0 Return from Egypt

Cairo

Egyptian tale

Return from Egypt.

As a capitalist economy never want to continue to grow past violent pace. I want the credit boom and profits for investors. I want a boom in international tourism, exotic vacations for more people and growing market of souvenir goods and services.

Just as I loved it there.

For eight days toured Hurghada, Luxor and Cairo have come nearly a thousand kilometers across the desert in perfect smooth asphalt. Listened to Arabic chillout, smoke hookah and ride a camel. We shot ruins and statues, we saw a mirage and dives in the Red Sea coral. We walked into the tombs and time travel. The rocks above the Valley of the Kings are enchanting high and scary and you just have to see at least once in life. A Pyramids and Sphinx are its pyramids and Sphinx.

But if the world does not revert to its previous boom, millions of Egyptians of poverty under the current critical point. Hoteliers will be able to complete hundreds of works, let alone fill them. Only in our resort in length about 50 km along the beach had more construction than all of our sea and mountains together. Can not say that works boiled labor. The millions Cairo is much more socialist-board than oriental. That characteristic landscape of Giza.

Yesterday in downtown Cairo blast killed one and wounded 20 tourists. True, the Islamic tourist area, near Hussein Mosque, which I intend to include in your next visit. With the hope that it will blow me up with all household.

We are terribly angry people with bombs, which are supported by Islam and the Koran. They are the same type of people who have justified the Inquisition and pogroms with Christianity, excuse for deviation. Because of these explosions, thousands of Europeans will go to Egypt and leave because the Egyptians needed dollars. Because of them, thousands of families will lose their livelihood because valets, waiters, guides and sellers will have no one to serve. Separately, that countless Russians no longer have any disposable income to blow on the Riviera of the Red Sea.

Strange feeling is
to walk through the Arab town and local calling to you "Hi".

I guess they want to say , but they are stretched. Our tour operator was Russian - indeed impeccable organization - and two of our three tours are conducted in Russian, which dig long forgotten linguistic wrinkles around my brain. (One night we sat in the Christian pub in Hurghada and sat next to us Finns, with which it and rudimentary Finnish:) But anyway Russia is everywhere - real estate agencies, souvenirs, books and brochures. Tourist guide explained to us that here is much cheaper for Russians and the third world is adapting to meet the requirements of great power.
The Arab world attracts me.

Irresistibly of the few years of unsuccessful applicants "Arabic" in Sofia. I've always been fascinated by the curves of the Arabic alphabet and Arabic melody of words. "Alf Leila Wa Leila" means the 1001 Nights, but we were not in the eponymous hotel, in a modest but nice and clean hotel with a beach in central Hurghada, where we walked everywhere. The first day is adapted to walk to "Hard Rock Cafe", where we ate huge damaging American hamburger, but at least I saw the guitar of John Anderson of "Jethro Tull". Then I bought shirts and fake to consolidate component blonde tourist that everybody speaks Russian, makes shopping for Egyptian cotton.

Evening drinking beer and smoking "spit" in the restaurant opposite the hotel, where up to a risk to life, because traffic was horrible. We went three times and finally the waiters know us. In Egypt, alcohol is sold only to foreigners and Arabs drink coffee and tea and smoking hookah karkade. At least the men in December In facilities that are not oriented towards western tourists, sitting only men with turbans. In general, women in this country do not see very much. They are employed to give birth and raise children - in northern Egypt only 4-5 in the South - at 9-10. Jump to kill one of feminism ...

Egypt is one of the places where is difficult to navigate.

Until recently, the wilderness has traveled with armed escorts, but now it was canceled and only travel with our bus. Guides us to Luxor and Cairo were Bulgarians, but the law in Egypt, foreigners are not allowed to tell of ancient times, so both trips we had a fictional Egyptian guide who wore a name plate and whooped our group. In Luxor our code name was "barbecue" and in the Cairo Museum - Burgas. The second guide spoke Russian without maturities easily understood and well-told us and demonstrated the key places in the huge Egyptian Museum. (Incidentally, the Bulgarian let us know that Mohammed is a wealthy man who has two wives. Polygyny is legal as long as you can afford it from the housing, money and sexual power.)

Most offer trips to Egypt 1-2 days in Cairo and the rest of the rest in other places, such as d
rad Hurghada on the Red Sea is a good starting point to walk around.

Some of our charter passengers departed on a cruise - with the bus from Hurghada to Luxor is at 400 km, then by boat to Aswan and back for about three days, then return to Hurghada. Bulgarian adult family about 70 years so probably celebrating his golden wedding, well done to them, but I still think that trip in age is not an offer. At least you do not know how strong will even be alive. The way by bus through the desert is tiring, I in one direction, because it departs at 4:30 am. I woke up only at the green valley of the Nile.
People in southern Egypt are fed mainly by agriculture,
in this very primitive. Tractors and harvesters are few, there are still people that plow with donkeys. The houses are small and unfinished (not pay tax if you stick out from the roof bars), women are targets in black, and children - are countless. Only in the last nine months the population of Egypt has increased by about 1 million people. Poverty of the people somehow do not interfere. Statistics are only three times poorer than us, but seem quite happy. Mosques are at every turn, and even "secular" Hurghada across the city Friday thundering first by singing, then something that sounded like a political speech, but then decided I might be preaching.

Christians, Copts are about 10% seem to be richer. We visited
El Gouna north of Hurghada,

wholly owned by the rich Coptic family that owns one of the telecoms. It was built in the desert near the Red Sea and dug channels in the shape of starfish, what does the name El Gouna in Arabic. The architecture is more Mediterranean, some rich people have bought houses there and looks great. Better place to rest, I think, if you want a luxury hotel and a place for walking - squares, streets, cinemas, restaurants open. In Hurghada we saw many fine hotels, but distant from the center and around is . If you want to walk out, must charge.

We walked a lot in
"The old center of Hurghada,

thence souvenir shop, and the last day and found a real street with grocery stores, where there is oil and ketchup. Not that we needed, but in so-called "supermarket" on the main streets there were only water and wafers generally. On this street here we found a bakery where we took Arabic breads, confectionery, where the promised bought chocolates, shops, ware, where not bought anything, but I wanted! New buildings looked more beautiful than our lot, and streets have been excavated, but we know how it get it too. It seems to me that working in tourism in Hurghada are a sort of "middle class" living a normal Egyptians. And I as much as I like to be a tourist, I want as far as possible, to see how living among the inhabitants of a country.

Places remembered. Remember touching the long-missing hands and feet, keep the color and smell of old times. Places they know things that elude us. Sometimes make out their messages, sometimes only implied detect a hint of similarity or difference .... So I want to go to more places in exactly the same way that I want to read more books, but why so - do not know:)

Before tourism, most people are born, breeding and dying within a radius of 20 kilometers - the neighboring village, neighboring island of the archipelago. Until then, the journey had to have a meaningful reason - trade with distant lands, pilgrimage, finding new distant lands for trade. Pure trip-type ass time to see and still wants "is rare. Tourism in its current form, e consequence of advances in technology (I feel great and never ending gratitude to the inventors of the airplane), the increase in leisure time and increased disposable income.

Why go somewhere rather than stay home? What part of my life is influenced by the journey of preparation and his memory? What do I lose if I do not travel? Can not I just read about those places and I am a better judge distance than some foot there, entered, looked in and out? Can. The artistic and popular science books I've learned more than eight days in Egypt. Documentaries show things generally as they are. Moving the crowds from one continent to another dramatic leaves footprint on the environment.

But ... my life is short and the ground is negligible place in the universal scale. Thousands of miles in seas and oceans are tiny tittle from A to B against a background of vast cosmic distances. We are too slow and small, to get to other planets and stars, to touch them and explore. Inhabit a lonely planet, so we must support and help, and for this purpose is not bad to get to know and remember our common origin. You can not get angry aliens that do not distinguish the capitals of the Balkan Peninsula (Where you from? Bulgaria? Bucharest?), Where we do not know the capitals of African countries. You can expand your mind, making a small step in a foreign land (desert, tundra, savanna). You get used to the idea that all our eggs in one basket - a 150 million km from the Sun.

Set foot on another continent tiny planet for less money than the price of a cheap bed. I gave pens instead of begging money kids and I imagined how beautiful write. (In a country with nearly 50% illiterate population in the south.) Gotcha wall of the tomb of the pharaoh. I learned that Egypt has a Nobel laureate in literature and I read it. I crossed the Nile by boat en route to the solar boat of Amun. Brought box of sand and silver plate with with my name written in pictograms. Breathed another air, which is the same air and drink water from the desert. I thought about the people who were not with me, and they were with me.