Dahab 

11:00 pm rolled around and I was so tired that I almost called off the trip, but the appeal of climbing such a religiously important mountain won me over. When we reached the final security checkpoint the officers pulled 4 Egyptian guys out of the van. After 10 minutes of waiting, three of them returned. They explained in near-perfect American accents that the Egyptian security didn't like beards, and so their friend had been held for additional security checks. The van rolled forward until we had reached the base of Sinai. It was an impressively cold night, one that felt far more like Siberia than Egypt. The climb was long and steep at some points, but this misery was all buffered by conversation with the Egyptians from the van. They were all in their mid-twenties and could have passed as Americans with their accent. They worked for an IT help desk in Cairo and were enjoying a 4 day weekend. The guys were incredibly helpful and friendly and are a perfect example of why I love to meet people when I travel.

Keeping ourselves entertained on the climb to Mt. Sinai's peak at 3:40 am.
* picture taken from Osama's facebook*
______________________________________________________________________

After 4 hours we reached the top just in time to watch the sun rise. The sun rose slowly illuminated the misty crevices below the towering mountains. Religious pilgrimage groups sang familiar hymns in unfamiliar languages, further enhancing such an incredible experience. We stayed there until the crowds were gone and the sun was high. Walking down the mountain took another two hours, and a toll on the knees. My Egyptian friend, Osama, joked that he would have to buy a new left knee when he returned to Cairo. Yes, his name really was Osama, and one of the first things he said upon introducing himself was, “You know, just like the guy you all had some trouble with a while back.”

A small church atop Mt. Sinai.  *This picture was also stolen from Osama's Facebook*
_______________________________________________________________________________

At the foot of a mountain was an old monastery that supposedly housed a descendant of the burning bush. The “bush” was more like a tree and it was not burning. I got a kick out of all the people going crazy when they saw it like it was something amazing. We're all descendants of Adam, but I didn't see these pilgrimage groups going crazy and taking photos when they met other people...

We got back to Dahab around noon and I slept through my scheduled dive at 2:30 pm. I did manage, however to wake up in time to meet my new Egyptian friends for dinner. It sounds strangely odd, but it seemed as if I was hanging out with childhood buddies from back-in-the-day. They were all so genuine and friendly. It could have just as easily been Chris or Brad sitting at the table. We followed dinner up with coffee and shisha and discussed everything from the aching legs Sinai had blessed us with, to Islamic dating rules, to where exactly the Cinnabon in Cairo was at.

Aswan 

I met some Israeli and British travelers departing the train station and we set out en mass to find a guest house. The tourist police stopped us the minute our feet hit the dusty road and demanded we explain to them our travel plans. I found this cool at first, thinking they were protecting us from the touts trying to scam incoming tourists. Then I found it odd that they weren't stopping any other of the tourists exiting the station. We assumed the tourist police were getting kickbacks from certain hostels so we bravely ignored the officers (and their machine guns) and set out to find accommodation. Why the tourist police need automatic weapons in the first place is beyond me.

We settled on the first place we saw but ran into trouble when the manager asked to see our passports. “British, okay,” he said. “American, okay. Israel, we have a problem.” Initially, he didn't want the Israelis to stay there because he said the local government would give him trouble, but after an hour or so of serious contemplation he agreed to allow them to stay under two circumstances. “No Hebrew, always English,” he proclaimed. “also, you are from Malta.” So that was that. We arranged a 3 hour falucca tour on the Nile that evening followed by a trip to Abu Simbal the following morning. The falucca was cool and the captain reminded me of a pirate, complete with the golden tooth. The journey to Abu Simbal was a long 3 hour bus ride though the Sahara Desert. I found the colossal statues there far more impressive and awe-inspiring than the pyramids, and the temples inside were equally incredible.

I was templed out towards the end of the day and didn't want to spend any more money after being extremely disappointed after paying to see the "high dam".  While the group enjoyed the last temple, I found a coffee shop and had a cheese sandwhich, coffee, and shisha.  I was amazed at how cheap everything was! The amount of cheese in the sanwhich would have cost $10 in bangkok and the shisha would have been another ten.  My total was less than $3!  Talk about elation! When the group returned, my new travel buddies from Israel set up a camping stove and made some coffee.  Several people asked us where we were from (this is the first thing people in Egypt usually asked) and it was both amusing and slightly sad when they would reply "Malta".   Once or twice I was even Canadian- everyone loves them! Anyway, I have traveled with Israelis before and have found it to be quite an enjoyable experience on both occasions.  It's a shame that predjudices and stereotypes still exist with such fervor today.

The Pyramids 

The Sphinx and Pyramids
___________________________________________________________________________________

 

I ended up paying $140 for a horse ride around the pyramids and the Sphinx, and a taxi ride to Memphis and Saqara. The horse ride was nice because it started on desert (not city) side of the pyramids. The only other tourists I saw were 5-10 people on camels and horses. Perhaps being spared the busloads of people milling about on the opposite side was worth the $$$. I enjoyed a refreshing water while sitting on one of the pyramids when a guard asked if I wanted to climb it for $15. I passed, although in retrospect it seems like a pretty good deal.

After the pyramids at Giza a taxi driver took me out to some tombs and step pyramids outside of Cairo. At one point the driver, who had already smoked about 4 cigarettes, commented on how fresh the air was outside of the city. Nefertiti's burial chamber was pretty cool to see after crawling 20 or so yards down into his tomb... I also got to see my first mummy.

After taking me to papyrus, carpet, and perfume shops, all of which would have given him commission, I was “set free” and caught the night train to Luxor. I am now sitting on the night train and we passed Luxor hours ago. I'm skipping it and going to Aswan instead. it's smaller and tourists must travel in a police-protected convoy to see the main temple here.

My jaded thoughts on Cairo seem to be more of a general consensus than an opinion amongst every traveler I've met thus far. It's quite sad that Cambodia in all of it's Third Worldness has made it easier to see Angkor than it has been to see the Pyramids. This is only day three and I'm withholding judgment until I'm on the plane to Berlin.

I am now sitting on an expensive, but very comfortable sleeping train. I was supposed to get off in Luxor, but I begged the attendant to let me stay on until Aswan. For the moment, I prefer to see the Egyptian countryside from the train's safe bubble of protection from the touts and scams lurking beyond the rails.

Cairo Arrival

The "goodbye dinner" with some of my friends.
__________________________________________________________________________

Today was the first day in Cairo. I seem to have a knack for being suckered into expensive hotels whenever I first arrive in a country. This is most likely a result of my terrible inclination to not plan ahead and then call it “an adventure”. I can not allow this to happen when I arrive in Europe or I'll have to sell myself in order to get home. (just joking... I haven't been in Thailand that long). Immediately after checking into the hotel early this morning I realized my guidebook was sitting on the front seat of the taxicab, I looked down from my balcony and watched helplessly as he drove away. This was followed by shouting and perhaps even some cursing, I can't remember it was so early and I was so tired. I needed sleep and I got some in what has to be the coldest room I've been in since leaving America.

I woke up around noon and bought a train ticket to Luxor,wandered around a market that left me quite disappointed, and then took the subway to “Coptic Cairo”. No pyramids or mummies yet. I want to be in a better mood for those things. Pretty much everything I saw today got compared to Bangkok in some form or fashion; the subway, the market, the knockoffs, the airport, the people. It reminds me of the sitcoms where a broken hearted lover sees their former love in bowls of soup, toast, etc.

The highlight of the day was eating at the coffee shop infested with cats. The shop owner was a warm and genuine fellow who made an excellent Egyptian dish from lamb. While the food was delicious, it was also entertaining to watch this small girl play with all the cats. Even more entertaining perhaps, was the beautiful Egyptian woman who was terrified of the felines. (why someone with a cat phobia would choose to eat in a coffee shop that promotes itself as having a lot of cats is beyond me.)

The worst thing about today was either leaving Bangkok or losing my guidebook. Ok, that's the last time I mention BKK. Happy time.

Tomorrow: Mummies, Pyramids, Trains, and Sheesha.