Photo: Fez makers in Cairo souq.

Alexi, our youngest daughter, wanted to meet up with us for Christmas, but it had to be "somewhere warm." Except perhaps for the ongoing violence being perpetrated by the Egyptian army against protesters in Tahrir Square, Egypt seemed like a good place to meet up with Alexi and her boyfriend Jason. Art and I would get to Cairo a week ahead of them, and we worked out a rough itinerary (Cairo, Luxor, Sharm el Sheikh) for the 10 days we'd spend with them, and then left unplanned our remaining time in Egypt.

Chaotic Cairo
So what was Post-revolution Cairo like? We spent a lot of time wandering the chaotic and noisy streets and souks (markets), but having never visited here before, we had no real basis for judging to what extent things were "business as usual." Pedestrians, honking cars, trucks, motorcycles, and carts pulled by donkeys, horses, and bicyclists all share the traffic-choked roadways. Adding to the cacophony, street venders blast their music at top volume. Traffic lights no longer work so police with black berets attempt to direct traffic at key intersections. At night a large percentage of cars are driven without their lights being turned on. And although drivers absolutely never yield the right of way, pedestrians somehow make their way effortlessly across many lanes of traffic, while we darted across always in somebody's shadow, while offering up a quick prayer for safety.

Not surprisingly, the number of tourists in Egypt was waaay down due to ongoing security concerns, which actually made it a wonderful time to be there (no crowds at even the most popular tourist attractions!). Restaurants, taxis, and accommodations were all remarkably inexpensive. When Alexi arrived the day before Christmas, she was loaded down with gifts, including travel guides to Jordan, Israel, and Lebanon, as well as various things we'd ordered from the States since items shipped to Turkey are often delayed indefinitely at the border and may never get delivered.

In Egypt, we immediately noticed that both men and women keep their arms and legs modestly covered (no short-sleeved shirts and certainly no shorts -- even in summer, we're told). In the areas of Cairo where we spent most of our time, virtually all of the women (tourists excepted, of which there weren't many) wore headscarves that completely covered their hair; a very small minority wore the burqa (a black gown and veil that covers the entire face with only a narrow slit for the eyes). Most of the men wore western-style clothes, with a smaller number wearing the traditional robes and headdress common to many Arab countries.

Tahrir Square. The night before we arrived in Cairo, there was yet another demonstration at Tahrir Square that turned violent when the army started shooting at protesters. A woman wearing an abaya, a cloak-type covering worn by many conservative Muslims, was attacked by soldiers who threw her to the ground and started tearing off her clothes. The unidentified woman, who soon became internationally known as the "blue bra woman," was rescued but in response a "million woman" protest march was planned for the following Friday. Although we walked through Tahrir Square several times (a few tents were set up, and young people were always milling around), we were turned away and not allowed to enter the square when people were gathering (and being frisked) for a demonstration the following Friday after the noontime call to prayer.

The Egyptian Museum. Although the Egyptian Museum, just a block off Tahrir Square, had been broken into and vandalized during the Revolution, it had reopened by the time we visited. Established in 1835, it houses tens of thousands of antiquities dating from around 3100 BC through the end of the Pharaonic era some 3,000 years later. Art, of course, has rarely encountered a museum he didn't love, and this was no exception. He spent 2-1/2 days there, and still wasn't sated. I spent one day there, and one of the highlights was seeing the fabulous collection of artifacts from King Tut's tomb (some of which I'd seen years ago when a traveling exhibit of King Tut treasures came to the Smithsonian). Of course the Royal Mummy Room is not to be missed, but did you know that the ancient Egyptians mummified not only their rulers but also royal pets as well as other animals (bulls, baboons, crocodiles, and raptors) that were viewed as incarnations of gods?

Coptic Cairo and "Yankee Doodle." When Art chose to spend a second full day at the Egyptian Museum, I took the Metro to Coptic Cairo, an enclosed compound that is the center of the city's Christian community. Metro has cars set aside for women (although women can ride in the other cars as well), and the train platform demarcates the Ladies end. A single ride costs 1 Egyptian pound, or about 15 cents. I found the Metro very easy to navigate since it's signed in English as well as Arabic (unlike most of the street signs).

In the months since the revolution (and especially since our visit), there has been an upsurge in attacks on Christian churches and, as I write this at the beginning of April 2012, the Coptic Christians have just withdrawn from the talks on Egypt's new constitution, saying their participation is pointless with the Islamists controlling the assembly.

In any case, the Coptic Cairo neighborhood provided a welcome break from the chaos of central Cairo. There are several celebrated Greek Orthodox churches here, a synagogue dating to the 9th century, as well as the first mosque built in Egypt (in the 7th century). While there, I met Ahmed, a young man tending a tourist shop. Mostly the shopkeepers try to get the attention of passersby by calling out "Hello, welcome to Cairo. Where are you from?" But this guy asked me what "Yankee Doodle Dandy" means. He said that every time he says it, people laugh but he didn't know why. Since it always got a good reaction, he wanted me to write it out for him so he could make a big sign and hang it outside his shop. I didn't have a good answer for him but sang him a few lines of the familiar tune: "Yankee Doodle went to town, riding on a pony. Stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni." (Later I looked up the origin of this ditty, and although it is now sung as a patriotic song, it dates back to the Revolutionary War when British troops sang it in derision of the ragtag American army; according to Wikipedia, "doodle" meant simpleton, and Macaroni was a popular type of wig, so the implication was that the Yankees thought that simply by sticking a feather in their caps, they were the height of fashion.)

Ahmed told me that it was his 18th birthday, and begged me to allow him to make me a small gift of tea. (This is a very Egyptian thing, wanting to give a gift which then obligates the recipient to return the favor, which meant buying a little something from his shop.) He's now of an age to vote and get a driver's license and in two years, when he's 20, he'll have to serve in the army. I asked him what he thought about the army shooting civilian protesters, and he said that soldiers have to do what they're told to do. He'd do the same, even though in his heart he'd know that it wasn't right, since not obeying orders would get him shot or jailed.

The Pyramids and the Sphinx
While still in Cairo, we spent two days at the pyramids, going first to the Step Pyramid (the world's oldest pyramid, built in 2650 BC) in the midst of the vast Saqqara burial site, and the nearby Bent and Red pyramids -- an hour's drive outside the city in the desert. By comparison, the Pyramids of Giza, the only one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World to survive, are within sight of Cairo, which makes for a very odd juxtaposition. The interiors of some of the pyramids are open, and it's quite an experience to first climb up, up, up to the entrance, then down a long, claustrophobic passageway to the interior chambers.

The Sphinx, on the same site as the Giza pyramids, is big although not as big as we had imagined. Nevertheless, it remains one of the great mysteries of the ancient world: who built it, why, and even when are all the subject of ongoing speculation. In recent years, some scholars have suggested that it may predate the pyramids by thousands of years. (Since it's carved out of limestone, carbon dating doesn't provide an answer.)

Luxor
After Jason arrived from the States the day after Christmas, we spent a day at Giza and then the four of us took an overnight sleeper train to Luxor. Unfortunately in the process of unloading our luggage from the taxi at the train station, Art left his backpack in the trunk of the cab, only realizing it as the cab sped off into the night. Since we were unable to determine if there was a "lost and found" for items left in Cairo cabs, we were glad that nothing too important (just his electric shaver, electric toothbrush, pj's, and so on) was lost. He was most saddened, I think, to have lost the giant-size Hershey's Chocolate Kiss that Alexi gave him for Christmas, an annual gift tradition that started when she was just a toddler.

Upon arriving in Luxor at 6:30 a.m., we thought we'd negotiated a taxi fare to our hotel, but when the driver realized we were going to the West Bank, he refused to take us. It turns out that traveling between the East Bank and West Bank entails either a fairly long taxi ride or a very short boat ride across the Nile. Once across the river by taxi-boat, it was a short walk to the small family-run Amon Hotel that I had selected based on its description in Lonely Planet ("utterly charming" and "popular with archaeologists"). Sure enough, it was a lovely spot with a rooftop terrace and a courtyard awash in flowering plants where breakfast is served and managed by a gracious gentleman in traditional Arab garb.

The East Bank. We spent our first day in Luxor on the East Bank visiting the remains of the vast Karnak Temple complex, where we hired a guide to help us better understand what we were seeing: towering obelisks, pylons, colonnades, temples, courtyards, etc. -- parts of which date back to almost 2000 BC. Its main structure, the Temple of Amun, is reputed to be the largest religious building ever built.

At dusk we took a boat ride on the Nile (not on a felucca, a traditional wooden Egyptian sailboat, since there wasn't any wind to speak of) and enjoyed a lovely sunset. Later that evening we visited the dramatically lit Luxor Temple (dating back to the 14th century BC) and the recently restored Avenue of Sphinxes that once linked the Karnak and Luxor temple sites. So far some 650 sphinxes have been excavated, about half of the total number that once lined this impressive avenue.

The West Bank. The following day we turned our attention to the West Bank, renting bikes from our pension and riding a few miles through the lush countryside to the Valley of the Kings. This is a vast necropolis (burial ground) with elaborately furnished, but once-hidden tombs cut deep into the hills. At the Visitor Center, you purchase a ticket that gives you access to any three of the 20 or so royal tombs, each quite different, that are open to visitors. At each tomb, a corridor leads to the burial chamber, where the mummy was placed in a stone sarcophagus along with the belongings that the deceased would need in the afterlife. Even though most of the statuary and mummies have been stolen or, in more recent years, carted off to museums "for safe-keeping," the carved hieroglyphs and elaborately painted walls and ceilings that remain still give a sense of the tombs' original splendor.

We were told that in more normal times, we would have to wait in long lines to enter each tomb, but with so few tourists in Egypt we encountered no waits, either here or anywhere else. By the time we'd visited our allotment of three royal tombs and followed a path to the top of a promontory providing a panoramic view of the town of Luxor and the Nile River far below, we'd all seen enough tombs for the time being, so we didn't investigate the Valley of the Queens or the Tombs of the Nobles, all of which are located in the rocky hillsides of the West Bank.

One of the more annoying aspects of being a tourist in Egypt is the constant demand for baksheesh. For example, we're in a tomb and an older man in traditional Arab garb sidles up to one of us and, unasked, points something out, then hangs around expectantly, waiting for payment. Or the policeman on a decked-out camel at Giza says (in English), "Come and take a photo." They're very insistent, and if you don't come up with a large enough tip for the service you didn't want, they'll keep pestering you until you give them more. Once Art got so peeved, he said, "Fine, if it's such a pittance, just give it back!"

Scuba diving at Sharm el Sheikh
From Luxor we took a short flight to Sharm el Sheikh at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. This peninsula sits at the top of the Red Sea, flanked on the west by the Gulf of Suez and on the east by the Gulf of Aqaba. Sharm and a nearby underwater national park, are reputed to have some of the best diving sites in the world. Three of us (not including Art) spent two days Scuba diving among gorgeous coral reefs with an abundance of exotic, colorful fishes. Alexi was certified a couple of years ago (and just needed a quick refresher course), but Jason had never dived and I hadn't dived in years, so we two were "tea-bagged" (meaning the instructor literally held our hands the entire time we were underwater, which was a bit weird).

For New Year's Eve, the Bedouin-owned Sharks Bay Umbi Diving Village where we stayed put on an elaborate rooftop buffet in a faux Bedouin tent with entertainment that included a belly dancer, cobra snake charmer, fire-ring performer, etc.

Dahab
After Alexi and Jason flew home on New Year's Day (yep, back to work), Art and I took a short bus ride to Dahab, hyped as a former "hippie" hangout just an hour's drive up the east coast of the Sinai Peninsula. We spent several days just hanging out there, reclining on colorful pillows spread across the floor in Bedouin-style beach-front restaurants, drinking mango smoothies, and looking out across the sparkling waters of the narrow Gulf of Aqaba to the arid mountains of Saudi Arabia. I spent one afternoon snorkeling right off the beach in Dahab, where again the coral and other marine life were breathtakingly beautiful.

The Blue Hole. Another day we rode bikes to the legendary Blue Hole, known as the "world's most dangerous dive site." It's an underwater cave with a long tunnel connecting the Blue Hole and open water at a depth of more than 150 feet. On the rock wall overlooking this popular diving spot are memorial plaques with the names and ages of some of the many intrepid young divers who have lost their way (and their lives) here. From here we walked along a cliff path to a small, sad-looking Bedouin village where we were served tea in dirty cups and local women tried to interest us in buying some of their rather unappealing jewelry and scarves.

While in Dahab, I read William Golding's An Egyptian Journal, which I had picked up at the huge open-air used book market in Cairo. It's a charming and sometimes cranky account of his 500-mile boat trip up the Nile River from Cairo to Aswan in 1984 at the age of 72. Not at all by design, but because I've been mostly reading what I happen to find at the book exchanges at marinas or restaurants in towns along the Turkish coast, I've also recently read two William Golding novels: The Spire (a story set in the 14th century England) and Close Quarters (a nautically themed story set in the early 19th century). Previously, I knew of Golding only as the author of Lord of the Flies, but now I realize that he was a prolific (and quite marvellous) writer!

St. Catherine's Monastery and Mt. Sinai.Another day we booked a trip from Dahab to St. Catherine's Monastery, reputed to be the oldest Christian monastery in the world. On the minibus ride there, Art heard an American accent and asked the guy where he was from. It turns out he had lived in Mount Pleasant, the same neighborhood in Washington DC where Art has owned a house for many years (small world!), and he was now spending five years trekking around the world.

Since St. Catherine's is a much-touted tourist attraction, we were surprised to find that only one very ornate chapel and a small museum are open to the public. In a courtyard at the monastery, our guide pointed out the "burning bush" (or a descendant thereof, I should think) from which God spoke to Moses.

Following our short visit to the monastery, our young Bedouin guide hurried us up Mt. Sinai where Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike believe that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. To the disappointment of the many Bedouin camel drivers, only a couple of people in our group chose to ride camels since the climb up the mountain isn't at all difficult.

Traditionally pilgrims and tourists like to climb Mt. Sinai (known locally as Moses Mountain) in the wee hours of the morning or spend the night near the top of the mountain so as to enjoy the spectacular view of the sun rising over the surrounding peaks. But that wasn't such an attractive option in January. Our outing was billed as a sunset trip, but we reached the peak long before dusk. Since it was cold and the wind was howling, we were quite happy to descend from the summit after taking some photos and drinking a cup of hot tea. I very much wanted to take the more challenging path down, the 3,750 Steps of Repentance cut into the mountainside by a monk as a form of penance, but our little tour group had to stay together so that wasn't to be.

Since our trip to St. Catherine's, we've read of at least three incidents where tourists have been kidnapped by armed Bedouins while traveling to or from St. Catherine's. I believe that all were released unharmed, but it does give one pause.

After a week in Dahab, we decided it was time to move on to Jordan, the next country on our itinerary. We left without doing several things that tourists in Egypt are "supposed" to do: namely, dine on stuffed pigeon, smoke sheesh, and ride a camel -- which surely gives us three excellent excuses for returning to Egypt. And next time we'll be sure to spend more time on the Nile River -- I'd love to sail from Aswan to Luxor on a felucca, a traditional Egyptian sailing vessel.