to the list of animals I've ridden on the trip.
We went to the Valley of the Kings today, and rode donkeys to get there. The ride there was ok. The ride home, I ended up with an evil donkey. The animal was very slow, but when it went fast, it was a very uncomfortable ride. I should have worn a sports bra.
The tombs were great. The colors here are better preserved than at any of the other sites. So you get a better impression of what it must have looked like.
Egypt has been impressive. I'm not so sure about being on a tour, however. I feel like I've been more of a tourist than traveller. It's very hard to find out about modern Egyptian life. I've hit the highlights, but always with a group of mostly Australians... Since everyone is in a tour, you don't feel so odd. But while the going has been easier than for most of my countries, I'm not really getting the same experience...
And now that I'm far enough in the post that my mom knows I'm ok, I'll discuss the police convoys. There are certain areas of Egypt, basically Luxor and all parts south, where foreigners are not allowed to freely travel. All busses/taxis must be part of the police caravan. They take down the number of passengers and their nationality. Officially, we're a group of eight Austrailians. If we indicate that there's an American aboard, we get an extra security detail.
Basically, they want to make sure that no one hurts me. I've been impressed with the security that I've seen at the sights. Tourist police everywhere, and always stationed at high points overlooking the sites.
I head to the beach area tomorrow. I hope to dive...
Be in touch later...
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4 comments:
I wanted to ask about this but I figure, best not to think about the gory details whilst still in the middle east. Just get out of there safely, agent 42.
/pbz
Did I mention that there's always a sniper located at high elevations at all of the sites? Tourism is the main part of the economy, so they're taking big steps to keep us safe...
Jesus. After reading the news lately, and also just finishing a book about the Mossad and PLO, I wonder about some parts of the world.
At least you don't look like Jack McWhitey. There's plenty of countries around there where the likes of him would be kidnapped before his feet hit the ground.
That does it. I'm getting the gun and going up in the attic with spam. Thank God for wireless Internet.
Sheikh Pete
I think that I get hasseled less because I'm not white. There was an Aussie with blond hair and large breasts, and she had a very difficult time... I could be ignored. It's actually better in large cities like Cairo. I can walk down the street with no issue; there's no one saying "I need your love, come to my shop" on the streets of Cairo, like there was in Dahab.
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