Two blocks from the Canal.

The thing about guide books is they never really explain that native Alexandrians probably won’t know where their world cultural heritage sites are located. They also won’t mention that the craziest shit you will see in Egypt appears when your native Alexandrian friends get lost in Carmous, the area around Alexandria’s world cultural heritage sites

…Of course, Simi and Kareem were lost because they relied on my directions…

Regardless, on the trip to Pompey’s pillar I saw Street Chickens....though they weren't nearly as impressive as---
Street Ducks AND Street turkeys


Now, it is “normal” to see people using donkey carts to pull fruit…but I thought this was kinda cool


…..but I would like to also mention (and I am sad I didn’t get a photo of this) that I also saw a guy pulling what was either petrol or possibly kerosene by donkey as well while we roamed around Carmous

Pompey's pillar was pretty rad though as well...Simi tried to convince them I was his cousin so I would get the Egyptian price. It failed miserably...
Anyway, wikipeadia says this about the pillar:

"Pompey's Pillar is a Roman triumphal column in Alexandria, Egypt, and the largest of its type constructed outside of the imperial capitals of Rome and Constantinople.[1] The only known free-standing column in Roman Egypt which was not composed of drums,[1] it is one of the largest ancient monoliths and one of the largest monolithic columns ever erected.

The monolithic column shaft measures 20.46 m in height with a diameter of 2.71 m at its base.[2] The weight of the single piece of red Aswan granite is estimated at 285 t.[2] The column is 26.85 m high including its base and capital.[2] Other authors give slightly deviating dimensions.[A 1]

Erroneously dated to the time of Pompey, the Corinthian column was actually built in 297 AD, commemorating the victory of Roman emperor Diocletian over an Alexandrinian revolt.[2]"

The coolest part of the pillar was that it was built on top of the "temple of the Serapis, once a magnificent structure rivaling the Soma and the Caesareum. Nearby are subterranean galleries where sacred Apis bulls were buried, and three sphinxes. After his defeat by Julius Caesar in the civil war, Pompey fled to Egypt where he was murdered in 48 BC; mediaeval travelers later believed he must be buried here, and that the capital atop the corner served as a container for his head."

Which...was wrong. Anyhow, it was these galleries that were the coolest/creepiest. They were filled with a thick chemical smelling fog. Simi wanted to pass the "keep out" sign, but with no way of see where we would be going, Kareem and I persuaded/dragged him out, cause the rest of the way looked like this:

Can we take photo with you?

They point to you….then to the camera. I think, “sure, I will take a photo for you.” I reach for the camera, but they hand it to someone else. Suddenly, I am in the picture.

Fleur, the Dutch woman I am staying with explains that people in Alexandria always take photos with Western European-Looking people. As I think about it, I haven’t really seen any white people, and as the day progresses at Fort Qaitbey we end up taking photos with at least ten different groups of people. It is not just hormonal teenage boys, in fact it is mostly women and families that want to take photos with us.

…it is so weird. Grinning little girls say, “Hello” and go deer-in-headlight when you respond, “Hi, How are you?” The look on their faces says, “wait…it talked back..”
Kind of adorable for now, though it could get kind of annoying if I lived here…

Aside from taking photos with a million people, Fort Qaitbey was super interesting in its own right. Built around 1500, the Fort was placed on the site of the former Lighthouse of Alexandria (which had been ruined in an earthquake), using some of the same materials.


These are the fishermen that you see around alexandria. I took this from the fort, because it was a great angle to really view it.

From Dubai to Oman

I should have known that Oman would hold a special place in my heart when I bought my bus ticket in a stationary shop in Dierda, Dubai that doubled as a bus station.


More amazing than the “stationary bus station” (I don’t know if that is a pun or a double entendre or what….) was the bus itself. Here I am pictured with the “castle” that delivered me to the magical land of Oman. I am pretty sure Howl’s Moving Castle was not a Japanese anime, but rather, a different bus that went from Dubai to Oman.




The ride was just fine, except that I had an Omani guy that was trying to be overly helpful sitting behind me. Not a problem just a bit annoying. At the border, we all had to get out of the bus and stand around our luggage while dogs inspected it. It must have been at least 50 (120) degrees outside…but other than that, the castle was less of an experience than I expected it to be.

Since it is such a small world, I had a friend from University in Oman, and I was able to spend time with him. I also met Issac, a recent graduate from Ohio in Diplomacy and International Relations. He mention to me that he wanted to live in every continent before going to grad school to pursue international diplomacy. "I think you have to live everywhere to understand where people are coming from, you know?" I hadn't thought of it before...but yes, it makes perfect sense. Probably more sense than most international relations.

I loved Oman...with the exception of the men. Walking anywhere, I felt the penetrating stares. It wasn't the stare I get in other countries cause I am a random white girl--- it was a lusty, depraved stare. I assumed the stares would be as far as it would go...till one day I went to Mutrah.

Everyone else was at work, so I wasn't going to sit at home. I decided to embark on a walking tour of Mutrah. I began at the fish market and walked along the Corniche. I wandered around the souq and found it a bit more intriguing than those that I had seen in Bahrain or Dubai, and climbed up to the fort.







Around mid-day I went to a restaurant. Normally, I don't worry about sitting in the family section (a special area of a restaurant where only women and their families are allowed to go) but I decided it would be a good idea in this case. So I walk into the family section, sit down and begin writing postcards to my family. Some fellow has the gall to follow me in and begin asking if he can practice his English. I politely mention that I am writing to my family, and don't have much time. He finally admits, "I saw you walking and I though you are the most beautiful woman I had seen."
Four. Hours. Walking. In the blistering Oman heat. Bull. Shit.

Before I go any further, I would like to clarify that the riskiest clothing I wore covered everything but my forearms. That still didn't deter Ahmed.

After lunch, I decided to go to the beach, but needed a taxi to do so. We agreed to go to Qorum beach for 500 Baisa. It was on the way home for the folks with whom I stayed. They could drop by and pick me up....or that was the plan until I let Ahmed the cab driver convince me that I should go to Qantab beach instead. "Ahmed welcome"

Ahmed seemed nice enough...but we were going pretty far from the city and winding into the mountains. Not a big deal...I have my cell phone...I kept thinking to myself...

He asks if I need anything to eat or drink. "Ahmed welcome" I politely mention that I just ate lunch and have plenty of water. So when we stop at a gas station. I am a little confused....is this normal?

Ahmed walks out with a snickers bar and guava juice for me. What the hell? When I remind him of the refusal he starts making angry leaking air sounds. "Pshhht" "Stttttsss" "Ahmed welcome" So, I provide an obligatory swig of Gauva juice.
...I am pretty sure that means I am married to Ahmed according to Omani culture...
Each moment was getting more and more uncomfortable...I was still in the mountains, with a semi-pissed cab driver heading god knows where.

Suddenly, one left turn later I see possibly the most beautiful beach I had seen at the time....and then we make a right. And stop at the top of a cliff. He points and says we should go down there. Down there is a valley that curves around a boulder so the beach is not visible from the road. I tell Ahmed I want to go back down to the beach with people. "You decide." He motions for me to follow him out of the car and into the valley. "Ahmed welcome" At the same moment, a black car with tinted windows pulls up next to us.




This is how human trafficking movies start. Screw this. "You decide" he keeps saying. I HAVE DECIDED, asshole. I grab my stuff and start walking to the beach. He pulls up next to me....makes the same angry, leaking air noises, and agrees to take me back down to the beach. "Ahmed Welcome" It was as if he couldn't believe that I would feel uncomfortable..cause he was there to welcome me. He plops down on the sand, and tells me to go swim. He will wait for me.

Like. hell. I will prance around in a bathing suit in front of this guy. So I make up some excuse that I need to leave cause my friends are leaving the office early. It works. Thank you Jesus...and Mohammad too.

The next day, we went back to Qantab...without Ahmed

Um...Dubai...

Back track....(circa July 2nd)

FlyDubai was gracious enough to provide me a ticket to Dubai and back for 50 BD ($125), and the visa officials in Bahrain were insistent that my visa had expired. So I did what any person would do.…I went to the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

An extra 40 BD later, I was on a plane to Dubai with Tima. We arrived early afternoon, exhausted and homeless. The AIESECers were in Abu Daubi for the day, and wouldn’t be home for some time. So, we did what any normal budget traveler would do….go to the mall. We grabbed some food from Carrefoure (my favorite grocer, maybe ever) and plopped down in the food court. That day, I experienced one of the greatest cultural fusions ever conceived in Carrefoure----the veggie puff. Indeed it is a combination of the veggies and spices in a samoosa wrapped in a french puff pastry. Delightful.

After lunch, I feel into the arms of Morpheus in the middle of the food court. One of the things I do best in this entire world is sleep in public places.

So after a nap, we began fulfilling my dream of learning the Dubai public transit system....and Tima came too. All public transportation throughout the Muslim world has a separate car for women and children, which is more for the comfort of the women. All I know is that it smells much nicer than the other cars/areas, and I don't have to worry about being stared at constantly. After Tima and I became masters of our own universe and the Dubai transit system, we dropped by the public beach and saw the fanciest hotel in the world...from the outside. We would spend another several days there, mostly in the company of some delightful AIESECers on the national staff.



Dubai was just a kind of....unexpectedly....not impressive. At one point a guy handed me his business card and told me to call him and ask him out....a bit later in the gold souk I got to haggle with a gem merchant and bought some loose stones---two sapphires and a garnet.



In all, the area near the creek in Dubai is the area I would suggest spending time. There is also the Gold Souk's bus station, which is by far the most helpful place for a traveler to get their bearings and learn how to get around the city. Their customer service is excellent. The area in general feels alive still, surrounded by an indiscriminate international-ish culture. Everywhere feels like a caricature of somewhere else...it is the Chinese place in the Midwest that is operated by Mexicans...all with one exception---the huge abandoned car lot.

Perhaps the most interesting place in all of Dubai was a simple, massive car lot. It is the one picture I should have captured, but didn't. Each vehicle's shell was painted with dust. It is the kind of dust that you only find in the Gulf...and to anyone reading this outside of the Gulf...I can't describe it. It weighs heavy on everything it stains---everyone carefully removes it from buildings, cars, and clothes. But here, by the side of the highway close to the lavish Palm island, it caked these thousands of cars.

It was explained to me that these were the cars left at the airport. I still didn't understand....there were thousands, as far as I could see. During the financial crisis, these were the cars left at the airport by everyone that simply got up and left Dubai, leaving behind everything...it was going to be repossessed anyway.

To me...I guess that was Dubai. But I still got a t-shirt.

I have a million more things to say about Bahrain...

..but for now, a letter to my family about Alexandria, Egypt.

Dear Paw Paw, Mom, and Jordan,
Sometimes you walk off of an airplane, and feel like you are where you belong. It happened to me yesterday afternoon when I stepped on to the Alexandrian airport tarmac. That was until I realized there was no ATM between me and the customs official. There is ALWAYS an ATM between you and the Passport official, but this time I had landed in an airport that had one gate... Moreover, contrary to what you start believing while you live in Bahrain, not everyone speaks English. The customs guy was really nice though and shuffled me around to several different people that each spoke progressively better English. At some point, it became clear that I needed to leave the airport if I was going to get any money from the ATM. So, the very official police guy walked me out of the airport and we found Simi, who gave me enough for a visa....and proceeded to ask me if I was a terrorist.




I am a nerd, and I think the visa stamp is beautiful....much like I think this entire place is beautiful. Last night after I made friends with Customs, Simi took me to get Koshari, which is the traditional Egyptian meal. It is like an Egyptian Chili made up of pasta, rice, lentil, chick peas, onions and garlic and adding to this chili sauce. The onions are fried and slightly caramelized. Delicious.




From there we met up with the AIESECers in Alexandria at a place called Montaza, it was the last king of Egypt's beach palace. All around us were beautiful gardens and it is cool enough to walk around. People where everywhere enjoying the weather and walking around. Kids played soccer while some folks were picnicking. In one ear rang the sound of the Mediterranean lapping against the shore and in the other the buzz of a place alive with people.



One of the women I am staying with is from San Jose, the other from Holland but spent a year in Cuba, Missouri of all places. She said it was the best year of her life....and she wasn't kidding.... We are living in the nicest area of Alexandria...though it doesn't feel that way from the apartment. But I love the place. No AC is needed we keep the windows open, and I don't miss hot water here. I hear students practicing violin, people chattering, dogs barking....and car accidents.

Egypt...well, there are lines on the road, but no one pays attention to those. Simi described it as a "herd of cars" You just move with the herd, and indeed herds don't move in straight lines...so why should cars? I have yet to see a car without a dent or scratch....so I won't be driving here like I did in Bahrain (where I already thought the driving was crazy).

I don't know what I will be doing today, but I am looking forward to my two weeks in Egypt.

Much love. I have attached a photo of Koshari, the Montaza palace, and my visa stamp....cause I think it is all pretty awesome.
Send my love to the rest of the family, and Henrietta.
Elizabeth

Swap Meet me in the Middle East

June 20th through the 24th were a blur of sorts here. With the AIESEC Gala Dinner, Aldar island party, and a bizarre trip to the Isa Town Swap Meet, I believe that this blog may be the only thing that the events of the week had in common.



Gala Dinner
Much of my internship has been going to really fancy places and doing a lot of whatever I want to do. The kick off to the AIESEC conference was about the same. The dinner was held close to the top of Financial Harbor, which is pretty swanky.
I have about a million pictures from the Gala dinner, and I am beginning to think that one of the major functions of AIESEC is to increase your "tagged photos" in facebook by about 100,000 fold. Regardless, it was a good night with good people.

AlDar Lunar Party
From there a group of us shifted gears and went to the Lunar Island Party at AlDar. The dress clothes were stripped off in favor of beach attire. Every full moon, a party is held on AlDar island. The entire island is less than a few hundred meters in any direction, but provides a nice beach to relax among friends. Most of the
other folks there are mostly expats hungry for booze and electronic beats (everything from House to Hardcore).

One of my favorite parts is the water taxi to the island. The port is lined with empty dhows (traditional fishing boats in Bahrain) as if to juxtapose a sense of traditional majesty with the silly little white boats comprised of stumbling drunks. In a lot of ways, it also feels like I am on a boat jetting down the Mississippi. At any point I should be able to look behind me and see a family member attempting to water ski with varying amounts of success. That boat ride is the only time I feel like I am home.


Isa Town Swap Meet
Arab culture is one of consumption. At any point, the major shopping malls are full of people. We were interested in seeing something a bit more homespun. Sorry Fergie but I just don't do "Dolce and Gabbana Fendi and the Donna" The Isa Town swap meet provided just that. I just...pictures are really the only I can say about that.

Tree of Life

The real question is, who hasn't gotten their car stuck at an important cultural heritage location? It was like I was back home again, helping push out Uncle Mick's tractor. This time, however, I may have been in the desert pushing an Egyptian's SUV off of a sand pile.


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On June 18, a large group of us left Manama in the evening to see the tree of life at the south end of the island. The tree of life is a massive mesquite tree in the desert, with no real vegetation any where near by. Thanks to a 400 year old tap root, the tree survives by sucking up water from deep aquifers. It has a very calming vibe to it because of its age, but the location also set me on edge. Looking through my photos of it, for some reason it glows at night. Probably refracting the light from the flash. But cool, regardless.


I may have also climbed the tree of life. I was assured that it wasn't culturally insensitive to climb it, though I think I worried several of my Bahraini brothers. People here aren't exactly the tree climbing types for the most part.


From the tree of life we went to the jail cells in the desert. They were used to basically torture prisoners, but it was so nice to be able to climb around in open space. I loved it. Great night in the desert.