Canada Dry
Typical day in the life of Jess and Serge in Egypt.
"Hello!"
"Hello."
"Want to buy a (blank for anything they are selling)? Only 5 pounds! Good deal. Good deal."
"La Shukran (no, thank-you in arabic)"
"You speak arabic?"
"No, just a little."
"Where are you from?"
"Canada"
"ah, Canada dry (big smile on the Egyptians face)"
"yes, but Canada is not dry (Jess always replies this which always makes me laugh)"
"Masalama (goodbye in arabic)"
Repeat that 10 to 15 times a day and you have an adequate picture of our walks. But it is fun. Most people are nice and helpful although we rarely buy from the street because you never know what you are getting.
Yesterday, was amazing. After Jess recuperated from her allergic reaction (we think it is fish or the spices on the fish we had in Dahab. But it was SO good!). We slowly made our way to the Luxor Temple and then off to the Karnac Temples. Both were very impressive and the fact that some of the ruins remain after over 4000 years of pillaging and annoying tourists taking pictures left, right and center, it is quite amazing!
We were convinced by an enterprising Egyptian to take a ride in his horse and buggy (very much a horse and buggy, egyptian style... pictures to prove it!). We rode around the city and the market (souq in Arabic). It was amazing to see this part of the city and it was less hassle given no one bothers foreigners with guide (very helpful). Saeed, our buggy driver took us to the temples and spent most of the day with us. For this privilege, we paid the handsome sum of 60 Egyptian pounds ($12, not much but for us starving students, it is starting to be expensive!). We did have fun with Saeed and it was relaxing to stroll around Luxor in a horse and buggy. Don't forget to pay baksheesh for Cinderalla (the horses name. Baksheesh means tip or bride in arabic. Everyone expects baksheesh for everything they do for you exept give directions. Directions for some reason is free in this country!).
In the afternoon, we took a felluca ride (a felluca is like a sail boat but an Egyptian sail boat). They have been in use since the Pharaohs. We spent 3 hours on the Nile with our Captain Allah. He took us to Banana Island, an island plantation with real banana trees (we ate fresh bananas from the tree. Bet you haven't done that before!). There were also mango trees and mandarine trees and orange trees. The sunset was amazing and so was the sail back. Our captain was truly a gentleman and although he couldn't read, you could tell he was very learnt with the way the world works. He was dealt a bad hand in life but he had hope. His good spirit and positive outlook on life was really inspiring. We talked about microfinance and what he would do with just US$100. He had some very enterprising ideas but no program exists in Luxor yet (maybe for future reference because the people of Luxor are very hard workers and very friendly and trustworthy as we've learnt).
Today, we went to see the Valley of the Kings and the temples on the West side of the Nile. It was very impressive. We hired a driver for the day for about $20 which is a good deal if you consider the distances between the sites. The tombs of the Pharaohs were very empressive. I was most impressed by the Habu temple. The structure is in very good condition with some of the original paint dating back 3000 years ago. Amazing! We drove around sugar plantations, gazed at ruins of previous villages and saw a multitude of impressive relics. We made it back by taking the ferry to the East bank and walking back to our hostel.
Tomorrow, we will take the train to Cairo at 9:30 AM (10 hour train ride! Yikes). We will see the Giza pyramids and the spinx on the 21st before flying off to Tunisia.
More news of travels to come.
"Hello!"
"Hello."
"Want to buy a (blank for anything they are selling)? Only 5 pounds! Good deal. Good deal."
"La Shukran (no, thank-you in arabic)"
"You speak arabic?"
"No, just a little."
"Where are you from?"
"Canada"
"ah, Canada dry (big smile on the Egyptians face)"
"yes, but Canada is not dry (Jess always replies this which always makes me laugh)"
"Masalama (goodbye in arabic)"
Repeat that 10 to 15 times a day and you have an adequate picture of our walks. But it is fun. Most people are nice and helpful although we rarely buy from the street because you never know what you are getting.
Yesterday, was amazing. After Jess recuperated from her allergic reaction (we think it is fish or the spices on the fish we had in Dahab. But it was SO good!). We slowly made our way to the Luxor Temple and then off to the Karnac Temples. Both were very impressive and the fact that some of the ruins remain after over 4000 years of pillaging and annoying tourists taking pictures left, right and center, it is quite amazing!
We were convinced by an enterprising Egyptian to take a ride in his horse and buggy (very much a horse and buggy, egyptian style... pictures to prove it!). We rode around the city and the market (souq in Arabic). It was amazing to see this part of the city and it was less hassle given no one bothers foreigners with guide (very helpful). Saeed, our buggy driver took us to the temples and spent most of the day with us. For this privilege, we paid the handsome sum of 60 Egyptian pounds ($12, not much but for us starving students, it is starting to be expensive!). We did have fun with Saeed and it was relaxing to stroll around Luxor in a horse and buggy. Don't forget to pay baksheesh for Cinderalla (the horses name. Baksheesh means tip or bride in arabic. Everyone expects baksheesh for everything they do for you exept give directions. Directions for some reason is free in this country!).
In the afternoon, we took a felluca ride (a felluca is like a sail boat but an Egyptian sail boat). They have been in use since the Pharaohs. We spent 3 hours on the Nile with our Captain Allah. He took us to Banana Island, an island plantation with real banana trees (we ate fresh bananas from the tree. Bet you haven't done that before!). There were also mango trees and mandarine trees and orange trees. The sunset was amazing and so was the sail back. Our captain was truly a gentleman and although he couldn't read, you could tell he was very learnt with the way the world works. He was dealt a bad hand in life but he had hope. His good spirit and positive outlook on life was really inspiring. We talked about microfinance and what he would do with just US$100. He had some very enterprising ideas but no program exists in Luxor yet (maybe for future reference because the people of Luxor are very hard workers and very friendly and trustworthy as we've learnt).
Today, we went to see the Valley of the Kings and the temples on the West side of the Nile. It was very impressive. We hired a driver for the day for about $20 which is a good deal if you consider the distances between the sites. The tombs of the Pharaohs were very empressive. I was most impressed by the Habu temple. The structure is in very good condition with some of the original paint dating back 3000 years ago. Amazing! We drove around sugar plantations, gazed at ruins of previous villages and saw a multitude of impressive relics. We made it back by taking the ferry to the East bank and walking back to our hostel.
Tomorrow, we will take the train to Cairo at 9:30 AM (10 hour train ride! Yikes). We will see the Giza pyramids and the spinx on the 21st before flying off to Tunisia.
More news of travels to come.
posted by Serge LeVert-Chiasson at
7:44 AM
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