Atrial Fibrillation Abroad

Day 5: Pyramids, Sphinx and Cairo Museum Egypt

Our first day in the great metropolis that is Cairo, begins with a hearty breakfast at the hotel. In some free buffet Madrid have not found such a variety of food as they had in the hotel only for breakfast.

After binge eating morning, boarded the bus to the city we crossed the road to the pyramids. On the way we see the tradition intermingles with modernity poverty and the dynamics of a big city.


far finally starting to see the towering masses of stone of the 3 pyramids Ghiza. To enter the premises of the pyramids, make us get off the bus to pass by some listeners, leaving the cameras and backpacks on the bus. Again, let me gaping security concept of the Egyptians, because when people register only if you take something dangerous in your backpack, you will gain access to the enclosure without any problems.

When the bus stops at the foot of the pyramid in the middle (Pyramid of Khafre), you feel a overwhelming feeling to come face to face with a monument of this magnitude and more than 2000 years.

is in this place where you can see the 3 pyramids where the guide gives us much information about the three monuments. As we are looking at the pyramid's center, on the left is the Pyramid of Menkaure, the smallest of the 3, and right the great pyramid of Cheops. We note that although the central pyramid appear much larger than that of Cheops, the latter is the largest. It is all due to the pyramid of Khafre is built on a plateau area higher than the Cheops and the angles of the walls are more prone. In addition, currently due to wear of the top of the pyramid of Cheops, Chephren is the highest.

Other data give about the central pyramid, that of Khafre, is that it is the only one that retains some of its original coating of polished white limestone at the top. The rest of the coating came off in an earthquake in the fourteenth century, and what was, for centuries used this cover as a quarry for building of temples and other works of the city of Cairo.

in the esplanade between the 3 pyramids, are replete with remains of other funerary temples and smaller buildings, all belonging to the large funerary complex which was built on the plateau of Ghiza.

In the face of the pyramid of Khafre facing the city, are the remains of the processional causeway linking the pyramid with the temple beside the Sphinx, about 500 yards down towards the Nile

When finished with explanations of the pyramid of Khafre, it is the turn that of Cheops. As we said earlier, this was the largest pyramid complex, measuring 146 meters tall and has a base of 230 x 230 meters. To build it, it took almost 2,500,000 blocks of stone about 2 tons each.

After the explanation, leaving us 15 minutes to take a look around the resort (again very recently), so I approached the pyramid of Cheops and I feel really small to get next of the pyramid and look up. As you approach, you realize the magnitude of the monument, because at this distance you can see that each of the millions of stone blocks measuring about 2 meters high.

On one side of the pyramid, built the solar boat museum, an aberration that completely breaks the aesthetics and not like even the Egyptians themselves, as I found later by a comments from our guide.
We take the few minutes we left to us typical pictures of the pyramids in the background and explore some of the ruins that are scattered across the plateau. Being more remote, I'll not get close enough to the smallest of the pyramids of Menkaure.

We return to join the group and offers the possibility Pepe to enter the Pyramid of Khafre. I do not think for a second and I deaf to the warnings about what they are narrow and oppressive corridors and claustrophobic it is hot and the course in some parts, and the input I have on hand. Nothing in the world would lose the opportunity to walk where he did one of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt and entering that was one of the greatest human construction for centuries.

Artistically speaking, the corridors of the pyramid do not arrive or the soles of shoes to those in the tombs of the Valley of the Kings. Here the walls are smooth and without paintings or prints of any kind, and the camera funeral not have any decorative element, but is the sarcophagus of stone in which they introduced the pharaoh's embalmed body. Still, if you can not miss the opportunity to visit the complex funeral, because the feeling of walking through the inside of a pyramid built over 2000 years ago and thinking that on your head there are hundreds of thousands of stone blocks perfectly assembled like a giant tetris is simply overwhelming.

As they say a picture is worth a thousand words, I leave a video I recorded on my phone. If you plan to take pictures go forgetting, I undertake to leave the camera outside the pyramid, but said nothing as mobile as I took to immortalize my visit to the pyramid. For if ye do what I do, I notice that there are some guards for the whole tour, so be careful. For all these reasons and because it's basically a mobile do not expect great quality, but at least I hope you like so that you see an idea



After the visit within the pyramid, the bus takes us to a clearing a mile or so for us to take pictures to all the three pyramids.

To keep good manners, in the esplanade there are several positions where good bargain thanks to a friend get three tablets recorded at a great price in one of the hardest and most complicated haggling all travel.

The next stop is at the edge of town to the exhibition of the pyramids. Right here is the Great Sphinx. When you stand face to face to see the monument of 15 meters high with pyramids in the background, it seems to stop time. You may have seen this picture a thousand times in pictures, movies or commercials, but not as well be you there, with the sun hitting you in the head and desert dust that gets everywhere and the silhouette of the three pyramids in the background. The mixture of all these things is what makes you gawk.

The explanations of Pepe, tells us that is carved directly into the clay Ghiza plateau which represents the face of Pharaoh Khafre with the body of a lion.

We talked about the famous nose of the Sphinx and the 2 possible theories on how it broke. The first and that everybody knows is that Napoleon's army used the Sphinx's face to shooting tests, the second is that over time with the weathering and erosion over the nose of the monument on the ground.

Apart from the Sphinx, visit a mortuary temple in which the guide tells us there is a theory that the pyramids is joined by an underground corridor. You could also walk by the processional route linking the central pyramid temple, and this is as close as you can be for the Sphinx, and you can not go down to the area where it is built.

Near Pyramids area, the guide takes us to a papyrus shop, where we teach the process of manufacture of the papyrus, how to draw the strips of the plant, such as woven together to create the paper and then put into a press to release the water and get its final shape. Then, and what has really been the guide, leave us about 30 minutes to buy the scrolls that we like. Here I did not buy any papyrus, because as I've said many times the guide takes commitment, but I until now, had not yet proven.

After eating at a restaurant that the guide will sell as the best of Cairo, overlooking the pyramids (of which only see the tip of one of them) and get a omelette somewhat peculiar in that the egg and potatoes seem to have been fought under another group to a papyrus shop just below the restaurant while the rest end up eating. Upon entering, we saw the two of us ask us where is the guide, to which we reply that we have on our own and without guidance. Contact the following sentence was, "Take off 50% the price of any papyrus and that's what it will cost you to come to you without a guide, prices there are for groups of tourists."
Well, when we have finally chosen and we'll buy the papyrus "The Judgement of Osiris", see the guide tells us that the bus will then turns and starts a discussion with the owners of the shop at least 5 minutes, thank goodness we did not understand anything, but by the tone and gestures, Pepe had to be cursing in some ancestor of the seller. We pay our papyri and boarded the bus, where the guide takes a general anger at all saying that the next time will not wait for anyone. To ask the rest of the group had been waiting how long, they say they have only been 5 minutes.

As we go to the Cairo Museum, we compare our papyri of the Judgement of Osiris with other fellow travelers who have chosen the same, are equal. Bring their seal of approval that are authentic papyrus, like those of who have purchased rest in the workshop which has been the guide, but with the difference that the same papyrus that they would have cost 80 €, it costs us 35 €.
After we have spent hard time in the papyri store, we got to the Cairo Museum. Here if there are no options to remove the camera, because we have to leave the bus. In mobile there are not many options as there are a lot of security around the museum.

could throw me hours talking about how little we saw at the museum, but would need weeks to see the detail each of the thousands of pieces that are stacked in each of the rooms, and what I focus on what most impressed me, the treasure, the sarcophagus and the mask of Tutankhamun.

I do not know what they feel when in 1923 Howard Carter first came to the intact tomb of Pharaoh, but when you consider his first words "I see wonderful things," must be a really exciting time. And no wonder, since all the material that was found in the tomb and is exposed in the museum occupies over half of the plants. You can see from the clothes you wore as a child to the chair where he prepared after his death, canopic jars, where they kept the bodies so they could use in the afterlife, jewelry, furniture and much more. I leave an address for you to do a tour of the museum:
http://www.egiptoaldescubierto.com/?dest=/museos/elcairo/elcairo.html

this If you left me fascinated, the acme was entering a very well guarded room where they found the sarcophagus and the pharaoh's gold mask. Anyone who approached the funeral mask was left dumbfounded for a moment staring into the eyes that seemed to have a life, or observing the many details that are in the engravings and inscriptions of both the mask and the sarcophagus. Only these two pieces deserve a visit to the museum, so do not hesitate if you have time to visit certain that you will like.

After a walk in the other rooms of the museum, back to the bus, which leads to a perfume factory, where we explain how to produce more typical essences of Egypt, and offer us some tea while we stop smelling several samples of different perfumes. To my surprise and after and all the people the group has found the wide margin that takes the guide, many people buy several bottles of perfume.

Once back at the hotel, as we only included breakfast, we went for a walk the nearby streets, where we found a kebab in which we have dinner.

front of the hotel, we see a souvenir shop where we went in and almost go crazy. Parts are made of quality and prices of laughter. We spent over 2 hours shopping figures, papyrus (probably banana leaf, but very well finished), mother of pearl boxes, etc. To give you an idea, every day we go a couple of times and we loaded, and best of all, we became friends of the owner of the shop every morning when we saw the bus came to wish us good day (a while trying to enter again to buy something.) Every day when we entered a more souvenirs, we drew a coca colas and we had just talking about Egypt, Spain and the meaning so different that they had words phonetically the same in each country.

I leave the address in case you cop near the hotel or you want to go look at something specifically. It has two shops in a row, very small and dusty, but really worth it:


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Day 4: Nubian Village and flight to Cairo Day 3

Our last day on the Nile started at a normal time. After breakfast after a night's sleep in 2 falucas assemble the boat typical of Egypt.

To begin browsing, display the large sail that makes us to move.

seems

rush hour, the river is full of small sailboats like ours, as well as boats similar to the first day we used to cross from one bank of the Nile to the front for visit the temples of Luxor and Karnak.

As we sailed toward the Nubian Village, we go singing and dancing traditional themes Nubian Village. When finished, pick up the candles and we take a sample of products "craft" made by the Nubians. These products were wooden figures, necklaces of various materials, letter openers, etc. I think no one bought anything, so after 5 minutes was one of the motor boats that were near where they had stopped our falucas and change the new boat in the middle of the Nile in plan approach. This is not loved it, because what the agency was offered a visit to the Nubian village in Felucca, but it was not plan to waste time arguing with the guide and the falucas also saw that another group of tourists are did the same, and once we got to the Nubian village all vessels had were like ours, no trace of any felucca.

Well, now in the new boat, sail gently between many small islands, islands with hotels and villas which were located just off towards the Aswan Nubian Village.

Throughout the tour, several children approached us in small boats made by themselves chanting Cañí Spain's own, as Porompompero, the macarena and other issues of style so we gave a few euros, pens, candy, etc..

do not know if I've mentioned before, but it should not give money to children, because this way it encourages begging, since many parents use their children to get extra income, so it is best that they bear candy, pens or anything else you can think of that can leverage the children themselves, but you will see that you insist that they bear euros.

After a very pleasant and quiet, the boat stops at the foot of the dunes of the desert, where there are several posts in the sand where they sell more souvenirs typical of the Nubian Village.

From here, there is the possibility of making the last 500 meters to the Nubian Village by camel, I do not remember the price, because at this stage of the Egyptian diet journey had upset my stomach a little would not have any problem with one of the boats of the camel. Pepe

While the ride for hire who will go on the camel, we approached several vendors offering virtually the same products that we had tried to sell on the felucca.

One of the vendors speak some English, and after understanding my refusal to buy one of the huge selling machetes, again the topic of conversation was another major topic English soccer. For a while we lived there talking about how the Madrid-Barca, the fitness of Raul at that time, the possible signing of Cristiano Ronaldo by the Madrid and various topics related to soccer, which in a few minutes we got almost to the day in footballing matters.

When the caravan started going by land, we were not camels, we were almost half the ship sailed the same distance as the rest made between the dunes to a small pier at the foot of the Nubian Village. After we
with the rest of the group, the guide tells the story of the Nubians, how they drove to build the Aswan Dam and how they have relocated into the other bank of the Nile, about how hard life is in the area of \u200b\u200bEgypt and of poverty in which the majority.

Then we stroll through the village and visit a typical Nubian house made of mud and straw and painted with very bright colors. Surprised to see houses as poor but with the dish on the roof.

In another house, we get to try several traditional products, such as molasses sugar, a special bread and a Shisha (water pipe). We are also a few tattoos gena. You take a role where you choose from among the Egyptian symbols which some women want and what you do in a flash. Be careful because it stains a lot until it dries and several of the group had made them react and that part of the arm sore and swollen for several days.

While we are getting tattoos, a Nubian girl brings two baby crocodiles, the pet should be typical for the ease and little fear with which he collected animal. I ask if I can catch it and after achuchármelo many times I let him.

is a very strange sensation, below is really soft and it seems that if you squeeze his hand hurt all organs, but the top is hard as a rock. It is also curious eye look closely and see the teeth that is still so small.

An enclosure that were in the midst of a well, had a significantly larger crocodile, five feet long and responded with their jaws to the provocations of the girl, who poked a caned incredible head.
On the way back to the motor boat to take us back to the boat, I bought a doll Nubia to a girl who approached me, and still do not know how I could not resist buying a cross of life "gold" to a very old woman dressed from head to toe in black and endlessly repeating "buy them from the breast "For more than 10 minutes.

On the way back, the boat made a stop to give us a dip in the Nile I really felt like going, but again my stomach kept me from being able to enjoy a unique experience.

The rest of the way down to Aswan we had on the deck of the boat in the sun.
After lunch on the boat, pay the drinks consumed previous day and bid farewell to the waiters and the rest of the crew with whom we have shared the last days. We went down to the cabin and prepare the bags. Until the bus comes to pick us to the airport at about 18:30, we spend time on the deck of the ship lying and saying goodbye to the south of Egypt.

At 18:30 we went to the airport, which we reached in just over 20 minutes. The flight departs at 19:45 and a couple of hours we see a lot of light through the windows, the light coming from the city of Cairo. It is our first contact with the dimensions of the city, more than 10 million people.
The airport is huge, and then pick up the suitcases and solve a problem with a torn suitcase girl in the group, we meet two new guides join us on the bus taking us to the hotel. Pepe says goodbye to us until the next day and goes home.

After 2 hours in which we suffer tremendous traffic jams, we arrived at the Sheraton Royal Gardens Hotel, located halfway between the pyramids and Cairo museum area, two areas where they accumulate most of the hotels.

After making the distribution of rooms, we got to leave your luggage, and upon entering the room we got a pleasant surprise, since after the narrowness of the cabin, bathroom and beds of the ship, the room that we have had is enormous, large comfortable beds, and bathroom almost bigger than my living room. It also has a large terrace overlooking the hotel pool with night lighting has wonderful views.

After leaving the luggage, a few went down to dinner, but still 00:30 and there is nothing open in the hotel. At the end we managed to convince the waiters in a restaurant of the hotel and make us eager to devour a pizza that the one in the morning.

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Egypt: Abu Simbel, Unfinished Obelisk and Aswan Dam Egypt

still remember waking up to this day as one of the toughest early mornings of my life. There were no past or 2 hours since we'd gone to bed when we have to be up again. At this time, or breakfast, do not think anyone could have a bite to eat at that time, we left the ship and boarded a bus that should lead us to Abu Simbel, 300 miles south.


Due to problems with terrorism already forsaken the trip, any trip can not travel without military escort through the desert, so we expect a wide avenue where are joining dozens of buses, vans and taxis that go to Abu Simbel. The guide told us that the army has to be escorting the convoy of more than 100 vehicles both ahead and behind, and that within about 3 hours to arrive, so while we sleep.

At first I saw the odd person awake, but when we went to Aswan, I think I was the one, and I have my doubts that the driver did not cast forth a nap during the journey. The escort to which we were waiting for more than 30 minutes, consisted of 2 jeeps, one forward and one back, closing the expedition vehicles, so feel that little could be done about 8 soldiers in case anything happened was clear.

Although it was dead for sleep, little by little the scene I saw through the window made me clear my mind completely. After an hour away, there was no other buses, taxis or any other life form in the vicinity, the road was a succession of huge lines of at least 20 kilometers, which from time to time, in the background distinguished the taillight of another member of the caravan. This is the concept of security of the military escort, absolutely laughable.

Although this solitude was rewarded, in the vast blackness of the desert, looking upward, saw a number of stars ever seen in my life. You could clearly distinguish the Milky Way and many of the best-known stars and constellations, but the climax came at dawn.

When he began to see some clarity, I begin to get part of the vast desert that surrounded us. Next, as was approaching the time of sunrise, orange tones wrapped around the landscape in a magical light.

Hopefully the bus had been stopped 5 minutes to have made some pictures, because through the window I could not get great results.
By now, many people had already been awakened, and began to eat breakfast we had prepared on the boat, we were about to arrive.

After getting off the bus and wait for several travelers who were beginning to suffer from various digestive problems for the Egyptian food, we set out to the imposing temple of Abu Simbel walking on the shore of Lake Nasser.

That feeling gives the skirt the mountain and suddenly find yourself face to face with the 4 massive statues of Ramses II. Although it is 5:30 and has dawned, it shows some cool, but the sun's rays illuminate the temple as well, begin to heat up on the back.

The temple is carved directly into the rock, though not in its original location. Several decades ago, this temple along with many others were moved stone by stone from its original location to a higher position to prevent them from being submerged since the construction of the Aswan High Dam (300 km further north) has created a huge reservoir about 500 km long. One of the temples was the Spaniard moved Debod Temple, which was loaned by Egypt to Spain in gratitude the assistance provided by Unesco in the transfer of several temples.

The temple of Abu Simbel stands out for the 4 huge statues of 33 feet high representing Ramses II on the outside, and in the interior but the distribution is the same as the other temples we had visited so far, highlights the sanctuary in the innermost area of \u200b\u200bthe temple. The shrine, containing 4 small seated statues of Ptah, Amon-Ra, the deified Rameses and Ra.
When it was built, the temple of Abu Simbel was designed so that the rays of sun lit up the three statues of the right two times a year, on February 20 and 20 October, leaving the twilight of Ptah, which was considered the god of darkness. With the move, only got the rays illuminate the sanctuary a day later.

After visiting the so-called Synagogue of Abu Simbel, we went to visit another temple which is next to this, the smaller temple of Abu Simbel and the temple of Hathor, dedicated to the favorite wife of pharaoh Ramses II , Queen Nefertari.
Like the temple, is dug into the rock and was also moved from its original location. In the front there are several statues, four of Ramses II and two of Nefertari.

Once inside, there are several engravings with scenes of the Queen and Ramses II making offerings to the goddess Hathor, which has a statue in the shrine at the end of the temple.
The conservation status of the temple is quite good, especially considering that they had to be dismantled stone by stone to place in its current location, although in many areas notice boards cut in the rock did to transport. The only thing I did not like artificial mountain was created to house these temples, it shows that it is too artificial.

front of these two temples, there is a vast expanse that separates the impressive Lake Nasser, more than a lake that looks like a sea, as there are areas where you do not see the opposite shore.

Before leaving, we have half an hour to walk around the posts in the area, the better prepared than those seen so far, although the fact that they were already toward that brick buildings partly lost see the typical charm of hut made of sticks and cloth 4.

At this time, the sun sink and long, long time ago I'm in short sleeves, but the sun is noted that sticks with arm strength and the temperature is already 35 degrees, so we are back on the bus and we have to cross the desert back. This time, with the curtains pitches to keep out the sun and I scorched the magnifying effect of the glass, and having enjoyed the desert landscape for a while, just falling asleep during the return trip until we are back in Aswan ready to eat on the boat.

In the afternoon, we visit the Aswan typical granite quarry, although the time is not the best of all, since four in the afternoon the heat is oppressive. In this quarry Pepe us how to cut the stone in the shape of the columns, obelisks etc. and how transported to the banks of the Nile, where they loaded the huge masses of stone in several barges lined up that support and distribute the weight, waiting for the river reached the flood. In this way, going up the Nile to reach its destination, Thebes, or the very city of Cairo, located over 800 km

The most curious part of the visit, in which is a huge obelisk nearly completed that is embedded in the rock quarry. As the guide tells us, it built the Queen Hatshepsut, but shortly before it was completed, he found a crack, so it was abandoned. The obelisk in question is 42 meters, and has been finished, would have been the largest ever built.

After the visit to the quarry, and their respective positions, the bus brings us to the Aswan High Dam, forcing it to move 24 buildings to prevent them from being under water.

They are actually two dams, the first and smallest was built by the British around 1900.

The largest, was completed in 1970 and is located 8 km north of the former. After it was created called Lake Nasser of 480 km with this dam, managed to contain the uncontrolled floods and droughts of the Nile and generate 50% of the electricity the country needs, but instead were filled almost the entire fauna and flora of the Nile downstream.

From the dam is one of the best preserved temples and lack of time we could not visit the Philae Temple, situated on an island in Lake Nasser.

On the way back to the boat, the guide stopped us at a jewelry store in which we learned how they worked gold. An interesting visit in which any group stung, and as I never tire of repeating, I advise you not buy anything sites where you take the guide, because it takes a commission of 50%.
Gold in Egypt is cheaper not because of inferior quality, what happens is that the only thing you pay is the material itself, all the gold work is not charged.

When we reached the boat, still remained more than an hour of sunshine, so we decided to give us a few spins freely without a guide (at last) by the city of Aswan. Walk in the promenade area, bought spices from street vendors and some potato chips and chewing gum, but mostly enjoyed with a group of children who sold bookmarks.

least of the article itself, that for yourselves an idea, you can get about 10 pages marked "papyrus" for 1 €, but as I said in the first post of this trip, we took a bag of candy and a few pens and pencils "Alpine". Well, what a mess when the kid is that we sold the brand pages will fill the pockets of candy and gave it 3 or 4 pens and alpine. A scrum of children came up asking more for them, their brothers, their friends ... so I almost just there with the supplies that we had for the trip, but we did not care, because I really face was priceless satisfaction that they became all for one simple sweets and pens. One of the girls gave me a bracelet of a beetle on the fate of the selling, and even a very simple gift, is one of the memories that I brought from Egypt to the most love I have him. After

continue to give back while we discussed the experience that we had to live, we returned to the ship, where he was preparing a "trip" to go to the bank to exchange euros for Egyptian pounds, so to keep accumulating experiences, we join the group and went to switch to one of the banks that were in the promenade. With 30 €, I got 222 pounds Egyptian, so back to the boat and before dinner, we were getting acquainted with the new currency, which started trading the next day.

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