Alexandria, Egypt

Wednesday, November 18th
Route of the Ancient Traders
Day 8
M/S Nautica
Alexandria, Egypt
Clear – 74 Degrees

The ship docked at the port of Alexandria in the nicest port facility we have been through. Very modern with gold inlay and marble tile. That was the end of "nice" for the rest of the trip.

After introductions to our guide, driver, and ARMED BODY GUARD, we made our way out of the port, through Alexandria, and SouthEast toward Cairo.

Alexandria is known by Alex to the locals. It was the capital of Egypt for many centuries before the nexus of power moved go Cairo. Situated on the Mediterranean and looking North, Alex has a European look and feel. It is still Egypt’s second-largest city with a population of 8 million. Moving through the tangle of streets and alleys was a challenge in noon traffic. Animal carts shared the road with buses, trucks, cars, and motorbikes. We passed a square with a statue of Muhammad Ali, not the boxer, the founder of modern Egypt. Just before merging onto the highway to Cairo we saw the national football stadium, home of the Pharaohs. This is a big day in Egypt. The Pharaohs are playing Algeria in the Sudan with a bid to the World Cup in the balance.
Egypt is divided by the Nile. The Nile runs from South to North, the only major river in the world to do so. Thus, Upper Egypt is in the South, and Lower Egypt is in the North. To the East lies the Suez Canal, the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Suez, and the Red Sea. To the West is the Sahara. Our tour of Lower Egypt will take us to both sides of the Nile in and around Cairo.



The Nile Delta has some of the richest soils on earth and the Nile has been the lifeblood of Egypt for millennia. With a long and proud history of wealth and power, modern Egypt is a Third-World country. Though Egypt is a vast nation, it suffers from overpopulation. Almost the entire population is concentrated in the cities and along the Nile. Only 5% of the land is arable. Egypt is attacking this problem on two fronts. One, they are building new cities. There are 32 major cities in Egypt and the goal is to double that number with twin cities. Literally. New Cairo, New Alexandria, etc. These cities are planned communities with new infrastructure and modern amenities. International business has been incentivized to locate in the new cities. Free land, cheap labor, and no taxes for more than a decade. 17 cities have been created so far, but the people aren't moving. Family is very important to Egyptians and they are loathe to leave their families in the old cities. The second initiative is to expand the amount of arable land in the country. Egypt is digging canals running East and West from the Nile. From these canals, farmers will be able to irrigate their crops, turning the desert into productive land.

The drive to Cairo was fascinating, a stark contrast to the sterility of the Israeli highways filled with commuters. This major highway reflected the full spectrum of Egyptian life. We passed shopping malls and factories, farms and open land, slums and garbage dumps, Mosques and roadside oases. We stopped for construction, pedestrians, stalled cars, and police checkpoints. We saw every manner of conveyance. More animal carts, farm equipment dating back at least to the fifties, small cars and trucks of every make. Most of them were old and tired. Many flew flags rooting the Pharaohs to victory. There were no 18-wheelers. Small trucks carried commercial payloads of all kinds: oranges, giant heads of cauliflower, tree stumps, chemicals, bags piled high over the sides, out the back, and on top of the cab. There are highway signs advising of the compulsory seat belt law, but they are completely ignored. Most trucks had several people riding free on top of the cargo in back. Many of the people we passed waved at our bus.

We arrived in Cairo and just a few blocks from our hotel, the pyramids of Giza came into view. The suburbs come right to the edge of these historic landmarks...hotel, hotel, pyramid, pyramid, radio tower. We checked in to the Le Meridien Pyramids hotel and skipped the optional shopping trip to settle in for a rest. We were looking forward to having a night off the ship in a real hotel on terra firma. The Le Meridien was tired, though, and our cabin onboard Nautica is hard to beat. Our room had a view of the pyramids, so no complaints.

Back in a Muslim country, the call to prayer was never far away. We could hear it from the room, which had an arrow on the ceiling pointing in the direction of Mecca.


The "Sound and Light Show" is the ubiquitous tourist entertainment event of the Middle East. We boarded the bus for the short drive to the pyramids, but the streets were choked with evening traffic. Cars honked wildly and waved their flags. The soccer match was only an hour away.

We tried to pass the traffic on the shoulder to the right, but that was stop and go as well. Men on foot and in carts were leading teams of animals to slaughter for Eid al-Adha. This ritual sacrifice is part of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage for Muslims to Mecca. The largest pilgrimage in the World, it is the fifth pillar of Islam and must be fulfilled by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it at least once in their lives. The Hajj occurs from the 7th to the 13th day of the 12th month of the Muslim calendar, this year November 25th through 29th. The Hajj draws about 3 million of the faithful each year, but everyone celebrates Eid al-Adha and local families are starting to prepare. When the animal is slaughtered, they give 1/3 to the poor, share 1/3 with friends and family, and celebrate the feast with 1/3 for themselves.

We finally arrived at our destination and walked out onto a vast terrace in the backyard of the pyramids and the Sphinx for a history lesson in sound and light. Music and narration blared from the speakers, floodlights lit the pyramids, and lasers danced in the night. The show was an introduction to the conception, engineering, and construction of these monuments. It was as cheezeball as it comes, but a fun survey of Egyptology.

We returned to the hotel for an unremarkable dinner, and than back to the room to watch the end of the soccer match. Our hometown Pharaohs lost to Algeria 1-0 and will not make an appearance in the world Cup. We joined our fellow Egyptians in mourning.

Tomorrow: Tombs, pyramids, statues, Sphinx, and museums