Pyramid Dust

Starting Off Again (Egyptian Arabic Alphabet Primer)

2010-12-21T21:37:00.000+02:00

Well, yesterday I began with doing the things I have to do to get back to Egypt. At the same time Corey was sending off her applications to Cornell and a couple of other schools. So we will see which way things ultimately go, but for now I am learning Arabic. I feel like such a kid. At least I have my younger children to learn with me. The reason I feel like such a kid is because I have to learn the ABCs all over again. I mean, here I am, just about at 40, learning the Arabic ABCs. To make matters even funnier, I have this youtube link that I watch with the kids with some children saying them, sort of like Sesame Street. I got it from this blog where this guy presents plenty of learning resources. I will share them below, just in case any of you might want to learn Arabic with me, while I am learning.

Anyway, here is the video:

Like I said, at least the younger ones are really getting into it, especially CJ and Jacob. Asari too though. One kind of funny thing is that Jacob doesn't know all of his English ABCs, but he is learning these, so it is kind of funny. I am sure he will do fine though. I was asking them what one of the letters was and he knew it. If I can do this every day for a few weeks, we will have a good start.

Some things to consider about the Arabic ABCs. The reason I am learning them is because they use a completely different script to write. In addition, they write from right to left. So, if you really want to know how to get around, it is wise to learn the written language. Another fact, the letters have four different ways they can be written, depending on the position they are in, within a word. First letter, last letter, middle position or alone. Arabic only has three vowels, the first letter - alif, and the last two (I haven't gotten to them yet).

The way we are doing this is learning about seven a day, while we learn them we learn the symbol and the name. I am going to get the kids writing them more too. In addition, I have to start incorporating a few simple words. So if you are going to learn along, learn the first seven letters today. Alif, beh, teh, theh, geem, hah and kah. They will be listed on a chart below us. I am going to list all my learning resources so I can use this blog to chart my progress. Kind of there and back again to Egypt.

So this blog is the first resource, I am going to copy a bit verbatim from him, just in case his blog goes down, we will have it. However, I have to give him proper respect. His thing is learning through music, which I think is an excellent idea. I will be living on his site for a while, I suggest you do the same. One other thing to note about Arabic and language in general (although I typically struggle learning them) , language is regional. So don't be put off if a sound of a letter in one source is slightly different than from another. For example, in Egypt, up in Cairo, they pronounce the J sound more in words, in Luxor it is more the G sound. You will get corrected too, but at least you are understood. But it is all part of the experience.

http://egyptianarabiccourse.blogspot.com/2008/03/egyptian-arabic-alphabet.html

ا - alif, as in "Ah" آه which means "ow," like an expression of pain or frustration

ب - ba, as in "Bahebbak" بحبك which means "I love you"

ت - ta, as in "Tani" تاني which means "another" or "again"

ث - ta or sa, as in "Sawani" ثواني which means "seconds" from the same word as "tani." While this letter in Standard Arabic is a "tha," it has merged with the letters "ta" and "siin" now. For old and common words "ta" is more common, and from new, borrowed, or reborrowed wor.ds "sa" is more likely.

ج - giim, as in "Gameel" جميل which means "beautiful." In Egypt, it is usually pronounced as a "ga" as opposed to the Standard Arabic "ja."

ح - Ha (7a), as in "Habibi" حبيبي which means "my darling." This sound does not exist in English, but it is like a regular Ha in English only "harsher." A friend has described it to me as a "phone sex 'h'"

خ - xa (5a or kha), as in "Khudni" خدني which means "take me." This sound is like kinda the ch in Bach from german, the french 'r' in "quatre" or to an English speaker probably sounds like they are about to spit

د - daal, as in "Dunya" دنيا which can mean "the world," "the prevailing environment" or "everyone."

ذ - daal or zaal, as in "Dayeb" ذائب which means "melting" often in love. Like "tha," "dhaal" loses its standard Arabic pronunciation, becoming a "da" sound for old and common words and a "za" sound for newer, borrowed, or reborrowed words from Standard Arabic.

ر - ra, as in "Rooh" روح which means "soul." It is trilled like the Spanish r.

ز - zay, as in "Zaman" زمن which means "time" as in the 4th dimension

س - sin, as in "Sawa" سوا which means "together"

ش - shiin, as in "Shuf" شوف which means "see," "look," or "look at"

ص - Saad, as in "Sabr" صبر which means "patience." The Saad is like an English s but with more rounding of the lips to produce a deeper hiss.

ض - Daad, as in "Da3" ضاع which means "lost" or "wasted." Daad is like the English d in the same relationship as Saad is to s.

ط - Ta (6a), as in "Tayr" طير which means "bird." Ta is in the same relationship with the English T as Daad is with d

ظ - Da or Za, as in "Zalim" ظالم which means "unjust" or "oppressive." This sound is DHa in Standard Arabic, but either becomes a "Za" sound or a "Da" sound in Egyptian.

ع - Ayn (3ayn), as in "3ayni" عيني which means "my eye" (a very common term of endearment in Arabic). 3ayn has no equivalent in English and I don't know how to describe it. Just read and listen for it. For those who know linguistics, its the voiced version of ح

غ - ghayn, as in "Ghali" غالي which means "precious." It's like a ga sound only it's like you're gargling water.

ف - fa, as in "Farah" فرح which means "joy" or "happiness"

ق - qaff (9aff, 2aff), as in "Qalbi" قلبي which means "my heart." Originally this sound is like an English k only deeper in the throat, as if you were choking, but in Egypt it is usually pronounced as a glottal stop like the sound in between Uh and Oh in Uh-Oh. So "Qalbi" becomes "Albi."

ك - kaff (Chaff), as in "Keef" كيف which means "how" east of Egypt.

ل - laam, as in "Leel" ليل which means "night"

م - miim, as in "Majnun" مجنون which means "mad" or "crazy"

ن - nuun, as in "Nar" نار which means "fire"

ه - ha, as in "Hawa" هوى which is one of the many words for love "hawa"

و - waaw, as in "Waheshtini" وحشتيني which is how you tell a girl "I miss you"

ي - ya, as in "Ya habibi" يا حبيبي which means "oh my darling." To address someone like "oh" or "hey" in English, you say "ya" before the name or title you are calling them.

http://www.egyptiancastle.com/main/culture/language/alphabet.htm

Another source with a nice blackboard. If you click on his blackboard you get the sounds of the letters, he uses real player, but it is cool. Remember, start on the top right and move to the left (ie Alif is the line that looks like 1). The board looks cheesy but is as useful as hell. You have to go to his site, linked above to use the sounds. I only copied the image so you could see it first.

I am going to make another post later today about the other thing I learned yesterday. Until then, take it easy and PEACE.

What's Going On

2010-12-20T00:05:00.003+02:00

Hmm, Let’s see... To get started, I should make note that we left Luxor, Egypt, as of the Spring, so we have been back stateside since late spring. Back in the ABQ - Albuquerque. We moved back for a number of reasons, at least temporarily. School (ie - College) for the oldest, who is about to take the SAT and ACT, only a little bit late in the year, a few minor health issues of my own, which I think I was way too paranoid about, and last and least in this case, a little, but still a little homesickness. Once we got back, I was able to pull out the wax, play a bit of music and hang out with the little homies below. They grabbed their Nubian kufis and showed me a few of the new dance steps the young folks are doing nowadays - pretty far out stuff.

The fellas listening to some tunes.

Anyway, I found a journal program for the old Macbook and plan on using it more regularly, working on the blog with it. Feel free to read along, although it will be more internal about personal observations and objectives for life. At least until I get back down the road and/or get out more. It is wintertime here in Albuquerque. It is nothing compared to Chicago or the Midwest, but we see the snow on the mountains from town, and we know. Plus it does get cold at night, all the more reason to grab a blanket and some good music, maybe a good bottle of wine, or whatever.

So we are sitting in our living room, a block from the nile when I ask the oldest, Corey, about her future. She said she wanted to go to school at UNM, the University of New Mexico, and start as soon as possible. Now, back stateside, it seems that isn’t as much the case. She is exploring the options of attending school at the American University in Cairo and even our Western Governors University, so if either of those pan out, we may see Egypt again real soon, or at least later in the summer. Either which way I am planning on returning to Egypt sometime between June and August, maybe late May, if we are lucky, after the AP testing is done this year for her. She also applied or is planning to apply to UNM, Ann Arbor, Notre Dame, and Harvard. She is a year ahead grade wise, so we will see how the chips fall and if it doesn’t work out maybe she will get another chance next year.

It is my birthday today. Making 39 is another step towards 40, which isn’t a really big deal, but will surely be a time for reflection. I always loved making jokes about people’s age, but now inching up to 40 its kind of more serious a subject. Earlier, I was thinking about the things I have done and not done, things that I wanted to do with my life so far. More on that later. What I am going to do now though is get the clock rolling on my return trip to Egypt, assuming that the school situation works out that way. Of course if the oldest ends up on the East Coast, or at Notre Dame we will have to work something else out. Meanwhile I am going to plan for life split between Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, starting as close to Summer 2011 as possible. Below is Leah's portrait of me, apparently, that was on a nice slender day, obviously trying to get on my good side - although I don't think my eyes are that big!

Leah's Portrait of Me

From Egypt and Back Again:

I need to start a budget and savings. Right now I have bills, bills, bills. However, I think I can manage to pay them down and budget for a trip for seven if I find good deals on tickets and save save save. I am going to estimate a cost of about $680 USD per person to get to Egypt and another $1400 to get to the East coast for all of us. So the price to get to Egypt will be about $6100. Not to mention rent, and transport in Egypt which I will budget at another $2600. So from now to June - August I will need to save about $8700 USD, if I am going to make this trip a reality for all. This time I plan on selling my car, which will be paid in full, so I wont have a car note or insurance, storing a bare minimum of household goods and staying abroad for 2-3 years. In addition, it would be nice to be able to spend a little time in Europe on the way there this time. I want to go to Southern Spain, look around, see some of the Moorish architecture and influence there, maybe check France out too. We will see.

Things I need to do between now and then:

Study Arabic more, this time the script as well...
Study ancient Egypt focusing on Dr. Ben, DeLubcz, Temple design and other esoteric sources
Work on my eating habits, which have not been so good as of late. I plan on returning to a largely raw food, vegetarian based diet. I will keep the journal updated on this front as well.
Saving for travel expenses.

In addition while I am in Albuquerque, I will be traveling in the area to significant sites and taking pictures and talking about the local area. While doing so I will also be talking about the travel plans and how they are coming more into focus.

Petroglyph in Albuqerque

When we were in Egypt before I learned a little Arabic, swaya. I knew how to ask for bare necessities, get around, bless Muhammed and his family, but I couldn’t get into conversations. That will take a few years in country, but at least working day by day I can get around a bit better and maybe even learn enough to go more into the country and off the beaten path. As I learn Egyptian Arabic I will share on the board, starting tomorrow.

Some Cool Things...

Unlike the last time, I have a base to live in, Luxor, with friends - and my own flat.
I know Cairo and the area I want to be my base there.
We can arrange to travel with others this time, if any are interested, and there is enough time to save your money.
I know the things I need to bring and what to leave behind this time.
The city of Luxor should be completing their construction project real soon, which should make the temples much nicer and hopefully more accessible.
I plan on spending some time on the Red Sea this time.

Well that about sums up this post. I will update my photos from Egypt, once I can find the remaining ones, and might even post a few more stories of the trip back. I actually got everything which I sent back home, nothing was missing, only a single piece was damaged. That made me very happy. So hats off to Abud, my man at the post office in Luxor. He should have finished his house right across the street, on the other side of Karnak Temple, by now, talk about a view. I have to catch up with him real soon. The next time, I am going to post about a local place called Tinkertown, it is one of my favorite places to hang out with the kids when in Albuquerque.

View of the Volcanoes

Me & Mom at the Petroglyphs

Mom & the fam at the Petroglyphs

Sham el Naseem

2010-04-06T23:26:00.003+02:00

Last week we got an invite for dinner at a friend house. Friends tend to be more functional here than stateside, but an invite is an invite and eventually you have to take the offer. Besides, Abud has been really helpful and good to know. He is an Egyptian friend with plenty of potential. So I accepted, but I didn't realize that Monday was going to be a holiday, it was Sham el Naseem, which is kind of like Easter or a spring time celebration that dates way way back to like 5000 years ago. So I didn't know any of this when I agreed to stop over my friend, Abud's house. He lives in a flat in Luxor, but is working on finishing his flat in Karnak, so he invited me to come see his soon to be finished flat, which is right behind the temple of Karnak. I live right in front of Karnak so I figured why not.

I forgot to mention to Abud that we are vegetarian, because I wasn't really coming over to eat, but more to see his place and spend a bit of time. Abud met us in front of the post office and we made our way via service car to his house, his son named Islam accompanied us. Islam wants to be a pilot someday, but his father has the more realistic plan of him being a tour bus driver. As I thought it over I could understand both of their viewpoints, as I went on to explain my friend who is a pilot was a playboy, I realized too late I wasn't helping Islam's case. Abud drove his motorcycle as we rode the service bus. I spent .60 for eight people, happy the whole way. As we passed Luxor temple, the complex was packed. Abud had mentioned it was going to be even more crowded later. I will have to see it some other time.

Anyway, since I forgot to tell him I was just coming to visit or that I don't eat meat, his wife was cooking when we came in. I figured it best to just go ahead and be polite. We meet his daughter, Zenieb and his younger son. Zenieb is so intelligent and loves playing with Jacob, she is a few years older than him though. CJ joins in playing too. We talk and I can see that Abud is somewhat distracted. We talk about America and about Egypt, about his job and soon the meal arrives.

We sat and the obligatory molokia plates came out along with a hearty soup and Egyptian flat bread. We ate and were very happy. Later a huge tray of rice and lamb came out. We started to stare at each other. It smelled delicious, but I remember the conversation I had with the horse the other day about eating animals. But then I know what is going to happen if I send it back, I will get the evil evil eye. So I tell the kids to dig in, this is the first lamb we have eaten in Egypt. It smells wonderful and will probably be pretty tasty insofar as meat goes, I think, Corey looks and says, I don't eat hooven animals, Leah digs deep in and Asari looks confused. I explain to Corey in a whisper, "if we don't finish this plate, she is going to be MAD." I can see Abud's wife, Iman setting the large platter for their family near ours and looking out the corner of her eye. I grab a piece of lamb and chew.

I don't like meat, I don't eat hooven animals either and I don't like rice, however I don't disrespect anyones house. I especially don't encourage the wrath of Egyptian housewives either. So I encourage the kids to eat eat eat, reminding Corey that she still loves fish and that if she doesn't dig in too, the next time she will see one will be when she is swimming in the ocean. Meanwhile I look and see Iman staring over, very inquisitively out of the corner of her eye. We are all eating, a second later, Abud asks, "more?" We have half the tray left. We decline. A few minutes later Iman leaves into the kitchen. We can see she is angering. By the time she returns, the tray is nearly empty. She relaxes, we are all happy.

I have been invited to dinner before and explained my eating to local friends and they don't understand. Egyptians don't eat meat every day, but when you are invited you are expected to eat something, and in this case I think Abud added fuel to the fire by insinuating somehow that Iman should have known to make chicken or fish, which just made matters worse. However, since the tray was nearly empty, we got a smile and a reprieve, but I still feel bad, both for Iman and for the sheep, it was a no win situation, even if the food was delicious. As we began eating, Abud brought out two huge Pepsi's and I could see CJ licking his lips. I am like, none for the little two. They look deeply disturbed, and I give them the look. They shut up.

A second later, Leah spills her soda. This allows me to excuse them from soda, but we have nothing else to drink. As we finish dinner, I ask for tea. Abud is disturbed. He explains, apologizing, I didn't know you drank tea with your meal, normally, we drink tea after the meal. I couldn't even begin to explain that tea and salad would have probably been enough, maybe with some beans or ful. Anyway, we enjoyed the dinner and after we headed out for our trip to Karnak.

We catch a cab with Islam and Abud drives. The cab driver is kind of Smokey Robinson, a real space cadet. He turns up his music which is really nice, but a bit loud. A woman is singing, in Arabic as the day starts to wane. The music is nearly hypnotic, traditional, beautiful. The driver reaches in his special hiding place for a special cigarette. Islam explains to the driver that it isn't a good idea. The driver explains why it is the best of things, of course all in Arabic. Candice and I look at each other. We reach Karnak and their is a hill leading up to the house. The driver is driving an old Peugeot and it stutters as we all wonder if it can make it. He makes a second attempt, still no go. An old man is staring at us make the attempt. He tries again, backing up, and makes it. We start to think he is a pretty good driver. As we prepare to congratulate him he bumps the tree in front of Abud's family house. He knocks his grill plate off. We all stifle our laughter. He is at ease after a few minutes, confused, but at ease.

We meet Abud's family, he is still on the way. We meet the head of the house, who we assume is his brother (he wasn't interested in making it clear himself), but could have been his father too, he said Abu, but that could mean head of household or father, we still aren't sure. Later we meet his other brother, and his mother and sister. They are all very nice, and we sit outside, then inside, and appreciate the day. Later, when Abud arrives, he takes us to his unfinished flat, which has the best view of Karnak temple I have ever seen. The sun sets behind the temple as I attempt some pictures on my iphone and promise to return with a proper camera some morning in the future. What a way to bring in the spring... Egypt is very beautiful and its people while complex, complex, complex are just as beautiful but with an asterisk.

More Information on Sham El Nesseem:

Sham El Nesseem is an Ancient Egyptian celebration and it follows the Coptic Calendar (Which is in a way the extension of the Ancient Egyptian Calendar).

Sham El Neseem accordingly is not a fixed date on the Gregoian calendar (or solar calendar we use today), (Something like the differences between Hijri and Gregorian), It coincides with the first Monday after the Coptic Easter (For this year on 27/3/2008).

So for the year 2008 Sham El neseem will be on Monday 28th of April, as Kalooka said.

For a historical background about Sham El Neseem, read on:

Sham El Neseem could have been celebrated in Ancient Egypt as early as 4500 years ago. It was then related to agriculture and fertility religious rites. The name is derived from the Ancient Egyptian name for the harvest season "Shamo" meaning the "renewal of life", during which Egyptians presented offrands of salted fish, onions and lettuce to their deities. Colored Eggs, a symbol of rebirth, were also hung in temples.

Later on that festival was associated with Christianity and the Coptic faith and related to the Coptic Easter as explained above, the name was corrupted from "Shamo" to "Shom" (coptic) or "Shamm" (Arabic) which of course means smelling and "El neseem", meaning "breeze" was added at an even later date. So the full name became "Sham El Neseem" or "Smelling the Breeze"

Today the celebration of "Sham El Neseem" is a typical all Egyptians (Moslems and Copts) feast demonstrating our multiple cultural layers and the continued influences we have maintained over the years. It also demonstrates the religious tolerance which allowed religious symbols and occasions to move freely accross religious boundaries thus further enhancing the fabric of the Egyptian Society.

Sham El Neseem as celebrated today is a homage to spring, the season where life is renewed. Egyptians on that day go out on picnics where traditional foods inherited from the ancient ages are consumed (Feseekh which is a putrified salted fish, green onions, scallions, lettuce and luppini Beans (tirmis)).

Source:

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/shamelnaseen.htm

Additional note - our driver to the post office warned us we would probably be filled with salted fish, with a disturbed look on his face. I like the salted fish good enough, and it is usually inexpensive, so for our hosts to serve lamb probably meant they were going out of their way for us even more and was not lost on me.

Luxor Taxicab Drivers (Part 2)

2010-04-06T22:00:00.001+02:00

I had forgotten about our previous experience riding with a cab driver here named Michael, until we ran into him again earlier today. He really deserves a blog entry all to himself, so it was good to see him again. Michael is pretty cool, he is Christian and he speaks a decent amount of English and went on to tell us about his experience attending school and later on being an X-Ray technician. He still is an X-Ray tech and he also drives a cab. So we were driving along and he had asked me to take his number for use if we need him to drive in the future. I figured it was a reasonable request, so I went ahead and put his number in my phone.

When I was done, I figured it would be a good idea to take a picture of him driving, so I could remember and place a face with the name. As I took the picture, Michael looked back and assured me that the picture wasn't going to be good, so he asked me to hand him my phone. I handed him the phone and he proceeded as he was driving to try and figure out how to take the picture on the iphone. He took the picture, looked at it and said, no, the image must be perfect. So in X-Ray tech mode, he pulls to the median, not the side of the road and retakes the picture. "We must take a perfect image." In semi broken English, correlating the picture to an X-Ray, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, I decided to laugh and enjoy the ride.

We make it home and then on the way out of the driveway as he is backing away a small child is playing right behind the cab, where he can't see. Candice looks and sees the child and between me and her yelling and the child completely oblivious and the driver backing out, we all three nearly had heart attacks.

So when I hop in the cab today, the driver smiles and says, hello, Orlando. I look, and I recognize him as Candice says, hello Michael. He looks serious and remembers our last meeting, stating, the baby I almost had a heart attack, "I didn't see. If you hadn't seen him, it bothered me all day, I was so scared." We agreed and rode with him. Later, as we were headed back to town, a policeman is in front of us. He is blocking the way on a motorcycle, deliberately slowing traffic. For the record, the officer did start it.

However, Michael decides to play chicken with the policeman. Later as we hit Nile Corniche, Michael is more sure of himself and decides to really play chicken with the police officer. He cuts him off hard and leaves him in the dust. We all laugh as I wonder not if, but when, he is going to get pulled over. Michael interrupts my thoughts as we pass the light, moving past the temple saying, "he knows I can handle my cab, so he is okay with me." No sooner than he says this he bumps the curb. I hold my laugh and horror way down, deep down and just decide to enjoy the rest of the ride. He is a good driver, but funny things always seem to happen when he is driving.

Tel el Armana

2010-03-22T19:10:00.001+02:00

This trip started out a bit delayed because I didn't realize how far away Tel el Armana was from Luxor. This is probably the site closest to Cairo, but still a nice distance from there as well. When Akhenaton, known as the heretic Pharaoh fully came into power he decided that he wanted to enact a few changes. One of the changes that was somewhat major was changing from the worship of the gods and the pantheon at Karnak (Thebes) and instead worshiped the god Atun. Atun is cited often as a refination of the god Amen-Ra, or the leading up god to, interim, leading to the god worshiped today as the one God, Jehovah or Yahweh. Whatever may be, it was a singular god concept and it predated the later adapted Hebrew mythology.

Another change instituted by Akhenaton was the complete transport of the capital city from Thebes to a new city, created from nothing, hundreds of miles away in a remote location, now known as Tel el Armana. Later, after the priesthood at Thebes had the opportunity to regain their positions of authority, they returned the favor by having Akhenaton and his city removed from the face of the planet, for all practical purposes. However, the remains stand and tell the story of Akhenaton and Nefertiti. This is relevant because much is made of his legacy and the fact that he is said to be the father of Tutankhamen (Tutankhaten) who much is made of due to the discovery of his mummy and all.

So, we, mainly I, decided it might be worth a trip, at least to breath in the air and get a feel for the atmosphere of the place. I had the feeling that it might be the stuff that dreams are made of. So we woke up at six in the morning and headed out of town with our driver, Hussain Obama. Hussain, if you have been following, is the driver who took us to Aswan, after I slammed his son's hand in the car door. He is the driver who invited us to dinner and proposed making me a financing partner in his tour operating business, while I tried to explain that I could help him, yes, but finance him, no.

So, I ran price comparisons, asked a few drivers about the cost and distance and they all agreed it was very far and would be expensive. The trip was probably worth it. I paid 1000 Egyptian which is about 180 USD. I suspect I could have gotten a slightly better deal, but I wanted to also go to the monastery Deir el Muharraq as well, this being where Jesus is purported to have spent six months after the issues he had with Herod, or more to the point Herod had with him being a possible son of God, redeemer of Israel, etcetera, etcetera. So Hussain agreed to add that trip in, and plus, since we were traveling as seven, having him drive was the best option. If it was just me and the missus, I would have dealt with the train and such, but with kids, that is a whole 'nuther story.

So we hop in the car with this huge bag of fruit, that no one really wants to eat except me and the kids here and there. I think everyone was afraid of having to go on the road. Me, I figured fruit would be a better slow release than water, but I didn't relay that to them. So needless to say, we didn't get water until much later and they were mad. However, by eating mad fruit, I was quite hydrated and didn't get thirsty or have to use it but twice on the journey. However, the bathrooms, the bathrooms. There aren't many on the road, especially suitable for women and children and the stops we did make encouraged me to wait for better options that never came.

So anyway, we drove on for close to three hours, encouraged to be British once again. We still got police escort after police escort. Each state provided a new escort through their municipality although I didn't feel particularly threatened. In fact, the further in country we got the more friendly smiles and waves we got, although mostly from the kids. Adults were friendly and a few waved but most were more curious, I think it is safe to say we were a bit off the beaten path. I must say a few of the cities, Asyut and Sohag seemed quite nice, perhaps worth spending some time, assuming the bathroom issue was dealt with by upfront research. However, the closer to Minya you get the more wound up into the history of modern Egypt you get, this is the center of the uprisings from the nineties, and the police presence probably speaks best about this.

We drove and drove and finally got to the area across the nile from Tel el Armana at about twelve or one. We had to wait for the ferry which transported the van and that took about fifteen minutes. We arrived at the complex and purchased tickets, you should have exact change, and entered. A policeman and a state sanctioned guide with keys accompanied us. They were both pretty cool, but both interested in rushing us along as well. They knew of our plans to make it to the monastery, and we did just make it before dusk. So this might be a trip to plan for a whole day.

The site itself is massive and stretches for miles. The temple proper is said to have been enormous at the time of its creation. The remains still tell a remarkable story and are accessible, however only with coaxing. They are fenced. The tombs are accessible for the most part as well and they stretch for miles, some in really remote locations. There is a north and a south range. I viewed a few in the North area, and declined viewing those in the south for two reasons. First, I am not into viewing tombs as I view that as a desecration and second, all the items from the tomb are usually in a museum. Finally, the trek, with the kids might have proved a bit too much. Going to the tombs we visited was more than enough, I wanted to get a certain understanding, and I asked the spirits of those who were once interned for their blessing and understanding.

I much preferred the temple and palace sites, and would have liked more time to sit and contemplate. I spent some time wondering what life would have been like, and the enormous task Akhenaton and the people of the time faced. Moving a capital is simply unimaginable, when you consider the scope. Could you imagine moving Washington DC to Kansas or Central Illinois? Keep in mind this was both a political and religious capital. I imagine the resulting work was much like the atmosphere I experienced at Deir El Muharraq later on, tranquil, peaceful and serene. However, most of that has been erased by the returning priesthood who were returning the favor of Akhenaton after his death.

After imaging life at the court, viewing the remains of the courtyard and garden, we moved on to the temple and walked about and spent some time talking to the officer accompanying us. The drive between sites was about ten to fifteen minutes each time we wanted to see another area. The city must have been something in its prime. All left now is dust and a few remaining rises from the desert sand. Much of the best has been shipped worldwide to museums and private collections.

Following this trip we left back via the ferry to head on to the Deir el Muharraq, which was about an hour or so drive away. Our driver had to ask for directions a couple times there and back as well, since this is a bit off the beaten path.

This was a very interesting location since it has the history attached to the baby Jesus story. So as we arrived we found a gated monastery complex which was quite impressive. Actually the monastery is gated twice, the first entrance is into a general courtyard which had restaurants and restrooms. The restrooms were deplorable, I figured monks might tend to take better care of them, but apparently not. I do believe they had just had a festival and were unwinding, so perhaps that was the cause.

Anyway, we headed in to the second courtyard and it was very beautiful. Inside were two ancient churches, and we waited for a guide, a monk who asked if I was Christian and what I wanted to see and more, why. I explained and he smiled and was very happy. He showed me into a church building way into the back and explained the history of the church and the site. My time was very limited, but I did manage to speak with him for a minute and visit the church on the site and offer prayers and thanks.

Our drivers left us for a minute, but when we returned, they were already back in the courtyard waiting. The monastery was very interesting and deserved more time, but night was coming on fast. We watch the sun go down within an hour. The police escort left us, but at each checkpoint we were expected and sent expeditiously on. We passed through the same towns at night and they took on a whole new perspective. I think most Egyptians prefer the night. I guess with the weather being so hot in the summer, you can surely understand.

We made it back home probably at near midnight. Everyone was tired. Halfway though the trip back I realized the driver was smoking instead of chatting incessantly, so I asked nicely if he could stop. He obliged. I could tell from Candice reaction, he had been smoking for a bit longer than I realized, I was listening to music, drifting off. So besides a bit of smoking and dirty bathrooms, I would say it was a worthwhile journey. If I ever made this trip again I would probably do it from Cairo, pack lunch and drinks more wisely and definitely discuss restroom options early in the planning. In addition, it might even be wise to book a local room, however that might present a whole new set of problems.

I will upload additional photos as time permits.

Vibing

2010-03-03T18:37:00.001+02:00

The last few days we have been home, working on schoolwork, working with the kids and their schoolwork and trying to get back into the raw food thing. Actually we have been into the raw food thing for a few days now. The next trip we are planning is to see the area where Akhenaton (Amenhotep IV) built his romanticized city of old Armarna, or Tell al-Armana, which is said to be (from my understanding) the place where he moved the capital from Thebes (modern day Luxor) after he developed the first system of monotheism on record worldwide, to worship the one God in the form or Atun.

Now, personally, I think the ancient Egyptians had an understanding of God we can’t fathom now, and early on they understood that their was only one God and the various gods we see throughout Egypt are aspects of that unity and the pantheons symbolize far more than this. But that is besides the point, I am just writing about what is said historically concerning Akhenaton. Of course Akhenaton was married to Nefertiti, and had his stuff together for a minute, until he was removed abruptly from office and later labeled as a heretic. Those priests of the day were apparently a powerful lot.

Akhenaton is also often attributed with being the originator of the psalms now given to David. This also reminds me of the verse attributed to David concerning the ants. Akhenaton appeals to my vegetarian side, because he was said to be such a peaceful brother. He was said to have took things to the level of not even harming an insect. Being a pharaoh, I imagine that might prove hard. Whatever the case any look at the artwork from the period leaves no doubt that these were black folks, at least Akhenaton. My man has some huge lips, but once again, that is besides the point. He was one of the pharaohs that initially sparked my interest in visiting. So we are planning a trek up there, to where his capital was in its heyday, which will be about a two hour drive from Luxor, from what I heard. It should cost around 200LE I am estimating, but I will get back with exact numbers after I arrange transit. Only thing, I have heard there isn’t much left there and it is a sprawling site. On top of that, mainly, there are the tombs, which is a whole other story, for another time.

As an add on visit, I am going to stop at an ancient city said to be the site of where Jesus and the holy family stayed for a time when they fled from Herod into Egypt, Dier Al-Muharraq. There is a monastery near a mountain, the first Christian church is said to be there, consecrated 60AD, and nearby a cave where they are said to have lived for six months, fulfilling the prophecy found in Isaiah 19, 19-21. I will provide more details when I return.

Other info:

Breakdown of the name Akhenaton via the web:
Ya-Khu-n-Yat-Un meaning "(Ya) Oh (Khu) glorified/splendour (n) of the (Yat) Divine/Holy (Un) Spirit Light/Lord
Thebes, the ancient city is pronounced as tibbs, as in they call me Mr. Tibbs.
Another quote: The butcher relenteth not at the bleating of the lamb; neither is the heart of the cruel moved with distress. But the tears of the compassionate are sweeter than dew-drops, falling from roses on the bosom of spring.
--Akhenaton? (c.BC 1375)

Hold on now!

2010-03-03T18:11:00.001+02:00

How come I just came from a trip out shopping. I had to pay my phone bill, so I took a cab to downtown Luxor, which is a small city, about the size of maybe Hammond. So afterwards, we are walking from the cell phone company to the fruit guy, about a mile away to buy some fruit and we see this dread-locked Egyptian at this art gallery on the block. One of my friends had told me about him, previously, saying he was cool and all. So he beckons us to come in his gallery.

I agree, even though everyone asks us to stop for tea and coffee because that is the way here, and we have learned to say no, politely. Since this was a dread and my friend had vouched for him previously, we went in and had coffee. Turn out dude all into astrology and is even a tea leaf, and coffee cup reader. I am like, whoah, he getting kinda out there, but I am still interested. Then he has a picture up on the wall of his baby, he says "this one (picture) ain't for sell." He tells us its his baby. She is in Germany. We like cool, "you gonna visit her soon?" He like, "naw, her mom wanted a baby and that was that." He had a funny nonchalant look on his face. We like WTF, but he a hippie, even if this is MUSLIM Egypt. Egypt is a very conservative country, but some people aren't. Apparently he had gotten with a German national, etcetera, etcetera.

Part of me is like, that is cool, as he is talking about free love or whatever. The other part of me is like this cat is crazy, and the only non family oriented person I have met in my whole time here. Everyone has huge families here, at least four or five kids, and they are proud of it. When people find out I am American and have five kids, I get a gleam of respect, not to mention pretty much instant love. Egyptians are pretty much cool as shit minus the whole tourist thing anyway.

The coffee come. We had both asked for no sugar, me and my wife, C. When I tasted mine it had sugar, so I switch with dude, since he hadn't started his. I sip a bit from my C's cup. He says looking at me, "you going to let me read your cup?" I am like, cool. Before he looks at my cup he starts telling me how much I like to give advice, and how much I know, not how much I think I know. I guess he thinks this is my nature, which it might be. Later he confirms that he thinks this is my nature. I think he is trying to appeal to my wife, as in, this guys thinks he knows it all, don't he?

I am like, despite all that, even if it is in my nature to want to give a lot of advice and even if I know a few things, it don't mean I know everything. On top of that, I wouldn't perpetrate knowing more than anyone else, unless they asked for advice. Also, whatever our nature is, part of the trip on this particular plane, is trying to transcend our nature. Then to top it all off, he says that I am friendly, but not trusting. I don't trust anyone, but like everyone early on. I am thinking to myself, 'you are teaching me to change this right now.'

So we sitting there talking and something tell me its time to go. More than one thing actually, my bat senses are tingling... So we say goodbye and head on down the block, to the fruit man. Two minutes later, C is like she floating like she just had an epidural or something.

A few minutes later, I am feeling it a bit, but I can see not nearly as much as her. Dude then put some stuff in our coffee! We go to a little cafe we go to from time to time just to sit down and cool out. Especially C, who had got the brunt of it, remember, I switched out cups. We are both like, wow. What did dude think? Meanwhile all the colors are starting to look really interesting. Noticing things I never noticed in the cafe before, etcetera, etcetera.

Anyway, on our way back home, I run into my friend, and ask him about this guy and all. He is laughing, calms down - he like yeah, they be putting stuff in the coffee sometimes, first time for free, because they think you going to like it, next time a cup cost $100 dollars. I am like he don't know me real well, he ain't going to see me again. My money is my money, my wife is my wife. People crazy all over the world! Talk about a crazy day. But still you got to love it.

Temple of Philae

2010-02-22T19:06:00.001+02:00

After the success with our trip to Abu Simbel we decided to roll with Akmed on the trip out to Philae as well. We also went to the site of the unfinished obelisk but really, I think that is one that most people could do without. Plenty of walking and breathtaking views, but I would have rather spent more time in Philae not to mention visiting some other sites.

Philae is located on an island on the Nile, it sits on a site other than its original, which was pointed out by our felucca captain, as well as numerous other sources. The original site is just about flooded thanks to the UNESCO project which also brought the Aswan dam. The temple complex was moved stone by stone to the new site. It is a wonderful site.

One thing that struck me about all the sites in this area, especially Philae was that even though it is dedicated to Isis, Horus plays heavily in the design and reliefs as well. Horus is seen both as the suckled child and the adult who has been transformed.

At Philae in the back, in a poorly lit room, I encountered a British tour group where the guide was explaining how the ‘Black’ mother and child, Isis and Horus, were the basis for the later Christian faith. The relief really does say it all, although I prefer the image present at Dendera.

The temple complex is massive, stretching not as much as Karnak, but much larger than Luxor. The felucca ride was a thrill, visiting the island. The Nile water and the scenery are awe inspiring. This is another must see temple site. It can’t be stressed enough how much the southern sites deserve as much attention as the pyramids.

Abu Simbel

2010-02-22T15:17:00.001+02:00

So our new friend Akmed, who we met in Aswan was primarily a tour consolidator. He owned a tour bus, or a share in the tour bus, a nice well maintained Toyota, and he offered to arrange a tour for us to Abu Simbel and another trip to Dendera and so on. I was very skeptical since I read from the tour books, the Lonely Planet being my favorite, that it was better to deal with places like Thomas Cook and the more established agencies. In addition, most people will warn you against tour touts and such, plus the questionable nature and sales tactics of bigger Egyptian cities insofar as touts in general.

The problem is that Akmed came in with really great prices for every single tour and he kind of reminded me of a younger version of my uncle Jerry, for better and worse. Next time in Aswan I will get a photo of him. Anyway, he starts off with the price on a cruise ship which is very reasonable per night, counting food and everything, but I am not a big fan of cruise boats and besides, there are seven of us. A reasonable price for two or three is easily unreasonable when you multiply that price by seven. However, given the good prices he gathered for the hotel, and the reasonable prices offered on the packages, I decided to give him a go for the tours. I insisted that I would pay for each at the end of the day for each particular tour. He agreed, although with a deposit of about 15%.

So with that stated, he informed me that it would be necessary to wake up very early to make it to Abu Simbel. 3AM. I agreed quickly, remembering how hot it can be in Abu Simbel. It is really that hot. You are pretty much on the border with Sudan when you travel that far south in Egypt. Plus the trip is in conjunction with a police convoy that carries everyone down to Abu Simbel, so there wasn’t much leeway with the time.

So Akmed arranged a wake up call and breakfast for us, all included. The ticket prices for the actual temple were not included. This is typically the case when you are not dealing with Thomas Cook or more established tour companies. Still the price we got was in my opinion, reasonable. We paid 450 LE, which is about 82 USD for seven passengers, or roughly 12 dollars each for a 280 Km or 174 miles trip each way, 388 miles total. We could have economized and taken the bus for 21LE each, or about 25 USD total for all, but when I looked over at the kids I figured it might be worth the extra expense. The breakfast was so so, but I wasn’t hungry anyway, it was packaged in pretty little boxes with string. It consisted of a boiled egg, cheese, pita bread, and jam. Not much, but at 3AM I was more interested in sleeping than eating.

The trip was comfortable, I actually slept most of the way, we had the 14 seat minibus to ourselves. The driver controlled the air, but was just liberal enough with the controls to avoid me complaining. I think it took about three hours or so to get down to the temple. There isn’t much around for what I could see. The site itself is magnificent and actually hosts two separate temples. It is surrounded by a near park space and majestically overlooks the Nile.

The entrance in to the temple sites was hefty at 90 LE each, or 16 dollars. No student discounts, although children under twelve pay half. Well, sometimes you have to pay to really see things you really really want to see. So we paid, altogether 405 LE or 73 USD and went in. I was still thinking about how I was getting it stuck to me and why this site, the most southern cost so much when I looked up and saw the magnificent statues above the entrance. In addition, this is the only site I have been to with actual artifacts in the temple area. So maybe it was worth it. Of course it was.

Ramses II is seen throughout, but the temple is dedicated to Horus, Amen and Ptah. The second temple is said to be dedicated to Hathor in the form of Nefertari, Ramses II wife. I couldn’t recommend the temple enough, especially since photography isn’t allowed inside. Next time I visit I plan on bringing a spy cam however… Anyways as we made our way from temple to temple and around the grounds I couldn’t help but think that despite the hassles of arriving, it really was worth every cent, waking early and having to wait a few minutes in the baking sun for the van to return. Of course, like most other sites there are touts and sales pitches as you leave the site, some worse than others. However, after you have seen Abu Simbel, you probably have seen one of the best preserved temples in Egypt.

For more pictures of the trip please visit the photo album on flickr.

Aswan

2010-02-21T00:06:00.003+02:00

I was kind of in a hurry to head out and actually see Aswan because I had put it off due to the weather and trying to get school work done and then flooding related to the weather in the region. However, I've wanted to go to what I will call Nubia proper for almost as long I wanted to go to Egypt period. Why Nubia? Because that is where the Nubians are! Who are the Nubians? The Nubians are the very colorful brothers and sisters who have created all these temples and stuff in Southern Egypt, the place where civilization began!

So, we head off at about seven o'clock in the AM, which meant we had to wake up at about six o'clock. Normally we go to sleep at about two in the morning, it is normal here. No matter how hard you try and fight it, this is a night time locale. So I am up packing to at least midnight, probably closer to two, but I don’t remember. So we wake up at six, and I have booked a ride with this brother named Husain Obama (No that was really his name), Abdul for short.

We met Husain on the way back from one of the local markets, after shopping for groceries. He was with his son and very happy to see us and offered us a ride which we gladly accepted. As we were getting in the car his son, who he said everyone called Obama, because he looked like him (he had his ears) was so happy as well. We get in the car and his son is standing by my door as I close it. We are waiting for him to get in, he says nothing. We are all like what? We look around at the door and his fingers are inside the door jam. I had closed them in. He didn’t cry at all, Egyptians don’t typically like to cry or see tears, at least men. So I open the door and he is whimpering. Talk about feeling bad. He is cool though, and so is his father.

Come to find out, they are both Nubian descendants and he is wanting to go back home anyway, So I call him the night before we travel and he is cool, ready to go in the AM. Only problem, he pulls up in a smaller car, not a wagon, because he thought only I was going. So we pile in and we head on the four hour trip south.

On the way, we stopped in Kom Ombo to pick up water and in between touts of future business dealings, Husain encourages us to try some fresh sugar cane juice. The area has a huge sugar cane factory and as a result also probably has some of the best sugar cane juice imaginable. However, I decline and instead opt to buy some bananas, strawberries and water at the local market area. Maybe 1USD for all the strawberries we (seven) could eat for a day, ditto for bananas.

About an hour or so later we arrived in Aswan. The ride from Luxor cost 250LE, it should range from about 200-250LE which is about 40-45 USD. However, I liked Hussain, so I tipped him very well and headed on to my hotel. My hotel of choice, the Kelany was full. On close inspection, it looked like a fair choice, but unknown to me, it was a feast going on so there were plenty of Egyptians in town. So, I decided to walk the Nile and see what I could find in my budget range, which was about $50 US per room. Apparently this was a big feast because everything in town was booked. After wandering for a minute we met a Nubian shop keeper who wanted to be helpful, and suggested calling his cousin who could help us, he was an agent, etcetera, etcetera. Candice is looking at me like, are you really considering this? I am like, well, what do we have to lose?

So we meet Akmed, who reminded me of a younger version of my Uncle Jerry. Real laid back, but since he was Muslim, no drink. Anyway, Akmed, goes into this hotel we had went in ten minutes ago that was booked and gets us rooms. Normally, this would have made me angry to no ends, but when in Rome, or in this case Egypt. The clerk explains that Akmed is a friend and so he has to oblige. I am at the point of not caring, only waiting to hear the price, see the padding...

So I am waiting for the price. If the price is too expensive, I had made contingency plans, I could rent the first flat of a house from this guy who was vacationing in the Hague with his wife, but I had declined the three rooms, his entire first floor, for 100 USD, as being expensive. As I am contemplating Akmed tells me the rooms are going to be 40 USD each for two. I start walking. Magically the rooms drop within seconds to 40 USD for two triples. The hotel is mediocre at best, but it is a place to sleep for the night. Would I recommend it, no. But the next night we moved to the Nubinile, near the train station for just a bit more for two triples, and that I would recommend. Nubians on staff, very clean, friendly and helpful and loving our family.

One of the reasons I love Egypt is because it is a very family oriented culture. Egyptians love children. When people see me and my big family coming, first question – is this your family. Me, yeah. Oh, you are a lucky man! Handshake, and how many kids they have. Usually about the same give or take one. Not only do Egyptians like children and families, but they tend to look out for family budgets as well. That being said it is a tourist destination, but still, on average compare that to the US where the story would be just booking the rooms without getting funny or sideways looks.

Instead of sideway looks I got looks of adoration everywhere. I mean, I have been places where people looked at me with disgust for the simple color of my skin. Here, everyone's skin was my tone or darker, and they were loving it, and me! This was not just because I had some money in my pocket – it was because both, I had money in my pocket and I had beautiful skin. That I could deal with! Proof was, even after I explained I was living in Luxor and wasn’t buying souvenirs or whatever, still, everyone had smiles on their faces loving seeing me, and happy to see me in town.

Another really funny thing is that in Luxor everyone calls me brother. Or me and Candice are the brother and sister that live down in Karnak. Other so called black folks are known as brothers and sisters too. In Aswan, brothers and sisters are known as cousin. Every time someone speaks to you and finds you are from America they are like, you are my cousin, and it is heartfelt. I had a few people really trying to figure out our situation in America, which made me think on it even more. What a strange and unique situation we as so called Afrikans in America find ourselves in, during these days and times. We are surely fortunate, but at what cost?

So our first day in Aswan, after the trip in from Luxor, we took it easy walked down the Nile and the kids and Candice indulged me as I purchased a netbook and a new camera. I gave Corey the other which I still kind of want back for her birthday and Christmas/Kwanzaa/end of year gift. I needed a replacement, how can you go to places less than 5% of our people will ever see and not take pictures? Of course I needed a camera, still, I felt like it was a waste of valuable time. However, once you give a gift you shouldn’t begrudge it…

One point of warning, Egypt is not the place to buy electronics. I knew that up front, but when you need things you need them. This is the place to pick up clothes, shoes, pharaonic gifts, all types of other things, but not electronics. The electronics will cost 30% more and be older models than available stateside. Still, after comparison shopping I found a few deals and after walking forever, we found a netbook, a camera, a place to eat mediocre western food and rested for our 3AM trip to Abu Simbel the following day. The next day we got better food, better hotel and we started venturing out. So, tomorrow I will write about our adventures with Akmed, Abu Simbel and a bit of commentary about guide books. Peace. Salaam. Hotep.

On A Felucca Waiting to Sail

2010-02-19T12:07:00.002+02:00

I am waiting in a small sailboat known as a felucca locally, waiting to sail down the Nile. We have been in Aswan for three days. We went to Abu Simbel which is right at the border of Egypt and Sudan. That was a long morning drive. From there we came back tired and decided to relax so we went to the Shisha bar and had tea and shisha. Today, we went to Phillae, which is the temple of Isis. I have plenty of photos from this trip, that I will share. I will also update more information on the trip when I have more time at home.

We are sailing the night on the felucca, and in the morning we are supposed to stop at the temple of Kom ombo, and then on to the temple of Edfu which is dedicated to the god Horus, actually both temples are. From Edfu we are headed back to Luxor. We have seen some of the best temples in the last few days. Abu Simbel is astounding. So was Phillae. I think these temples should be top priorities to anyone trying to visit Egypt. Be warned of the heat though and try to arrange a trip in the winter and even then visit early morning. I will detail more of each trip in a seperate entry with photos as time permits.

Hawara and the Labyrinth of Egypt

2010-01-28T19:08:00.001+02:00

The first time I heard of the Labyrinth was from a friend who lives in Los Angeles who had seen a presentation by Patrick Geryl on the subject. He asked me about the Labyrinth, which after a bit of quick internet research, I found to be often known as Herodotus Labyrinth. The reason being that Herodotus was a historian at about the time of 500BC who had wrote extensively about the world of ancient times. Geryl's interest in the site is to substantiate claims that the site is in agreement with prophecies concerning the year 2012, as is much the talk in popular culture and the media today. Geryl contends that the site has reliefs detailing the destruction to ensue during the 2012 shift which I mentioned earlier.

Herodotus wrote that the labyrinth was expansive and rivaled the Great Pyramids in terms of spectacle. That in itself is a bold statement. However, I also read that in modern times the Labyrinth was inaccessible and only now being excavated due to flooding and bureaucracy. My friend was still interested, however, and if nothing else was interested in perhaps seeing the great pyramids.

So my friend planned a trip, in conjunction with a trip to Dubai and when he arrived I picked him up at the airport and a few days latter were off to see the Labyrinth, or what we could see of the Labyrinth site. While skeptical of what we would find, I figured it would prove interesting, since the area sits near Fayoum oasis and there is the pyramid of Amenemhet III at the site as well. Amenemhet ruled from between roughly 1860 BC to 1814 BC. During this time he initially constructed a pyramid at Dashur, but later decided to create the pyramid present at the site we visited.

So we headed out first thing in the morning on the day my friend was due to leave heading back to the states. His flight was an evening flight but we were still worried about transit times to a site outside the city. The whole trip to Hawara took about a couple hours at the most, but we were still paranoid so we left out at about seven in the morning. The funny thing about the trip was that we had gotten into negotiations about what the trip should cost to rent a mini-van. I figured we should be able to get there and back for about 400 LE. The driver from the previous night, who was driving an old Peugeot station wagon told us he would do it for 750 LE or 800 LE, I forget which now, but I quickly changed the subject. He brought it up again, and I asked him if he could get a mini-van. He said that he could, but I had my doubts, because another driver had said the same but ended up just not showing up when he couldn't. Ironically we saw him as we were negotiating with this guy, driving by.

So I let it be. But the guy got mad at me and made friends with my friend, promising a good rate. I told my friend to forget it, because I knew that I could book a mini-van through my hotel. My friend became our drivers best friend, because he was willing to pay the driver at will, whatever he asked, meanwhile I became the devil, because I knew what he was supposed to charge. I was very comfortable knowing and making sure he knew I know.

When I got back, the guy at the desk promised that he could do it for 150 LE, more on that in part two. So we went to Hawara in a beautiful mini-van, pretty much brand new. The manager at the hotel warned me, as I had been warned before, that we might be escorted by police. He advised that we be British for the voyage, to avoid an escort. In addition, police usually wont object to backsheesh, in this case 40 LE would probably be good.

So we hit the road and it is very very foggy. We can hardly see the road. Then we hit the desert. We are driving for a little over an hour. When we get near the area of Fayoum, there is a police checkpoint. We sit waiting for about 20 minutes. I remember backsheesh is welcome. We wait about 10 more minutes and a truck with about ten soldiers pull up in front of us. My friend asks if this is for us. We debate the humor and the implications of a police/military escort. Of course they have weapons and such but we wonder about the necessity. Still, we all joked about how special we must really be.

Soon we head back out and reach Hawara about fifty minutes later. Fayoum itself is a wonderful area. It is very green. I would recommend a visit to the area as it does have plenty of attractions and is a nice getaway from Cairo. Not to far, fresh air, friendly people.

When we arrive, we purchase relatively inexpensive tickets, I think about 30 LE each with discount and some change for backsheesh for site staff who really do a great job. We met the government representative for the site who did show us around, and answer questions, although he refused pictures with us. He did answer all our questions, although I felt I was missing something.

He took us through the site, we saw the area which had been built over by the Ptolemies as a cemetery, then we saw the pyramid, which was indeed impressive, we entered about fifteen feet and were stopped by water. The area is still indeed flooded, which is a shame because otherwise it would be very navigable. However, since we could go no further, we scrapped some of the salt from the top of the pyramid, although what I am going to do with this salt, built up due to the water, is undetermined. We headed back out and looked at the other areas of the site.

We also saw the area above the Labyrinth and the other areas pending excavation. The area is being excavated currently by a Polish team who were not on site this particular day. There is much left to see at the site, but I think it will require the area being fully drained of water. In addition, the area was very foggy. While draining the labyrinth is something the government has indicated interest in doing, I think this will take some time yet, or maybe it might be better to revisit in another season. In addition, before typical visitors are allowed entry they will have to complete excavation of the area. Maybe if I make friends with some special people they will make an exception, we shall see.

Whatever the case, our escort remained with us the whole time on site. In addition, we had a very friendly soldier accompany us, who laughed and joked around with the boys. We were not allowed free reign to much at the site however. Altogether I was pleased with our first visit, but I think it will be worth another visit maybe towards the end of summer or early fall.

Video of the expedition to the site to map geographical features:

http://www.labyrinthofegypt.com/video/

This is a very nice booklet composed by the Mataha Expedition of 2008, with detailed information.

http://www.labyrinthofegypt.com/downloads/labyrinthofegypt_com__printversion.pdf

Additional links with historical information about the labyrinth. Please note I am still working on this information and I will update this story as I can.

http://www.world-mysteries.com/gw_pgeryl2.htm

Nighttime at the Great Pyramids

2010-01-28T12:45:00.001+02:00

Normally, I would have considered the night show at the Great Pyramids of Giza not worthy of much time or consideration, however, since one of my friends was coming in from out of town for just two days, I wanted to cram his time full, counting the night of his arrival. My biggest obstacle was that the flight arrived at 6ish and the English show began that night at 7:30.

I had heard it was an extravaganza of actors and lights and music, but was a bit overdone. In addition, it could get crowded at times. So with some doubt, I decided we would go for it, especially after asking my cab driver on the way to the airport if the trip was possible and receiving his assurances.

So we negotiated passage from the airport to the light show and then back to the hotel we were staying at, which was in Garden city and which I will describe at another time. This was the day of Coptic Christmas as well, which was why the driver said traffic wouldn’t be that bad.

After we all got in the minivan, the driver asked why we were going to Giza at night, assuring us there was no show. I assured him there was a show, since I had checked the sound and light show website the night before and asked him to drive on. He seemed unsure of his driving and we were delayed, as an understatement. It seemed as if he were trying to delay us for a purpose, at least that was where my mind was going. Then all of a sudden he blurts out, “my friend has a roof, near the pyramids, I can take you there.”

Now, I am sometimes interested in playing along with such schemes and wily trickery, because I am a pretty mellow guy and sometimes, you could come out ahead, at the very least you will have a story to tell. However, this time, I decided against it, since I was hosting my friend, and this guy was just a pain. So I told him no, and told him to take me to Giza. GIZA GIZA GIZA. I think my friend thought I had changed, but sometimes you have to be firm, like when dealing with shade tree cab drivers.

So we get to the show late, and he is happy. He drives about a block away, where he has a homey and tells us that he can’t pull in parking at the pyramids. No big deal, I tell my friend to grab his cash and any valuables from his bags and to come on. Of course we missed the English show, but I knew the French show followed, and figured it might be interested en Francais, no?

We arrived just before the French show started. I paid, there are no discounts, but they do accept credit cards. I would still recommend cash though. The admission is 60 LE or 10.50ish, which was $68.79 US for my gang of seven, six of whom had to pay. Of course that probably counted a little foreign currency conversion fee or two and a horrible exchange rate. But I was in a hurry.

http://www.soundandlight.com.eg

So when we entered the actual site, the first thing we noticed was the little bar area, which sits on a balcony. I would recommend you sit there, especially if it is empty. However, you will have to order coffee or tea. That said, a single order will probably do, because the waiters have to travel to reach you. I ordered a cappuccino which was done remarkably well. My friend went to work right away taking photos. We joked about him being an Asian tourist, he didn’t see our humor. I still think he looked funny, with his huge Canon S10, but he shared some of his pictures so I guess I shouldn’t complain.

The ticket agent informed me that they do sell English headsets for those in our predicament, I think they are 10 or 20 LE, I forgot how much though, and we didn’t want them. We watched as we sat alone in the balcony area, the lights and the pyramid, and the sphinx, they came to life. The show, in my opinion, despite being called dated, is well done, and allows for more introspection than a daytime visit, full of hustle, bustle and camel right taunts.

We watched while the commentator explained a bit of the history of the pyramids and Egypt in the distance while each area was lit and illuminated in color. My favorite was when they let up, Red, Gold and Green. I took pictures with Corey’s camera, my old trusty Canon. Everyone of my group was impressed with the show, the colors reflecting off the pyramids and their majesty, I am not sure how my friend felt after the show, but he took a gang of photos, of which I managed to get one, pictured above. I later found out, only minutes ago, Corey magically misplaced both the pictures I took and those she took (I have to pick up a new camera soon). When we got back to the car, I had to begin negotiations for our trip the following day to head to all the sites. I concluded them rather abruptly when the driver wanted 2-3 times more than what that trip should cost. More to come.

The Ramesseum and the Temple of Seti I

2010-01-26T19:14:00.001+02:00

The last temples we went to, right before we left to Cairo, were the Ramesseum and the temple of Seti I. We went to both temples with a friend in from out of town, who wanted to head to the West Bank. She wanted to know where we thought would be good places to go, since we had been to the Hatshepsut’s temple and to the Medinet Habu, I suggested that we could revisit those, because they were both excellent visits or we could go on to the two temples we had not been to on that side of the Nile.

I warned her that if we were going to go to Hatshepsut’s temple it probably would be a good idea to go at the crack of dawn, because it seems like that would be a wonderful time to catch the temple in all its glory. Plus, when the tourists start pouring in, it can be a bit much.

She decided to go with us to the last two temples on that side, that I am aware of, that we haven’t seen. Sure, there are plenty of tombs on that side that I haven’t seen, but I never have been much interested in viewing tombs. This is just my philosophy, I am not afraid of visiting tombs, and perhaps I will one of these days, but I will not go out of my way to see the work of desecrating some deceased noble’s tomb. Tutankhamen has been pimped worldwide. Still, I guess I would be kind of flattered that thousands of years later, people wanted to come and check me out. But only if they were there to pay me homage, not to check out my gold and stuff. However, if they find some royalty in Europe and have some tombs open, I might change that philosophy, but it seems like the trend is in seeing our ancestors in their deceased state, natives. That should make you wonder something about our value in either state.

Anyway, we headed over this time taking a cab, because I negotiated a decent price for the ride. We had this discussion about whether it was annoying or fun to negotiate prices, with Candice saying annoying, and me fun. It depends on the day. Once you know what something should cost, you can argue on for that last 5LE either which way, but you pretty much have won the battle IMO if you get it within the 5LE, especially with not to much Arabic under your belt.

That being said, we have been working on our Arabic as well and are moving along nicely in speaking. Although reading is a whole different story, since they use a script far different than our letters and it is written right to left. But of course you already knew that.

So I negotiated the killer deal, actually barely feasible, to get us across and we were on our way. We were in a hurry because dinner was supposed to be done by four and it was a little after twelve when we left out. So the cabbie is doing his thing, we drive all the way South in town to get to the bridge, which is a spiritual thing in and of itself. Crossing the rushing waters of the Nile beneath. Give thanks. Crossing, cast away the ‘demons’, they be chilling, waiting, trying to roll.

We make it past and head back North to the area where the temples are. We pass farmland and pastures, right in the middle of this we have a flat. We stop slowly and the driver asks us as best as he can to get out. He apologizes and we start to bet whether he has a spare, because if he does, it isn’t apparent. I bet that he does. Our friend thinks otherwise.

Meanwhile I look around and it is a wasteland around us, farmland, but nothing else. We see a car pass every few minutes, mostly minivans and no cabs. I look at my phone, debating my options, which are limited, but with some hope. Then I look over and see he has undone the spare, underneath the old Peugeot wagon. He apologizes again while changing the spare, and after about ten minutes, we are on our way.

We arrive about ten more minutes at the temple of Seti I. The temple is near Qurna. Seti was a wartime pharaoh as were his sons and during this period in Egyptian history there is said to be war involving Northern incursions from Lybia as well as fighting in the south and Nubia. However, I find it interesting that the Pharaoh himself is named Seti after the god Seth, a southern god, which was latter relegated as an evil force, and some have even argued the source of our Satan.

Whatever the case, it seems that much importance was placed on the unity of the kingdom at this time and despite recent damage from the elements the temple still stands.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortuary_Temple_of_Seti_I

http://egyptopia.com/http://egyptopia.com/The+Temple+of+Seti+I_30_100_26_11872_1281_en.html

The arial photo of the temple is from Wikipedia Commons

The Ramesseum is one of the few temples where I have had a peaceful visit and could really collect my thoughts thus far. The others being Luxor Temple, and Dendera. I almost managed a bit of meditation before some rouge tour guides found me and disturbed my train of thought. I never shoo them away though, especially on the first visit because I feel they might have some insight or show me something I might miss. However, in this case, the rouge wasn’t very helpful, and even after giving him a few pounds and asking to go it on our own, he kept following, following. Candice was ready to curse him out, I think.

So we made it down and around, and I think the Ramesseum actually is split between Seti on one side and Ramses on the other. The Ramesseum was utterly peaceful on this day and probably is early on most days. I don’t think many tour groups make it to either of these sights. Although, this is where the poet Shelly found his inspiration for the poem, Ozymandias, although the statue didn’t fall to pieces, it was broken apart and disseminated to museums and such all over the world.

We managed some pretty good pictures at these temples and I will post the remainder in a few days in a web album for those interested. When available, the link will appear below.

This video is not mine, I stumbled across it and will place a new video, perhaps on another visit to the temple and the west bank. Maybe I will do a three day trip over there and video everything and add a touch of music.

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I’m Back Online

2010-01-26T15:35:00.002+02:00

Well, I haven't been blogging in nearly a month, and for many that would indicate that not much has been going on. In this case, that couldn't be further from the truth. We have been travelling and moved. I moved about three weeks ago, right after I got back from Cairo. Since that time I have been scrambling for web service since it takes a bit of time for the Egyptian phone company to get out and do their thing. Actually, I think it is more or less them and the hook up being the thing. Anyway, I am up and running again now and I will post pictures of my last temple trips locally with pictures as well as info on my trip to Cairo, with a few dos and don'ts for those interested. Finally, while in Cairo, we wandered off the beaten path to an area known as Hawara to see the Labyrinth described by Herodotus. This was an exciting journey and I have pictures and a story to go along with that trip.

My pictures will be limited in size until I get a new camera though, because Corey scored my camera for her end of the year/ Christmas /Kwanzaa gift. This is fine, but I am limited to either iphone pictures, HTC pictures or pictures borrowed from Corey until I can pick up a new camera, which is a funny task locally due to electronics costs being sometimes higher than in the states, we won't even talk about getting a camera shipped, which might be an adventure in and of itself. So the point of this whole piece is to enjoy yourself reading about my last month of fun in Egypt, specifically in Cairo. PEACE!!!

My Encounter with the Devil

2009-12-28T18:24:00.007+02:00

We have met the devil. At least he claims to be. Perhaps I should explain. We were walking home one night at about midnight and came across a gentleman. He had a copper skin tone and black hair. This was as we approached our house, about two blocks away. He asked me where I was from and my name. I told him in a loud boisterous voice, Nigerian. I registered that he believed it, then I told him I was American and my name.

So now I asked him his name. It sounded to me that he said Shei san, which when he slurred it sounded like Cheetos to me. So now I am calling this guy Cheetos. As we are walking with him, the children who are on their balconies do the Egyptian equivalent to our gesture for crazy in the states. It is so cute, they move their heads in a diagonal circle with their whole hand moving in the opposite direction, instead of the one finger. Usually there is a facial expression that goes along with the movement. I have obviously figured this out, but since Cheetos wanted to walk us to our door I felt it was okay, besides, he was harmless.

The next day I found out that he had given me the name for the devil in Islam, Sheitan, which was a bit disturbing. However, since I had tricked him about my nationality he tricked me about his name. Still, he has to be known as Cheetos to me now anyway, so fair trade. Later, I found that he had spent considerable time in America as well and was now a failed businessman.

He has also told me about the love of his life who he loved from a distance for twelve years, and later lost to another. This of course while asking me for cigarettes. Since I don't smoke I asked him how much a pack costs. He said a million dollars. We settled on five Egyptian and all was well. He went on to explain why he had a black heart for a period, but now it was white heart. That made me feel better, kind of, at least in a Moorish sense of the language. So anyway, now I am buying the devil cigarettes and from time to time he meets me on the way home or out. Sometimes I buy him a sandwich too. Funnier though is that he still thinks I am Nigerian and C is known as mother. So I guess that makes her the mother of the devil. Hmmm....

Three Stories Tied Together by a Common Thread of Reality

2009-12-28T18:01:00.005+02:00

About a week ago I wanted to write about the things that happened in one day. Time flew but I remembered all the events because each serves as an example of what life is like here in Luxor. I think not enough can be said of the mix between those seeking the ancient cultures which have now been commodified as tours and tour packages and the modern culture which is more Muslim in nature and practice. Since most people in the West don't know much about Islam this is a bit of an adjustment at times, however it is far from what is pictured on television and the nightly news. A wake up call to the misinformation placed before the public should be the greeting As-salam alaykum, ….

Anyway, about ten days ago I had a dream about eating some Kentucky Fried Chicken, KFC for the uninitiated. Normally I don't dream about fast food and if I did I would dismiss it. However, I took this as a valid cue from my subconscious that it might be time to try some local KFC. So I woke up the first day and ignored the cue; however by the second day I decided to give it a go since it was still in my mind and I could taste a piece of original on my lips. This is especially odd, since even as I write this I am contemplating a return to vegetarianism. Eat from the bounty of the sun...

So we get in a cab and head down to KFC which is down by the British part of town. The British own most of the buildings in the area and you see more of them there. Right before you hit that part of town, there is KFC. It is a very clean KFC, it looks like one you would expect to see in a major US city downtown, if you didn't know about the New York KFC that was infested with rats and so on...

So we go in and order an 18pc for everyone. There are seven of us, so that equaled out to two pieces for everyone and a few extras. The first thing we noted was that they didn't have biscuits they had rolls. Strike one. The next thing was that the sign was pretty much like the one in the states, plus one. The following thing we noticed was that all the staff was local Egyptian, who looked highly competent, plus. So when I ordered we were told that the chicken had to be cooked so it would take about ten minutes. No problem.

While we were waiting we looked at the stream of customers in and out. There was a group of European tourists, who looked at us funny while they made the attempt to not look like death warmed over. Then there was the constant stream of Japanese tourists. Correction, badly dressed Japanese tourists. At about eight minutes into out wait one of the badly dressed Japanese tourists got in an argument with the cashier. I noted that our fresh chicken started disappearing. I forgot that the time we had got in was a lull period. Between lunch and dinner chicken can sit. How was I supposed to remember? I haven't eaten KFC in a few years at least. So after the cashier and the Japanese make peace my order is up and I'm out.

We get home and I am excited. Taste the fries and they are solid. The cole slaw isn't identical to the states but it is likewise respectable. I eagerly look forward to my chicken, perhaps a nice breast and a wing. Lo and behold their isn't a single breast in the box! I laughed, while calculating that four should have been there, but no big deal. We got a mix of spicy and original. The original was a fail, big time. Not because it didn't make an effort, the chicken itself was good, but it had sat way too long under a heating lamp or warmer. However, the spicy was both crispy and tasty. So the moral to the story on Egyptian KFC, at least in Luxor, make sure they drop your chicken while you wait, make sure you get the chicken that is dropped and make sure that you get your correct share of breasts.

The actual cost of the meal was very comparable to KFC stateside. I guess we payed about 170 LE for the 18 piece dinner, which is about $30 USD. Had the chicken been as expected I would have been very happy. A comparable Egyptian meal with two roasted chickens, vegetables and hummus would cost about half of that, near 100 LE. But for the experience it was worth it.

So after we eat we immediately get sleepy. What can you expect from a buffet of greasy Americanesque goodness? Nothing but the itis.

So we wake up a few hours later and go meet up with Brother A to head into town. We hop in his car and roll out but before we get there a police officer halts him. I think back to what I had been told and try it out. I say – how ya doing, as loud as I can in my most American voice. He steps back and then he sends us on the way. I made Brother A real happy.

I had been told before that unlike in the states, the police here, particularly the tourist police, are really here to serve tourists and look out for our interests as foreigners. I think I am getting a grasp of that, after being repeatedly hassled in Tampa by the good ole boys in blue there. Anyway, the officers here are very respectful and tend to be stand offish. However make no mistake that those toys you see them with are actually machine guns or submachine guns. I guess the saying about if you are going to talk talk, if you are going to shoot shoot, is true here more than in any other place. Whatever the case, we were all really happy about the experience and Brother not getting a ticket which is, I think, at the minimum 2000 LE.

So we head about our business and we make it back to the store about to go home, loaded with items from the bakery, maybe some coffee and whatever else we had managed to score in town that night. When we are about ready to go home a local dervish, Sheik Khalid comes in. Sheik Khalid is the subject of the third interesting thing of the night.

Sheik Khalid is a dervish, I am not quite sure is he is a by Hoyle Sheik however. A dervish, to my understanding is a wanderer, a person on a spiritual journey, usually somewhere between the material world and the spiritual world. At times, when a Sheik has demonstrated some miraculous work, he will inspire others to follow him. When followers ask how, he will sometimes give them instructions to sell all their worldly possessions and wander the earth looking for signs and such. This would be a dervish. Not all dervishes have this common trate, but most are striving for a sort of spiritual perfection.

Sheik Khalid is no exception to this rule. Also, because the dervish is caught between the two worlds of spiritual and material they tend to have a mystical aspect about them or works which have been credited to them of a mystical nature. Sheik Khalid is said to possess such a gift. Whenever he visits a house, the person whose house it is usually expands the house after he leaves, by some luck or divine fortune after his visit. Plus he is a really nice guy, with good energy bursting from him.

When encountering a dervish, some might wear older clothing, but their body will be clean. There are some who are whirling dervishes, of whom I have encountered one so far. The tradition, I believe, stems from the particular Sufi tradition of Islam. Anyway, Sheik Khalid invited me to a mosque further out of town, encouraged me to have the kids pray more, and wrote out a blessing for the house and for my wallet. I will let you know how they work out. I made a small offering and left, before we went home though, he insisted on driving through town with us, so we obliged, and he drove us right to the point of our incident with the police officer earlier and back to the store, then home.

Late Night with the Band

2009-12-16T16:33:00.003+02:00

I was out late last night and winded up at a party of sorts. A band was wrapping up, but after the wrap up when I came in they decided to play a song in my honor. This involved me participating, singing and dancing along a bit. It was a lot of fun.

Since I had my good old iphone with me I managed to capture video of the moment. The sound is awesome, the drum, tar, is booming, and the instrumentation consisted of the tar, two tamborines and a flute. Yet the sound is full. I think we were sold a bum deal with the MPC's and the ASR 10s. When I get more info on the band I will add details.

The Nubians

2009-12-10T18:46:00.004+02:00

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with a Nubian who moved to Luxor as a child. I figured I would post some pictures that he shared of himself and his family. I do so because of the affinity often expressed between brothers and sisters in the know from the states and Nubians.

A bit of history first, Nubia historically lived in the region that is in the South of the country of Egypt and in Northern Sudan. They still live in areas as communities and share a common heritage and culture. Many Nubians were displaced when the Aswan dam was built in the '60s and now live in places like Luxor and Cairo. This dam allowed the country to become more secure from seasonal flooding of the Nile, but it also destroyed many Nubian villages, which now exist in the man made Lake Nasser. In addition, many Nubians have married with other non Nubians and have thus integrated more into Egyptian culture at large, which is similar to what has happened with brothers and sisters in America. Still the Nubians continue in some areas to have a strong culture and heritage.

One final note is that many question the Nubians importance within classical Egypt. However, the classical sources themselves reference the Nubians importance as a source of wealth and an origin point for many facets of their belief systems. I will be sure to follow up with more commentary with sources in the future, but for now I leave the images, since many folks in the states question whether Egyptians are even Black. See for yourself.

The Man With the Drum

2009-12-05T17:00:00.004+02:00

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is a video worth? This is a small clip I took of the man with the drum, he comes out in front of our flat about once a month, he drums and does chants, he will ask your name and create a song for you.

I made a second video with him because he had the kids all around and they were singing with him. I heard him and them singing outside the flat. I spoiled it by going back outside and recording it, because then he saw me and came my way, but still it was a memorable moment. CJ is in the corner sitting down, watching, you can see him for just a moment though.

Temple of Hatshepsut

2009-12-03T16:46:00.004+02:00

Yesterday we visited the temple of Hatshepsut, located in Deir el-Bahri, which translates as the Northern Monastery. We were supposed to wake up early, but I had trouble sleeping the night before, probably from drinking too much Turkish coffee and tea in the day. So I stayed awake, reading and looking a bit into Hatshepsut's history and the significance of the temple. After finally getting to sleep really really late, I woke way too early at about ten. We got to the site a little after noon and there was brisk traffic. It is probably best to visit early in the AM, the temple opens at 6AM.

The temple itself is both massive and beautiful. It is cut into the mountain over looking the west bank, leading to the Nile. The views are breathtaking and the temple itself has been restored well. On our visit, it was not fully open, but we managed to get in and take peaks at a few places here and there.

Hatshepsut herself is noteworthy because as the first female ruling pharaoh, she is iconified by all who would align with female divine ruler-ship. Her story begins before her birth however. Hatshepsut was the daughter of Thutmose I and Queen Aahmes or more correctly Queen Ahmose. The problem with this birth, however stems with who her maternal grandfather was, he was the Pharaoh Ahmose. The story is that Ahmose son, Amenhotep I, didn't leave a male heir to the throne. However, Hatshepsut's father Thutmose's was a military leader well in favor in Egypt at the time. This at a time very soon after the export of the Hykos from the kingdom and a rise in relative power. So power was passed through to Thutmose, because he had married into the family and was married to, at that time, Princess Ahmose.

The problem with this was nothing, initially. However, later when Thutmose married again, he had a son, Thutmose II. This presented no major problem, except that he didn't have the same degree of royal blood as Hatshepsut did, plus Hatshepsut was said to be born of a divine birth between God and the Pharaoh's mother, apparently not the first time this has happened, but a historical pattern of rulership in Egypt. So Amen gave Hatshepsut as divine child to Aahmes and Thutmose and for that matter the people of Egypt. She is said to have been a very just ruler, mostly at peace – who ruled both lands and visited Punt, which is now probably Djibouti or Sudan. She is said to have brought the trees at the entrance of the temple from her trip from Punt.

Her rulership was said to have been focused on helping and concern for the common people. Her death was initially thought to be due to political in fighting, but now a more common belief is that she died of either dental abscess or from advanced bone cancer, which is a cause of death associated with more than one Pharaoh. There seems to be more or less the desire to have a soap opera play out around the life and times of he queen, but many accusations are starting to prove unfounded. I think it is probably due to too much emphasis being placed on her gender and not enough being placed on her accomplishments and her ruler-ship.

Whatever the case, Thutmoses III later bore Amenhotep II, and Amenhotep II, Amenhotep III. Amenhotep III was father to Amenhotep IV, also known as Akhenaton. It is said that during Thutmoses III reign much damage was done in defacing the memory of Hatshepsut, however, I can't speak to that, when very few speak of the damage and destruction done much more recently.

I think this site should probably be seen in conjunction with another, the Medinet Habu, which I plan to see in a few days. This is said to be the resting place of the gods. Of course, the more modern site is a site constructed by Ramses III, but Hapshepsut also build a temple to Amen at this site.

The site visit was overall enjoyable. There is a bit of walking unless you take one of the motorized shuttles, but I prefered the walk. Jacob enjoyed walking up the slopping entry stairs, and many children enjoyed running up or down. Overall, there isn't an incredible amount at the site to see, but I would recommned the site because of its design and to pay homage to Hatshepsut.

Mosque of Abu al-Haggag

2009-11-29T17:08:00.007+02:00

When we arrived in Luxor about a month ago, the first thing we noticed, by taxicab was the Luxor temple. Perched above the temple is the mosque of Abu al-Haggag. Being curious, but a bit relaxed, I asked about the mosque and asked my friend, A, to take me there. Of course, it is open for visits, but it is always best to get assistance, I figured particularly when visiting a mosque. A, agreed, but advised I wait until the festival to visit, so I forgot.

Today, he reminded me of his promise and away we went. Since it is the festival, everyone was dressed and the Muslim brothers and sisters were congregated out and about the grounds, which are of course also Luxor Temple proper. So imagine all the beautiful brothers and sisters brightly dressed and excited giving thanks and living. Meanwhile, below tourists being ushered in by the busload, looking at the sight but missing the most valuable piece of the puzzle, living and still a part of the whole complex.

As we walked through the mosque and to the inner mosque, I noticed a tingling at my head, Candice also noticed the same feeling, but she said she felt it as we entered the complex itself. I thought, this is where the life of the complex is. The amazing thing about our visit and about the mosque itself is its survival. As so called conscious people of color, we are often so interested in all that is classically Egyptian that we miss the bigger picture or the connection. This site is the site of an older Christian church and now a mosque. The reason should be apparent to anyone why. Something has compelled people for thousands of years to build here, to come here, to pray, at this particular spot. The locals say that this spot is full of baraka, divine blessings.

Recently, there was an attempt to demolish the mosque, every time the bulldozer came, they were unsuccessful. One tale is that whenever they tried, the bulldozer stopped working. A local official was said to be visited in his dreams. Later, not only was the demolition halted, but the mosque itself was restored. In fact, the cemented over hieroglphys inside the temple were even revealed because of this. So when you enter the temple, the original temple writings are present even inside the mosque. Parts have been carved away to make way for the newer faith, but inside the energy is ever present, baraka.

Inside, Brother A gave thanks, while Candice and I meditated and gave thanks, later, Brother A showed us the window outside where tourists were walking about stumbling through the temple below. A few days ago, I had been outside, looking above at the mosque, drawn in because there is something here, call it energy, call it whatever, but it is here. Outside, the festival went on, with children running and playing, laughing. Some looked at me, trying to figure the American brother in galabeya out.

Later, we went out for coffee and shisha in a semi outdoor cafe and Brother A told a story: there was a local man who had found out he had liver problems and needed to have surgery. Surgery was very expensive, but there was an Egyptian surgeon in from the UK who agreed to perform the surgery. Anyway, the guy had been around and tried other things before the surgery and nothing worked. With liver damage, there is yellowing of the skin or skin discoloration as well. So the night prior to his visit to the doctor for surgery, he had went out to buy provisions for his family and so he went to the butcher who was serving someone before him. As he was serving this person, a woman bent down collecting the scraps that fell on the ground. The man asked her what she was doing, the meat was dirty after it fell to the ground. She responded that she was a widow and she was taking the scraps so she could feed her children.

The man asked her how many children she had. She told him. He figured the number of children and the amount of meat she would need. He paid the butcher for meat for the woman for two years, two kilos of meat, twice a week for two years. The woman told him three times, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you. Later he went home. When he arrived home, he saw his daughter, and he was sad. He told his oldest daughter to look after the other children while he was in the hospital and still he was crying. When she asked why, he explained about the widow and how that made him feel sad. His daughter explained that as he was crying, his skin started returning to its color. The tears were taking the discoloration away.

The next day, before the surgeon began his operation, he performed an x ray. When he looked at the results, he asked the man, who he had seen before he came to him. He told him. The doctor was in disbelief, because there was no sign of the liver disease, it was all gone.

One reason I tell the story is because that is the type of place I live in now. This is a magical place, where miracles still do happen, saints walk the street among the poor. The second reason is that we should consider ourselves as custodians of our wealth or blessings, to help others. We get all that we have from God, and it is our responsibility to share with others. In this season especially it is important to understand as well that when you give, God gives back ten times, so give when you can, and accept blessings when they come. Also, don't judge others because of religion, creed, race or whatever hangups you have. Otherwise, be careful that your God doesn't judge you for the same hangups. Blessings to all.

Zills

2009-11-24T18:01:00.006+02:00

A brother in the US had asked me to pick up some zills or finger cymbals for him. These are the type of cymbals used in dancing, like belly dancing or spanish dancing. I agreed because I am pretty much easy going and figured it wouldn't be that much a hassle and probably not that expensive. So I ask brother A, to pick some up. He look at me kind of funny like each time I ask and moves his fingers and thumbs together, and remembers and says, oh yeah, the belly dancer thing they use. I respond, "yeah brother, hand cymbals, zills." Then he always says that he will get some. I explain they are for an important brother in the states, each time, and he agrees. But we have been running doing odds and ends all week. So I ask again and this time he says he will for sure.

So, we pull in front of his shop, where he sells statues, legal antiques and such and he has his nephew come over. His much younger, about sixteen, nephew is there as well. So he tells us he is going to have his older nephew pick the zills up, since he knows where to go to get some good ones. He tells me to give him, a 50 or a 100 Egyptian, I don't remember which, whatever the case, under 20 US. So he gives this to his nephew and in Arabic explains what we want. The younger nephew just starts busting up. My wife is in the car with me and the assumption is that we want them for ourselves, to do sexy night time dances, or whatever. He is looking back and forth between me and Candice and just busting up.

We look at him and recognize this. They all speak manageable English so we explain that this is for a shipment to the states. They still are looking like, yeah, right. So we explain it seriously and Brother A, clears it up. We have a bunch to do, so we head off and go into the city part of Luxor, head to our favorite spot, and have turkish coffee and tea.

We return home and we go in and eat and such. Later on that evening, I call Brother A, and his phone is off. I assume he is asleep. Later we go to the cafe down the street and have coffee. He tells me that he was indeed asleep earlier, but that he had been interrupted in his sleep.

Brother A's nephew had brought the zills and left them with his wife while he was asleep. His wife got the package, opened it and went directly to where he was asleep. He told me that he was in deep sleep when she asked, "what's going on with you? You going out at night dressed all fancy. What you up to?" She yanked the cover and blanket off the bed and threw the zills down. He had to explain that they were not for him, not for some secret liason, but for his American brother. Further, he had to explain that they weren't really for us, but for us to send them back to the states. Yeah.

So, anyway, he managed to explain all this, somehow in Arabic, and everything is cool but I wish I could have been there to see that one. Talk about too funny.

I will try to catch a photo of the zills before they get sent. But hopefully they are on their way to the US already.

Passports and Visas

2009-11-17T16:10:00.006+02:00

Things to Know

by Orlando A

Today I wanted to get a bit ahead of myself with things and decided to renew our visas. Actually, I have been contemplating it for a bit of time. However, thoughts of long lines and angry cashiers made me somewhat reluctant to visit the office. The entry visa that you get at the airport is valid for entry into Egypt for three months, so before my arrival, I thought I would be good with it for a while. It costs about $15 US. However, when I read the fine print a few days after arrival, I found out that while it is valid for entry for three months, it is only good for a one month stay. For that reason you have to renew your visa after your first month in Egypt, if you plan on staying longer, otherwise you will be arrested and brutally tortured. No, that isn't really accurate, just like in the states, you will be levied a fine, for allowing your visa to lapse.

Luckily, I read the fine print and went in to the small state office building well within one month to have my visa renewed. The process was relatively painless, because there are English speaking agents and there is a local office centrally located in Luxor that handles the visas. In addition, it doesn't hurt to have assistance from a friend to help out, who is from Luxor, in the know, and who can help move you through the line. Anyway, the 1 year renewal cost a little under 100 LE. It was helpful that I already had photos ready to go and that I had copies of the vital information from my passport.

A good idea is to have a number of photos made locally, when you first arrive and to have copies of your passport vital information and visa section as well. Photos in the US are pretty costly right now, I think when I went in to a photo shop it cost me about 10 US dollars per passport sized photo. However, I had the photos made locally at a very reputable shop, with a professional photographer, for about 12 LE for a set of seven. They only took one at the passport office, go figure.

If you wait until you arrive at the passport office to have them made, the shops around the office will know your desperation and charge accordingly. Another friend told me that when she went to have her visa renewed, the closest shop wanted to charge 50LE. Even though that is only the equivalent of about 8 US dollars, it is still prudent to find a shop before you arrive at the passport office. There are plenty in town, however negotiation is key.

The process consisted of filling out the appropriate paperwork, which included a local contact card, leaving that paperwork, my passport, the photos and the copies for about an hour while they worked on the visa extension. I have already mentioned my phobias about leaving my passport anywhere. However, I dismissed visions of torture and kidnap, left them and everything was fine. While we waited for the visa extensions we visited a local cafe and had falafels for breakfast. When we returned, the cashier was very pleasant, happy to see us, somewhat intrigued by the sight of Americans, I am sure, particularly with a gang of children, and actually smiled cordially, contrary to my earlier expectations.

We had to wait for a few minutes and except for Jake wanting to lay in the floor, that had twice the dirt of the dirtiest government office in the US, everything was fine. Later, when we went to another cafe, which was in a more rural area, he added even more dust and grit. If the worst part of the process was washing a filthy little boy after the visit, I would have to say, the overall process is very straightforward.

Viva Egypt

2009-11-15T00:11:00.009+02:00

Day by Day

Orlando A

I love national pride. I remember when we went to Memphis and saw the open air museum there. Talk about a very memorable place. However, what I remember the most is the guard at the back of the museum. He was guarding the museum and typically backsheesh is always welcome. So his attempt to gather backsheesh was with the comment, "America, number one." I am thinking to myself, what type of comment is this for a man in uniform, from Egypt. Seems to me Egypt should be number one if you are getting paid by the Egyptian government, and when I feel really uncomfortable with this, I know where the airport is. Not to say I ain't proud of America insofar as the things we have done as a people to make a great country, but every national should be proud of his or her own nationality, particularly in his own country. I am surely proud of our accomplishments as Africans in America, despite the negatives that have been present in our treatment in America.

So anyway, we were out today and I forgot that today Egypt was playing Algeria for a place in the world cup, and soccer is really big here. Soccer is like football and baseball combined. So this is like the Superbowl or something. Everyone had been talking about it all week. So we went out to grab a bite to eat. Unfortunately without a camera. So first stop is a restaurant right down the street from where we live. A, had recommended this restaurant from a few more, because it doesn't typically cater to tourists, it is more geared towards locals, the Egyptian House. So we went in and the cook, who didn't speak much English went out to gather the owner, who spoke a fair deal of English. He had been watching the game before we came in.

We order and look at the menu. The prices are a bit high. But I order anyway, hearing A, in my ear telling me that it is a good deal. So we order and leave while they prepare the food. On the way to find a cab a man sees us and speaks, "viva Egypt!" "Viva Egypt," I reply.

We hop in a taxi and head downtown to look at another restaurant we heard about via travel guides and such. It is a British establishment, the Jewel of the Nile. The owner hears us telling our cabbie to come back and rushes to speak with us. The Nubian waiter seats us and before we can begin to look at the menu the owner asks if we are going to eat in. I explain that we are going to look at the menu and maybe order a few things, but we were just curious. I see pigeon on the menu and see that it takes a day to prepare. I laugh, I have a score to settle. I tell her we are going to call ahead for stuffed pigeon in a day or so and head back out to look around and find a cab back to the Egyptian House.

We start walking down Television street and wind up in front of Omar's Supermarket, which is a souk that has food and such. A young boy is in front and asks for a small donation saying he will bless us for the donation. I don't have change, but tell him I will go get change in Omar's. He looks at us go in, down the aisle and comments, pointing to the register that change is over there. I tell him that I am going to buy something for change and to relax. Young upstart!

We buy some olive oil, and pringles. Once you pop... So, then we head back out and I hand him 1.50 Egyptian and he hands me a small baggie of incense. He has a small basket filled with coals and I hand Candice the incense. She pours some on the charcoal and he prays for her and incenses. It is aromatic. I place incense on the charcoal and he does the same for me. It is energizing, aromatic and sublime. I thank him and hand him back the incense. He refuses it, and tells us to keep it. As we walk away, he asks for a 5 Egyptian so that he can buy a falafel. Part of me is like, what, I just gave you 1.50 EGP, then the other part is like, 5 Egyptian is like 90 cents US. I look at him, at his dusty face and see that he probably is hungry. I hand him the change and he thanks me again and is about his way.

We walk down Television street and it is getting dark. Somehow we veer down a wrong way, although we never leave the huge street. We wind down a street with only locals present. They are celebrating with only Egyptian flags everywhere. The game is on every TV. Egypt scores and the crowds go wild. We are starting to wonder which turn took us the wrong way. There are shops with butchers and nuts. No English signs. No cabbies. Still, I know I am safe and there is joy in the air.

A few seconds later we make it back to Television street. Somehow we took a detour. Back on Television street which is a main street that is only teen years or so from being farmland the crowds are out and about. The red white and black Egyptian flag is everywhere. People are starting to go wild celebrating. We find a cab and head back to pick up our order from Egyptian House.

When we get back, I hand the cab driver 15 Egyptian, less than three US dollars, counting a nice tip and head in to pick up our food. The cook is in the front waiting for us. He hands me the order, which is for seven. He tells me the order is going to be reduced because he knows we are from in the neighborhood. The price of carry out for seven which included two different soups, flatbread, roasted chicken, Egyptian salad, hummus and rice would be 75 Egyptian which equals about 14 US dollars. I hand him 100 Egyptian and thank him for his hospitality.

Later we found Egypt had indeed beat Algeria and are headed to the world cup. Viva Egypt.

Egypt beats Algeria 2-0 in World Cup qualifier‎