“Traveling-to-a-place energy and living-in-a-place energy are two fundamentally different energies”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love
Go-Date: Day 70, Tuesday. April 2
Lesson Learned: Things may not be as you imagine, but things are as they are. Blocking preconceptions may be as of much value during long-term travel as is planning your next steps. We had a lot of ideas of what Egypt would be like, and at least half of them were wrong.
• We thought Egypt would be economical, but it costs more than we expected.
• English is limited among the Egyptians outside of the travel and service industry, but you can navigate through the country with patience and persistence.
• The locals consider Europeans and Americans, all tourists as a matter of fact only as a source of revenue. The police are especially sensitive to American travelers. We often told people we were Canadians. Once I even told people I was Russian. It only seemed to differentiate what currency they were trying to liberate from your pocket.
• The Egyptians I enjoyed interacting with the most were those that interfaced with you as if it were a business transaction, without trying to lead you to their cousin’s oil shop or papyrus factory.
• Egypt is safe. Hold on to your wallet, but don’t worry about getting mugged.
• Everything is covered with a fine layer of dust, including yourself. If you want to check that out, see how gritty your eyes feel after being outside all day.
• Streets are dangerous. If you must cross in traffic, find a woman in a burka leading a child and follow close behind her. Cairo natives understand the pulse of the traffic.
• Everything costs money, especially services.
• March is very temperate in Egypt. Yes, there were hot days, but usually it was usually in the low to mid 70’s.
Regrets: None. We’ve learned a lot and seen many amazing sights. It has been a visit of a lifetime.
Balloons over Luxor
Our last day in Egypt is to be mostly spent in airports. First Luxor and then Cairo. From there we fly to Frankfurt and then on to Zagreb, Croatia. Our flight leaves Luxor around 9 AM and we arrive in Zagreb at 11 PM. We have arranged for late arrival at our hotel. We are going to Croatia for several reasons. One, its supposed to be beautiful; two, it’s supposed to be reasonably priced for extensive travel; three, it is not a Schengen Area country. The Schengen Area signifies a zone of 26 European countries that restrict non-EU visitors to a set period that may stay in these countries. The time is 90 days out of 180 days before leaving.
The Schengen Area covers most of the EU countries, except the UK, Ireland, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus. Although not members of the EU, countries like: Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein are also part of the Schengen zone. This rule is a bother. You are supposed to show proof of an exit reservation upon entry, but nobody has asked us for that during our travels so far.
We were up early (5 AM), we had arranged for our car to be there at 6 to take us to the airport. We took breakfast and coffee on the rooftop at 5:30 which gave us one last opportunity to experience Luxor at sunrise and watch the launch of the hot air balloons before we leave.
Tour companies offer rides in hot air balloons to visitors who enjoy views of ancient Thebes, the temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor, the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. Following a 2009 crash, balloon flights at Luxor were suspended for six months while pilots were given additional training and safety measures were reviewed and improved. New regulations limited the number of balloons that could be aloft simultaneously, and restricted take-offs to a new airfield for the sole use of hot air balloons. We thought about taking a ride, but the gondolas on those balloons hold around 50 people, so to me its about like a greyhound bus hoisted 2,000 feet in the air with all those gray-haired tourists we’ve been rubbing elbows with in all the tombs and temples for the past week. Nope, I’ll take the road less travelled, and a lot less crowded. There are eight balloon companies that launch around 25 balloons daily if the winds cooperate. They truly are a magnificent sight to behold.
Now, its time to move on to our next adventure.