LIFE ON THE NILE

by Steve Osborne

The sun has just gone down and the Moslems of Cairo – the vast majority of the residents of the huge city – are having breakfast.

It is strangely quiet and peaceful for a city that is usually as noisy and energetic as the last minutes of a tight Super Bowl game. That is because it is Ramadan and everyone has stopped what they are doing to eat. Police are crouching in small groups near the entry gates they are guarding, cooking food over portable stoves. Young couples are lounging on benches along the Nile eating pizza. Workers and passersby are bellying up to “tables of god” – free buffets set up around the city by benefactors seeking to earn spiritual merit by feeding the poor and those who are not near their homes when the sun sets on another day of fasting.

In Arabic this meal is called iftar. It is the meal with which people who adhere to the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed break their sunrise-to-sunset fast during the 30 days of Ramadan. What kind of religion, you ask yourself, commands such a high level of devotion among its followers that they voluntarily go without food and liquids all day for 30 consecutive days every year?

As you ponder that, you look out from your hotel room over the city’s horizon and see something that brings your thinking – and your breath – to a quick stop. There, towering above the tops of the buildings that form the horizon in the pastel distance, you see ... pyramids. And then it hits you: you are actually in Egypt and you are looking at the one remaining Wonder of the Ancient World: the renowned Pyramids of Giza.

Another thought occurs to you: you can afford to come here because you have been successful in real estate, and ironically, you have come to the land where the world’s oldest properties are still standing. At home, 50-year-old properties are considered old. Here, properties 100 times older than that are still generating income. Here, there is “modern” graffiti that predates the oldest structures in your home town.

What to See, What to Do

When you go to Egypt, there are certain “must do’s.” Seeing the Pyramids of Giza and the adjoining sphinx (located a bit more than 30 minutes from the heart of downtown Cairo ) is one of those. A visit to Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt, is another command performance. It too is a short drive away from Cairo. At Memphis, you will see, among other things, the fallen colossus of Ramses II and a gigantic sphinx made of pure alabaster.

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is another must-see. Like most large, world-class museums, you could take days wandering through it. But you probably you won’t have that much time, so take a guided tour to make sure you see the highlights. The Tutankhamen exhibit is priceless in more ways that one. “King Tut,” a minor and short-lived entry in the long list of Egyptian pharaohs, is famous not because of his reign, but because his tomb was discovered intact. It had not been looted by the tomb-robbers who trashed the resting places of his more illustrious cohorts. The contents of this “unimportant” tomb, as display in the Egyptian Museum, including a solid gold sarcophagus, will make you wonder what the major tombs contained.

The Khan El-Khalili Bazaar is another destination you must experience in Cairo. It is a sprawling labyrinth of alleyways lined with tiny shops. These shops are staffed by salespeople whose common quality seems to be an absolute passion for luring you into their shops where they will dicker with you. Don’t be shy: if you don’t negotiate them down to about a fifth of the starting price, they will feel guilty for having taken advantage of you.

Cairo is only part of Egypt, of course. Be sure to plan for a cruise along the Nile, between the towns of Aswan and Luxor. This takes four to five days, including flying to one of those cities and out of the other. (You can also travel to and from by land if you have the time and want to see more of the country.)

If you go on one of the better ships, you’ll find the Nile experience to be a wonderful combination of a fascinating sightseeing tour and a luxury cruise, complete with excellent food, incredible views of life along the Nile – the felucca boats, fishermen, farmers and mud-walled villages – and stops at magnificent tombs, temples and small cities where life is said to be essentially the same for the rural residents as it has been for many thousands of years.

A side trip can be taken from Aswan: a quick flight to Abu Simbel. This is another visit you’ll want to make if you have the time. There, a gigantically impressive temple originally built by Ramses II around 1250 B.C. was cut up and moved to higher ground in 1964 to 1966 to avoid being consumed by the rising Lake Nassar after the Aswan High Dam was built.

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

A very small percentage of Americans ever go to Egypt. If you decide to make this odyssey, you will never be the same. However, do yourself a favor: read up on Egyptian history – ancient and modern – in advance. You will get much more out of the trip. There is so much to see, experience and learn, unless you go with at least a foundation of the land’s history and culture, you will be overwhelmed.

One last suggestion: don’t be afraid to visit Egypt. Yes, it is a very different culture and environment than you have become used to at home. But the people are wonderfully hospitable and friendly. If you relax and enjoy the experience, you will quickly feel right at home, and when you leave, you will realize that you have just experienced the trip of a lifetime.

Some Important Tips

They say traveling in a strange land is a broadening experience. But unless you’re prepared and careful, it can be frustrating, frightening and even disastrous. Here are a few tips that will help you enjoy your trip to Egypt and come back healthy and with a smile on your face. (Most of these tips apply to travel in any exotic land.)

Get a guide.

If you don’t know the language, you’ll need a guide who not only knows the language, but all the ins and outs of the country you’re visiting and the sites you want to see. Ask a travel agent to hook you up with a top-notch, reputable ground operator company – one that has quality guides. It’s well worth the cost.

Stay well.

You will not enjoy your Nile cruise if you’re in your cabin writhing with stomach problems because you couldn’t resist eating something off the street, or ordering green salad in what seemed like such a nice restaurant, or having ice in your drink (They said it was from purified water, didn’t they?), or drinking water from a supposedly purified water bottle that wasn’t sealed. Always find out what the dietary taboos are before you go and do not take chances. Also, keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you and use it before you eat.

Have small change at hand for "tips."

There is a lot of poverty in Egypt, but not a lot of beggars. Rather than asking for a handout, people who are after money – mostly children – will ask for “bakshish” (the Arabic work for “tip”) for doing something for you, whether it’s to carry your bag or shine your shoes. It doesn’t take much to make them happy. And remember: they need it much more than you do.

Don’t worry.

Speaking of money, tourists are rarely robbed or assaulted in Egypt. The people are kind and hospitable by nature. Also, since tourism is the number one industry in Egypt, any act against tourists triggers severe retribution. The relatively few but gruesome terrorist acts again tourists (the massacre at the Temple of Hatshepsut and the more recent bombing at Sharm el-Sheikh) are a great source of embarrassment to a country proud of its long track record of taking good care of it visitors.

Think of taxi rides in Egypt as athletic events.

No matter how many times you are told about the crazy, free-for-all driving in urban Egypt, nothing will prepare you for the actual experience. Making a two-lane street into a four-lane raceway where pedestrians and donkey carts dart in and out of traffic with death-defying bravado seems an impossibility. But they do it, often speeding along so close to the cars on either side that if you dropped an apple out the window between them it would get stuck. The rule here is simple: keep your hands and feet inside the car and have a good time.

Other tips …

When confronted by aggressive salespeople (and they are aggressive) two things count: speed and focus. Don’t make eye contact or they will have you. Put your head down and plough ahead. The moment you slow down or look to the side, they’ve got you.

Be polite. Remember, you’re in their country. Their ways are not your ways, but you’re the visitor. A little respect and politeness go a long way.

Learn some basic words and phrases before you go, such as “yes,” “no,” “thank you,” “where is …,” “I am looking for …,” “I want …,” and so on.

Take maps and a compass. A compass? Yes. What good is a map of a city’s streets if you don’t know which direction is which? Better still, get a GPS system.

Be careful. Mistakes can have huge consequences when you’re away from home. Losing a passport, forgetting medications you might need, and other no-no’s can ruin your day, and your trip.

When flying, take necessities with you in a carry-on and don’t let it out of your sight. Load a carry-on with an extra change of clothes, your toiletries, travel documents, any medications you need to take, your camera, and anything else you can’t do without. On a long trip, it’s not uncommon for the luggage you check on to arrive late or not at all. Don’t take that chance.

Keep copies of everything in duplicate or triplicate in different places, such as your carry-on, your checked luggage and your traveling companion’s carry-on. That includes itineraries, copies of passport and visas and tickets.

If you’re a smart traveler who is careful and exercises common sense, a wonderful world awaits you!

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