++ MADNESS IN EGYPT ++

This is the 16 August 2001 edition of this page

                          CHAPTER  FIVE

                     WHO'S "GOING-DOWN" NEXT?

Throughout this trip, many travellers 'went-down' with 'Gippy tummy' presumably for neglecting the good advice about where and what to eat - and what to avoid!! All through the journey, some close friends (whom I regarded as very sensible) were affected by the problem. More and more were affected as time went on!

We were quite adequately briefed about the problems & dangers on our initial talk on 4th Sept '96 and I immediately bought my first bottle of mineral water (at £1 per a litre and a half). After this chat with our guide (Dave) we went for a fantastic evening meal and generally chatted until 9.35pm. My refrigerator in my room would keep my 'supply' cool - as distinct from the heating problems it encountered whilst moving around outside!! The water would be a safe way of preventing dehydration in the days ahead.

That evening I purchased and wrote on five post-cards to send to people back home in England. On the early morning of 5th September of 1996, I received my early-morning call which beat, even, my early rising!! I posted the 'cards in a box in the foyer of the Pyramisa Hotel (Cairo) and made my way along to the 'serve-yourself' breakfast for croissants, fruit juices, -repeating the process again so as not to get hungry later.

I made my way to the coach which was bound for the Pyramids and the Sphinx - and did much photography both en-route to and in the descent into the Mycerius Pyramids I also took several shots as I approached closer and closer to the Sphinx.







After a lot of walking and photography around this marvellous site (which was what the whole trip was really about!!), I then returned to the hotel for a fabulous lunch. In the afternoon, we departed South along a cultivated strip by the Nile towards MEMPHIS where we made our first stop. Ramasses II was our guy here!! He'd been 'a long time dead', many times real-life size, in a prone position, and made out of stone or something pretty-permanent!! Then we saw an ALABASTER SPHINX, some other statues - and came across some date-crops in abundance (apparently almost ready for harvestting - but it normally takes place in September?!?).

Next, we were off to Sakkara for its temple and the King Zoser Complex, - which contains the MUSTABAS or STEP PYRAMID, which is the only one in Egypt. This would be one of the "Highlights" for me being remembered from schooldays. Photography sessions were eagerly looked forward to!! DAVE took my photo near this Pyramid. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew up from the rear - and my hat disappeared in the opposite direction. Being as that HAT was my sole protection against the fierce sun, I shot off after it at a high rate-of-knots. I needed to retrieve it - or die!! In retrospect, according to Dave later, that supersonic dash could well have accelerated my death!!





Anyhow, I retrieved it, and took more photos - and then, after generally exploring the area, made my way back to the coach. Back on the coach, I shared my consternation about my missing 'bifocals' (necessary for me to see clearly) with some fellow-travellers. Fortunately, one of these guys, by the name of Geoff, had a spare pair with him that were very close to my requirements for reading and writing - and furthermore, he was willing to lend them to me for such purposes! That evening proved very rewarding in that respect. Dave, our guide, said that I should be able to claim on my insurance for this loss, by paying a small amount (about £35?) towards the new 'specs'!

To aid the insurers with their assessments, we both realised that it would be necessary to report, officially, the loss to a local police station!! This 'local' station, for our purpose, could be the one near our forthcoming hotel in Cairo. That lead to a mutually confusing exercise which is more fully recorded in Chapter Three in the first of the "Cock-ups in Cairo".

After these 'interviews' were over, I had a fabulous evening meal (which many people now call dinner!) on a new table - with chats to new people in the SAGA group. On returning to my room after the meal, I noticed that Geoff's specs (which he'd lent me) worked even better if I wore them upside-down (with its sidearms stuck in my ears for stability!!) That evening, I wrote my notes using that technique and also made more plans using a Malvern Library guide-book!!

Let's return to Egyptian index for reorientation.

.. or read the trip plan from the 1996 story in its Egypt Notes.

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