And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. Exodus 5:1.
So it was with my Hebrew tocayo, and so it is with me. I may not have the gravity of Charlton Heston (or the N.R.A. membership, which I may yet regret), and the toadish Sudanese bureaucrat in Cairo was certainly no Yul Brynner, but nonetheless I have been freed from Egypt at last!
Altogether, it took almost six weeks just to get the permission for my Sudan VISA from Khartoum, plus all manner of additional time to fix all the problems my extended stay in Egypt caused. And just how long did I have to stay in Egypt, you might be wondering? Long enough that I had to become a temporary resident, according to the government! That’s right, I’m officially an Egyptian! (But thankfully a temporary one.)
A lot of time has passed since my last post, but not much happened for most of that time. But once I secured my entry into Sudan, I did drive the length of the Nile to Egypt’s southernmost town (Aswan, from which I’m writing this post). Along the way I saw some of Egypt’s most famous monuments at Luxor and Edfu, and because I drove, I also saw a lot of desert and a fair stretch of the Nile. So here are a few random thoughts about the things that I’ve seen.
First, the desert. I’ve watched quite a few nature documentaries about the Sahara (and other deserts), and the general theme of them is usually something like “in spite of the harsh conditions, life thrives even in the desert.” But I have news for you, gentle readers: that’s a big lie. It is true that there is life in places in the Sahara, but what makes it extraordinary isn’t the life, but the lifelessness. I’ve seen something like 1,300 miles of it now, and outside of the Nile and the odd Oasis, I could probably count the number of trees I’ve seen on one hand. If that. There’s just nothing but rock and sand and sun covering an area the size of the continental U.S.A. And anyone or anything that wanders out into it without the right resources (natural or manmade) will be dead in fairly short order. At least for me, it was quite an amazing and scary moment when I realized that such a huge part of the globe is almost totally inimical to life.
In the midst of this vast wasteland runs the tiny ribbon of the Nile. It’s the world’s longest river, but it’s not especially wide (given its length, that is). It’s like a slender little lifeline slipping through the desert, and all of Egypt depends on it. In fact, it’s not much of an exaggeration to say that Egypt is the Nile River Valley. It’s rather amazing to emerge from the desert and see the Nile River valley, as long as one can see, but only a few miles wide (at most) for much of its length. And those are very green miles, completely filled with agricultural fields, palm trees, and (in the south) lots of birds. (I’ve seen some gorgeous kingfishers, but I’m afraid there are no photos yet.)
Driving down the Nile, it’s not difficult to see why the world’s first truly great civilization emerged here. (Sorry Sumerians and Babylonians, but you built your pyramids out of dirt.) There’s so little available land that agriculture and social organization are necessities, and the environment must have forced development must faster than in places with abundant land and resources.
And there’s no doubt that ancient Egypt was a great civilization. There’s not much evidence of it in the north (around Cairo), but southern Egypt is full of magnificent temples and tombs, most of which have been well preserved by the dry climate. I’ve added photos from the Luxor area as well as from Edfu, which is a smaller (but still impressive) temple complex south of Luxor.
Those of you who have been in contact with me know that I’m not the biggest fan of modern Egypt, as the hassle factor is off the charts. (I suspect it’s better if you travel as part of a tour group, but it’s still there.) But whereas I’m not sure Cairo is worth the hassle, southern Egypt definitely is. It still wouldn’t be the first destination I’d recommend (in fact, it’s still toward the bottom of the list), but the monuments are pretty amazing.
So now I’m in Aswan, and I’ll be boarding a ferry for Sudan Monday morning. It’s a sad testament to Egyptian and Sudanese politics that in the largest desert on earth, the only way to get from one country to the other is on an artificial lake, but so it is. On Tuesday I’ll arrive in Wadi Halfa, do the obligatory paperwork (border crossing is a joy), and then spend my first night in a town called Wawa. I love Sudanese town names already.
And for those of you who are worried about me travelling through Sudan, don’t be. Africa is an absolutely massive place – for context, my drive from Cairo to Aswan (which will look quite small if you look at it on a map) is almost the same distance as the drive from San Diego to the Oregon border. And Egypt is small compared to Sudan, which is the 10th largest country on earth. My point is that Sudan is massive, and I’ll be far, far away from the trouble spots. (Hundreds and hundreds of miles away. They lead long distance bicycle tours through the areas I’ll be driving through.) By and large I’ll be travelling through barren desert and small villages, the inhabitants of which have a reputation for being some of the friendliest people on earth. And for what it’s worth, every Sudanese person I’ve met outside the consulate in Cairo has been extraordinarily kind and polite. So I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I can’t wait to get to the Sudan!
Well, except for the heat. It’s really hot there. But I’ve been trying to acclimate in southern Egypt (where the high is 108 today, and will be 116 on Monday). The sun is so intense that you can feel it radiating right through your clothing like some sort of giant microwave. But it’s not bad in the shade (or in the car), and as with all things in life, you get used to it and plan around it.
I think that’s enough for now. I’ll post again once I get to Ethiopia, which should be next weekend. In the meantime, I’ve added new photos to my Cairo set on Flikr, and I’ve also posted my Luxor and Edfu photos. I’ll post my Aswan photos from Sudan or Ethiopia.
It’s good to be on the move again. Until next time…
