Water Water Everywhere, and Not a Drop to Drink

Hi all

So no risk of dehydration really, cause we are drinking bottled water like crazy. I can barely get down half of the H2O I need at home, but here it is a total necessity. You are basically thirsty all the time - and we all carry 2L water jugs with us everywhere. We buy them cheap but will pay whatever we have to if we need. And they are best cold (of course) but they don't stay that way for long - so another reason to drink lots, and to drink often.

No recycling here. Garbage is a problem, too. A couple in our tour group watched as the waiter at our last hotel threw their empty pop cans into the Nile. THE NILE. What the heck?? People swim in there! And drink the water in there! I bet the sewage goes in there. It goes without saying that when offered a chance to refresh with a quick dip in the river, we all declined.

No real risk of sunburn either. Sounds strange, given that we are in such a hot place. And we do get up each morning, shower, and put sunscreen on... but truthfully we are pretty much covered up all the time. I am always wearing at least capri-length bottoms, and always have sleeves of some sort on top. So we just need to apply suncreen to ankles, arms and be careful about face & back of the neck, etc. If we are out in the direct sunlight we usually wear out hats, too. I fear that I will come home as white as I left, but with really tanned/burned forearms (should look great for your wedding Yuuko, ha!).

The tourist police are everywhere we go - all the sights and even parts of the city. They wear white uniforms and carry machine guns. They look rather imposing but some of them will offer to take a photo of you standing next to whatever, which is great. But then they want money. And they have a gun, so... ha, no it isn't as bad as all that, but yeah, this is a tipping culture and everybody wants a piece.

The public washrooms are pay, too. Technically they can't stop you from using it if you have no money, but they will not give you any toilet paper if you don't pay. I have all my own toilet paper with me, but I tip them anyways because many of the attendants seem to be poor and/or kids. It's only 1 Egyptian pound anyways - like 20 cents. I bet they make more money than we think!

We went to a restaurant a few days back that was like being on a farm. An area for cooking/eating, and an area for animals. There were camels, goats, birds, ponies, cats... etc. And you could take pictures of them if you wanted to pay. There are lots of cats that run around the streets here too, staying under your feet while you eat in hopes of getting some scraps. They are cute but not so cuddly... and no, I didn't try to cuddle them - you can just tell that they are not the snuggly kind!

This is a primarily Muslim country, so there is a call to prayer five times a day and unless you are working, you are supposed to face Mecca and do your thing. Sometimes it's a little distracting, especially when you are trying to sleep. Even when we were on the river in the felucca, it kept us awake from the city. They pretty much broadcast it everywhere. There is some Christianity here too - at our last hotel the Internet Cafe was adorned with Jesus everywhere. Seemed a bit out of place, actually.

Today we rode donkeys on our way to the Valley of the Kings. My donkey's name was Ali Baba and man, was he a stubborn ass! No but seriously, he would not do a darn thing that I told it to. I tried yanking on the rope, steering it, kicking it, yelling at it, making the requisite sound effects at it, but it still wanted to walk in the middle of the road where the oncoming traffic was approaching. I don't think he liked me. Or maybe he had given up on life. Or maybe he was kamikaze-donkey. Who knows...

After the Valley of the Kings (which was basically the desert with a bunch of tombs that were elaborately deisgned & decorated beneath the sand), we went to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut - the only woman to have ever ruled Egypt. By that point it was SO hot that we were in and out of there like a flash. You get really efficient with your time and your camera when you have to be.

Tomorrow it's the Karnak Temple and the Luxor temple light show. Then the day after we move on to Hurghadab to do some beaching/frolicking/sunning. Relaxation, basically. I hope.

Thanks for listening to my latest update... :P Be good!
xo
Elaan