Sunday, April 01, 2007

Egypt

The beginning of our eight days in Egypt. We're 13hrs away from narita airport next to the Giza pyramids built approximately 4,500 years ago; this one by Khufu. Contrary to popular belief pyramids are not graves or tombs. Nobody was actually buried inside the pyramid, it's actually suppose to function more like a waiting area for the soul to accend towards the sun god Ra. And they were not built by slave labor. When the Nile flooded every year farmers didn't have much to do so they worked on the pyramid most likely in better conditions than working in Wal-Mart. Some excuses for missing work included drinking too much the previous blah blah blah I can go in deep due to excessive geeky research but i realized this could get annoying (although at some points i couldn't help myself) so here are some brief comments and photos out of the 450 we took... (It's not a new japanese perm, just windy)It was cold. We were going to go for a little joy ride but it started to rain! after our guide said it never does (maybe the climate change will make the sahara a huge oasis). At least the camel seems to be enjoying it. Ever wonder what the sphinx is looking at? - the KFC and pizza hut across the way.So before arriving i always wondered what Egyptian food entailed well this here is pretty much it. It looks like naan but it's referred to as eish bread here. You basically dip it in humus or eat it with a scoop of chopped vegetables. This green seaweedy stuff was good too. . . I have to say the best part of this trip was Abu Simbel, located in southern Egypt built by Ramsses II. Two days out of the year the sun shines inside to illuminate his statue and two other gods worshipped at the time. He's the only pharaoh that built a monument dedicated to his favorite wife Nefertari of equal size. We waited for nightfall to see the "Sound and Light" show, which had a cheesy ring but ended up being pretty amazing. You can see and hear how Ramsses II won the Battle of Kadesh right on the monuments he built to commemorate his victory and divinity. Another thing: this actually isn't the original location it was discovered. In the 1960s the whole thing was relocated to make way for the Aswan High Dam. The Felucca's make southern Egypt feel like your somewhere between Venice and Greece; you can sail quietly down the Nile without the buzzing motor. Crosses Christians graffitied onto various monuments.The sacred rock of goddess Isis located on Philae island. This was the first testimony of love, supposedly the reason the Christian Church hates it. Napoleon had to leave his mark and the coordinates of the temple. Hatshepsut's temple; a woman pharaoh who dressed like a man. There were only three woman who've ruled in ancient egypt, i think. A lot of her images were destroyed after her death. Her images didn't lie the sculptures even included the string for the fake beard. aren't they cute?Valley of Kings, this is amaaaaaaaazing. Unfortunately no photography allowed. A Nubian lunch rice with fish cooked in tomato-based sauce, pretty good. This drink was amazing, fresh guava, mango and strawberry; i got some jealous glances at my table.Since Ancient Egyptian history is so long, royalty from later dynasties would visit older one's ruins on vacay. This all used to be flushed with color, you can still see some on the roof.Ok maybe one of you knows what this second toilet is for. Most of the hotels we stayed at had them. My aunt asserts it's to wash your clothes; it does have a warm and cold nozzle. but I estimated it's a place to wash your feet for religous purposes. Give me some suggestions cuz this has been bothering me. The cottage-style resort we stayed at......quite nicethe veiw from our last hotel. i thought this was pretty cool.
Good Hunting.