By Calvin B. Smith
2007 Egyptian Tour
Biblical Research Foundation
Saturday, March 10, 2007
First day in Egypt
Few among us have not wished and/or longed to visit lands of "lost" civilizations and particularly, perhaps, those as well preserved and documented as EGYPT! Sphinxes, Pharaohs, Pyramids & Mummies and of course, the possibility, all be it remote, of the dream find of one of the long hidden treasures that we have seen in the movies or TV or in one of the blockbuster exhibitions. We might have even read about one of those exciting accounts of the archaeologist that…well, discovered the great tomb with all the wondrous artifacts and treasures.
Fascinating stuff!
But, first, for those who have not experienced travel to far-flung lands in recent times maybe a short account of the trip over might be in order as it has always been new to me each time. We had to get up at 2 AM on Thursday to get to the airport by 4 AM so we could get checked in on the international flight so our luggage could go all the way to Cairo; that is, if nothing went the wrong way.
We were the first ones through the security line but I held everyone up because my new knee brace set everything off and they "patted" me down from head to proverbial, but we still got through fairly quickly. However, we had to wait until 5 AM for something to open so we could get a quick breakfast. We boarded at 5:30 AM and got to Houston at 6:30 AM and changed planes and got to New York City's JFK Airport at 12:30 PM their time.
Since we had to change terminals we had to go through security again…and yes, I set the alarm off again and was patted down…again.
One of the most interesting diversions in travel is observing the human condition, that is the diversity of what makes us human, language, clothing, mannerisms and the uniqueness of each individual. But at the same time the similarities, the anxiousness of encountering the unknown and/or the rush in trying to get to where you need to be without ever having been there before or understanding or even seeing the interpretive signage. For example, we got on the wrong tram because I said I thought it would go all the way around and take us where we needed to be – but unlike the last airport I went through – there were two "trains", only one of which made the circle and we were not on it! Fortunately, we had plenty of time to make the correction with an airport employee’s help and got off on time at 4:30 PM.
This was one of those BIG planes, four seats in the middle and two on each side of the plane. However, the seats are not any larger and certainly not any more comfortable than those we normally encounter in the smaller versions, at least in "economy" class. There were at least four monitors we could see at any one time and they have a map of your route with a silhouette of the plane over where it is at any point in the flight. It also shows your altitude, ours was 37,000 feet most of the trip, how far away you are from your destination, ours started at about 3,735 miles, how long it will take you to get to your destination, ours was 6.5 hours, local time at the destination, 11:25 PM and the current temperature which was then 54 degrees F. It also told you how fast you were going…how about 607 miles per hour and how cold it was outside the plane…between minus 70 and minus 80 degrees F. It is amazing how smooth the ride was but in experiencing how tired we were by the time we got to Frankfurt, Germany it only makes Lindberg's accomplishment that much more extraordinary!!!
We seemed to be "herded" in and out of various spaces in Frankfurt but all in all the "system" still works incredible well with few missed planes by so many passengers that it is hard to comprehend. As we flew into a new day the circadian rhythm kicks in and it is hard to sleep even if you are so tired that you know you are not functioning in a "normal" manner. We boarded another plane and headed south toward Africa at 6 AM and flew over the Alps but it was cloudy and we didn't get to see any thing until we got to Italy and saw the snow capped peaks protruding above the clouds and eventually the Mediterranean Sea and then on in to Cairo.
This is a VERY LARGE city with 20 million people and it appears from the air to be brown and concrete in color. The airport was mostly marble but 1950's style and there seemed to be total chaos with little or no meaning to "lines".
Not unlike China, there is just a mass movement toward the point of impact. We were able to get through customs fairly well but if it were not for our tour host it would have been a real challenge. The parking lot, however, was not as easily navigated…the bus driver had to back up a pretty good way and the sounds of horns and other means of communication filled the air. There is no explanation as to how the parking "lot" is managed, (or mismanaged as the case may be). Everyone drives straight in and all those ending up in the front have no way to get out until someone moves from behind them.
The route into the center of the city where our hotel was located was a nice boulevard running parallel to the Nile River with elaborate "ministries" (including the Ministry of Civilization) and foreign embassies as well as the Egyptian Air Force Base. There were lots of flowers and close-cropped grass but as we got on the highway built over the city you could see why it was all so "brown." It was a very blighted and substandard concentration of what we would refer to as slums with a majority of the structures made from mud (adobe) bricks and almost every one left unfinished (to avoid taxes as we were to later learn). Some had reed huts built on top of them and trash – lots of trash – as if they had no other means of disposal. Quite a few, if not most, also had a satellite dish attached to some part of the roof. The larger commercial buildings were concrete with a cream or brownish red brick facades with some stuccoed. This was to be just the first of what we would see of real poverty throughout the countryside.
We indulged in an excellent buffet supper with numerous choices and an all too tempting desert table with a white chocolate fountain. Needless to say it was difficult to decide and some of us tried a little of all our small plate would hold.
The next morning we had a good breakfast and new smells, sounds, sights, tastes and feelings all came to the forefront as we stepped out of the hotel and the wind was blowing from the river. We had been told not to even drink the water in the hotel room (only bottled water with an unbroken seal) and it was not hard to comprehend why no one should fall in the famous Nile. We met our native tour guide, Dr. Anwaar Khalek who has her PhD in Civilization from Helwan University Cairo and a Lecturer in Egyptology at The American University in Cairo.
Then, there we were! About 17 of us counting the driver, tour rep (guard) and tour guide at our first Pyramid at Zoser, the oldest monument of cut stone in the world and the earliest "pyramid" although it is a "stepped" structure with six distinct levels but not the smooth sloped sides that make the others so distinctive. It as built on top of a Mastaba (meaning "bench") but the lower levels were closed to the public for renovation and to "rest" the space from the pressures of the public. However, we went into the Mastaba of Mereruka, an official of the Pharaoh Titi, whose pyramid was adjacent to the Mastaba. The Mastaba included incredible "decorations" in each of the rooms depicting detailed scenes of daily life that had been carved into the walls in basrelief and highlighted with red, yellow, black and occasionally blue making the detail come alive as beautifully as any art works as you will ever see. Mastabas were built as tombs for dignitaries and nobles of the court that provided every possible comfort in the afterlife and this is one of the best preserved and most descriptive.
We also went to Memphis and saw many of the large artifacts and statues (one of Ramses II that was in the traveling exhibition that came to the U. S.) and the alabaster sphinx of Amophis II and then on to Giza the most famous of all the complexes because of its proximity to Cairo and is easily the most recognizable with the three giant pyramids that were built close together. However, there are a total of nine pyramids but the remainder are much smaller for the wives of the pharaohs. Probably most of you identify Egypt with the giant sphinx guarding the three extremely large pyramids that are dominant in the photos and videos of magazines and movies. NOTHING can compare to being here in person and seeing the scope and scale of these magnificent structures that can be identified from space. Although we went down into the tomb of Khafre which is the tallest by a few meters the other two, Minkare and Kufu are equally impressive. The oldest is Kufu and is 400 years later than Zoser. The trek into the burial chamber was grueling but well worth it as you had to bend down and walk down a good ways and then back up into the interior of the pyramid where the sarcophagus was located. The question remains, how did they get the sarcophagus down there when it was much larger than the tunnels into the chamber?
The vendors there had a new approach to their "pitch." They were very friendly and would "give" you their merchandise as a "good will" jester saying "no, I don't want your money, this is from me to you" then follow you up and ask if you had something for their families. There is one born every minute.
We got back to the hotel about 6 PM and had another good buffet supper but have to be on the bus in the morning by 6 AM to fly to Luxor and another grand adventure.
Of all the original seven wonders of the ancient world only the pyramids of Giza remain. It is said here that man fears time but time fears the pyramids…
