May 2009 Egypt.... Part II

To the Suez Canal

After 36 hours plugging into headwinds avoiding shipping on the edge of the shipping lane and keeping clear of oil platforms we arrive at the top of the Gulf of Suez at midnight to join the queue of other 'ships' communicating by radio with Suez Port Control and get directed to moor at the Suez Yacht Club.
Picked up mooring in the dark at 3.00 am and collapsed into the bunk only to be woken with a rap on the hull at 8.00am by the port agents to set in motion our canal transit documentation and measuring appointment for later that day.

Canal Measuring Games

The morning proceeded to heat like an oven in contrast to the previous few days.A nice young chap came to the boat at 10am to commence the measuring game which results in calculations that estimate the cargo carrying capacity of the vessel as the means by which the canal authority charges for a transit.
The fact that as a pleasure vessel we don't carry freight is immaterial, this is the way it is, so play the game. Amongst cruisers there is widespread concern at the resulting overcharging because they measure from the bottom of the keel and not the bottom of the hull. The closer we got to Suez cruisers have been comparing anticipated rates that will be charged and we were expecting about USD$350 ++ based on our deep 2.70m keel draught.   P decides this official obfuscation is not on and lets said measurer know there is a 'present' for him pending, and whacko he conveniently uses the hull draught figure not the keel and we get charged just USD$138. We finally beat Egypt by playing the time honoured B&C game too!!

Pilot Games

5.00am next morning our official pilot by the name of Atea comes aboard and we are immediately off in the dawn light on the 40 mile hop up the canal to the halfway point at Ismailia where we intend stopping and going off to visit Cairo, the Pyramids and lower Egypt.

We have a quiet and uneventful motor with Atea who is very courteous having extracted his first 'gift' a packet of cigarettes (especially purchased as we don't smoke) within 5 minutes of departure as he had conveniently left his at home. Early in the piece he asked the non commital B if he would get a nice gift but did not raise the subject again until 15 minutes out of Ismailia when he asked P if there is a 'gift for pilot' in a way that suggests the pilot is a third person, presumably so it doesn't come across as a direct demand. We tell him we will give it to him in an envelope when he steps off.

Arrival Games

The arrival at Ismailia Yacht Club is still a few minutes off and what was about to unfold ended like we might have been seeking medical assistance to get him off..... Apart from one other yacht with no one on board the marina is cruiser free. As we arrive we commence reversing in to tie up Med-Style to the dock with P on the
helm and B on bow attaching the bow line to the outer bouy, with Atea twiddling his fingers and itching for the gift and to get off.  Next minute all hell lets loose with three guys on a nearby wharf yelling at us in Egyptian and Atea initially ignoring them but eventually responding as voices started to rise.
They gesticulate we must anchor off but we say no as we want the security of being alongside when we are away in Cairo.  Next the three guys are jumping into an official looking motor boat and commence motoring over to have this now yelling match face to face with our man Atea who is now really starting to earn his pilot fee. The boat approaches our bow at speed and is about to crunch us when B now gets into the act with fender in hand giving her best assertive plain English interpretation of 'move away and understand we are going to tie up to the dock'.

Muslim men cannot handle a woman like this in full flight so they reconcentrate their efforts on Atea who by now is jumping up and down on the foredeck with the look of a major coronary explosion on his face, screaming at these guys and at the same time talking to the harbourmaster on his cellphone. Motor boat duly
backs off, the screaming subsides and we stay put. Throughout P has remained at the helm controlling Muskie as the stern lines were still not fast. The security guard on the dock had been refusing to let us tie up and then when we do comes over and asks for a present of a pack of cigarettes. We establish the ground rules - "no". The whole exrcise had been real theatre that only Egypt can deliver. On-lookers sort of ignored it as if its an everyday occurrence.

No sooner are we tied up the mercury hits 40c and then at dusk a sand storm blows through at gale force dropping the temperature but is thankfully all over after 30 minutes. B is not at all happy with the goings on and thinks we should hi-tail it to Port Said and out of Egypt but P says lets sleep on it and not feel pressured. We do and next morning we establish the furore was all about 'Swine Flu'. Without establishing where we had come from or how long we had been in Egypt these misinformed, self-appointed gatekeepers assumed, being foreigners, we had arrived directly from overseas and may be a risk. This is a country that in a panic response has apparently slaughtered all it pigs in the last three weeks upsetting the non-Muslim pig eating and keeping minority.

Fuel Games

We spend the next day topping up the fuel tanks by ferrying diesel in 20 litre jerry cans at 100 litres a time from a nearby petrol station because there is no fueling service at this yacht club. The incentive is that we need fuel plus it costs only USD19 cents a litre compared to 10 times that in Turkey. The disincentive, apart from physically having to lug it about 250 metres from the taxi to the boat, is the B&C shenanigans at the security gate.

As the Ismailia Yacht Club is inside the canal zone it is in international waters so you have to carry your passport and clear in and out with Immigration. We had heard from previous cruisers that the Immigration security guards on the gate would not let fuel bearing cruisers in or out without baksheesh being paid, and with fuel movements by cruisers obviously being their major source of illicit income the amount of baksheesh being demanded would increase with each load. And we are not talking small baksheesh...try 4 to 5 times the value of the fuel !!

Well, forewarned is forearmed, Musketelles skipper simply stood his ground and uttered that universally understood word - "no". Admittedly he had to utter this several times including when summoned by the Head of Security and told it would be a good idea to pay a gift to the "good men on the gate". Which signalled he was also head of the scam. But P showed strong presence of mind and stuck with "no" even though the Head was holding our passports and looking like he did not intend giving them back. However he had no answer when P simply held out his hand and said "passports please".

Cairo, Pyramids and Bazaar

Egypt is not on everyone's must visit travel radar. We included ourselves in this category but we are really pleased we have made the effort on this voyage.
We have achieved what we planned and quite some as we have been captivated by the ancient history. Our latest 2 day land tour to Cairo has been a nice conclusion to our month in Egypt. Lets tell you about it....

We went in company with Californians, Marvin and Ruth from 'Toucan Tango' and travelled the 120km from Ismailia to Cairo by train at 6:45 am. The train was filthy inside and out (and we were in the most expensive seats - all of Egyptian 13 pounds about USD$2.30). P had to take his shoe off to kill a cockroach that was
striding menacingly towards B along the carriage wall.

On arrival in Cairo we caught the metro (underground) direct to a recommended hotel, the Hotel House Ismailia - cheap, nondescript, clean, perfect for a night or two and located right over the metro in the center of the city overlooking the Nile and within walking distance of the museum.

By midday we were on the outskirts of Cairo at Giza oggling at the Pyramids and other attractions after declining a hard sell for a camel, horse or carriage tour. One of the highlights at Giza was a huge 60 metre long boat, 4500 years old !!. The mummified Pharaohs were conveyed by barques rowed by 20 men down the Nile to Giza to their final resting place within the pyramid. The barque that carried them on this last journey was then dismantled and buried in a deep pit beside the pyramid to provide transport for the pharaoh to the next world. The one we viewed was that of the Pharaoh Cheops. Made of the finest Lebanese Cedar
timber, it was only discovered in 1954 and carefully and painstakingly reassembled over the next 20 years.

Back in Cairo (after one small bus, one ordinary bus and one metro) we rested then headed for the Ramses Hilton with the intention of watching the sunset from the 'Windows on the World' lounge on the 36th floor, reputedly one of the must do's in this city. Also since reading '1421 The Year China Discovered the World'  P was wanting to view from the Hilton the still faintly identifiable path of the first canal (100ft wide x 40ft deep) linking the Red Sea and the Nile dating from 600BC!!! 2700 years before the current canal.
We only have one night in Cairo and as luck would have it the lounge was closed for a private function. Tough. However we treated ourselves to a very good meal in the cafe in the Hilton - nicest lamb chops we have had for ages. We walked back to the hotel through the Cairo traffic, taking our lives in our hands at each intersection. Pedestrian crossings have no meaning in Cairo nor is a speed limit apparent. As Ruth said, it was like the Running of the Bulls!

Next morning we visited the highly respected Cairo Museum, opened in 1854 and housing the most enormous array of Egyptian antiquity including Tutankhamon's stunningly beautiful and intricate treasure trove. The Tut excavations uncovered literally thousands of pieces of his personal accoutrements including his clothing and footwear, bed and furniture, artwork and pottery, throne and crown, chariot and fighting bows, models of his homes and boats, jars containing his organs, even remains of his stillborn children etc etc, all left stacked around his mummy, for use in the afterlife. The actual mummified body was enclosed in the smallest inner solid gold sacophagus (case) that had his mummified body lying on its back with arms crossed on chest and finally the famous gold face mask was then placed over the head. The top lid of this first asacophagus was then wired closed and another 3 wooden gold plated sacophagus each slightly larger were fitted clam like to leave a larger than life godlike image the young King represented. The complete sacophagus was then placed in a series of 4 elaborately decorated and gold leaf sheathed shrines (very similar to a common shipping container) that fit into each other with 1cm to spare. Each was built in kitset form and carried down into the underground tomb and reassembled around the sacophagus. The outer shrine is literally the size of a 20ft shipping container and has similar end opening doors. These 4 huge shrines are all on display in the Cairo Museum. Having visited Tuts tomb in Luxor, we were able to put it all in context.

In the afternoon we visited Al-Ghoury the home of Khan el Khalili the famous bazaar flanked by 25 mosques and a massive Islamic University before returning by bus to Ismailia by dusk and the comfort of Musketelle, sort of  Egypted out.

Out of Egypt

Spent the next day provisioning for our passage north up the remaining 40 miles of the canal to Port Said and out of Egypt. At 5am the next morning we were off with pilot Mohammed. He requested and got his first Pepsi at 6am and must have thought he was onto a winner because next minute....could he have a cap, my sunglasses etc etc. He was not impressed when were non-responsive to his calls for this that and the other
so to pass the time we settled down with a geography lesson and played him some Maori music to remove the image he had that we were Dutch from Zealand.
As luck would have it he got a bigger than normal 'present' getting all our residual Egyptian cash. On arrival at Port Said it was a beaming Mohammed that alighted onto the canal pilot boat that collected him direct from Musketelle and without stopping we too were also very happy as we popped out into the Med and the next phase of our meanders.

B&P@SEA

May 2009 Egypt..... Part 1

We apologise, we are getting worse writing these blogs, its a month since we last tickled the keyboard. Our only excuse is we have been thoroughly captivated immersing ourselves in country #16 on our meanders.... . Egypt, land of Antiquity, Pharaohs, Tombs, Pyramids, Temples and ancient civilizations beyond any simple measure of comprehension to mere mortal sailors.
In contrast Sailing north up the Red Sea into Egyptian waters from Sudan we reached a spot off the Egyptian coast commonly called Dolphin Reef where as the name implies dolphins abound.

Pic Dolphin Reef

The reef is mostly submerged at both high and low tide and as we sailed towards the reef all we could see was a flotilla of large and small boats anchored as if on a painted ocean. As we got closer the outline of the surrounding reefs just under or just breaking the surface became clearer and we found our way through to

anchor in flat water in the center of a very big beautiful white sand bottomed lagoon.

We were here solely to swim with the pods of dolphins that inhabit the reef and planned an overnight stop and swim. We departed 5 days later !! as the place just grew on us with the snorkelling and swimming with the dolphins just such a treat. Who does not like dolphins... they are amongst the prettiest sleekest mammals so we could not help but dive in whenever we could to join them. Each morning they would return to the lagoon following their evening at sea feeding outside the reef. They seemingly enjoyed the company of humans and allowed us to swim among them freely and they among us. It was one of those special experiences. One cruise yacht stayed 3 weeks.

Big white 80/120ft long white mini cruisers carrying 15/30 mostly European divers and snorkellers would anchor for 2/4 days and the dolphins seemed more than happy with this endless stream of human invaders. On arrival we anchored near a particularly flash white cruise boat and P flippantly suggested we could enquire if we could buy dinner aboard to give B a break. Would you believe the next day they came across and invited us to come over that evening for sundowners. Turns out the guests were all French with one token Brit couple, all living in Monaco and Nice and they ask us to stay for dinner.

Next day we joined them and their resident dolphin expert for dolphin swimming including lessons in dolphin etiquette to maximise the experience. We returned the hospitality with B making morning tea and a big bake of pikelets with jam & uht cream which went down a treat.

Med Moored Port Ghalib

We sailed from Dolphin Reef to Port Ghalib. The wind was continuously strong from the NNW, the direction we were going, and the sea state typical Red Sea - short big swells that suddenly slow the boat. Motoring rather than sailing means bashing into these winds and seas. Sailing means a smoother ride (sort of) but
involves tacking out towards the middle and then back in, large zig zags as shown by the track on the chartplotter, so takes twice as long and twice the distance.

We formally cleared into Egypt at Port Ghalib and had our first taste of modernity for some months at this massive new resort and marina development on the southern Red Sea coast of Egypt. This place is on a marsa (inlet) on the edge of the desert with its own international airport handling wide body jets from

all over Europe and even the Philippine Presidential jet flew in whilst we were there. They have built their own power station, sewage treatment and salt to fresh desalination plant so its totally self sufficient. It also sports it's own wrecked yacht at the entrance to the marina, a German who came in at night with no engine in 25 knots of wind and now is arguing over the huge fine the authorities wish to impose on him for damaging the reef.

A sad expensive tale

Stage one of five already includes 4 major hotels and a traditional Egyptian Souk (shopping bazaar) plus Eastern and Western restaurants on a waterfront boulevard setting around the marsa. Sun, sea and diving are the drawcards but it was not anywhere near as busy as it should have been. Global meltdown is clearly affecting everyone everywhere. The whole complex is owned by one very very wealthy Kuwaiti Arab, one of 10 he is developing throughout Africa and the Middle East. So this is where all those extra petro dollars are going when we fill the tank.

We berthed on the main boulevard Med style with the stern onto the dock and the bow connected to a mooring. For the first time since Thailand we connected up to power and water and were able to run all our systems including the washing machine. No wonder 8 days flew by even if for the last 3 we were both grounded well and truly with some sort of Egyptian tummy eruption....to put it mildly. We feel lucky to have got through Indo, Asia, Sri Lanka and Yemen etc bug free only to be flattened in Egypt.

Hurghada

Entering Hurghada Marina 

We elected to do an overnight motoring hop to Hurghada even though the wind and waves were not fun. Hurghada is the center of the Egyptian dive industry which is simply huge and based around the large number of islands and reefs in the crystal clear waters of the Red Sea adjacent to this port. As a consequence there are a large number of hotels and a tourist shopping and services center that is entertaining to walk around particularly of an evening.
With Europeans being the customer base everything is open until the wee small hours. Parked up in a good marina with good security we decide this is the spot to leave Muskie for some eagerly awaited land travel.

Land Tour Observations

Time for immersing in the ancient Egyptian culture with a land trip to visit the upper Nile River Valley, Luxor, Valley of the Kings and Tuts Tomb etc etc. We elected to take a local air-con bus 250km inland to Luxor and spend a few nights at the recommended 3 star Hotel Emilio with a splendid rooftop pool and outdoor restaurant overlooking Luxor Temple, the Nile and the Valley of Kings in the distance. Even the bus trip through coastal mountains and desert to the brilliantly fertile plains beside the Nile was a visual treat.

It was harvest time in the fields and the methods are still very traditional with those ever present hard working little donkeys popular and clearly still efficient. You can use a donkey all day in the fields then use it to trot into the village in the evening or go shopping. You don't need to worry about fuel spikes, you don't need to pay registration or a licence to ride and all ages can take the reins. We even saw five year olds in control. Since Yemen we've been getting to like donkeys!!! but must admit they would not cut it on the Auckland

Harbour Bridge or going up the Ngauranga Gorge.

The use of irrigation canals to spread the Nile waters is very impressive and probably thousands of years old. The land use is comprehensive with every fruit and vegetable you can think of being grown. We saw wheat barley, lucerne, sugarcane, strawberries, grapefruit, kiwifruit, peppers, nuts etc. They have a dairy industry and even a good wine industry and its not a bad drop. In preparation for Europe's renowned prices we have stocked up on some pleasant whites and rose plus their beer, Sakara Gold and Stella is as good as the best.

Everythings BC

BC Definition 1: Bribery & Corruption

So far Egypt and her people have been more pleasant than we were expecting despite the B&C. Everything here is B&C for tourists and locals. Egypt is a country that created civilisation as we know it along with so many discoveries and firsts for humanity, yet Egypt is sort of still back there at the back of the pack.

If in doubt ask a taxi driver - we hired a taxi driver for the day to take us out to the Valley of the Kings and we very respectfully asked him about baksheesh. Over lunch in a restaurant he lowered his voice and said that bribes & corruption are endemic at all levels for everyone and hold Egypt back.

Relating to our travels he said simply getting a passport, opening a bank account, wanting to transfer money in or out or just travelling overseas would involve questions from the authorities and a necessary "gift". Another example, the best students don't necessarily get to study or become academics or professionals. Degrees or certificates can be "acquired" by payment of a "gift" at the end of the study period, even if the student has not passed the course.
Others told us that wages in Egypt are so low that baksheesh is accepted as the standard way to upsize earnings.....puts the Western concept of minimum wage laws into context!!.

It was disconcerting to wander around town or tourist attractions and not be able to speak to a local as even making pleasant conversation or asking a simple question would result in the hand being held out with the request for a tip or gift. Even eye contact would get the frenzy started.

Buying things/services (even a taxi ride in horse and cart) generates some real theatre as prices are negotiated and baksheesh wheedled out of you. They want your money and stop at nothing trying it on...they are masters at it but with our exchange rate we have to be firm. We often say "not american" and they do a double take and back off.

BC Definition 2: Before Christ

At anything up to 5000 + years old Ancient Egyptian culture is more BC than AD. That's hard to come to grips with but when walking around above and below ground you soon get to feel that you are treading on special ground. The monuments and temples and tombs with their story carving artwork and hieroglyphics in stone are truly impressive and we were most impressed by the colorful painted stone some of which is still vivid if out of the direct sunlight. The peak of the Pharaohs and their Priests power was 2000 years BC.








You've got to marvel at it all.... for us Tutankamon's Tomb and his actual mummified body and Hatshepsut's Temple were highlights in the Valley of the Kings, whilst the mammoth Karnak Temples and the Museums in Luxor were highlights in town. We visited Karnak both at night for a spectacular 'Light and Sound' show among the ruins and then in the day. The interesting thing about the ruins is that clearly the Pharaohs and Kings and Queens built over the top or around their predecessors in an effort to honour their gods and in some cases even plundered their forebears tombs to enhance their own.


All in all a pretty self-idolising lot we thought. Cremation sounds much fairer and better for the planet. War and looting has sadly taken its toll on many treasures and some major monuments or bits thereof have found their way around the world. Can't help but think the decent thing would be for those to be returned to Egypt.



Today

We have left Hurghada and are currently at anchor at Bluff Point 27.40N 33.48E at the top of the Red Sea at the entrance to the Gulf of Suez waiting for the 30 knot breeze and wave patterns to drop before slipping the 150 miles north to Port Suez to enter the southern end of the Suez Canal. So far we have been here 2 nights. Its pretty cool too, we have put on two T-shirts in the evening and we are asking ourselves why we are heading further north to winter in Europe.

Its only mid May and we feel like we have really achieved some mileage under the keel compared with last year as we measure crossing the Indian Ocean, the pirate infested Gulf of Aden and now the Red Sea as milestones.  We plan to stop halfway through the canal for a few days at Ismailia and go off to do Cairo and the Pyramids. The Luxor visit has really got the juices going and we have purchased a few books to enhance the knowledge. We will be real Egyptologists when we slip out the northern end of the canal into the Med.

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