Just looking for a place to sit (Cairo, Egypt)
I've finally made it to Egypt! One of the most anticipated NATIONS on my little journey.
I skipped traveling around the islands in Greece. I wanted to go to Crete at least. But - the weather was a bit fickle, and I CHOSE not to go to Patmos - Where the Bible's Book of Revelation was written. Heck...what is so interesting about an author's hangout, especially when it is a cave! Some dudes built some huge monatery around it too. That...and for timing I thought coming to Egypt now would be good. Many of the Greek Islands look too cozy for just a solo traveler. After all, I have a job to do!
Of course, I toured those big triangular shaped piles of rock on my first full day here yesterday in Cairo. It was odd...after seeing them in photographs so many times before. They are so iCONic. It was less than it could be too, for I had to shoo away all the people trying to sell me something. Camel rides, horse rides, postcards, guide services, whatever. Why do they call this country e-GYPT?
Such monuments to just a few people (Hmmm....) ....there are a bunch of theories about the pyramids. I won't go into that now. It is hard to be too thoughtful after traveling this much in such a short space. As the grammar in my previous entry may attest to. At the very least...they are HUGE religious iCONs in my view.
---
I woke up this morning and found my legs aching (I used to so flexible....as a youngster! What went wrong?) from climbing down and up a few shafts to the bottom of the various pyramids.
I managed to visit Giza, Saqqara, and Dashur. The first one is the most photographed and distributed, the second is also on many tour bus itineraries. The latter, seldom visited. I was alone inside the Red Pyramid of Dashur when I went in. Outside was my taxi driver and one other car. I saw a couple of half filled tour buses roll in as I left.
Anyway...so the major highlight of today (Nov 9th) was to visit the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. The Egyptian Government must need money, the prices in my November 2005 Rough Guide travel guidebook are already inaccurate. 50 Egyptian Pounds ~ US$8.25. Its filled with curiosities and religious iCONs. Kind of like many art museums...the Hermitage, Uffizi...and cathedrals, churches.... yadda, yadda, yadda. Of a different flavor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Museum
Its a big place. I learned alot walking around myself. I'll write more about it when I get home. I got tired after a couple of hours so I looked around for a place to sit. Then I saw it - it was a golden chair! It was Tutankhaman's Chair. It looked comfy at first. I thought about breaking the glass/plastic some how so I could sit my tush on it. Most were looking at the jewels. Then I saw one thing that stopped me. There were paws for each of the four legs. And the front ones had LION heads!
I soon learned that the lion goes back to the beginning of the Pharonic dynasties of this COLLAPSED civiLIZATION. Oddly...around 3000 BC. Hmmm......Mayan calendar?
I'd seen enough after 3 hours and decided to leave. As I walked through the large museum doors I turned around and noticed something I hadn't seen coming in....Two giant LION door knockers.
Now, you may sing the - ODE to A SPHINX. The riddle ain't so hard really. Haven't heard of it? I'll come up with some lyrics next year. Don't forget, I used to be a poet. And songwriter... unpublished sadly. My ode will be GOOD. A 2012 book recommended in the 2012 section does note that the Sphinx looks to Tibet. Hmm.....but that's not what my little ode will be about.
Enough rambling....schedule that vacation to Egypt!
Come soon...before Cairo is wiped off the map! What did I say? More on that later...did I not say hell wasn't just CONfined to nuclear nations? No more iCONs!!! My apologies to the SCA - Supreme Council (Does that sound impressive?) of Antiquities. You shouldn't put so many treasures in one basket. They lose their CONtext.
Off to the Red Sea tomorrow and away from this toxic city. Sharm el Sheikh here I come! I need a break from learning.
I skipped traveling around the islands in Greece. I wanted to go to Crete at least. But - the weather was a bit fickle, and I CHOSE not to go to Patmos - Where the Bible's Book of Revelation was written. Heck...what is so interesting about an author's hangout, especially when it is a cave! Some dudes built some huge monatery around it too. That...and for timing I thought coming to Egypt now would be good. Many of the Greek Islands look too cozy for just a solo traveler. After all, I have a job to do!
Of course, I toured those big triangular shaped piles of rock on my first full day here yesterday in Cairo. It was odd...after seeing them in photographs so many times before. They are so iCONic. It was less than it could be too, for I had to shoo away all the people trying to sell me something. Camel rides, horse rides, postcards, guide services, whatever. Why do they call this country e-GYPT?
Such monuments to just a few people (Hmmm....) ....there are a bunch of theories about the pyramids. I won't go into that now. It is hard to be too thoughtful after traveling this much in such a short space. As the grammar in my previous entry may attest to. At the very least...they are HUGE religious iCONs in my view.
---
I woke up this morning and found my legs aching (I used to so flexible....as a youngster! What went wrong?) from climbing down and up a few shafts to the bottom of the various pyramids.
I managed to visit Giza, Saqqara, and Dashur. The first one is the most photographed and distributed, the second is also on many tour bus itineraries. The latter, seldom visited. I was alone inside the Red Pyramid of Dashur when I went in. Outside was my taxi driver and one other car. I saw a couple of half filled tour buses roll in as I left.
Anyway...so the major highlight of today (Nov 9th) was to visit the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. The Egyptian Government must need money, the prices in my November 2005 Rough Guide travel guidebook are already inaccurate. 50 Egyptian Pounds ~ US$8.25. Its filled with curiosities and religious iCONs. Kind of like many art museums...the Hermitage, Uffizi...and cathedrals, churches.... yadda, yadda, yadda. Of a different flavor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Museum
Its a big place. I learned alot walking around myself. I'll write more about it when I get home. I got tired after a couple of hours so I looked around for a place to sit. Then I saw it - it was a golden chair! It was Tutankhaman's Chair. It looked comfy at first. I thought about breaking the glass/plastic some how so I could sit my tush on it. Most were looking at the jewels. Then I saw one thing that stopped me. There were paws for each of the four legs. And the front ones had LION heads!
I soon learned that the lion goes back to the beginning of the Pharonic dynasties of this COLLAPSED civiLIZATION. Oddly...around 3000 BC. Hmmm......Mayan calendar?
I'd seen enough after 3 hours and decided to leave. As I walked through the large museum doors I turned around and noticed something I hadn't seen coming in....Two giant LION door knockers.
Now, you may sing the - ODE to A SPHINX. The riddle ain't so hard really. Haven't heard of it? I'll come up with some lyrics next year. Don't forget, I used to be a poet. And songwriter... unpublished sadly. My ode will be GOOD. A 2012 book recommended in the 2012 section does note that the Sphinx looks to Tibet. Hmm.....but that's not what my little ode will be about.
Enough rambling....schedule that vacation to Egypt!
Come soon...before Cairo is wiped off the map! What did I say? More on that later...did I not say hell wasn't just CONfined to nuclear nations? No more iCONs!!! My apologies to the SCA - Supreme Council (Does that sound impressive?) of Antiquities. You shouldn't put so many treasures in one basket. They lose their CONtext.
Off to the Red Sea tomorrow and away from this toxic city. Sharm el Sheikh here I come! I need a break from learning.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home