If you don't go far, you'll be old 2

Chapter 4 Egypt: Footprints in Time
This country surrounded by ancient civilization is trying to find a little peace in the political storm circle of the Arab world. Although it seems a little out of breath under the urging of modern civilization, what does it still want to prove to time?
serial scam at the station
Egypt, what words should I use to describe her?When you close your eyes, you can hear the sweet smell of shisha floating in the streets and alleys of the city, the sizzling sound of fresh and tender fat meat rolling in the oven, and the yelling of the old Egyptian on the pancake stand; when you open your eyes, it is The never-ending game of backgammon in the restaurant, the beautiful big eyes of Arab children, and Muslim beauties in various headscarves.There are also the long prayers coming from the mosque in the evening, the vicissitudes of the buildings proudly show the Egyptians' love for khaki, and, and...

Five months ago, I flew from Sri Lanka to Egypt, circled around Cairo and the Sinai Peninsula, drifted across the Red Sea, and went around to Jordan, a small Middle Eastern country on the other side, for a 2012-day stay.Then came the beginning of the book, boarding the bus from Jordan to Israel.These three countries are in the shape of a triangle. In order to advance towards Greater Africa, I came to Egypt again in August 8, and the land journey through Africa should start from here.

Recalling the first close contact with Egypt, it can be described as ups and downs.Needless to say, the magnificence of the pyramids, the ancient Middle Eastern architecture makes people linger, the comfortable and slow life in the streets and alleys draws my soul, and the mango juice and mango ice cream always hook my greedy worms unscrupulously... Those crooks who hide in popular corners of the city and stare straight at foreign tourists seem to be looking at a stack of banknotes that can walk, with a sly light in their eyes.

Most of the scammers' tricks are not clever, but they just cast their nets everywhere, making it difficult for tourists to guard against them.There are several kinds of scams I have personally experienced: taking advantage of the fact that the hotel reception is not on the first floor, standing downstairs and pretending to be hotel staff, taking tourists to other hotels under the pretext of "full occupancy", and using foreign passports of tourists to exempt tax Buy limited amount of cigarettes and alcohol in the store, and ask for tips from both the hotel and the tourists; on the way to the pyramids, there are countless stalkers selling pyramid games that let you spend a lot of money from the exit of the subway station on the way to the pyramids; The hawker, with the reason of "no money, really no money, absolutely no money", stuffs the headscarves on the tourists, and when you unpack them, he immediately changes his face and starts asking for money; the tourist merchandise store racks his brains to coax tourists to go to the store. Shopping in an expensive souvenir shop, I can’t wait to drag you directly into the shop... For these people, the Eight Immortals are crossing the sea and showing their supernatural powers, all of them are eloquent and hyped, and the pharaohs will probably be angry if they hear it.Recalling this, I raised my arms and began to carefully look at the entry tax and fee station with the official sign in front of me, hoping to find some clues from the slightest cracks.

The refreshing crash of the deep blue waves of the Red Sea lapping against the shore tried to reassure me of my suspicions.The wet and sticky sea breeze rushed into my collar, carrying a strong smell of dead fish.After swimming in the Red Sea from different angles in three countries, I am sure that I have seen this beauty from inside to outside, from top to bottom, 360 degrees without dead ends.Ignoring her persuasion, I stubbornly planned to return to Cairo tonight.

Considering the time difference caused by daylight saving time, I adjusted the phone time forward by an hour.Before reaching the ticket window of the long-distance bus station, two Egyptian uncles who appeared out of nowhere surrounded me, inquired about my whereabouts, and announced the bad news to me: the last bus to Cairo had left.I don't want to believe the news from these unknown people, unfortunately, I got confirmation from the conductor at the window very quickly.

Am I miscalculating the time?The clock in the hall is the same time as I set it, 03:30 in the afternoon.The last bus that was supposed to leave at 04:30, according to the two uncles, was not allowed to go because the road checkpoint was closed.

I was dubious, and tried several times to the window, but the ticket sales guy insisted that there was no car to Cairo, so I couldn't find any reason to refute. Plan A was crossed, and Plan B, C, and D popped up one after another. A certain corner of my brain has already begun to think about how to find a place to stay near the port tonight.

While thinking about the emergency plan, a familiar Egyptian boy got on the bus stopped 20 meters away.That was the young man who kindly showed me the way and took me to the long-distance station.I distinctly remember him going to... Cairo, too.

With all his strength, he tried hard to get some truth out of the mouth of the guy at the ticket window.Faced with my repeated inquiries, the young man shook his head innocently.The two Egyptian uncles seemed unwilling to hang on my tree. They found a new target and ran to solicit customers enthusiastically.

Suddenly, the ticket seller turned to me, lowered his voice, pouted towards the bus, and said in a low voice: That bus is going to Cairo.

Hey!Turn around!My eyes lit up, I slapped my thighs, and ran happily to the bus.Just to be on the safe side, check with the front passenger.

This car is not going to Cairo.The Egyptian uncle sitting in the first row was decisive and poured cold water on me.

The footsteps on the bus stopped abruptly.Did you get in the wrong car?But here is the only coach left.Unwilling to return to the ticket window, I asked the young man clearly.Unexpectedly, the young man began to insist on the rhetoric of "there is no more car to Cairo", speaking crisply, unwaveringly, and upright like an arrow. The appearance that was whispered to me 2 minutes ago never seemed to happen, or, was my hallucination.

Everything in front of me is even more suspicious.I muttered in my heart, and a mess of conspiracy theories flooded my mind.The illogical scene turned into a reasoning game. Characters, dialogues, actions, and demeanor overlapped and intertwined in front of my eyes, and reincarnation flashed. I even made up a "mysterious shadow" in my mind.I glanced at the two Egyptian uncles who stood beside me at some point, and the circuit in my brain finally became clear.

The two uncles laughed together and took turns encouraging me to go to the nearby seaside town, Dahab.They probably don't know that I learned to dive in Dahab a few months ago. I am very familiar with that place, and it is only two or three hours' drive away from here.

"I should take the coach to Dahab now, and transfer from there to Cairo tomorrow, shall I?" "No, no, the last bus to Dahab has left, you can only go by taxi. I can drive you there .”

I secretly laughed in my heart, and as expected, the fox's tail was finally exposed.

Taking a taxi to Dahab is equivalent to taking a taxi from Nanjing to Shanghai. You don’t need to ask, and the cost is by no means a small sum.Coupled with the identity of a "foreigner", the lambs to be slaughtered who take the initiative to deliver to the door will naturally not be easily let go by the driver.This round and round drama is actually a serial scam. The ticket seller and the uncle who is probably also a station worker in the first row of the car are afraid to tell the truth because of the "black forces" of the two taxi uncles. They take turns to deceive foreigners who are unfamiliar with their places of life.At least four people participated in the scam, and if they were not careful, they would really fall for it.

The reasoning drama is about to end.Returning to the bus, I rushed straight up and asked backwards from the second row, all the way to the sixth row, and all the passengers answered: Yes, this bus is going to Cairo.

Mountain darkly, vista.After a battle of wits and courage, I finally got on the bus bound for Cairo. The difficulty was embarrassing, and I had to calm down the brain cells that were running fiercely.According to the double price standard here, foreigners have to pay 10 Egyptian pounds more for bus fare than natives.Paying extra for a bowl of noodles is much better than taking a black taxi to Dahab.The ticket seller, in the movie, is a key supporting role who has to bow down due to the huge villain's power. In the first half, he helps the villain to bully the protagonist, and in the second half, he is influenced by the protagonist to help the "justice" side.In any case, thank him for his "defeating".

The desert wind from the Sinai Peninsula whistled into the windows, and the fine sand was swept into the car and turned into dust.The trip to Egypt, which began with a series of deceptions, is, of course, just the beginning.

Carnival of Eid

The delicious Arabic barbecue, the familiar khaki alleys, the dizzying Arabic numerals, the piles of cheap Chinese goods on the street stalls, the Arab men who are keen on smoking hookah and playing backgammon in the hookah hall... …This is the Cairo I remember, and it has nothing in common with this empty city in front of me.

Even though it was broad daylight, the streets of Cairo were extremely depressed.There were very few vehicles, the doors of the shops were locked, and even the city center, which was always full of people, became quiet, and even the sound of my own footsteps could be heard.I swung my arms and jumped to my heart's content on the empty avenue, almost doing Yangko in the middle of the road.

Because, it's Ramadan now.

Ramadan is the holy month of Ramadan in Islam, the holiest month of the year in the Muslim world, the month when Allah descended the Qur'an to the holy Muhammad.During Ramadan, except for the sick, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, young children, and those who embark on a journey before sunrise, Muslims are not allowed to eat, drink, smoke, have sex and other activities from sunrise to sunset every day, and can only eat after sunset .As a result, the stalls and hawkers that could be seen everywhere disappeared one after another, and they were so hungry that they had nowhere to look for food.According to the book, Ramadan helps people restrain selfish desires, experience the suffering of the poor and help the poor.Touch my hungry belly, alas, who will help me.

Because of Ramadan, many people adjusted their biological clocks and lived a life of upside down.Don't go out during the day, and start a day's life from sunset.The subway and buses have also adjusted their time, and they are still operating late at night. The shops and night markets are almost all night, and you can go out to shop and enjoy snacks at four o'clock in the morning.I thought about it, unless I bring my own dry food and hide in the hotel to eat secretly during the day, otherwise I will be hungry; at night, the street is full of delicious food waiting for me, and I can still pick and choose, so why not do it.Soon, I also became a standard night owl, shutting up and sleeping during the day, and wandering the streets and alleys at night.

Relying on the fact that the price in Egypt is lower than that in China, plus the hard life of tightening the belt in Israel, of course I can't treat myself badly.In the popular GAD chain restaurant in Egypt, the mushroom pizza that can feed two people is 20 Egyptian pounds (the exchange rate between the Egyptian pound and the RMB is almost 1 to 1), and a backpacker eats it together. The average per person is 10 yuan. I ate it several times Back; in the juice shop at the exit of the subway station, a large glass of freshly squeezed juice costs 2 Egyptian pounds, the popular EL-ABD dessert shop ice cream costs 3 Egyptian pounds, and the downstairs Kofta (grilled meat sandwich) costs 5 Egyptian pounds...these are listed in succession. My "everyday must eat list".Accommodation is also affordable, and there are piles of hotels below 50 Egyptian pounds.I live in a Sultan hotel in the center of Cairo that has been in operation for more than 30 years. A bed costs only 20 Egyptian pounds, and there is a kitchen, a hot shower, and Wi-Fi.Egypt is truly a low budget traveler's paradise!

On the banks of the Nile River at night, the lights are twinkling, and there are many tall buildings, which is full of international metropolitan style.Standing on the bridge, the cool river wind blew my bangs away, and the chickpeas I just bought from the vendor melted into soft refried beans in my mouth.The distance is bustling with people, it is a carnival crowd.Even at such a distance, I can still smell the passion emanating from the crowd.

Ramadan is coming to an end and it is the eve of Eid al-Fitr.Cairo, which is lifeless during the day, completely changes its appearance at night.The originally empty streets in the city center were filled with people at some point, crowded and lively.Vibrant dance music was played from the loudspeaker, ruthlessly harassing people's eardrums.The young people climbed into the big truck and danced to their heart's content, and the whole city was brightly lit.I blended in with the overflowing crowd, also wanting to experience a late-night bash on the eve of Eid.

At this time, Cairo Street became a little crazy.There are many young men with fierce eyes and rude actions wandering on the street. From time to time, they take the initiative to provoke and swear at people, and each of them becomes extremely aggressive.I was shoved and bumped one after another by different strange men, and shrank into a corner in fright.These people probably smoked marijuana, drank alcohol, and were in high spirits.A Cairo native told me that before and after Eid al-Fitr, teenagers from nearby villages and towns would gather in Cairo to party all night.In the past few days, I have to get used to the teenagers who frequently play pranks on foreigners and the boys who chase and play with their friends.After all, Eid al-Fitr is one of the three major Islamic festivals, and young people near the capital also like to take advantage of these days to "go to Beijing" for a carnival.Right now Cairo is a city that never sleeps with high decibels.

During the three days of Eid al-Fitr, people get up early, take a bath, change clothes, put on new clothes, and visit relatives and friends, just like the Chinese celebrate the Spring Festival.After the festival, the bustle of Cairo returned to the daytime, and the Cairo I was familiar with came back.And I have to face a new problem when I am active during the day.In Cairo in the hot summer, the sun is scorching, but no one holds an umbrella on the street.Holding parasols is a habit of East Asians, especially in China, Japan and Korea.In the eyes of the Egyptians who worship the sun, what a gift the sun is, what a blessing it is to bask in the sun, why should they block it? !
So buying an umbrella has become an almost impossible task.I naively thought that there would be an umbrella without a parasol.In fact, Cairo, with little rainfall, is a city that does not need an umbrella.Umbrellas are nowhere to be seen in supermarkets, shopping malls, and night market stalls. After hearing my statement, the grocery store owners shook their heads.When I was looking almost desperately, the owner of a small commodity store smiled and nodded after listening to my request, and slowly took out a SpongeBob SquarePants mini children's umbrella with a golden background... Hey, I am speechless. Finally, a small general store The store owner made a special trip to help me buy the goods.Thinking that it was so hard to come by, I was so heartbroken that I simply bought two umbrellas.As a result, two ribs of the folding umbrella were broken by the strong sea wind in Alexandria. After repairing, they were forgotten on the minibus when they arrived in Luxor in the early morning; the long-handled umbrella was broken by the lake wind in Abu Simbel. , completely scrapped.Since then, I have never bought an umbrella during my travels, and I have traveled the world with a sun hat.

Egypt is a country that doesn't fit umbrellas.

most unlucky man
Cairo in August 2012 was no longer the pitiful and desolate look it had been five months ago.When I first came to Cairo, because the turmoil had just ended, the tourism industry suffered a major setback. There were few tourists and the hotels were empty.But now, everything is gradually recovering, tourists are increasing, and backpacker hotels are also busy. In the old building where the Sultan Hotel is located, there are three backpacker hotels hidden in one building. The small shop downstairs has started a business targeting foreign backpackers. Everything is twice as expensive as the market price, the so-called "tourist price" .

A Yang, who came to Egypt with me, often went to a small store to buy soda, and gradually became acquainted with the Egyptian brother in the store.The little brother asked A Yang, how is China, is it much better than Egypt?A Yang thought to himself, if he said it was much better, he would not be hated, so he answered calmly, almost.The little brother was surprised: China is also like this?From then on, the younger brother began to give A Yang a local price, and the two called each other brothers.A Yang laughed and called him "Reliable Brother".It seems that it is still necessary to show off the weak from time to time.

A Yang is a third-year student, and his English is not good, so he went to one country after another.Only when you come out do you believe that a language barrier will not kill you.Even people from English-speaking countries have to obediently become dumb when they go to a place where they cannot speak English.Egypt is an Arabic-speaking country with a very low penetration rate of English. Nine out of ten people on the street cannot understand English. People with good English still have to rely on dancing to communicate.My method is to ask the front desk of the hotel to write down in Arabic where I am going or what to do in English, and then take the Arabic note to the street to ask people.A Yang's secret is very simple. If you can't communicate with words, you have to rely on your body.Ayang borrowed a hair dryer from the front desk of the hotel, but he didn’t speak English of the hair dryer, so he used his right hand as a pistol, aiming at his hair for a while, “buzzing”; he wanted to borrow a mosquito coil, but he couldn’t speak English of the mosquito coil, so he used his hands as wings, up and down Thump, then stretch out your index finger and stab at the "bi" of your arm...

Ayang is also the unluckiest backpacker I met during my travels, not one of them.

Ayang won 20 days in a row with small bets in a casino in Nepal, eating delicious food, drinking spicy food, enjoying himself, and getting the envy of the backpackers around him.However, the ancestors often said that things must be reversed when they are extreme. At this time, you will understand what truth is.Ayang's good luck seemed to have been used up in those 20 days, followed by a series of unexplainable unlucky events.In Nepal, the [-] US dollars that Ayang was carrying was stolen, and the travel expenses were lost together with the money he won from the casino.Losses of this magnitude are just the beginning.After arriving in Egypt, bad luck struck Ayang one after another: an Apple mobile phone worth [-] dollars was stolen in the hotel; when he went out to exchange money, he was robbed by a black man in the street at the entrance of the currency exchange shop, and lost [-] dollars... …and some weird mishap happens almost every day.Miraculously, fate seems to be able to tell who is right, and A Yang's bad luck did not affect me who was traveling with me.So much so that before Ayang went to the Giza Pyramids alone, he said to me tragically: If I haven’t returned to the hotel at [-]:[-] pm, it must be some bad luck!
At the normal tour speed, I should be back around 06:30 pm, but at [-]:[-], there was still no sign of A Yang in the hotel lobby.Many possibilities flashed through my mind: stolen?Robbed?Beaten?hit?When he was thinking about whether he should go to the police station if he didn't see anyone at seven o'clock, A Yang came back in a daze, his face turned pale, and he collapsed on the sofa.

"I... I was pushed off the subway platform..."

It turned out that on the way back from the pyramids, Ayang was chatting happily with an American backpacker on the subway platform, and the two were suddenly pushed from behind by a mentally disturbed Egyptian.The American guy was strong and strong, and stopped in time, while the thin A Yang fell directly to the platform. Fortunately, the subway hadn't arrived yet.A Yang rolled and crawled back to the shore of the platform, still in shock, so frightened that he couldn't control his body.The American boy was so angry that he rushed up to grab the perpetrator and beat him hard.The police rushed over and took the three of them away together.

According to A Yang, the police treated him and the American guy a little badly. Without further ado, the American guy made a phone call to the US embassy in Egypt, claiming that he had been maliciously attacked and nearly died.Soon, the chiefs of the Egyptian police received a call from above. The attitude of the police changed 180 degrees to the two. They served tea and water with smiles on their faces, and sent someone to take them to a souvenir shop for shopping.The police carried them, and the price of the souvenirs was surprisingly low, less than one-tenth of the selling price. Originally, a postcard of one Egyptian pound became a set of one Egyptian pound, which was as cheap as a free grab.Frightened, A Yang returned to the hotel with a large bag of souvenirs, sweating profusely.

Sometimes we have to admit that the country is the backing of the people.For a truly powerful country, its fists are hard, its deterrent force is ruthless, and its response is quick. Only when its people are outside can they gain a real sense of security.

In order to appease the frightened A Yang, and to turn his bad luck around, we pulled ourselves together, packed our bags, and took a three-hour car ride to Alexandria for a little vacation.

Alexandria is the second largest city in Egypt, a port on the Mediterranean Sea, named after its founder, Alexander the Great.Once the capital of the Ptolemaic dynasty, it soon became the largest city in ancient Greek culture.Alexandria has experienced ups and downs in the long river of history. Its scale and wealth were once second only to Rome. At the end of the Ottoman Empire, it was almost reduced to a small fishing village.There used to be the largest library in the world, the Alexandria Library, and the Alexandria Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but unfortunately it no longer exists.The former was destroyed by fire and the latter by earthquake.

Cairo is in the season that makes people sweat, 35 six degrees Celsius.Alexandria, which is influenced by the Mediterranean climate, has become a summer resort for Cairo people. It is more than 20 degrees during the day and only [-] degrees at the hottest time.The whole city is built against the sea, and the long bay looks like the edge of the subconscious in the movie "Inception" from a distance.Sitting on the humming tram on the track, passing by the reconstructed Kebay Castle on the site of the lighthouse and the newly built Alexandria Library.The ancient Italian-style buildings are neatly arranged along the Mediterranean Sea. If you walk into any building, you can see the old Western-style elevators that are still in use. There will be creaking noises during the ascent and descent process, and you can look at the first floor through the iron bars in the elevator. Floor after floor appears and disappears before the eyes.The cool sea breeze blows in, making people refreshed.

The blue water beat against the shore, splashing dense mist from time to time and falling on the coastal road, covered with tiny water particles.Take a strong sniff, full of the smell of the sea!

The pleasant scenery of Alexandria brought a good mood, but it still failed to lift A Yang's "curse".A Yang, who decided to return to China, arrived at Cairo Airport and caught up with the EgyptAir strike. All planes were delayed and passengers were stranded at the airport. He also became a lonely figure in the headlines of CCTV's international news reports.After finally looking forward to the end of the strike, I finally flew back to the embrace of the motherland, but caught up with a storm before landing, and the plane that was about to land was pulled up again and forced to another city.I really don’t know whether Ayang’s good luck ran out in the casinos in Nepal or he was born at odds with the Egyptian pharaohs. In short, I have never met a more unlucky backpacker than Ayang along the way.

cairo time

Before I came to Cairo, I only knew that this is an international metropolis, and the "Cairo time" was always one of the five or six hours at the hotel reception.After visiting Cairo three times, I found it to be a place full of street flavor, even reminding me of Kolkata in India.On the roads in Cairo, there are cars, rickshaws, bicycles, tricycles, horse-drawn carts and donkey carts. Little donkeys pull miscellaneous goods and walk past you, leisurely shuttling through the truck stream.I spotted a Fenghuang brand bicycle from China with sharp eyes.Like India, Egypt is also a type of car that does not let people in. The speed of the car is fast, and the pedestrians in front of it are still reluctant to stop, as if it is okay to press on it.I passed by cars several times in fear, and my legs started to weaken when I saw the main road in Egypt. I would rather stand on the side of the road and wait for 10 minutes in desolation than fight with the car.

Such a selling method can often be seen in the Cairo subway and buses: the hawker holds a box of small commodities such as napkins or chewing gum, and throws them to the passengers one by one with skillful movements, one in each hand.Wait 2 minutes, and then withdraw one by one.Buyers who are willing to pay directly to keep the goods in their hands.The peddler throws such a round, and then goes to the next carriage to throw a new round.From the perspective of consumer psychology, this may indeed lead to a higher purchase rate-much better than standing in the car and waiting for someone to stop him from buying, especially for gadgets that can be bought for a dollar or two .When the product is left on hand, passengers will naturally consider whether to keep it.The wisdom of the people is always eye-catching.

Compared to the interesting way of selling, the Egyptian mall confuses me a little.Most traditional shopping malls are filled with tall shelves, which are about two stories high, which is unbelievably high.The salesperson must carefully climb the tall ladder to reach the merchandise placed above.It is so difficult to remove the goods, which makes people feel sweaty.

Egyptians often say 10 minutes and 10 minutes, but it actually takes more than half an hour.An Egyptian laughed at himself: It only takes 10 minutes...not 10 minutes in Egypt time!I spent multiple "10 minutes in Egypt" under the scorching sun and failed to get a train ticket to Luxor from the ornately designed Cairo train station.There is no English note at the ticket office. I joined the queue and waited for a long time before being told to buy at the opposite platform.It's only because I don't understand Arabic.When I got to the opposite platform, there were five ticket windows. I weakly asked window 1 to buy a train ticket. The conductor at window 1 waved my hand and told me to go to window 2; the conductor at window 2 shook my head and told me to go to window 3; window 3 The conductor at the ticket office nodded and told me to go to window 4, and the conductor at window 4 told me to go to window 5; window 5 is a sleeper ticket window, which is extremely expensive, and the price is as high as 10 US dollars, nearly 60 yuan, for a 400-hour drive.And I was rushed back to window 1 because I wanted to buy a seat ticket.I was a little annoyed at being kicked around like a football by a few windows in the scorching heat.Looking at those indifferent conductors, I finally understood the main line of the story: ordinary windows ignore foreigners on the grounds that they don’t understand English, and drive you to buy expensive sleeper tickets, or go to travel agencies to pay high prices for seat tickets . A seat ticket of 80 Egyptian pounds can only be bought at a travel agency for 180 Egyptian pounds.

It's not just the train to go to Luxor, you fool me like this, can't I take a car.Turned around and went to the long-distance station, and spent 100 Egyptian pounds to get on the night train to Luxor.It is completely different from the traditional government agency style of the train station conductor.The attitude of the conductor at the bus station was so good that it made me want to cry. Maybe Egypt also has differences between inside and outside the system.

I survived the night staggering on the night train.I swear that unless it is absolutely necessary, I will never take a night long-distance bus without a sleeper berth again. I still have to do what I can to save money by relying on my youth. If things go on like this, I am "saving money with my life".

When I got off the bus with sleepy eyes, as a foreigner, I immediately became the favorite of a wave of soliciting drivers.

"Do you want to take a taxi to the city? It's 10 kilometers away!" "I take public transportation." "There is no public transportation!" face".The soliciting driver desperately tried to convince me: "That car is going to Aswan, not Luxor!"

The old trick is here again.I already know the usual tricks of this group of people like the back of my hand, and I am about to become indestructible.I went straight to ask the van driver, and sure enough, it was going to downtown Luxor.

"It costs 18 Egyptian pounds, but it's only 20 Egyptian pounds in my taxi!" The soliciting driver still didn't give up.

I chuckled, thinking these people are so cute.They probably think that foreigners are fools, and they will believe random nonsense.The van ticket is generally 1 Egyptian pound per person, and I have taken it many times in Egypt.What's more, if the price of a van is almost the same as that of a taxi, how can there be a steady stream of locals taking that van?It turned out that even the phrase "1 kilometers away" was deceptive, and the actual distance was less than 10 kilometers.I found an affordable backpacker hotel to stay in, and slept in a dark place to make up for the mental loss of my sleepless night.

Luxor at night is breezy.The hawkers who set up the night market stalls are diligently busy. For them, this is the beginning of the day.A wedding is going on in the church, and the ancient bells are ringing all over Luxor.Travelers who come here cannot forget her other name: Thebes.

Luxor Temple

Luxor, known as "the largest open-air museum in the world", is an ancient city located in southern Egypt. It was called Thebes in ancient times. It was divided into the east bank and the west bank because the Nile River passed through the city. The era symbolizes "life" and "death".The ancient Egyptians worshiped the sun and believed that human life rises from the east and sets from the west like the sun. Therefore, the east bank is a residential area with a strong sense of life and the magnificent Luxor Temple, while the west bank is the tomb of the pharaoh.The city of life and the city of death face each other across the river, and they circulate forever in the universe.

Amon, the sun god, is the main god of Thebes. During the Middle Kingdom, Egypt once formed a center of worshiping Amon in Thebes.Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple embody the worship of Thebes gods everywhere.The three-kilometer-long Sphinx Avenue, the multi-column hall of the Temple of Amun, the ancient and magnificent colonnades and obelisks, the huge statues built more than 400 years ago, the exquisite wall reliefs, hundreds of A sphinx, hundreds of tall pillars... Isn't this a scene that only appears in a dream?The broken stone statue has witnessed thousands of years of wind and frost, just like a living history book, telling human beings the mysterious and distant story of ancient Egypt.

In the wall sculpture, there is a figure with one arm and one leg missing but with huge long genitals, which is the god of reproduction.It is said that when all the strong men were sent out to fight, only the women stayed in the village, and an older uncle stayed to take care of the women, children and children.A few years later, when the men returned home, they found that each family had more than one child, and the father of the child was the uncle.The uncle was punished and had one arm and one leg cut off, and he was called the god of reproduction ever since.

Sitting on the ferry to the west bank of Luxor, only to find that it is still far away from the Valley of the Kings.The heat wave is rolling and the desert is deserted. What should I do?I pulled out my traveler tricks, held out my hand, and gave a thumbs up (international hitchhiking gesture).Not long after, a large police car stopped in front of me, and a young policeman in police uniform poked his head out of the passenger seat.

We also go in the direction of the Valley of the Kings, but we can only take you to the intersection near the Valley of the Kings, and you have to walk another way into the valley by yourself.I was surprised by the fluent English of the handsome policeman, which is rare in Egypt.He jumped out of the car, patted the passenger seat, and motioned for me to get on.

The rear compartment is uncomfortable, you should sit in the front.He explained, turning himself to the trunk.

It's a real Egyptian police car with the size of a truck.Sitting in the passenger seat, I suddenly felt majestic and handsome, and I almost forgot what I was doing in the West Bank.I once took a hitchhiker driven by a police squadron cadre in Nyingchi, Tibet, but it was the first time for a girl to get on a real police car.

Classmate Einstein has long taught that good times always pass quickly.Reluctantly getting out of the car, the handsome guy who gave way to me showed me the way. At the end, he grinned at me: "Don't worry, the Egyptian police will always be by your side!"

God, it's fine to have a star face, but also with such handsome lines, is this an idol drama, my little heart is pounding.When I walked into the Valley of the Kings, I was still dizzy and thinking about it, and I had already left behind the beautiful tombs of Tutankhamun and Ramses II.

valley of the kings

Valley of the Kings, the royal tomb, the resting place of the pharaohs.The tomb of Tutankhamun is probably the most famous one. The excavators are all dazzled by the treasures piled up in the tomb. All four rooms are filled with jewels, statues, weapons, musical instruments, boxes, furniture... Most of those treasures are now housed in museums in Cairo.Maybe people will wonder, without mummies and treasures, what else is there to see in the tomb - they must have overlooked the unique design of the ancient tomb and the wonderful murals and reliefs on the walls, those murals and reliefs can be discussed It deals with grand propositions such as religion, sacrifice, imperial power, war, life and death.The ancient Egyptians also had the theory of the underworld. They believed that the sun god would go to the underworld every night, and the dead could achieve eternal life by walking with the sun god.

Naturally, such a treasure land has also been patronized by the ubiquitous tomb robbers.Some mummies were destroyed by tomb robbers and treasures were stolen.So much so that the later pharaohs tried their best to prevent tomb robbers, such as the tomb of Tutmuns III hidden in the mountains.There are cliffs on both sides, and the entrance is only reached by a steep staircase.If it weren't for the arrow on the signboard, I would never have thought that there was a tomb hidden in such a secret place.

During the excavation of the Valley of the Kings, archaeologists continued to die strangely, which triggered many legends about the pharaoh's curse.Of course, in a country like Egypt, where even a leaf falling down will hit a piece of history, such legends have never stopped, and there will always be soil to cling to.Tutankhamun's curse, whether it is bacteria, poison, radiation, or something else, may only be expected to be solved by people in the future.

As the ancient capital of Egypt's nine dynasties, the ancient city of Thebes, full of magic, experienced ups and downs, was invaded many times, and finally withdrew from the stage of history.Earthquakes struck, tomb robbers destroyed, and today only the ruins of Thebes remain in Luxor.The poet Homer called Thebes "the capital of a hundred gates". The prosperity and fall of this ancient city are like a mirror reflecting the beginning and end of the Pharaoh era.

With a strong taste of books, I went to Aswan in the south to pay homage to the magnificent Temple of Horus and Abu Simbel Temple, because I was going to the next journey from the south.Under the scorching sun, I stood in front of the Aswan pier and slowly moved forward with the long queue.From here I will embark and float to the next leg of my journey, the Sultan.

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi once said: There is nothing new in Egypt, and the Egyptians are the same as usual-creating history.This country, surrounded by ancient civilizations, is struggling to find some peace in the political storm circle of the Arab world, although it seems a little breathless under the urging of modern civilization.Time is moving forward, history, let it lie there quietly.

(End of this chapter)