About 2.00 am I was wakened by noises from the streets near our ship and when I looked out there was a hive of activity - rows of buses being lined up into position - all the local streets were full of movement - 41 buses in all were used and it was quite an operation to get everyone onto the buses in the morning - 5 private tours like ours and the rest arranged by Princess.
 |
| Buses, buses everywhere!! |
 |
| Police blocking the streets so we could pass through Port Said |
I had organised this tour for 22 passengers through Ramses Tours. Originally we booked last year, cancelled when the revolution happened and Egypt was removed from our itinerary. We were very happy when we received notification that we were going to Egypt again - we have wanted to see the pyramids for such a long time.
 |
| In Australia these palms are used to disguise mobile phone towers - in Cairo, they are used to disguise the loudspeakers which call the muslims to prayer every day - see the speaker on the top left side. |
Our guide, Mimmo met us at the gate and escorted us to the coach - he was a very likeable young man and he was determined that everyone was happy and enjoyed the trip. We had to wait in the bus for about 45 minutes until all the other Princess tour buses were loaded up - all buses must travel in a convoy from Port Said to Cairo- with a security officer on each bus and escorted by vans filled with armed military personnel - wearing bullet proof vests and brandishing guns - not to be messed with. As we drove through the streets of Port Said, police or army personnel were at every intersection blocking the traffic so that we had a quick exit from town. Our security escort was Mahamood - he was assigned to our group for the day - see if you can pick him out in the photos - look for someone who doesn’t look like an Aussie tourist!!!
 |
| Another Aussie tourist???? |
 |
| Damage from the revolution earlier this year. |
The traffic in Cairo is chaotic - the drivers are very capable of taking a three lane road and driving five and six abreast - with centimetres to spare - so it was slow going to get into Cairo - taking about three and a half hours. The city looks rundown with lots of half finished buildings, lots of litter and rubbish - even floating in the Nile River.
 |
| Egyptian museum |
Our first stop was the Egyptian Museum to see the life of Egypt under the Pharaohs and early kings. I have always found the history of Egypt to be fascinating, - they have a culture which is unlike any other - pharaohs, mummies, hieroglyphics etc are all uniquely Egyptian. Mimmo was able to give us the shortened abridged version, without being boring -it was great to have him explain it so well.
The museum itself is located in central Cairo on Tahrir Square which is where the riots happened earlier this year, and the buildings stilled showed signs of the destruction, burning and looting that occurred. Naturally we had to keep up a fast pace cause we had a lot to cover in a very short time, so I felt that I would have liked the opportunity to explore at a slower pace.
The most interesting part was the Tutenkhamon Room where the original sarcophagus. burial masks, treasures and tombs were located - fascinating. We also visited the animal mummy section - animals and food stuffs were mummified and buried with the Pharaohs so that they would be able to accompany them to the after life.
 |
| Felucca ride on Nile River with impromptu dancing to Egyptian music |
 |
| Rubbish on the Nile |
After the museum, we joined the bus for a short drive to the Nile River for a felucca ride - although it was more like a large barge than a traditional boat. The restaurant that Mimmo had booked for lunch was located beside the river, so we were able to just come alongside the pier at the front of the restaurant and avoid the Cairo traffic. The food was a mix of salads and traditional Egyptian food - very tasty if a little rushed.
 |
| Our lunch restaurant on the Nile - yummy |
After lunch, we were ready for the most famous site in Egypt, the Pyramids of Giza. I expected them to be located out of the city in the desert, but they were really on the edge of the suburb of Giza - we caught our first glimpse when we were driving along the freeway.
As soon as we entered the archeological site and disembarked from the bus, the hawkers descended and seemed to surround the older, less able members of the group offering camel rides, cheap jewellery, traditional headwear and postcards. Some were quite persistent until Mimmo spoke to them in Arabic, and our guard stepped in to assist, then most left us alone.
 |
| Mimmo at the pyramids |
 |
| Papyrus demonstration |
The last stop on the trip was the Egyptian Papyrus Institute where the manufacturing process was explained and of course, there was the opportunity to purchase and even have then personalised with your name in Egyptian hieroglyphics. I was touched when Mimmo presented me with a beautiful papayrus painting - it will be a treasured memory of Egypt for me.
It was a long drive back to Port Said - so Mimmo surprised us with ice creams and cold drinks along the way. We passed a number of quite nasty accidents - no wonder with the amount of traffic - and then went through a military checkpoint complete with tanks pointing at the bus - where we had to wait for a group of buses to catch up so we could form the convoy again. While we were waiting Mimmo again surprised us, this time with a ‘lucky dip’ of cookies and traditional Egyptian sweet treats - a very thoughtful touch.
 |
| The armed guards which travelled beside our bus |
We are not used to this level of security in Australia, so it was a bit disconcerting to see so many guards, armed soldiers (most seemed very young, cause everyone has to do 1-3 years military service after school or college) and armoured tanks. We wondered if this level of security for us was really necessary or just for show but we were soon to find the answer. On the news on Wednesday morning we heard about a large demonstration at Tahrir Square which must have started soon after we left the area. I researched and found this report from from CBS news.
Egyptian security forces firing tear gas clashed with more than 5,000 rock-throwing protesters in central Cairo late Tuesday, leaving dozens injured in the latest unrest to rattle the country, witnesses and medical officials said.
Clouds of tear gas and the wail of police sirens engulfed Tahrir Square as lines of security forces in riot gear battled to regain control of the central plaza from the demonstrators, many of them family members of the more than 850 people killed during the revolution that toppled Egypt's longtime ruler, Hosni Mubarak.
The families are frustrated with what they perceive as the slow prosecution of security officers believed to be responsible for the deaths of some 850 protesters during the 18-day uprising.
Rocks and shattered glass littered the streets around Tahrir, as protesters chanted: "Down with the military junta." Injured demonstrators lay on the ground, some bloodied and dazed, before the clashes ended after Interior Minister Mansour el-Essawy issued an order before dawn Wednesday for the security services to stand down.
We were not aware of any trouble and we had a great day - the tour with Ramses Tours was excellent and now we can cross the Pyramids of Giza off our bucket list. Tomorrow we will be in Jerusalem.
Cheers
No comments:
Post a Comment