Some people have all the luck. Helen told me some time before I planned to visit her, that a friend had given her a Cruise ticket they'd won, in thanks for helping her friend out. Well Helen cashed in the expensive ticket, for 2 other berths, and has taken me on a trip to Egypt. Now that’s SOME 54th birthday present!
Our Egyptian trip began in a fairly ordinary fashion with Hel doing the school run and a trip to Perry (It must be superfluous now to tell you he is the mechanic). Perry now thinks that it might be a cracked cylinder head and claims that some magic liquid that he has poured in, will seal the crack and everything will be honkey dorey…
Doxa came with us, happy to briefly escape the chaos at her house. She has left her husband Chris, labeling boxes and making an inventory of the items they are putting into their Aust bound container. Doxa is selling her cars and Helen has offered her use of the old red car, to help out, but also in thanks for the items Doxa is taking over to Oz for Lefki and Savva. It’s a win all round as far as I can see.
We were dropped off at the port departure lounge at 12 noon. It was a lot like a country airport lounge, except for the shipping company staff uniforms. I’ve nothing of note to say about the men's gear, but the women had long, astonishing legs and only micro minis to prevent the whole world finding out all their secrets. Still, as a tourist you have to go with the flow and not bore people with your criticisms.
We met someone we knew in the lounge. Do you remember telling me that we showed a real estate agent through Roulla’s flat…well Sandra had just quit her job and was making use of the trip she'd recently won. As she was traveling alone, she tagged on to us (and agreed with our opinions on the rather astonishing uniform worn by the shipping staff).
Once on board we dumped everything in the cabin and did a tour of all the decks. We were lucky to be forward and on one of the higher decks. This meant that we got minimum noise and shake from the engines and therefore enjoyed 2 very good nights sleep. I was surprised that we had a cabin with a full bathroom, including a bath. It was spacious enough for two, and had reading lamps, phone and an abundance of closet space. Very nice indeed.
Well the Glory lived up to the brochure in terms of the entertainment. Guess what the film showing at the Lido theatre was...Aladdin and the lamp (yes, in English). Aunty Pola would have enjoyed that. There really was a casino (no’ we didn’t gamble, but Helen’s Greek friend Iliatha and her mates did, winning at first, then losing it all). Now I think... Iliatha is Helen’s father in law's daughter. She lives in Limassol, but with friends and cousins from Paphos, a few times a year, they all go off on a jaunt. They were doing the same trip as us, but organizing their own excursions by taxi rather than buying a package deal. Helen Iliatha and the rest of that party settled down for natter and a drink in one of the lounges, only to be ushered along by the waitress. Apparently they had sat in the captain's special seats and these had to be kept free in case he ever decided he needed a sit. Well the captain did promptly turn up, but sat with the plebs and to Helen's astonishment, settled for toasted cheese sandwiches even though he had a full catering kitchen at his beck and call. I put my head down for a minute and got up three hours later.
Before we knew it we were showering and dressing for dinner. The tables and seating were pre-planned by the purser on the basis of language spoken and we found ourselves on an English table with Peter (ex navy man) and Patricia, and Dave (a painter and decorator who has worked on Buckingham Palace and Clarence House), who is married to Margret. We started off friendly but reserved, but after several meals and tours together, talked about family, work, travels and you name it. We have an invitation to drop in if we are in England and have swapped email addresses. The world appears to be full of some thoroughly lovely people. Now I know that I’m not usually the one to have such a sunny outlook on mankind, so I’m wondering if this time away from work is having the desired effect.
After dinner we had a range of lounges and entertainments to choose from and we wandered between them before settling in with Iliatha and her crew for the cabaret show. What a laugh…the micro mini-skirted staff had shed their uniforms and in a sea of spangles, burst on to the stage in a riot of colour and music. Wow, could that red-haired woman belt out a song…and Stellios, the sexy cabin attendant with the goatee, was the male voice. I wondered what the captain doubled as?
It was a hell of a good show and we stayed on till just before midnight. Yes, silly I know, as we had to get up at 5.45 the next morning. Helen and I were talking about the show as we lay in bed. There was a banging at the door. I did the big sister thing and got up to see who it was…nothing…It happened a couple of times before we realized it was the occupants of the next cabin, telling us to shut up! So shut up we did, before dutifully setting the alarm.
I woke at 5.30am and let myself snooze for another fifteen minutes as I was still tired. The next thing I knew, it was 6.30 and we had almost missed breakfast. Like two whirling dervishes we flung clothes, toothpaste and bedding around the cabin before doing the sprint to the Byzantium dining room. We wolfed down a bit of everything as we knew we wouldn’t get any food for another six hours. We reclaimed our passports from the purser and jogged down to the busses, again with passenger lists based on language preference. An elderly Cyprian woman traveling alone latched on to us for a while as she was very confused as to the program and instructions which kept getting sent over the PA. Once Helen delivered her to the Greek speaking bus we could relax.
The hassling by the street vendors began as soon as we got through customs. If we smiled at anyone, or even made eye contact, they thrust goods up to us and tried to tempt us. Some people climbed out of the bus and did buy, but Helen and I didn't find the nick-knacks that enticing.
We traveled through Port Said and the 250km to Cairo in a 6 bus convoy, escorted by an armed policeman on each bus, and the whole convoy escorted by a ute full of soldiers armed with machine guns and flack jackets. There was also a police escort vehicle and a motorcycle. All the way to Cairo, police stopped crossing traffic so that tourist busses can proceed unimpeded. Actually it didn’t look or feel scary.
We passed through the full range of Cairo suburbs.. salubrious embassy areas and places of grinding poverty. The illegal settlements outside Cairo proper, are a vast catacomb of red brick. The houses are multi-storey with a new floor added as daughter or son marry and move in, have family and ….the next floor goes up...
Mira our tour guide was a highly qualified archeologist and all round good sort. She made it her mission to teach us some Egyptian words and phrases as well as something of the religion and culture. She named us her Habibi (something like beloved ones) and we were very grateful for this defining name when we hit the antiquities museum. With a flourish of her bat (bearing the name and number of our tour group) and a shriek of “Habibi” she steered us through a crowd as unruly and populous as the grand final crowd at the MCG. She showed us Tut’s nappy, boomerangs that predated the aboriginal ones (or so she said) and tons of other exhibits. Woe betide the slacker that didn't listen carefully as she asked questions afterwards!
On the side of the bus it read "Egypt Go" and go we did, running our way through the museum, a Byzantine feast on a Ferry that sailed us along the Nile, …the Pyramids, the Sphinx, the papyrus factory, the souvenir market and the 250 km back to Port Said. Actually, Mira did a really great job and Helen passed my hat around to take up a collection for her. Helen collected quite a pile.
We traveled through Port Said and the 250km to Cairo in a 6 bus convoy, escorted by an armed policeman on each bus, and the whole convoy escorted by a ute full of soldiers armed with machine guns and flack jackets. There was also a police escort vehicle and a motorcycle. All the way to Cairo, police stopped crossing traffic so that tourist busses can proceed unimpeded. Actually it didn’t look or feel scary.
We passed through the full range of Cairo suburbs.. salubrious embassy areas and places of grinding poverty. The illegal settlements outside Cairo proper, are a vast catacomb of red brick. The houses are multi-storey with a new floor added as daughter or son marry and move in, have family and ….the next floor goes up...
Mira our tour guide was a highly qualified archeologist and all round good sort. She made it her mission to teach us some Egyptian words and phrases as well as something of the religion and culture. She named us her Habibi (something like beloved ones) and we were very grateful for this defining name when we hit the antiquities museum. With a flourish of her bat (bearing the name and number of our tour group) and a shriek of “Habibi” she steered us through a crowd as unruly and populous as the grand final crowd at the MCG. She showed us Tut’s nappy, boomerangs that predated the aboriginal ones (or so she said) and tons of other exhibits. Woe betide the slacker that didn't listen carefully as she asked questions afterwards!
On the side of the bus it read "Egypt Go" and go we did, running our way through the museum, a Byzantine feast on a Ferry that sailed us along the Nile, …the Pyramids, the Sphinx, the papyrus factory, the souvenir market and the 250 km back to Port Said. Actually, Mira did a really great job and Helen passed my hat around to take up a collection for her. Helen collected quite a pile.
The pyramids and Sphinx do deserve some comment. We first saw the pyramids as we drove through the city of Cairo. They loomed like a shadow over the city, almost lost in the mist of pollution that’s spewed out by the bumper to bumper traffic. The scene as you arrive at Giza is one of organized chaos. Huge tourist busses traverse the dusty roads, mingling on equal terms with street sellers, camel drivers, donkey drawn cars, dopey tourists and a regiment of police (who seem as confused and aimless as everyone else). Mira prepared us by teaching us “shookra la” (no thank you), but even that didn’t work as the vendors took to throwing their goods over our shoulders and then insisting on payment. Yes, Helen bought a “head-dress” and you know what, she looked pretty good in it. “I must have patsy written all over me” she laughs. She could be right as she is the first to be spotted and dragged up to dance during the lunch on the Nile. There is middle eastern entertainment and the belly dancer makes a beeline for Helen, begging her up to take a few circuits of the dance floor with them. I sensibly ignore them and dive into the buffet.
I kept a tight grip on my wallet till we got to the “special souvenir supermarket" that Mira had waxed on about. Actually, I was underwhelmed both with the prices and the range so I sneaked off outside to a street vendor who'd set up shop in an alcove. Perry and Wil…just wait till you see what I’ve got for you, you lucky sultans.
I kept a tight grip on my wallet till we got to the “special souvenir supermarket" that Mira had waxed on about. Actually, I was underwhelmed both with the prices and the range so I sneaked off outside to a street vendor who'd set up shop in an alcove. Perry and Wil…just wait till you see what I’ve got for you, you lucky sultans.
We literally ran all the way down the up the staircase leading into the pyramid and the tomb of Cheops. The contents had been removed to the museum of antiquities but it was still an awesome feeling being in there. I seriously felt that the modern brickies (especially the ones that had thrown up the rickety piles in the illegal settlements) could have learnt a thing or two from the ancient masons. We dodged camel poo and dodgy vendors until we could get back into our bus for the long, dusty journey home. As the bus took off, I noticed another half dozen patsies wearing their Egyptian headgear. It was FABULOUS! (Thank you again Helen).
Disembarkation time was looming and despite the cracking pace that Mira had set for us we were late getting back. The last hour or so of the journey was conducted at speed with sirens and lights on the escort vehicles. I had one last haggle with the vendors at the gangplank before racing on board. Helen and I didn’t even wash before dinner as the first sitting was half over. We were more hungry that interested in our appearance. It was dinner, shower, glad rags and back to the lounge to see the show….but we only lasted a half an hour. We were both desperate for sleep, and were sure that the neighbours wouldn’t need to tell us to be quiet this time. We were off to sleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
Disembarkation time was looming and despite the cracking pace that Mira had set for us we were late getting back. The last hour or so of the journey was conducted at speed with sirens and lights on the escort vehicles. I had one last haggle with the vendors at the gangplank before racing on board. Helen and I didn’t even wash before dinner as the first sitting was half over. We were more hungry that interested in our appearance. It was dinner, shower, glad rags and back to the lounge to see the show….but we only lasted a half an hour. We were both desperate for sleep, and were sure that the neighbours wouldn’t need to tell us to be quiet this time. We were off to sleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
Traveling is fun, but coming home is wonderful! Thank God for the lovely Doxa who was waiting at the gate as soon as we passed through customs (such as it is). We were wondering if they would do a full bag search but with nary a question, they just waved us through. Home now, and once I finish this post, I’m off to bed with a book. I’m reading Gillian Bouras’ A Foreign Wife.
Opps, no bed yet. Doxa's friend (Rumanian trained speech pathologist) is in need of some advice about applying for a work visa in Australia and wants to have an exploratory chat with Helen. It happens that Helen knows a very highly regarded speech pathologist who is currently living in Cyprus. Helen will contact her and get some advice for Doxa's friend. Ok, NOW I'm home again and going to bed. Goodnight.
Keep you posted. Love, Lily
Keep you posted. Love, Lily
