12 days in Egypt

We took the 1 hour ferry from Nueiwba, and got off to a very hectic scene! People were everywhere, hauling large packages (piled high on their vehicles). Upon inquiry we found out that they were gifts and packages from Jordan, where it is apparently cheap to buy things. We went through a whole mess trying to get our entry visas, and then our passports back. The poor Russian man was getting quite upset, as he didn't know what was going on or when our passports would be safely returned. We did finally manage to buy our entry visa, find customs and have our passports returned to us. You’d never seen a happier Russian!

After a successful hour of running around, we went in search of a taxi to take us to Dahab. Because there were five of us, they tried to make us pay 50 Egyptian pounds each. I had asked around before, and knew that we should not pay more than 150 all together. It took a lot of negotiating to achieve our price! We've learned very quickly here that nothing is free, and you need to push for what you want! If we thought the driving in Poland was bad, we were not prepared for the roads in Egypt!! Lanes do not seem to exist, and the honking is non-stop all the time. Fortunately we arrived safe and sound to Bish Bishi, a cute hostel in a very beachy, touristy spot. The staff was very friendly and nice, and made us feel welcome after our long trek. After showering, we took to the streets to find some dinner. The stares were even worse than Jordan, although we've gotten better at ignoring them. Everyone wants to give you a "present" for which they will ask for money in return. We've started telling them we're from India, which gives them a laugh. Dinner was a lot of fun. We sat on cushions on the floor next to the ocean, there was a fire pit in the middle, and people could smoke from the communcal hookah if desired. Needless to say, we were very sad that we had to leave the next day rather than exploring this gorgeous city known for its deep sea diving.

The hostel arranged a van to take us into Cairo rather than schlepping on the public transportation for 10 hours. We were told that it would only take 6-7 hours in a private car. The drive started off an hour late, as the driver had to be woken up and then have breakfast. We should have foreseen how the day would go, but at that point we really didn't have much of a choice. We passed many checkpoints where a lot of men just sort of stood around not really working (or so it seemed to us!). They would ask for our passports, take a look in and let us pass. As the drive progressed, the delays became longer and longer. Ten minutes Egyptian time always runs into an hour. Things move very slowly here, and they don't seem to have any concept of time constraints! (picture to the left is Charlize Theron advertising a washroom in the middle of the desert!) We made it very clear to the hostel manager, and to the drivers that we needed to be at our hotel in Cairo by 6pm for our meeting. We were assured all day long that this would be no problem. Well, 6pm came and went, and we didn't get to our hotel until 9pm after 9 hours of driving!! We were more than relieved to unload in the "Egyptian five star" hotel. Although the room was of much higher standards then we've been paying for, it still does not come close to what we consider five star at home. We registered for the tour and went to sleep in preparation of the 8 day tour that was to follow.

The first day of our tour started out by taking us to the number one wonder in the world: The Pyramids of Giza, Cheops, Chephren and Mycrenos. We also saw Sakkara. We were very impressed by their grandeur, but it’s weird how they are so close to the city. Plus the countless Bedouins that harass you to buy their crappy souvenirs somehow cheapen the whole scene. Even the security/police were helping the tourists to take pictures, and then were asking for tips. It is hard to describe just how pushy and annoying people can be! EVERYBODY asks you the same questions: "Where you from? What’s your name? How many? (as in how many camels will it take for them to buy you). We were offered 3 million from one generous man. We contemplated taking it until we remembered that Vancouver weather isn’t so favourable for camels! After taking a million pictures, we went and saw the Sphinx. Personally I thought this was much more interesting to look at. Majestic and statuesque. A day on a guided tour for dummies could not be complete without them taking us to a perfume shop where they make all the perfumes from local flowers and no alcohol or preservatives, and trying to get us to buy some. Luckily our tour had a group of 18 Singaporeans who made up for our lack of purchasing! That night we packed up our bags and traveled by night train to Aswan, 13 hours away.

We visited the High Dam in Aswan which is 11,811 feet long, 3215 feet thick at the base and 364 feet tall. Today it provides irrigation and electricity for the whole of Egypt. Very impressive (Joe would have loved it!). Then we visited the Philae Temple by boat, which is located on an Island. We were very impressed with the stories about Isis and god Horus and god Seth. Our tour guide made us act it out! The temple was interested because of its two tone colors after it had been moved from its original location 50 meters away in 35,000 pieces because it was partially underwater.

We woke up very early in the morning for the three hour bus ride to Abu Simbel, an optional day trip we weren’t going to pass up! It was fantastic and so worthwhile. The temple was outstanding. Huge statues of gods greet you at the entrance and the hieroglyphics were superb. We were very pleased we went. Later on the tour split into three groups and Nina and I decided to pay a bit more and take the two day Nile cruise, a longtime running joke between us and Grandma Mary. Well we finally made it Grandma!! Aboard the cruise we worked very hard by sun tanning, lounging on chairs, rousing for meal times and taking naps!

The next morning we visited Komombo Temple, which was built during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The temple is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and god Horus. Pretty cool! Then we visited Edfu the largest and best preserved temple in Egypt. The temple is dedicated to the falcon god Horus and was built over a 180-year period from 237 BC to 57 BC. We returned to the boat and Nina and I indulged in an hour long massage for a good price! The next day we arrived in Luxor and found land visiting the Luxor temple and the Temple of Karnak, one of the most religious centers in the ancient Egypt. The quality of some of these temples is outstanding, just remarkable that you can still see the eye makeup or the reds, yellows and blues on the walls. We can only imagine how they originally looked. The locals however rely mainly on tourists for their income and can be quite pushy following you around with their horse and cart!

The next day we departed for the West Bank of the Nile where we took a ride on some donkeys into the Valley of the Kings. It was really fun, and the donkeys were gentle and cute as we shouted at them in Arabic to go faster and slow down. They totally ignored us and followed their masters! We began to explore “the city of the Dead”, where majestic tombs were carved into the desert rocks, and painted beautifully with hieroglyphics and wonderful works of art. Some tombs you crawl into the ground and some tombs you climb a ladder. This is where the tomb of King Tutankhamen was found. We were told that he wasn´t a very important king at all, and because his tomb was discovered later in life it was left untouched and un-looted and now all of the jewels and treasures are well preserved in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. We visited three tombs inside and each one was unique and remarkable in its own way. The interesting part is that you wouldn't even know you were in the Valley of the Kings from the outside, it just looks like mountains. We were told that this is why they chose to put the tombs here, to try and fool the criminals. Unfortunately their plan did not work out as they would have liked, and a lot of the riches were stolen many years ago.

We then took a quick turn to see the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut who was the only Egyptian queen of Egypt. Cleopatra was Greek. Very beautiful and quite different from the Kings. I found her story to be quite interesting, as she tried to make herself more like a man by dressing in a kilt rather than a dress, working outside (you can tell by her tan), in order to convince the Egyptian people that she should rule the land. It obviously worked! We boarded a night train back to Cairo where I was sleeping soundly until 4am when some weird guy pokes me (there is no seat next to mine, by the way) and says “It's ok, it's ok. “ Then he proceeds to ask me where I'm from and where we're going. Everyone on the train is asleep and he is sitting next to me on a suitcase. I told him not too politely to get lost and finally he got the hint. He came back a couple of hours later and fell asleep leaning on my chair. We found out later that he was a police officer, but it was the creepiest feeling to be woken up by some weirdo in the middle of the night and to be asked where I am from! This country is definitely unique the way they are always in your face and have no boundaries. And they don´t seem to get it. We have grown tired of being harassed by the Egyptian men. I would like to mention that we are appropriately dressed in long pants and shirts, but it makes no difference. Very frustrating. These men watch too much American television and they are always asking to take our picture for we can only imagine what purpose. I believe they think we are all sex goddesses and exciting and fun. I hate to break it to them...They shout things like “hey Shakira,” “baby spice.” God only knows what they watch on TV.

Our last day of the tour was spent visiting the Egyptian Museum, which houses more than 100,000 relics of ancient Egypt. The treasures found in Tutankhamen’s tomb were particularly impressive, as his mask weighed 11 kilograms pure gold and his casket weighed 120 kilograms pure gold. The room of animal mummies was creepy but cool. Elana chose to pay extra to see the original mummies of some of the kings and the minute details still visible were totally creepy. You could see toe nails and hair and eyelashes. Yuck! We also explored the Citadel of Saladin, a Mosque, the Hanging Church and the world famous Kahn El Khalili bazaar. This was a lot of fun. Here all the tourists go to shop for cheap souvenirs. All of the sellers have their lines, and they did not hold back on our account! We got the "What planet are you from? You must be from the moon." I think this was supposed to be a compliment and if you’d walk away they’d cry out that we were breaking their hearts. But it’s all done in good humour. You just have to enjoy yourself and not take them seriously. Bottom line, they just want your money and attention!

Although the tour was great for getting us around to all of the main sites in a fast and safe manner, we were both not sad to leave the group. We found that the majority of the people on the tour were not very adventurous, and just went on the tour because they wanted to be carted around without having to think for themselves. No understanding of culture, just where their next beer is coming from.

We had a couple extra days in Cairo before flying to Turkey, so we decided to take a day trip to Alexandria sans guide. The city sits on the coast, and was really beautiful. We walked for three+ hours enjoying the scenery and stopping for breaks. We found our way to the Library, which holds million books. You have to pay to get into it (something I thought I would never have to do in my life!) but it was so impressive, that it didn`t matter. We also saw a fortress and the monument of the Unknown Soldier. A super cool city but again the men harass and a few of them actually followed us for 20 minutes before we told them to get lost. Don’t misunderstand our stories to believe that Egypt is dangerous or unsafe; you just have to be prepared to be harassed and willing to ignore them. We have had many adventures here, not all can be typed in such details, but we are very happy to be leaving as well! I hope this has satisfied any curiosities about Egypt!

Eilat and Jordan

After leaving our Hannukah party we headed for the bus station in Tel Aviv. A shady area this was, with beggars and young partying Israelis. Our Aunt Ariana accompanied us on our trip to Eilat/Jordan and we all got on the 5 hour bus ride to the tip of the country. Regrettably we were stuck on the Party bus with loud Hannukah celebrators, drunk and behaving badly the whole way there. We found our hostel no problem and even got to sleep at 6am!! Unfortunately some of the savages followed us to the hostel and disrupted our sleeping for one night until Hannukah finished. We enjoyed our first day there with a trip to the Aquarium, Eilat’s most famous tourist site. We saw sharks, corals, fish (every color imaginable) and even took an underwater submarine ride. Too cool!!

Later on, we walked around the beautiful resort town, and dined at a popular Israeli restaurant with tons of little salads, cold corn, pickles, hummus, eggplant with big pita and chicken. Soooo delicious. The food in Israel has been the best food so far. Presentation is key and the prices are so cheap. Then we walked around the open market at night and bought jewelry.

The next day I (Elana) was very sick and so I spent the day in the hostel sleeping while Nina and Ariana enjoyed the sun, surf and beer!

We retired early for a good nights rest before waking at 5am. We packed all our belongings and headed to the Eilat-Aqaba border after a brief encounter with a crooked taxi driver. The price and his attitude dropped once he realized Ariana spoke Hebrew!! After a short wait at the border, we met Egos, an Israeli army deserter, who now lives in England. At 6:30am we began our exciting journey into Jordan. The border on both sides was so slow, with the authorities taking their sweet time to get us in and out of the country. The Jordanian side was intimidating, mainly because it was new. They asked "how many" several times and reviewed all our passports together. Arianna was particularly nervous with her Israeli passport. We all nervously stepped into Jordan to find our taxi. I had previously arranged with our hostel to send a taxi driver to meet us. We were in luck that he had arrived and we were whisked away (along with Egos) to our hostel in Petra. The hour and a half drive through the desert was very beautiful. Tall mountains shadowed the road and I was quite surprised at how different it seemed from Israel, its neighbour.

We arrived at the hostel Cleopetra (correct spelling) to meet Mosleh, the manager. Tea time ensued before we were finally allowed to enter our rooms. For $10/night, we were pleased. Needless to say, we kept our shoes on and only went into the bathroom when necessary! Mosleh drove us to Petra for a 10:30am start, where we grabbed a map and headed to the Siq, a kilometer from the entrance. I can't really explain just how exciting it is to be in this city. The romantic, elusive writtings on the wall, the skills and work put into every carving. The infamous entrance to Petra, when you see the Treasury for the first time. Breathtaking, really extraordinary, pictures cannot begin to explain how moving the experience was. We snapped away and tried to capture the uniqeness of the experience. The day was hot, but bearable. Such a change from December weather at home!! We thought we were prepared for the overeager arabs, but quite frankly it's unerving to have an eight year old try to sell you necklaces while saying "blue light K-mart special" and "happy-hour." One even looked at me with jaded eyes and uttered "I love you". Very creepy. We stopped for a quick lunch before plowing ahead for a full hike to the monastary, the highest point in Petra. You can take a donkey up the steep steps, but we opted to walk as we felt bad for the overworked animals. We were mistified again by the beauty of this place. Nothing quite prepares you for the magnitude and beauty. We were in awe at every step. I tried to keep the camera under control!

We saw much and rested little, after 6.5 hours of complete bliss, we headed to the exit exhausted and satisfied. Mosleh's Uncle picked us up and took us back for some well needed r&r and a final farewell to Egos who decided to head back to Eilat that evening after a lovely day spent together. Although the manager probably saved our trip, we had to put up with his lame lines and calling us princess' far to frequently for our liking! He recommended a simple restaurant down the road where we found half of our hostel dinning. Under the agreement, they were obligated to give us a discount considering they rip all the other tourists off. We got ripped off, but only a little according to Mosleh! We enjoyed schwarma and salad which was so satisfying, we went there for our second evening as well! We endured the catcalls all the way back to our hostel, despite ignoring the men. They are extremely aggressive. Number one question "where you from"? "oh, welcome to Jordan." Seems pleasant enough, but just wait until the taxi driver, the hotel manager, every worker in Petra, Wadi Rum and anywhere you walk, asks you!!

The next day Mosleh arranged for a taxi to Wadi Rum where we met our beduin guide, had more tea at his house before setting out on the desert. We drove in an uncovered jeep for 4+ hours seeing the made up house of Lawrence of Arabia (the movie), the sand dunes (with red sand) and incomprehensibly beautiful mountains and rock structures. We dined on a simple lunch in the desert prepared by our 23 year old beduin guide before and after he toured us around. We discussed bedouin life versus western culture and I explained to him how women can beat their husbands too! This came as much of a surprise to him. Super sweet, I believe he really enjoyed our company since he invited us to stay in his home for the evening! We finished off the day with a beautiful desert sunset ontop of a tall rock structure. Unforgettable in every way. We made our way back to the hostel for our last night before another early morning. I wish I could effectively portray this country as the gem it was. By far the highlight of our trip and all of our travels so far.

We got up early for the 1.5 hour trip to the border where we dropped Ariana off. We waited the 10 minutes till the border opened, since she was all alone. I must preface this email with: THERE ARE NO WOMEN IN JORDAN. Ok, just joking, but seriously, they don't seem to work anywhere and you hardly see any of them on the streets. At the border there were at least 20 men, plus cab drivers and none were women. Very uneasy feeling. It was sad to see Ariana go, but we realized how lucky we were to have shared such an incredible four days together. Nina and I then headed to the port of Aqaba for a ferry ride to Neuwbia, the Sinai in Egypt. We soon realized that again we were the only women in a sea of men (definite;y the only white women). We endured the stares and smiles and the "where you from" while Elana went and purchased the tickets and departure tax. I'll say this much for the country, they let women budge and for that we are thankful! While we waited for our sailing, we met a group of four travelers, all men, all travelling seperately. Elana helped them pay the departure tax and buy tickets, much to their relief. Not exactly the most organized country. Well compared to Egypt....!

We borded the ferry with our new friends from Japan, Korea and Turkey (and a Russian man who spoke no english, but we helped get onto the bus and ferry). Sometimes fellow travelers need to unite to survive!

Israel - Part 2 of 2

One of the reasons for coming to Israel at this time, was so that we could celebrate the Bar mitzvah of our twin cousins Oren and Alon. The planning for this special day had long been organized by our Aunt Ariana and Omi. Thanks to Elana's savvy computer skills, we even helped set up a slideshow presentation at the party. The day started out very early, at 5:40am when we all took a chartered bus to Jerusalem. Although everyone was very tired, it was great being all together on the drive to the Holy city. Once arriving in Jerusalem, we headed straight for the wailing wall (Kotel), where the men and women went to their respective sections. Although there is a divider at the wailing wall, this did not stop us from grabbing a few chairs and peeking over to the men's side to join in the excitement.

There was much commotion on the men's side, as they strapped on the tefillin (religious garb), said their prayers and welcomed the boys into manhood. The women were able to join in by throwing candies and peanuts at the boys; a tradition at bar mitzvah's, which we greatly enjoyed. After the prayer reading at the Kotel, everyone walked over to a lovely restaurant nearby, where a delicious catered brunch awaited us. First were pancakes and pastries to nosh, then came individual pizzas, burekas, quiches and more. Of course dessert followed. To work off all the food we ate, two circles for dancing were formed. One with women, one with men. The twins were lifted up on chairs, while everyone gathered around. It was quite the lively event! After the dancing subsided and speeches were made, a large group assembled for a walking tour around Jerusalem that had been previously arranged. The tour guide was excellent, as he was not only a tour guide but also a historian. Time was tight, but he was able to show us a few of the important spots in the Old City. We were all exhausted by the time we got to the bus to take us back to the Shomron, but were thrilled to have participated in such a special occasion.

On Wednesday we started the day early for an hour and a half drive up to Haifa, in the north of Israel. Our first stop was to see the Baha'i Gardens. Here we saw perfectly manicured, gorgeous gardens atop a hillside, all maintained by the Baha'i people. Unfortunately we chose the only day that they do not have guides showing you through, but we were still able to enjoy the beauty from up above. We left the gardens to Caesarea, an ancient city once run by Jews, Romans, Christians and Arabs. So many years have passed, yet a lot of the buildings are still standing. The horse track still remains, and you can picture yourself high above the arena, where much bood was shed. This was the entertainment for the locals. We also saw an enormous amphitheatre, where they still hold concerts. We had a good chuckle at this lady who was standing on the stage for a full 15 minutes singing for everyone, whether we liked it or not. When she left the stage, I'm not sure if people were cheering because they liked it, or they were happy she was finished with her show.

Thursday night we headed over to our Uncle David's house, where we saw his adorably blond curly-haired children. He and his wife Liat took us for a delicious meal of pita, hummus and Israeli salad. All you can eat. . .and that we did! Then we went to the local bowling alley where the computer screen showed how fast you bowled in kilometres! Too funny. I (Elana) got a little too involved with the speed and that threw off my already fantastic game of ten pin!

Friday we spent a second lovely Shabbat at Uncle Asher's house, this time with Omi and Saba. It was great to see everyone again, since this was our last visit with them. Again, we ate far too much food. We played games all evening using raisins instead of pens (figure that one out) due to shabbat restrictions. Saturday after sundown we drove to my mom's cousin's Yaakov, to spend the evening with him, his wife, and eight children. The house was definitely lively, and it was great to get to know everyone. We are only having small families!!

We also had an overnight with my mother's cousin, Reuvenchik, his wife Shulamit, and his three kids (1, 4 & 6), 2 dogs and 2 cats. Needless to say, all were charming. A special shout out to the older boys for all the kisses we mooched! There place was exciting, chaotic and fun! We had a great time, never a dull moment.

For our sendoff Sunday evening, we went to my mom's cousin Eve's place for a Hannukah party! We lit the candles on the hannukia, ate potato latkes and donuts, and said our last goodbyes. It was a wonderful sendoff to see everyone before we left and also to visit with Ricky and Vera throughout the party.

Israel is a beautiful country, but so different from Canada. We have a quiet laugh over the english menu's with so many spelling mistakes. Many people here are fluent, native english speakers and we just don't get it! The security here is constant, but in some ways it fades into the background of everyday life when you get use to the tanks driving by and soldiers with guns. Locals don't even pay attention. Our bus out of the settlement has bullet proof windows to get to the mall. Scary? or practical?!

We have LOVED our time here, especially seeing all the family and being chauffered with love!

Israel - Part 1 of 2

We arrived safely in Israel, and landed in a rain storm. Our grandmother (Omi), Aunt Ariana, and cousin Noa came to pick us up with beautiful pink roses. It was so wonderful to be greeted by some friendly faces after the cold Slavic countries. We then drove to the territories of Israel (above the green line) to our grandparent's house. After relaxing for a couple of days and catching up with our grandparents, we headed over to our uncle Asher's house for Shabbat. This starts on Friday at sundown, and ends on Saturday at sundown. There are many rules that must be followed during this time. You can't turn on/off lights, rip paper, watch tv or drive. Basically, any carrying, burning, extinguishing, finishing, writing, erasing or any other form of work. Since our Uncle and his family are orthodox Jews, the dinner is very traditional. You start out by saying some prayers, drinking the Kiddish wine, (or grape juice if you prefer) and eating a slice of challah bread sprinkled in salt. Then the first and second course comes out, followed by the dessert. Israeli's eat very well, which is one of the reasons we love coming, and which has led our "European diets" to go out the window.

After dinner we take a stroll around the neighborhood, as many people do in this area. The weather is very pleasant now, and is quite comfortable to walk around at night. We find it funny when they talk about it being cold at 15 degrees in the winter! Gorgeous compared to the snow we left in Krakow!! Uncle David and Aunt Liat came over post Shabbat to visit, bringing along their two adorable blond, curly haired children. It was great to see them both again and to meet their children (Nina had met Netta once before).

Our first excursion to the mall was a pleasant one. A routine check of our car by armed security is standard upon entering the parking lot. Our bags are then checked before walking into the mall. All of this is normal for all malls you go to in Israel as well as museums, grocery stores, etc. The mall is half closed, half open, as the rain here is so scarce. We pick up a couple of silver chains for our new amber pendants from Poland/Czech Republic. The prices are quite reasonable here, as our dollar is fairly strong. We go to the food court where you can find falafel, schwarma and even sushi! Stray cats are abundant here, so there are many of them meandering around looking for food. At home cats are in general loved and are seen as good pets, but here because there are so many strays, many people think of them as dirty and annoying. This to us was very upsetting.

On Tuesday, Elana, Omi and I left early for the Dead Sea (a 2 1/2 hour drive from where they live). We stopped for gas along the way, and apparently the gas attendant (an Arab teenager) thought short skirt with long legs were pretty exciting, and tried to get a couple peeks in. We assume this is because the Arab women keep very covered up, including their heads. To us it was very strange. The drive to the Dead Sea was very pleasant. It is the lowest place on earth and at the beach we reached minus 450 meters below sea level. Super cool!! We passed Arab stores with painted pots for sale, and tall camels out front almost like guards of the stores. We also saw hundreds of palm trees being harvested for fruit. It is great being in the desert at this time, since it is nice and warm but not too hot.

We got to the spa and headed straight for the mud pits. Here we dug in and lathered the Dead Sea mud all over our bodies. We let it dry until it was all gray and crinkly, then washed it off in the sulfur water. We then took the little tram to the shore. Unfortunately it was a very windy day, so we could not exactly float in the water, as the waves were crashing in (it is very important not to get any of the water in your eyes, as it will be burning for hours afterwards). Elana and I dipped in regardless, and covered ourselves with the salty water. Your skin feels incredible; so smooth and soft. After enjoying the beach for a little while, we went back to the spa and relaxed in one of the sulfur baths with the naked women. Not sure what people's deal is with showing off their nakedness since the sign CLEARLY READS: bathing suits must be worn, but that's life.