Trapped in the Red Pyramid of Dashur, Egypt

Dashur, Egypt, Day 2 - December 17, 2009 - Trapped Inside the Red Pyramid
Inside Photos of the Red Pyramid included

The Red Pyramid, the third largest pyramid built
104m high (345 feet), built by Pharaoh Sneferu (2613 BC to 2589 BC)
(yes, the pyramid you see in the background is where we were trapped)

Ok, trapped may be too strong of a word, but its the best way I can describe what happened to us while visiting the Red Pyramid in Dashur, Egypt.

Can you imagine being trapped in a pyramid or being buried alive? I can. While my brother and I were in Dashur, we visited one of the first pyramids ever built in Egypt and while there, we found ourselves at the bottom of the pyramid in complete darkness. We started the descent into the pyramid with lights initially guiding our way, however, the lights turned off as soon as we reached the bottom of the pyramid. If you can imagine yourself being buried alive in a coffin, then you will know what I was feeling while standing there in the darkness. It was already hot inside the pyramid and getting hotter as I sense the anxiety building within me. To make matters worse, there was an unfamiliar smell that was unpleasant (think it was ammonia from the mummification process? who knows) -- but that was easily solved as I breathed through my mouth. The oxygen however, felt scarce and at times Wilson echoed my silent thoughts of -- "its getting more and more difficult to breathe down here".

At this point, Wilson and I only had three choices - 1) wait for them (whoever them should be) to turn the lights back on (um, we had two things going against us -- we're in a desert (so we'd be lucky to find water) and we're in Egypt (where things take forever to fix and people do things at an incredibly s l o w pace), 2) some how find a way back to the entrance (not too hard) or 3) continue on with our one mini flash light and my on camera flash... Of course, being the adventurers that we are .... We continued on (hurray! we're crazies! how else would we have a good story to tell?). We eventually found the main chamber but because of the darkness (duh) we could not see much of what was there, if anything was there.

This is a video of us talking inside the pyramid in complete darkness (obviously you won't see anything, you'll just hear our voices), a few seconds after the lights went out. (click the "play" button below")

Below is our journey inside the pyramid with a pictorial view of what we went through.

Here goes...

Man who let us into the pyramid and who also expected "basheesh" (aka tip) for taking a photo of us and for letting us into the pyramid (even though we already paid the entrance fee). In hindsight (and things are always 20/20 afterwards), perhaps he turned the lights off on us! Somethings are better left unknown...

This is the entrance down into the pyramid.

With big smiles on our faces, Wilson and I descend a few steps to take this photo... not knowing what we were going to expect next ...

After we get to the bottom of the stairs, and as we walk for a few minutes ... the lights went off.. and Wilson and I were, literally, left to our own devices -- his: a mini flashlight ; mine: my on-camera flash...

The photo above is of the entrance, a view from the bottom... with the lights off (compare it to the one above -- stark contrast, right?!). Our shouts of "turn on the lights" were ignored... Wilson and I hesitated and then debated whether we should go back, but we got the courage to move deeper within the pyramid...

Left: Wilson crouching to get through a passageway.
Right: Stairs inside the pyramid. Climb this and you'll get into the heart of the pyramid...

Wilson starts climbing up the stairs (photo left)... and just to give you an idea of what it felt like ... to the right is a photo of us going down the stairs... can you, now, imagine doing this in complete darkness, with only a flash to guide you every few seconds?

We finally make it up the stairs and this is the tiny passage we see (left)... entering into the heart of the pyramid... as we enter, we find it difficult to breathe. Wilson notices a pungent smell (right), and I accidentally whiff it in through my nose ... ACK! my mistake! it was once again that ammonia smell, but much stronger ... this must be the source... the air was sooo stifling that we could not stay there for long, but of course, I stay there long enough to take some photos with my flash...

Left: Wilson and I finally made it to the end of the pyramid (look at my shocked face!). And there was nothing there. Well, nothing we can see... (photo on the right is what my camera saw).

Wilson and I make our way back to the entrance... and as we get closer to the pyramid opening, we hear laughter, children laughing... a group of kids were already descending the stairs hoping to seek the same adventure my brother and I just experienced ... I wonder if they were brave enough to go through the dark passageways, up and down the stairs and into the heart of the pyramid... because of the excitement in their voices, we could not tell them that there was nothing at the end of the road...

A Memorable Dress-Up Night at the Cairo Opera House

Wilson' took this w/ his iPhone.

Cairo Opera House, Day 2, 12/17/09 -- Cairo, Egypt

This is a somewhat embarassing story, but what is traveling without a few of these stories? So my brother had the idea of seeing an opera while in Cairo. I've been to musicals and operas before, but I can't say I'm an opera aficinado, but I was willing to go for the experience. And, let me tell you -- it was an EXPERIENCE of a lifetime -- one I will never forget.

So ... how far would you go to see an opera? I'm not talking about distance. I'm talking about to what extent would you push yourself to make it happen? Well, that was exactly the question I faced. Watching an opera at the Cairo Opera House was not about money -- we quickly found out there were cheap "day of", or last minute tickets that we could purchase for 25 EP to 100 EP (or the equivalent of $5-$20 -- a bargain to NYC standards). So money wasn't the issue - then what was? OF all things, attire! Ok, we shouldn't be shocked by this, but, if you can imagine -- Wilson and I are traveling through the Middle East with what I would call "rugged" or "backpacker" like clothing, so the idea of having a tux/suit or a ball gown packed nicely away in our roll-aways/backpacks was not exactly what we envisioned when we packed for our trip. So, what to do and how do you make this happen?

We put on our best clothes. Wilson wore blue jeans, a white button up "Columbia" shirt that amazingly had a collar (Columbia as in the sporting outdoor company), a dark fleece zip-up jacket and his hiking shoes. I wore my one and only red dress (expecting to wear it for New Years) and since I couldn't wear it with sneakers, I wore it with flip flops. Wilson and I put on our eyeglasses, looked at ourselves in the mirror only to say, "Damn, we clean up nice! We can do this."

So of course we try this out.

We tried to purchase our tickets at the box office, but the attendant was skeptical about our attire -- so he didn't sell us the tickets. He commented that Wilson would unlikely be admitted since he was wearing jeans (and I miraculously was fine). The attendant directed to the doorman, who would inspect our clothing and give us the final "nay" or "yay". As we walk towards the entrance, I fully expect to see this burly man who knowingly would soon decide our fate (seriously?! Am I trying to get into a club in the Meatpacking District?) ...

To our surprise, the door man was a mild-mannered gentle man, who seemed friendly and nice enough to let us in. He gives Wilson the "ok", and decides to lend him a tie from the "closest" (something tells me they are used to travellers without proper attire), but gives me the big "no". Apparently, my pale legs and flip flops were a big NO NO. I was in shock! Really? I'm wearing a dress in the freezing cold! I quickly looked around and noticed non-Egyptian people wearing jeans and sneakers! DOH!!!! and now, I'm stuck outside in my red dress, with an overly expressive pair of pale legs and flip flops not being admitted to the Cairo Opera House. Wonderful!

Of course, this isn't the end of the story -- where would the fun be in that?

So, of course, I had to figure a way to make this work... but how?

Sweet talk? Not in my wheelhouse, or ... is it?

I talked to the doorman and the manager, desperately trying to work out a deal.

The sweet talking didn't work out too well (nor an unintended bribe of buying a more expensive ticket). I then asked if they had an extra pair of shoes or extra socks to cover my legs (obsurd? oh yes, but, it didn't hurt to ask, right? If they have extra ties on hand, why not shoes?) No luck.

After a few more attempts, their answer was -- either go back to the hotel and change my outfit (i.e put on jeans and sneakers) or watch the show another night. Wilson and I walked away... I of course walked away unhappy, but my mind was still working and I was still trying to figure a way to get in that night. Persistence my friends! Persistence!

So my next wacky-eyed, crazy solution was ...

Well, lucky for me, I had thought before coming to the opera house that we could potentially get denied, and if that was the case -- I better bring a pair of pants. So, luckily, in my bag I had packed a pair of black yoga pants to keep my legs warm if we were rejected. Are you thinking what I'm thinking??? Probably not, but hey -- i'm resourceful! so, walla, here comes the great idea. ;D

As you can now imagine from the photo, I decided to put on my stretchy yoga pants and use the extra length of the pants to cover my feet (i.e. wear them as if they were my own socks.) HA HA. Oh YES, I DID. :D As I was getting myself ready, Wilson couldn't help but kneel over in laughter over my ridiculous idea. I couldn't contain my laughter either -- but I soon grew serious and wondered ... will it work? Of course it did!

So I ran back to the doorman and showed him my new "formal" attire. Did it work? A few chuckles later and a few more head shakes implying "I can't believe what I'm seeing" from the manager and door man ... they gave me the formal ok with a caveat -- "ok, you can only buy balcony seats and we can only let you in when the lights go off." I was in disbelief that my "shannanigans' worked -- I WAS IN!!!! Who cares if I played the role of that "girl" going into the room with the lights off (yes, you're getting my bad sexual reference?!?! haha... that's actually what their comments reminded me of -- and NO, I haven't had that experience before! )... but honestly, who cares -- I WAS IN -- and I was about to watch LA BOHEME in Cairo!

So Wilson and I bought balcony seats for 25 Egyptian pounds, or the equivalent of US$5, to watch Pucchini's La Boheme. We thought the seats would be in the BACK of the BACK of the theater (afterall, I was the embarassment of the night!), but balcony seats at the Cairo Opera House were essentially mezzanine seats (i.e. one / two tiers above the ground floor!). It was first come first serve seats ... and since not many people were there on a Thursday night, we had our choice of the best seats in the house for US$5! What a deal ! Who cares if the show is good or bad, Wilson and I had already ended the night with a great story that will be relived for many years to come! Now, that's worth $5 and a priceless kodak moment!

These are photos of me and Wilson inside the Cairo Opera House. On the right, is the photo of the manager with us after the show. Also, part of one of the "unsaid" conditions was for us to come back and see him after the show... Lo and behold, we wanted to take pictures with us... He was gracious and generous to offer us to come to his home and he would take us on a tour of Cairo! We couldn't that night (and thought it was a bit strange, but perhaps that was the Egyptian way)... We mentioned perhaps on our way back to Cairo, we would see him again. We never did get back in touch with him.

p.s. If you're a cultural buff or love operas/musicals, you're probably wondering how was the show? It was ok. It doesn't compare to the New York Opera productions, but if you want to experience a different way of life in Cairo and can spare three hours and US$5 ... then this is a great way to spend your time. Just remember to wear, at the very minimal, jeans and sneakers (for females) and jeans, jacket, button up shirt, and sneakers (for males; ties are available at the door).

Israel-Palestine's Berlin Wall in Bethlehem

January 14, 2010, Photos of Israel's Security Wall in Bethlehem (A view from Palestine's side of the Wall)

According to wikipedia, The State of Israel has been constructing barriers along its borders, which are mainly located on Israeli-occupied territories in the West Bank and partly along the 1949 Armistice line, or "Green Line" between Israel and Jordan. The length of the border is expected to be 436 miles long (703 km) and as of August 2008, only 58% had been constructed, 9% was under construction and 33% of it has not yet been constructed. The barriers have been under a lot of scrutiny and are highly controversial. Depending on which story you read or who you are hearing it from, everyone has their own point of view of the walls -- that well, for a tourist is tough to believe who is right or wrong and will certainly take longer than a few days to understand. After my brother spoke with the hotel manager at our hotel, who is Israeli-Jewish, he learned that the security walls or fences have been built to protect Israeli civilians from Palenstinian terrorism, aka suicide bombing attacks. Since the construction of walls, the number of bombings have significantly reduced. He mentined that people used to be afraid to walk around the New City town center because there were frequent suicide bombings! According to wikipedia, opponents of the barrier say that the barrier is an illegal attempt to annex Palestinian land under the guise of security, which violates internatinal law. To put it quite simply, the barriers have in a sense "trapped" or restricted Palestinians from traveling freely within the West Bank and finding work in Israel.

So, that's a bit of background on borders and barriers built within Israel, which brings me to the photos I took of the security wall on our way out of Bethlehem. The photos you will see are from the Palenstinian side. G raffiti artists and commoners alike have creatively used Israel's "security wall", which places an Israeli/Palenstinean divide between the two warring countries, as a means to add their social commentary on the Israel / Palestine situation.

The photo above is of two Palestine men sitting in front of the Israel/Palestine Wall.

Note: Israel continues to place security walls and fences throughout its country. Over the last few days, I've been reading in the Jerusalem Post that Israel wants to put up a fence along the Israeli/Egypt Border, which stretches from the Gaza Strip (west part of Israel) to Eliat (southern tip of Israel). The project which is expected to cost north of 1.5 billion NIS, or approx. $6 billion US, is "supposed" to prevent illegal drugs from entering Israel among other things like illegal immigrants (from Nigeria, Ghana, and the Ivory Coast). The project is expected to start in two weeks.

For more photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39368875@N04/sets/72157623094617725/

Tears Coming Down My Cheeks at St. Anne's Church

January 13, 2010 - St. Anne's Church, Jerusalem

St. Anne's Church in Jerusalem's Muslim Quarter is known to have one of the finest examples of Crusader architecture and is also traditionally known as the home of Virgin Mary's parents, Joachim and Anne. What I found to be one of the most beautiful things here was not the architecture, but the acoustic system within the church, which the church is also famously known for.

We were fortunate enough to have two strangers - man and wife - sing for us while inside the church. As I was sitting there enjoying the environment and listening to them sing -- something happened to me internally and tears started to well up in my eyes. I didn't even know what he was singing, but whatever it was, it touched me so much that the floodgates opened -- and tears began to roll down my cheeks. It truly was a touching moment for me. Luckily enough, Wilson recorded them singing and below is a video of the moment (the feeling may not be the same as if you were sitting there, but at least you get a sense of it).

After they left, Wilson also sang Silent Night in the center of the church -- and though it was good, it didn't touch me quite as much. :D haha.

Crazy kids in Jerusalem!

Anywhere you travel, you'll see kids around and usually they are friendly, cute and adorable ... but, not in Jerusalem. Or I should say, not in the Muslim quarter. Within a span of 5-10 minutes, I was either a witness or involved in a series "unpleasant" events with the kids in the Muslim quarter (i.e. section within the Old City where most Muslim's live/work).

The first encounter was bearing witness to a fight that broke out right in front of me on Via Dolorosa (quick religious lesson: aka "The Way of Sorrows" - is the route/street where Jesus was condemned to carrying the heavy cross to Calvary). Kid 1 reached out for the Kid 2 and punched him. (note: these kids were all of 10 years old). The fight was broken up by an older man who got Kid 1 into a headlock. I have no idea what the fight was about, but eventually one of the kids threw some change at the other kid.

Wilson and I continued on Via Dolorosa only to be followed by Kid 1 -- who tries to get my attention by shouting something at me and playing an obnoxious video on his phone. He proceeds to do this for a few minutes and decides to leave after Wilson and I ignore him. Then, as we continue to walk on Via Dolorosa looking for the Cross Stations, the kids were let out of school (or so I think, since the streets were now flooded with children). Yup, as you guessed it -- this does not bode well for me and Wilson. The kids were anxious to be out of school and full of energy to attack any and all tourists walking up/down that street.

The third encounter was in the midst of kids jumping/laughing around the street. I saw an entrepreneurial kid (Kid 3) selling sweets on the street, who now was being surrounded by youthful children eagerly awaiting to buy a piece of cake/dessert. The kids do not notice my approach, but a few of them start noticing me as I turn my lens to the center of the action. I move around them, as to not disturb the entrepreneurial efforts put forth by this young child, and as I do this, Kid 4 says something to me -- and surprisingly, or I should say I was blind sighted by some kid slapping my camera! I look out from my viewfinder only to see a few kids trying to get my attention, while others were still focused on buying their after-school snack. I quickly said something to the effect of "stop! that's not nice. you don't do that" to Kid 4 -- thinking that would be the end of it. As I turn to take another photo, kid 4 decides to stick his finger through my camera shade and touches my lens (See photo). (You don't even want to know how much this "irked" me; ok, lets be honest - I was FURIOUS!) . I proceeded to yell at the kid, almost scolding him and letting him know that he should not be touching things that do not belong to him. Mind you, I'm towering over this kid (and i'm all of 5'3) as I speak to him and as he rants something off to me he quickly runs for the hills! By now, other kids are intrigued by what has happened and starts to shout things too... Can you imagine three to four kids banding together and shouting something at me? Yes, not a pretty sight, but even less pretty when they find out that I can retaliate. :D

Moving on... Wilson and I continue to walk on ... I stop for a minute to wait for Wilson as he is taking a photo. I'm looking down my camera and Adult 1 comes up to me. Guess what he does? I see this hand come into view as he reaches for my lens! I was in disbelief. After going through what I went through with Kid 4, now an ADULT decides to reach out and grab my lens?!?! Needless to say, I was already at the tip of the iceberg!

I quickly stepped back and said "HEY!" Adult 1 says, "Let me see your lens." I figure, ok, maybe I am in the wrong (unlikely)... and I say to him -- "You can ask me to take a look at my lens without grabbing it" and he again proceeds to reach for my lens! Now, in an escalated and sterner voice, I repeat the same words. He did not heed my warning and was stupid enough to say again -- "I want to see your camera." We exchange a few heated words and Wilson enters the picture. Wilson says, "don't touch her camera. please, sir, just walk away" and touches him with one finger on his shoulder as if to push him away from me. Adult 1 says, "Hey! Don't touch me!" ... and Wilson follows up with "EXACTLY. Don't touch!" (ha ha, quite witty, i think!) ... We then walk away -- only to have shopkeepers staring at us with a curious look about them wondering what just happened outside their stalls.

Oh, and the best has yet to come. Can you believe all of this happens within a matter of 5-10 minutes? Its incredible - one after another - child to adult being difficult with tourists!

Now Wilson and I turn the corner, but still walking down Via Dolorosa ... and as we walk, we see Kid 5 (boy) cornering a girl and kicking her bag! I was in disbelief, yet again! Wilson went to chase the boy away and I checked on the girl to make sure she was ok. She was nearly on the verge of tears, but she held them back. Her friends came shortly thereafter to comfort her. WOW!

So that was my 5-10 minute experience with kids in the Muslim quarter. I was quite taken aback by their disrespect for tourists/older people and, though I should not be surprised, their complete lack of respect towards girls. I won't even go into the following day (or today) how I was laying on the ground taking a photo (back towards a group of kids who was playing around with their soccer ball a good distance away) decided to KICK the soccer ball directly at my back! How do I know it was not an accident? Because once I turned around to see what had happened, one of the kids ran away so fast I knew it was intentional and he was the guilty one! And, just to let you know, I was outside of a Mosque!!! a place of holyness -- and these kids were intentionally kicking balls towards strangers/tourists who were minding their own business! I have no idea how these kids developed this sense of "disrespect" to girls/older people/tourists, but something has to be said that all these bad encounters with kids occurred within the Muslim quarters.

Before, I sign off and you think I'm a kid hater; I'm not. As I reflect back on the day, I do not believe I was at fault or was the "provoker" in any of the scenarios; the only exception was while snapshots of the entrepreneurial kid selling his dessert - and I should have asked to take a photo - but even then, it was another child that confronted me and not the kid who was selling dessert!

Although most kids in the Muslim quarter were unfriendly and unkind to tourists (or to me), there were some kids that I found adorable, albeit most of them were in the Christian / Jewish quarter. Here are a few photos of some of the cuter/friendly/nicer kids in Jerusalem.

From left to right (double click if you want to see it zoomed):

Child eating chocolate pudding and got some on her nose (in the Muslim quarter); kid kicking a soccer ball with his friends on the playground (in the Christian quarter), kids climbing a scaffolding (in the Muslim quarter around the Mosque), child attempting to blow a horn, but fails to do so (in the Muslim quarter), and kids screaming hello to us as we're walking on Ramparts Walk (in the Christian quarter).