concerned.  I am going to explore Europe for the next two months and I will be bringing a combination of credit cards, a bank card, and a stash of cash.  It would be a nightmare if I lost all these to a pickpocket.

Fortunately, I was introduced to a money belt.  It is a small, nylon zippered pouch that fastens around the waist and under the pants which makes it completely hidden.  Besides credit cards, bank cards and cash, most people also use this to store other important documents such as passport, plane ticket, rail pass, and driver’s license.  I decided to get one to try it out.  I saw a black Cactus Creek money belt in Mountain Equipment Co-op (www.mec.ca) for $10.50 CAD and a white Lewis N. Clark money belt at BCAA for $10.00 CAD.  I ended up getting the black one from MEC.  I placed my euros and my passport in the money belt and tried it on over my boxers and under my pants.  It was uncomfortable.  It was better though when I took out the passport.  I think what I’m going to do is to put majority of my cash, one of my credit card and the bank card in the money belt.  I will keep a few cash and my other credit card in my wallet and leave my passport in my passport wallet.  Let’s see how this goes. 

Bring it on pickpockets!

It’s been two weeks since I landed at the Cairo International Airport.  Tonight was the last night before I fly back home early tomorrow morning.  It has been a wonderful two weeks of discovery, cultural experience, fun activities and pure relaxation.  Special memories were shared with a group of travelers who came from different parts of the world.  We were all strangers to each other in the beginning but during the course of these two weeks we have somewhat bonded.  We wanted to enjoy the last night and agreed to feast on a steak dinner.  Dinner was great.  It went by really fast though.  We all headed back to the hotel to prepare for our departure.  Some were flying back to their home country in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.  Some were flying back to UK and Saudi Arabia for their work.  Others were going to continue traveling to Syria and Jordan.  As for me, I will be flying back to my home in Vancouver.

As I was packing my stuff in my room, I started thinking about this entire trip.  It would definitely rank as one of the best travel I have ever done.   It was mainly due to the following:

• I have been dreaming about going to Egypt for years.  I have always been fascinated by the ancient civilization.  It was difficult to find someone who was as interested though.  Then it’s either they don’t have the time, or they don’t have the budget.  This leads me to…
• This was the first time I have ever tried to travel alone.  Alone in a sense that I did not know anybody from the beginning.  I figured if I had to wait for someone to go with me then I would probably end up not going ever.  That’s why I decided to join a tour.  At least this way I will not be entirely alone.  Being alone also forced me to be more social and interact with my fellow travelers and the locals.
• It was definitely a good idea to join a small group adventure travel type of a tour.  The group was small enough so I felt like I was traveling with my group of friends.  Also, these tours tend to take local transit and stay at a modest accommodation which made it more affordable and at the same time provided a more local lifestyle experience.  These tours provide some level of flexibility.  I get to do things on my own with an option to join group activities. 
• These types of adventure tour usually promoted responsible and sustainable traveling.  It was not just all about me the visitor enjoying the journey.  I can contribute my time and resources to the community. 
• I was traveling with like-minded people so we were all there for the same reason, to explore and experience.  It’s hard sometimes when traveling with family or friends when everyone has his own interests.  Somehow someone would have to make a compromise or the travel would turn into hell.

Tomorrow I will be going home happy.  Even though the travel was only for two weeks, I was able to compile so much exceptional memories to keep.  I highly recommend everyone to visit Egypt.  I would also encourage people to try traveling with a small group adventure tour.

I did the Nile Valley and Red Sea tour with Imaginative Traveller (http://www.imaginative-traveller.com/) and booked it through Trek Escapes (http://www.trekholidays.com/).

Cairo Egypt November 2008

The bus ride back to Cairo from Hurghada took around five hours.  We still had the afternoon free so some of us decided to explore Coptic Cairo which was located in Old Cairo.  To be more adventurous, we decided to take the Cairo Metro.  It was interesting.  The middle section was reserved for women only.  So if a woman did not want to ride with men she can choose to ride in the middle section. 

The metro arrived and we squeezed ourselves in.  It was hot that day and the metro was packed with mostly local people.  We had to stand and I can actually feel the breath of people standing beside me.  It was an awkward ride and the smell of mixed sweat and perfume did not help at all.  We eventually got to our destination without suffocating ourselves.  I will reconsider riding on the metro again but it was a good experience, nonetheless.

First stop was the Hanging Church.  This church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary.  It had 29 steps approaching the entrance and was coined as the Staircase Church.

The church was named for its location on top of the southern tower gate of the old Babylon fortress.  Its nave was suspended over a passage.

This was the interior of the church.

A striking feature in this church was the 11th century marble pulpit which was supported by 13 pillars.  The pillars represented Jesus and the 12 apostles.  One of them was black which represented Judas.  Another one was gray which represented doubting Thomas.

Next stop was the Church of St. George.  It was the principal Greek Orthodox Church in Egypt. It was the only round church in Egypt.  It was built this way since it was built on top of the foundations of a Roman round tower.

The interior was dark and heavy with incense.  The sunlight was filtered by the stained glass windows.

It was getting late and the museum and churches were closing.  The final church we got see was the Church of Saint Barbara.  This was named for the young girl who was martyred for trying to convert her father to Christianity.  She was sent to the Roman governor by her father and she was tortured and murdered.  Not too far from the church was the Greek Orthodox cemetery.  We wandered a bit until we  decided to catch a cab and headed back to the hotel.

Cairo Egypt November 2008

A van picked us up from the hotel and brought us to a scuba and snorkeling center.  I had to rent the fins and the mask.  I did not feel comfortable biting onto a snorkel that has been used by countless people so I brought my own.  I don’t know.  It’s similar to renting bowling shoes.  It’s just wrong.  Once we all found our gears we boarded the boat and headed off to the snorkeling site in the Red Sea.

It took us over an hour to finally get to the snorkeling site.  We were not alone in the area.  There were other boats but it was not too crowded.  We put on our gears and jumped into the water.

I probably spent over an hour exploring the corals and the fishes.  I did get to see a good selection of fishes.   The site was pretty but I have snorkeled in better sites. 

My tummy dictated that it was time to get back to the boat.  I retired my gears and headed for the food.  The food was delicious.  Possibly because I was so hungry.  We spent the rest of the afternoon just chilling on the boat.  Some went back down for a second round of snorkeling.  It was a beautiful day to enjoy mother nature.  

Hurghada Egypt October 2008

The private beach was just a short walk from the Three Corners Triton Empire Hotel.

When we finally got to the beach, we were a bit disappointed.  The beach was quite small.  The sand was not fine.  But it was ok.  At least it was not pebbly.  We decided to test the water.  Although sunny, it was not a hot day.  The water was not too cold but it was not comfortably warm either.  We did not stay too long in the water. 

There were huts and beach beds free to use.  The beach was quite empty that day.  There was not much to do.  I was just entertaining myself watching this Eastern European couple.  The guy was taking photos of his girl who was lying on the shore and rolling around as if she was posing for the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated.  I don’t know.  There was definitely something wrong with the poses.  They were not aesthetically pleasing. 

I thought this was a nice way to end a trip relaxing on a beach.  We made the most out of it.

Hurghada Egypt October 2008

From Luxor, we hopped on a bus which took us to the resort city of Hurghada which was located on the Red Sea coast.  As we approached the city, I started to see a stretch of hotels.  There were still a lot of development going on.  It was probably like Cancun in the 80s.  It took us around 3 hours to finally get there.  Excited that we finally arrived, we checked in our hotel; The Three Corners Triton Empire Hotel.

The hotel had over 400 rooms.  It had a nice large open lobby, three swimming pools and a private beach 200 meters off the hotel.  I got into my room and was surprised to see a quite spacious and clean room.  It was not as fancy as the resort hotels that I was accustomed to back in North America but it was miles better than the hotels we stayed in both Cairo and Luxor.

This was the view from my balcony.  One time, I saw a guy, from the opposite side of the building, came out to the balcony in his tighty whities.  I can’t imagine men these days still wear those.  But that was not the worst thing.  He started coughing and then decided to just spit it over the balcony.  That was totally gross.  I don’t mean to be racist but he must have been Russian or Eastern European because I was told that majority of the tourist in Hurghada were from those regions.  That was just not right.  I really hate it when people do that.  Across the street was the convenience store that we went to a couple of times to replenish our water supply and snacks.

Let me introduce the Egyptian relative of Oreo.  Meet Borio.  It was not as good as Oreo though.

Right below was one of the smaller pools.  The pools were not that inviting.  A couple of us decided that we take a few minutes break, wash up, and meet again to checkout the private beach.  Now that was a better plan.

Accommodation Information:

The Three Corners Triton Empire Hotel

Location:
Hospital & Sayed Korrayem St.
Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt

Website:
http://www.threecorners.com/hotel.php?hotel=11&menu=130&lang=en

Hurghada Egypt October 2008

It was time to leave the M/S Melodie, the cruise ship, as today marked the end of the cruising part of the trip.  The staff were waving goodbye as we all checked out.  I realized I spent the last 8 days in this ship.  There were lots of good memories but now it was time to move on.

We checked in to the Phillipe Luxor Hotel which was in the bazaar district.  I got to my room and unpacked my stuff.  I heard a knock on my door.  I opened the door and were met by the Aussie couple who were checked in the room beside mine.  Their room had a really foul smell.  I went over to check.  I have a really bad sense of smell but I could smell something weird.  We went into the washroom and saw the brownish color of the water.  It stayed like that even after several flushes. We reported this to the tour leader who informed the manager of the hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel was fully booked that night so there were no other vacant rooms.  At this point, the other Aussies came up to our floor and wondered why our floor smelled so bad.  The manager explained that the smell was coming from the outside.  He brought a can of air freshener and started spraying the entire floor until the can was emptied.  I was sure someone with asthma would have had an attack by then.  He said that this was all he can do.  In the end, the tour leader suggested to switch rooms with the Aussie couple.  I guess working as a tour guide has its bad days as well.

We went for dinner and afterwards some of us met in the rooftop and played big two.  The rooftop had a pool and a bar. 

This was the view on the rooftop.  There was a synagogue around the neighborhood.

These were the apartment buildings in the vicinity.

I noticed that satellite dishes were very common as they were all over the rooftop of buildings.  We just stayed here for one night and checked out the next day.  The accommodation was decent.  I did not expect much anyways.  At least it had air conditioning.  The only bad issue was with the room with the foul smell.  This was definitely a two star accommodation in North American standards.

Accommodation Information:

Philippe Luxor Hotel

Location:
Dr Labib Habashy Street
Luxor, Egypt

Website:
http://www.philippeluxorhotel.com/

Luxor Egypt October 2008

This was a common theme as the hypostyle hall had Hathoric columns as well and they were in very good condition.

The walls had well preserved paintings.  Majority were scenes that depict sacrifices being made to the Goddess of the temple.

The ceilings were quite amazing as well.  The colors were still preserved.  The ceiling mostly had astronomical representation.

The temple was best known for the roof chapel dedicated to Osiris which had the circular zodiac.  This was just a replica as the original one was taken by the French back to France.  The plan was to restore it over there but in the end the French just returned a replica.  The original remained in France and now sits in the Louvre.  This was known to be the oldest representation of the zodiac which included the 12 figures of the ram, the bull, the heavenly twins, the crab, the lion, the virgin, the scales, the scorpion, the archer, the goat, the watering pots and the fishes.

This was the birth house of Mammisi.  This temple was surrounded by columns with relief images of the God Bes who was the God of childhood who drove evil spirits away from the babies.

I suddenly realized that this was the last temple to visit in the itinerary.  I’m not exactly sure how I felt.  I sort of had a mixed feeling.  On one end, I felt sad since this means that my exploration of Egypt was about to end.  But on the other side, I sort of felt relieved as I was overwhelmed with the many temples I had visited in the past weeks.  But in the end, it was all good.  I learned a lot from this trip and it was time to go relax in our next destination; the resort city of Hurghada.  It was time to bid farewell to ancient times and welcome the new world.

Dendera Egypt October 2008

We traveled by van today to visit two temples.  First stop was the Temple of Seti I which was located in Abydos.  The town of Abydos is located west of the Nile, about 145 km from Luxor. 

The temple had many interesting features.  It was built to an unusual L-shaped layout which made it unique.  The temple had a square columned facade with 12 rectangular pillars.

The first and second hypostyle hall were just magnificent.

The temple had the best preserved painted reliefs. 

There were mysterious carvings of a helicopter, submarine and a space shuttle.  Egyptologist were unsure whether the Egyptians were able to foresee the future or the patterns were purely coincidental.

The temple was also famous for its king list that can be found in one of the corridors at the rear.  This was one of the three known king list that helped Egyptologist confirm the reign of the various kings.

It was the only temple with seven sanctuaries instead of the usual one.  They were dedicated to the 7 Gods: Osiris, Isis, Horus, Amon Ra, Ra Horakhty and Ptah, and Seti I as a deified King.

At the rear was a very strange structure called the Osirion.  It had a passageway from the temple but was closed to the public.  It can only be accessed now by exiting the temple and approaching it from the ground level.  It holds a number of mysteries including the carvings of the flower of life. 

For me the highlight of this temple were the best preserved paintings.  Another amazing temple explored today.  I can’t wait to checkout the next temple.

Abydos Egypt October 2008

I prefer to travel with a small group adventure type of a tour.  It provides some level of flexibility.  One gets to do things on his own with an option to join group activities.  These tours usually take local transit and stay at modest accommodation which makes it more affordable and at the same time providing a more local lifestyle experience.  It’s small enough that one would feel like he is traveling among friends.  Finally, the tours usually promote responsible traveling.  The intent is to provide a way for the traveler to give something back to the place being visited.

This afternoon we had an option to visit an orphanage or just stay in the cruise ship and relax.  It was an easy choice.  I wanted to spend the afternoon relaxing on the top deck of the cruise ship.  I can read a book and get some tan.  I do not want to go to a depressing place like an orphanage and ruin my trip.  In the end, I was glad my friend convinced me to go to the orphanage as it turned out to be an experience that made me feel like I did something relevant.

There were only a few people who decided to go.  We all squeezed into a cab and arrived at the orphanage.  We were met by the coordinator, a soft spoken lady with a huge heart.  She gave us a tour of the facility; from the classrooms to the bedrooms.  I must admit that I did not expect the facility to be in a decent condition.  The kids were definitely better off to be under this shelter.

We got to the rooftop and saw all the kids running around and playing games.  We had a first hand experience dealing with these orphans.

There was this one particular little girl who kept following me.  She was always by herself and not playing with the other kids.  Every time I put her down she would grab my leg and ask me to carry her again.  I’m not really good with kids but somehow this little girl liked me.  She’s such a sweetheart. 

I felt good spending the time here and I ended giving a donation.  The amount may not be huge but it made me really happy and I’m sure the money will be spent wisely to make the kids even happier.  This was definitely a humbling experience.

For more information, visit http://www.sunshine-international.org.uk/index.htm

Luxor Egypt October 2008

We had to wake up early today to avoid the heat since we will be riding on a donkey to get to the Valley of the Kings.  Some of us opted to travel via hot air balloon.  They had to start much earlier.  The hot air balloons were already starting to rise up to the sky as we left the cruise ship.

Here the donkeys were being gathered.  We were given quick instructions on how to control them.  It was pretty much the same as riding a horse.

I picked a white ass.   

The 7 km ride included passing through quiet roads with lovely views of the villages and the green fields.

We were also riding on the side of the road along with the cars.  Notice there was a stray donkey.  The rider fell off of it.  Apparently, there were a lot of people who fell off of their donkey.  Our tour leader fell off of her donkey as well when she was trying to help a lady who fell off of her donkey.  The tour leader of another group fell while trying to show off his donkey riding skills.  That must have been embarassing for him.  I’m not sure why one would fall though.  Maybe I was just used to it since I rode on horses a lot growing up.

We finally reached the Valley of the Kings with everyone alive and with no injuries.  That was a fun ride.  Between the 18th and 20th Dynasty, the kings abandoned the Memphis area and built their tombs here.  Also the pyramid style tombs were abandoned.

There was not much to see above the ground.  Corridors were carved deep into the valley that led to the burial chambers far underground.  The walls of the tombs were covered with well preserved paintings of gods and goddesses and complex hieroglyphics. 

There were so many people.  We had to fall in line every time.  We managed to explore three of the tombs where the paintings were very much preserved. 

We were not able to see the most famous tomb of Tutankhamen.  We were informed that it was actually small and unimpressive.

Not too far away was the Deir el-Madinah.  This was the village of the workers.  These were the remains of the houses of the tomb builders.  After this we hopped back on to our donkeys once again.  On our route back we passed by the Colossi of Memnon.  I had another amazing day in Egypt.

Luxor Egypt October 2008

We were back in Luxor.  This was where we started the cruise five days ago.  We had free time this afternoon so we decided to go checkout the shops around the area and walk around The Temple Of Luxor. 

The ladies got all excited when we came across a vendor selling gems and precious stones.  They were sifting through the fine collection as the sun started to set.

After shopping, my two new Aussie friends and I started to wander around The Temple Of Luxor complex while the rest decided to head back to the cruise ship.

We were approached by a horse-drawn carriage driver asking whether we needed a ride.  We politely said no and shook our heads. 

We walked around the corner and the guy was still following and pestering us.  We just continued walking.  He suddenly raised his voice and was making a scene.  He was shouting and telling me that he was talking to me and if I was a real gentleman I should be talking to him.  I was dumbfounded.  I did not understand why he was so angry when he was the one bothering us.  What part of NO did he not understand?  Being a foreigner in his land, I did not want to do anything crazy so I just walked away.  He was obviously still unhappy as he kept mumbling but at least he finally stopped following us.  What was his problem?

We finally got to explore the temple at peace.  The Temple of Luxor was mainly used as a venue to celebrate the festival of Opet.  The festival was to reconcile the human aspect of the king with the divine office.  Initially the festival lasted for 11 days but had grown to 27 days.  The procession of images of the current royal family started in Karnak and ended in this temple.  Each god was carried in a barge that was towed by smaller boats along the Nile River.  Upon reaching the temple, the king and his priest will enter the back chambers.  Here, the king and his ka were merged transforming him into a divine being.  The crowd outside cheered as the king presented himself to the public.  This solidified the ritual and made the king a god.  It was pretty cool how the Egyptologist can figure out all these information.

Luxor Egypt October 2008

The cruise ship docked at Edfu. Today we explored another temple.  The Temple of Edfu also known as Edfu Temple of Horus was dedicated to the falcon headed god Horus.  It was one of the best preserved temple in Egypt.  The roof was still intact unlike most of the other temples which usually had free standing walls and columns.  Also, the temple was the second largest after the Temple Of Karnak.  The pylons had scenes of Ptolemy XII fighting his enemies with Horus and Hathor watching.

Within the pylons was the courtyard with paired columns.  Many celebrations took place inside this courtyard. 

This shot of the back of the pylons was taken from the courtyard.  It had the scene of the meeting between Horus and Hathor.

From the courtyard before entering the Hypostyle Hall stood the statue of Horus.

These were the magnificent columns inside the Hypostyle Hall.  This hall was where the ritual vases and ritual texts were stored.

In the second Hypostyle Hall, notice the blackened ceilings.  These were charred by the camp fires from the Coptic Christians who seek refuge in this temple.

Further in the temple was the offering hall, followed by the vestibule and finally the sanctuary.  The temple walls were filled with intricate paintings.

The sanctuary was surrounded by chapels and chambers.  This was one of them.  Another temple and another fascinating day spent in Egypt.

Edfu Egypt October 2008

The cruise ship sailed northbound from Aswan back to Kom Ombo.  Upon arriving in Kom Ombo, we had the afternoon free to shop at the dockside hawkers.  Instead of shopping, a couple of us requested the tour leader to bring us to a local place where we can hang out and chill.  I’m always game to try and experience local traditions and activities whenever I travel.  It was a common social activity in Egypt to smoke shisha so we decided to look for a shisha cafe.  We walked through small shaded alleys as the locals stared at us. I don’t think I would have been brave enough to trek this path if I was just traveling by myself.  We finally found this cozy cafe.  It was dim-lighted with a couple of small low tables and cushioned-seats on the carpet.  We were the only patrons at that time.

We found our corner and the server took our orders.  I ordered a fresh mango juice and an apple flavored shisha which were both recommended by the tour leader.  The shisha was a tobacco that had been mixed with molasses and flavored.  It was smoked out of a water pipe.  Our server helped setup the shisha pipe.  First the tobacco was placed in a bowl on top of the pipe and then burned using a small coal on top of an aluminum foil.  The bowl had holes on the bottom to allow the smoke to travel down the body and into the water-filled bottom of the pipe.  The water cooled down and added moisture to the smoke.  I was given a brand new mouthpiece to insert to the hose.  That answered a question that had been on my head on how they clean the mouthpiece if people reuse the pipe.  Whew, that was a relief.

I tried my first puff.  I inhaled the smoke down my throat. It was smoother than smoking a cigarette.  The apple flavor gave it a lighter feel as well.  It felt and tasted good.  I started to enjoy it.

Then all of a sudden, a band came in with their drums and other percussion instruments and started to play some beats.  My friend was invited to dance with one of them.  I was really enjoying this.  This was the first time that I felt like I was a local.  We were away from the tourist crowd.  It was just us with good old dancing, drinking and smoking, Egyptian style.

Kom Ombo Egypt October 2008

We had to wake up really early this morning.  The only way to get to Abu Simbel by land was to travel with the police convoy which leaves at 4 am.  This was required for security reasons.  There had been incidents of Sudanese kidnapping foreigners in this region so no one was now allowed to drive on their own to get to Abu Simbel.  We were warned that the drive would take at least 3 hours with no breaks.  The van did not have a toilet so we had to make sure that we flush out everything before getting in the van.  I went straight back to sleep as soon as I found my seat.  About an hour in, I was awakened by my friend asking the tour leader whether we could stop for a washroom break.  She was reminded that it was important for safety reasons that we should not stow away from the convoy.  Her request was declined and she went back to her seat.  After another hour, my friend’s bladder was about to explode so she convinced the tour leader to stop the van.  We stopped at a road side store in the middle of nowhere.  I watched as the rest of the vehicles behind us in the convoy passed us.  I was a bit worried. The locals in the store did not speak English so she had to describe using the universal charade language of peeing before the locals realized what she was looking for.  When she came back up to the van, we could no longer see the rest of the convoy.  The driver stepped on the gas pedal as far as he could and our van sped off into the desert.  I was not sure how fast we were going but I was pretty sure that we should be getting a speeding ticket at that speed if we were back in North America.  Eventually we caught up with the convoy.  Now I can breathe better.

This was not the original site of the two temples of Abu Simbel.  Its original location was threatened to be submerged in Lake Nasser as a result of building the Aswan Dam. 

With the efforts of the Egyptian government and UNESCO, the two temples were removed from their old site and reconstructed in the exact same relationship to each other and the sun and covered with an artificial mountain in this new site.   

The smaller of the two temple was the Nefertari’s Temple of Hathor also known as The Small Temple.  It was dedicated to the goddess Hathor and Ramesses II’s chief consort, Nefertari.  The facade was decorated with two groups of colossi about 10 meters high.  These were of the king and queen.

The other temple, The Great Temple of Abu Simbel took 20 years to build. It was dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, Ptah as well as Ramesses himself.  The four Ramesses statues on the facade were around 20 meters high. 

Notice that the second statue from the left was missing the head and the torso.  This was damaged by an earthquake.

Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed inside the temple.  The innermost room lies at the end of a long corridor straight from the entrance.  It was purposely built like this such that during equinox, the sun will mysteriously illuminate the deity statue inside the innermost room.

Although the stay was short, it was enough to marvel at the magnificent temples.  It was definitely worth the long drive. 

On our drive back, we saw another natural wonder, a mirage.  Notice how the desert appears to have a sheet of water.  I can imagine how disappointing it was for someone trekking the desert and hoping it was an oasis but ended up just seeing a mirage.  The wonders of light can easily fool our eyes.

Abu Simbel Egypt October 2008