Day 16
Alexandria-Pompeii’s Pillar
Gary and Danielle, fun Aussie couple and Shane and Donna and I were picked up by a driver with a small bus and another tour leader and went to Alexandria. We stopped on the way to see Pompeii’s pillar, a huge remaining column and catacombs, hundreds of tombs in caves under a mountain. They sure worried about their after lives. Had hotel overlooking Mediterranean Sea. We took local, dirty old tram downtown with all the natives. Bazaars were unique. They had little fenced areas on the ground, and shelves and roofs with live chickens, ducks and turkeys on them for sale. Great vegetables, fruit and spices all neatly piled up. Everyone is very friendly. These people are darker and very good looking.
Alexandria-Pompeii’s Pillar
Gary and Danielle, fun Aussie couple and Shane and Donna and I were picked up by a driver with a small bus and another tour leader and went to Alexandria. We stopped on the way to see Pompeii’s pillar, a huge remaining column and catacombs, hundreds of tombs in caves under a mountain. They sure worried about their after lives. Had hotel overlooking Mediterranean Sea. We took local, dirty old tram downtown with all the natives. Bazaars were unique. They had little fenced areas on the ground, and shelves and roofs with live chickens, ducks and turkeys on them for sale. Great vegetables, fruit and spices all neatly piled up. Everyone is very friendly. These people are darker and very good looking.
We went shopping and I bought a heavy sweater for $18.00, as it was windy and quite cold. This town is famous for its ice cream so we gorged ourselves on different kinds. Walked down lanes by old open stores where you could see them ironing clothes with ancient flat irons, hand weaving, washing clothes with a scrub board, etc. They wouldn’t let Shane take pictures as I guess they were too embarrassed. Had dinner on the balcony at the hotel as they were having a wedding reception in the dining room. We got to watch it but I was disappointed to see the bride dressed in our type of wedding dress and our music. The only difference was that her and the groom had to sit on two decorated chairs while everyone else danced and they weren’t allowed to dance. We got invited to join them for a glass of non-alcoholic punch (Arabs never touch liquor). Everyone is allowed to smoke the huge water pies, filled with fruit tobacco. Each person is given a plastic end to use on the pipe and they really inhale it and then blow out huge bursts of smoke. I didn’t like it at all and yet the ones that didn’t smoke enjoyed it. Strange! Ancient
Monastery
We then went to a large, ancient monastery in the middle of the desert. It is still occupied by the Coptiks (Christian) monks and they live in the same way. They are bitter enemies with the Arabs and while we were there three sonic Arabian planes flew around making a terrible noise and driving the monks crazy. The monks said they did this to them every day just to annoy them. A bearded monk told us to take off our shoes and he would who around he said there would be no charge but a donation would be welcome. Anyway we finished a boring tour and left the tour guide to give him his donation. All charges were left up to him, as they were included in our package. He gave him 5 Egyptian lbs, ($2.50 Canadian) for each of us and the monk went ballistic! He wanted 20 lbs. each and our leader said he had taken tourists there before and that was all the tour companies ever paid. The monk screamed at him and told him to get out and never come back again. Poor guide was so embarrassed so much for Christianity.
Cairo
Drove a different way back to Cairo and very interesting sights. There were tiny farms with boys herding sheep and goats on their donkeys. Nearly every farm has a pigeon hive. They are about ten feet high with holes in the sides and top and the pigeons nest there. One of there main dishes is stuffed pigeon, so when they want them they go out to the hive and help themselves. Passed many miles of gorgeous
We then went to a large, ancient monastery in the middle of the desert. It is still occupied by the Coptiks (Christian) monks and they live in the same way. They are bitter enemies with the Arabs and while we were there three sonic Arabian planes flew around making a terrible noise and driving the monks crazy. The monks said they did this to them every day just to annoy them. A bearded monk told us to take off our shoes and he would who around he said there would be no charge but a donation would be welcome. Anyway we finished a boring tour and left the tour guide to give him his donation. All charges were left up to him, as they were included in our package. He gave him 5 Egyptian lbs, ($2.50 Canadian) for each of us and the monk went ballistic! He wanted 20 lbs. each and our leader said he had taken tourists there before and that was all the tour companies ever paid. The monk screamed at him and told him to get out and never come back again. Poor guide was so embarrassed so much for Christianity.
Cairo
Drove a different way back to Cairo and very interesting sights. There were tiny farms with boys herding sheep and goats on their donkeys. Nearly every farm has a pigeon hive. They are about ten feet high with holes in the sides and top and the pigeons nest there. One of there main dishes is stuffed pigeon, so when they want them they go out to the hive and help themselves. Passed many miles of gorgeous
El Alamein
Bus took us to El Alamein, site of famous World War II battles, where British General Montgomery and allies made one of the first large wins against the Germans and Italians in 1942. There were three huge cemeteries for the allies, Germans and Italians. There were also three museums; the British one had a large room kept the same as it was during the war with long tables with maps with small replicas of ships, tanks, planes, armed forces, etc. and long wooden prongs that they used to move the models as the battles changed. It also contained clothes and memorabilia showing how they lived in the desert. Hard for the allies coping with the heat and in those days they didn’t even have accurate maps of Egypt. They had life-sized statues of the famous leaders, such as Churchill. They had a Korean sculpture make the statues and it was hilarious as he made all the British and American faces look Korean. Outside had displays of tanks and trucks. One 1939 truck belonged to a Canadian soldier. It was found in the desert fifty years later. All it needed was a battery and some gas and it started right up. Figured the soldier got lost in the desert and left the truck and died. His body was never found. Next went through the German museum. They brought their own huge stones from Germany and built a large, ugly fortress like building. They had a life like statue from Rommel, German leader on his famous motorcycle. The way the exhibits were laid out you would never have believed they lost the war. The third museum was built by the Italians, a truly beautiful marble building.
Arabian horse farms. They had beautiful statues of horses everywhere. Would love to have had a chance to go though the farms.
We drove through lovely country, with miles of palm trees and expensive homes. There are checkpoints along the way with soldiers and their rifles. We definitely made use of our Arab guide, as he would show them some papers and talk to them and they would wave us through. The guides were also great a telling us stories of the people and country so the time flew by as we drove miles nearly every day.
Arrived back at our original hotel in Cairo and had nice buffet dinner. Said good-bye to everyone as were all leaving the next day. Tony met me back in Cairo, he was nice enough to change his plans to go by bus to Israel, so he could go with me so I wouldn’t have to go alone. Went to bed early as had to get up at 3 AM to get bus. Watched TV for a while as it is a riot, they have American comedies, such as Coach, dubbed in English voices and the same person says all the parts.
So long “Egypt” had a memorable time and met some great people
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