Let's start with we are home in our bed safe and sound.
It's been a week and a half since we last posted, at first this was due to the fact that we went to Siwa in the Western Desert and were at an amazing eco-resort without electricity or connectivity, but then turned into what you all already know, no Internet and very limited phone access in all of Egypt.
We have posts for many of the individual days with the requisite photos as well, but first we will tell you all about the last 4 days. To say these were the scariest, most anxiety ridden days of our lives I think is accurate.
On Wednesday Jan 26th I think it was, I had a weird feeling that we ought to check in with the outside world. I turned on my cell phone in a hidden corner of the resort and downloaded my email, cell phones are banned here unless in your room and roaming of course is spotty and costs a small fortune. I quickly saw two emails of concern, one from JW and the other a facebook link to a NY Times article from TC. I quickly read and got concerned. We all gathered round my little screen, god bless smart phones, and read the NY Times coverage. We worried.
About an hour later the manager of the resort, the one one there that speaks fluent English returned from town and made some calls to Cairo for us to check on the situation. His father said things seemed to be calm that day and getting back to normal. We were due to leave the following day and spend one night in Cairo, only a few blocks from the square where we had walked just 2 days prior, before heading to Aswan to meet our cruise. We had Yousery call our tour operator and change our hotel to something outside of downtown, which turned out to be a dumpy airport hotel that we were in the moment very upset by. In hindsight, we are incredibly thankful to have been there and not anywhere else in the city.
At 5:30a we went to the airport to fly to Aswan not really knowing anything more than that original NY Times article. Once we arrived in Aswan we had other issues. Our guide and car didn't show up and our luggage, not our friends luggage, just mine and GML's didn't arrive. We were told it would show up at 1p. Very strange that 3 of 5 pieces all checked in together came. But...whatever.
We finally transferred to our cruise to find out a bit more about the unrest. While docked we got CNN and BBC news and saw for ourselves a little bit of what was happening. This was Friday Jan 28th. After discussing amongst ourselves, we felt we were safe on the boat and in Aswan. Nothing was happening in this part of the country at all. And after the cruise and a few days in Luxor we were going to Sharm, on the red sea, where nothing at all would likely happen. We agreed to continue as planned, although our flight to Abu Simbel was no longer an option.
We toured Aswan Friday after lunch, eventually our luggage did arrive, not without it's own journey and I'm sure stories if it could talk and then our friends wanted to go back to the boat for some R&R. GML and I wanted to explore the market and it was getting toward dusk, I wanted to make some photographs with the light, you know it is my time of day. So after dropping the guys at the boat the driver dropped us a couple of blocks from the train station.
I shot a little here and there and GML went into a spice shop. In the 4 minutes she was in there the protest was upon us. I turned around and heard before I saw the hundreds of people chanting, screaming and marching towards where we were standing. I freaked. Screamed "WE GOTTA GO!"
All I could think of was LM's FB post, saying get away from the action. Even if you want to see it and experience it, go the other way, THANKS LYS!!!!
The local men, were great. They shielded us from the crowds, told us we were safe, and as soon as a little more than half the pack was in front of us, we high tailed it in the direction they came from, made our way to the Corniche Nile and walked as fast as we could back to the boat, of course stopping for some photos along the way.
We got back, readied for dinner, shared our story, met some other passengers and as is our way, didn't turn on the TV since we were on vacation. Saturday morning we docked in Komombo and left the boat to tour returning for lunch and a couple of hours sail to Edfu. Before we knew it we passed the dock in Edfu and were told due to demonstrations it was not safe to disembark and site see. A couple hours went by and we were headed to the Esna lock. The captain announced we would dock somewhere in between Edfu and Esna until the military could secure the lock for safe passage.
While docked, just before dinner Saturday late afternoon early evening, LC went on deck to have a cigarette. While he was gone I heard a ton of screaming of the staff. I kept asking why is everyone screaming? why is it so noisy? Having no idea what was happening. LC came down in a panic. The locals were screaming to get the boat away from the shore, he heard gunshots and then the staff was taking down all the lights and poles on the deck, the captain was barking orders and everyone was screaming. We watched from the balcony of our suite as the boat pulled away from shore in a hurry.
Through dinner the boat turned in a circle. Not circled, or made a circle of any significant diameter, just turned on a dime in a circle in the middle of the Nile. All the relaxation and awe of being on a cruise on the Nile we had enjoyed just hours earlier while lounging and lingering on deck while sailing was now gone in an instant. Away from shore, no TV, Internet, phone or radio. Very scary and isolated with the guides talking only amongst themselves and the staff trying to stay calm. They all wore the fear and sadness of what was happening to their country on their faces.
These were regular people, frightened for their families safety, knowing that their country needed this change, ashamed at the violence their neighbors had started, worried how long it would be before things would change, disgusted that the police and military are corrupt and letting people out of jail to scare and steal in hopes that citizens would be scared enough to get out of the streets. The the media showing them in the streets with pipes and sticks, all they were doing was protecting their homes. The vigilanties were three to a motorcycle going through neighborhoods looting. The people with the pipes and wood were organized in every area to what we call neighborhood watches here.
Everyone we encountered from then on (taxi drivers, tour guides, boat staff, airport staff, airline crews) was exhausted from staying up to protect their homes and those of their neighbors, exhausted from worry and fear. They were also hopeful for a better future, but questioned if it would come and if so how long would it take and at what cost. Tourism is a HUGE part of the economy and many believe they will have no work now for months. I for one will not go back to that part of the world, for a very long time if ever. So I can only imagine how long it will be for it all to bounce back.
At this point, late Saturday afternoon, we decided we must leave as soon as the boat docked in Luxor. With no Internet, there was no way within the country to change plane tickets. For three hours I made calls through the US to eventually get us new tickets for Monday morning Luxor to Cairo and then change our Lufthansa tix to Monday to get out of the country. At some point my texting began to work and info from my mom and JR started coming in.
It was the constant barrage of texts from our dearly loved JR that finally had us understand how bad things were. She was adamant as it turned midnight and my birthday that we bypass Cairo. Get out any other way, get to Sharm and ferry to Jordan, get anywhere but not Cairo. Finally at the edge of a breakdown and ready to say PLEASE STOP, it sunk in. I called again to Amex Plat Travel and they booked three of us on the flight Luxor to London. Our fourth decided it wasn't financially feasible for him and felt calm about his decision to go back to Cairo and get out. So at 1:30am Sunday morning we were set. $4500 later new tickets, we now had to find some patience and trust and hope until Monday morning at 8:55a when we were supposed to depart.
At 2am we went thru the Esna Lock, very cool I must say. A 21 meter drop on the Nile.
At 10am Sunday we were allowed to leave the boat and see Karnak & Luxor temples before going back to being sequestered. The West Bank was now not deemed safe, so no Valley of the Kings or Queens for us.
Monday at 5:15am off we went to the airport. We arrived by 5:45a after 6 security checkpoints on the way to the airport. We walked right through the first security check in the airport and got on line with about 100 Brits to secure a boarding pass. At this point the flight was already showing 2 hours and 15 minutes delayed. But we were assured it would still take off at some point. Apparently the plane was in Cairo, but the crew could not get to the airport. Meanwhile all domestic flights out of Luxor were canceled.
We made ourselves comfy by a coffee bar on some sofas with a nice Taiwanese couple in the same boat as us not wanting to pass through Cairo. I went to see where the gate and customs were and what was happening domestically, and by the time I returned the entrance security check point was packed with hundreds of people trying to get into the airport. I turned to GML & LC and said lets go up to the gate. Too many people means too much stress and potential for problems.
We went up to the gate and sat there in a much calmer environment. We met a director of the ACLU who knows one of our client and her sister. The five of us managed to keep each other calm and any one started to panic. We even had a laugh or two. The stress increased at 10:45a when the monitors showing our flight at the gate went black. No longer delayed, just black. I walked to look at the big board with all the days flights and ours had disappeared. I panicked. I tried to go down back thru customs to find out what was happening but they wanted to take my passport. I didn't think this was a good idea.
I called Amex again to see if they could get us on the flight to Rome, Paris or Zurich no luck. We were stuck. We all went out and got extra water and food, not knowing how long it would last or how long we would be there.
At about noon time, 6 hours into the airport portion of the ordeal, a small group went down thru customs and out, 1 person stayed with the man who took the passports while the others went out to try for information. It was confirmed that the plane would still go as soon as their was a crew, but the curfew in Cairo was now drawing near again. The tension was rising.
24 Americans from Abercrombie and Kent were up in arms screaming at their tour operator to charter a plane and get them out and find out what was going on. 29 Americans from another tour were gathered passing the phone to one another connected to the state department trying to register us all and get an evacuation plane to Luxor. We called and got through to the state department at 2p as well and began registering as many Americans as we could as well, hoping at some point we would hit a critical mass an a plane would come for us.
Not long after this, maybe 2:15p, an announcement was made that the London flight would depart at 4:30p. It sounded like a touchdown at the Superbowl in our little glass room holding all the passengers with boarding cards for the flight. People screamed and cheered, tears streamed down our faces. A little more hope that we would soon be out of this troubled country.
An hour or two later when 2 Egyptians that did not speak English took hold of two passengers in wheel chairs and pushed them to the front of the room near the door, movement erupted. Everyone seemingly silently got their belongings and piled into some semblance of lines.
Within 20 minutes the plane was boarded in a very orderly fashion.
We were set with not one empty seat. And then, just before they closed the doors, it happened. A curtain went up, chaos ensued as all the staff circled the first row bulk head seat just four rows in front of us. Someone with a stethoscope emerged from the circle three minutes later shaking her head, a passenger died. It was surreal.
He hadn't had a ticket for the flight. 60+ years old British man on 6 week holiday from England had just finished the first week and want out. He was seen flashing his gold card downstairs at the check in trying to buy a ticket, but since the Internet was down, they didn't know if they had one. He was visibly upset and agitated. At some point he appeared at the gate upstairs, he go the last seat. After ten hours of waiting, he boarded the plane with the rest of us. He got a prime seat, right next to the door and then he had a massive heart attack before the doors even closed. Surreal!
Someone said they thought he was diabetic so it could have been that, but regardless, it was the saddest even we witnessed.
In our secret minds, we were grateful for the speed at which they removed the body from the plane, grateful we had not taken off yet and been forced to come back or land elsewhere, grateful for the closing of the doors and the lift off more than anything else.
The tension began to dissolve about hour 3 of the flight. We had the names of two wonderful hotels and a 2 drivers in London for when we landed. I didn't quite believe we would be out of Egypt until we began the descent into Heathrow.
When I walked off the plane there was a woman there with my name and a piece of paper for a free hotel that had been booked, a confirmation and three tickets for the first flight to NYC the following morning, meal vouchers for dinner and breakfast and transportation to and from the hotel. I was thrilled to be where someone spoke English and had taken care to understand where we were coming from and what we had been through.
I was never so happy to be on the ground in my life.
With virtually no sleep we arrived back at Heathrow just before 6am. After a bit of confusion, we had boarding passes on what turned out to be the only flight that would come to NY the entire day. The weather had already canceled all the other flights.
At 11:55am on Feb 1, 2011 we landed in JFK International Airport, crying, clapping and cheering to be back on American soil. The rest of the passengers look at us as if we were nuts. But it didn't matter, we were finally home.
I haven't been able to sleep really yet, just now I can allow myself to feel, my stomach is in knots and the reality of the situation we were in has hit. GML is exhausted, still sick and has the first sign of tummy trouble. Hopefully with a few days sequestered at home we will both emerge feeling as back to normal as one can after the trip of a lifetime.
Tune in later for post about Siwa, Aswan, Komombo, Karnak and Luxor.
And, thank you all for your love, support, worry, concern and faith. It all helped us get home safely.
xxo
It's been a week and a half since we last posted, at first this was due to the fact that we went to Siwa in the Western Desert and were at an amazing eco-resort without electricity or connectivity, but then turned into what you all already know, no Internet and very limited phone access in all of Egypt.
 |
| View of our hotel in Siwa |
 |
| A Dune in the Western Desert (doesn't do it justice) |
We have posts for many of the individual days with the requisite photos as well, but first we will tell you all about the last 4 days. To say these were the scariest, most anxiety ridden days of our lives I think is accurate.
On Wednesday Jan 26th I think it was, I had a weird feeling that we ought to check in with the outside world. I turned on my cell phone in a hidden corner of the resort and downloaded my email, cell phones are banned here unless in your room and roaming of course is spotty and costs a small fortune. I quickly saw two emails of concern, one from JW and the other a facebook link to a NY Times article from TC. I quickly read and got concerned. We all gathered round my little screen, god bless smart phones, and read the NY Times coverage. We worried.
About an hour later the manager of the resort, the one one there that speaks fluent English returned from town and made some calls to Cairo for us to check on the situation. His father said things seemed to be calm that day and getting back to normal. We were due to leave the following day and spend one night in Cairo, only a few blocks from the square where we had walked just 2 days prior, before heading to Aswan to meet our cruise. We had Yousery call our tour operator and change our hotel to something outside of downtown, which turned out to be a dumpy airport hotel that we were in the moment very upset by. In hindsight, we are incredibly thankful to have been there and not anywhere else in the city.
At 5:30a we went to the airport to fly to Aswan not really knowing anything more than that original NY Times article. Once we arrived in Aswan we had other issues. Our guide and car didn't show up and our luggage, not our friends luggage, just mine and GML's didn't arrive. We were told it would show up at 1p. Very strange that 3 of 5 pieces all checked in together came. But...whatever.
We finally transferred to our cruise to find out a bit more about the unrest. While docked we got CNN and BBC news and saw for ourselves a little bit of what was happening. This was Friday Jan 28th. After discussing amongst ourselves, we felt we were safe on the boat and in Aswan. Nothing was happening in this part of the country at all. And after the cruise and a few days in Luxor we were going to Sharm, on the red sea, where nothing at all would likely happen. We agreed to continue as planned, although our flight to Abu Simbel was no longer an option.
We toured Aswan Friday after lunch, eventually our luggage did arrive, not without it's own journey and I'm sure stories if it could talk and then our friends wanted to go back to the boat for some R&R. GML and I wanted to explore the market and it was getting toward dusk, I wanted to make some photographs with the light, you know it is my time of day. So after dropping the guys at the boat the driver dropped us a couple of blocks from the train station.
 |
| GML care free in the spice shop buying pumice |
I shot a little here and there and GML went into a spice shop. In the 4 minutes she was in there the protest was upon us. I turned around and heard before I saw the hundreds of people chanting, screaming and marching towards where we were standing. I freaked. Screamed "WE GOTTA GO!"
All I could think of was LM's FB post, saying get away from the action. Even if you want to see it and experience it, go the other way, THANKS LYS!!!!
 |
| Demonstration in Aswan |
The local men, were great. They shielded us from the crowds, told us we were safe, and as soon as a little more than half the pack was in front of us, we high tailed it in the direction they came from, made our way to the Corniche Nile and walked as fast as we could back to the boat, of course stopping for some photos along the way.
We got back, readied for dinner, shared our story, met some other passengers and as is our way, didn't turn on the TV since we were on vacation. Saturday morning we docked in Komombo and left the boat to tour returning for lunch and a couple of hours sail to Edfu. Before we knew it we passed the dock in Edfu and were told due to demonstrations it was not safe to disembark and site see. A couple hours went by and we were headed to the Esna lock. The captain announced we would dock somewhere in between Edfu and Esna until the military could secure the lock for safe passage.
While docked, just before dinner Saturday late afternoon early evening, LC went on deck to have a cigarette. While he was gone I heard a ton of screaming of the staff. I kept asking why is everyone screaming? why is it so noisy? Having no idea what was happening. LC came down in a panic. The locals were screaming to get the boat away from the shore, he heard gunshots and then the staff was taking down all the lights and poles on the deck, the captain was barking orders and everyone was screaming. We watched from the balcony of our suite as the boat pulled away from shore in a hurry.
Through dinner the boat turned in a circle. Not circled, or made a circle of any significant diameter, just turned on a dime in a circle in the middle of the Nile. All the relaxation and awe of being on a cruise on the Nile we had enjoyed just hours earlier while lounging and lingering on deck while sailing was now gone in an instant. Away from shore, no TV, Internet, phone or radio. Very scary and isolated with the guides talking only amongst themselves and the staff trying to stay calm. They all wore the fear and sadness of what was happening to their country on their faces.
These were regular people, frightened for their families safety, knowing that their country needed this change, ashamed at the violence their neighbors had started, worried how long it would be before things would change, disgusted that the police and military are corrupt and letting people out of jail to scare and steal in hopes that citizens would be scared enough to get out of the streets. The the media showing them in the streets with pipes and sticks, all they were doing was protecting their homes. The vigilanties were three to a motorcycle going through neighborhoods looting. The people with the pipes and wood were organized in every area to what we call neighborhood watches here.
Everyone we encountered from then on (taxi drivers, tour guides, boat staff, airport staff, airline crews) was exhausted from staying up to protect their homes and those of their neighbors, exhausted from worry and fear. They were also hopeful for a better future, but questioned if it would come and if so how long would it take and at what cost. Tourism is a HUGE part of the economy and many believe they will have no work now for months. I for one will not go back to that part of the world, for a very long time if ever. So I can only imagine how long it will be for it all to bounce back.
At this point, late Saturday afternoon, we decided we must leave as soon as the boat docked in Luxor. With no Internet, there was no way within the country to change plane tickets. For three hours I made calls through the US to eventually get us new tickets for Monday morning Luxor to Cairo and then change our Lufthansa tix to Monday to get out of the country. At some point my texting began to work and info from my mom and JR started coming in.
It was the constant barrage of texts from our dearly loved JR that finally had us understand how bad things were. She was adamant as it turned midnight and my birthday that we bypass Cairo. Get out any other way, get to Sharm and ferry to Jordan, get anywhere but not Cairo. Finally at the edge of a breakdown and ready to say PLEASE STOP, it sunk in. I called again to Amex Plat Travel and they booked three of us on the flight Luxor to London. Our fourth decided it wasn't financially feasible for him and felt calm about his decision to go back to Cairo and get out. So at 1:30am Sunday morning we were set. $4500 later new tickets, we now had to find some patience and trust and hope until Monday morning at 8:55a when we were supposed to depart.
At 2am we went thru the Esna Lock, very cool I must say. A 21 meter drop on the Nile.
At 10am Sunday we were allowed to leave the boat and see Karnak & Luxor temples before going back to being sequestered. The West Bank was now not deemed safe, so no Valley of the Kings or Queens for us.
Monday at 5:15am off we went to the airport. We arrived by 5:45a after 6 security checkpoints on the way to the airport. We walked right through the first security check in the airport and got on line with about 100 Brits to secure a boarding pass. At this point the flight was already showing 2 hours and 15 minutes delayed. But we were assured it would still take off at some point. Apparently the plane was in Cairo, but the crew could not get to the airport. Meanwhile all domestic flights out of Luxor were canceled.
We made ourselves comfy by a coffee bar on some sofas with a nice Taiwanese couple in the same boat as us not wanting to pass through Cairo. I went to see where the gate and customs were and what was happening domestically, and by the time I returned the entrance security check point was packed with hundreds of people trying to get into the airport. I turned to GML & LC and said lets go up to the gate. Too many people means too much stress and potential for problems.
We went up to the gate and sat there in a much calmer environment. We met a director of the ACLU who knows one of our client and her sister. The five of us managed to keep each other calm and any one started to panic. We even had a laugh or two. The stress increased at 10:45a when the monitors showing our flight at the gate went black. No longer delayed, just black. I walked to look at the big board with all the days flights and ours had disappeared. I panicked. I tried to go down back thru customs to find out what was happening but they wanted to take my passport. I didn't think this was a good idea.
I called Amex again to see if they could get us on the flight to Rome, Paris or Zurich no luck. We were stuck. We all went out and got extra water and food, not knowing how long it would last or how long we would be there.
At about noon time, 6 hours into the airport portion of the ordeal, a small group went down thru customs and out, 1 person stayed with the man who took the passports while the others went out to try for information. It was confirmed that the plane would still go as soon as their was a crew, but the curfew in Cairo was now drawing near again. The tension was rising.
24 Americans from Abercrombie and Kent were up in arms screaming at their tour operator to charter a plane and get them out and find out what was going on. 29 Americans from another tour were gathered passing the phone to one another connected to the state department trying to register us all and get an evacuation plane to Luxor. We called and got through to the state department at 2p as well and began registering as many Americans as we could as well, hoping at some point we would hit a critical mass an a plane would come for us.
Not long after this, maybe 2:15p, an announcement was made that the London flight would depart at 4:30p. It sounded like a touchdown at the Superbowl in our little glass room holding all the passengers with boarding cards for the flight. People screamed and cheered, tears streamed down our faces. A little more hope that we would soon be out of this troubled country.
An hour or two later when 2 Egyptians that did not speak English took hold of two passengers in wheel chairs and pushed them to the front of the room near the door, movement erupted. Everyone seemingly silently got their belongings and piled into some semblance of lines.
Within 20 minutes the plane was boarded in a very orderly fashion.
We were set with not one empty seat. And then, just before they closed the doors, it happened. A curtain went up, chaos ensued as all the staff circled the first row bulk head seat just four rows in front of us. Someone with a stethoscope emerged from the circle three minutes later shaking her head, a passenger died. It was surreal.
He hadn't had a ticket for the flight. 60+ years old British man on 6 week holiday from England had just finished the first week and want out. He was seen flashing his gold card downstairs at the check in trying to buy a ticket, but since the Internet was down, they didn't know if they had one. He was visibly upset and agitated. At some point he appeared at the gate upstairs, he go the last seat. After ten hours of waiting, he boarded the plane with the rest of us. He got a prime seat, right next to the door and then he had a massive heart attack before the doors even closed. Surreal!
Someone said they thought he was diabetic so it could have been that, but regardless, it was the saddest even we witnessed.
In our secret minds, we were grateful for the speed at which they removed the body from the plane, grateful we had not taken off yet and been forced to come back or land elsewhere, grateful for the closing of the doors and the lift off more than anything else.
The tension began to dissolve about hour 3 of the flight. We had the names of two wonderful hotels and a 2 drivers in London for when we landed. I didn't quite believe we would be out of Egypt until we began the descent into Heathrow.
When I walked off the plane there was a woman there with my name and a piece of paper for a free hotel that had been booked, a confirmation and three tickets for the first flight to NYC the following morning, meal vouchers for dinner and breakfast and transportation to and from the hotel. I was thrilled to be where someone spoke English and had taken care to understand where we were coming from and what we had been through.
I was never so happy to be on the ground in my life.
With virtually no sleep we arrived back at Heathrow just before 6am. After a bit of confusion, we had boarding passes on what turned out to be the only flight that would come to NY the entire day. The weather had already canceled all the other flights.
At 11:55am on Feb 1, 2011 we landed in JFK International Airport, crying, clapping and cheering to be back on American soil. The rest of the passengers look at us as if we were nuts. But it didn't matter, we were finally home.
I haven't been able to sleep really yet, just now I can allow myself to feel, my stomach is in knots and the reality of the situation we were in has hit. GML is exhausted, still sick and has the first sign of tummy trouble. Hopefully with a few days sequestered at home we will both emerge feeling as back to normal as one can after the trip of a lifetime.
Tune in later for post about Siwa, Aswan, Komombo, Karnak and Luxor.
And, thank you all for your love, support, worry, concern and faith. It all helped us get home safely.
xxo
No comments:
Post a Comment