Funkengroovin - Mokkatam

Last Friday, we went up to Mokkatam. VB does volunteer work for an agency located in the area. As we were driving up, it rained. That was somewhat unbelievable, since it was the second rain in a week, and it almost never rains in Egypt. As VB was leaving the agency, someone recommended she drive to the Mokkatam Corniche, as he thought the view this day would be a good one. As you can see, there are a lot of new buildings in this area of town.

(Below): Coming up from behind, a Vanagon.


(Below): Taking over.


(Below): Passing us up.



(Below): Looks like a VW T5. It's not in VB's Volkswagens Of The World, by Simon Glen (he pretty much ends at the T4.) We were just passing by, and didn't get to stop for a look-see, so this is our best guess. From Wiki: "The T5 is the fifth generation of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles medium sized commercial Transporter and people mover Caravelle/Multivan ranges which is sold on every continent except Antarctica.
T5 series was launched in 2003 and replaced the fourth generation T4 Transporter series." Narrowing it down to a Caravelle or any other specific model, at this point is impossible. The T5 below is just a stripped down version.


(Below): At the shopping area of Mokkatam.


(Below): The advice was spot on. The view was amazing. On this day you can even see the Nile and the Pyramids. The Mokkatam Corniche is splattered with small sheesha joints, which apparently do a good business in the evenings. You may need to enlarge the photo to see the Giza Pyramids.


(Below): Just to the left (south) from the Giza Pyramids are the Saqqara Pyramids. Unfortunately, VB couldn't fit them all into one photo. You will definitely have to enlarge this one to see them.


(Below): Others along the edge, smoking sheesha and enjoying the unusually clear view. Just beyond the hill, you can make out part of The Citadel.


(Below): As we were on our way back, parked on a side street, we spotted a Bus in decent condition.








(Below): And again, as we pass it by, VB just misses a red Beetle.

VISITORS WANTED!

Last week I lamented the deplorable trashy conditions at the Pyramids and other tourist sites. Then this past week, Sandmonkey mentions The Feast At The Pyramids, where some far off prince wants to use the Giza Pyramids as an open fire pit (okay, that's an exaggeration) to entertain highfalutin guests, with all the money going to Medicine Sans Frontiers and his country, and nothing going to Egypt, the host country. I hope this princely ass brings in his own cleaning crew - why should Egypt clean up his fucking mess! Obviously, this trash gets my blood boiling.

At the same time, I've been reading a book, River In The Desert: A Modern Traveler In Ancient Egypt, by Paul William Roberts. In short it's about his travels in Egypt. It's humorous, enlightening and I’ve gotten beyond the 50 page boredom minimum (meaning it isn’t boring at all). It was first published in 1993, but I'm reading the 2005 edition. The author makes comments that seem so close to the way I feel on certain topics and surely true with respect to antiquities in general. It all seemed to tie in with my complaints. Obviously from the quotes I've included there's a lot more that goes along with this argument than I could possibly address.

Please don't get me wrong - I do not believe we should put the care of our historical sites before the care of the people, but I do think those who abuse these sites are just as likely to abuse people, as well - both tourists and governments alike - it's a prevalent greedy "fuck all" attitude. Forgive me for my “common” everyday references for my arguments. I do think his comments are a general social commentary on current affairs and something that has become a personal challenge for me.

Instead of trying to paraphrase and mucking it all up, I’d just like to get in a few quotes.


Page xii: (Re: antiquities)

"The cultural heritage of Iraq has all but gone now, trashed by US and UK troops, and by the war. This is a crime of the first order, perhaps unparalleled in its wanton mindlessness, and it stands as a grim harbinger of what could easily happen in Egypt...Because we do not own them. We have merely borrowed them from our children and their children. We are caretakers, but have grown used to carelessness and the uncaring plutocrats, merchants of emptiness, vampires of superfluity, who suck up beauty, truth, and tomorrow, leaving us only fire, barren dust, and the dry wind."

Page xiii:

"We have the same hopes and dreams as other earthlings, whether in the alleys of Cairo or the malls of America, and they are generally modest ones involving the quality of life and the future of our children. Our common humanity shines out above the miasma of money and politics, and it is to this we should cling. Visit Egypt while you can, for it may not always be there to visit. What it offers is far more than the spectacle of extraordinary ruins, old stuff in cases, dead people wrapped like parcels; for what you will see, and what will abide with you long afterwards, is a glimpse of the limitless potential in human beings for both aspiring to and creating a better world. The Old Kingdom Egyptians built one; we can build one. Knowing it once was done means it can still be done…."

On page 57, while visiting Aswan, he writes:

"I sat in the hot breeze beneath the shade of some acacia trees waiting for my fellow tourists to return to our bus. Behind me, leading down to the waters of Lake Nasser, the steep hillside was strewn with tourists' trash-candy wrappers, countless dented plastic mineral-water bottles, all carefully swept out of sight but not away. A sly-looking man approached me with an arm full of beads for sale and a hangdog attitude suggesting I should buy some out of recognition of his poverty. In some way-I didn't like him-I saw the trash as his fault. I asked him why the locals didn't help keep the place tidy; he shrugged as if the matter were irrelevant. I waved his beads away.

...The facade of Abu Simbel is a useful metaphor, stretching beyond the transplanted shell of temples. The whole town exists for tourists to visit the temples; the one main street is broad and clean, festooned with signs that recall the celebrations held when the removed and restored complex was finally unveiled. Yet off the streets, carefully concealed, is the garbage that reveals a country that doesn't really care enough about itself. The pride and optimism about the past and the glorious future are tempered by a lazy hopelessness regarding the present. That's what colonialism does...."

As Number 1 Son said while we were at Giza, "why would anyone buy a sheesha pipe here, at Giza, of all places? Don't the tourist buses take these people shopping?"

Good question Number 1 Son, but even at Vergina where Phillip II and Alexander the Great's tombs filled with gold have been recently uncovered and open to the public, you will find small kiosks set up. Apparently they haven't established permanent rip-off facilities yet. It was clean when we visited in 1999 and it was the only clean ancient site we saw in all of Greece (except for the pristine Byzantine Meteora which the nuns and monks protect) and we were on a 3 week self-driven tour.

I can't say whether I totally agree with Paul Roberts' statement that colonialism is responsible for the trashy, lackadaisical attitude tourists or the keepers of these ancient sites have. I think it goes somewhat deeper, but colonialism plays a big part in the disposition. When I was looking for an apartment in Maadi, I said to the current homeowner, "there's no dishwasher." At which she replied in her Egyptian accent, "Ah yes, but you see, that's what we have maids for. They wash our dishes." (Uh huh.) I just wanted to ask if they wiped her ass too, while they were at it. Regardless of where I have lived, it always seems that there are people who think that there are others (lower in class, life, etc.,) to clean up after them. There's that attitude of, "let that little brown men pick it up. That's what they’re here for isn't it?" It has more to do with racism and the attitude that one has the perogative or is privileged, you know like "executive privilege" - "I make the mess and you clean it up" attitude, or "shit happens," or as Rumsfeld says, "stuff happens and its untidy." That kind of "shrug it off," "your my bitch," mentality.

But Paul Roberts makes another point that it's not just trash, but the environment that's killing some of our antiquities. Thus the British Museum's excuse for not handing back over to Greece the stolen Elgin Marbles, scrubbing them with bleach and abrasives, pretending their environment (the Museum) is "safer." (Don't get me started.) With his statement, "visit Egypt while you can," I agree totally. We should visit all these ancient and historical sites, but with respect for them. Let's face it Giza is the last standing of the original "Seven Wonders of the World." Which takes me to another sore point in my little domain.

We invite our friends and family to come stay with us, to visit Egypt, offering free housing. Last week, Boss Man e-mailed photos of us with Number 1 Son at the Pyramids, to friends and family in the States, mentioning they should come for a visit. Several expressed reluctance, stating that they were hesitant to travel to either an “unstable country” or one where there were terrorists (they've obviously never heard of Timothy McVeigh). And these are college educated, what we thought were open-minded, individuals. It’s a mind-numbing reply. Why cross the street - you could get hit by a car! You can also get e-coli from fresh spinach and lettuce; you could get salmonella from peanut butter; and you could get bedbugs at the finest hotel in NYC.

Maybe I don’t want any of these people to come here anyway if they're going to be like that. They probably wouldn’t know how to behave (and they'd probably bring their bedbugs with them), which gets me to the closest American-style estimate of the trash and attitudinal problem I can come up with, which is something like this: when your relatives come to visit, let their kids tear apart your house, make a huge mess, turn your house upside down, and then leave (no "Thanks," "Good-bye,' or "Kiss my ass," either); or when you're not home and your teenage kids decide to have one kickass party and no one's in the mood (er, right frame of mind) to clean it up; or like one family, when I was a child abuse investigator, decided to use their garbage bags (full of reeking garbage) as mattresses (they didn't have bedbugs, but they did have roaches).

I learned a big lesson as a social worker – you can’t change people. You can’t change their minds for them, you can’t change their attitudes, sloppy behavior, racism, pomposity, and you can’t deprogram them from the assault of jingoism seen daily on American TV.

I certainly don't have the answer, but in the end this situation is just a disgusting mess.

All I can say is, I think Egypt is a great place. I want to do all the traveling I can here - to see and do just about everything; the terrorists can kiss my ass; please do not litter especially at the ancient sites and I promise not to either;

and VISITORS WANTED! - Go ahead, abuse me, and my hospitality – I’ll be your bitch for a week! I'm asking for it, just like my antiquated neighbors along the Nile Valley. Come visit us before we're all gone. Trash my house, don't say "thank-you" but take away the memories, because they will last forever. Btw, it's my pleasure.

Here's something I will remember - Number 1 Son at Giza (I know I promised I wouldn't, but I just had to):

No Climbing

A few more pictures from Number 1 Son's Visit. Here a sign at the Giza Pyramids. It's pretty much self explanatory:



When we first moved to Abu Dhabi, many of the locals and Sub-Continent drivers would ignore red lights and stop signs, saying, "those are for westerners only." Well in Cairo there are no stop signs or signals anywhere! This scene is typical of Cairo traffic.



And here, an alternate form of transportation around Giza:


And, the stable area behind the Giza Pyramids:




Update on my Nikon D70:
I called the local dealer here, who coincidentally is located in Giza. They cannot repair my camera. So, Vagabondblogger has decided to try and ship the Nikon to Number 1 Son, giving him (and his selfish self) the camera, which he told his sister he, "fell in love with during his visit," (and desperately desires to have for Bonnaroo this June.) I am going to buy a Nikon D40 (well, it's actually a very nice birthday present) since the reviews I've read are outstanding, it's lightweight (just what I need) and from what I have heard, magapixels are all hype. It's a cheaper version (but not hmm that cheap), and in the U.S., comes with a great lightweight lens, as well. Vagabondblogger is disappointed in this turn of events, but thinks it will work out for everyone. So for now, new photos will be taken with Vagabondblogger Boss Man's Sony Coolpix 885.

Here's a great site for cameras, which is where I found a lot of useful information, further links, and comparisons from someone who uses a variety of cameras and knows their pros and cons: KenRockwell.com.

Sightseeing and the Rorschach Inkblot Test

Today, Vagabondblogger, Number 1 Son and Vagabondblogger's Boss Man went sightseeing. We spent close to 8 hours touring Pyramids and some of the Nile Valley. It was bone-chilling cold, windy and rainy, which almost brought the whole sightseeing show to a close. Then another glitch: As Vagabondblogger and Number 1 Son were changing lenses on the camera, dust (sand, camel shit - who knows) must have been blown onto a lens, which then fell onto a mirror (showing up as a black bat type Rorschach blotch in photos); and after some mouth blowing (to blow the dust off) and messing with the Nikon D70, it decided it had had enough of our foreplay and completely shunned us by refusing to open it's shutter. (What a tease!) We were somewhat screwed (and frustrated), except for the fact that we had Number 1 Son's good, but inferior camera. Unfortunately Number 1 Son forgot his USB wire and we all have to wait for his return to the States for the photos from his camera.

We spent a long time at the Saqqara Pyramids, which was nice as there were few (and I mean few) tourists. Vagabondblogger's Boss Man wanted to know which came first: The Pyramids or the Beer? Saqqara is amazing. I think we looked at every nook and crany at Saqqara and Vagabondblogger has decided that some people think these relics are: (1) Garbage dumps; (2) Huge ashtrays; or (3) Places to have your picture taken and buy cheap knickknacks. Anyone who has ever been to Mycenae or the Parthenon, has to be shocked by the total disregard tourists have for these sacred grounds. What's even more hypocritical is that most of the youngsters (neo-hippies) will probably give everyone else a lecture pro-P.E.T.A. or on environmental warming, but they don't consider their own actions deplorable. As a friend of mine in Greece said, "The Europeans think that they can come here and shit on us and no one will give a damn." I smoke, but I've voluntarily quit smoking at all these places, nor do I eat or drink at these places, or throw the cans, wrappers or even full bags of garbage down, just because it's sandy and convenient. No Vagabondblogger and family try not to be slobs (at least in public.) As much as these places are amazing, it's disheartening to see the little respect they get from their visitors. On another note: prepare to go through a metal detector at these sites, at least in Egypt.

After a late lunch, we spent about an hour at the Giza Pyramids, which was packed with buses of tourists and schoolchildren. Number 1 Son secretly climbed up the backside of a Pyramid, where no police were posted. He was delighted (in all his Facebook/Frat/rock climbing/ I did it & you can't glory.) At that point, no one cared if we saw another tomb and we had been warned upon entering, that they were closing up shop in one hour.

While traipsing around, we were also given an alternate story to the one of Napoleon shooting the nose off the Sphinx - sort of Taliban light, about the transition period between paganism and Islam. Apparently people would pray to the Sphinx in times of despair and a mufti, to prove that the Sphinx was not a god but just a statue, chopped off the nose to get those stray pagans to come into the fold. We just laughed and made jokes about being careful if Cheney were to ever visit.

We did delight in getting a ride through the stable area streets, which house the camels, horses, and donkeys used for touring and policing services at Giza. Those photos might come up later here or on Flickr after Number 1 Son sends them on to me.

So for today's photos, I submit the following and would like to note, that the photo of the Saqqara Pyramids has been cropped to rid it of black flying object blotching the sky,and the Camel Kissing A Man photo has been enhanced with a retouch to get rid of the hideous black blotch.

Also, no more photos of Pyramids will be submitted as they're "personal" in nature (meaning a few have a family member's faces in them) and besides, there are much better and more professional photos of the Pyramids available throughout the Internet. And, yes, that means you will not see a photo of Number 1 Son on the Giza Pyramids, unless you know his Facebook address.

A short tour:

Two men and a toilet on a motorcycle:



Saqqara Payramids:


A Camel Kissing A Man - Saqqara Pyramids:


Lastly, on the way home from Giza, as we were driving down a road locally referred to as "Dead Donkey Canal Road" we saw over a dozen VW Baywindow vans with rooftop carriers. I mean over a dozen, at least - I couldn't keep track of them and Vagabondblogger Boss Man says, "We're by the Pyramids and all she can look at is VW Vans!" (Yeah, and Number 1 Son is not as generous with his camera as Vagabondblogger is - so no pics.)

And why do they call it "Dead Donkey Canal Road?" Because dead donkeys, camels and horses are sometimes seen floating in the canal, with a pile of little kids on top taking a ride.

Expat Profiles will return in a few days (in other words, after Vagabondblogger recuperates from Number 1 Son's visit.)

P.S: If you decide to wear cargos to look cool and safari style, then count on ten million other assholes like you, wearing, I mean, sharing the same dream. Take a look at yourself in the mirror and decide - do you want to look like a twit or just like someone enjoying a revered site? The choice is yours - are your looks more important than the monuments? If so, don't bother going - just stay in your hotel room admiring yourself all day. -v