Luxor ...

Monday, October 22nd - Wednesday, October 24th

Despite the ever so aggressive taxi or carriage drivers and the private ferry boat hassles, Luxor is amazing.

The Hostel:
I have never seen so many pictures and posters of Bob Marley in my life. Every spec of every wall was like a shrine dedicated to the man. The funny thing is, during my stay I did not hear one Bob Marley song on their stereo ... it was usually just the Gypsy Kings which brought back fond childhood memories of early saturday mornings in the Pezeshk house.Upon my arrival I wound up meeting an English girl who was on holiday before finishing her last year of medical school; she became my partner in crime for the rest of my stay in Luxor.

The Sights:
The Luxor Temple, located right along the nile, is beautiful and well preserved. While walking through the ruins all I could do was imagine what the temple looked like in its original setting with the Avenue of Sphinxes leading right to the massive entrance. It must have been quite a sight to both the local and the passerby. The tombs in the Valley of the Queens was also quite impressive.

My favorite place however was the Temple o f Karnak. First of all, it's huge and with every turn there is something new and amazing to gawk at. I arrived just before sunset and had the pleasure of seeing the light of the red sun pass through the grand Hypostyle hall hitting the curves of the stone in all the right places. Although there was a sea of Eastern European tourists with many of the women in some quite scandalous outfits, my eyes were fixated on the intricate carvings of towering walls and columns ... well, at least most of the time. I'll tell you one thing though, to look up and always see an obelisk in the ancient skyline is quite a cool experience.

Overall: Luxor is much more laid back than Cairo but with just as much charm. I was able to relax and also see many things. Should I ever make it back to Egypt, I might just be obliged to make another stop here.

Desert Camping

Saturday, October 20th - Sunday, October 21st

I had overheard Amir, the manager of the hostel, talking to a Canadian couple about this trip to an oasis that involved camping in the White Desert. A bit intrigued, I inquired about the trip a little bit more and within a few minutes I was sold.

It is amazing how one's plans can change so quickly. No more than 5 minutes before I had never thought about camping in the desert and was more occupied with figuring out how to get to the train station to buy a ticket to Luxor leaving Friday night. The only word or phrase I can use to describe what I am enjoying is 'ultimate freedom'. But I digress ... back to the story shall we?

After a tiring day exploring the pyramids under the Arabian sun, the last thing I wanted to do was wake up at 6 to take a 5 hour bus ride to Bahariya (oasis), but I mustered the strength to roll out of my bed and get ready. I met the Canadian couple in the lobby area of the hostel for tea and bread and then our driver came to take us to the bus station.

Apparently we were running quite late because our driver was driving mad and decided to drive only down one-way streets ... in the wrong direction. He kept saying to me "If they ask why I drive like this I say I don't know, ya know?" and also "We're not driving the wrong way right?" to which I replied I don't know. We went back and forth like that for 3 minutes but it wasn't an argument, it was more playful because he was laughing while I held onto the shiesse handle and mustered a few "ha ha"s.

The bus ride wasn't bad actually. It was a decent bus and despite getting stuck next to someone suffering from a severe case of halitosis, I enjoyed the ride. Upon arrival at Bahariya, we were greeted by a small man who told us he was our driver into the desert and from there we (the Canadian couple and myself) hopped into his Toyota Land Cruiser and took off. Before we left the town however, we stopped for lunch and picked up another Canadian (they are everywhere I tell you).

The road was well paved and we were the only car on it as far as I could tell. After about an hour driving through the black desert, we pulled up to Black Mountain which I scaled. The view from the top is amazing (see video).

Next stop: White Desert

We pulled into the White Desert just before sunset. This former sea bottom left behind thousands upon thousands of white rock formations that look and feel just like chalk. As of yet, this is the most beautiful thing I've seen. The red sun setting in the distance and the last rays of light hitting the rocks in such a way that makes your heart stop. We all gathered on one mound and stayed silent for a few minutes just taking it all in (see video).

That night we camped under the stars in complete silence. No cars, no horns, no people, no pollution ... just beauty. Pure beauty.

We rose early the following morning and due to our needing to get to our respective places of departure that evening, we left just after breakfast leaving the peace and calm of the white desert behind.

Much love,

Ardeshir

Cairo ...

Tuesday, October 16th - Friday, October 19th

I cannot really think of how to best describe Cairo. I suppose if I had to, the words/phrases would be as follows:

dirty
a hassle
deadly cab rides
brilliant

The Hostel:
I am so grateful to the great staff of the Desert Safari for making my time in Cairo as memorable and hassle-free as possible. I wound up getting placed in a private room at the dorm rate. The fact that I had the room to myself wasn't the best part, it was the balcony overlooking the madness below (the busiest roundabout in Cairo circling the Egyptian National Museum ... see video) that made it the best room I could have asked for.

While staying here I met some great people as well starting with this Canadian guy who had been traveling on and off for 5 years now. He gave me some great tips on how to teach and also good places in South East Asia to teach English to make some money. He also told me of his few months in India and his time in Rajastan (the state/province I am teaching in) in which he took a 3 day camel safari out into the desert ... something that I now must do.

The Sights:
The Citadel, an old fort built on a high point in Cairo as a lookout point and to protect this city, is amazing. The Mohammad Ali mosque in the center dominates the hill. Surprisingly, this was the first time I happened to walk into a mosque. It was beautiful. The domes were decorated with intricate designs and lights were hanging from the ceiling ever so gracefully. While walking through I noticed a stairway leading to nowhere. Although I am not sure, I think the stairway is in the direction of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the stairway is to symbolize Prophet Mohammad's ascent into the heavens. The courtyard outside was amazing as well with the tile floors glistening in the sunlight. I wish you all could see it.

Sadly, despite the history and significance of the al Azhar mosque in Islamic teaching, I did not find that it was quite as beautiful as the Mohammad Ali mosque, but still it was cool to walk inside the empty classrooms (they were on holiday or break) and around the surrounding corridors.

The Egyptian Museum which houses the Tut exhibit was quite cool. There were so many brilliant stone structures and sarcophagus's. The displays, although poorly lit and many without descriptions, were also captivating. The highlight, of course, was the Tut exhibit and his magnificent headdress that was truly immaculate.

I spent my last day in Cairo visiting the Pyramids. They are just as majestic as they look in the pictures. They tower of the slum, oh I mean town, of Haram and it is completely crazy that these testaments of architecture and time are still standing.

In the end, my time in Cairo was an experience that when looked back upon I'll remember fondly.