Inside the Great Pyramid!

Kathy arranged for my favorite taxi driver, Moustafa, to pick up me and a visiting relative of a fellow teacher for an adventure at the Giza Pyramids. Brad is a young man here working on an airplane contract.

We explored the mortuary temple area of the Great Pyramid while orienting ourselves in this strange and beautiful area. There are tons of tourists everywhere, and loads of camel jockeys trying to sell rides. We walked around to the entrance area of the Great Pyramid and decided we were probably too late to score one of the 150 morning tickets to tour inside. So we walked around to the back of the pyramid which is the location of the solar boat museum. These amazing boats were constructed to allow the pharaoh to sail with the gods in the afterlife. Five empty pits were discovered - boats probably stolen long ago in ancient times, but one pit was so well hidden the boat was still there, disassembled and carefully packed into the sealed space. Egyptologists spent 14 years reconstructing the boat, which was in amazing condition.

This was the Stone Age! No metal for nails or tools! The boat was held together with ropes! I have been awed by the engineering and detail of the pyramids and tombs, but this thing took the cake. This highly precise piece of workmanship was constructed using stone tools. It was used once to float the dead pharaoh across the Nile and to his valley temple and then was dissembled and buried. The museum was constructed over the original pit, with the boat itself suspended with viewing mezzanines on all sides.

We then strolled over to Kafre's pyramid thinking that we'd tour the interior of it, since we thought we were too late to tour the Great Pyramid. After hunting down the ticket booth, we discovered that morning tickets were still available, so we jumped at the chance to go inside that Great Pyramid.

The steep climb upward was easier than the downward climb in the Saqqara pyramid, although it was very long, probably equivalent to climbing a ladder up 4 stories. At the top of the first half of the climb, the space opened up into a high corbelled ceiling. I had to stand for a few minutes and get my balance because the angle of the ceiling, the stone walls and the upward slanting ladder/stair were all different giving me an odd sense of vertigo. At this point, a blocked off passage went down to another chamber, and the ladder/stair continued up to the King's chamber. At the top we stooped to go through a passage into the antechamber, then stooped again to go into the King's chamber which was a big empty stone rectangle with an empty sarcophagus at one end. I had a creepy feeling of the weight of the stone around me.

Getting out was easier than going in. No cameras were allowed for some reason - no carvings or paintings that could be ruined by a flash. So we took pictures at the entrance to prove we'd been there.

We meandered back to meet our taxi through an area that was clearly not the tourist route. There were numerous tombs, probably of family members, and deep holes everywhere, many with no covers of any kind. I looked over the edge of one and could barely see the bottom. Some that were more shallow had tunnels which could have been part of the causeway from the valley temple close to the Nile to the mortuary temple close to the pyramid. We ended up in front of the Sphinx and decided to forgo paying to walk around the Sphinx and head back to the coffee house where we planned to meet Moustafa.

Dinner out this evening with friends, Shirley and Rob was at Max's. We earned our dinner by walking, crossing two very busy streets to get there. Crossing streets at night adds one more interesting variable. Egyptians drive with their lights off most of the time, "to save their batteries." So seeing oncoming cars is a bit more problematic. We made it, had a lovely dinner and a great time. We caught a ride back with them - they have their own car. Rob drives like a more cautious Egyptian AND he keeps his lights on!

Luxor Day Three: Valley of the Kings & Karnak

On Sunday we loaded up a little late - that second cup of Nescafe was too wonderful to leave. The first stop was the Valley of the Kings where we planned to see three tombs. The Valley is very commercialized - this is where every tour goes. Most people will never see the little treasures we saw yesterday at the workers' and nobles' tombs.

The striking difference between here and Saqqara, the 4th and 5th dynasty tombs, is the tremendous focus on the gods. Most of the paintings in these 18th and 19th Dynasty tombs is the focus on appeasing the gods. Reliefs and paintings show the pharaoh with each of many gods proving why he was good enough to deserve the afterlife. Lots of vanquishing enemies etc. seems to be what the gods liked to see. There was some artwork depicting the stuff being brought into the tomb for the pharaoh in the afterlife, but not so much daily life of the people. I'd like to know more Egyptian mythology because the names of various gods most definitely have changed over 3500 years even if the art style itself stayed pretty much the same.

My favorite tomb was Ramses IV which has the ceiling of the burial chamber painted with the goddess Nut, who gives birth to the sun each day, which travels across the heavens in a solar boat only to be swallowed by the goddess at dusk. It travels through her body at night to be reborn in the morning. No cameras allowed or I'd have taken a picture.

Afterward we headed to Deir al-Bahri, the temple of my hero, Hetsepshet. Hetsepshet was the wife of Tutmosis II who died very early leaving an infant son by another wife. As the royal wife, Hetsepshet became regent and declared herself pharaoh, going so far as to wearing a false pharaonic beard. Our group of mostly middle aged women decided we needed to become followers of Hetsepshet and embrace our beards! A tee shirt may follow...

The temple is amazing, with multiple stories and ramps leading up from the valley floor. When Tutmosis III grew up he took the reign back and actually worked pretty hard to erase Hetsepshet's existence out of the record. There are many images of H. with her face scratched out and her name replaced by Tutmosis III's. When he destroyed one of her obelisks at Karnak, there was a huge public outcry, so he walled in the other obelisk which actually preserved it. We saw the preserved obelisk in our afternoon visit to Karnak.

We were hungry, so decided to have lunch before heading to Karnak Temple. We chose a restaurant near the ferry called Africa, which had a fixed price lunch that was amazing, with delicious veges, rice, potatoes cooked in clay pots and grilled meat of our choice. We sat on a tiled, palm frond covered terrace with a trickling fountain drowning out some of the construction sounds on the street. The cost with drinks was less than $15 per person.

We rode the ferry across the Nile to catch our minibus. There is only one bridge over the Nile and it's several miles north of town, so while we ate, our driver took the bridge route and was ready for us on the Luxor side.

We headed to Karnak Temple. This is an amazing, overwhelming complex. Many pharaohs representing numerous dynasties wanted to leave their mark on this complex dedicated to the sun god, Amun. So you have courts, pylons with carved relief work, temples with lots of color still visible in the paintings, hypostyles filled with enormous columns and obelisks. We took a basic tour with our guide and then walked around on our own. This is a place with just too much to absorb in one visit. As with so many other places, pharaohs, priests, Romans and Copts co-opted the work of earlier rulers and either overwrote stuff, or just rubbed out a name and added their own, or rubbed stuff out all together. I'd like to come back for about two or three hours for several days in a row and really study individual areas. This first visit was a chance to absorb the shapes, subtle colors and the feeling of the place.



We were delivered back to our hotel for a much needed rest before hunting for another good restaurant. For the second time we were surprised by towels and bed spread sculpted into swans and tiny people. Our room cleaner really knows how to keep guests happy, and earn a big tip!

Dinner tonight was at Sofra in a 1930's building in the middle of a neighborhood. This was a place one might expect Amelia Peabody to walk into. We sat in wingbacked chairs on the rooftop terrace around a giant metal platter of a table and stuffed ourselves on mezza, then traditional soups and entrees. We followed that with desserts - rice pudding for me with decaf, Nescafe, of course.

We walked back through typical neighborhoods and the excitement of the Eid the Muslim holiday celebrating Abraham's sacrificing a sheep instead of his only son, Ishmael to fulfill Allah's command. Tomorrow, December 8th, we've been warned that the street will run with blood as each family reenacts this ceremony by slaughtering a sheep, goat or cow. A portion of the meat is given to the poor and everyone feasts.

As usual, the streets were full of milling men of all ages. A few young women were out and about, and most older women were shopping for the food they are going to spend the day tomorrow cooking.

The streets are filthy and often smelly, crowds are everywhere listening to loud music, drinking tea, smoking shesha and dodging cars and motorcycles. Stores are generally clean inside and interesting to explore. We saw baskets of herbs and spices, fresh fruit and veges, shoes, clothing, etc. Each store is very tiny and specialized. If you want hand tools, go to a hand tool store, if you want fresh veges go to that store and next door for other types of groceries. Everything seems to come alive at about 10pm. In a country where it's blasting hot most of the time, cool evenings is when everyone shops and visits.

Every street is multiuse with apartments above the stores. I'd expect them to be fairly modern working class places. The exteriors are messy and unappealing. Plumbing and wiring is on the outside of the buildings which are made primarily of concrete and brick. It's difficult to understand a culture that seems to be proud of keeping their possessions tidy, but ignores the curb appeal for the most part. Cairo is not a beautiful city! It is confusing seeing street sweepers tidying up in front of some businesses and apartments and ignoring vacant lots full of garbage. With all the confusion about where garbage goes, you have to wonder if that street sweeper isn't emptying his trash bin on wheels into the vacant lots!

Again I am struck by how safe I feel milling around with these crowds of people in the middle of the night in a strange city.

Luxor, Day Two - Tombs and Temples

I'm full of history! The first day of our organized tours we were picked up by tall, handsome Mahmoud, our guide for the next two days. We loaded into a spacious, air conditioned minivan and headed for Medinat-Habu, Ramses II's memorial temple. So much is ruins, but areas have beautifully preserved colors and reliefs. Our guide talked about the villages we saw as we drove to the temple. In ancient times, only workers lived on the West Bank, isolated from the regular population to help protect the location of tombs.

The details of what I saw can be read in any guidebook, so I won't waste space. My impressions are of the timelessness of everything. Somehow, the ancient Egyptians managed to retain a continuity of artistic style and look for nearly 35oo years. Subtle differences are seen in statuary with more grace in the figures, more detail, space between the arms and body, columns that stand alone where hundreds of years before they had connecting walls to lend support. Columns are interesting to follow. Previously they were made of sheaves of palm trunks, so the first stone columns were carved to look like palm trunks bound together. Ancient Egyptians were uncomfortable with change, so things needed to progress slowly.

Then, to add to the confusion about pharaonic periods, a pharaoh will take a shine to a past ruler's monuments, statues and temples, and appropriate it, scratching out the previous guy's name and adding his own. This has been confusing for even the Egyptologists trying to date all these things.

Then, you have the Romans and the Christian Copts scratching out stuff they didn't agree with and in the case of the Romans, overlaying walls of relief work with their own paintings. For archaeologists, the question is then, what do you preserve, the stuff underneath, or the overlayed things which are also ancient and historic. Added to all this is the 19th century graffiti to contend with. It leaves a huge puzzle to assemble and work to understand.

I stood apart from our guide often during our tours, listening to other English speaking Egyptian guides presenting any number of theories as facts. Kathy pointed out this morning that this is very much in keeping with an educational system that functions primarily on rote memorization rather than conjecture and and critical thinking skills. I wonder if we're doing much better in the U.S., but at least critical thinking is viewed as a vital part of our system.

I think some of this is also part of a culture that is steeped in religious law. Islam is a religion of law. Interestingly, three major religions share a heritage in the deserts of the Middle East, Islam, Christianity and the Jewish faith. Islam holds the tenants of their version of the Old Testament and the laws set out in it as the living, breathing reality of their daily lives, and they're reminded of this 5 times a day with the call to prayer. I have found that generally this is manifest in the people I have spent time with as acceptance. We do what we're supposed to do according to Islamic Law, and leave the rest to Allah. Cross the street against horrendous traffic, "inshallah" or leave it to God. I'll see you tomorrow, "inshallah", if God wills it. My wife is sick and in the hospital, "inshallah", she'll recover if God wills it. There is a certain peace in this system because the law has a certain black and white quality - I do my part and follow the law as best as I can, and God will take care of the rest. I'm very clear after 3 weeks that in order for us to make any headway diplomatically our diplomats need to understand the gravity of "inshallah" as the organizing principle of the lives of average people in Islamic countries. I know at this point that I don't in the least bit understand exactly how these people think and live.

We rested at the little town next to Medinat Habu and were entertained by an old man playing a two stringed instrument. Such a charming sound. I thought of Rachel's little ones and couldn't resist paying the man 20LE to take one home. He showed me how to resin the bow, tune it and play. We put on a little concert for all the locals hanging around, who clapped and laughed at my lack of skill.

Next stop, Valley of the Queens. The tomb I would have liked to see, Nefertari, Ramses II's wife is restored but closed to preserve it. It is estimated that each visitor leaves behind 2.6 grams of sweat, increasing the destructive humidity in the tombs.

Interestingly, royal male children under 12 years old are buried in the Valley of the Queens, so two tombs we visited, Amunherkhepshef and Khaemwaset were young sons of Ramses III, and the beautiful paintings were of the pharaoh introducing his sons to the gods. We also visited Queen Titi's tomb. We're not sure who her husband was, but heiroglyphs referred to her as "royal wife, royal daughter and royal mother," and the tomb was much like the two prince's tombs we visited. This has led archaeologists to the conclusion that she was probably a wife of Ramses III.

Interestingly, in the royal succession, being a son of a pharaoh was not as important as being married to a royal princess. So Ramses III was a commoner who married a royal princess, probably Titi, and thus was able to claim the throne. In the same light, when Ramses II's much beloved wife Nefartari died, instead of taking another royal princess to wife, he married his oldest daughter ritually - he had sixty-some commoner wives as well. He reigned so long, he actually went through four royal daughters before he died! Only two women in 35oo years fought the system and claimed the throne for themselves, Hetsepshut and Tawosret. As I've said before, ancient Egyptians stuck to their traditions, and didn't often rock the boat!

Next we visited the Tombs of the Nobles. So Nice! Not many people so we could linger over paintings depicting more scenes of daily life rather than scenes of meeting and reckoning with the gods.

It was still early, so we asked to go to the tombs of the workers. This was an interesting side trip. Working on tombs was familial. Digger's children became diggers, painter's children became painters. The week was divided into 10 days rather than 7. Workers worked on the royal tombs 8 days a week, then they worked on worker tombs for one day and had a day of rest. When a worker died, he was buried in the tomb currently being prepared, and then a new tomb was started. Each tomb, as with royal tombs was dug and plastered while the person was living. Painting was planned and most was accomplished after the person's death during the 90 days needed for mummification. Tombs in the valleys we visited were rarely finished. There just wasn't enough time even with several hundred painters working.

In the worker's tombs, paintings were primarily showing scenes of daily life. Each was about the same size and shape, and it was clear that to some extent they did their best work in their own tombs.

The village ruins of mud brick workers homes is nestled in the valley, and interestingly, the modern archaeologist's residences are situated high overlooking this valley. I paid a little baksheesh to be able to walk up and take a look at their view. Inspiring and beautiful!

We dragged back to the hotel and walked down the street to an English owned and run Indian restaurant. Excellent food and great atmosphere.

We went back to the hotel for a rest and was on the docks by 4:30 for a felucca ride organized by our taxi driver of the first day. There was very little wind, so the modern day solution is to catch a ride with a tug boat, or at least an Egyptian version of a tug boat. At one point there were four feluccas strung along behind the run down poor excuse for a motorboat. One we were upstream a ways, we pulled in our rope and drifted back. We watched the sunset, then the lights of the city while passing a relaxing two hours.

We were still too full for a full dinner, so returned to Dean's for dessert - chocolate mousse and sherry triffle.

Luxor, Day One

We flew from Cairo to Luxor on a late night flight Thursday December 4th. Lining up at the check-in desk reminded me of traffic on Cairo streets. You stake out your place and fight for it all the way to the front.

We arrived in Luxor at almost midnight, haggled with a cab driver over the cost to get us into town and finally checked into our modest but very nice and cheap(!) hotel, the St. Joseph. To get electricity, you stick your key in a slot next to the door after entering. Great idea! It keeps one from leaving the lights on and you never leave your key in the lock.

We woke up the next morning to a beautiful 4th floor view of the Nile and Deir al Bahiri on the West Bank near the Valley of the Kings. After a nice hot breakfast and two cups of Nescafe we walked around the corner to a tour agent recommended by cousin, Roy Kochendorfer. Unfortunately he couldn't arrange an English speaking guide for our first day, so we set up tours for Saturday and Sunday to all the major sites.

Then we strolled down the Corniche (the main street running along side the Nile) to the public ferry. Luxor is much cleaner than Cairo with sidewalks in most places and uncrowded streets. Our plan was to cross to the West Bank and grab taxi to the temple of Seti I.

After much haggling, we agreed on a price, piled in and headed out. There were 5 of us, Rose, Tish, Lauren, Kathy and I. Rose works in the high school, Tish at the jr. hi, and Lauren was a student teacher at CAC this semester.

Seti I has a much more elaborate temple at Abydos, but we decided not to take that day-long trip. The one here near the old capital at Thebes is small, relatively speaking, and surrounded by a village. What little rascals the children are! They learn early how to sell little nonsense things and beg. When we ignored them, they stood and pretended to cry. A number of adults in the area asked us to please not encourage them with unearned baksheesh.

Baksheesh quickly became a problem. A pound to go to the bathroom, a pound to someone who pointed out something special carved in a wall. These people depend on baksheesh to live, and my purse full was nearly gone during that first stop. A pound is worth about 17 cents!

The temple was in pretty bad shape, but the relief work in protected areas was lovely. I wish I could read heiroglyphs! Each pylon, giant entry walls, is covered with stories of Seti I's conquests and successes.

Our driver was a real salesman. We'd asked about a place to buy alabaster, and of course, he knew just the place to take us. He told us that he was NOT getting a kickback for taking us there. But we were pretty sure they were relatives. He effusively assured us that his only concern was that we were buying from an honest craftsman. Checks with other guides etc. over the weekend confirmed that we were delivered to one of the oldest best regarded factories.

We had a ball. The owner showed us how the alabaster is rough shaped, then covered in linen and plaster to strengthen it for the next process when it's hand grinded to cut out the interior rock. We all got to try, and it was hard work. The plaster covering is then chipped off and the piece is polished with sandstone polishers. To make pieces more transparent they are heated and coated with wax which soaks into the porous rock.

We were then led into the showroom where we were encouraged to look and pick what we wanted to buy. Nobody at this point would discuss price. I picked out six nice pieces and the bargaining began. It's fun but exhausting. After tea the owner pondered and scribbled on his little pad and finally gave me a price. I looked pained (which I was) and pushed several pieces away. He encouraged me to name a price for the whole lot - I countered with less than half his original offer. He looked hurt and countered. I took one piece and set it aside and countered. He put it back and countered. I gave him my firm final. He consulted with his brother, looked like he was going to counter and paused as I looked like I was about to stand up. He finally agreed to slightly above half his original price with a gracious smile after appearing to be ready to cry during our negotiations.

You really have to be up for shopping here because there is no set price for anything except food in restaurants and actual grocery stories. if you pay the first named price, you're probably paying 1/3 to twice as much as you should.

We gathered up our purchases and dickered with the driver to add a trip back into Luxor rather than being dropped off at the ferry. Our destination was the Winter Palace, the 100 year old hotel that has been serving the elite since the 1st excavations in the Valley of the Kings. A sorority sister of Kathy's and her husband were staying there and invited us to join them for lunch in the gardens by the pool. Such fine old style elegance and lovely gardens. Kathy's friends had organized a small tour of Egypt, and half the participants were there for lunch as well. We had a gay old time chatting about our trips, the history of the hotel and shopping while eating impeccably served overpriced food. But it was worth it to have an "Amelia Peabody" moment at the beautiful Winter Palace.

We walked back to our hotel, rested and headed to the rooftop to watch the sun set over the Nile. Four of us had a leisurely happy hour not realizing that our 5th, Tish, didn't join us because she had locked herself onto the balcony of her room!

We decided to stuff one more activity into an already full day by walking down to Luxor Museum for an hour before closing at 9pm. The few carefully chosen pieces were beautifully displayed with great information about their place in the long history of the area.

We finished the day at Dean's Restaurant around the corner from our hotel. This English expat has created a great mix of cuisines in a nice setting. The food was so good, we returned several times. Once just for the huge servings of chocolate mousse! We hit the hay exhausted after asking for an early call. Our tour started the next morning at 7:30am!

Dahshur and Saqqara Pyramids!

Yesterday was pyramid day, finally! Kathy's wonderful neighbor, M.J and I headed out early in the morning for Dahshur and Saqqara, the two earliest sites to view pyramid development. MJ is a wonder for setting the stage for what's to come. In ancient times, people lived on the east side of the Nile, and the necropolis was on the west, the side of the setting sun. There is little of this custom left now, but we did need to make the crossing as Maadi is on the east side, so instead of taking the 21st century route via bridges and highways, we drove through settlements that could have existed hundreds of years ago except for the cars, satellite dishes and industrial air pollution. Donkey carts loaded with produce, galabiyyas the standard dress, open air markets, narrow unpaved streets packed with people going about their business.

And then we came to the Nile River. We were the last to board the ferry, and the horse and cart in front of us had to be unharnessed to squeeze us on. The back wheels barely cleared the ramp. We were invited up into the pilot's area to watch the crossing. Lots of smiles and waves from the workers, the usual "Obama?" question and we were ready to debark after spreading baksheesh around.

We drove through beautiful agricultural areas with people working vegetable and grain fields by hand - no motorized equipment. The individual fields are quite small.

Then we abruptly came to the sand and the necropolis of Saqqara. Breathtaking in its size and the clear promise of treasures undiscovered. Every sandy mound is probably a mastaba, every dimple in the sand a likely entrance to something possibly wonderful. But Egypt is drowning in antiquities that are stored, but many not properly cared for. There is just too much, so perhaps it's better to leave these mounds for the future and concentrate on trying to understand the messages from the treasures stacked in storehouses already.

The small museum where we started our visit was an excellently displayed collection of a few of the treasures uncovered at Saqqara. Focusing on the story of Imhotep, the genius behind the original pyramid design. Helpful exhibits showed how old mastabas were laid out, the dramatic changes in engineering that characterize the step pyramid, which was the first true pyramid. There were excellent examples of the items found in Saqqara mastabas and pyramids.

Then we drove to the site of the mastaba of Mereruka, vizer of the Pharoah Teti (Yes! I know this stuff now!) We hired a native guide who showed us details we never would have discovered on our own. Carved into the walls of the 32 chambers were details of daily Egyptian life 4500 years ago! People growing, harvesting and winnowing grain, slaughtering animals, dancing, fishing, force feeding geese, breeding cattle and on and on and on. It's not allowed to take pictures, but anything is possible with a little baksheesh. One of us would stand guard while the other quickly snapped a photo for a few extra pounds of baksheesh (about 18 cents = 1 pound)

We crouched down and descended into Teti's pyramid. The ceiling is less than 4 feet tall, so it wasn't easy, but worth the effort to view the burial chamber and see how huge stones are wedged together to support the tremendous weight of the pyramid above.

We then went to the step pyramid of Cheops. MJ is very much at home here, so we quickly left the beaten path and explored the ruins of the enormous valley temple surrounding the step pyramid. We slipped over the wall into the causeway which was used to bring the dead pharoah, Unas, from the Nile, where his body was ferried over from the east side, and carried up this amazing carved causeway to his final rest in his pyramid. Around the Step Pyramid there are dozens of small tombs of minor nobles and family members which we had fun sticking our noses in looking for good reliefs. We peered down into deep pits which were originally under ancient mastabas, the place where the sarcophagas was laid to rest.

It was explained to us that the pit was created, then filled with sand. Then the sarcophagas, enormous and heavy, was placed on the sand which was removed from around and beneath to lower it into the deep pit.

We poked around as if we owned the place! MJ speaks 1/16 Arabic and most guides and natives speak about 1/16th English, and many of the impromptu guides and camel drivers know her.

The step pyramid was dramatic, but nothing compared to what was to come in the afternoon.

We stopped for lunch at an outdoor restaurant MJ knows, and was greeted by drummers and cymbals. We stopped to watch women baking our bread and the drummers, not being attended to stopped playing. Every time we looked their way, they immediately started again, then stopped when we turned back to the breadmakers. Finally we were drummed festively to our table where we feasted on mezzas and pita. I could live on mezzas, little serving bowls of hummus, bab ganouh, roasted eggplant, Taboulh, and on and on. The bread was amazing. Our driver joined us for lunch and an interesting English/Arabic discussion of politics both Egyptian and American. "Obama?, he said. "Words are good. Now we wait to see..."

Afternoon was a once in a lifetime experience. I've heard from others about their disappointment with crowds and commercialization around Giza pyramids. We were completely alone with the Bent and Red Pyramids of Dahshur! A tourism policeman came up to guide us and we paid hime to leave us alone. We spent over an hour strolling around the Bent Pyramid musing about just how it was built, and thn how it was later stripped of its outer layer of huge limestone shaped boulders. The limestone facing was stripped from the top, and from the corners... go figure! This is one of the great mysteries of the ages. NOTE: If you look very carefully, you'll see me right at the corner of this huge pyramid.

The Red Pyramid has lost its smooth limestone covering completely. When you consider that this pyramid is about 4500 years old, it was ancient thousands of years ago when builders might have valued the stone more than the pyramid itself. I chose not to go into Big Red. I just didn't think my knees would handle half a football's length of narrow, low tunnels descending then ascending into the burial chamber. I'll try to do this at Giza next week where ceilings are higher.

MJ is a perfect exploration partner. She loves this place and chooses to approach this very foreign culture with curiosity and respect. Im looking forward to one more adventure with her next week in Islamic Cairo.

shopping at a souq

On December 1st sister, Kathy, arrived home from work at 3:30, changed shoes and we headed out to the fabric souq. What a riot!

Our cab driver dropped us off at a filthy, teeming curbside with dozens of storefronts, each hardly wide enough for two customers to stand back to back to look over the floor to ceiling rolls of fabric. The stores were well organized and spotless with workers standing outside ready to attract you into their store, "Madame, come in! Half price! Beautiful for you!"

We went to a store Kathy had visited before and found beautiful upholstery fabric for the equivalent of less than $10 a yard! We left the fabric there to pick up later and headed into the heart of the souq looking for Egyptian cotton, a rare commodity around here. With the heat, one would think that women would flock to cool cotton, but instead they tend to wear synthetic fabrics for their neck to toe galabiyyas. Those famous Egyptian cotton sheets are produced elsewhere.

We were in an open-space outdoor market that functioned like a controlled riot. There were dozens of lanes running off each other, each with fabric that looked much the same. Each had enticements outdoors with long narrow indoor spaces with fabric stacked to the ceiling. Some specialized in fancy fabric, others suiting, or canvas, cotton, upholstery, or drapery fabrics. And then there were the clothing sellers; underwear, children's, jeans, ladies and on and on and on. People clearly make decisions based on price and salesmanship because there were hundreds of shops selling essentially the same things.

Walking slowly one can see people dickering over price and sellers working hard to ingraciate themselves. What a show!

The evening before, Kathy and I headed to the Khan al-Khalili, the enormous outdoor market near Islamic Cairo. Because it was Sunday evening - still a workday - Kathy assured me that it was quiet. I was struck by the immediate assault on all my senses. Shouting, jammed shops squeezed into amazingly small spaces, Arabic music and dickering, spicy smells and cats, people and displays to be navigated around. I loved it!!

We wandered around stopping at a bead shop Kathy had been trying to find for weeks, resting at a lovely little restaurant serving messas and drinks. As we were working our way out of the maze, I spotted a nice cotton galabiyya and stopped. I liked the guy's stuff, so the bargaining started. He wanted 120 LE for one, I offered half that. He looked pained, so I said, "Will buy many!" He countered, "How many?" I said, "5 if you have nice ones I like." He said, "I show you." at which point he led me up three flights of narrow stairs to his storage area. We picked out 8 beauties and the bargaining heated up. He said, "75." Kathy countered "65." He looked like he was about to cry as he countered, "But one very expensive, 250LE downtown!" So we countered, "70." and he brightened up and wrote up the bill. I was exhausted. This is not your neighborhood WalMart!!

Thanksgiving on the Red Sea - Dahab

So it's Thursday afternoon and a truly happy Thanksgiving. We've finished our various pursuits at St. Catherine's and head for the sea. Dahab by dinnertime is the goal.

As we drive into town I'm delighted to see a real town, not the corporate resort area that Sharm el Sheikh, the elite Red Sea destination, has turned into. There is a walled Hilton resort area south of town, but the main tourist area is locally owned shops, hotels and restaurants owned and operated by people who greet you when you walk by or come into their establishment.

Our hotel, the New Sphinx is in the middle of town right on the water. My room was on the second floor with a balcony overlooking the pool area and the sea, with the mountains of Saudi Arabia in the distance. I awoke early each day and sat on that balcony with coffee, watching the sun rise over those distant mountains.

Dahab is a diving and wind surfing destination, and the first morning of our stay we discovered why the wind surfing. Winds were significant! Not liking the gusty blasts, I spent the day resting and reading. No snorkling with the winds as high as they were.

I promised to write more about cats. In Egypt, animals are as welcome in stores and restaurants as people, and in Dahab, cats are regular fixtures in each restaurant. They establish their territories and keep other cats out. The restaurants allow for real bonding experiences with the local felines, because most have low tables with cushions and pillows on carpets covering the ground. They're outdoors with windscreens, and in some places wood slat roof coverings for shade. So you settle into your little dining nest, reclining with a cool drink and the local cats arrive to help you order. They all recommend the fish, of course. You receive a spray bottle to keep them from getting overly interested in your food - the table is only 8" off the ground, remember. Many are beautiful variations on the Egyptian goddess Bastet with faces that are mostly huge eyes and ears, sleek, lean bodies and long tails. They know how to make you feel like you're the most important person in the world, curling up on your lap and gazing up at you with huge hungry, adoring eyes. Your food arrives and you fall all over yourself willingly sharing with this ravenous, helpless creature, and when your plate is picked up by the waiter, the cat is off to the next table to take those residents through the same scam. These are lean cats! It's hard to figure out where they store all the food! If you're hopelessly in love with your little beast, your only hope is to order something nice for dessert... ice cream would be fine.

I love eating lying down! I spent a pleasant afternoon reclining in one of these restaurants with a good book, excellent Egyptian music, a cat who stayed around because of the creamy apple concoction I was nursing along to entice her and hold my table, and a unparalleled view of the Red Sea. Met up with Kathy, Forrest and Bart for a nice relaxed dinner... again reclining, and with yet another precious, thoroughly self contained cat. I'm thinking about cutting off the legs of my dining room table!

Trip home from Dahab was a little unnerving. Our three guys showed up at the hotel at the agreed upon hour with a fourth guy, and this one had a gun!! Now, we don't speak Arabic and they don't speak English, so it turned into a bit of a confusing shouting match between my plucky sister asserting "NO, NO, NO!" and they demanding, "Security, security, security!" Our nice hotel manager came out and translated that because we were American, they were bringing along extra security. We finally relented because it was in the middle of the street, and we were drawing a crowd, but both Kathy and I were wondering the whole way back if this guy was legit, if he just needed a ride back to Cairo or if we were going to be kidnapped and held for ransom in the desert. We arrived home having taken a different route along the Red Sea north to Taba and then over to the Suez Canal tunnel and on to Cairo. When we arrived home, Kathy had an email from the embassy that the Bedouins in northern Sinai were restless and Americans needed to be alert while traveling in that area. That was probably why our guys added another guy with a gun, but with the language barrier, we were clueless.

Anyway, three days of breathing clean air and enjoying crystal clear skies was wonderful. Dahab is my sister's new favorite place.