But I got what you need!

Poster October 15, 2006

I’ve been lax with my website updates, but not because interesting things aren’t happening. Colin and I tried to articulate the pace of our lives here, which we decided was very “stop and go,” to put a phrase to it. We work so hard during the week that our weekends seem empty by comparison, when the reality is quite the opposite, since we fill our weekends with activities.

This leads me to feel pretty out of steam after exciting things happen, and I can’t produce any coherent writing about them. I’m gonna try to make up for that by listing some of the things I’ve seen and done, with pictures where appropriate.

On the evening of September 15, a Friday night, I was invited to cruise on the Nile in a felucca, a sailboat with a history entrenched in this part of the world. Colin and I joined about ten other people, negotiated a price with the, uh, captain, and we set sail. The felucca, being a tall boat, was confined to the section of the Nile between the bridges from which we put out, but there was enough Nile to enjoy in the fading light. All in all, each person paid eight pounds for a relaxing, ninety-minute sailboat ride.
Felucca on the water
A felucca on the water.
The Nile at dusk
The Nile at dusk, taken from Garden City.

The day after the felucca ride, the ALI took us to the Giza plateau for some pyramid-gawking. They really were as impressive to me as they had been made out to be, though I may be more receptive of their significance than most. Big things. We went inside the second largest, which was neat, but also like a sauna. Most of the time you hear that phrase it’s hyperbolic or used for comedic exaggeration, but the inside of the pyramid actually was like a sauna – the moment I stooped down the main passage, I was drenched in my own sweat. While in the main chamber, I watched my friend Nick fall off a two foot stone ledge and break his arm. We’ve decided it’s the pharaoh’s curse.
The Great Pyramid
The Great Pyramid. Guys in white uniforms are Egyptian police.

More pyramids
A cool shot of two of the Pyramids.

We also saw the Great Sphinx, magnanimously guarding the plateau. I stole a kiss, along with half the tourists who go there.
Sphinxy kiss!
Scandalous!

The next Tuesday, AUC’s Egyptology Society put on a lecture event, which I discovered is nearly a weekly series. I’ve been to all of them since that first one, hearing talks on mummies, monasticism in ancient Egypt, and pharaonic nomenclature (though, truth be told, that last was more a whirlwind tour of more than two dozen kings rather than a discussion of their names). The events are well-documented by the Society, with photos and videos, so I’ve come across this picture of my friend Sara and I looking studious:
Taking notes at the mummy lecture
Sara, in blue with crossed arms, and I are paying attention to the mummy lecture.

On the weekend of the 22 and 23 of September, I joined a handful of my friends for a trip to the Red Sea. We bussed to a small resort called Ain Sokhna, a fancy resort where everything was overpriced, the meals were excellent, and the beach was a two-minute tram ride from the hotel lobby. We lounged on the shore, tanning and reading and napping, and swam in the warm shallows, played bocce ball, and swallowed some seriously salt-saturated spray. My lungs were relieved at the chance to breathe non-Cairene air, and my appetite appreciated the buffet-style dinners.
My feet at the Red Sea
Those are my feet. That's the Red Sea shore.

The day we returned from Ain Sokhna was the first day of Ramadan, and our whole lifestyle changed. Ramadan is an incredible time in Muslim countries, and its effects are far-reaching, even to those not of the Muslim faith. During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink during daylight hours, breaking the fast when the minarets sound the evening call to prayer. This meal is known as iftar. It’s preceded by every vehicle on the road speeding to its destination even faster than usual, and accompanied by deserted roads, an eerie sight in a city like this.

Ramadan also means that most restaurants are closed during the day, so those of us who aren’t fasting have to provide for ourselves in other ways. I’ve forced myself to develop a taste for Egyptian peanut butter, which allows me the occasional PB&J. I also bought a pound of Cornflakes and have been munching on those when I get hungry. Rarely does a day go by when Colin and I don’t lament the closing of our two favorite restaurants, the Greek Club and a shawerma place called Baraka.
Baraka
Colin stands in front of Baraka, our favorite shawerma place.

A week into Ramadan, Colin and I wanted to relax, so we invited another dozen or so friends on another felucca ride. We showed up and the captains informed us that, due to a lack of wind, we would have to take a boat with a motor. We opted for that, since we really wanted to relax on the Nile after a long week of work, and I got these photos of the ride:
SMOKE ON THE WATER
Smoke (from the motor) on the water (of the Nile).

Eric and Anders
Eric (left) and Anders (right) settling in for the cruise.

Sara with bunny ears
Our captain had a sense of humor. Sara did, too. Anders had nasal congestion.

Glasses come standard
Max "Kaboom" Bruner basically looks this cool all the time.

After the felucca ride, we went to Khan al Khalili, an impressively large market on the other side of Cairo. Khan can be overwhelming for a first-timer, so I was glad I’d been multiple times before. During Ramadan, and especially in the evening, people and lights are everywhere. Hawkers try every trick they know to get you into their shop. The women, of course, have it worst, with marriage proposals approximately every thirty meters. Lines I’ve heard include “I don’t got what you’re looking for, but I got what you need!” and the ever popular “Hey! You broke something! ... My heart!"

On the last day of September, the ALI took us to Saqqara and Memphis, where we saw the Step Pyramid and the colossal statue of Rameses II. The Step Pyramid is Egypt’s oldest pyramid, and Rameses II is my favorite king inasmuch as I have a favorite king, so I had a blast. Notably, we got to see the Pyramid Texts inside one of the pyramids at Saqqara. Amazing stuff.
Colin at Saqqara
Incredibly, I didn't add the lens flare on his shades.

Peter at Saqqara
Peter loves this stuff.

Jive turkey!
Eric puts the "jive" in "jive turkey."

What's a Step Pyramid?
I simply can't believe that's the Step Pyramid! Nor can I believe it's butter!

Glyph class
My friend Molly had me translate parts of a false door.

Given life like Ra forever
This says, "...given life like Ra forever!" It's used as a laudatory epithet.

Another week of school later, Colin, Sara, and I went to the Egyptian Museum, which I had been jonesing to see. Admission is twenty pounds, or less than four bucks, but no cameras are allowed inside, tragically. The museum guards its treasures jealously. We spent nearly four hours on the first floor alone, then called it a day and returned a week later to see the second floor, including the famous King Tut display and the Royal Mummies Hall.

Thursday, October 12, we celebrated the birthdays of Peter and Albert, two very cool guys here in the dorms. They rented a yacht, and we cruised upstream – south – on the Nile for several hours. There was cake and drinking and dancing, and most people had a great time. Oddly, there were at least seven Spanish speakers on that boat. I’m still at a loss for the explanation, but it was like we’d all been drawn to the yacht for a meeting or something.
The Birthday Boys
Peter's on the far right; Albert's to my left.

The only other major news in my life is my new band. A friend of mine works as the event coordinator for AUC, and when she discovered that I play guitar she asked me if I would like a gig. I immediately accepted, then promptly set out to form a band and create a set list. I recruited my friend Maha, a former RA who now lives with her sister in an apartment here on Zamalek. She plays guitar and makes excellent chocolate cake. We’re in the midst of putting together a set of acoustic music in the Spanish style, both classically-influenced and rock-influenced. Our gig date is in mid-November, so we’ve got short time to learn the pieces we’ve assigned ourselves, but it’s wonderful to play seriously again.
VOTQOTSA
Maha and I rocking out on the yacht.

We've given ourselves the name Valley of the Queens of the Stone Age. Hey, it's better than Carter and the Tuts.
Oh, the glow of a city...