شين في مصر

Final day in Cairo

2009-06-09T22:07:00.007+03:00

After wrapping up my final day in Cairo with a visit to my favorite part of the city, I made spent my last evening at one of my favorite parts of Egyptian culture: the ahwa (cafe). I went to a few ahwas in the Downtown area and ordered my favorite drinks - ahwa mazboot (Turkish coffee with sugar) and sahlab. The latter is my favorite drink that Egypt has to offer. It is a warm dessert drink consisting of nuts, bananas, milk, sugar, and some sort of seeds. Both beverages originated in Turkey but have made their way into Egyptian culture as coffeehouse staples.

An ahwa by Midan Falaki, Downtown.

I stayed out late at the ahwa and then returned to my apartment to pack up all my belongings. By 5am I was ready to leave, and said goodbye to my apartment.

Around my neighborhood of al-Mesaha, in Doqqi.

From my street and apartment - Amer Street in Doqqi.

I hauled all my stuff and conveniently hailed a cab at the end of my street. I figured my last encounter in Cairo would not be without some unique surprise, and I was correct. My taxi driver had some very severe attention-deficit and twitching issues. Literally every few seconds he would flip on the lights, change the radio, open or close the windows, change lanes, and move about the cab as if he had bugs all over him. Meanwhile, we travelled at high speed down the 6th October Bridge, because 5am on the day of prayer is one of the few times you won't encounter traffic in Cairo.

My flight to London was at 8:30am. Everything went smoothly at the airport, and by the end of the day I touched down in Boston and was on my way home.

Islamic Cairo: Khan al-Khalili

2009-06-04T23:52:00.009+03:00

For my last full day in Cairo, I returned to my favorite part of Cairo, the section known as Islamic Cairo. Interestingly, the Egyptian government refuses to refer to it as such, but instead calls it Fatimid Cairo. Perhaps this might be an attempt to increase tourism from the Western part of the world.

Khan al-Khalili was my destination in Islamic Cairo. Khan is a marketplace (known as sooq in Arabic) that has existed within the confines of stone walls since the late Medieval period. It is a major tourist attraction, though I have heard opinions that say it is overly touristy. In my opinion, this is not the case. I thoroughly enjoyed the visit. While some shops certainly cater towards tourists exclusively, there are so many unique and authentic items that can be purchased here.

Gates to Khan al-Khalili.

The market consists of hundreds of shops, each divided into smaller districts based on their wares. There are sections devoted entirely to clothing, spices, gold and silver, antiques, metalware, and even minaret tops. If you venture outside the main area (as I generally tend to do) there are districts selling more obscure goods like tires, rubber products, kitchenware, shoe repair services, and cloth.

Inside Khan al-Khalili.

At one point I somehow ventured out of the marketplace but within the sooq walls, and I came upon a residential area populated by Coptic Christians. It was easy to tell since all of the shops and apartments here had religious icons hanging on the walls, and the women were not veiled. Despite these differences, the Coptic enclave did not really seem out of place in Islamic Cairo.

Gateway to a Coptic enclave.

Generally speaking, the prices are not fixed, except in the gold and silver shops. This means that to get a good price, you will have to bargain. There are some shopowners who will haggle you to look at their products, but generally speaking Khan makes for a unique and fun shopping experience. I was able to get a few things for my family. I also bought a ibriki, which a device for making Turkish coffee, so I can enjoy one of my favorite parts of Egypt back at home in the US.

Not far from Khan al-Khalili is al-Azhar, which is considered one of the oldest universities in the world, if not the oldest.

al-Azhar.

al-Azhar Park.

Along the edge of Khan al-Khalili is al-Hussein Mosque, which is considered one of the holiest sites of Islam in Egypt. It was in front of this mosque that a French girl was killed in a blast only a couple months earlier. The security around the major sections of Khan and al-Hussein was stepped up. The major thing I watched out for were the motorcycles that passed along the narrow roads, since the February bombing was said to have come from a motorcycle.

Various pictures from around Cairo

2009-06-02T00:03:00.003+03:00

Here are various pictures from my last week in Cairo. There are no interesting stories to go along with them, but they do give a sense of what Cairo is like.

Traffic jam in Midan Tahrir, Downtown.

The 6th October bridge stretches from Heliopolis to Mohandeseen, crossing above the Abbasiya, Downtown, Zamalek, and Agouza districts.

Views from 6th October Bridge.

Opera Square was the former site of the Cairo Opera House, which burned down many years ago. The square is distinguished by the large statue of Viceroy Ibrahim Pasha. The new opera house is located on Gezira island. Opera Square is located in a district called Ataba, east of Downtown. Ataba is a very busy section of Cairo, with many businesses and industries located within, though relatively few foreigners live there.

Midan Opera.

More pictures from Ataba.

A compound of cemeteries and Coptic Churches by Nasr City.

Last day at AUC

2009-05-31T00:28:00.008+03:00

On Tuesday, I finished my last final exam at AUC. I visited campus for the last time on Wednesday and took a few pictures of the campus with my Egyptian friend Marwan.

Around the AUC campus.

AUC library.

AUC parking lot and bus lot.

Giza Pyramids and Sphinx

2009-05-30T23:54:00.009+03:00

With school being finished on Tuesday, I had two days to visit things in Cairo I hadn't gotten a chance to see yet. I had saved Egypt's biggest attraction - the Pyramids - for my last week abroad, despite the fact that they were only located around three miles from my apartment.

I began by taking the metro from Dokki to Giza Station. Although I had been in Giza plenty of times before, I had never been near its center. The term "suburban sprawl" comes to mind, as Giza is an immense suburb of Cairo, heavily polluted and overly crowded. Cairo's second most prestigious university, Cairo University, is located near the center of Giza. I took a taxi from Giza Station to the Pyramids.

The cost of a ticket to the Pyramids grounds is only 30 LE for a student. There are a limited number of tickets to see the interior of each of the pyramids, though I opted not to purchase one, as I heard from many people that the interior is uninteresting. I had expected a great amount of haggling at the pyramids considering what I had heard from people who had visited, but it wasn't too bad at all. Mostly I was just asked a bunch of times if I wanted camel or horse rides. Nothing could compare to the amount of haggling I had experienced in Luxor.

The Pyramids sit on a plateau to the west of Giza. The plateau is entirely desert terrain, and everything to the west of the plateau is desert as well. In other words, the Pyramids are the western edge of the Cairo metropolitan region. Surpringly, there is a great view from the plateau over all of suburban Giza. One can see a cloudy, polluted haze hanging over Giza. It is also possible to see the smaller pyramids of Saqqara in the distance, located a short drive from Cairo.

View of Giza from the plateau.

As expected, the Pyramids themselves are impressive. There are three of them at Giza - the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the smaller Pyramid of Menkaure. You can approach the front of each pyramid, but the other four sides of each pyramid are roped off. The area surrounding the pyramids is sandy and undeveloped. There are a few roads around the plateau, but for the most part it looks like it has for thousands of years. There are a number of smaller structures on the plateau, which are associated with the Pyramid of Menkaure.

The Pyramids.

At the bottom of the plateau is the Sphinx. Though large compared to a person, the Sphinx is dwarfed by the pyramids that surround it. The area around the Sphinx is a little more developed in terms of modern structures.

The Sphinx and the bottom of the plateau.

The Pyramids are perhaps the most visited site in Egypt, and they are certainly worth the visit. The ticket is cheap, they are easily accessible from other parts of Cairo, and the plateau is so expansive that I can't imagine it ever feeling crowded.

I took a taxi back from the Pyramids to my apartment. As I mentioned, the distance is only about three miles, yet the amount of Giza traffic at midday was so intense that the ride took about forty-five minutes.

Luxor: West Bank and Thebian Necropolis

2009-05-24T19:15:00.023+03:00

On my second day in Luxor, I headed over to the ferry station, located near the Luxor Temple. The price to cross is only 1LE (it's even cheaper for Egyptians), and it's quick and convenient. Unfortunately I was followed onto the ferry by a tout who was trying to get me to agree to his taxi service. Once on the other side, I walked as fast as I could away from the parking lot to avoid the harassment of cab drivers and bicycle salesmen.

Crossing the Nile via ferry.

Once past the chaos of the ferry station, I was able to walk in peace for a long time. I preferred walking the distance to the necropolis instead of being lead around by a taxi. The difference between the West Bank and the East Bank is striking. While the East Bank is urban and busy, the West Bank is rural, quiet, and slightly poorer. It is a far more pleasant place to visit. Beyond the ferry station, there were no hagglers anywhere, just a few villagers passing with donkey carts, going about their own business. On both sides of the road to the necropolis are large, lush fields with various crops.

Rural part of the West Bank.

The first sight on the West Bank along the main road is the Colossi of Memnon. These are two simple, giant statues that sit on the side of the road, where a temple used to stand many years ago. They appear to "guard" the entire necropolis. There is no charge to visit them.

Colossi of Memnon.

About three kilometers from the Nile just beyond the Colossi is the main ticket office, where you have to go to purchase tickets to most of the sites.

Just beyond the ticket booth is where the terrain changes drastically. The lush fields were no longer, and instead the only thing to be seen was desert, hills, and a road. A short ways away from the ticket booth is the Ramasseum, a temple built by the Pharaoh Ramses the Great. I recalled reading the poem entitled "Ozymandias" by Percy Shelley in high school which describes the crumbled statue that lay in this exact temple. Because of its relatively unpopularity among tourists and its location in the desert, the Ramasseum is quiet and peaceful.

Ramasseum.

"Ozymandias."

Goats by the Ramasseum.

There is a decent restaurant and bar next to the Ramasseum, which only had a couple tourists and a bunch of locals who apparently hang out there frequently.

I next walked to the Valley of the Queens, located northwest of the Ramasseum. The road to the Valley is nothing but sandy, hot desert. The Valley of the Queens consists of dozens of tombs where pharonic queens and other female nobles are buried. Only two of the tombs are open to the public. I don't have any pictures of the interior of the tombs, since it was prohibited and there were many guards watching visitors.

All of the tombs I visited at Valley of the Queens and elsewhere have several Saidi (southern Egyptian) men who are responsible for watching over the tombs. They don't speak much English but they do their best to give brief "presentations" of the tombs where they point to pictures and tell you what they are. The tombs are unbearably hot and humid, much like a sauna.

The tombs at the Valley of the Queens were small, but well-preserved. The roof is only about five and a half feet tall, so you have to duck to walk through. They are lined with colored murals which are still in good condition.

Valley of the Queens.

About 1 km walk from the Valley of the Queens is Deer al-Medina, which has two tombs available for viewing, along with ruins of city shops, and a small temple. The tombs were similar to the ones at Valley of the Queens, though they are built into a hill so they descend down several sets of stairs. Pictures within the tombs were prohibited here, though I was able to some of the temple.

Deer al-Medina.

There was a small group of houses outside Der al-Medina, and a few other ones in the vicinity. The only other buildings in the area are a few hotels, and multiple factories that sell alabaster or papyrus.

One of many alabaster factories.

After Der al-Medina I began the long trek to the Valley of the Kings. I could have taken a taxi or minibus, but I preferred to walk. The walk of course was brutal. The distance from Der al-Medina to Valley of the Kings is only about 5km (3 miles) but the temperatures were well over 100 F and there was no shade to be found. There were places to buy water along the main road, but once you take the turn onto the Valley of the Kings, the road is completely empty.

Along the road to the Valley, two young Sai'di boys saw me and walked and talked with me for awhile. It was the first time I had tried to hold a conversation with someone who spoke Sai'di Arabic. They could understand what I was saying but I had a difficult time understanding more than a small percentage of what they said. They recommended I visit the Temple of Hatshepsut on the way back.

Road to Valley of the Kings.

The Valley of the Kings is of course a popular tourist spot, but since it was late in the day (and therefore very hot), it wasn't too crowded. There are about twenty tombs open to the public, and a ticket gets you access to three of them. There is an extra charge to visit the tomb of Tutankhamen. I chose to visit the tombs of Thutmosis III, Ramses IV, and Tawosret/Setnakhte. Again photography was prohibited inside the tombs, but the guard inside the Tawosret/Setnakhte tomb wasn't enforcing the rule so I was able to take two pictures.

Each of the tombs consist of a slow descent into a cave carved into the mountainside. They are all approximately 100m long, though some are bigger than others. The tomb of Thutmosis III was the biggest one I visited, which included a large moat intended to stop tomb thieves. There is a narrow bridge across the moat which plummets around 20 meters or so on either side.

Here too, the tombs are unbearably hot and humid inside, and they have bad stenches as well. The tombs of Ramses IV and Tawosret/Setnakhte have been opened since antiquity, though the tomb of Thutmosis III was discovered in 1898. It's been suggested that there may be more tombs near the Valley of the Kings which have not yet been discovered.

Valley of the Kings.

Hasty shots from the tomb of Tawosret/Setnakhte.

After visiting the Valley of the Kings, a taxi driver offered to take me back to the ferry, to which I accepted. Along the way he stopped for me at the Deer al-Bahri, which is the location of the Temple of Hatshepsut. It is located to the south of the Valley of the Kings, along the main road. From the the temple, one can see the Nile and the East Bank of Luxor.

The temple was the location of a massacre of dozens of tourists in 1997 by al-Gamaa al-Islamiyya, though there haven't been any serious terrorist attacks in the area since then. All of the monuments had multiple police officers stationed at various points. At the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Luxor Museum, there were guards dressed in street clothes with small submachine guns, perhaps to avoid looking like police officers. I saw at least one checkpoint in the necropolis, outside the Valley of the Queens. Overall it felt fairly safe, although the influence of radical Islam in Upper Egypt perhaps makes it one of the more dangerous places in Egypt to visit.

Deer al-Bahri and Temple of Hatshepsut.

My taxi driver agreed on 30 LE for a ride from Valley of the Kings to the ferry. When we got to the ferry, I handed him a 50 LE bill and expected change. Instead he demanded 100 LE because of the extra stop to the Temple of Hatshepsut (it was only about 400m out of the way, and I was only there a few minutes). Normally when people try to hassle you for extra money, they stop when you walk away since they know they're being unfair. After arguing with this guy, I gave him the 50 LE bill and ran away, yet he stilled shouted as loud as he could as if he was getting ripped off.

The haggling situation in Luxor is downright awful, and makes it difficult to enjoy the city. Taxi drivers, caliche (carriage) drivers, shop owners, felucca captains, and tour guides all will pounce at anyone who has white skin and ask for business. In Cairo, foreigners are involved with universities, government, non-profits, and other work, so it's not assumed that anyone who looks non-Arab is a tourist. In Luxor, it is assumed. By the end of the second day I got so tired of the haggling that instead of responding "laa shukran" (no thank you) or "mish 'aiz" (I don't want), I just began to say "ana mish fahim inglezee" (I don't understand English), which seemed to work to some extent.

I returned to my hotel and went to sleep for a few hours since I had an early flight back to Cairo. I was also badly sunburned from doing so much walking in the sun. I got up around 2:30am and went to a coffee place near downtown (many of them are always open). One of the locals asked me where I was going, and offered to take me to the airport on his motorcycle for a reasonable price. Early in the morning there is no traffic in Luxor, so the ride was smooth and fast and made for a great final view of Luxor before leaving. I boarded my flight to Cairo at 3:50am and was back in Cairo an hour later, ready to take my final exam the next day.

Overall, it was a good trip to Luxor, though I wouldn't want to spend more than two days in the city. The haggling detracts from the visit, and the prices are surprisingly quite expensive compared to other parts of Egypt. However, the monuments and museums are impressive and well worth their time.

Luxor Temple at night.

Luxor: East Bank

2009-05-24T17:43:00.015+03:00

I decided earlier in the week that I would go to Luxor this past weekend, but I was busy with end of the semester final exams and assignments, so I didn't have time to plan the trip. It proved not to be a problem. I headed to the Cairo Airport around 4:30am on Friday and was able to buy a ticket (round trip 430 LE - $80 USD) to Luxor for 6:20am. This was much more convenient than the thirteen hour train to Luxor, and only marginally more expensive.

I got my first taste of the incessant haggling that was to come as soon as I left the airport. I wanted a taxi to Midan Salah al-Din in Downtown, and there is a sign right in front of the parking lot indicating that taxis to downtown cost 25 LE. I argued with a taxi driver for a very long time regarding the price of the taxi, finally settling on an unfair 30 LE.

I found a great hotel off Midan Salah al-Din called Oasis Hotel. The price was 40 LE per night for air-conditioned room, plus 10 LE for breakfast. It was clean and the management was friendly, so I would recommend it for anyone looking for a budget option in Luxor.

After securing a room, I made the short 500 meter walk from the hotel to the Luxor Temple. The temple is actually well-integrated with the rest of Luxor, as it's situated along the Nile Corniche and slightly north of the downtown area. Since I'm not a Egyptologist, I'll refrain from attempting to convey the historical background of any of the monuments I visited, as that information is best found elsewhere.

The Luxor Temple.

Luxor is a medium-sized city of less than 400,000 people. It is divided into two sections: the East Bank and the West Bank. The East Bank is where I stayed, and is the more urban of the two sections. I was surprised to see how clean and wide the streets were in Luxor, most likely due to an effort to increase tourism. The weather in Luxor during the time I was there was cool in the morning, in the high 70 degrees F, but during the day exceeded 100 degrees F.

Photos from the Corniche.

I made my way to a restaurant along the Corniche called al-Hussein, and then later walked the distance to the Karnak Temple, about 3km from the Luxor Temple.

The size of the Karnak Temple was impressive, though some parts of it were closed. As one might expect, it's a popular tourist attraction.

The Karnak Temple.

On the way back I visited the Mummification Museum, which had some interesting exhibits on how mummies were prepared, though I don't think it was worth the price of its admission. The Luxor Museum was much more impressive, and although nowhere near the size of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, it was well-labeled and had lots of significant antiquities.

That evening I had some seafood at a decent restaurant called Mish Mish on Televizion Street in Downtown Luxor. I spent the rest of the evening exploring a lot of the East Bank. The city is quite modern, and there are a large amount of shops in the area. Although there was the usual din of taxis, motorcycles, and other traffic in Downtown, it did not have a fraction of the noise pollution that is commonplace in Cairo. Some of the main roads have no horn-blowing signs, though in Egypt no traffic laws are enforced anyway.

Views from Downtown.

Dinner someday.

Sunset across the West Bank.

Siwa Oasis and Libyan/Western Desert

2009-05-17T20:43:00.030+03:00

Last weekend I decided to take a trip to Siwa with my friend Brian from AUC. Siwa is a small oasis of about 20,000 people in western Egypt, near the Libyan border. Much of Egypt's bottled water comes from Siwa. I felt confident enough to go without a plan, having no idea what to do or see and how to do it. The only thing I did to plan was make sure to buy our bus tickets to Marsa Matruh in advance.

We left for Marsa Matruh from Turgoman Station around 9:45pm on Thursday night, but of course Egyptian inefficiency had to come into effect here. The bus made a stop in Giza to pick up two passengers, so we didn't actually leave Cairo until past eleven. We arrived in Marsa Matruh around 4am. Matruh is the largest Egyptian city west of Alexandria along the Mediterranean Sea coast. I didn't get to see much of it since it was early morning, but it looked to be a bustling, clean, and interesting city. When we got to the bus station in Matruh, we realized the bus to Siwa didn't leave until 8am. We were very cold and not too keen on waiting around for four hours, so we accepted a taxi driver's offer to take us to Siwa for 200 LE.

Marsa Matruh at 4am.

I don't remember much of the ride to Siwa since I was asleep, but our driver was pretty annoying. During the three hour drive, he smoked an entire pack of cigarettes, had several cups of tea, blasted "habibi" Arabic pop, and kept the window open the whole way to keep him awake. The road from Matruh to Siwa is nothing but desert, and with the window open, it was extremely cold.

When we arrived in Siwa, the driver brought us to a bunch of different hotels to help us find a place. We were really sick of him so we just paid him his money (along with another 50LE he requested) and had him leave.

We checked into a hotel along the main square in Siwa called Al-Kilaani. The price was 120 LE for a two-person room. It was very clean, and included breakfast and air conditioning, so it was worth the price. The management spoke a little English.

View from Al-Kilaani Hotel of the main circle in Siwa.

It's hard to describe the atmosphere in Siwa town itself. It was 7am on a Friday (prayer day), so there was hardly anyone around. The town itself consists of a circle with several roads emanating from around it. There are restaurants and markets along the circle, along with a brand new bank (the only one in the region), a police station, and a new tourist office. It was not contaminated by pollution like in Cairo, but rather dirtied by many of the same things one would find on a farm.

Dominating the main circle in Siwa is Shali Fortress. The fortress is open all the time, so we were able to wander around by ourselves. It's a strange-looking place, as most of the walls have been destroyed to some extent, leaving jagged formations. Even more interesting is that some of the villagers actually live on buildings connected to the fortress, and probably have been living there for hundreds of years.

Views of and from Shali Fortress.

After Shali, we went to a restaurant along the main circle for breakfast. We noticed only a couple tourists pass by, and then we met up with three other AUC kids who were also visiting for the weekend.

After eating we made sure to buy tickets back to Cairo, since we both had to be back in class on Sunday morning. Along the way, we noticed something very incongruous: an EgyptAir mobile staircase for entering airplanes parked on the side of the road. The nearest airport is in Marsa Matruh, so it made no sense. I think the Egyptian government made a good move to block the addition of an airport near Siwa. As it is, Siwa requires a long journey by land, so most tourists avoid it. I think it should be kept this way, since the Siwan way of life is still very much alive and untainted by tourism at present. This one of the reasons it was such an amazing place to visit.

It just didn't make sense.

Observing the construction of a Siwan building.

I have no idea what this contraption was.

Brian with donkey cart.

Siwa was probably the most culturally conservative place I've been anywhere. All the men wore traditional white galabeyyas, with few exceptions. They were very reserved and somewhat quiet for the most part. We saw at most half a dozen women on our trip, though all of them wore a ominous-looking garment consisting of a black robe that covered the entire body including the eyes (the eyes had black mesh) and another scarf with golden designs on top of the head. I think the women stay inside the house at most times. The guidebook says that it is considered rude to speak to a Siwan woman that you don't know, for any reason. All of the people (men) with whom I spoke in Siwa were friendly and pleasant, but in a low-key, genuine way. This was in great contrast to Cairo, where everywhere one goes, one is likely to encounter a haggler offering (or demanding) a taxi ride or a chance to buy priceless treasures.

Time does not exist in Siwa. Nobody wears watches or keeps track of time. In Cairo, "five minutes" usually means around twelve to fifteen. Here, it meant about thirty. For the Siwans, it does not really matter much, since they only need to work at their own pace to make a living.

It helps to know some Arabic to travel to Siwa. It is possible to visit without knowing any, but many of the signs are only printed in Arabic, and only a few people that I encountered spoke English. I heard some of the beduins speaking in a form of Berber, which was interesting since it's one of the few places in Egypt where that language is spoken. Most Siwans know Egyptian Arabic, and they were all fairly easy to understand.

There are no taxis in Siwa. There are a few trucks, even more motorcycles, and even more donkey carts. A man had bicycles to rent out to tourists, so we picked them up for 15 LE for the day. We traveled out of the town along some of the winding dirt roads on our bicycles toward Mount Dakrar, passing under forests of palm trees and occasionally passing a villager carting branches or lumber via donkey.

Riding around Siwa and outskirts.

Mount Dakrar was just a tiny mountain in a desert area, but it had a good view of the oasis. There were a bunch of abandoned mudbrick houses at the foot of the mountain, which we investigated.

Views from Mount Dakrar.

After heading back into town, we arranged a desert tour with our hotel management. The trip cost 150 LE per person (about $27 USD) for a five hour trip in a LandCruiser with a beduin. Two Egyptian guys visiting from Cairo also came with us.

A desert fox greets you in Al-Kilaani Hotel.

Although I'd been in desert areas before, I had never been miles into the desert surrounded by nothing but sand. It was hot of course, but very picturesque.

The open desert.

In the middle of the desert there are two springs in an area known as Beer Wahed: the hot one and the cold one. The hot spring is contained in a small pool, with bubbling natural hot water. The cold spring is a few kilometers away; it's a tiny pond of fresh cold water, swarming with minnows. I got to run around the desert for awhile before jumping in the cold water and then having tea with some beduins.

Hot spring.

Running around.

Beduins.

The only other people we saw in the desert were a few other LandCruisers with their respective guides. At one point, another guide got stuck in the sand, and a few other jeeps had to dig him out and then tow him away.

Stuck...and freed.

The beduins are experts at desert driving. The dunes in the Libyan/Western Desert are massive in some places, and getting across the desert in the LandCruiser meant descending some of these hills. There were several hills that most definitely exceeded a sixty percent grade, so it felt like a roller coaster drop.

Practically vertical.

After the springs, we were taken to a portion of the Great Sand Sea. Part of the Mediterranean Sea had flowed over his land many years ago, and lots of shells and bits of coral remained in the sand. The hills began to block out the sun and the sun started to set, so the weather became very comfortable. There was a feeling of complete isolation here, as evidenced by some of the pictures.

Great Sand Sea.

The final stop was watching the sun set in the west over Libya. The weather was cool and the sky was covered with all sorts of colors.

Watching sunset over Libya.

This is my favorite picture.

The trip to the desert was probably one of the most amazing things I've ever seen, and that alone was worth the long drive from Cairo. I would insist that anyone who goes to Siwa take a trip to the desert.

That night we went to a cool outdoor restaurant not too far from the main circle in Siwa. We met up with the other AUC students in Siwa, except they surprised us by showing up in galabeyyas they bought in Siwa. It was quite amusing to see the look on the waiter's face when they ordered in English, wearing galabeyyas.

AUCians in galabeyyas, restaurant in Siwa.

The next day we had breakfast at the hotel and rented the bikes for another day. We took a trip over to the Temple of Umm Bayad and the Temple of Amun. The Temple of Amun was the only tourist attraction in Siwa that we had to pay for (15 LE), but the ticket came with a Siwan guide. He only spoke Arabic, but we were able to understand around twenty percent of what he said. At one point, he started speaking fusha (Classical Arabic), which was the first time I've ever heard it spoken in a personal setting. The Temple of Amun, also known as the Oracle, had a long history about it, and was visited by Alexander the Great during his reign.

Temple of Umm Bayad.

Temple of Amun.

Roads outside Siwa.

After the temples, we visited Cleopatra's Spring, where Cleopatra supposedly bathed at one point. It consists of a deep well with cool water that bubbles up from the bottom, suitable for swimming. There was a restaurant right next to it, where we had lunch. Some of the local Siwans came for a swim, but we were the only non-Egyptian tourists there.

Cleopatra's Spring.

Cleopatra's Spring and the Temples were a little over 5km to the east of Siwa town. After visiting them, we went all the way on the other side of the oasis, about 6km west of Siwa town. There was Ain Fatnas (Fatnas Spring), similar to Cleopatra's Spring, though actually on an island in the middle of the oasis and connected by a small causeway. Part of the oasis had dried up since the beginning of spring, so it wasn't really possible to tell that we had crossed over to an island, but looking across the other side one could see the rest of the oasis. There, we met a few Spanish and French guys who were students in Alexandria, and hung out with them for awhile.

Ain Fatnas.

We rode our bikes back into Siwa town just in time to catch the sunset. We returned our bikes and then hopped on the bus back to Cairo. The bus to Cairo took ten hours, though we made a few stops along the way. The most interesting one was a small coffeeshop in the middle of the desert. When we arrived, there was no power, only a lantern lighting up the shop. A few soldiers were hanging around with the owner. The bus made a stop in Marsa Matruh to let off a few people, and then we arrived in Cairo around 6am, with enough time for me to get back to my apartment and to school for my 10:30 class.

Sunset across Siwa Oasis near Ain Fatnas.

Dusk on the road to Marsa Matruh.

Port Said, Port Fuad

2009-05-10T22:38:00.013+03:00

On Friday I decided on a whim to travel to Port Said for the weekend to see what it was like. I took the bus for 23LE at 1:00pm from Turgoman Station in Cairo, arriving in Port Said around 4:00pm. Port Said (in Arabic pronounced bur sai-eed) is a city of a half million people, located at the junction of the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea. After the construction of the modern canal in the 19th century, Port Said became one of the world's most significant ports. Although it's no longer as important as it once was, a large amount of intercontinental freighters and cruise liners pass through the harbor every week. For this reason, the whole city is a duty-free zone.

Along the road to Port Said.

I took a taxi from the bus station to the center of town. I had a lengthy and nearly fluid conversation in Arabic with the driver; it's always very gratifying to be able to talk for a long time in Arabic without any sort of awkward communication issues. I walked around for awhile before finding the hotel I had been searching for, the Mereland Hotel. I only stayed there because of the cheap price of 40 LE, or about $7 USD. It was pretty dirty and I wouldn't exactly recommend it as a place to stay.

Various shots from around Port Said.

View of the tiny alley from my hotel.

After walking around the city for awhile longer, I headed to the north of the city to check out the beach. The beach was disappointing. It was free, but therein lay the problem, as it was very dirty and uninviting. On the west side of the city was a popular restaurant called El Borg (The Tower). It was a nice sit-down place packed with Egyptians. I ordered shrimp soup and fried fish. They brought me the above, along with various side dishes and sauces. It was a real feast - I counted no less than twelve plates of various foods on my table at the same time. The food was delicious and I would highly recommend this restaurant.

Public beach.

El Borg Restaurant.

Strangely enough, there were at least a hundred balloon people lining the streets, promoting something.

I spend the rest of the evening wandering around the city. The city was bustling with shops of various types, especially electronics and clothes. The street that runs parallel to the canal, Sharia Palestine, consists almost entirely of cell phone shops, strangely enough. Most of the women here were dressed in conservative Islamic clothing, and a few of the men wore the galabeyya robe. However, it seemed as if most of the city-goers were wealthy or at least had a comfortable standard of living. Port Said serves as a popular tourist spot for Egyptians in the summer, but I went during the off season, so there weren't any to be seen. I did not see any Western tourists in the city either until the next day, when two big cruise liners docked into the harbor. I got the same question "are you from the ship?" numerous times that day from the locals.

Saturday I woke up early to try to find a place to enjoy breakfast, but I realized that none of the restaurants opened until after noon. I had to settle for coffee and cake at a hotel cafe. Afterward I walked to the west of the city to see the military museum, but the interior was closed for construction. I was able to see some of the exhibits on the museum lawn though, including equipment from the 1956 Suez Crisis and the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. There was another museum of some sort in Port Said, but it too was closed.

Outside the military museum.

I had another enjoyable meal for lunch at a place called Abu Essam, not far from the beach. Nobody else was in the restaurant at the time, but it was a great place. They served a feast here too: seafood soup, shrimp kofta, and about a half dozen other plates of salads and sauces. About halfway through the meal I was served a bowl full of some ground leaves and oil to go with my meal. I was served the same thing the previous night at El Borg. This time I asked what it was, and my waiter told me it was "just for entertainment," whatever that was supposed to mean.

Various shots of the canal from Port Said.

Afterward I walked down to the ferry station a short distance along Sharia Palestine. Conveniently enough, the ferry is free, and it passes across the Suez Canal between Port Said and Port Fuad every five or ten minutes. Cars can cross via the ferry too. Port Fuad is a separate city which used to serve as a suburb for Europeans who worked at the port, and it still bears a certain resemblance to European architecture. Aside from some green residential areas and a good view of the canal, there wasn't anything to do in Port Fuad.

Shots of the canal from the ferry.

People getting off the ferry.

Port Fuad.

After I felt as if I had seen the whole downtown of the city several times, I took the bus back to Cairo at 7:00pm on Saturday. Overall, Port Said was a nice city, mostly clean with some good restaurants and shops. It was interesting to see the ships passing across the Mediterranean Sea and through the Canal. It wasn't stunningly impressive, but it does make for a good day trip out of Cairo.

They don't let you form your own opinions here...

al-Rehab

2009-05-10T21:49:00.003+03:00

Thursday was a bit interesting as it was the first time I had hung out with Egyptian AUC students. Although the Egyptians students at AUC are polite, they really don't show any interest in befriending the international students. There is a certain amount of segregation between the Egyptian students and the international students at AUC. However the two Egyptian guys I met were interested to learn some of the things I was doing in the gym, and afterward one of them had a kickboxing class in al-Rehab so they invited me along.

We drove to Rehab, which was my first time in the neighborhood. It's a wealthy suburb very close to New Cairo. I had seen many vacancies in Rehab when I was apartment-searching, as it has a reputation as an up-and-coming area. Like New Cairo, the streets are wide and all the buildings are new construction. However everything was clean and relatively quiet, like Maadi. Everyone here was very wealthy by Egyptian standards. We went to the sporting club in Rehab. Sporting clubs in Egypt are the equivalent of country clubs in the US, where wealthy families go to learn and play sports in an exclusive environment. The sporting club was the size of a college campus, with manicured lawns and numerous sporting facilities, and even an on-campus mosque. Marwan took me to his kickboxing class, where the instructors were friendly and helpful.

Afterward, we went to a fateerah shop in Rehab, set up similar to the way a pizza shop is in the US. Fateerah is essentially deep-fried pastry with various toppings; in this case, various meats, vegetables, and cheeses. Marwan and Abbas were heavily influenced by Western culture, and wanted to know everything about life in the US, and wouldn't let me speak Arabic around them. Later we dropped Abbas off in Nasr City, which was also my first time there. Nasr is a suburb sandwiched by Islamic Cairo and Heliopolis. It's not as wealthy as Rehab, Maadi, or Heliopolis, but it was fairly clean and very busy. Nasr is the location of CityStars, which is a giant six-story mall which reputedly rivals some of its American counterparts. Marwan drove me home to Doqqi after.

Illness, and other updates

2009-05-06T13:35:00.004+03:00

The week following my trip was particularly uneventful because I became sick and could not do much of anything. The Wednesday after returning from my trip, I began to feel sick at school, and that evening I realized I came down with some sort of food poisoning. It soon became apparent that it was not going away anytime soon. I went to see a doctor at Al-Salaam Hospital in Mohandeseen on Saturday. Since I am an AUC student, I was entitled to free healthcare and prescriptions there. I think I may have been given priority treatment too, since there were about a hundred people waiting in the lobby and I only had to wait about five minutes before seeing a doctor. Surprisingly it was an efficient and convenient trip to the hospital.

I spent the next several days in bed, essentially too weak to even leave my room. By the eighth day I was back to feeling some semblance of normality, and returned to school. Considering I am only studying abroad for a few months, a full week of being confined to doing nothing was unfortunate, but I am glad it happened after my spring break, and not during it.

I originally thought that something I ate or drank in Turkey gave me the food poisoning, but everything I had in Turkey was well-cooked and high-quality. I realized that it came from the fish on the EgyptAir flight from Istanbul to Cairo. I wasn't thinking at the time that this fish probably came from Cairo, and therefore from the Nile. The only thing I have ever avoided eating in Cairo was fish because I wouldn't want to eat anything that came from the Nile. (Alexandrian seafood is a different story.) Searching around on the Internet, it seems like at least a couple others have gotten food poisoning from EgyptAir food also.

The weather has gotten warmer, reaching 95 degrees on some days, but it is still bearable. The nights are cool and there is usually a comfortable breeze that carries over into the morning. There was a sandstorm the other day, and so when I returned to my apartment in the evening, everything was covered in a thin layer of dust.

Unfortunately the bug season has picked up. I've been leaving my windows open at night and so I wake up covered with mosquito bites. Flies are becoming more common, but they are merely an annoyance. We also have to deal with an ant issue in our apartment. Tiny ants are attacking all the food in the kitchen, which was never a problem until last week.

At AUC, May is the last month of the semester, and it seems that's also when the work begins to pile up. Most of the grades for classes are based on four exams, and two or three of them are in the last three weeks of school.

I have still a few things left I want to see before I return to the US. I am going to visit Siwa oasis in the Western Desert perhaps next weekend, and hopefully the monuments at Luxor the weekend after that. There are a few things left in Cairo that I am planning to see, notably the Pyramids. I will have a few days after final exams before my flight home for those.

Turkey: Kars, Istanbul, and back to Cairo

2009-05-02T00:12:00.008+03:00

Spring Break Day Eleven (continued from part ten)

The last day of my trip, I didn't have any plans to travel to any other cities, since I had a flight out of Kars back to Istanbul at 2:45pm. After having breakfast at the hotel, I wandered around Kars again. I headed back to the citadel, but this time the castle was open.

Kars Kalesi, as it's known, was constructed in the 13th century as an Armenian fortress, and later used by the Ottomans. The view of the city from the castle is quite good.

Views from Kars Kalesi.

Just below the castle is the Armenian Church of the Holy Apostles, constructed in the 10th century, which has been converted to a mosque in the last ten years. I didn't go inside. There are also some hammams (Turkish bathhouses) nearby which are old, though I'm not exactly sure of their period.

Church of the Holy Apostles.

Ancient hammams.

Some bridge that has supposedly been here for hundreds of years.

After that, I wandered around the city some more, visiting a few shops and one of the many "baklava salons," which are like cafes, except they serve baklava and tea instead of coffee.

Kars did not have any of the conservative Islamic atmosphere that one might expect. While there were mosques, I did not notice the call to prayer, and most of the women were not veiled. Bars were as common as they are in the United States, in comparison to other places in the region where it is almost impossible to find a place that serves alcohol. Many of the bars were packed with men playing card games, and gambling on soccer scores was very popular.

Although most of the young adults and many of the women dressed in by Western standards, it seems any Kurdish man over 40 had a dress code. Every single male I saw over the age of 40 or so wore black shoes, slacks, a dress shirt, a colored sweater vest, a blazer, and a flat cap. I did not see any exceptions to this.

This picture clearly shows Soviet architectural influence in Kars.

Since Kars doesn't have an international airport, I had to return to Istanbul for a return flight back to Cairo. I took the shuttle from the Turkish Airlines office in Kars to the airport and arrived at the airport a little past noon. There was nowhere to get lost there - the airport only has one gate, so planes leave one at a time. The flight back to Istanbul was actually quite big, flying on a Boeing 737. I sat next to an elderly Kurdish man on the flight who couldn't sit still. On top of that he kept yelling at me about my iPod, as if he thought it was prohibited for me to use it on the flight or something.

I arrived Istanbul around 5:30pm, and after getting my luggage I proceeded to buy a ticket back to Cairo, only two hours before takeoff. I took the 8pm flight into Cairo with EgyptAir. The flight went smoothly. I was one of the few people who selected the fish option when asked about their in-flight meal choice. It turned out the last decision I made on my trip was the worst one, as I narrowed down this meal as the one that gave me a bad case of food poisoning for the eight days after that. I didn't notice it at the time, though. I arrived in Cairo around 10pm, welcomed by the madness of an Egyptian airport crowd. Getting my student visa stamped was not a problem, and after a long taxi ride back to Doqqi, my spring break was done.

Overall, a good trip with a lot of valuable experiences. The number of countries I've visited now numbers four, three of them being Middle Eastern countries.

Turkey: Kars, Ani

2009-05-01T22:55:00.013+03:00

Spring Break Day Ten (continued from part nine)

The hotel served a good breakfast, though unusual by American standards: eggs, olives, bread, tea, honey, molasses, and some sort of sweet fudge-like squares.

Celil met us at 9am and drove us the 45km to Ani, the medieval capital of the Armenian Kingdom. When we arrived at Ani, we were given specific instructions: we were not to go on the citadel, near the bridge or the stream, or down into any valleys. I didn't ask what would happen, but I imagine arrest and deportation would be options. It doesn't make sense to me that Turkey controls the former Armenian capital, especially since it's situated right on the Armenian border, but raising political questions like that didn't seem like a good idea either.

Just outside the Ani site.

As you can tell from the pictures, the Ani site is spread out across a wide expanse. Most of the buildings that remained were churches from around the year 900 to 1100. There was also a palace, a fortress (prohibited), some houses, some shops, and a wine press located on the site.

The site takes a couple hours to walk around and fully appreciate. There were only a handful of tourists there, and the village around Ani only has a few people living in it. As a result, the whole site is quiet and peaceful.

Various pictures from the ruined city of Ani.

You can get very close to the Turkish-Armenian border at the site, close enough to throw a rock across the stream that separates the two countries. Some of the staff walked around to let people know which areas were off-limits. We noticed three soldiers who were making patrols, one carrying a teapot, no less.

The stream separating the two countries.

Soldiers passing by, one carrying a teapot.

After returning to Kars, I wandered around the city a bit, venturing up to the citadel and near some of the ancient hammams which reside in the city. I had dinner at a restaurant on Ataturk Cad, though I don't remember the name. The staff didn't know any English, but it was obvious they were excited to have a foreigner eat there. I couldn't understand anything on the menu, so I picked something at random, and it turned out to be a plate with meats prepared in various ways. The food was great, and they treated me like a VIP.

That night I wandered around the city a bit more, visiting a couple Internet cafes. Although only half the size of Van, there was something about Kars that made it more interesting. The only tourists I saw in the city were the ones I had already met, including a British guy who was on a motorcycle trip from Greece to India.

Ataturk Cad in Kars at night. I don't know the reason for the lights.

Outside my hotel in Kars.

Turkey: Van, Doğubeyazıt, Kars

2009-05-01T19:17:00.030+03:00

Spring Break Day Nine (continued from part eight)

The next day I woke up early, since I wanted to make sure I had ample time for travel. I had breakfast at the hotel, strangely enough consisting of olives, eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, and tea. I met another tourist there, coincidentally another American. He was a former Navy corpsman and was traveling all across Turkey, so we talked for awhile about the interesting things we'd seen.

Because of my ATM dilemma, I wanted to make sure I bought a plane ticket back to Istanbul before I spent any more money. The airlines office had to get a shopkeeper from next door to translate English for me. I could barely understand what he said, but everyone was friendly enough and I had a ticket back to Istanbul two days in advance.

After checking out of the hotel, I walked over to the bus station and bought a ticket to Doğubeyazıt for 15 lira (less than $10 USD). There were two French tourists on the bus also, but the rest were local Kurds. The trip to Doğubeyazıt was about two hours, but the ride was incredible and was an attraction in itself. It passed first along the shores of Lake Van and then through remote highways on brown plains. Occasionally we would pass through a small village or see farmers working in their fields, but for the most part it was remote and undeveloped. There was a heavily-fortified checkpoint manned by Turkish Jandarma Genel Komutanlığı, but they didn't inspect passengers, only the bus driver.

The road to Doğubeyazıt, with Lake Van in the background.

We passed very close to the Iranian border.

I arrived in Doğubeyazıt around noon. Doğubeyazıt is a Kurdish town with only a few thousand people. It seemed to be much poorer and more agricultural than Van. I wasn't sure at that point whether I was going to stay there that night or go somewhere else, but after I got off the bus a man approached me and began speaking in English to me. He said he could take me to Kars that afternoon for 25 lira if I wanted. He also told me to open my guidebook to the Kars page to find his name listed as the town's best tour guide, and sure enough, it was there. That sounded good to me.

I walked around the main street Doğubeyazıt for a bit, though there wasn't really anything I could visit. However, I was there to see the palace, so I took a taxi to the summit, which is about 5km off the main road.

Along the way to the palace is a large Turkish military base, and I noticed at least twenty armored tanks parked there. Doğubeyazıt is only a few minutes away from the Iranian border, and apparently there have been troubles in recent years with drug smuggling into Turkey. Additionally, much of Kurdistan was not suitable for tourism until the late 1990s, since PKK, a Kurdish separatist group, had been known for committing terrorist acts in the area. The Turkish military had since increased its presence in the region and the PKK presence is no longer a threat. Although I felt safe while traveling, I did feel there was a considerable amount of tension in the region.

At the top of the mountain outside of Doğubeyazıt lies İshak Paşa Sarayı, a partly-ruined Ottoman palace from the 18th century. The scenery atop the mountain is spectacular, and ranks as one of the best things I've ever visited. Unfortunately the top floor was closed for restoration, but you could still see good views from the ground floor. The palace was divided up into many rooms - courtyards, a kitchen, a mosque, a hammam (thermal bathroom), a library, basement, and dungeon. The architecture is pretty bizarre, looking like a cross of a fortress and an ugly mosque.

The weather on the mountain was cold and damp, somewhere between a drizzle and light flurries.

The various sections of the palace.

The mountains around the palace.

At the palace, I met the same tour guide, and he said he could take me back to Doğubeyazıt before we left for Kars. He had transported two Spanish guys and two Australian guys from Kars that day, and they were going to Van later. We all had lunch together at a very strange restaurant in Doğubeyazıt which was decorated in a Hawaiian style. After lunch we parted ways, and the tour guide, Celil (pronounced jeleel), took me to a carpet shop, which was the meet up point for the Kars trip. Waiting there were three other tourists: a German couple, both doctoral students, and an Italian guy, who was an undergraduate in Rome.

Street in Doğubeyazıt.

The five of us left Doğubeyazıt around 2pm on the road to Kars. Strange as it sounds, the road to Kars was the best part of my spring break. The scenery was among the best I've ever seen in my life, and every so often we would stop along the road, and our tour guide would explain the local area and its geography.

Along the road to Kars.

From the road we could see Mount Ararat, the largest mountain in Turkey, and what is believed to be the location of Noah's Ark. Because of PKK troubles, the mountain is off-limits for visit unless you obtain a climbing permit in advance. Not many people have climbed it, and apparently many of the locals consider it impossible and sacrilegious to climb it. From Doğubeyazıt you cannot see the top of the mountain because of cloud cover, but as you get further away from Doğubeyazıt the summit becomes visible.

We made a stop at this place not far from Doğubeyazıt called Iğdir. Celil had to meet a friend for something. It was a depressing little town with nothing going for it. We weren't there long.

Break in Iğdir.

The road from Iğdir to Kars passes across the intersection of three continental plates - the Eastern European, the Anatolian, and the Asian. Celil showed us exactly where the divides were, which explains the reason the region is prone to serious earthquakes.

We passed by a Turkish wedding along the way. I had heard about them, but I figured the chances of actually seeing one was slim - I was wrong. We stopped for a second to observe. It was a bit strange. The wedding was essentially a group of people on the side of the road with some music and some dancing.

At one point, we stopped on the side of the road to take pictures and for an explanation of the area. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia maintained military bases in Armenia, which are still manned today. The Turkish-Armenian border has been closed for many years, so the area is very sensitive. While we were taking pictures, a group of Turkish soldiers came up behind us and told us we had to leave. They were friendly about it, but they had certain border agreement they had to enforce.

We passed through two fortified checkpoints along the road to Kars and it was noted that there were foreigners visiting the region, but they didn't have us present our passports. Celil had to show his driver's license, though.

More along the road to Kars.

Near the Armenian border overlooking a Russian military base.

We arrived in Kars at around 4:30pm and the first reaction from all of us was that it felt like we were in Russia. I had never been to Russia before, but the Germans had, and they said it reminded them of Moscow. It turns out that Kars was under Soviet rule briefly after World War I. Kars is a small city of about 130,000 people, mostly Kurdish. The streets were wide and arranged in a grid pattern, and most of the buildings were plain stone structures with thick fences. Perhaps the most ominous thing was the statue of Atatürk outside the former military barracks. It could have been replaced with a statue of Stalin and it would have looked normal.

Celil helped us locate a place called the Güngüren Oteli. It was a clean place and I was able to secure a double room for 30 lira per night. Even here the Soviet architecture was striking. In the lobby, a bunch of men smoked cigarettes and watched television, while a small bust of Atatürk loomed in the background.

My concern was getting back to Van for my flight on Tuesday morning. I found out it would be difficult to get a ride back to Van unless I left early the next day, which would mean I wouldn't get to visit Ani. Celil called up the Turkish Airlines office and helped me moved my ticket depature from Van to Kars. That was convenient.

Soon after, I went out to dinner with the Germans and the Italian to a restaurant on the edge of the city. Again, in the Soviet style, the restaurant was much larger than it needed to be, and we were the only ones in there for most of the time. The staff spoke little English, but they were exceedingly friendly and were excited to have us there.

Near the restaurant in Kars.

I ventured into an Internet cafe for a bit before making my way back into the hotel. At night, Kars was freezing. It was funny to think only a few days ago I was burning up near the Dead Sea in Jordan, and here I was fighting to stay warm.

Overall, it was a tremendous day of visiting, and was exactly what I wanted to do. Celil offered to take us to the ruins at Ani the next day, so we agreed to meet in the hotel lobby at 9am.

Turkey: Istanbul and Van

2009-05-01T18:09:00.011+03:00

Spring Break Day Eight (continued from part seven)

I hadn't done too much planning as to where exactly I would go in Turkey other than Istanbul, but I didn't feel the need to visit Istanbul for more than two days. It was an fascinating city for sure and there was much more I could have seen, but I was more interested in seeing some of the more remote parts of Turkey on my trip. I knew there were great places I could visit in Turkey like Ephesus, Troy, and Cappadoccia, but Eastern Turkey was high on my priority list, and I only had a few days left of my spring break.

I decided the next morning to fly into Van, a regional capital in Turkish Kurdistan, since domestic flight tickets are pretty cheap. (Van is pronounced waan). There were buses to take to Van, but they had a 22 hour trip, which did not seem like much fun. Before I bought my flight ticket, however, I had to locate an ATM where I could get my card to work. The previous night I tried several dozen ATMs in Taxsim, but none of them accepted my North Brookfield Savings Bank card. It has a PLUS sticker on it, but it didn't work at any of the PLUS-affiliated ATMs for some reason. I remembered it had worked at the CitiBank at Atatürk Airport, so I took the tram across the city to find another CitiBank. It was very inconvenient, but I eventually got some money and bought my ticket. The travel agent was confused why I was going to Van. I was aware my itinerary was a little unusual.

My flight was at noon, and I left my hotel around 10AM and rushed onto the tram and the metro. The travel agent assured me I would have plenty of time to get there after I bought my ticket, and she was right. I was the only foreigner on my flight, and I think the only foreigner in the entire domestic terminal. It was a little under two hours by air to Van. As the plane prepared for landing, I could see the landscape out the window, which was really amazing. Snow-capped mountains surrounded Lake Van, Turkey's largest lake, which was flanked by flat, brown plains. Getting out of the plane, it looked and felt like a remote place. It was cold, but there was a "wide-open" feel to it.

The airport in Van is small, with only one gate. There were military personnel doing security checks at the exit, but even here the "white phenomenon" came into effect. They checked everyone's passport but mine. The airport is located about 10km out of Van, so I had to take a taxi into the city. The cab driver spoke no English, but I showed him a map of where I wanted to go, and he brought me there. The only problem was it cost a whopping 25 lira, metered.

I had a list of hotels I wanted to check out, and I navigated myself into this place called Büyük Asur Hotel, not far from the center of the city. The manager spoke some English, but with such a strong Kurdish accent that I could almost not understand him. The room was a modest 40 Lira per night (about $25 USD) including breakfast, but it was clean and comfortable. I'd recommend it to anyone staying in Van.

After settling in, I went to the tourist office which was located adjacent to the hotel. It was supposed to be open, but it was locked. The tourist industry isn't too big in Van. My primary concern was finding an ATM. I had brought enough money to buy a way flight back to Istanbul and a little extra, but not too much. Unfortunately, my card didn't work at any of the banks in Van. I wanted to visit the Armenian monastery located on an island in Lake Van, but considering the price of the taxi ride and my ATM dilemma, I decided I would be more conservative with my money.

Downtown Van around my hotel.

My hotel room.

Instead I ventured around Van for the remainder of the day. It's a fairly big city with over 250,000 people, most of them Kurdish, not Turkish.

There is a national museum located near the center of Van, but when I arrived, it too was locked despite the fact that it was supposed to be open.

I went to a nice restaurant that evening which served some excellent food. I ordered lamb kebabs. I don't remember what it came with, but there was plenty of it. I ordered tea with every meal I had in Turkey, since Turkish tea is world famous, but it wasn't that different than the tea I had in Egypt. I had some sort of dessert, though I have no idea what it was called. Turkish desserts are small but very dense, and usually consist of some sort of pastry soaked in honey. I saw a saw a group of women eating there who were clearly not from Turkey - the only foreigners I saw the entire day in Van.

I went to a few different Internet cafes to see what they were like (and to surf the Internet). At one point the whole street lost power without any explanation. Luckily my hotel remained powered.

I had expected Van would be conservative, poor, or backward in some way. This was not the case. It was a very modern city that felt safe, comfortable, and even trendy in a certain respect. The people seemed happy and friendly. My American appearance stuck out strongly among the Kurdish population, but nobody seemed to mind. Van does not command a fraction of the excitement level of Istanbul, but just seeing the other side of Turkey was exciting enough for me.

A park near central Van at night.

Turkey: Istanbul and Bosphorous Strait

2009-05-01T15:13:00.011+03:00

Spring Break Day Seven (continued from part six)

After waking up, I had breakfast at another one of the many restaurants in the district and made my way to the Ottoman palace complex, only a five minute walk from my hotel. Known as Topkapı Sarayı, it served as the seat of the Ottoman Empire from the 15th to 19th centuries. It sits at the north of Sultanahmet on a hill above the Bosphorous Strait, on the European side of Istanbul.

The palace itself is completely intact and the landscape on the property is well-groomed. The size of the palace campus is overwhelming. On the site are a number of different buildings, though I don't remember their names. Perhaps the most impressive displays are the Treasury buildings, which house enormous amounts of gold and jewels. The Sultans clearly loved their treasure.

There is a good view of the Bosphorous Strait and the Asian side of Istanbul from the palace.

The gate to the palace campus.

The lawn.

Various points from around the palace.

Overlooking the Bosphorous from the palace.

After visiting the palace, I took a walk out from Sultanahmet down to the docks where the ferry leaves. A man was selling tickets for a cruise along the Bosphorous for only 20 YTL, so I figured I'd see what it was like. It was a two hour trip along both sides of the Bosphorous, where I got to see nearly all of coastal Istanbul, so it was a good choice.

Views from the Bosphorous of Istanbul.

After the boat trip, I walked from the docks to Taxsim, which is considered "downtown" Istanbul. It's a very long walk; Istanbul is a huge city in terms of area. I enjoyed the area around Taxsim much more than Sultanahmet. There aren't any significant landmarks in Taxsim Square, but it is busy - busier than anywhere I've seen in New York City. Everything had a very Western feel to it, and I could hardly tell that I was in an Islamic city. I haven't visited any cities in Europe, but it seems like downtown Istanbul would not be too much different from its European counterparts. Veiled women in this part of the city were the exception rather than the rule, and everyone wore clothing that would look normal in a Western country. Despite this, it was still obvious that I was a foreigner, since no Turk or Kurd has the same skin and hair color as me.

From Taxsim, I walked a bit north to my destination, the National Military Museum. This one was well-labeled and didn't contain the obvious nationalistic bias like the corresponding museum in Egypt. It covered artifacts from the Byzantine Empire to modern day, though mostly from the early Ottoman Empire. I arrived too close to closing time to see the second floor, but I got to see most of it, and it was a worthwhile visit.

Exhibits from the museum.

There is a monument outside the museum to a soldier named Seyid Obasi, who reportedly lifted a projectile weighing 250 kilos by himself at a critical point in battle. It turns out he wasn't able to lift it again when he was asked to do it for a promotional photograph. I think the story is exaggerated, since the world record for lifting an object overhead is right around that weight.

Statue of Seyid Obasi.

I walked back to Taxsim after that and down Istiklal Street, a major road from the main square. The amount of people was incredible, many of them young adults just hanging out with their friends. I went to a restaurant called Haci Baba, which was somewhat fancy, though it was relatively inexpensive. Turkish cuisine has a reputation for being among the best in the world, and all of my dining experiences in Turkey supported this. After spending some time at an Internet cafe, I began the long walk back to Sultanahmet and back to my hotel.

After my first two days in Turkey, I was still unable to communicate anything meaningful in Turkish other than "thank you," but I began to notice some similarities between Arabic and Turkish. None of the basic words for communication bore any resemblance to Arabic, but some nouns were Arabic words that have been pronounced in Turkish. For example, merkezi corresponds to markaz, meaning "center." Camii (pronounced jamee) corresponds to jame'a, meaning "mosque." Askeri corresponds to 'askareya, meaning "military." I had learned the rules of how to pronounce the Turkish letters, so I was able to pick up a few words by reading signs and labels. The good thing about Turkish is that most of the letters are the same as in English, so reading is not a major barrier to communication like in Arabic.

Turkey: Istanbul

2009-04-30T20:59:00.012+03:00

Spring Break Day Six (continued from part five)

My flight to Istanbul was from Queen Alia Airport (just south of Amman) at 3:30 AM via Turkish Airlines. The flight went smoothly enough, though it did not compare to the almost luxurious feeling of the Royal Jordanian flight the previous week. I did not sleep because I needed to read up a bit on Turkey. I was slightly nervous flying into Turkey, only because I had not bothered to learn any Turkish and my Arabic wouldn't be much help there.

After arriving in the airport, I purchased a visa for $10 USD and then waited in the immigration line. Unlike Queen Alia Airport, this one was slow and inefficient, though the large number of flights arriving at the same time accounted for much of this. I waited in line for around two hours while lots of people held up the line with their passport issues. As I looked around me in line, I was amazed at how many different types of people I saw. I had never seen so many different ethnicities in large numbers in one place before. When it was my turn to be checked, it took less than thirty seconds for me to get my stamp.

The advantage of having to wait in line for so long was that by the time I was ready to leave the airport, it was past 7AM and the metro was running. I could have taken a taxi or shuttle, but I wanted to do things the long but cheap way. I bought two metro Jetons, though it took me more than a second to realize which was a Jeton and which was my change. The metro has its final stop at Ataturk airport, which is very convenient. I hopped on the metro and took it to the Zeytinburnu stop, where the metro transfers into a tram. The tram is basically like a metro, but it runs above ground, and very slowly. Conveniently enough, the tram makes a stop in Sultanahmet, which is where I wanted to stay.

I got off in Sultanahmet and walked around for awhile, trying to find the hostel I had been looking for. I was almost there when a man offered me a room in a place called the Ocean's 7 Hotel. It was impeccably clean and was even comfortable, and it would cost 10 euros ($13 USD) per night. I had no reason to refuse. The arrival stage in Turkey was over, and I did it without getting ripped off, lost, confused, or frustrated. In fact, it was easier than I thought it would be.

I walked around a bit and then got breakfast at a restaurant called the Pudding Shop. It was pretty easy to find a place to eat in this part of the city, as there were restaurants everywhere.

The skyline of Sultanahmet is dominated by the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, both of which were only a few blocks away from my hotel. I first made a visit to the Hagia Sofia. The tickets were an expensive 21 YTL (around $13 USD). It's one of the most famous ancient buildings in existence, so I can't really add anything insightful on the Hagia Sofia that can't be found elsewhere, other than to say it is as impressive in person as it looks in pictures.

Interior of Hagia Sofia, ground level.

Interior of Hagia Sofia, balcony level.

Next I walked over to the Blue Mosque, which is only a five minute walk from the Hagia Sofia. It doesn't get nearly the fanfare as the latter, but it's almost as big and its architecture is just as impressive, at least in my opinion. Since it's still in daily use as a mosque, there was no charge to visit.

Exterior of the Blue Mosque.

Inside the Blue Mosque.

The Egyptian obelisk at the site of the former Hippodrome.

A few minutes walk from the Blue Mosque is the entrance to the Ottoman palace complex. I saved the visit to the palace for the next day, but located on the grounds of the palace are several museums, including the Istanbul Archeology Museum. The museum was well-labeled and there was an overwhelming collection of artifacts from the Stone Age to the Islamic Age.

Near the palace in Sultanahmet.

Shots from the archeological museum.

I returned to my hotel for a nap, as I hadn't slept since the previous night. When I awoke I made a quick trip to the Covered Bazaar, which is the largest non-open market in the world. It was neat to see all the things for sale, but nothing really caught my interest. After that I had a meal at one of the nice outdoor restaurants in Sultanahmet. The food was excellent Ottoman-style cuisine, though it seemed like all the restaurants served small portions at relatively expensive prices. I spent the rest of the night walking around the district and going to a few cafes.

Initially, I was a bit disappointed with the part of the city that I'd seen. The monuments I visited were great, but the Sultanahmet district was really just a haven for tourists. I was expecting to experience a sort of "culture shock" being in a country with its own language and culture, though it never really came like it did in Egypt.

Jordan: Jerash, Aljoun, Amman

2009-04-28T20:06:00.015+03:00

Spring Break Day Five (continued from part four)

I took the early morning bus from Wadi Musa to Amman. When I arrived back at the hostel, the owner mentioned was worried about me since I did not come back last night. I had left my bag there while I stayed in Wadi Musa. It seemed the owner cared a lot about the travelers that stayed at his place. I would recommend the Cliff Hostel to anyone staying in Amman.

I had breakfast at Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Restaurant a few times that week. There aren't too many restaurants in Downtown Amman, but this one is pretty good. Afterward I bought my ticket to Istanbul from a travel agent and then went to North Station for my last day trip in Jordan. I took the bus to Jerash, a significant city in northern Jordan about an hour from the Syrian border.

Road to Jerash.

Jerash is famous for its well-preserved Roman ruins, which was my destination. Upon getting out of the bus, the first thing that struck me was the smell; the flowers in Jerash were in bloom everywhere so the whole city smelled like a florist's shop.

A camel at the bus station?

Before the entrance to the ancient city there was a small marketplace where vendors sell their goods. At the hippodrome, you could purchase tickets to see reenactments of chariot races, though I opted not to.

The ancient city of Jerash is well worth the visit, as many of the structures and the original Roman roads are still intact. The ancient city and the modern city of Jerash are set against a nice background of green, rolling hills. There was a large group of schoolchildren probably from somewhere in Jordan who were visiting, but besides that there weren't too many tourists. The area around the ancient city isn't overly commercialized either, so it made for a pleasant visit.

Gate to the ancient city.

Forum of Jerash.

The bigger theater.

The small theater.

The Hippodrome.

Various pictures from Jerash. I don't remember the names of all the structures.

The modern city in the background of the ancient city.

Some of the flowers, whose scent pervaded the air.

Afterward I had lunch in Jerash and then wandered around the city a bit before locating the bus station. After waiting for a bit, the bus to Aljoun arrived. I was the only one to board the bus, but since it was a multiple-destination route and picks people up along the way, it left with just me on it. The ride from Jerash to Aljoun is perhaps the most scenic road of all that I traveled.

Aljoun is a tiny, quiet town with perhaps a few thousand, and its main (and only attraction) is the castle that sits atop it, known as Qal'at al Rabad. The castle was built in the 12th century by Arabs fighting the Crusaders. I took a taxi to the top and I arrived just before closing time. I didn't get to spend as much time there as I would have liked, but I spent enough time to say that it was probably my favorite thing I saw in Jordan. Karak Castle was a close second, but the quiet town of Aljoun really beats out Karak.

Pictures from Aljoun Castle.

View of the castle from the other side of Aljoun.

After visiting the castle, my taxi driver told me there were no more buses from Aljoun, so he drove me to Jerash. He set me up with a guy who was giving servecee rides in his car to Amman for only 1 dinar, which was a good enough deal for me. After back in Amman, I had dinner at one of the outdoor diner-style places, wandered around Downtown a bit more, checked out of my hostel, and took a taxi to the airport. The only flight I could find from Jordan to Turkey for that day was a 3:30AM flight to Istanbul from Queen Alia Airport, so I had to stay up the whole night.

Jordan: General impressions

2009-04-27T20:30:00.001+03:00

The trip to Jordan was a good visit, I think, since I felt I learned a great deal and enjoyed myself in the process. I visited some of the more obvious tourist attractions but also saw some of the more obscure parts of the country, so I think I got a fair impression of Jordan.

Here are some comparisons to Egypt, from my perspective as a foreigner to both:

Before I arrived in Jordan, I read about the basic differences between Jordanian and Egyptian Arabic, such as the pronounciation of the jim as a "j" rather than a "g" and the pronounciation of the qaff as a soft "q" instead of silent. This was easy to adjust, since Jordanian follows the same rules as Modern Standard Arabic. Many of the basic words such as "what" and "where" were different, but I picked these up quickly. It seems that everyone I talked to in Arabic was able to understand me quite well, but I had a lot of trouble understanding others. Part of this was due to the fact that a lot of the Jordanians I spoke with talked at a blazing fast speed. A few people who were interested in having a conversation with me, however, spoke slowly and clearly so I could make out what they were saying, and it helped.
I had expected that many Jordanians would know English, since it's a more educated country than Egypt. This was not the case, and it seemed Jordanians knew even less English than Egyptians. Most surprising was that some couldn't speak a word of English.
In general, Jordan seemed wealthier than Egypt. I did not see as many poor people as in Egypt (though I'm sure they exist) and the average Jordanian seemed to have a decent standard of living.
The whole country moved efficiently compared to Egypt, where things move at a slow rate. Rules were followed on the road and elsewhere, and it actually felt like the government had control over the country. Police officers and other officials were professional and took their jobs seriously.
Amman does not approach the noise levels, nor the pollution levels, that Cairo does.
The country was a bit cleaner than most of the places in Cairo, but not by much. Even in Jordan, littering is not an enforced crime, so people will simply drop their bag of chips or cigarette box after they are finished with it.
Islam did not seem to have the same dominating role over Jordan as it does in Egypt, though it still plays a significant role.

Jordan: Wadi Musa, Petra

2009-04-27T12:29:00.015+03:00

Spring Break Day Five (continued from part four)

The next day I returned to Wihdat Station and took a bus from Amman to Wadi Musa. Wadi Musa is a small town surrounding the site of Petra, which is by far Jordan's biggest tourist attraction. This trip was 5 dinars (about $7), a little more expensive than normal, but it was almost a three hour ride, so it was worth it. This was a standard inter-city bus, so it was much cheaper than going with the traditional tourist transportation. My cab driver told me that wihdat means "unity", representing the unity between the Palestinian and Jordanian people. The Wihdat neighborhood is mostly Palestinian and is quite poor.

al-Widat Station in Amman.

Road into Wadi Musa.

I arrived in Wadi Musa a little after noon, and I went to this place called the Valentine Hotel, which a guy from the Cliff Hostel in Amman recommended to me. This one was a little more than dirt cheap - about $18 per night including a full buffet meal - but it was very clean and had a great atmosphere about it. Originally I was planning on going back to Amman that night, but I realized that wouldn't be possible.

After checking in, I went straight to the Petra site, which was only a two minute drive from the hotel. As expected, Petra was heavily commercialized and immensely popular, judging by the thousands of tourists visiting that day. There were tourists from all over the world, though there was a disproportionally large number of French tourists. The admission charge was a whopping 21 dinars (about $30) per day, about twenty times the price of every other attraction in Jordan.

The weather in Wadi Musa and Petra was very hot, perhaps above ninety degrees at some point.

Petra was constructed by the Nabateans around the year 100 BC, and is now considered to be among the New Seven Wonders of the World. The entrance to Petra involves a route called the Siq, which is a narrow path through a massive carved canyon. The Siq is almost a mile long, and is cool and dark, but some light seeps in from above.

Before entering the Siq.

Views from the Siq.

After the long walk through the Siq, the next landmark is the Treasury. It's a massive building carved into the side of the cliffs.

The Treasury.

Some unknown structures not far from the city center.

Tourists getting a camel ride.

After passing by the Treasury, there are a number of smaller structures. I decided to take the less popular route up the mountain along this way, and it turned out to be a good move. The route consists of a long hike (at least a half hour) with thousands of well-placed ancient steps. It is one of the highest places in Petra.

Along the route to the high place.

At the summit of the mountain is the High Place of Sacrifice, perhaps the most impressive place in all of Petra. It's skipped by most tourists since it's a relatively strenuous climb. Atop the High Place are flat stones were sacrifices took place, though whether they were human or animal is unknown. The view from the High Place is amazing, and quite dangerous since there are drops on all sides of the cliff of hundreds of feet.

Views from the High Place of Sacrifice

After climbing back down to the main level of Petra, the other main sites to see are the theater and the Temple of Urn. After that, I passed through the city center with its Roman-style road and various structures on either side.

Theatre.

Temple of Urn.

The city center.

The only vendors that are allowed to sell anything within the Petra site are the bedouins. They sell crafts, donkey and camel rides, food, and drink and they all speak fluent English. It seems like some of them actually live in Petra.

I then began the long walk to the Monastery, which is the furthest significant point in Petra. It took me about twenty-five minutes, although the guidebook suggested allowing an hour to climb the summit. The walk was definitely worth it, however, since the Monastery is the best monument at Petra.

Walking to the Monastery.

The Monastery.

Further beyond the Monastery is what is called the "View of the End of the World." From this view you can see Mount Harun, where Moses' brother Aaron is buried, and parts of Saudi Arabia.

View of the End of the World.

I've heard it suggested by multiple people that you need about two days to see all of Petra. I disagree, as I was able to see everything at Petra in a total of five hours. I was moving fast, since I wanted to see everything in a single day, but I don't think it is necessary to spend more than a day there. However, Petra makes for a very worthwhile and memorable visit.

After that, the hotel staff ran a pickup trick back to the hotel. There was a good buffet that night and the weather was nice enough to sit on the deck until the evening. The hotel had people from all over - France, England, Australia, Spain, Korea, Germany, US, and other places.

Driving back to the hotel.

View from the hotel.

Jordan: Karak, Qasr, Safi, Mazraa', Amman

2009-04-26T19:59:00.012+03:00

Spring Break Day Four (continued from part three)

The next day turned out to be a frustrating one in terms of transportation, but I got to see one of my favorite parts of Jordan.

I got up in the morning to go to Wihdat Station, and took the bus to Karak. Karak is located about 150km south of Amman, and is one of Jordan's largest cities, although that doesn't say much since it's really not very big. The ride there was picturesque, as most of the rides through Jordan were. When I arrived at the bus station, I could see my destination in sight - Karak Castle - but it was situated very high on the hill and I didn't know how to get there.

I asked a minibus driver if he would take me to the qasr, to which he agreed. As far as I know there isn't a word for castle in Arabic, but qasr means "palace" and the castle used to serve as a palace anyway, so I figured he'd understand what I meant. He began to drive me away from the castle, so I assumed the road to the castle must have been out of the way. He then began asking me why I wanted to go to the qasr and where exactly I wanted to be dropped off. He was confused why I wanted to go there, and I was confused why we were heading out of Karak, until I saw a road sign for al-Qasr. It turns out al-Qasr is an obscure village outside of Karak. By the time I realized what was going on, I figured I might as well see what the place was like before going back. I got out in Qasr, leaving him thoroughly baffled as to why I was there.

There was absolutely nothing in Qasr for me to see or do, not even a place to get some food. Luckily I found a Qasr-Karak bus, and took it back to Karak. In Karak, I asked a minibus driver to take me to al-qala', which means the citadel, and there was no miscommunication here. When I finally arrived at the castle, I was very impressed. The castle was built in the 12th century by Crusaders who occupied the Holy Land, and was later used as a fortress by the Mamelukes. As you can tell from the pictures, you can see a great deal of the surrounding region from the summit. I would rate it as one of my favorite sights of my trip.

Views from the Crusader castle.

After having lunch in Karak, I went to catch a bus to the town of Safi. I knew that there were buses from Karak to Safi, but that they left at a different station than the rest of the buses. I asked a cab driver to take me to that bus station, but somehow he interpreted it to mean I wanted him to take me to Safi. Another miscommunication, but I didn't object, since I wanted to go to Lot's Cave and I would need a taxi when I arrived in Safi anyway.

The road from Karak to Safi passes along the King's Highway, which is considered the most picturesque road in Jordan. The road has been around since Biblical times, and passes through huge desert valleys and descends below sea level at a very rapid rate. While Karak had a warm but comfortable temperature, the temperature around Safi was unbearably hot. Before heading to Lot's Cave, we passed Bab al-Dhraa. There wasn't much to see there other than a cemetery, but it is believed to be Sodom, the Biblical city that was destroyed by God.

Along the King's Highway.

Former site of Sodom. Not much to see there, just some graves.

Lot's Cave is the place where the prophet Lot was believed to hide from the destruction of Sodom. (Bab al-Dhraa is only a few minutes drive away.) It's rather far from civilization, and you really need a four-wheel vehicle to climb the hill to get to the cave. It's not a very popular tourist spot, as the attendant said I was only the fifth person to visit that day. It makes sense, since it involves a long hike up a mountain just to see a tiny cave. There are ruins of a Byzantine church that once stood there, but besides that, it's completely desolate. However, it is interesting to think that I stood in the same spot where Lot stayed thousands of years ago.

Standing in Lot's Cave.

After the cave, I asked my taxi driver to drop me off in Safi. This sparked an argument, since he expected me to return to Karak and pay the round trip. We eventually settled on a price, though he was not happy. When I arrived in Safi, there wasn't much to see. It was a dreary, poor village, and the heat was overbearing. It is known in the Bible as one of the "Cities of the Plain." It seemed like there was a large Palestinian population in Safi, most of them very poor. I decided to have a snack at the coffee shop by the bus station. It seemed like the owners hadn't seen a foreigner in awhile, because they were very intrigued to meet me. In fact I'm sure I was the only foreigner in Safi, and I wondered if the locals were suspicious of me, since Safi is not far from the Israeli border. I soon found out that there were no more buses to Amman that day, so I took the bus to Mazraa', which was a few minutes drive north. There were no buses from Mazraa', so the bus continued to Karak.

Along the Dead Sea Highway.

The Arab Potash Company (produces potassium carbonate from the Dead Sea) is the only major landmark for miles along this way.

Drive back to Karak.

When I arrived in Karak again, there was a bus with Amman as destination, but it had not yet filled up with people, and judging by the amount of activity in the city at the point, it wasn't leaving anytime soon. Buses in Jordan only leave when they're full, otherwise the bus drivers don't make a profit. After a few minutes of waiting, another Karak-Amman bus pulled into the station, but it was nearly full and looking for passengers. The two other people waiting with me ran onto that bus, and I made my way over there as well. There must be some unwritten rule that all buses must start from the station, however, since the driver of my bus became furious. A small fistfight erupted on the passing bus. The bus driver of this new bus urged me to hop on, but the other driver slammed the door in my face. Recruiting passengers is serious business. I wasn't about to start a fight over a bus, so I just returned to the first bus, while the others who were quicker got a ride to Amman. The number of riders waiting at the station now dwindled to two. I waited there for almost two hours while the bus driver recruited enough passengers to pack the bus. In retrospect, I found out there was a bus only for tourists that left from just outside the castle, but I wasn't quite following the tourist agenda at that point.

I finally arrived back in Amman that night, had dinner at one of the standard outdoor kebab diner establishments, and wandered around Downtown before heading to the hostel. I spent more time inside a vehicle than out of a vehicle that day, but on the upside I got to see quite a bit of central Jordan. It also contributed to my goal of balancing tourist visits with more mundane, less exciting travel. The purpose of this was to get a feel for how Jordan and its culture really is, rather than get a skewed, artificial view of the country.

Jordan: Amman

2009-04-24T09:50:00.020+03:00

Spring Break Day Three (continued from part two)

The third day I decided I had enough of the Faris Wings Hotel, and I would find another. I went to the place where I was originally going to check out when I arrived in Amman, called Cliff Hostel. It was right in the middle of Downtown, above a bakery and and a coffee shop. The change in atmosphere was marked. The previous "hotel" was dreary, depressing, and dirty, and I was the only one staying there. Cliff Hostel had some character, and was run by a very knowledgeable Palestinian man who spoke fluent English. The price was only 4JD per night (around $6) to split with two other roommates. I couldn't believe that I paid 60 dinars to stay in that other hotel for three nights. There was a lounge with all sorts of information about Jordan, and there were a bunch of other young backpacking travelers who were staying there. My roommates that night were Argentinian and German, respectively, so it was interesting to hear of their travels.

I spent Sunday visiting the sites in Amman, first heading up to the Ummayad Palace atop the Citadel. The Ummayads build their palace here before the medieval times, and much of it still remained. The view from Jabal al-Qalaa (Citadel Hill) was probably the best view in all of Amman. You could clearly see from the Citadel the hills upon which Amman is built.

Views of Amman from the Citadel.

The ruined Ummayad Palace.

For some reason, a US Air Force plane over Amman.

There was also an impressive archaeological museum atop the citadel, with artifacts dating as early as the Bronze Age up until the Islamic Age. A few of the Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran were housed there.

Artifacts from the archaeological museum.

After the Citadel, I headed to what is known as Roman Amman, where several structures from the Roman occupation remain. The most impressive of these is the Roman Theatre, which is almost entirely intact after two millennia.

Views from the Roman Theatre.

Next to the Roman Theatre is the Odeon, which is essentially a smaller theater which could fit a couple hundred people perhaps.

The Odeon.

On the site of the Roman Theater are the Folklore Museum and the Museum of Popular Traditions, which had some interesting displays of Jordanian culture.

Exhibits in the Folklore Museum

A few blocks away is the ruined Nymphaeum, a Roman shrine to the Nymph goddesses. There isn't much left of it to see.

Nymphaeum.

Afterward I wandered around Downtown for awhile, though that doesn't take very long. Amman has been inhabited for many millennia, and it is known in the Bible as the land of the Ammonites. However, the city of Amman only emerged as a significant city in the 20th century. Therefore, the Downtown area is quite small and doesn't compare to Cairo or from what I've read, any of the other major Middle Eastern cities. There are a number of shops, mostly selling modern goods like DVDs and fashionable clothing. The one thing that is distinctive is the Gold Sooq, an area of shops which sell quality gold jewelry at some of the lowest prices in the world.

That night I went to church in the Shmeesani district of northwestern Amman. The church, Sacred Heart, was located on the site of the French Catholic school Freres College. Although it was Easter elsewhere in the world, it was Palm Sunday here because they wanted to show togetherness with the Greek Orthodox Churches in the country. Interestingly, almost the entire parish was Filipino, with some Indian parishioners, which suggests there is a large Asian population in Amman. I talked to the priest after Mass and it turned out he was a Jesuit from Boston.

Sacred Heart Church at Freres College in Shmeesani.

By the end of the third day, I felt I had gotten enough of an impression of Jordan to make a comparison to my experiences in Egypt. On the whole, Jordan seemed much calmer, more liberal, and more civilized than Egypt. The most noticeable difference was the traffic situation. There are actually traffic lights, stop signs, and traffic officers in Jordan, and cars obey them. Taxi drivers actually use a meter rather than the "however much you want to pay me" system in Egypt. In many respects, Egypt has a sort of lawlessness about it, whereas adherence to the laws in Jordan makes for an entirely different atmosphere.

In terms of clothing, it seemed most people dressed according to Western standards, at least in Amman. I did not see anyone wearing the jalabeyya (traditional robe) in Amman, though I did see a few when I went to the less populated areas of Jordan. Only about half of the women in Amman were veiled, compared to nearly all women in Cairo. It seemed like there was more freedom for Jordanian teenagers to have a variety of haircuts and clothing styles, whereas in Egypt there seems to be boundaries for what is acceptable. I even saw many teenagers wearing shorts.

It also seemed that Jordanians are far more patriotic than Egyptians, though whether it was genuine or not, I can't really determine. Many cars and buses were decorated with Jordanian flags and other sorts of memorabilia. What was particularly entertaining was the fact that you can't go anywhere in Jordan without seeing a giant picture of King Hussein. He can be seen in the pictures wearing his military uniform, traditional Jordanian clothing, a suit, or some other attire, but in each picture he always has a big smile. It seems like every street and institution in Jordan is named after the king or the queen.

The major irritating thing that was no different from Egypt was getting change for bills. Some people would refuse your payment unless you had exact change, or at the very least would get irritated if you presented large bills. Even giving a 1 dinar bill for a 45 piaster charge irritated people. The key, I found, is to get your change at restaurants and large stores, where they are more likely to have lots of bills, and save them for buses and other places where they are unlikely to have change.

Jordan: Madaba, Mount Nebo, Amman

2009-04-23T17:06:00.017+02:00

Spring Break Day Two (continued from part one)

I slept a little extra the next day and the ultramarathon had left me a little sore in the shins and calves, but I could still walk. I wanted to do some sightseeing in one of the cities around Amman, but I wasn't exactly sure where. Unfortunately I had been using a guidebook from 2002, so when I told the taxi driver I wanted to go to Abdali Station, he was confused. It seems that in the past few years they phased out Abdali as the major bus station and built an entirely new one, called North Station somewhere north of Abdali. North Station is a massive parking lot with buses, and it's a good thing I read Arabic because the destinations are written only in Arabic.

I hopped on the bus to Madaba, which was only about a 45 minute ride. It only cost 50 piasters (about $0.71). The ride from Amman to Madaba was beautiful, as it passed through the rolling, green, Jordanian countryside. Madaba is known in the Bible as the land of Moab, and its most famous landmark today is the Church of the Map, an ancient Greek Orthodox Church. Inside the church is a large mosaic, which is the earliest known map of the Holy Land.

Road to Madaba

The Church of the Map

The map mosaic, in the Church of the Map

The shrine to Mary in the basement of the church was more interesting as it is the site of the "Blue Mary." Apparently there had always been paintings of Mary in the shrine, but one night the painting miraculously drew a blue hand, which is thought to be a helping hand from Mary to the people of Madaba.

Shrine of Mary in the Church of the Map (Blue Mary on the right)

Afterward, I went to the Madaba Archeological Park, which contains some interesting mosaics and tombs from several churches that were originally built in the 5th century.

Madaba Archeological Park

After wandering around Mababa for awhile, I headed to the bus station, where I took a servecee to Mount Nebo, which was only a few minutes drive away from Madaba.

Mount Nebo is where Moses is believed to be buried and is thought to have first saw the Promised Land. On the top of the mountain is a monument to Moses, and a small museum.

The view from Mount Nebo was incredible. On a clear day it is possible to see Jericho, Bethlehem, the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives from the mountain.

Overlooking the Holy Land.

This was a stone used to guard an ancient Byzantine Church that was once here.

Turkey on the mountain.

Memorial to Moses.

Overlooking the Dead Sea.

I didn't realize that Mount Nebo was far removed from passing traffic, and I didn't ask the servecee driver to wait for me while I visited the moutain. Therefore I had to walk down the mountain and through one of the villages on the way to Madaba. I talked to one of the villagers for awhile in Arabic while he rode his donkey. I passed a small shop where a boy who was about 5 years old wanted me to buy some things at his store and have his Dad drive me back to town, though I declined his offer. After a few kilometers of walking, I finally found a bus which took me back to Madaba for only 15 piasters. I had lunch in Madaba before catching a bus back to Amman.

Shepherds in the village I passed through, outside Mount Nebo.

Within Madaba. The main road was being renovated.

In Amman I was able to find an Internet center where I could check my email. Perhaps one of the funniest things on my whole trip occurred in this place, where a few crazed Jordanians were playing soccer against each other on the computer. Whenever one of them won, he would shout, "Allahu akbar," meaning "God is the greatest." It's only funny when you consider that the only place I've heard it used is in a sacred religious context, not to celebrate a soccer victory.

Jordan: Dead Sea Ultramarathon and Amman

2009-04-22T18:25:00.008+02:00

Spring Break Day One

I left for my spring break via the Cairo Airport on the night of April 9. There was only one flight I could take from Cairo to Amman if I wanted to be on time for the Dead Sea 50k/31 mile Ultramarathon, since my economics professor gave us an exam on the last day before break. Luckily my flight was on time and I arrived in Amman around 11:30pm. The flight was only an hour long, but I lost an hour due to time zone differences between Egypt and Jordan.

Arrival in Jordan couldn't have been easier. Currency exchange, visa, immigration, and customs took me all of fifteen minutes, thanks to small size and efficiency of the airport. My next challenge was locating a taxi, since Queen Alia Airport is 35km outside Amman. A few guys tried to rip me off, but I wasn't going to fall for that again like I did my first night in Cairo. I settled on a fair 15JD ride into downtown, surprisingly, with a travel agent. When I told him I was looking for a hotel, he drove me up to the Faris Wings Hotel just off King Hussein Street near downtown. He may have had a connection to the hotel staff, but I didn't care much because I needed to find a place quickly. The room was 20JD per night (a little under $30).

I needed a small meal before bed, so I walked around King Hussein Street. My first thought was, "where are all the people?" Perhaps I was used to being able to get something late in New York City or Cairo, but after walking around for a half hour in Amman I probably only saw half a dozen people. Virtually no shops or stores were open, and so I had to settle for some juice at the one coffee stand that I saw open.

Downtown Amman at night was underwhelming. Apparently the more exciting parts to be in at night are the wealthier districts on the outskirts, like Shmeesani.

I went to sleep around 3am and this is when I realized how dirty the hotel was. It was certainly not worth even a fraction of the nightly rate, and I would not recommend that anyone stay there. I think I may have been the only one staying in the whole hotel.

I woke up at 5am and got my stuff together before taking a taxi (with a friendly taxi driver) to the 7th Circle. There I met another American student who is studying in Amman for the year, as I had arranged for him to pick up my race number and chip earlier that week since I wasn't able to.

When we arrived at the meeting place for the marathon, there was utter chaos. I soon found out that we had to take buses to get to the starting line, but I had to ask around in my broken non-Jordanian Arabic to find out which one to take. There were thousands of people there, most of them teenagers who were running the 10km race. I soon found out that the bus to the 50k race had already left and the attitude of all the race officials I told was basically "oh well." This was frustrating. I jumped on the half marathon bus, and when I realized I was nowhere near the 50k starting point, I got out and one of the other Jordanian runners explained my situation to one of the traffic officers. The officer tried to help, but he basically just told me to get a ride in the other direction.

So there I waited in my shorts and t-shirt on the side of the road until a minibus driver picked me up. I explained to him in my best Arabic that I didn't know where I was going, but I needed to get to the start of the race. The situation must have looked ridiculous. At this point, I thought I was almost 40 minutes late for the race, but I soon saw the lead pack of the 50k heading in the other direction, not too far from the start. I got out and had to ask around where exactly the starting line was (since there were no markings). When I found it, I set my watch and began running. That was a relief.

If you want to read the gritty details of the race, you can read the post in my training blog, though it won't be particularly interesting for non-runners.

Suffice it to say that the run was tremendous. Although it was run entirely on a highway, it was very picturesque and enjoyable. I had brought my camera to the race, but I put it in the luggage bag, not my running backpack. Within 20 minutes I had already passed the back of the pack, and I realized that the ultra had started a half hour late, so I was only about 15 minutes late for the race.

One of the best parts of the race was the buses. Somewhere between 10k and 30k, buses full of Jordanians drove by every minute or so, some full of children, some filled with adults. They would beep their horns, clap, cheer, and shout yella ("let's go") or ijra besur'a ("run faster").

The security for the race was pretty tight. Traffic cops were posted every 400m or so, and every 1k or so there were police captains and special police. Unlike the police in Egypt, the police in Jordan actually have a high degree of professionalism and look like they take their jobs seriously. The traffic police wear the Roman legion-type helmets with the spike on the top, and the special police were replete with berets, bulletproof vests, urban camouflage, and machine guns. At one point along the run near the West Bank border, there must have been a sensitive area, since both sides of the street were flanked by a wall of special police. It felt like I was the President arriving in a foreign country.

The last 10k was brutally hot, as the Dead Sea came into sight. This region was less developed than the area around Amman, so villagers came out and were intrigued to know what was happening. A group of kids (probably Palestinian) had a conversation with me while I was running along and challenged me to race them.

I ended up finishing on my watch in 4:58:02 (though because I was late, the official time is recorded as 5:15, though it doesn't reflect my actual performance). It's not a tremendous time, but I am satisfied I finished.

I met another American during the race who was running the standard marathon, and so after the race I went with her and her friends to the beach at the Dead Sea Marriott, which was a few kilometers from the finish line.

First, we applied the Dead Sea mud, which is supposed to have miraculous healing powers on the skin. My skin was sunburned from the race, so I'm not sure if it actually did anything. Then I walked slowly into the Dead Sea and I was waist-deep before I had to jump out practically writhing in pain. The ultramarathon had left my thighs chafed and badly swollen, and the extreme salinity of the water caused excruciating pain. I can say I was in the Dead Sea, but I didn't get to float in it.

Here's the lowest place on Earth.

Covered in Dead Sea mud.

The Dead Sea

I found someone to take me back to Amman that night. I got some food at Hisham's, which is a renowned 24-hour diner-type Jordanian establishment, which only serves ful, hummus, falafel, and tea, all of which was very good.

Amman is a city of hills, and even though my hotel was a few blocks away from the main street in Downtown, it was situated on a high hill and I had to take about 200 stairs to get to it.

Islamic Cairo revisited

2009-04-08T17:05:00.015+02:00

Today was International Day, so my classes after noon were canceled. I had one before noon but I opted not to go, which is actually the first time I've ever willingly missed a class in college.

Instead I decided to visit a few sites in Islamic Cairo that I hadn't yet seen. Islamic Cairo perhaps the most interesting part of the city that even if I continued to go back, I would still find new things. The problem is that it's hard to get to. I took the subway to from Doqqi to Saida Zeinab and took the long route along Bur Said Street.

I visited the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, which is the largest mosque in Cairo, and among the oldest, having been built in the ninth century. It's a popular tourist spot, so there were a few tourist groups inside. Unlike other mosques which make you take off your shoes before you enter, they gave me burlaps to put over my shoes, which you can see in the pictures.

Courtyard of Mosque of Ibn Tulun

A few blocks away from the mosque is Midan al-Qalaa (Citadel Circle) and the Mosque of Sultan Hassan. You can see Sultan Hassan from the Citadel, as in my pictures from my previous visit to the Citadel. This time, I decided to go in, and it was incredible. It's not as much of a tourist location as Ibn Tulun, so I only saw a couple other people visiting.

The interior of the Mosque of Sultan Hassan

Sultan Hassan is buried here; these are from his tomb.

The exterior. Notice the Mosque of Mohammad Ali in the background.

From Mosque of Sultan Hassan looking out onto al-Qalaa Street

I noticed in my visits to Islamic Cairo that some of the streets have stores which sell only one good. For example, the upper part of Bur Said Street sells toilets and plumbing supplies, Qalaa Street sells couches and chairs, and the upper part of Muhammad Ali Street sells handmade musical instruments. I ended up walking back from Islamic Cairo to Nagib metro station.

---

Today I also had my first (and probably only) experience banking in Egypt. I had to send someone money via Western Union in order to pay the fee for my race on Friday. After going to a Western Union on the fifth floor of some building near Talaat Harb in Downtown, I found out that some places only let you receive money, not send it. [As an aside, I can't imagine how they afford to employ someone to sit there all day just to dispense cash, especially seeing as it looked like I was the only person he'd seen today.] I had to go to the main branch of the Arab African International Bank to send money. All the banks in Cairo have guards posted outside and inside. You have to get a ticket from the guard, like you would in a deli. When I went in, I initiated my transaction in Arabic, even though I could tell the banker knew fluent English. Since I was sending US dollars, I had to go to an exchange office nearby to get my money. I asked for a very specific dollar amount, so I got some strange looks, understandably. When I went back to the bank, I was rerouted to a teller, and then back to the banker, before finishing my transaction. I had to have a few sentences translated for me, but other than that I completed the transaction in Arabic, which was gratifying.

---

Last night I went to a restaurant in Zamalek with a friend, called Goal's. It bills itself as an Italian restaurant, but in reality it's just a nice Egyptian establishment. The food was good, and the location was great, just north of the 26th July bridge right along the Nile. Though despite the fact that Zamalek is extremely clean and picturesque, it's not a place I'd like to live. Essentially every other person that walked by was either an AUC student or a British or French tourist. All the others were very American-looking, stylish young Egyptians. In other words, it does not feel like the rest of Cairo.

Updates on recent experiences

2009-04-06T18:55:00.016+02:00

The past week has been relatively uninteresting, but here are a few things of note.

On Friday I went to the Hard Rock Cafe with some friends, which was basically devoid of any sort of Egyptian culture. It's located in the basement of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Garden City, which is one of the biggest hotels in Cairo. All the other customers were American tourists. And, for the first time, the prices were comparable to prices one would pay in the US.

On Saturday, I went to a Syrian restaurant in Mohandeseen with a friend, called Abu Sharqa, across from al-Salam Hospital. The food was excellent, with large portions of meat for very inexpensive prices.

Twice in the past week I've noticed large groups of riot police at my bus stop. Originally I thought it was a training drill, but an AUC girl told me they were planning on having riots or protests there, since my bus stop is across the street from the state court on Charles de Gaulle Street in Doqqi. I take the early bus, so there wasn't any activity there while I was waiting.

I wish I could say my classes are going well, but unfortunately some of them are not. The major problem is that the professors have missed many classes without explanation.

As mentioned in the AUC newspaper, the AUC campus is slowly turning into Sooq AUC, meaning AUC market. Today was a fair of sorts, with merchants selling goods in booths across the quad. There have been a number of concerts in the past few weeks on campus during the 10:00-11:00 AM classes-free block; they're seemingly random.

I'll put my thoughts and assessments of AUC into context in a more complete post toward the end of the semester.

Since "trying out" the various churches in Cairo, I've stuck with St. Joseph's Church in Downtown (near Abdeen Palace). There is a 5:00 pm Mass in English, which has three priests - one from Philippines, one from Ghana, and one from Indonesia, who rotate their homilies. It's a pretty small congregation, as the demand for English Masses in Cairo is fairly low. Still, it's a diverse crowd, and it seems like I'm the only one there that speaks English natively, as everyone else is from other parts of the world. The church is cordoned off behind the altar so there is another space for smaller Masses, which is where the English Mass is held.

I've been collecting the Arabic Mass bulletins so that I can bring them home and read them when I am better in Arabic. I can pick out a few words in the readings, but for the most part they are too advanced for me. Interestingly, the Arabic biblical translation is much shorter than the English version, because of the fact that many Arabic verbs can express more thorough meanings than their counterparts in English.

Yesterday was the hottest day I've spent in Cairo, as it reached 95°F. Yet I still saw the majority of Egyptian males wearing their trademark slacks, dress shirt, and woolen sweater. Today was not as warm, reaching the eighties.

I am leaving this Thursday evening for Amman, Jordan, where I will participate in the Dead Sea 50k ultramarathon. I'm going to spend a few days in Jordan, sightseeing, and then head to Turkey for same. Among the sites I hope to see in Jordan are Petra, Wadi Rum, the Baptism Site, and whatever else I have time for. In Turkey I hope to see the Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, and possibly out easts to see Nemrut Dagi and Lake Van.

It seems like most of the study abroad students will be traveling for the spring break. Of the people I've talked to, others are going to Israel, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Turkey, Kenya, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Sinai and Luxor/Aswan of Egypt. It seems like I'll be the only one at school on Thursday, since I have an exam in the afternoon, whereas most study abroad students are leaving Wednesday morning, since classes after noon are canceled due to International Day.

I may skip my Wednesday class and instead get ready for my trip and perhaps visit a certain site here in Cairo, since I'm running out of time to visit sites in Egypt that I haven't yet seen.

After that, I will likely not make posts here for about two weeks, though I will have detailed reports of my trip when I return.

Observations from the Cairo metro/subway

2009-04-02T07:21:00.009+02:00

The Cairo Metro (subway) is among the more efficient institutions in the city, though it still has some uniquely Egyptian quirks, which always make for an interesting experience.

Currently the metro has two lines, which cross over each other at two locations (map). The subway does not have complete coverage of the city, nor is the coverage proportional to population or significance. The areas served by the subway include 'Ataba, Doqqi, Downtown, Garden City, Gezira, Giza, Helwan, Maadi, el-Marg, Old Cairo, and Shubra. The major areas which conspicously lack subway coverage are Agouza, Heliopolis, all of Islamic Cairo, el-Manial, Mohandeseen, Nasr City, and Zamalek. However, the subway maps include a third line, to be built in the foreseeable future, which will provide access to Heliopolis (via the airport) Islamic Cairo, Mohandeseen, and Zamalek. One can only wonder when this work will begin. The common phrase bukra in sha' allah is appropriate here: "tomorrow, if God wills it." In other words, not anytime soon.

The cost of the Cairo metro is 1 LE per ride, for all stops, which converts to about $0.18. There are seasonal tickets available, though I am unsure of their prices. The low fare is the primary reason I enjoy using the metro. A typical cab ride between two or three subway stops may cost around 10 LE, which is still a low price for an American, though not as low as the subway.

While playing a game of "who can spot a rat first?" in the New York subway always results in a winner, the Cairo metro is very clean for a public transportation service. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the rest of the city.

Since most Cairenes use cash exclusively for transactions, automatic ticket machines are not available for the metro. Thus, everyone has to purchase a ticket at the office prior to riding. When I first arrived in Cairo, I thought that I was being cut in line when waiting for a ticket. I have come to realize that Egyptians have no concept of forming a line. What would be a queue elsewhere is a massive mob of people who force their way into the front of the ticket office, particularly during rush hour. Being assertive is important, or else you won't get a ticket. Occasionally, a polite Egyptian will offer to buy your ticket if you give him or her the money, thus reducing the number of transactions by one.

It's inevitable at some point that you'll be holding a 1 LE bill somewhere at the front of the mob ready to buy, when someone will throw a 50 LE bill on the desk and say waheda - one ticket. Of course the metro employee will take his time to return change. Having more employees working at the ticket booths would reduce these types of bottlenecks.

Tickets have to be inserted into the machines before entering the platform and after exiting the platform. I don't understand the point of needing a ticket to exit the platform. There are security guards who are supposed to make sure everyone has a ticket, but I've seen them on many occasions look the other way while riders just jump over the turnstiles.

As one descends to the train platforms, one begins to hear the sound of the televisions blaring. Sometimes they show advertisements, but most times they show the metro TV station, which broadcasts Arabic pop music videos. These always provide a good laugh.

The cars in the middle of the train are reserved for women only. Luckily, I have never made the mistake of getting on one of these cars, but I have heard of some foreigners who have done so, causing some embarrassment.

The downside to having women's only cars is that the rest of the cars are sometimes packed, especially in the late afternoons during rush hour. When the train arrives, riders will literally run and push their way onto the car until it's full. For some reason, it's quite impolite to use this same mob method to exit the train. Before you arrive at your stop, you are supposed to ask the person in front of you "inta nazeel?" meaning, "are you descending?". If the answer is no, he will switch places with you.

Sometimes one may see people selling various trinkets on the subway, though this sort of thing happens in the US also. The difference is that most people are fascinated by these trinkets and actually buy them.

On more than one occasion I've seen men carrying machine guns or shotguns on the
subway, some wearing uniforms, and some wearing street clothes. None of the other passengers ever seem to be fazed by this.

While the bridges across the Nile are by far the most popular dating locations in Cairo, bizarrely enough the subway stations seem to be popular as well.

As one exits the subway station, it's likely that one will encounter a poor person on the stairs who will try to sell something. For some strange reason, all the beggars in Cairo sell tissues to try to make some money. I've wondered if this the government subsidizes the sale of tissues for this purpose.

---

I'm now over halfway through my study abroad period, and the time has gone by rather quickly so far. There are still some things I have planned to see and do in Egypt before heading back to the United States. Among them include visits to Luxor, Aswan, Fayoum, and the Western Desert (possibly Siwa). Before then, though I have a spring break of ten days, where I will be visiting Jordan and Turkey. I have purchased my ticket to Amman on the night of April 9th and will be running the Dead Sea 50k Ultramarathon the next day. More to follow.

Meeting with my landlord, thoughts on Doqqi

2009-03-29T23:40:00.005+02:00

Today my roommate Nate went to renew our lease for the apartment with the landlord, so I figured I'd meet my landlord since I hadn't yet. This was significant because it was the first time I'd been invited into the home of an Egyptian.

My landlord is named Nabil, and he lives on the other side of Midan al-Mesaha in Doqqi, about five minutes from our apartment. Nabil is elderly man, not even five feet tall, but speaks English fluently. His apartment is in a high rise, and is quite luxurious. He's a retired civil engineer, so he is fairly wealthy for an Egyptian.

When we arrived, we got the legal business out of the way. Nate signed the contract (all in Arabic) and agreed that he would be responsible for me as a "guest" only, so I'm not actually a party on the contract. Nabil also inspected my passport and visa.

After that we were offered tea, as is standard in Egypt, and he made us stay awhile to talk. His wife didn't know English, so we talked mainly in Arabic. I didn't say much, but I was contented by the fact that I could understand at least the main ideas of everything that was said. Nate is quite strong in Arabic, but even he feels fluency is very far away. Nabil talked to us about his career, politics, history, and some other topics. Before we left we were given the standard "you are like sons, visit me anytime" speech.

I've slowly come to the conclusion that Doqqi is simply the best place in Cairo to live, at least according to my tastes. If I were to ever return to Cairo and needed an apartment, I would most likely choose Doqqi again. The northeastern part of Giza and the southern part of Agouza are close enough to Doqqi that they would also be great places to live. I've been to basically every neighborhood in Cairo at least once, so I think I have a good idea of how Doqqi compares.

Among the many reasons I think Doqqi is an ideal neighborhood for living:

Tahrir Street and Doqqi Street have all the shops and services you'd ever need.
The Doqqi metro stop is only two stops from Downtown.
Walking to Midan al-Tahrir in Downtown takes only fiveteen minutes from Midan al-Galaa' in Doqqi.
There are trees which provide some shade and aesthetic appeal, unlike most Cairo neighborhoods.
Expat population is very low. It actually feels like living in Cairo, rather than an expat enclave. This is good for seeing how the "common" Cairene lives and speaks on a daily basis.
Apartments are mostly cheap, although there are a few luxury ones available.
It does not have the level of pollution that is present in Downtown or Garden City; in fact the pollution in Doqqi isn't noticeable except on Tahrir Street.

The only thing that has irritated me about living in Doqqi is the noise pollution, which of course is a problem everywhere in Cairo. I'm not sure how it is in the other neighborhoods of Cairo, but the yelling on the street is what gets to me the most.

There is one poor lady in particular who comes around all the streets in my neighborhood every day around 9AM, and yells something which I can't quite understand. All she ever carries is a box of lettuce or some other vegetable. On the weekends, the propane collectors come by in their carts and bang on the containers with wrenches repeatedly. The guy who collects large trash items comes by and yells as he slowly pushes his cart. Occasionally there are a few guys who come along with the donkey carts full of fruits and vegetables and yell out their entire stock of goods for anyone who may be interested. When these people yell, they really yell, and they take their time walking up and down the streets and stopping in front of every apartment building, so hearing the piercing sound of "patatas" one hundred times is now commonplace.

My street isn't too busy, but even still I hear a great deal of horn-honking on a regular basis. I live right next door to a very popular upscale cafe, and when people come to pick up their friends at the coffee house, they'll often just lean on the horn to let them know they've arrived, rather than getting out of the car. The cafe is more frequented by young people, so at night the cafe itself gets very loud.

In addition to the noise, some streets in Doqqi tend to have a lot of trash. I've noticed many Egyptians have no qualms about littering, so the streets often reflect this attitude.

On the whole though, I'm really glad I chose to live in Doqqi. If anyone reading this is looking for ideas on where to live in Cairo, that's what I'd suggest.