Sunday: December 19, 2010
After a few hours of much needed sleep, we got back on the road and traveled northwest to the second largest city in Egypt, Alexandria. The trip from Cairo to Alexandria took approximately 3 hours. We took one major highway, the Cairo-Alexandria-Matrouh Free Highway/Desert Road, to get to the city on the Mediterranean. It was cool to look out the window at this highway because many sections of it were under reconstruction or widening. Professor Ghaly said that the road is constantly being expanded to accommodate the growing population. In order to do this, many buildings were removed to expand the road’s right-of-way, something that is much harder to do in the United States. The road once went through a desert, but now the route is very developed. Just outside Cairo is an area called the Smart Village, which is designed after Silicon Valley in the United States. Tenants of the Smart Village include Microsoft, Oracle, HP, IBM, and Intel to name a few. It costs less for these American companies to have their Research and Development in Egypt because software engineers are paid less in Egypt than in the United States.
On our way to Alexandria, we stopped at a Zoo (it might have been called the “Lion Zoo,” but I can’t remember for sure) on the side of the highway. We saw Lions, ducks, ostriches, dogs, and monkeys. Yes, there were tons of dogs there…and it was pretty sad seeing all those pups in cages (at least they weren’t in Mike Vick-styled cages). There were Dalmatians, black labs, Greyhounds, and St. Bernards—all purebreds. Apparently, dogs aren’t house pets here like they are in the states—either way, many of us felt bad for those pups.
Once we arrived in Alexandria, Professor Ghaly’s hometown, he gave us a bus tour of some interesting sites of the city as we drove to our destination. It was the capital of Egypt for almost 1000 years until 642 AC. We saw Ghaly’s first construction sites and the buildings he supervised the concrete production of (his first love). He also pointed out where his house is. We also were told that archeologists discovered the entrance of Queen Cleopatra’s temple underwater. We passed Alexandria University, which has ~300,000 students on various campuses.
As we drove around Alexandria, it was very noticeable that it is a different type of city when compared to Cairo. The air and streets are cleaner in Alexandria and people follow traffic regulations—similar to Aswan and Luxor. The taxes in Alexandria are much higher than in other areas of Egypt and the real estate prices are also very high. There are high-rises on the shoreline since that is the only way for builders to make a profit. Hurghada and Sharm were also clean and had organized traffic flows but Hurghada is ½ tourist and ½ locals and Sharm is 99% resorts (there are more than 600 of them). The dirtiest areas around Alexandria are the oil refineries that smell like sulfur, but you can’t smell them from the city.
The road that follows the Mediterranean through the city (the Sea Road—46km long) was only 4 lanes wide (2 in each direction) when Professor Ghaly was a kid. Today it spans 8 lanes from reclaimed land from the sea. To protect against erosion, there are interlocking concrete blocks at the shoreline. Dulles (concrete pieces that look like jacks) also protects the shore. Additionally, the Mediterranean is 50 cm higher than it was 50 years ago due to rising sea levels. Many beaches no longer exist or are much smaller than they once were (there are 3 Miami beaches). This is occurring because of the dumping of wastewater and the reclamation of land in addition to global warming.
Our first stop in Alexandria was the Botanical Garden. We walked around the water. While it was a large place, it wasn’t anything like the Aswan Botanical Gardens. We also saw a King’s palace while there. Afterwards, we traveled a few minutes to a Roman Amphitheatre, which was actually not a place of entertainment in its heyday. It was one of ~1000 in Alexandria and is very small. It was cool to stand in the middle of it because when you speak from this spot, your voice gets louder—amazing technology and engineering. Unfortunately, it is the last remaining amphitheatre as ~1000 have been lost to time. There were also many artifacts around the site that were found under water. Apparently people can take scuba trips to artifacts that are still under water. Excavation continues under the sea to find the lost city of Alexandria.
Our second stop was the Kom El-Shuqafa (Mound of Shards) Monuments, an open-air museum and one of the seven wonders of the Middle Ages. We entered “Catacomb” (a Greek word), the Main Tomb. A catacomb is an underground burial area where families would stay with the dead at night so that they were not alone. We went down a deep shaft of 2 levels, ~27 m down, to see the burial rooms. This was an interesting place because it showed a combination of Greek and Egyptian styles. There were traditional Egyptian sun disks and Horus Falcons, historically Egyptian symbols while there were Medusas and Greek Horses, Greek symbols. There were also carvings of Anubis (Egyptian) with Greek military dress. There were also snakes with the head of Anubis. 300 people were buried in this tomb. Additionally, there is an unfinished tomb of an important person, but they don’t know who it was. After leaving the tomb, we saw another tomb, the Tigram Tomb that contained painted diagrams. It wasn’t Tigram’s tomb and is only named after him because the tomb was discovered on Tigram Street.
At this point it was around 3pm and we went for a late lunch at Professor Ghaly’s favorite restaurant. I had chicken and French fries with really good pita bread. It was nice eating with a view of the Mediterranean. Afterwards, we visited the outside of the Citadel of Alexandria, which was also right on the Sea. Across the street, Professor Ghaly took us to his favorite ice cream shop. I got a chocolate and vanilla cone, but it was different than ice cream in the states (I think it was more water-based) and it was very good.
The highlight of the day was most definitely the Library of Alexandria. Built in 2002, it was constructed in the memory of the ancient library that was lost to time. The library has 11 levels and is very impressive. It is built in a bathtub (like the World Trade Center) because some of the building is built below sea level. The façade of the building is made up of granite stones with letters from 1000 different languages to symbolize the meeting of the various people of the world. It is considered a modern wonder of Egypt. There are multiple libraries and museums within the library. There was an area overlooking the entire library designed for tourists so that we wouldn’t disturb the people studying there. The windows in the main room of the building look like eyes since they don’t let the sun’s rays directly into the room and also have eyelashes to control how much light comes in. There are also many fire curtains to prevent a fire from spreading to other parts of the library. We also went downstairs (below street level) and saw the modern art museum. (SEE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliotheca_Alexandrina for photos).
At around 7pm, we drove back to Cairo and returned to our hotel. Tomorrow, believe it or not, is my final full day in Egypt. We will be going to the Egyptian Museum and a bazaar to finish up the trip.
Mailbag
Little Chief Tunis: During your tour of the military museum, was any mention made by the tour guide that the Israelis were attacked on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year? No. None, just the date was mentioned. Did the guide refer to the conflict as the Ramadan War? No, but that was also going on. Was any post-war context provided, i.e. Camp David Peace Accord entered into by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and U.S. President Jimmy Carter? Only Sadat was mentioned in this. Any comment on modern-day relations between the two countries or was his explanation of the etiology of the design of the Israeli flag emblematic of current thinking? None.
Showing posts with label hurghada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hurghada. Show all posts
Monday, December 20, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Hoy, Sharam A Sheikh
Tuesday: December 14, 2010
Welcome to beautiful Sharm El-Sheikh! Today we took a direct flight from Hurghada to Sharm El-Sheikh, which lasted exactly 20 minutes. In fact, it probably took more time to get our luggage than it took to cross the Red Sea (or to arrive in Asia, whichever way you look at it). Sharm El-Sheikh literally means the “Sector of the Elder.”
Formerly a part of Israel after it captured it in 1967 during the Six-Day War, Sharm El-Sheikh, located at the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula, was returned to Egypt in 1982 under a peace agreement between the two states. It is less than 40 years old, it this fact was obvious as we drove from the airport to the hotel. The area to the right of the major road was pure desert and mountains while the land to the left of the road was either developed or under construction. Similar to Hurghada, Sharm El-Sheikh is undergoing a lot of development. However, unlike Hurghada, Sharm El-Sheikh has a master plan and is really sticking to its already-developed land use policies. It has well planned roads and hotels, though it still has an Old Market area (which I plan to going to tomorrow night). Because the streets are well planned, there isn’t congestion like Cairo and therefore lots of peace conferences are held here.
The hotel is beautiful; it is the Marriot Renaissance Sharm El Sheikh Golden View Beach Resort. It is located directly on the Red Sea and from my room I can kinda see the sea. Breakfast and Dinner is included, drinks aren’t…but I found some free Internet near the pool area (apparently you have to buy a drink—but yeah…didn’t). There are 4 adult pools and 4 kid pools and at least 5 different restaurants.
Mailbag!
Uncle Adam: Hey! My tour guide seems to know his stuff, so I would also go with (1) and (2).
Is there a curriculum? We have our various excursions—a pretty packed schedule as you’ve read—but not really. We don’t have student visas, we have tourist visas (we’re pretty much tourists). Professor Ghaly’s Egypt Mini Term Website (Egypt.union.edu) says:
“This miniterm intends to give the students extensive exposure to ancient and modern Egypt. Monument and temple visits of Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic sites are planned. The goal is to explore both the cultural and engineering aspects of this civilization.”
Do you meet with your professor as a group (or individually) to discuss what you have learned or experienced each day? No, we will do this during presentations during the Winter Term.
I know you have been having some stomach maladies, but have you had any truly traditional Egyptian food? Yes, I’ve gone to a few home-style restaurants—and they are really good…though my stomach doesn’t seem to agree with me. At this point, I don’t think my stomach will agree with anything for whatever reason.
I should have taken some of the frogs, locusts, and ping-pong balls from Aunt Mindy’s house and toss them in the market when someone tells me “No Hassle.” They would probably try to sell me my stuff back.
Little Chief Tunis: Sorry I haven’t been able to update more…It sucks from my end too. I think 20% of the population celebrates Christmas…and they celebrate the same way they do in the States. The Sharm area has a lot of “Merry Christmas” signs and there is a huge Christmas tree in the lobby (which we took a picture in front of as a group. Ugh, Cliff Lee. I didn’t see that in the news…I haven’t spent the 15 pounds to get a lousy English-Egyptian paper, but that’s very cool.
Uncle Adam: Yeah, the sharks are a big concern here. They wont open the beaches until an investigation is finished. I read a few days ago in the paper that some people think the Israelis planted the sharks here…and I laughed. Our group wont be going on any sea excursions (no banana boats).
Mom: I know that the Egyptians are proud of their ancient history, but is any of it incorporated into their modern way of life, other than it being the source of much needed tourism income? Lots of jobs excavating undiscovered temples, the money has various historic symbols, a lot of older businesses (carpet making, alabaster carving is still around). Tourism is a huge deal here; English often dominates.
Mom wants to know if the site where Pharaoh's daughter found Moses was ever identified and, if so, is it marked? I have no idea. How wide is the Nile? Not as wide as you would think. Probably the width of the Delaware near Aunt Mindy’s house times 2. It obviously gets bigger during the flooding season. How deep? Deep. Is it clean enough to go swimming in? The farther away from Cairo, the better the water quality, but you don’t want to swim in it—lots of crocodiles. Are there reeds along its bank? Nope, just rocks—the construction of the Aswan High Dam probably destroyed that type of agriculture.
Welcome to beautiful Sharm El-Sheikh! Today we took a direct flight from Hurghada to Sharm El-Sheikh, which lasted exactly 20 minutes. In fact, it probably took more time to get our luggage than it took to cross the Red Sea (or to arrive in Asia, whichever way you look at it). Sharm El-Sheikh literally means the “Sector of the Elder.”
Formerly a part of Israel after it captured it in 1967 during the Six-Day War, Sharm El-Sheikh, located at the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula, was returned to Egypt in 1982 under a peace agreement between the two states. It is less than 40 years old, it this fact was obvious as we drove from the airport to the hotel. The area to the right of the major road was pure desert and mountains while the land to the left of the road was either developed or under construction. Similar to Hurghada, Sharm El-Sheikh is undergoing a lot of development. However, unlike Hurghada, Sharm El-Sheikh has a master plan and is really sticking to its already-developed land use policies. It has well planned roads and hotels, though it still has an Old Market area (which I plan to going to tomorrow night). Because the streets are well planned, there isn’t congestion like Cairo and therefore lots of peace conferences are held here.
The hotel is beautiful; it is the Marriot Renaissance Sharm El Sheikh Golden View Beach Resort. It is located directly on the Red Sea and from my room I can kinda see the sea. Breakfast and Dinner is included, drinks aren’t…but I found some free Internet near the pool area (apparently you have to buy a drink—but yeah…didn’t). There are 4 adult pools and 4 kid pools and at least 5 different restaurants.
Mailbag!
Uncle Adam: Hey! My tour guide seems to know his stuff, so I would also go with (1) and (2).
Is there a curriculum? We have our various excursions—a pretty packed schedule as you’ve read—but not really. We don’t have student visas, we have tourist visas (we’re pretty much tourists). Professor Ghaly’s Egypt Mini Term Website (Egypt.union.edu) says:
“This miniterm intends to give the students extensive exposure to ancient and modern Egypt. Monument and temple visits of Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic sites are planned. The goal is to explore both the cultural and engineering aspects of this civilization.”
Do you meet with your professor as a group (or individually) to discuss what you have learned or experienced each day? No, we will do this during presentations during the Winter Term.
I know you have been having some stomach maladies, but have you had any truly traditional Egyptian food? Yes, I’ve gone to a few home-style restaurants—and they are really good…though my stomach doesn’t seem to agree with me. At this point, I don’t think my stomach will agree with anything for whatever reason.
I should have taken some of the frogs, locusts, and ping-pong balls from Aunt Mindy’s house and toss them in the market when someone tells me “No Hassle.” They would probably try to sell me my stuff back.
Little Chief Tunis: Sorry I haven’t been able to update more…It sucks from my end too. I think 20% of the population celebrates Christmas…and they celebrate the same way they do in the States. The Sharm area has a lot of “Merry Christmas” signs and there is a huge Christmas tree in the lobby (which we took a picture in front of as a group. Ugh, Cliff Lee. I didn’t see that in the news…I haven’t spent the 15 pounds to get a lousy English-Egyptian paper, but that’s very cool.
Uncle Adam: Yeah, the sharks are a big concern here. They wont open the beaches until an investigation is finished. I read a few days ago in the paper that some people think the Israelis planted the sharks here…and I laughed. Our group wont be going on any sea excursions (no banana boats).
Mom: I know that the Egyptians are proud of their ancient history, but is any of it incorporated into their modern way of life, other than it being the source of much needed tourism income? Lots of jobs excavating undiscovered temples, the money has various historic symbols, a lot of older businesses (carpet making, alabaster carving is still around). Tourism is a huge deal here; English often dominates.
Mom wants to know if the site where Pharaoh's daughter found Moses was ever identified and, if so, is it marked? I have no idea. How wide is the Nile? Not as wide as you would think. Probably the width of the Delaware near Aunt Mindy’s house times 2. It obviously gets bigger during the flooding season. How deep? Deep. Is it clean enough to go swimming in? The farther away from Cairo, the better the water quality, but you don’t want to swim in it—lots of crocodiles. Are there reeds along its bank? Nope, just rocks—the construction of the Aswan High Dam probably destroyed that type of agriculture.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
R&R&Reading in Hurghada
Monday: December 13, 2010
Today was another relaxing day in Hurghada! A bunch of people went on a snorkeling trip today, which left a few of us at the resort. I was by myself most of the day on the beach and cranked out my book! When I got back to the room, I couldn’t believe that I finished the book before 2:30pm. It was warmer and less breezy today than yesterday and I definitely got some color today…I should have put some sunscreen on.
A side note about Hurghada: It is a pretty new resort area and apparently it has developed greatly in the last 10 years. There is a lot of construction going on around the city, though it is not noticeable from the resort area.
Overall, the lack of (cheap) Internet service, a daily newspaper, and lots of English-speaking TV stations (we get CNN international here—but its not that interesting) is kind of frustrating since I really don’t know what is going on in the news. I’ve seen the big stories (hostage situation in France, suicide bombing in Sweeden, a violent storm in Israel) but who knows what’s going on in local news. It is nice, however, not to have my blackberry on me—it’s a nice break from being connected to social media.
Tomorrow morning we leave Hurghada and the continent of Africa as we travel to the other side of the Red Sea, Sharm El-Sheikh (yes, it is officially in Asia…very cool).
Keep those questions and comments coming! I’ll answer it all! Talk to you soon!
Today was another relaxing day in Hurghada! A bunch of people went on a snorkeling trip today, which left a few of us at the resort. I was by myself most of the day on the beach and cranked out my book! When I got back to the room, I couldn’t believe that I finished the book before 2:30pm. It was warmer and less breezy today than yesterday and I definitely got some color today…I should have put some sunscreen on.
A side note about Hurghada: It is a pretty new resort area and apparently it has developed greatly in the last 10 years. There is a lot of construction going on around the city, though it is not noticeable from the resort area.
Overall, the lack of (cheap) Internet service, a daily newspaper, and lots of English-speaking TV stations (we get CNN international here—but its not that interesting) is kind of frustrating since I really don’t know what is going on in the news. I’ve seen the big stories (hostage situation in France, suicide bombing in Sweeden, a violent storm in Israel) but who knows what’s going on in local news. It is nice, however, not to have my blackberry on me—it’s a nice break from being connected to social media.
Tomorrow morning we leave Hurghada and the continent of Africa as we travel to the other side of the Red Sea, Sharm El-Sheikh (yes, it is officially in Asia…very cool).
Keep those questions and comments coming! I’ll answer it all! Talk to you soon!
The Red Sea Isn't Red
Sunday: December 12, 2010
It’s official: The Read Sea isn’t red…but it sure is beautiful! Snow in the United States? The Minnesota Metrodome collapsing? 12 degree Fahrenheit wind chills in New York this week? All this while I was relaxing on the beach at our resort. It was a little breezy today which made it a tad cold to be at the beach, but it was sunny and relaxing nonetheless.
I continued reading “Moneyball” on my kindle today and I’m 20% through it, so hopefully I can read some more tomorrow. The breakfast and dinner buffet here is pretty good. They have a cheese carving and omlet stations in the morning and a pasta bar in the evening. Lunch is not included, but Melanie, Shelby, Cellie, and I went to the beach restaurant where they got cheeseburgers and I, unwilling to test my stomach, got a personal pizza.
Other than relaxing on the beach, I’ve been lounging around and enjoying the sea (the water is a little cold though). Later in the evening, a bunch of us left the resort to check out the shops in the area. Professor Ghaly says that the big market is a taxicab trip and none of us were willing to travel that far so we walked across the street. It’s funny how all the vendors said “No Hassle! No Hassel!” when we know they are trying to hassle. Because all the vendors said this phrase to us while we were walking around, none of us went into any stores…we just weren’t in the mood for it, I guess. We made a u-turn back to the resort and went to the restaurant and got hot chocolates. Relaxing, beautiful, pleasant, and very chill…can’t ask for more.
The internet is a lot of money here and no internet cafes are in sight…very annoying. Talk to you soon!
It’s official: The Read Sea isn’t red…but it sure is beautiful! Snow in the United States? The Minnesota Metrodome collapsing? 12 degree Fahrenheit wind chills in New York this week? All this while I was relaxing on the beach at our resort. It was a little breezy today which made it a tad cold to be at the beach, but it was sunny and relaxing nonetheless.
I continued reading “Moneyball” on my kindle today and I’m 20% through it, so hopefully I can read some more tomorrow. The breakfast and dinner buffet here is pretty good. They have a cheese carving and omlet stations in the morning and a pasta bar in the evening. Lunch is not included, but Melanie, Shelby, Cellie, and I went to the beach restaurant where they got cheeseburgers and I, unwilling to test my stomach, got a personal pizza.
Other than relaxing on the beach, I’ve been lounging around and enjoying the sea (the water is a little cold though). Later in the evening, a bunch of us left the resort to check out the shops in the area. Professor Ghaly says that the big market is a taxicab trip and none of us were willing to travel that far so we walked across the street. It’s funny how all the vendors said “No Hassle! No Hassel!” when we know they are trying to hassle. Because all the vendors said this phrase to us while we were walking around, none of us went into any stores…we just weren’t in the mood for it, I guess. We made a u-turn back to the resort and went to the restaurant and got hot chocolates. Relaxing, beautiful, pleasant, and very chill…can’t ask for more.
The internet is a lot of money here and no internet cafes are in sight…very annoying. Talk to you soon!
Traveling Through The Desert Again
Saturday: December 11, 2010
Am I still in Egypt? I’m looking outside my window here in Hurghada in Eastern Egypt and I can’t believe my eyes. Our hotel, the Hurghada Continental Resort, is located directly on the Red Sea…very cool, but not very red. It doesn’t feel like we are in Egypt since it is such a resort/tourist area, but I don’t have a problem with that.
We left the beautiful city of Luxor around 10:30 this morning and got in a bus to drive to Hurghada. It was a 4-hour drive through the desert, but this time we didn’t drive in a caravan as we did for the drive to Abu Simbel. I’m not going to lie, I felt uncomfortable driving through the desert by ourselves, especially when the driver was going a little too fast around the numerous curves in the road for my liking. Either way, we made it to Hurghada around 4:30pm safely and checked into our hotel on the beach. It has everything you could ask for at a resort. After I got settled, I went down to Melanie’s room and we took a walk on the beach. Sure, it is December, but it doesn’t feel like it here in Egypt. Afterwards, there was a buffet dinner at the hotel with a pasta station! Woo! It is going to be nice to relax after a week and a half of continuous sightseeing.
Time to start a book on the beach tomorrow! See ya later!
Am I still in Egypt? I’m looking outside my window here in Hurghada in Eastern Egypt and I can’t believe my eyes. Our hotel, the Hurghada Continental Resort, is located directly on the Red Sea…very cool, but not very red. It doesn’t feel like we are in Egypt since it is such a resort/tourist area, but I don’t have a problem with that.
We left the beautiful city of Luxor around 10:30 this morning and got in a bus to drive to Hurghada. It was a 4-hour drive through the desert, but this time we didn’t drive in a caravan as we did for the drive to Abu Simbel. I’m not going to lie, I felt uncomfortable driving through the desert by ourselves, especially when the driver was going a little too fast around the numerous curves in the road for my liking. Either way, we made it to Hurghada around 4:30pm safely and checked into our hotel on the beach. It has everything you could ask for at a resort. After I got settled, I went down to Melanie’s room and we took a walk on the beach. Sure, it is December, but it doesn’t feel like it here in Egypt. Afterwards, there was a buffet dinner at the hotel with a pasta station! Woo! It is going to be nice to relax after a week and a half of continuous sightseeing.
Time to start a book on the beach tomorrow! See ya later!
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