Culture – our guide gave us a review of how Egyptians think or why they do what they do. Let’s take driving and traffic…I have been to London, Paris, Rome, Delhi, China but never have I experienced the kind of driving done in Cairo (or Egypt). Those white lines painted in the streets to divide lanes are really only for decoration. These drivers take a 3-lane road and make it into 5 or 6 lanes using the shoulder as well. Your vehicle better have a good horn because that’s how you get through the traffic…and there’s lots of traffic at all hours of the day. It’s rush hourssssss. But drivers are considerate of one another and there’s a kind of code between them as to who lets who pass. I especially like the 4 lane road that merged into another 4 lane road and the right hand exit was only a few hundred yards. Crossing 8 lanes of traffic = horns blowing – blinkers on – doing no less than 60 miles per hour and we made it to the exit. While all of this is going on, the people leisurely cross the traffic… yes leisurely. It looks like they are taking a walk in the park while all around them the cars are maneuvering to avoid them. We even saw people crossing the highways like this. While in Alexandria I decided to take a walk. It took me 20 minutes to brave the crossing of 4 lanes. I realized the small concrete divider wasn’t to separate the north/south traffic, it was for people to have something to stand on while waiting to cross the 2nd portion. Parking is another interesting thing. Everyone parks everywhere. Two, three and even four abreast right on the street. The keys are left with someone – anyone – who decides he has nothing to do that day so he will monitor the “parking lot” – with the hopes of a tip.
Another curious thing our guide explained was the idea of starting a business. Someone sees that his cousin makes a good living as a barber so he decides to open a barbershop a few doors away. Soon there are 8 barbershops and now no one is making any money. We could see this with the vendors at all of the tourist places. They all had the same things. It was the one odd vendor with something totally different that got your attention, even if there wasn’t anything you wanted. They are very anxious to make a sale. Their tactics are very polished. One dollar…to get you in the shop but when you choose something, the price went up to 10 or 50. They love to bargain and there’s a certain respect to achieve while playing the game. I saw some people very ridged in their expected paying price without playing the game. The vendor wouldn’t budge either and the sale never happened. But if you are considerate, patient and have a sense of humor, chances are a happy medium can be found and every one walks away thinking they got the best of the sale.

Feb. 10 and 11, 2009 - We just have enough time to catch our breath this evening before we travel overland to Luxor. Our boat arrives at the port of Safaga to begin our 3 to 4 hour drive across the desert to the fertile Nile Valley. For the first hour we pass nothing…..sand, dirt, a few cars and trucks and through barren mountain passes. It’s a wilderness that I wouldn’t want to be stuck in. One of the things that I am disappointed about is the amount of trash strewed along the roadside. From a distance, I can see three or four plastic bags that have taken flight up to the mountain tops. Some of us decide this is Egypt’s national bird. How sad. Finally we start to see small patches of green. All of a sudden it becomes farmland. We see one farm after another driving along one of the tributaries of the Nile. With the building of the Aswan Dam, irrigation is controlled. The Nile no longer floods this region so people have settled in one area without the fear of floods. However, no longer does this region have the fertile silt left from the River Nile after the floods. It is “stuck” near Aswan Dam. There is discussion about dredging the area and bringing it back to the farmlands but that will take decades. This is tomato season and every truck, wagon and donkey cart is full of them. Sugar cane is also a huge crop. Most fields have recently been harvested and the cane is spread on top of the roofs to dry. The Nile separates east side of Luxor (which was for the living and where the temples were built) to the west side of Luxor (which is for the dead and where the tombs were built). So this afternoon we start at the Karnak Temple – dedicated to the God Amun. It covers over 100 acres and is about 4000 yrs young. As each generation of Pharaohs added their own design and architecture with pylons, obelisks and smaller temples within the temple, Karnak became more important, not only as a place to worship but also as a cultural center to the region. It could take one week to see everything just in this temple – we have two hours. Late afternoon we checked into our hotel, Sheraton, St George. Overlooking the River Nile, our rooms are the newly renovated ones on the 7th floor. WOW – the rooms have a balcony to view the Nile. The bathroom is the state of the art in bathrooms. There are no flush handles on the toilet. It senses a “seating” and all of a sudden in flushes…or sprays first and then flushes…or sprays, dries and flushes…and of course the seat is warm. The shower is also high tech…three different kinds of sprays coming at all angles – not including the jets in the tub. Two different showers and especially nice is the optional disco lights. We all had great fun to see who could figure out the operation of everything. We couldn’t get too comfortable as our evening program included a visit to the Luxor Temple and then to the Sound and Light Show back at the Karnak Temple. By the time we arrived the Luxor Temple, it was beautifully lit with hundreds of flood lights. There was once a wide avenue that connected the Karnak Temple to the Luxor Temple. Human-headed sphinxes lined this avenue for over 5 miles and portions of this can be seen at Luxor Temple. Not only do tourists like to visit these temples but a great deal of Egyptians were visiting. As our group walked out of the Temple, I noticed a young woman dressed in the traditional black with only her eyes showing. I suspected she was in her early 30’s. I smiled to her and she seemed to return the smile. I then asked if I could take her picture. She asked why? And I wonder – yes – why? Perhaps she represents how most of us perceive Egypt. Mysterious with an elegance and charm that only Egypt has. She seemed to be praying. Which by the way 5 times a day Muslims are called to prayer – we no longer need a wake up call from the hotel desk – the 5:00AM (sunrise) call to prayer works just fine. This lady spoke beautiful English and we talked about our homes and the weather. She asked me to meet her husband who was having coffee a few yards away. Egyptians are very serious about their coffee – but only men go to the coffee houses while women shop or take walks in the park and visit with other families. 10 minutes of visting and her husband agreed we could stand together in front of the entrance to the Temple for the photo. She took my arm and we were clasped as her husband took the picture. Men and women do not even hold hands in public. All public display of affection between a man and woman is considered taboo in Egypt. Yet most women will hold hands or lock arms as will men will with other men. Because of her black dress, she pointed out that it was difficult to be seen so we moved in front of the well-lit souvenir shop. A little more conversation and I learn they are from Cairo. I asked about her wearing black and completely covering her face rather than how most women wore just a head covering and exposed their face. I got a brief explanation that pretty much summed up that it’s a personal preference and how “orthodox” the family is. She preferred to be covered when going out by herself because she is married and does not want to appear available. In general, men consider women much more alluring and desirable when covered. There is still that mystery. Maybe we can learn something? The Light and Sound Show in Karnak was long and cold. Except for a great view of the full moon coming over the pillars – there was nothing worth taking up space in this blog. Tomorrow – the Valley!!!

Valley of the Kings – There are 65 tombs officially discovered in the Valley. Years previously the Kings used Pyramids as their tombs (which we will see in Cairo). But in the Nile Valley, this natural valley rises up to a plateau which looks remarkably like a huge pyramid. It was thought that they decided to rest here because of the grave robbers going into Pyramids. They claim few people knew of the site and entrances were concealed to hide these lavish tombs. But from the looks of things, it took an enormous army of men to work on the King's tomb. Once someone became King, they started work on their tomb for the afterlife as this was much more important than any earthly existence. Beautiful paintings flanked the entrances (many still in original colors), telling stories of the great Pharaoh and asking their many gods for help to get to the after life. Once the Pharaoh died, all work stopped and the king was buried regardless of how close to completion the tomb was. One of the largest tombs is of Ramsey II as he reigned for 80 years. There are chambers below chambers below more chambers – many built for his 100+ children, as well as a few for his favorite wives for when they died. The wives weren't buried with their husbands when he died. Of course a trip to the Valley of the Kings would not be complete if we didn’t go into King Tutankhamun’s. Because of his short reign, his tomb is really quite small and not much decoration compared to others. What made this so special was what was in it and that looters hadn’t gotten to the “good stuff”. Many of the items are now displayed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which we will see in a few days. Today there were 8 tombs open to the public and I managed to visit 5. Our next stop is the Temple of Hatshepsut (pronounced Hat Cheap Suit). She married her half-brother who died young and therefore had no direct successor to the throne. She proclaimed herself pharaoh and is depicted wearing men’s clothes and a beard. Her body was recently found in the Valley of the Kings which shows how important and respected she was. The Temple has some well-preserved paintings and is one of the largest in the valley. Later that afternoon we checked out of the hotel to begin our journey back to our boat, Monet. It’s been a very busy two days and tomorrow we have a full day sailing the Red Sea.
The staff on our ship are from the Czech Republic. Three waiters, three stewardesses, a receptionist, bartender, cruise director, chef, doctor and a few officers including the Captain and you have the entire crew. There is an open invitation to visit the Bridge which most of us do at least once. There is always coffee and tea available in the lounge. There is a hot tub on the sundeck. The boat is quite small and everything is within walking distance or never more than one stairway away. It will be good to sleep in tomorrow.

Feb. 8, 2009 - Our first night aboard the Monet is comfortable and very relaxed. My cabin is very cozy with a private bathroom. The shower is just over the toilet aimed at the side wall so one can easily take care of all needs at the same time. We arrive Sharm El Sheik, the most southern tip of the Sinai Desert. We were reminded that it was part of the Camp David Agreement in the 1970’s that this region would be turned over to Egypt by Israel. Although 90% of the region is dry, barren desert, the southern coast is slowly becoming popular among sun worshippers and divers. Our morning is spent at Ras Mohammed – a national marine park. Interesting it is the only place that mango trees grow from the salt water. Our destination is one of the many beaches and about a dozen of us are taken to an area for snorkeling. It was suggested we wear wet suits because the water can be chilly. I turn blue at the thought of cold water so I quickly put my order in the night before. As luck would have it, my wet suit has yellow trim and I'm now color coordinated with my snorkel equipment brought from home. This is the first time trying to get one of these on. I walked away from the group to an area where I could sit on a rock. I realize these need to be snug and are like another layer of skin but I didn't realize how tight this was. I did the wiggles and jumps and more wiggles and little by little got the suit on. Feeling very accomplished, I returned back to my friends to get some fins. One by one they looked at me then at each other. "Should we tell her?" "oh but she looks so cute." and they were all smiling. "Joyce, you have it on backwards." - UGH. More wiggles and jumps and finally it was on properly.
What amazing colors in the water. Just the water is a gorgeous blue because of the white, white sand on the bottom. Walking distance from shore is a reef that continues for miles along the coast. Our guides help us navigate through what looks like passageways under water so not to disturb the coral. I saw shades of purple, blue, orange and yellow With various kinds of coral and reef life. Parrot fish that were a quilt of colors, small white fish with poke-a-dots and lots of blue and yellow fish that were curious about us too. Later in the day we stopped in downtown Sharm El Sheik to do a little shopping. There were lots of vendors but frankly there was nothing that shouted my name.

Feb. 9, 2009 Today is an early departure from Sharm El Sheik as we drive through the mountains to visit St. Catherine’s Monastery. It’s in the middle of the Sinai Desert and I’m amazed how anyone ever got the inspiration to build anything out here. The church is open until Noon, and it’s a 3 hour drive, we have to hurry. We drive through what is known as the area Mosses wondered before climbing up Gebel Musa (Mt Sinai) to receive the Ten Commandments. In 337, Empress Helena ordered the building of a chapel on the site what believed to be the Burning Bush. Today the Bush grows from a wall and covers a huge area. People have taken shoots to grow elsewhere without success. Not once has this bush taken root anywhere in the world. The Church of St Catherine built around the Chapel started around 542. There are nearly 2000 icons, 5,000 books and 3,000 religious manuscripts. Our lunch was just outside the monastery before continuing our 3-hour ride back to Sharm El Sheik. . I'm on a mission to find some over the counter medicine called antinal used for what is known as Pharaoh’s revenge. Not that I need it, but I want to be ready – just in case. Some in our group are already suffering. And tonight we are going to a Bedouin camp to dine under the stars. We will ride camels into the camp, sit on cushions, drink tea and eat bar-b-que. I'm sure there will be a story to tell later.

Feb 7, 2009 - After yesterday’s hike through Petra, I’m ready for a more relaxed ride continuing south to Aquaba. Last evening a group of us took cabs through Petra to a small hotel/restaurant that was once a Bedouin home. Sue and Doug knew about this and invited us to join them. Three taxis drove higher and higher up a mountain just in time to see the sun set. We were the only people in the restaurant. They prepared soup, mezzes (similar to tapas for salads), main course (choice of lamb or chicken) and dessert. Enough food for an army the tasted great! This morning we drive this same route and can see the mountain range clearer – including Aaron’s tomb. Our destination today is Wadi Rum. The desert area can trace settlements as far back as 4500BC. TE Lawrence got his inspiration to write Seven Pillars of Wisdom here. Later he became know as the famous Lawrence of Arabia helping to fight for the Arab Revolt against the Turkish Ottoman. At one time great natural oasis provided the local tribes with water and relief from the scorching desert heat. But over the years and change in climate, many of these are dried up and are only a mirage in our minds. You can rent a camel for a 5 hour trek or rent a jeep (our choice) to see the mountain known as “the seven pillars of wisdom” (we could only count 5). We also viewed rock carvings from the Thamudic tribes (8th century BC). There is a stark beauty to this region. A desert Bedouin tribe gives us a warm welcome of tea. It’s very strange to be walking in hot sand – which is extremely difficult – but if you stepped into the shade made by the jeep, within minutes the sand was cold. For the more adventurous, there are two tented camps in Wadi Rum. This is meant to give the visitor a wonderful experience of how the nomads of the desert (Bedouins) live. I can imagine the night sky and how brilliant the stars would shine without any of the light pollution.
After lunch, we once again drove south on the King’s Highway to the port of Aqaba. This small piece of land was given to Jordan in a treaty between Israel and Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. It’s now one of the fastest developing areas along the Sea of Aqaba. By late afternoon we boarded our new home – MV Monet. A crew of 27 will look after only 32 passengers (the ship carries a total of 62). So our American tribe of 20 will be the majority.

Feb 6, 2009 - We got an early start today to begin a full day in Petra – the ancient rose-red city built by the Nebataens more than 2200 years ago. This kingdom once stretched to Damascus, parts of the Sinai and most of Arabia. Outside culture can been seen in many of the carved monuments including Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Graeco-Roman and of course their own local styles. As you walk through a deep, narrow gorge towards the main entrance of Petra, carvings of camels are etched. They levied tolls to protect caravans as they transported goods such as Arabian frankincense and myrrh, Indian spices and silks, African ivory and hides. Perhaps the most amazing experience is that last turn when the Al-Khazneh (Treasury) slowly comes into view and you find yourself standing right in front of this enormous structure carved in the 1st century BC right into the sandstone rocks. WOW – it is beautiful. But this is only a part of this city and we only have one full day to cover what is suggested to take 3 days. If you aren’t up to the 4 miles in and 4 miles back, various forms of transportation are available. A horse and carriage from the entrance to the Treasury. From there camels or donkeys are for hire to continue along the “street” past many royal tombs to the theater – once holding over 7000 people – carved into solid rock. There is now a small restaurant at the “end of the line” and as luck would have it, it was lunch time when we arrived. Eleven of us (including a lady in her early 70’s) regained our strength and took the 900+ steps cut into the rocks up to the Monastery. Along the way you can hitch a ride on a donkey and of course the price is lower as you get closer to the top. Also never to miss an opportunity to sell, ladies set up small tables that seem to cling to the edge of the rocks so you can catch your breathe and maybe buy a little souvenier. But do you really want to carry more weight to the top of the mountain. This is Petra’s 2nd most famous attraction. And the view from here is wonderful. From one vantage point Aaron’s tomb is seen ontop of a mountain across the valley. Once back down from the mountain we still had the 4 mile trek on a very dusty, rocky road. Some excepted the deal to ride a donkey right to the entrance of the siek. I decided to ride a camel. First to get on is an experience of its own. The young man taps the knees of the camel to get the animal down to the ground. It’s the only animal that has knee caps “reversed” or backwards. The saddle has a horn in the back and front. Once on, hang on and lean as far back as the horn will allow because the camel rises his hinds legs first. If you don’t you will fall off face first. You straddle the “saddle” which is padded with a rug and your legs hang down. The gate of a camel is long and slow. The young man riding his camel decided to trot. It is a real shake-up and not very comfortable. As we passed the Treasury and walked back through the deep, narrow gorge that brought us here earlier this morning. But this was very different. Instead of walking with 100 or so other tourist, now there was only us. Two camels slowly, quietly walking the same pathway thousands of caravans had done two thousand years ago. It was the best 10.00 spent for this experience.

Feb. 5,2009 Although we are now onboard “Monet”, I finally have time to catch up with my journal. But the first bit of concern was “what day is it” in order to figure out what day we saw what?
As we left Amman on Thursday, Feb 5 we drove to the west through the modern Amman. We passed many of the Embassy’s including the US Embassy which is one of the largest here. This is where the elite live and it really shows. Beautiful large homes most 2-story with 2 or 3 car garages and various small balconies around the homes. We were told the largest Starbuck’s café is here – they offer valet parking.
We travel south along the King’s Highway – the main road that starts in the north to Damascaus and goes south to Aquaba – the only port in Jordan. It has been the main trade route throughout Jordan for thousands of years. Our first stop was in Madaba – known for beautiful mosaics dating back to the 6th century. Madaba has the only mosaic school where students are trained to restore and repair mosaics as well as continue the art of these beautiful hand-made pieces. Excavations are still being done throughout the area. Our visit included St George Church, a Greek Orthodox Church built in 1884 over the remains of a Byzantine church. A mosaic map of the world covered the front section of the floor of the earlier church and dates around 560AD. Although only a small part of the original map is preserved, it clearly shows Jerusalem with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dead Sea, the Jordan River and Jericho just to name a few. It was made from two million stone pieces (all from local quarries) and took 6 years to put together. Our next visit was to the top of Mt. Nebo – where Moses climbed to get a glimpse of the Promise Land just before his death. Today it’s a lot easier with pathways and steps. The view of the Valley of Jordan including the Dead Sea is magnificent. It’s not known exactly where Moses is buried but this makes a beautiful resting place. After lunch we continued south so visit Karak Castle. Built by the Crusaders in 1161, it took over 20 years to complete. It’s strong hold made it a safe cross roads for traders and caravans and became one of the most important places in the area. It was interesting to know that when Crusaders and Muslims traded with each other, they imposed the same tax on each other. Our final destination today was PETRA. We arrived in the evening long after the sun set and checked into our hotel which is just outside the main gate. I’m so excited. Like waiting from Christmas morning as a child.

February 3, 2009 – Last afternoon’s arrival to Amman was easy enough. After clearing immigration and customs formality, I found an ATM to obtain some local currency (Dinere) and negotiated a taxi to Le Meridian Hotel. Joseph said he knew the general direction and we agreed on a set price. What should’ve been a 30 minute drive turned into 1 ½ hours with the “Amman at a glance tour”. Joseph apologized many times and assured me there was no extra charge. My first impression is that the people here are friendly, hospitable and take a great deal of pride to do the best they can. Honor is everything. The hotel is of the highest standards with everything a tourist needs – comfortable rooms, great showers, choice of 4 restaurants, a health club (also used by many locals) and a spa. The 90 minute massage treatment was wonderful (and so reasonable). Room service ordered from the Lebanese Restaurant and it was time for sleep.
“Jordan is old” I thought as I looked out of the window of the plane. The pilot announced we would be landing in 10 minutes. I saw the different shades of brown with no roads below. There were small crevasses and sand-blown hills. I thought it reminded me of an old lady whose skin was brown from the sun and wrinkled from age. Earliest evidence of human activity in Jordan are stone tools from about 1.2million years ago. Through the ages with each new power (Assyria, Egypt, Rome, Byzantine, Islam) brought new cultural. The Capital of Jordan, Amman, sits on 7 hills and is home to almost 1 million people. We are a group of 23 from Canada and the US. And it IS a small world – there is a lady from CHESTER, CT also on our tour. A great deal of Roman influence remains. We visited the Roman Theater and Forum (169 – 177AD). We saw traces of the Byzantine Church and the Temple of Hercules as well as extensive ruins known as Al-Qasr (720-750AD) built during Umayyad rule in the Islamic World. The Archaeological Museum of Jordan is very interesting as you follow the time line of the region. Recently on tour in the US were the famous two-faced heads unearthed in the Citadel of Amman said to be from 7th century BC. Also on display are collections of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls.
Our afternoon journey took us to Jerash. This is perhaps one of the best preserved cities of Roman times. Construction started about 70AD. Visitors walk through this ancient city via the “Arc of Triumph” erected in honor of the visit of the Emperor Hadrian (of the same Hadrian’s Wall in the UK) to first visit the Hippodrome where chariot races and competition between man and animal would have been viewed by 10,000 people. We continued down what would’ve been a wide boulevard to market areas, the Forum, The Temple of Artemis, and the remains of the Churches of St John and St George. This well planned city was home to over 70,000 people at that time. You can really imagine the wealth and prosperity this city experienced. They say all roads lead to Rome; perhaps it was meant Rome controlled cities. As we learned that each gate of the city (north, south, east and west) went directly to another Roman city. Tomorrow we leave Amman to visit Mount Nebo enroute to Petra.