Mattopia Jones

Mattopia Jones and the City of the Living
Heiroglyphs
On the Nile
Sphinx

Preface

Before I get into all the nitty-gritty of my "Spring Break 2008" trip to New York City, Amsterdam, Cairo, and Luxor, I need to address some things I've read in the mainstream media recently and clear up some notions best described as "breathless misperceptions."

First of all, I went to Egypt totally solo. No tour groups, no pre-arranged guides. It's how I do things. After all, I tend to get on my own nerves when I'm on the road. It's a relentless pursuit of sites, activities, stimulation, inspiration and so on. That's in part why, eight months later, my Egyptian travel journal is still only a few pages long. Things happen. Life happens.

But let's get some perspective on Egypt.

Sharon Waxman, a former New York Times entertainment reporter, wrote on her blog about Transformers 2 filming in Egypt. She stayed hush-hush about it until the crew had already come and gone, she wrote. Shia Labeouf was hesitant about going to Egypt; apparently everybody had some degree of anxiety. Safety was a huge concern, what with a terrorist attack that killed 62 in Luxor in November 1997.

That's an odd choice of alarmist awareness considering, since then, New York City was ruthlessly attacked in 2001 and there were two small-scale incidents in Cairo in April 2005.

I've read Sharon's bio on her blog and, darn, she should know better. She studied Hebrew and Arabic and reported from Jerusalem for Reuters and this sensationalist approach is disappointing.

My point is this: It's a dangerous world, including our very own backyard. And given the political climate in Egypt and its surrounding territories, it's mighty darn impressive the last major attack in Luxor was 11 years ago with only minor - relatively - incidents since then.

More importantly, you need to realize Egypt relies on tourism to keep its economy going. Egyptians are painfully aware of the dangers of terrorism and its economic impact. Yes, Israel also relies on tourism and the cultural interest people have in its wealth of history, but that area, right next door to Egypt, is rife with a territorial uproar that sets it apart.


Audio from the streets of Luxor
No Hassle
Sign outside a "hassle free" store in Luxor

True, I'm not a political scientist and I'm "only" a single dude traveling around, not a big celebrity with loads of camera equipment following my every move.

With that in mind, let me also call out a travel writer who started his Denver Post article about his travels in Egypt by commenting on the veritable pride he takes in traveling solo.

But he couldn't handle Egypt. Next time, he says - if there is a next time - he'll go in a group in order to be sheltered from life's harsh realities. The pestering and the begging were too much for his rose-colored sunglasses, apparently.

Such an attitude is incredibly ignorant, particularly coming from a self-professed solo travel guru.

Yes. I went solo also. And, yes, I was constantly hounded by hucksters wanting to sell me body oils and "genuine" papyrus among all other manner of things.

And, yes, most of the time "la shokran" ("no thank you") did absolutely nothing to keep them at bay.

Even so, it was humbling. Most definitely annoying, but humbling.

It was humbling to inadvertently take a wrong turn and walk into a worndown part of Luxor. A part that's never, ever shown on the National Geographic channel, a cable network that works steadily on promoting the historical richness of a country that lives in poverty.

On that occasion in Luxor, among others, it crossed my mind that my Playstation 3, sitting at home in stately Matt Manor, cost more than most Egyptians earn in an entire year.

Sure, many people there are desperate, and for good reason. But the important lesson to learn is they keep going.

Yes, I do want to return to Egypt. Solo. There are some amazing, truly exciting things going on out there even as I write this. Astonishing new discoveries in Saqqara and elsewhere continue to prove Egypt is a fascinating place.

Map of Africa
Map elements:
Google Maps + Maplandia blended with Mattopian ingenuity

My trip to Egypt easily ranks among the most personally significant trips I've ever taken. It was educational. It was eye opening. And thinking back on my bike ride from the Nile to the Valley of the Kings still reaps a tear of pure joy.

Some of the educational elements are tangential, but still important.

When I was checking out the Solar Boat museum at the pyramids of Giza, a couple guys introduced themselves and let me know they were from Sinai. They were surprised and pleased to know I had heard of Sinai and was familiar with some of the activity in the area.

And "my driver" in Luxor was from Sudan. He was a man who quickly endeared himself to me by saying I could call him "Howard Carter" without even knowing Carter and his epic work were "topics of passion" for me.

If "Sudan" doesn't ring any bells in your mind, then most certainly "Darfur" does. That's one of the places making the headlines for all the wrong reasons, mostly for genocide. Where is the Darfur Region? It's in Sudan, a country that borders Egypt to the south. And that region of horror is mighty close to where I traveled.

The map shows that close relationship and also points out some of those other "far away" lands that are always in the news. There's India, where a terrorist attack in Mumbai in November 2008 further strained the country's relationship with Pakistan. Of course, there's also Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Not highlighted is Morocco, on the northwest coast of Africa. While I was there many years ago, neighboring Algeria essentially declared open hunting season on tourists. That would most certainly qualify as a dangerous situation for any traveler, solo or otherwise.

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