dudedudedudedude egypt yeah!!

I’ve been in Egypt for just over a month now, and it’s been quite a mystical adventure! Not only have I seen the beautiful land and monuments here, but I’ve also gotten to know a few of the beautiful people here very well. From my base in Hurghada I’ve traveled to Luxor, Aswan, Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, and now Suez, at the foot of the fabled Suez Canal.
I’ve been very busy since my last entry. The next day I went to the city of Luxor on the Nile River. The town itself is relatively small and pretty dirty, but it is surrounded by the most incredible sights. I stayed at an awful little place called ‘The Grand Hotel’ for $4 US per night for 2 nights so I could explore the surroundings. First I visited the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens where they have discovered the tombs of over 60 ancient kings, pharaohs and their wives buried deep below the earth, whoa man, pretty nuts. Next was Hatshepsut Temple and Colossi Memnon. Of course my camera battery died precisely the moment I arrived at the Valley, so I only got one picture. But I have the sneaking suspicion that there may be pictures on the internet of these places if you’re really curious.
I somehow still had energy once I got back to the ‘hotel’, so I decided to drink a few beers and go for a bike ride through the scenic town up to the ominous Karnak temple, so much fun!! It’s a 20 minute ride, but I took about 4 hours getting there rolling leisurely through the streets, stopping anywhere that struck my fancy. I’m not sure what is more dangerous, the Gulf of Aden or Egypt by bicycle. On my way back from the temple I enjoyed the sun setting over the Nile riding past Luxor Temple, WOW. I ran into a few people from America I had met earlier and we went out for a few drinks. By now I’ve met so many incredible travelers that what I’m doing doesn’t seem that crazy to me anymore, but these people couldn’t believe that I was just in Egypt for a little while, didn’t know how long I would be there, didn’t know where I would be the next day, why I was just riding around on a bike and that I was living on a sailboat from Holland that I joined 3 months ago in Thailand. Ok I guess that does sound a bit odd. I don’t meet many people from North America so it was fun to hang out and trade stories and visit for the evening.
Early the next day I decided to hop on the train for the picturesque town of Aswan to go on a sailing/camping trip up the Nile for a few nights, so rad!! I met the captain of a felucca, which is a small sailboat native to the region, and for 3 nights we sailed up the river with a few other people, stopping at beaches and Islands along the way. The days were filled with relaxing in the sun, playing cards, drinking beers and telling stories, while the nights were filled with playing music, drinking beers, campfires and exploring the islands. Also on board were a couple of hilarious boys from Edinburgh, a super rad social worker from Peru, a funny young Polish boy and 3 great Spanish girls from Barcelona and Madrid. Together with the captain and his mate, who were like 17 or something, we had a great adventure for 3 days and 3 nights. After we left the boat my new friends and I all went back to Luxor, cleaned up and went out for a night on the town, ending with drinking red wine and a sheesha on the rooftop terrace of our hostel enjoying the warm Egyptian night breeze.
After I arrived back to Tulipano in Hurghada Peter decided that he wanted to leave for Suez the next day. That night I went out with my friends in Hurghada one last time. Our friend Hisham had met a Russian lady the previous week and they were to be married in 2 days, so that night we all went over to his flat for his bachelor party for him. It was a great and late night, but it was sad because we knew I had to leave the next day. We said our goodbyes and on Monday Peter, his wife and I set sail to go up the remaining stretch of the fierce Red Sea.
We arrived in Port Suez after a day and half of good sailing. Just as we were motoring into the marina the wind rapidly escalated to over 25 kts., dark clouds rolled in, and with the surrounding dessert hills all around us it quickly escalated into a violent sandstorm. 2 Egyptian boys from the marina arrived in a dinghy and with difficulty we were able to tie up to the mooring buoys and we were safe. We spent the rest of the cold evening down below sheltered from the storm.
After a few days of resting in the marina we took a car from Suez to Cairo. When we got there I split off and called my friend Fayed. I met him in Giza and he took me to the Pyramids!! Yeah!! So freakin rad!! I’ll post pictures when I can. The Pyramids really are a spectacular sight that can only truly be appreciated by seeing them in person. We met up at a coffee shop later with my friend Captain Sam and Fayed’s crazy friend Mohammad, and on a whim he suggested that we go to his house on the beach in Alexandria. OK LET’S GO!! We took a taxi 2 hours to the beautiful city of Alexandria, and in one day I had been in Suez, Cairo, Alexandria, and had seen the Pyramids and the Mediterranean for the first time!! The next day Captain Sam and I just relaxed, strolled around town, played on the beach and hung out, it was great.
Now I’m back in Suez. Peter and his wife left with Tulipano 2 days ago, and I’ve been staying with my good friend Ahmed at the office of Felix Maritime Agency. Ahmed is a very special young man, and we’ve gotten to be quite close friends in the past week since I’ve been here. Today my friend Lo arrived to the marina and I will be joining him on his boat, Mistral, to Alanya, Turkey.
My time traveling through the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea has been filled with many magical adventures; sailing over 5,000 miles across the sea, playing with dolphins, saving a runaway ship, swimming with sharks, speeding motorcycle rides through the jungle, exploring ruined castles, ancient temples and a sunken shipwreck, sailing through pirate infested waters, camping and sailing along the Nile, bike rides through crazy cities, sandstorms, gales, awful calms, rough seas and making a few great friends. While traveling alone it’s so important when you meet good people that you generally make a connection with, but it’s sad because you know you will just be leaving again in a short time. I’ve treasured my time with Hamou, Ahmed, Hisham, Captain Sam, Patryk, Milko, Kurt and Katie, John Todd and Todd Johnson, Mireia, Anna, Alba, Ahmed, Fayed and Crazy Mohammed, and I’m very lucky that I’ve met these people along the way.
I have a load of pictures form my time in Egypt and I’ll try to upload them when I can get a decent connection!!

F00dz 4 d00Dz Update:
I’ve been keeping my eyes open, looking for special ways to use the remainder of our foods for dudes project fund. I really wanted to find someone special who could not just use money, but do good things with a little bit of help from us. It’s been difficult, because it seems as though the megatourism that is Egypt’s main industry has made it difficult for foreigners to find real friends, not just people looking to trick tourists into buying useless overpriced garbage. I’ve been lucky enough to make some real friends, and one in particular was the perfect candidate.
The morning after we arrived in Suez, Peter woke me up very very early by banging on my wall and yelling at me from my upward hatch because he is mean and he hates me, and that put me in a very bad mood. I went down to the dock to hook up the hose so I could spray down the boat, and a young man from the marina introduced himself. His name was Ahmed. Everyone in Egypt’s name is Ahmed. Well not everyone. There are also men named Mohammad. We tried speaking for a minute, but being exhausted from the previous night and annoyed from being woken up so discourteously I was in no mood to make a new friend. After a few of my grumpy mumbling sentences Ahmed asked me if I spoke English, and I just walked away without saying anything more. I’m sorry Ahmed!
I got some rest and was in better spirits later, and I saw Ahmed again drinking some tea up in the yacht club. He offered me a cup and I sat down with him. We instantly connected, and in the next week we became quite good friends. When Peter left and Lo was not here yet he kindly put me up for 2 days in the office of his employer, Felix Maritime Agency, which was a life saver. He took me in and treated me as his brother. He’s a great kid, and a hard worker, but he makes only 10 Egyptian Pounds per day, which is about 2 dollars. He deserves much more but that is the way it works here. He used to play soccer for years, but he had to quit so he could go to work to help out his family with bills. He would also wish to someday marry his long time girlfriend, but that is also very expensive and difficult for Egyptian men to afford.
We had to say our goodbyes today because he was going back home to Port Said. Before he left I took him aside and asked him if I could help him in any way. At first he refused, but after a while I convinced him to take $40 to bring back to help his family. I told him that the money came from my friends and family back home, and the only thing I asked him is that he use for it for good for his family, he agreed and was very thankful.
I will see Ahmed again in a few days in Port Said, and I am excited to hear what he plans to do with your help. So thank you again to all of the foods for dudes project donors!!