Why You Shouldn't Go Canoeing in the Jungle during a Monsoon

Canoeing in a monsoon sucks. Photo by Jon.

In case I wasn't sure, a day and a half in the Nepalese jungle at Chitwan National Park reminded me I'm a city girl at heart.  Before our excursion began, our very informative guide gave us a safety briefing on what to expect. Cover your skin to protect against leeches and mosquitos. If a rhinoceros charges at you, run in a zigzag pattern. If an angry elephant starts to stampede, climb a tree. If a tiger chases you, well, there’s not much you can do; just run really fast! I longed for the urban jungle of New York City where I knew how to deal with the “wildlife.”


Travel is one of those rare times when you can be utterly miserable and filled with awe. Our group huddled into these long, narrow and very unstable canoes. As I sat on the tiny bench, to my horror, I saw the interior was covered in giant, alien-like insects and spiders. Rusty red ants with bulbous heads. Pea-sized white spiders. Speckled brown spiders that could fit in your palm. And, my favorite of all, was the spider which, after I flicked it into the river, ran on top of the water and jumped right back in the boat. 

If the mutant-sized insects weren’t enough, our canoe ride soon got more uncomfortable as the skies opened. We were, literally, in a monsoon. My blue, tent-like rain poncho was not enough to protect against such a deluge. Within minutes, my pants were completely soaked. My rucksack, nestled in front of my legs, was getting drowned. As I shivered, blinking out the biting rain that was slanted perfectly to hit my eyes, I tried to forget my misery by taking in the lush surroundings. There were no discerning features, just a mass of dense, green jungle and the swirling blue-gray river.  The only sounds were from solitary seabirds diving into the rapids for their lunch and the steady plodding oar, moving us slowly forward. As my gluteal muscles ached from the hard, wooden chair, I reminded myself that I was on a unique, once-in-a-lifetime journey. Being on a canoe ride along the Rapti River in the middle of the Nepali jungle was pretty amazing.

I wanted nothing more than to get off of that boat, until I saw our landing point. There was no pier. I saw the vague outlines of a muddy “path” leading up a bluff. “Oh no no no. Let me stay on the boat!” I said, probably not to myself. Our intrepid guides positioned themselves strategically on the hill, and proceeded to fling us, one at a time, from one guide to the next until we reached the very top.  And finally, the wonder overcame the despair.  As I stood among elephant grass that was taller than my 1.6 meter frame surrounded by the rhythmic chirping of some unseen bird (or frog?), I was in a place unlike anywhere I’d ever seen before. And the adventure was only beginning.

The Pyramids

For as long as I can remember, the Pyramids have been at the top of my "Must-See" travel list. We had reveled in their presence the previous night at the Sound and Light show, but nothing could prepare me for their daytime glory.

Driving along the highway, past dilapidated buildings with no windows, the Pyramids peeked out amongst the cityscape. They appeared almost smudged in the Cairo smog and dust. My skin still prickled with excitement each time they popped out between the buildings.

This was perhaps the most surprising thing about the Pyramids. Every picture shows the Big Three against the empty desert landscape. They appear remote, like it would take a two hour journey by camel to reach them. However, this is not the case at all. The Pyramids of Giza are literally a suburb of Cairo. The apartment buildings encroach on this ancient site, just about as close as they can be without getting inside the actual complex.

 

 

 

 

 

The Pyramid view you never see

As impressive as the nighttime Pyramids viewing was, these wonders of the world were meant to be seen in the splendor of the sun. The sunshine glitters on what little remains of the limestone facade. They somehow appear larger during the day too, like the sun gives them some kind of unmeasurable power. It was only that sense of wonder and magnificence that kept me from keeling over in the hundred-plus desert heat.

Look at the little people on the bottom left for an idea of scale

This also gives a clue of how massive the stones are

We were lucky again to be visiting during this time of uncertainty. There seemed to be more tourist touts and camel men than actual tourists, giving us a bit of space to ponder the magnificence of it all. Unfortunately, this also meant that there were fewer people for them to annoy. I once had visions of taking a camel trek around the Pyramids. By the time I had spent half an hour there, I was ready to punch the next guy who asked me for a camel ride.

It was way too hot for a two-hour camel trek...

After climbing around for a bit, our guide drove us to the third pyramid, for which we had bought a ticket to go inside. A steep ramp with footholds led us down and deep in the interior. It was cooler than outside but stuffy because there was no moving air. No pictures were allowed within -- but then, there wasn't much to see anyways. The walls were unadorned; there was no remnant of any sarcophagi. The only thing that made it worth the ten L.E. was just the awesome knowledge of being INSIDE an actual pyramid. Once again, we almost had the place to ourselves...only two other tourists had ventured down with us.

Our Pyramid

After walking around for about an hour, we were completely parched. The three bottles of water I'd brought with me were done. Surprisingly, virtually no one was selling water in the entire complex. We finally found one and of course, he didn't have change for us. So, a sleazy tourist tout tried to take advantage of the situation by offering to make change. But first, he insisted on having Jon try on a Lawrence of Arabia headdress and took some photos. He claimed all this was for free, but of course, tried to charge us for it as we were leaving. The honest water vendor reimbursed us for what the tout had taken and we walked away as we heard angry Arabic shouted back and forth between the two.

The classic Pyramids shot

The Pyramids were so exhilarating, and the sun was so hot, that by the end of our time, I didn't even realize that we hadn't seen the Sphinx yet! We got in the car, and I was expecting the guide, Big Mo, to take us back to the hotel. Instead, we pulled up and yet again, had the moment almost to ourselves.
I've heard that all tourists to Giza hope to be photographed solo in front of the Sphinx. Usually, this is impossible because of the vast hordes of people. But luck (and people's fear of traveling) was with us today as we managed to snap several photos with no one but ourselves in front of the Great Sphinx.

Never realized the Sphinx has feet!

Me, myself and I and no one else...

And the final photo op

And so we were whisked back to the hotel. We had checked out but the your managed to get us a day room where we could freshen up, cool down and shower before heading off on the overnight train to Aswan.

Just another day in Cairo...Tahrir Square and King Tut

Today was the day that all Cairo travelers and tourists anticipate -- a trip to the world-famous Egyptian Museum followed by an excursion out to ancient Memphis and its three pyramids.

As Big Mo shuffled us out of our hotel into the private car, we again experienced the craziness of Cairo traffic. As we drove to the Museum, I caught the briefest of glimpses of another famous site. It was closed off because of the upcoming election (and the protests that were expected as a result), but that didn't stop the prickle of excitement as we passed Tahrir Square. My only regret from the trip is that we weren't able to stop and spend some time pondering the enormity of what happened there in such a short time.

The closest we could get to Tahrir... took this picture a few days later after we returned from Luxor

 In a word, the Egyptian Museum is overwhelming. Big Mo told us that if all you did was read the label on every single item within, you wouldn't leave the museum for NINE MONTHS. Since we only had a couple of hours, Big Mo took us through the highlights -- an impossibly old wooden statue (wood generally does not survive in a hot climate like Egypt's!) and another statue where you could still see the original paint on the sandstone. And, saving the best for last, we came to the spectacular King Tut exhibit.

Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed. Of course, we saw the famous mask, which was definitely the highlight, but there are so many other treasures on display. Once again, the word overwhelming comes to mind. We spent as much time as possible taking in the ornate sarcophagi of King Tut, which reminded me of the Russian nesting dolls. Each one fitting snugly into a slightly larger one. There was brightly colored jewelry that added to the feeling of sensory overload.

After King Tut, we had forty-five minutes on our own in the museum. Quite to our surprise, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo does not have air-conditioning (except for the King Tut room -- just another reason to take your time in there.) Fans keep the place fairly cool, but after a while the stale, still air becomes too much to take. The Egyptians are building a new Egyptian Museum, closer to the Pyramids (and also with A/C) that is scheduled to open this year. In fact, many of the statues were already being shrink-wrapped in preparation for their relocation.

On our way out, we had that essential experience of Egyptian haggling. A man was selling knock-off papyrus for a surprisingly low amount, until we realized that he was quoting us the price in English pounds, not Egyptian pounds! As we declined his offer, he followed us to the car, still trying to close the deal. "Too expensive!" we said as his price dipped ever and ever lower. Finally, we got into our car. The door was still open as our driver started to back out on the busy street. The seller placed several papyrus on Jon's lap as the car was slowly moving. Finally, with the car ready to run the seller over, we agreed to give him $5 for seven papyrus.

Ironically, our next stop was to the official papyrus museum where they showed us the traditional ways of making papyrus. We gave in to temptation and some hard bargaining when the merchant offered us a BOGO deal. The cheap Ramses II  in his chariot was free if we got the one we really had our eye on -- a glorious gold and black rendering of the Weighing of the Souls. After dropping 400 L.E., we were on our way to the Pyramids.

Our splurge purchase

Adventures in Alexandria Part 2

Pompey's Pillar and the Temple of Serapis offered some more photo opportunities and some cool underground ruins. This site also showcased the blending of the Egyptian with the classical Greco-Roman. The god Serapis was a conglomeration of the Egyptian gods Osiris and Apis, but with many attributes of the Greek gods Zeus, Hades and Dionysus.

The modern city encroaches on the ancient site

 One of the highlights of the area was Pompey's Pillar, which, surprisingly, had nothing to do with the famous Roman general. Apparently, many people believed that after Pompey fled Rome, he made his way to Egypt and was buried here. The Pillar was actually a monument to the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Either way, at 25 meters tall, it was the highlight of the ruined temple.

After wandering around the abandoned ruins (where only we and a small group of Spanish tourists were about), we stumbled upon the underground vault. The underground chamber was cool (literally) and quite atmospheric, but little remained to tell us of its original purpose.

 

The dark staircase led to...not much of anything, really.

We got back in the car, fought through more typical Alexandrian traffic, like you can see here...

How we made it through this street remains a mystery to me...once again we commended the amazing skills of our driver.

then rode through some of the more interesting markets I've ever seen. This market here brought to mind Johnny Cash's classic song, "One Piece at a Time" where he puts together a car by smuggling out spare parts over several years during his employment at GM. He would've had an easier time of it here. Anytime there's a car accident, metal scavengers make off with the usable bits and sell them here.

We stopped in the downtown area for one of Alexandria's former wonders. The New Library of Alexandria was built not far from the old site in 2002. Of course, the first library was legendary for its wealth of knowledge until it was all destroyed at an unspecified time in history. The New Library did not really capture the grandiose quality of what the old one must have been. It was all a bit too modern, and although the guides said that its book capacity was enormous, the shelves seemed strangely empty.

Fighting through more traffic, we finally reached the second thing every visitor to Alexandria comes for. The choppy waters of the grey-blue Mediterranean crashing against the rocky shore were a welcome sight after our two-hour journey through the stark desert. On the very edge of the coast stood a short, squat limestone tower that glistened in the sunlight. Legend says that this military fort was built using the same limestone blocks of the famed Lighthouse of Alexandria, which once stood in that same spot. This Wonder of the World was about 500 feet tall -- the equivalent of a 40-story skyscraper -- before it collapsed into the sea during an earthquake.

Our driver took us along the coastline until we found our restaurant for the included lunch. Big Mo, our guide, informed us that before the revolution, he would have to have called two hours early to reserve us a table at this seaside eatery. Today, we showed up unannounced to a restaurant that had maybe two other patrons in it. It was one of many sad reminders of the toll this political instability has had on Egypt's tourist economy.

Lunch was spectacular. Although I'm not much of a seafood aficionado, the fish platter was absolutely amazing. The sides were the typical Egyptian fare -- baba ghannoush, spiced chickpeas, and a tahini dip. We indulged in more fresh mango and strawberry juices, which were five times as much as the ones we had in Cairo. Filled up with more delicious Egyptian food, we began the trek back to the bustling capital city.

Adventures in Alexandria

Alexandria

The turmoil and instability of a new government and impending presidential elections had taken its toll on Egyptian tourism. While we were hardly expecting our small tour to be completely booked, we were taken aback to find out that we were the only ones on it! Saturday was originally intended to be the meet and greet with our nonexistent travel companions. And since there were none, we instead used that time for a quickie trip to the legendary city of Alexandria.

Voter rolls in Alexandria (the guys with machine guns standing next to the voters somewhat dissuaded me from taking a photograph of the actual people there)

And so we left the crowded streets of Cairo (again in our private car) and headed north on a rather impressive highway for a few hours. We were accompanied by the second Mohammed we had met in less than two days, aka "Big Mo." The trip passed by quickly with more election and politics talk.

Big Mo wanted to show us the real Alexandria, and so had our driver take us through some of the poorest parts of the city. Cramped little streets were littered with garbage and rotting food. The poor side of town definitely seemed to prefer the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Morsy, to his opponent, Mubarak crony Shafiq. One of the most unforgettable moments of our trip occurred during our time in the Alexandrian slums. Lined up in the streets and guarded by men with machine guns stood the first voters of the presidential election. It was an incredible sight to see, and a reminder of what an exciting time it was to be here.

The Slums of Alexandria

Our driver deftly guided us through some ridiculously cramped conditions. When a construction vehicle blocked our path on a narrow road, he sought the help of several passersby who helped guide us to our first stop of the day, the Catacombs. Pictures were unfortunately prohibited within the tombs. We made our way along a series of ramps in the musty underground chamber before we came to the tomb of Kom El-Shoqafa, a fascinating blend of Roman and Egyptian funerary traditions. Typical Roman columns are topped off with Egyptian papyrus. Statues of the Egyptians buried here are adorned in Roman togas and curly hair.

Next, we were off to Pompey's Pillar and the Temple of Serapis....

First Day in Egypt Part 2: Politics and Pyramids

Still feeling jet lagged from the long overseas journey, only the promise of a Wonder of the World could rouse us out of our comfy air-conditioned hotel room. Or, more precisely, THE Wonder of the World. For as long as I could remember, the Pyramids have been at the top of my travel bucket list, and my skin tingled with excitement at the thought of finally crossing off Number One on that list.

Our guide Mohammed (Khalifa) met us at our hotel and we got into our (private!) car with him and a driver. The traffic in Cairo is legendary and for good reason. The concept of lanes is one that seems to have been introduced only recently. Most drivers just push their way in to any space available in front of them. It is quite epic to watch our driver navigate the rush hour traffic as he stops and goes and squeezes into a spot that our mid-size sedan should not have been able to fit into.

You never know what you'll see in Cairo traffic... a truck full of camels is just another day in the city here!

We also had Khalifa's conversation to keep us entertained. Our choice of time to go to Egypt was both wonderful and horrible. We managed to arrive just prior to the first-ever democratic Presidential election. There seemed to be no other topic of conversation among Egyptians. Within hours, the names "Morsy" and "Shafiq" had become as familiar as "Obama" and "Romney." In my extremely limited Arabic, I couldn't pick out much, but these two names are on the lips of every Egyptian. The time is incredibly exciting for Egyptians, who remind me of giddy children on the night before Christmas. Their body language becomes extra animated and they cannot suppress their smiles as they discuss the (rather awful) choice they need to make between the embodiment of Mubarak and the Old Guard in Shafiq, or Morsy and the long-oppressed Muslim Brotherhood, a name which many in the West greet with apprehension if not downright fear. But the important thing for the Egyptians is that they have a choice to make at all. However, no one is really certain how things will turn out, or what the reaction will be to the result, so there is just a little concern for our safety when we find out. Now, it seems not so surprising that we were the only ones to book a tour during this uncertain but exciting time in Egypt's history.

After about thirty minutes in the car, three large triangular shapes become visible in the smoggy city skyline. It was a bit jarring to see these ancient wonders right in the middle of Cairo, as I had always pictured them in the middle of the desert! But, no, the city sprawls right up to their footsteps, then stops. as the vast desert opens up behind them.

Pyramids at sunset

It was getting dark by the time we arrived, which made sense since it was a Light Show. We managed to arrive early thanks to our amazing driver, so we used that time to soak up the Pyramids and all their glory. They were massive, definitely not one of those Wonders that seems smaller than you expected it to be. The Pyramids were already over 1,500 years old when Cleopatra ruled the land. It was one of those moments where you can do nothing but contemplate your own insignificance in contrast to the marvel in front of you. 

In our quiet contemplation, I also realized something else. Aren't the Pyramids one of the world's biggest tourist attractions? The place was eerily quiet. There were more than a dozen empty rows of chairs just minutes before the show was to begin. Another reminder of the current political volatility, although we had seen no outward signs of any strife.

Not a sold out show tonight

 The Light and Sound Show finally began and it was quite entertaining. It was dangerously close to cheesy, except you then remembered where you were and became all awestruck again. The Pyramids were lit from below as the booming voice of Omar Sharif narrated important moments of ancient Egyptian history. One of the highlights was a superimposed light on the face of the Sphinx, which was a really neat effect.

Blurry shot of the Light Show

I managed to capture about a minute of video from the show. Video cameras were prohibited, but most tourists there simply recorded the entire show on their cameras or phones. I hope I wasn't that egregious!

When the show ended, my grumbling stomach reminded me we had forgotten to eat dinner. Our ever-helpful guide Mohammed offered his recommendation for a restaurant that was only five minutes from our hotel. He told us we absolutely had to try koshary, a very popular Egyptian dish, which is a kitchen-sink kind of recipe. There was rice and pasta with chicken shawerma, dried onions and a tangy but not-too-spicy red sauce. Our eyes bulged when we saw the gigantic size of the portion, but it was so ridiculously tasty, we had no problem eating the entire thing! We washed it down with our new favorites, fresh strawberry and fresh mango juice. Mmmm. An amazing meal that cost us less than $10 was the perfect end to our first day in Egypt.

Egyptian Honeymoon: Day One

Why Egypt?

Egypt may not be considered the typical honeymoon destination for most, but when my fiancé and I were planning our big summertime trip, no other location even came close.  We had found a 21-day tour with Fez Travel, the same company that had guided us so expertly around the Turkish countryside and left us with scores of unforgettable memories. One of the best things about that tour, apart from the amazing Turkish people, food, nature and monuments, was the limited tour group size. As we both generally despise escorted tours, we figured if we had to do one, this was the one we wanted!

When we finally arrived in Cairo, bleary-eyed and achy from an overnight flight and a 2-hour delayed one from Frankfurt, our tour rep -- the first of many Mohammeds we would meet -- briefed us on our itinerary. We asked Khalifa (all the Mohammeds we met had nicknames to distinguish themselves from one another) when we would meet the other members of our tour. Well, we had signed up with this company for their small size groups and were quickly told that we WERE the group. No one else had signed up. WOW. Many positives and negatives to that scenario. But, we were far too tired to think too much about it at that point. So after our not-so-brief briefing, we headed upstairs to our room on a rickety little elevator that could hold no more than 3 people for some much-needed rest.

We slept in. The early morning call to prayer did not even wake us. I peeled back the window curtains and threw open the window for our first view of daylight Cairo. The air was warm and a sweet flowery fragrance hung in the air. There was the sound of birds chirping from the manicured garden below us. And something that looked like mutant mushrooms growing on the sides of the buildings -- dozens and dozens of satellite dishes. 

After a light breakfast of eggs, fresh fruits, sweet breads and some amazingly refreshing pineapple juice, we rested up a bit on our tour guide's recommendation, given the long breakneck speed of our upcoming travels. But finally we succumbed to our wanderlust and headed outside to explore.

And in less than half an hour, we managed to lose our way, despite having both a map and some verbal directions from the concierge.  It turned out our garden did not make the best landmark, since there were TWO of them and we had made it back to the wrong one. After a few minutes of backtracking, we finally found the hotel again. We sheepishly returned to our hotel, our travelers' pride ruined in the first day, and literally chilled out with some AC and cold water. 

But once again, our desire to explore was too much and we ventured out in search of lunch. We found a cute, very Westernized café that sold fruit smoothies and played ridiculous music, including "Proud to be an American" -- a song I would not have expected to hear in the Middle East. The smoothies were out-of-this-world! Jon got strawberry and I ordered mango. They were actually made with REAL FRUIT. The stringy mango flesh stuck to my chin as I drank it. It more than hit the spot on the toasty summer day. I didn’t realize how warm I was until we stopped to cool down!

Not wanting to tempt heat exhaustion before the Sphinx and Pyramid Light Show we were going to later that night, we once again retreated to the air-conditioned comfort of our hotel for a siesta and prepared ourselves for our first glimpse of the only remaining Wonder of the ancient world.