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 sharm el sheikh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sharm el sheikh. Show all posts
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
A One Camel Town
Friday: December 17, 2010
Hello there! I’m currently in the middle of the desert, otherwise known as St. Catherine, Egypt. We left beautiful Sharm El-Sheikh at around 10:30am and drove north through the desert of the Sinai Peninsula to reach our hotel, The Plaza at St. Catherine. There isn’t much in the town, however, 2,000 visitors come to St. Catherine every day. Since it is not connected to the Nile River, there are deep wells drilled to supply the town with water.
Prior to our arrival at our hotel, Professor Ghaly and Zach, our tour guide, advised us that this hotel was not on the same level as our previous hotels…and they were right. The Plaza is one of two hotels in St. Catherine and is considered the better of the two…but I’m still going to sleep in my clothes tonight. There was a buffet dinner at the hotel and a bunch of us did some shopping at the little shops in the hotel courtyard. One item that was a must have was a flashlight for our trip up Mount Sinai.
While I say that I’m going to sleep in my clothes, I probably will only sleep for an hour since we are leaving for Mount Sinai (Mountain Moses)—a five-minute drive from the hotel—at 2 am. Tomorrow, we hike up Mt. Sinai and travel back to Africa/Cairo for the final leg of the mini term. Talk to you soon!
Hello there! I’m currently in the middle of the desert, otherwise known as St. Catherine, Egypt. We left beautiful Sharm El-Sheikh at around 10:30am and drove north through the desert of the Sinai Peninsula to reach our hotel, The Plaza at St. Catherine. There isn’t much in the town, however, 2,000 visitors come to St. Catherine every day. Since it is not connected to the Nile River, there are deep wells drilled to supply the town with water.
 |
| In the middle of no where |
While I say that I’m going to sleep in my clothes, I probably will only sleep for an hour since we are leaving for Mount Sinai (Mountain Moses)—a five-minute drive from the hotel—at 2 am. Tomorrow, we hike up Mt. Sinai and travel back to Africa/Cairo for the final leg of the mini term. Talk to you soon!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Sharm El-Sheikh: You are in our hearts, always in our hearts
Thursday: December 16, 2010
Another beautiful day in Sharm El-Sheikh! Sunny, warm, and relaxing...what more can I ask for? Tonight is the last night we will be in this great resort town and I'm returning to Naama Bay for dinner and shopping. Tomorrow morning (10:30am) we will be heading to St. Catherine for a quick stay. At St. Catherine, we will wake up at 2am and climb Mt. Sinai...I'm very excited.
Update (11:16 Egypt Time)
Instead of heading back to Naama Bay for the second night in a row, we ate dinner at the hotel (I had some stir fry chicken--we'll see if my stomach likes this) and took a taxi to the Old Market "Old Sharm." It was not as modern as Naama Bay and felt more like the Luxor Market. I bought a few things and haggled for each of them. It was sort of run down, actually. It cost 25 pounds for all of us in the taxi to get there and another 25 pounds to return to the hotel. When I got back to the hotel, I got the new password for the free internet (it changes every night) and hopped on.
----
I doubt there will be free internet there, so I'll probably see you all next time in Cairo on Saturday. Keep those comments coming! I want to answer your questions!
Update (11:16 Egypt Time)
Instead of heading back to Naama Bay for the second night in a row, we ate dinner at the hotel (I had some stir fry chicken--we'll see if my stomach likes this) and took a taxi to the Old Market "Old Sharm." It was not as modern as Naama Bay and felt more like the Luxor Market. I bought a few things and haggled for each of them. It was sort of run down, actually. It cost 25 pounds for all of us in the taxi to get there and another 25 pounds to return to the hotel. When I got back to the hotel, I got the new password for the free internet (it changes every night) and hopped on.
----
I doubt there will be free internet there, so I'll probably see you all next time in Cairo on Saturday. Keep those comments coming! I want to answer your questions!
Sharm El-Sheikh: Great is the night and it smiles at you
Wednesday: December 15, 2010
It may be winter in the United States and Egypt, but it doesn’t feel like that here in Sharm El-Sheikh at the Renaissance Sharm El Sheikh Golden View Beach Resort.
Today I sat by two different pools, one of which had free Internet. Unlike Hurghada, there is no breeze here and it is very hot and sunny out. I like all the touring we did during the first few weeks of this trip, but I can’t complain about relaxing, reading, and napping by the pool. The pool with the free Internet is freezing while the pool without the Internet is heated, go figure.
Today a bunch of us ate lunch at Acapulco Joes, a Mexican restaurant at the hotel. Melanie and I split a serving of chicken fajitas (I caved and ate some chicken but there was so much food!). After, we returned to the heated pool, read, and soon fell asleep.
After the buffet dinner in the hotel dining room, some of us took a taxi to Naama Bay, about a 10-minute drive from our hotel. We fit 5 of us into a cab and it only cost us 25 pounds (5 pounds each=less than a dollar each, wow). Naama Bay is a nicer version of the Luxor market and it was also much bigger. The nightlife at Naama Bay is awesome and there are tons of shops. There are lots of hookah bars and touristy shops lining 3 or 4 streets. There was also a McDonalds (which I didn’t have), a Pizza Hut (which was huge), Hard Rock Café, TGI Fridays, and a Baskin Robbins! I shared an Oreo Cookies and Cream milkshake with Melanie and it was the best 30 pounds I’ve spent in a week. A lot of people went to a nightclub, but I was too tired/not in the mood to spend 100 pounds to get in. Four of us took a taxi for 25 pounds back to the hotel around 1am.
Tomorrow, more relaxing and more Naama Bay nightlife. Unfortunately, it is also the last day in Sharm El Sheikh as we then travel to St. Catherine and climb Mt. Sinai (where my mom works).
Once again, the Internet situation will be sketchy until I return to Cairo on Saturday the 18th. Keep those comments coming!
And yes, Little Chief Tunis, it was real and it was alive.
It may be winter in the United States and Egypt, but it doesn’t feel like that here in Sharm El-Sheikh at the Renaissance Sharm El Sheikh Golden View Beach Resort.
Today a bunch of us ate lunch at Acapulco Joes, a Mexican restaurant at the hotel. Melanie and I split a serving of chicken fajitas (I caved and ate some chicken but there was so much food!). After, we returned to the heated pool, read, and soon fell asleep.
 |
| Mom: Don & Odett now work @ Pizza Hut Sharm |
Tomorrow, more relaxing and more Naama Bay nightlife. Unfortunately, it is also the last day in Sharm El Sheikh as we then travel to St. Catherine and climb Mt. Sinai (where my mom works).
Once again, the Internet situation will be sketchy until I return to Cairo on Saturday the 18th. Keep those comments coming!
And yes, Little Chief Tunis, it was real and it was alive.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)