TAXI RIDE TO THE BANK
Later in the evening I needed to get some travelors checks cashed because I was getting low on cash. The people who ran the ship wouldn't cash travelor's checks and would not be of any help with changing U.S. currency into Egyptain Pounds. The first day I was there someone in the office changed some money for me with no problem, but now I was told I had to go to a bank. Anyway, they were not helpful in that department so I decided to take a taxi to a nearby bank since they were opened in the evening because it was Ramadan, and Muslim people were able to do any kind of work after sunset. During the day they had to fast and not do much work, but as soon as the sun went down they could eat and take care of business.
I realized that I should have someone go with me since I don't speak their language and people around there don't speak much English. Everyone knows a few words of English, but not much. I didn't know the city and I didn't feel like going out in a stange city with a cab driver who I couldn't communicate with. I asked the guy in charge if I could have someone from his staff go with me. I didn't care if he spoke English or not. I just needed someone who knew I wanted to go to a bank and let him do all the talking with the driver. The guy in charge picked a guy about 20 named Mohammed. (Every driver and guide that I had on this trip so far was named Mohammed) He spoke very little English, but enough to get the mission accomplished. He was told want I wanted. He agreed that I would pay him at the end of the trip for his time.
We walked out of the ship and into the warm night air. The stars were shining brightly in the sky. We went up the stairs to street level then walked up the street alittle. We stopped and he called a taxi on his cell phone. We tried to have a conversation but we didn't know each others language so it was futile. After a little wait the taxi came, we got in and Mohammed told him to take us to a bank, and we proceeded up the road.
Taxis in Egypt run like this; The taxi driver wanted to get through the traffic. When he would come across a car that wasn't going too fast in his lane he would pull up behind the car, getting as close to his bumper as possible and start flashing his lights and honking his horn until the car pulled over and let him though. When three taxis come to an intersection, one would start honking his horn and flashng his lights, and the other two would do the same. The horns in Egypt play a little line of music. When three taxis are honking at the same time it makes an interesting musical sound. Honking horns this way is their way of saying Hello to each other.
We found a bank but it was closed. A policeman who was sitting in a chair infront of the bank told Mohammed that there was a bank open down the street. If I had to do all this not knowing the language it would have been a nightmare. We went down the street and found the bank. There was a policeman stationed in front of this bank too. I went in. The bank was emply except for a clerk behind the counter. I went over. He gave me a puzzled look as if to say, "What would this person be doing out so late"? I asked him if he could cash an American Travelor's check. He shook his head in the negative. So I took some American money and asked if he could change it. He examined the bills very closely. He gave me back one of the twenty dollar bills and said he couldn't change that one, but he could change the rest. I found out later that money changers in Egypt will not take bills before a certain date. He took the money and counted it out very carefully and wrote the amount on a piece of paper. Then he had me give him my name, address and signature. After he changed the money I left the bank, got back in the cab and came back to the ship. I paid the driver and Mohammed and went in for the evening. If I ever travel again I will do all my changing of money before I leave the USA. It seems that on this trip I was constantly running out of money.
ABU SIMBEL - Three millennium of history was slowly covered in sand.
I woke up the next morning around breakfast time. I got up and went down to the dinning room and had the usual breakfast. Later a shuttle bus transported us to the airport where we would take the thirty minute flight to Abu Simbel.
At Abu Simbel there is a massive monument and temple dedicated to Ramses II and a smaller monument dedicated to his favorite wife. Ramses II started his reign of Egypt at the beginning of the 13th century and ruled the country for sixty seven years. There are more monuments of him then any other pharoah. He had many wives and hundreds of children. Ramses II was not of royal lineage.
Once off the plane we were shuttled to the teminal where our bags were checked etc: Then onto busses that would take us to the monument which was not far away. When we got off the bus we had to walk through the usual maze of hawkers. They were more aggressive then usual. It was a short walk to the monument.
The native people who live in this part of Egypt are called Nubian. They have lived in this part of Egypt since time immortal. They were around when the phaoah's ruled the country. Many say that their ancestors came from Sudan. They have thier own culture that is nothing at all like the Egyptain culture. They live in little villages where their houses are built in a row and painted in bright colors.
Abu Simbel
Once at the site the guide came and took us to the shade of a nearby Acacia tree where we sat on benches while he explained a little bit about Abu Simbe and its history. These temples were built 3,200 years ago. On the outside of the main temple are four statues of Ramses II seated. Three of the statues have survived, but one is in ruins and lays crumbled infront of where it formerly was. The statues are sixty feet high and are the height of a five story building. This temple was built on the site of an old shrine dedicated to the god Horus.
Later in the evening I needed to get some travelors checks cashed because I was getting low on cash. The people who ran the ship wouldn't cash travelor's checks and would not be of any help with changing U.S. currency into Egyptain Pounds. The first day I was there someone in the office changed some money for me with no problem, but now I was told I had to go to a bank. Anyway, they were not helpful in that department so I decided to take a taxi to a nearby bank since they were opened in the evening because it was Ramadan, and Muslim people were able to do any kind of work after sunset. During the day they had to fast and not do much work, but as soon as the sun went down they could eat and take care of business.
I realized that I should have someone go with me since I don't speak their language and people around there don't speak much English. Everyone knows a few words of English, but not much. I didn't know the city and I didn't feel like going out in a stange city with a cab driver who I couldn't communicate with. I asked the guy in charge if I could have someone from his staff go with me. I didn't care if he spoke English or not. I just needed someone who knew I wanted to go to a bank and let him do all the talking with the driver. The guy in charge picked a guy about 20 named Mohammed. (Every driver and guide that I had on this trip so far was named Mohammed) He spoke very little English, but enough to get the mission accomplished. He was told want I wanted. He agreed that I would pay him at the end of the trip for his time.
We walked out of the ship and into the warm night air. The stars were shining brightly in the sky. We went up the stairs to street level then walked up the street alittle. We stopped and he called a taxi on his cell phone. We tried to have a conversation but we didn't know each others language so it was futile. After a little wait the taxi came, we got in and Mohammed told him to take us to a bank, and we proceeded up the road.
Taxis in Egypt run like this; The taxi driver wanted to get through the traffic. When he would come across a car that wasn't going too fast in his lane he would pull up behind the car, getting as close to his bumper as possible and start flashing his lights and honking his horn until the car pulled over and let him though. When three taxis come to an intersection, one would start honking his horn and flashng his lights, and the other two would do the same. The horns in Egypt play a little line of music. When three taxis are honking at the same time it makes an interesting musical sound. Honking horns this way is their way of saying Hello to each other.
We found a bank but it was closed. A policeman who was sitting in a chair infront of the bank told Mohammed that there was a bank open down the street. If I had to do all this not knowing the language it would have been a nightmare. We went down the street and found the bank. There was a policeman stationed in front of this bank too. I went in. The bank was emply except for a clerk behind the counter. I went over. He gave me a puzzled look as if to say, "What would this person be doing out so late"? I asked him if he could cash an American Travelor's check. He shook his head in the negative. So I took some American money and asked if he could change it. He examined the bills very closely. He gave me back one of the twenty dollar bills and said he couldn't change that one, but he could change the rest. I found out later that money changers in Egypt will not take bills before a certain date. He took the money and counted it out very carefully and wrote the amount on a piece of paper. Then he had me give him my name, address and signature. After he changed the money I left the bank, got back in the cab and came back to the ship. I paid the driver and Mohammed and went in for the evening. If I ever travel again I will do all my changing of money before I leave the USA. It seems that on this trip I was constantly running out of money.
ABU SIMBEL - Three millennium of history was slowly covered in sand.
I woke up the next morning around breakfast time. I got up and went down to the dinning room and had the usual breakfast. Later a shuttle bus transported us to the airport where we would take the thirty minute flight to Abu Simbel.
At Abu Simbel there is a massive monument and temple dedicated to Ramses II and a smaller monument dedicated to his favorite wife. Ramses II started his reign of Egypt at the beginning of the 13th century and ruled the country for sixty seven years. There are more monuments of him then any other pharoah. He had many wives and hundreds of children. Ramses II was not of royal lineage.
Once off the plane we were shuttled to the teminal where our bags were checked etc: Then onto busses that would take us to the monument which was not far away. When we got off the bus we had to walk through the usual maze of hawkers. They were more aggressive then usual. It was a short walk to the monument.
The native people who live in this part of Egypt are called Nubian. They have lived in this part of Egypt since time immortal. They were around when the phaoah's ruled the country. Many say that their ancestors came from Sudan. They have thier own culture that is nothing at all like the Egyptain culture. They live in little villages where their houses are built in a row and painted in bright colors.
Abu Simbel
Once at the site the guide came and took us to the shade of a nearby Acacia tree where we sat on benches while he explained a little bit about Abu Simbe and its history. These temples were built 3,200 years ago. On the outside of the main temple are four statues of Ramses II seated. Three of the statues have survived, but one is in ruins and lays crumbled infront of where it formerly was. The statues are sixty feet high and are the height of a five story building. This temple was built on the site of an old shrine dedicated to the god Horus.Several years ago before the Aswan Dam was built the whole monument was taken apart piece by piece and relocated to it's present place. Great lengths were taken to make sure that every detail of the monument is in its origional place. Even in the inner part of the temple where the sun shines on a statue of Ramses II at a certain hour of the day one day of the year.
Inside the temple of Ramses II there are pictures and reliefs of Ramses II offering to the gods and scenes of him fighting his enemies. The temple has many rooms and ante rooms. After about an hour looking at the site it was back to the bus and then the plane ride back to Cairo.
CAIRO REVISITED
Back in Cairo I was again met by the same person who had met me when I first came to Egypt. I think his name was Mohammed. After a little bit of a wait my suitcase came down the carousel and I grabbed it and we were off to the hotel. I was origionally supposed to go to the Swiss Inn, the place I stayed at when I first came to Egypt, but plans changed and I was booked into a hotel called Movenpick. It was a great place anyway. I stayed there the night.
posted by THE REAL MIKE BAILEY at 3:05 PM
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