Here on Prohltravel it’s time for something completely different (as Monty Python used to say), something we’ve wanted to do for some time, our first guest article. Authored by my fellow writer and travel enthusiast Marilyn Kamcheff, this is part one of her Egyptian Adventures. Enjoy the trip!
Egypt, Part One – Witness to History
Text and photos by Marilyn Kamcheff
(The mighty Sphinx and pyramid, timeless symbols of Egypt)
Egypt – 5000 years of history and mystery, interpreted by scholars, massaged by dreamers and sensationalized with unimaginable treasures discovered in the barren hills.
In the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s Egypt was the “coming of age tour” for the young aristocracy of England. The journey to manhood was linked to the decadence of the past, sparking an interest in trinkets and mummies and other pilfered artifacts sold on the black market.
The most famous find of all times, the tomb of the boy king Tutankhamen, was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, focusing the world’s attention on Egypt. A love affair for this desert country was born and has only grown more passionate through the years.
My own adventure began as I departed Sea-Tac International Airport on a Lufthansa Airway airbus to Frankfurt, Germany. Arrival in Frankfurt preceded a five hour layover before boarding a cramped Boeing 747 for the final four hour flight to Cairo, Egypt.
One of our Egyptian guides, Mohammed, met us with a modern tour bus and after loading our luggage aboard we set off for the “about” 30 minute trip to our hotel. This was our first lesson in “Egyptian time.” The about 30 minutes stretched between 60 and 90 minutes.
Nonetheless, the trip was fascinating. A modern freeway that had donkey carts trotting along the road’s edge, under the freeways and on the exit ramps, the carts laden with fruits, vegetables, bundled rags, or sacks of garbage. Cars in various states of disrepair also were parked next to the jersey barriers.
Lane markers in Egypt are basically a simple suggestion – not to be taken seriously. Speed limits were discretionary and the “happy horn” was the rule of the road. I never figured out if there was a system to the horn honking – one beep meant one thing, two another, etc.
(View from our hotel patio)
