Alexandria, Egypt

Alexandria, Egypt

Sprawling like a necklace curving along the Mediterranean, Alexandria is a true waterfront city with twenty miles long and two miles wide.

Established in 332 BC by Alexander the Great, modern day Alexandria barely has an ancient original stone. Although it was a major trade and learning center with majestic buildings such as the lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, from the 4th century onwards, the city declined into insignificance.

A powerful earthquake in 365 AD off the coast of Greece caused a tsunami that devastated the city. Many surrounding villages and towns were wiped off the map and there is evidence that the shoreline was permanently changed by the disaster.

In 1995 archaeologists discovered the ruins of the old city off the coast of present-day Alexandria. It has been documented that slowly, but steadily, the buildings of Alexandria's royal quarter were overtaken by the sea following the tsunami. Diving tours near the Harbor to see some of the ruins can be arranged, but we gave it a miss.

The best part of our visit was to stroll along the Mediterranean and marvel at the modern and old Alexandria. It was fun to have French pastries with Turkish coffee, eat sea food, fresh fish and squeezed fruit juices. Strolling at the Souq, where Peter bought a set of chai glasses for his collection, was also an all time favorite. I am not sure the curfew is still being enforced – the markets were lively and open until past 11pm.

We were constantly greeted by hundreds of Alexandrians during our one-week stay. We are starting to feel like royalty here in Egypt as people want to take picture with us and everywhere we go we hear “Welcome to Egypt” before the usual “where are you from,” “what is your name,” and occasionally, “how old are you.” Yes, Arabs have no qualms about this taboo question in the west, which puts us in the difficult position of revealing that we are much older than we look.
From our beach front hotel near Midan Saad Zaghloul, it was easy to go everywhere. The constant fresh air from the sea was always a pleasant change from the dust in the back streets , in serious need of public works.

We visited the Patriarch Coptic Orthodox Church, founded by Mark the Evangelist, author of the second Gospel. Coptic Christians believe he arrived in Alexandria around 60 AD. He was tortured and killed in 68 AD and buried under the church he founded. Those were the days when paganism ruled. Only a few hundred years later, in 323 AD, when Constantine the Great recognized the Christian religion, and in 356 AD ordered the closing of pagan temples throughout the empire, ninety percent of Egyptians became Coptic Christians. Islamism became the new favored religion 300 years after that, when the numbers of adepts in Egypt changed again. Currently it is 90% Muslims and 10% Coptic-Christians.

In 828 AD the Venetians stole Mark Evangelist's body for the St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, but some of this body parts remain in Alexandria. I was taken to a back room to see some of his fingers behind a glass case, and also to the place where his tomb is. There were a lot of volunteers sweeping the floors and working on the grounds. We had to show our passports to enter the area and be on an escorted tour, possibly because of the recent terrorist attacks to another Coptic Church 10 kilometers away, in recent months.
The French influence in Alexandria is still very present, even though Napoleon Bonaparte was in Egypt for only three years, leaving the country in 1801, in his worst military defeat in history. With the ultimate ambition to conquer British India, on May 19, 1798 Napoleon Bonaparte arrived in Egypt with 350 ships but was forced to leave three years later, defeated by the British. But the French cultural influence lingers to this day, as Napoleon brought many artists, scientists, egyptologists and scholars with him.

Western inventions were introduced to Egypt, like the printing press, ideas such as liberalism and nationalism. To modernist historians, the French arrival marks the start of the modern Middle East. Napoleon also re-developed the port, which helped to attract people from all over the world and add to the city's pluralistic charm.

To us, the best contribution from the French is the patisseries, everywhere in town. It is a double treat because the pastry shops usually have western pastries on one side (mostly French style) and the Arab ones on the other. The dozens of cafes and the horse carriages everywhere in town are also a reminder of life in Europe in the 19th century.

The Tram was built in 1860 and it is still in operation. We sat on the double deck of one as it lingered the 15 miles to the far east side of town to Montazah Palace. This palace was built in 1900 as the summer residence of the last king of Egypt, king Farouk , descendent of Mohammed Ali, the Ottoman ruler who took over Egypt after the French were defeated.

The Ottoman ruler in Egypt got the position with England's help. Its government was therefore submissive to the British Empire. Muhammad Ali and his descents became the new rulers, until 1952 when an Egyptian revolution put civilians in charge of the country. Those were times of Naguib, Nasser, Sadat, and most recently Mubarak.

Post Revolutionary Buzz in Alexandria, Egypt

Post Revolution Buzz in Alexandria, Egypt

Mirroring their brothers and sisters in Cairo, Alexandrians' revolutionary buzz is contagious. As we walk on the streets, visit the sites and make our regular stops to the many fabulous pastries shops and thousands of coffee shops, we meet young artists painting murals all over town, groups of five or six people getting together to re-paint the curbs black and white, sweep the streets and direct traffic. The red, white and black, the colors of the flag, are painted on every piece of concrete that needs uplift and beautification.

After 30 years of dictatorship, like the faces of Egyptians, tired, worn out and without a future, the cities look very neglected, in need of uplifting. People's faces are already shinning with smiles and hopes of what their revolution will bring them, and the cities are slowly following them in their mood. It is a great feeling to be here, seeing this transformation.

It is “city repair,” a word coined in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A, meaning the same thing: common citizens taking ownership for their cities through their own creativity and initiative, rather than waiting for governments to do it for them.

Last Friday we woke up with cheers, five floors down on the street, on the sea side. It was the “Friday of Cleansing and Protecting the Revolution” here in Alexandria too. Although there is a sense of ecstatic victory in the air, Egyptians are not letting the ball drop. They want the army to push for more reforms, demand the release of all political detainees, dismantle the state security apparatus and put an end to the emergency law. They also want the resignation of Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq. They say they don't want just a merely change in names in the government, but real reforms. Shafiq is Mubarak's most prominent student, they say.

In Cairo, Sheikh Reda Ragab and Father Khazman, a Coptic church bishop, walked hand-in-hand through Tahrir Square to show that the former regime was the one fueling sectarianism, not them.
They were welcomed by cheers from protesters chanting “Muslim and Christians are one.”

All demonstrations have been peaceful, and although military tanks are still protecting embassies, consulates, historical sites, malls and major hotels, they are being used mostly as a tourist site as families can never get enough of photos of their children on top them. We have felt very welcomed and safe here. Tourism accounts for 11% of Egypt's employment and an annual revenue of $11 million dollars.

Although London and Paris have eased their travel warnings as the dust settles, the U.S.A recommendation is to “defer non-essential travel” to Egypt because of “continuing uncertainties regarding the restructuring of Egyptian government institutions.” Although we feel for the Egyptians' hardship, we can only say that we don't mind having Egypt all to ourselves.

Bibliotheca Alexandria, Egypt

Bibliotheca Alexandria, Egypt

The Bibliotheca Alexandria was opened for the first time this week, after the onset of the Egyptian Revolution of January 25th. Peter and I were the only foreign visitors to attend the noon guided tour. Normally, the groups are as large as 70 people, we were told.

Although I was wowed at the amazing architecture of the new Bibliotheca Alexandria, inaugurated in 2002, I was disappointed to hear that only one scroll from the ancient library survived from fires and earthquakes.

The new library has space for 8.0 million books, but its sleek back lit shelve spaces houses only about one million books, half of them in French, a gift from the Bibliotheque Nationale de France. It has been estimated that it will take 80 years to fill the library to capacity.

My disappointment with the content of the library was short lived as I was quickly distracted by its striking architecture. The 100-feet high roof tilts out towards the Mediterranean sea and it looks like a rising sun. The main reading room occupies 17 acres (equivalent to approximately 17 football fields) and it is designed with eleven cascading levels. The roof, eyelid shaped skylights allows a northern light to fill the reading room and offers views of the Mediterranean Sea from the top levels.

Outside the building, the gray Aswan granite wall carved with characters from 120 different human scripts was created to elicit knowledge and unity with the rest of the world. The complex also includes four museums; four art galleries for temporary exhibitions; fifteen permanent exhibitions; a planetarium; a conference center, a manuscript restoration laboratory and an active copy of the internet archive.

Built in the 3rd century BC during the Ptolemy dynasty as a major center for scholarship, the Royal Ancient library of Alexandria was the largest and most significant of the ancient world and the first of its kind to gather a collection of books beyond its country's borders.

The ancient library achieved its greatness through an aggressive and well-funded royal mandate involving trips to the book fairs of Rhodes and Athens. There was also a policy in place to pull the books off every ship that came into port, and a decree that all visitors to the city must surrender all books and scrolls in their possession. The library clerks made copies to send back to their owners and the original stayed in Alexandria.

According to Wikipedia, in a further attempt to enrich the library, Ptolemy III allegedly requested permission from the Athenians to borrow the original scripts of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, for which the enormous amount of fifteen talents (900 pounds of a precious metal) was demanded as guarantee. Ptolemy happily paid the fee but kept the original scripts for the library.
Other than collecting works from the past, the library was also home to a host of international scholars, well-patronized by the Ptolemaic dynasty with travel, lodging and stipends for their whole families. As a research institution, the library had books in mathematics, astronomy, physics, natural sciences and other subjects.

The Royal Ancient Library of Alexandria was burned possibly between the first and second centuries AD. Either by Julius Caesar, or following the war between Marco Aurelium and Queen Zenobia of Palmyra in the second half of the 3rd century.

After the ancient library was destroyed, Mark Antony gave Cleopatra over 200,000 scrolls as a wedding gift. This collection was housed at the Serapeum temple and it was known as the “daughter library.”

God Serapis, was invented at the orders of Ptolomy I during the 3rd century BC in an effort to integrate the Egyptian religion with the Hellenic rulers. Serapis was half Zeus (Greek) and half Osiris (Egyptian.)

The Serapeum Library helped Alexandria maintain its title of the Mediterranean’s intellectual capital for three to seven centuries after the Royal Library's destruction. Records indicate that the destruction of Serapeum library may have happened in 391 AD by a Christian mob led by Theophilus, Bishop of Alexandria. This event marked the end of paganism. It is also speculated that the Serapeum temple and library was destroyed by the Caliph Omar after Alexandria was captured by the Arabs in the 6th century.

Whatever the case, the great international center of learning in Alexandria is gone, maybe forever, unless the new Egyptian revolutionaries find a way to become great patrons of knowledge and restore the city to its greatness.

Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Egyptian Museum, Cairo

The Egyptian Museum opened yesterday for the first time since closure due to the revolution and looting. Although there is still plenty of tanks and military personnel guarding it, I headed out there today for my first visit. There were not many foreign tourists but lots of Egyptians with their families checking out their pharaonic heritage.

While I was standing in front of the stature of “Colossus of Amenhotep IV” on the ground floor, Zhu Jun Qing from the China News Agency approached me with pen and paper for a short interview. She wanted to know how long I have been in Egypt, why I picked today to visit the museum, if the collection had international status in my view, and if I felt safety was an issue. At first I thought the question referred to my own safety, which I responded that I feel very safe in Cairo, but she meant the safety of the collection. I feel the Egyptian Museum has international status, although the signage and organization could be improved, which I didn't mention to Zhu. As to the safety of the museum, I couldn't tell. I still do not know the true story around the alleged looting and I am not a security expert, so I said I didn't know about the security.

With over 100,000 pieces from almost every period of ancient Egypt history, I decided to focus on the most important rooms in the museum. My favorite, by far, is room #3 on the first floor, part of the Tutankkamun Galleries. He is the son of Amenhotep IV, aka Akhenaten, whose statutes I had just visited on the ground floor, where Zhu interviewed me.

The history of this pair of father and son is fascinating. Amenhotep IV (1352BC-1336BC, also know as the Amarna period) changed his name to Akhanaten (living spirit of Aten) and is known as the heretic pharaoh. He set-up Egypt's first and last monotheistic faith, after his deitification in the 30th year of his reign. In one of his statues, he is wearing a crown also worn by the great creator God of Atun of Heliopolis, one of the Gods with whom he identified with. He worshiped the disk of the sun, maybe because of a genuine belief, but maybe it was a way to lessen the power of priesthood of the state God Amun-Re. His royal wife was the famous Nefertiti.

Akhanaten's son, Tutankhaten (1361BC-1352BC) on the other hand, changed his name to Tutankhamun to show affiliation with Amun-Re, reverting his father's monotheist faith and re-opening temples around Egypt. His riches were found by Howard Carter in 1922 at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, and I was in awe at what a mummy can be stuffed with. Here's the list, which may be incomplete:

Five gold sheets of vultures found on his neck
Two daggers encased in gold sheaths lying above his abdomen
Thirteen flexible gold bracelets
Fifteen gold rings
A pair of bracelets carrying the left and the right eye of the falcon Horus
Gold buckles showing the king in his chariot as warrior protected by the goddesses of lower and upper Egypt.
Carnelian and gold amulets on his left neck

His mummy's bandage enveloped 143 objects and amulets placed between the bandages. Trappings with funerary texts were used as belts to keep the bandages and dozens of amulets together. The third and innermost coffin where the mummy was placed is of thick gold. The embossing of his body, on top of the encasement , represented the deities of lower and upper Egypt in the form of a vulture and bird with the head of Uracus. The mummy itself I will visit in Luxor later, insallhah (God willing.)
Room #3 on the first floor also had many artifacts used by Tutankhamun during his life. My favorite was the necklaces with the body of Orus. The other amazing piece in this room is the Mask of Death, a solid gold mask. Tutankhamun is believed to have ascended to the throne at the age 9 and married Ankhesenamun, his sister, daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti.

I have been wondering about pharaonic history in Egypt, so being at the museum gave me a chance to learn a little history.

The Old Kingdom, from 2650BC-2100BC is known as “the age of the pyramids.” The first stone monument in the world was the step pyramid at Saqqara where we plan to visit later. One a century later the Great Pyramid of Giza was built.

The Middle Kingdom, from 2030BC-1650BC. During the late old kingdom period, the authority of the center government began to breakdown and provincial governors gained independence. In 2020BC Mentuhotep II united the country and inaugurated the middle kingdom.

The New Kingdom, from 1650BC-1070BC. Towards the end of the middle kingdom, western Asiatic people, called Hyksos (literally, rulers of foreign lands) began to settle in the Delta. Gradually a strong native dynasty re-emerged at Thebes, giving birth to the new Kingdom. The pharaohs from this period secured Egypt's borders by reconquering Nubia which had gained independence at the end of the middle kingdom, and expanding Egypt's control northward, turning much of Syria and Palestine into vassal states, as riches flowed into the country's treasuries.

There were also intermediate periods, and during the 3rd intermediate period, from 1070BC-332BC, due to internal instability and outside attacks, Egypt was divided into two main territories:

1.The successors of the new kingdom pharaohs ruling the north
2.High Priestess of Amun ruling the south

After an initial period of struggle, these two powers coexisted peacefully until Nubia invaded Egypt again in the 8th century BC establishing a stronghold in Thebes by installing royal women in the priestly role of God's wife of Amun, a position of great political power.

The Greco-Roman Period, from 332BC-395AD, when Alexander the Great defeated Darius III and took over the Great Persian Empire, including Egypt. He founded Alexandria, and after a visit to the oracle of the God Amun in Siwa Oasis, Alexander declared himself the legitimate king of Egypt.

After Alexander's death, his empire was split into three parts. A general named Ptolemy who was the governor of Egypt under Alexander took over the country and proclaimed himself pharaoh. His descendents ruled from 304-30BC. The last Ptolomaic ruler, Cleopatra VII and her roman companion, Marc Anthony, were defeated by Octavious Caesar .

After three hours of strolling around and reading about this great span of history,I was too tired to visit the Royal Tombs. On top of it,I had to pay an additional US$20 to see eleven mummified kings in a darkened,ghoulish gallery. I gave it a miss as I craved being outside and there are still plenty of mummies and historical sites for me to see in Egypt. Instead, I walked to the hotel to find Peter surfing away in the internet. He is not as interested in antiquities as I am, so he took the day off today.

Hammam El Arbaa, Turkish Bath in Cairo

El Arbaa Turkish bath in Cairo

Finding Hammam El-Arbaa was an experience in itself. Peter and I dodged the traffic along 26th of July Street heading towards Zamaleck, looking for the 15th of May Bridge. It was Friday, February 18th, the day of the “Victory” celebration for the protesters, so Cairo was even more crowded than usual. Although it is always a challenge trying to find anything outside the tourist path in this city, people are always helpful. With whatever English they have and whatever little Arabic I have, we can almost always communicate. Once we got to the bridge, it was no problem finding Boulag Street but then Peter and I started to wonder if we would reach our destination or just head back to the hotel feeling “mission unaccomplished.”

Ansari Street where the Hammam is located, is a tiny alleyway in the back street and we were definitely way off the tourist track. Men smoked the sheesha and drank tea on the sidewalks of unpaved streets, women walked around with bags full of produce, children asked what our names were and where we were from. Many people shouted "welcome" and invited us to sit with them for tea. It is nice to feel so welcomed and notice that people are so happy to engage with us.

But we were so out of our usual environment that at one point Peter said: “you don't belong here girl.” But I knew we would find the Hammam, and my excitement at being in a place not commonly visited by tourists got me even more thrilled walking on those narrow alleyways. After agreeing on how many “rights” and “lefts” and “straight ahead” in both English and Arabic from kind souls along the way, we found ourselves in the middle a maze. Despite the specific directions we got, we realized we were lost again, when a local woman offered to walk us to our destination. We were only a couple of blocks away but could not find our way with the street names written in Arabic and unfamiliar surroundings.

Mr Hag Mohamed Al-Mesri, the owner, was drinking tea near the Hammam when the kind lady entrusted us to him. He speaks no English, but a neighbor helped translate the hours of operation for men and women, the services provided and the price. As it was already around 5pm, men's hour, we told him we would be back the next day but accepted his invitation to drink tea with him.

Hammam El- Arbaa means literately Wednesday, because it used to be open only for brides and marriages that usually take place on Thursday. It is 500 years old and there is no signs of renovation since then.

The next day, I must have arrived at peak time as there were several women in the large room that precedes the treatment room and baths. I was told to go in the next area, get changed and get into the hot tub.

As I entered the treatment room, I noticed a large slab of marble in the center with a small fountain in the middle. Three women were very busy scrubbing and applying a red paste on the bathers. The original dome roof must have collapsed long ago and presently it has fiber glass panels. Adjacent to it are four open changing areas. The steam and cold bath rooms are in a cave like area also around the place where the treatment room is.

To my surprise, towels are not provided and I didn't bring any bathing suit. Thankfully, I had a scarf that offered some degree of modesty. Later on I used it as my towel. I usually do not wear anything at the baths but out of respect to the women who mostly wore underwear, I used the scarf to cover myself.

With my red scarf around my waist, I was directed to soak into the hot chamber – basically a round jacuzzi with a stemming hot shower in the middle maintaining the water and room at high temperatures. The next stage was a ritual known as takyyis. I was vigorously scrubbed on the marble slab in the middle of the room along with other women, with a scouring pad and plenty of vinegar. After I washed off the dead skin under a shower, it was time to have the red paste spread over me. I was told it is a mixture of rose petals and the blood of an animal, but I couldn't get which animal. The smell is mostly of rose and it felt really good. After a few minutes I was told to wash it off and was pronounced finished with the treatment.

I thought I communicated to them that I also wanted a massage, but I was told that the masseur did not come today due to the protests in Egypt. Maybe there is a masseurs strike going on along with bankers, transportation drivers, state workers and others. Or maybe the specific employee was still recovering from the “Victory” festivities of yesterday. I was disappointed to hear that. In place of the massage I went back to the steaming water and then to the cold bath a few times. It is amazing how this process is reinvigorating. After the treatment, I met Peter at a nearby cafe and we walked to Islamic Cairo in search of Sulfi Dance, but that too is not happening tonight due to the lack of tourists in town.

One million demonstrators in Cairo

One million demonstrators in Cairo continued

When we returned to our hotel at Taalat Harb Square around 6pm we couldn't believe at the crowds! People danced and sang until past the curfew hour of midnight. Fireworks added to people's excitement on the street. Loud speakers played Oum Kalthoum, Egypt's greatest diva, even 30 years after she died. We heard her songs over and over,and at times the lyrics were muted and people sang the songs by heart. Everyone had a flag, a ribbon, a hat, a card, or their faces painted with red, white and black, colors of the flag. Military people helped children, men and women climb over the tanks and posed with them for pictures. Posters with the faces of some of the people who died during the revolution were paraded as well as banners saying "Egypt loves you." Now that the revolution is over, Egyptians want to bring back the 11 billion dollars that tourists bring to the country annually.

This was indeed "Victory Continuation" week in Cairo, and we were very happy to be part of it, even if only from the balcony adjacent to our hotel room.

One million demonstrators at Tahrir Square, Cairo

One million demonstrators in Cairo

Before the loud speakers announced the call for prayers on this Friday, Tahrir square was already bursting with people, pouring in from all directions. Bottlenecks formed in some places as the military checked IDs and bags. There were tanks and armored vehicles at the 12 entrances to the sprawling square. People streamed in while an army band played "Egypt the Great".
The crowd sang along, waving Egyptian flags, and chanting: "The army and the people are united."

The economy may be suffering from the lack of tourists, but the sales of flags, hats, ribbons and paint is probably at an all time high. The Egyptian people continue to show their might on Tahrir square as they parade with posters and flower bouquets for the 365 martyrs of the revolution and pictures of political prisoners tortured during Mubarak's 30 year rule.

The former ruling party official, former housing, tourism and interior ministers have been arrested on charges of corruption. Complaints about police abuse, under the ministry of Interior, is among the top grievances of demonstrators. These officials are being held until prosecutors conduct investigations.

I can hear the Friday prayers being delivered by Youssef Sheikh Qaradawi at Tahrir Square as I write, arousing cheers as he says: "the illegitimate can never defeat the truth." His sermon is being broadcast on Al Jazeera television for all Arab nations. The atmosphere is relaxed and jubilant as Egyptians proudly posed for pictures and welcomed me into their Liberation (Tahrir) Square.

Felucca ride on the Nile, Cairo

Felucca Ride on the Nile, Cairo

Khaled picked us up at our hotel at 3:30 pm and we drove a few blocks towards the Nile. The day was very clear and the end of the afternoon a perfect time to enjoy the breeze and peace on the river. Cairo has been so crowded and noisy with revolution celebrations that it was a treat to have an hour of peace sailing on the Nile, watching the buildings go by while sipping tea in our felucca. The last two days we had sand storms making the air difficult to breathe and unpleasant to be outside on the streets. So it was a very nice change today to be on the river on a clear day.

We moved from the Canadian Hostel near Tahrir Square to the Cairo Inn, a few blocks up the street to Talaaq Harb Mitra. It is right in front of the headquarters of one of the thirteen political parties emerging as a result of the recent revolution in Egypt. Existing registered parties are mostly small. The Muslim Brotherhood is the best organized group, but it remains to be seen how popular it is with voters. New election rules are supposed to be ready in 10 days. As part of a transition to democracy, Egyptians will vote in a referendum on the amendments prior to parliamentary and presidential elections which is expected to take place in six months.

This week has been coined “Victory Week” and in the evenings we have not choice but hear the music from the loud speakers from across the street. As I write this post, Umm Kulthum, widely regarded as the greatest female singer in Arab music history, streams her tunes into our room. The only respite is the curfew at midnight.

Banks, schools and the stock market are still closed and tomorrow, a million people are expected to show up on the streets for a “Victory March” to celebrate Mubarak's ouster. It will be one more day of crowds and noise but we are happy it is empowering the people on the streets.

Old Cairo, Egypt

Old Cairo, Egypt

The dust from the Sahara Desert made its way into the city helped by the wind. We were lazy getting out of bed, but by noon we managed to take the subway to Old Cairo. From Sadat to Marg Girg station there were only four stops, so we were at the center of the Coptic Community of Cairo in less than half an hour.

This area predates Islam and it was once known as Babylon. The Church of Saint Sergius was the most interesting due to its historical importance. It was one of the resting places of the Holy family when they escaped Bethlehem with their infant Jesus, threatened by King Herod's death sentence. It was the first time Peter and I visited a Coptic church. These are one of the first christian churches in the world. The construction is very simple, with ceilings that look like barns, but with exquisite stained glasses mosaic inside. The exterior of Saint Sergius church is extremely simple, just like any other house. It was interesting to note that the altar of Coptic Churches are behind a screen where the mass is performed by a priest.

We also visited Roman wall ruins and an old cemetery. I was amazed at the size of some tombs. Some of them are bigger than a lot of popular houses on urban condominiums around the world.

Old Cairo is a relatively small area and a little neglected, I thought. However, for a country with only 10% Coptic practitioners over 90% Muslims, that is understandable.

Today is a holiday, the prophet Mohammed's birthday, so there were a few Egyptian families visiting Old Cairo, but zero foreign tourists.

When we returned to the Tahrir Square area, victory celebrations were full on. Families were out with children posing in front of tanks, brigades of youth were cleaning the streets, painting side walks, bridges and even trees with the white, red and black of their flag. The excitement for their victory is not going away and emerging political parties played music at their headquarters and the speeches for the next election have already started.

I have never seen urban streets as crowded in my life. It felt that all 18 million Cairenes were out on the streets, oblivious to the dust from the Sahara, steadily blowing on them.

Giza Pyramids, Egypt

Giza Pyramids, Cairo

As we walked to the Sadat station to catch the subway to the Giza district, we saw the last car load of blankets leaving Tahrir Square and the streets were very quiet. The Square was finally completely free of people camping out and life seemed back to normal. The few hotel rooms being used in Cairo right now seem to be occupied by journalists left behind to cover this phase of the revolution. Mubarak's departure is replaced by strikes and demands for higher pay. Banks closed again as Bank of Cairo's employees, a state owned bank, went on strike and the stock market's opening day has been pushed out again.

The Giza Pyramids only had a hand full of Egyptian tourists and us. I have never been at the place before, but I can imagine it gets at least 50,000 visitors daily. Although I feel for all the camel, horse, donkey owners and travel guides, I must say we were delighted to have the whole place to ourselves. We were even interviewed by a TV station. Although we asked the name of it we never got a response and we forgot to get a card from them. They wanted to know if we felt safe traveling in Egypt, as travel guides met by the Sphinx with posters saying “Egypt loves you” in several languages. I understand there will be demonstrations on Friday in front of Cairo's TV station. This time protesters will wear white and will be telling the world that it is safe to visit.

I never thought of the Pyramids as a pile of rocks but that was my first impression as I got closer to the great pyramid of Cheops. An amazing 450 feet high pile, that still stands after 4610 years! The precision, ingenuity and elegance of its triangular shape is at first awe inspiring. Then the thought of slaves carrying these stones hit my consciousness and somehow made me ashamed of the blood sucked for the sake of immortality sought by the Pharaohs. Then my mood switched again to the mysteries of the past. Maybe the Pharaohs were supernatural beings, able to create things with the power of their thoughts. Then again, my thoughts went to the protests in Cairo happening right now, the oppression of so many people in this world, being exploited for the benefit of a few.

Even though the site where the Pyramids of Cheops, Chephren, Mycerinus and the Sphinx was somehow relaxing without tourists, the touts were relentless as usual, or even more so, without business for three weeks now. However, I met Aisha, a very smart and quick girl who spoke excellent English. I was very entertained while she directed me in those time honored gimmicks putting sunglasses on the Sphinx, and touching the top of the pyramids. She was as good taking pictures and she was getting a tip and her wittiness was remarkable. When I handed her a generous five pounds tip for her picture taking job, like a petulant princess, she said: “this is nothing, give me ten pounds!” But she did not complain when I looked back smiling and said: “you are too good!”

We took a VW minibus that blasted Arabic music the whole five miles back to the Giza station. This short distance took more than an hour to cover because of the heavy traffic. We were very happy to be on public transportation, paying a fraction of the price of a taxi and getting way more entertainment. Our driver looked like rap gangster. His minibus was decorated with chrome plaited banister, large soft colorful dices rolling down the dashboard and he was kind enough to reduce the volume of the music when people had to talk on their cell phones. Many women boarding our mini bus made eye contact with me, followed by broad smiles and one of them even pulled a red rose from her shopping bag and handed it to me.

Once at Giza station, we boarded the subway back to Tahrir Square. The quietness we experienced in the morning was replaced by families with children holding flags still posing in front of military tanks and thousands of people pouring into Liberation Square (Tahrir.) By the evening, the streets were crowded again, music blasted by one of the political party headquarters, and the celebrations continued everywhere.

Abel, Karim and Ahmed, a trio we met in a cafe the night before invited us for tea and sweets and we were out until 1am. Unbeknownst to us, the curfew was at midnight, but there was no problem getting back to our hotel. According to Al Jazeera,the Pan Arab broadcaster, the curfew in Cairo has been completely ineffective anyway.

Cairo Report, Peter Brouwer Guest Post - Egypt

Thought you'd get a giggle out of today's revolution news: Marisa and I stumbled upon a big demonstration by stock brokers and bankers who were out protesting for higher wages in front of the Cairo stock exchange... it was announced today that the exchange will remain closed for 3 more days. I have to say -- their suits and ties are beautiful -- they have very good tailors here in Cairo -- and the wall street bankers could learn something here. Egyptian bankers are so very handsome!!!!! How could you hate them?

I also heard that there was a big demonstration by the police for more pay -- but I did not actually witness that demonstration -- we also saw large demonstrations around several of the mosques near our hotel.

Marisa had to apply for a new passport at the Brazilian embassy today, and we inadvertently walked into a slum right next to downtown as we "explored" Cairo -- I've accidentally walked into other 3rd world slums and been afraid -- but I had no sense of fear today... I think people were just surprised to see tourists... they kept pointing us in the direction of "Tahrir"... we didn't even have to ask for directions. There were many stark contrasts between Tahrir Square and the slum... most notably -- there was no flag waving and no flags! We had to cross over an open sewer -- there was a 10 meter high concrete wall separating the slum from downtown -- there were abandoned cars completely stuffed with garbage everywhere... some cars were completely chopped -- and some must have been abandoned decades ago.

Tomorrow is valentines day -- Marisa and I are going to see the Pyramids -- we expect to have no problem making the daily quota of tourists (300 per day) ... we'll have the Pyramids to ourselves ... though we have seen a few more tourists now... notably, two American tourists posing as "free lance journalists." Coincidently, one was a friend Marisa made in Bethlehem six weeks ago. They have expensive camera gear and tape recorders... now that all the highly financed western media operations are gone -- they hope to find a story they can sell -- I doubt they'll venture into the slum or even notice the wall -- but there's no shortage of photo opportunities everywhere -- between Egyptian families eager to have their children photographed with tank operators -- and burned out police vehicles -- one thing is for sure -- people hate the police, and they love the army. I can see why the police are so pissed about this situation -- after doing Mubarak's dirty work for 30 years -- they have nothing now.

We noticed on our way into Cairo yesterday that a huge police compound east of the city was completely surrounded by tanks, barbed wire and barricades -- the Egyptian/Canadian friend that drove us here said he wasn't sure if the military was protecting the police or imprisoning them.

Or is it just political theater? Time will tell -- and I'm hedging my bet.

Protests in Cairo, Egypt

Protests in Cairo

The victory celebrations went on until late last night and this morning protests from workers for better wages are getting stronger and stronger. The parliament was dissolved and the constitution suspended by the military today. Barricades in the square have since been dismantled by troops and a huge clean-up operation took place throughout the day.

It was fun to see Egyptians posing in front of military tanks and taking pictures, just like we did. As we cruised the streets downtown we saw men in suits protesting in front of the Bank of Cairo. There were other demonstrations, including the police force requesting higher pay.

However, it has been reported that activists will end their protests tonight but plan to reconvene every Friday in order to maintain pressure on the military to carry through its promise of reforms. People in command said they would abide by all international agreements and keep the current government until elections are held.

Peter and I started our sightseeing of Cairo today and I must say that the area around the Nile is very beautiful, although once we ventured into the back alleys, we saw a different face of Cairo. Not that it was an ugly face, just a different one – housing that looked like slums, holes on the street and uncollected garbage. But the local coffee shops were full of men sucking on the sheesha (aka hooka or arquile) and sipping their coffee or tea. Eateries had the fuul (cooked beans) ready, to be served from the big round pots sticking out of the cafe doors. The beans were to be consumed with pita bread, falafel, fried eggplant and chips, with a small side dish of cucumber and tomatoes.

I went to the Brazilian Embassy in the morning to renew my passport. The place is barricaded by military tanks as the embassy is on the same block as the Egyptian National Television, now heavily guarded by the military. When we walked to our hotel in the afternoon, I spotted Claire, an American woman I met at Bustan Qaraaqa in Palestine, finishing an interview near Tahrir Square. She went back to the US after Palestine, and is now back in the Middle East covering the latest events in Egypt as a free lancer. Small world...

Tomorrow we will go to the Giza Pyramids for Valentines Day. We should have no problems fighting the crowds there.

Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt

Tahrir Square, Cairo

Khaled transferred our luggage to a taxi near the Cairo airport around 2pm and before 4pm we joined thousands of people at Tahrir Square in their celebration. We passed through at least seven checkpoints from Nuweiba to Cairo, but only had to stop and show our passports about three times. Crossing the tunnel at the Suez was easy and there were no lines.

The mood in Cairo is ecstatic. There are lots of faces with smiles and the colors red, white and black of the flag are everywhere. While we were safely sunbathing in the Sinai Peninsula, thousands of Egyptians camped out at Tahrir Square, demanding Mubarak to step down and the vigil continues to ensure the military government in charge puts in place the changes the population wants. We were impressed when we arrived at Tahrir square, on how clean Cairo is – we saw many people sweeping the streets and collecting the trash. Others organized the traffic. People seem eager to take matters into their own hands.

We were exhausted and famished by the time we sat at a restaurant to eat my birthday dinner. I chowed down half a rabbit and Peter half a duck. Then we had a strong Turkish coffee to help with digestion. Pretty soon we will be calling it a night in our hostel, 200 feet from Tahrir square. As we hear the celebrations from our room, I wonder how long the party will last and what changes Egypt will see in the next few day. But in the meantime, it is very exciting to be here.

Bye Bye Sinai Peninsula, Egypt

Bye Bye Sinai Peninsula

The winds finally quiet down and we had a beautiful day to snorkel before we left the Sinai Peninsula. The coral canyon in the Red Sea, 50 feet from our hut with corals and fish of all sizes, was very good siting for me. I went into the water with Marie who showed me the way to her favorite spots. Khaled showed up at the camp later, and Peter joined him. The best part is that we had the whole sea and beach to ourselves and I am still impressed on how clear the Red Sea is. I have never seen waters so clear.

We are very happy to have met some very nice people here: Khaled, an Egyptian/Canadian we met at the Little Prince Cafe, owned by Fuad and Marie. We also met a young Egytian couple, Hossam and Neerhan who are leasing Bossa Nova Camp about 7 miles north of where we are staying. It was really fun to hang out with all of them. We even had a Bossa Nova evening at their camp one night. Hossam, also a musician, played his collection of music to us and I played what I had on my itouch to them.

At first, the lack of tourists in Nuweiba was nice, but now, it appears that we are the only ones left in the area and it is starting to feel too weird. The last charter planes left a couple of days ago from Sharm-el-Sheik with the people who arrived before the troubles started in Cairo January 25th. All taxi drivers in town seem to know about our business as one today out of the blue asked if we needed a ride tomorrow (when we are expected to leave) and also knew we went to Ein Hodra a few days ago. It is very strange to be the only ones around in a long stretch of hotels, beach camps and restaurants.

After considering the news about the protests in Cairo, we decided to take the plunge and leave tomorrow, in time to spend my birthday there. Khaled wants to visit his father, so we will join, as he will drive, taking the Taba route, near the border with Jordan and Israel, then going through the Suez. We have heard that security is very strict in the area and we may have to wait for two hours or more to cross through the tunnel near the Suez. But things are moving in the right direction as Mubarak just resigned a few hours ago.

We are excited to see what is happening in Cairo and I hope we will have lots to celebrate there , including my birthday.

Ein Hodra Oasis, Sinai Peninsula - Egypt

Ein Hodra Oasis

Peter and I jumped at Marie's offer to spend the day at Ein Hodra Oasis. Marie is French, married to Fuad, an Egyptian from Suez. They own a cafe in town, The Little Prince. They have been going to Eid Hodra for 17 years and not only know all the Bedouins living there, but have also followed the lives of the new generation from the time they were born. Khaled, a Canadian/Egyptian offered to drive us so this seemed like a genuine exploration of the mountains, desert and canyons around here.

Ein Hodra Oasis is between Nuweiba and Saint Catherine, an area that reminded me of Wadi Rum in Jordan and the Grand Canyon in the U.S. We parked the car and walked on the sand for about half an hour before we arrived at a big opening on the rock. From the top we had an expansive view of sand, rocks and the oasis looming on the horizon. The wadi is framed by amazing rock formations with colors oozing out of them. This was an old trading route, from Africa to the East, like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, India and others. Caravans stopped at the oasis for water and rest. Nabataean and Byzantine inscriptions on the rocks were very clear but cryptic to us. It may refer to business transactions between caravan members, or information about distances and locations of other oasis in the region.

Currently, Ein Hodra Oasis houses a community of about 100 semi-nomadic Bedouins. We visited Marie and Fuad's friend, a woman who was abandoned by her husband more than 20 years ago and lives alone under plastic sheets held together by wooden posts. On the floor, a cotton mat serves as the bed, living room and kitchen. We sat down on her mat as she went out to gather a few sticks to stoke the fire and make us tea. When tea was ready, she wiped clean a dusty tray and passed us the cups. While we were sipping the tea, she pulled out a long sheet of hand made bread, warmed it up over the fire, folded it, and passed to us. It was inspiring to be part of such simple way of living. Her face was bright, alert and peaceful. It didn't seem that she lacked anything.

We also visited with other children, friends of Marie and Fuad as we drank yet more tea under a cool tent, more lavish than the old woman's hut we had just visited. The woman and girls live off their arts and craft, consisting mainly of purses, camel saddles and bead bracelets and necklaces. It is also the woman's job to walk in the desert with the goats in search of food, making the bread and preparing the food. The men take care of the camels and the business with tourists which is very seldom right now.

I wanted to go back to the desert after being at Wadi Rum, but not as another tourist. I am very grateful to Marie and Foaud for taking us to Ein Hodra as insiders.

Nuweiba, Sinai Peninsula - Egypt

Nuweba. Sinai Peninsula

The sun peaked out from behind the mountains exactly at 6:30 am as the taxi pulled into the Sharm-el-Sheik airport. The one-hour long ride from Dahab was uneventful and Peter's plane was on time, even though his five hours lay over in Cairo on January 25th coincided with the beginning of the protests against Mubarak's 30-year rule. I was mesmerized for a few minutes with the large orange colored disk radiating golden light on the pink rocks surrounding Sharm-el-Sheik. The next day the Cairo International airport closed and the same plane from London Peter boarded a day earlier, turned back because of social unrest.

It was already low season in Dahab, and after the news of the protests in Egypt's major cities, the closure of banks, internet access, and the stock market, tourists slowly vanished from the area. Peter and I stayed for a week in Dahab and then headed north to Nuweiba area, even more remote and deserted.

We are at a beach four kilometers south of Nuweiba and four kilometers from its small Port where boats leave for Aqaba. As we walk daily on the beach, we have encountered only a hand full of tourists occupying the hundreds of beach huts and hotels along the Gulf of Aqaba, aka Red Sea.

This part of the Sinai Peninsula is a beautiful and strange place. The ubiquitous pink mountains watch over us every day and the southerly winds are wild and boisterous. The day we arrived it was particularly fierce, whistling and puffing over our straw roof all night making us crawl tighter under our blankets and mosquito nets. Sometimes sand storms join the party, covering our luggage and things with a thin layer of dust. The northerly winds coming from the sea is cleaner but not less wild. With no industry around and the vast expanses of ocean and sky, our bodies are reveling in an abundance of negative ions coming from the fresh salty air.

The sun comes out most days, but the wind doesn't allow it to get warm enough for bikinis to be pulled out of the suitcase and the choppy water is not calling us in for snorkeling.

After the 1978 Camp David agreement, and the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty in 1979, the Sinai Peninsula is controlled by a “Multinational Force Observers.” The headquarters look like a military base and the guy who came out of it the other day to control his barking dog seemed American. The place is right on the beach, next to hotels and where Bedouin people ride their camels looking for business. The barb wires all around the “base” with a sign “Welcome to SCC5” is as bizarre as a scene out of Michelangelo Antonioni's “Zabriskie Point”, a film shot in Death Valley, California in 1970.

It has already been twelve days of protests and the Egyptian stock market will open tomorrow. We have heard that things are starting to calm down in Cairo but the curfew is still on although we are not sure how well it has been enforced. For the moment we will stay put in our little hut listening to music, reading, surfing the internet, enjoying each others' company and doing our daily walks. We should know soon when and where the next destination will be.