The kiss

My head was hurting I had the worst headache I looked at my watch it was 6:45am I popped my head out of the sleeping bag the sun is up and there is a mist above the river. A few people were up and walking into the bushes to use the bathroom. It was then I remembered what I did the night before. I could not tell Mel about this I won't tell anyone about this how embarrassing I will act like it never happened that's my plan I will keep this to myself and I will not drink tonight to ensure I don't do anything silly. I drank some water hoping it would help with my headache. I lay there for 5 minutes then decided to have a swim it always helped in the past when I had a hangover. In my sleeping bag I slipped into my bathers.

Slowly I made my way into the water I didn't want to wake the others that were still sleeping. The water was freezing at first I dunked my head under. When I came back out some people were standing on the bank looking at me. "your crazy" someone said "it must be freezing" I nodded then went back under my headache was slowly going away.

I walked out of the water and back on the boat to dry off Marwuan was now awake he nodded his head and said "good morning". I could feel my face go red I replied "Morning" then went back to my sleeping bag to get out of my wet bathers. Everyone was now moving around the boat, a few of the boys jumped off the side of the boat for a swim before we would be taking off sailing again for the morning.

The fog had now lifted all the sleeping bags were folded and put away, we were now sailing up the river. I had position myself at the front of the boat lying in the sun reading my book. I had also given the crew my iPod so instead of listening to Bob Marley over and over like the afternoon before Jack Johnson was playing in the back ground. I was back in that relaxed place not worrying about what had happened the night before. A few others joined me at the front of the boat. We spent the morning talking and lazing around like lizards on a rock.

Lunch time the boat docked again this time we were at a sandy beach the sun was really belting down on us time for another swim. The water was a lot warmer than this morning. We were jumping off the side of the boat and the boys were wrestling each other in the water a few of the girls just sat on the sand and watched. By this stage of the tour everyone started to know each other really well so there was a lot of joking and laughing going on.

After lunch we set sail again. This time I sat down the back of the boat with my sister and the other girls. They started drinking but I declined Mel thought this was strange I blamed it on the headache I had in the morning I told them I would join them later that evening for a drink. I was watching Marwuan out the corner of my eye I got busted a few times as he was looking in my direction but I quickly turned my head the other way.

The sun was falling low in the sky so the boat docked again for the evening. This time there were other boats docked either side of ours. Some boys from the other boats were already playing football up on the sand so the boys from our boat went and joined the game Mel, I and few of the other girls went to watch until it was time for dinner.

A big bonfire was lit when it hit dusk everyone sat around it. One of the crew members started playing a drum and other crew members joined in by singing. Before we knew it everyone was up on their feet dancing around the fire. Cody a guy from New Zealand had bought fire twirlers so I went over and joined him learning how to do the tricks. After burning my legs a few times on the fire twirlers I went back to where the party was. I stood back and watched until Mel grabbed my hand and made me join. Mel and the other girls were all well on their way to being drunk. It was now time for me to have a drink.

I walked onto the boat to get the bottle of wine Marwuan was on there with the two single boys from our group talking to two girls from another boat. A feeling of jealousy come over me. What was going on with me I never feel jealous. I made my way to the ice bin close to where they were standing and got myself a drink. Marwuan turned to me and told me that these girls are also from Melbourne like me. I took a seat on the ice bin, the girls started asking me questions about where I living in Melbourne and what do I do for work. These girls were young and still studying at University. They were very drunk and flirty with the boys.

The ice bin I was sitting on was on the top of the boat, where Marwuan was standing was on the lower deck where the crew did their cooking. Marwuan leaned on the ice box his back where my legs were. I felt a shiver go through my body. He put his arm behind his back and put my legs over his shoulders, the next thing I knew I was on top his shoulders. Laughing and trying not to fall I told him to put me down I was worried he was going to throw me in the water. He also was a little tipsy. Once he did I said I had forgotten to take a drink back to Mel I turned took the wine from the ice bin and walked off the boat and joined the girls around the fire my heart still beating fast.

It was now very late most our boat was already sound asleep. a few were still down the other end of the boat playing a drinking card game two of these being my sister and Marwuan. Mel called out for me to join but I pretended to be asleep the last thing I wanted to do was being talked into playing a drinking game.
The next morning I woke up feeling fresh unlike the day before. When I popped my head out of the sleeping bag this morning most people were already packing up their sleeping bags. We were departing from the boat soon to make our way to Luxor. After packing up my bag I had a quick splash in the Nile it would be last chance I would get to swim in the Nile.

In Luxor our bus stopped at an alley. Off the bus I followed the group down the alley to our hotel. Like all hotels Mel and I were sharing a room. This hotel didn't have a working lift so we had to walk up 5 sets of stairs with our bags on our back. Our room was tiny; it had two single beds and just enough room to walk around the beds. At the foot of the beds there was dresser that had a television on it. There was a glass door that opened to a small balcony we had no view we looked straight into window of another building. I could not get the hot water to work but I didn't mind too much. After Mel and I had a quick shower we had to go back downstairs we had two sights to see that afternoon.

As soon as I walked outside I got hit with a wave of heat. Our first stop for the afternoon was the Karnak Temple. The Karnak Temple was huge. Once we made your way in through Avenue of Sphinxes we entered to the main court yard I walked amongst the great pillars that were perfectly lined one after each other, the pillars are easily taller than 11 people. There are lots of fine details calved on the walls, pillars and obelisks. It really was an amazing site. Sweating in the heat I had to find some shade I sat and watched Mel as she took photo after photo.

Our next site was Luxor Temple thankfully the sun was going behind the mountains so it was cooling down. Another group joined our guide. This temple was just a beautiful as the last but on a smaller scale. Because it was getting dark the temple had lights shining against the pillars and statues it made it more magical. It reminded me of a grand hall in a palace but without the roof. I could really imagine what it would be like all those thousands of years ago.

After walking through this site our group all met out the front. We were going to walk to have dinner. On our way to dinner we walked through the Luxor markets. Like the market in Cairo it was filled with colours and sweet smells. The same trinkets and clothes were also available. I felt more comfortable in this market because we were in a group I had a go at bargaining and purchased a lamp and small sheesha.

We had dinner at a traditional Egyptian restaurant. I ordered an Egyptian Pie which is very much like a pizza but with a pastry base. Most of the group ordered the Kofta. Kofta is a Middle Eastern skinless beef sausage. After dinner we made our way back to the hotel here we met on the roof for a drink because it was going to be the last night with the whole group, the people that were doing the 8 day tour would be taking a train tomorrow evening back to Cairo.

Again beer was the only drink available I ordered one and sipped on it slowly as I looked out at the view of the Valley of the Kings Mountains. The mountains were illuminated with different colour lights. As we sat around talking and drinking one by one people left to go to bed. I looked around it was just Marwuan and I left alone.

Not knowing what to say I asked about tomorrows sites. We were going to the Valley of the Kings this is where many of the mummies tombs were discovered. From then the conversation turned from the sites to spirits and ghost. Then that turned into a conversation about fears. Because most people's fear is about love our conversation then turned into relationships. The conversation was getting to deep for my liking. And I didn't want to be in the same situation as the first night on the felucca I looked at my watch it was now close to 2am. I used this as an excuse not to discuss the topic anymore. "It's getting late I should go to bed " I said hen silence he looked at me and nodded " Ok" I got up from my chair started walking towards the stairs hoping he would ask me not to go. But he didn't when I reached the stairs I turned back to him and said "Goodnight" he said it back I then made my way downstairs leaving Marwuan sitting there by himself. Back at my room door I stopped I questioned myself if I should go back up the stairs but then thought if he wanted me to stay he would have asked me not to go.I don't want to embarrass myself again.So I opened my door and went to bed.

A few hours after falling asleep my alarm went off. Mel was already up and in the bathroom I must have been completely out of it because I did not hear her walking around the room. When she came out the bathroom she did not look good at all she was pale and dark under the eyes. "Are you ok?" She shook her head and went to lie back on her bed. She told me that her stomach wasn't feeling the best but should be ok.

After showering and breakfast we met the group in the lobby for our daily site seeing. A few of the group were missing, four were already at the site because they had done a balloon ride at sun rise over the Valley of the Kings and a few were up in their room sick with the same up-set stomach that Mel had. When we went to the bus there was already another tour group aboard waiting for us they would be joining us for the site seeing today.

On the way to the site the movement of the bus was not agreeing with Mel she was getting worse. By the time we reached the site she had to run off the bus to be sick. She could not go on and do the sites I went and got Marwuan he was going to have to take her back to the hotel.

After Mel and Marwuan left we made our way into Valley of the Kings. The Valley of Kings is the ancient burial ground that was used by the Pharaohs , it is also where the famous tomb of Tutankhamen was found. We followed our guide around the site. The guide was not allowed to come into the tombs with us and explain so we had to stand out in the heat and hear the history of each tomb. A few more people were starting to feel sick and standing in the heat was not helping them at all. What was going on, the group were all getting sick. I was hoping I wouldn't be next.

It was extremely busy slowly in a line we make our way into the tombs, once inside the tombs the air is incredibly dry. You need to keep drinking water as you are walking through to keep your throat from drying up. Lucky Mel didn't come because it would have been really hard for her I was not sick but the thickness in the air while walking through the tombs was a struggle. The colours on the wall are still vibrant and all tell a story we were not allowed to take photos inside which was disappointing because the pictures painted really were beautiful.

Once we had walked though four of the tombs it was time to go to our next destination. Back at the bus Marwuan had returned from the hotel. I asked him how Mel was and he told me that she was safe and sound in her room. The next site was Queen Hatshepsut's temple. This temple was dedicated to the longest running female ruler of Ancient Egypt. Like all the other temples I had visited over the last few days it was decorated with statues and. sphinxes by this point I was over looking at temples and was happy that it was the last temple I would be visiting on the tour.

Back at our hotel as I walked into the room Mel woke up she was still looking terrible. Beside her bed was a trash can so I knew that she was still not keeping anything down I told her that almost half the group was now ill and that we figured out that it had to be the kofta from the previous night. Luckily we had a nurse in our group who told us what medication to purchase at the pharmacy to stop the vomiting and stomach cramps. In Egypt you don't need a script to get drugs at a pharmacy you just need to know the name of the medication and if they have it they will sell it to you. So I gave Mel the medication that was recommended and told her I was going to go for a walk to find a internet cafe while she continued to sleep it off. We had a few hours free time before we were to leave to our next city and I couldn't spend it sitting in that tiny room that reeked sickness.

Walking out the lobby I hear someone callout my name I turn around and it Marwuan. "Where you going " he asks. I told him that I was just going for a walk to find a internet cafe and maybe go to the markets for a look because I didn't want to sit in my room while Mel slept. "Do you mind if I come with you? I need to find some jeans" he says. "Um yeah sure" I reply" I would feel a lot safer with a guy with me anyway". We start walking to the markets talking just general chit chat then he stops. "Did you mean what you said the other night" knowing perfectly well what he was talking about I started walking again "when I said what?" . Marwuan stops walking again "When you said you wanted to kiss me". I laughed trying to hide my embarrassment "oh that yeah but I heard you say No all is good". We continued walking not saying anything until we reached the markets. He asked if I was looking for anything in particular. I wasn't so he asked if we could sit at a cafe and have a sheesha. I said that was fine.

At the cafe I ordered a Pepsi and he ordered a chai and sheesha. While waiting for our drinks I was looking around at the people that were walking past then Marwuan spoke "I do want to kiss you to". I stopped looking around and looked at him trying to contain my smile on my face I then asked why he said no the other night. He told me that he doesn't just go kissing every girl that asks for it and he wanted to get to know me better before he was to do anything like that. He also went on to say that after I left him on the roof the night before that he waited there for another hour hoping I would return. I felt butterflies. I didn't tell him that I also questioned myself if I should go back up the stairs.

We then went to the men's clothes store he was talking about but it was closed. "What now?" I asked "Do you feel like having a drink?" I really needed a cold alcohol beverage so we agreed we would go back to the hotel to have a drink. The upstairs bar was closed Mel was still sick in my room so we went to Marwuans room. He went downstairs and ordered two beers then came back up. We sat on the edge of the bed in the aircon watching an old Arabic movie he was explaining to me the story line as he had seen the movie many times. The beer was going down fast even though I didn't like it I was so nervous I just kept drinking. After I finished the beer he asked if I wanted another. There was no way I could drink another so I declined. He then asked if I would like a kiss instead. I nodded my whole body was shaking nervously. He then leaned in and kissed me I will never forget that first kiss and the butterflies that took over my body.

There was a knock on the door Marwuan pulled away from kissing me and opened it. It was Cody the kiwi asking about his departure time because he was one of the group that was taking the train back to Cairo. Embarrassed that Cody had seen me in Marwuans room as soon as Marwuan closed the door I was up on my feet. Marwuan asked where I was going I said that I had to go pack my bag and check in on Mel.Not giving him a chance to stop me I left his room and ran up the stairs to my room. When I got back to the room Mel was awake watching TV and packing her bag she was feeling a little better. I didn't tell her what just happened I walked straight into the bathroom and had a cold shower to cool myself down.

 Time to leave for our next destination we made our way down to the lobby of the hotel. The group that was leaving back to Cairo were also there saying their goodbyes and exchanging emails and Facebook details with the members of the group that would be going on to Dahab. Our bus had changed it no longer was a huge 40 seater is now was a mini bus that could only hold at most 15 people. We loaded our bags on the roof and took our seats. I sat in the seat behind the driver Mel went and sat up the back with another girl Lauren so they could lay across the back seat and sleep. Marwuan took a seat up the front of the bus beside the driver. I put my Ipod in and we were on our way.

After an hour into the drive I received a text on my phone? I looked at my phone and did not recognise the number it was not an Australian number so I had no idea who it was from. It read "How are you?" unsure who the message was from I replied "Who is this?" A message responded straight away. "The man that is sitting at the front of the bus lol" He then turned around and smiled at me. It was Marwuan but how did he get my number. It took me about 30 seconds to figure out that I had called him from this number on my second day in Cairo asking about money exchange. I was impressed that he was smart enough to look back at his phone records to get my number.
I replied "I'm good thanks and you" then put my phone on silent I didn't want everyone to know I was exchanging messages with Marwuan because unlike me his phone was beeping every time I replied. A few flirty text messages went back and forth before we reached our city for the night.

We were in Hurghada a city that is located on the coast of the Red Sea. Hurghada was unlike the other cities we had visited on our tour. It was a resort beach town so very clean and well maintained the roads were real road not dirt tracks and there were paved footpaths to walk on. The main street was lined with flags from around the world. The people that you see walking around are not covered up they are wearing bikini tops and shorts and the men no tops at all. A lot of the shops signs were in English and what looked liked Russian no Arabic. I didn't really feel like I was in Egypt anymore.

We checked into our room it was now dark and getting late so we dropped our bags off and met down in the hotel lobby straight away to go and get some dinner. We had dinner at a cafe that was next door to the hotel. The cafe served cocktails so I ordered one and some calamari which was delicious. Some of the group were still feeling unwell they left as soon as they finished dinner to go to bed. There were still about 5 of us sitting at the table at the cafe drinking. Marwuan put his hand on my leg under the table it made me jump because I wasn't expecting it. Everyone looked at me. "A mozie bite" I said while trying not to laugh.

An hour later everyone was gone it was just Marwuan and I sitting at the table drinking and smoking sheesha. We were talking about how we were going to do this without having any of the group know. I didn't want anyone to think badly of me and I didn't want it to get back to his office what he was doing. He then told me that his office wouldn't mind if no one complained and he said that this kind of thing happens all the time with tour leaders and girls in the group. Ouch that hurt. Of course this stuff happened all the time but I didn't want to hear about it. I then felt uncomfortable and said that I should be going to bed. I got the money out of my wallet and put it on the table and started to leave. He grabbed my hand. "Where are you going? Don't go I'm sorry I shouldn't have said anything". I sat back down "No it ok really, I'm just tired" I said. He asked me please to stay until he finished his drink and sheesha. I accepted he ordered me another drink. I canged the conversation we started to talk about Hurghada and Dahab the place we were going to next.

Our drinks were finished and time to go up to our rooms he held my hand. It fitted like a glove and felt so right but I still had the previous conversation running through my mind. I can't fall for this guy I will be leaving back to Australia in a week's time and will never see him again I have to remember that this is just for fun just holiday romance. While walking back to our rooms he said he would really like it if I was to share his room with him tonight. I didn't say anything i just nodded.

As we walked past my room I took a deep breath was I really going to do this? If I was to go back to his room now I knew what would happen. Did I want this to go further than a bit of kissing and flirting? As he put his key into the door it then when I said "I'm sorry Marwuan but I can't" He stopped the key from turning and asks "why?" I couldn't answer all I could say was "sorry" and I turned and went to my room. As much as I wanted to go into his room I knew if I did I would fall for him more and I didn't just want to be another notch on his tour groupie belt.

Back in my room I was pacing back and forth from bathroom to bedroom with my hand on my red hot cheeks. I have just blown it there is no way he will continue doing whatever we are doing now. Twice I have walked out on him. Oh well it probably for the best I kept telling myself. Mel was fast asleep I really wanted to wake her and talk to her about everything as she had no idea what was going I hadn't even told her that I liked Marwuan. I would tell her everything in the morning she will be able to tell me I'm being stupid and I will agree and get over it. I went to bed but had very little sleep my mind would not stop thinking about the day's events.

In the morning when I woke up Mel was up and looking much better we got dressed and made our way to breakfast. I didn't see Marwuan at breakfast thank god I was not ready to see him yet I had not had my pep talk with my sister. After breakfast we made our way to the beach. We had a few hours free time before we had to be back on the bus to go to Dahab.

The beach was packed filled with tourist from Eastern Europe. Blonde haired tan bodies were everywhere you looked. Mel, Lauren and I found a sun bed placed our towels and headed straight into the water. Once we were all in the water I told the girls what had been going on. They had no idea. Mel was shocked I could keep this all a secret until now. I told them that nothing was going to happen from now on even if I wanted it to I had ruined it. "Thats ok don't need to stress Becks in a week you will never see him again and move on to the next crush" Mel said. Even though Mel was probably right I still couldn't stop thinking about it.

A crush

12 long hours on the train I was happy when we reached our destination Aswan. I really needed to go to the bathroom I had been holding for hours. Mel went on the train and warned me what she saw and told me to hold on unless I really needed to go. When we reached our hotel it was unlike our previous hotel, this one was brand new it had a pool in centre of all the rooms and the sun shone right in. After settling into our room and having a bite to eat I went down by the pool and baked in the sun. It was a much hotter down south, no smog in the air just clear blue skies.

Late that afternoon we met the group in the lobby and took a bus to the Nile where we all boarded a boat. It was my first time to be on the Nile. The boat was long and thin it had a canopy to shade you from the hot sun there was a man wearing a galabia was at the rear of the boat steering the single motor. A galabia for those that don't know is common dress for a man from Egypt the best way I can describe it is a cotton long shirt that goes all the way down to the feet some have a few buttons at the top and some have a V-neck cut out. Down south of Egypt the galabias worn are most likely a brown or grey colour. It's designed to keep the man cool from the hot Egyptian sun.

You could smell the fumes of the motor of the boat as we cruised down the river. The water was calm only rippled when another boat passed us by. The landscape was beautiful and always changing. Sometime rocks came down to the edge of the river sometimes it was sand or grass. We cruised through a narrow area where there were low lying trees on the riverbank I could hear children singing. I look behind me and then see them floating down river on planks of wood. The children are singing to us, they reach out for the boat and are now hanging onto the tyres that are attached to the sides. One of the children is now in the boat setting up a mat with handmade jewellery. The pieces are beautiful some are wooden some are beaded. Both Mel and I purchase a necklace. Mine is a wooden one and Mel's is made of white beads. Once the children had finished selling their jewellery to us they jumped into the water and disappeared back into the trees.

The sun is setting behind us as we dock at a village. It is a traditional Nubian Village. Nubians are the ethnic people on the south of Egypt. Their skin is a lot darker and looks more African unlike Egyptian from the north of the country that looks more Middle Eastern. Nubians also have their own language though they also speak Arabic.

We walk around the village then Marwuan takes us to a Nubian school. Here we are shown around by one of the teachers. Our teacher is very amusing. He asks each of us one at time to go to the front of the class and say our name, on a white board he writes our name and then tells us to copy below. Once we have copied our name he gets us to turn around to the room and then with a big smile on his face and in a funny voice he says "CHEEESSSSEEE" There was always someone with the camera of the person standing up the front of the room taking photos. Each time he says cheese the whole room bellows with laughter it never got tiring.

After eating dinner and walking through the village shops we made our way back to the hotel. Some people including Mel stayed out looking for items at the markets but I was way too tired after the long train ride the previous night so I went back to my room. We had to be up at 3:30am to join a convoy making its way further south to Abu Simbel.

In the morning we woke and made the 3 hour drive down to Abu Simbel. I watched the sun come up through the window of the bus. There was nothing but sand for as far as my eyes could see. The sand glistened as the sun reflected off it. There were buses in front of us and buses behind. We needed to be in a convoy because there had been trouble in the past where terrorist had attacked tourist in the 1990's. When we arrived at the Abu Simbel Temple we were introduced to a new guide who would be showing us around. In the gates of the temple you notice guards everywhere all with rifles or semi-automatics. It was a little unsettling at first. We took a seat at the front of the temple and our guide explained the sight to us, when then had free time to look around. Abu Simbel is an extraordinary temple built by Ramses II it is four gigantic statues of Ramses II chiseled right into the hillside. Beside this temple is a smaller temple for his queen Nefertari. The temple looks over Lake Nasser. It is a beautiful place.

After looking around for an hour we made our way back to the bus. Mel and I took a seat on the back seat and some of the other girls in front of us. The sun was high in the sky now as we made our way back to Aswan. Marwuan made his way up the back of the bus and sat in between Mel and I. To this point I had not yet had a conversation with Marwuan I kept my distance because I was still hung up on my first impression. But to my surprise he was actually very funny. His English was very good, his accent was quite sexy. When he smiled I couldn't help but smile also. Maybe I was completely wrong about him. For the whole trip back to Aswan we sat eating lollies, discussing cultural differences and laughing at each others stories.

Back in Aswan it was now early afternoon our bus dropped us off beside the Nile where we were to board a Felucca this is what we were staying on for the next two nights. A Felucca is a traditional wooden sailing boat that Egyptians have used for thousands of years to get up and down the Nile. On the boat there was one large mattress it took up the whole boat except where the crew would be cooking. There was no toilet on the boat if we needed to use the bathroom we had to ask the crew to pull over at the side of the river and go in the bushes. Cooking was done on one gas portable stove. There were two ice bins filled with water, soft drinks and alcohol that we had to previously order a few days before.I placed my sleeping bag at the front of the boat and Mel placed hers at the back. As well as traveling together we wanted to ensure to have some space also.

The boat sailed crisscrossing up the Nile it was so peaceful and calm I sat there looking out at what was on the riverbanks.I saw farm after farm some of crops some of animals The sun was slowly going down some people started drinking alcohol. Mel and I had ordered a bottle of wine and bottle of Vodka between us for the 2 days. The alcohol was Egyptian the vodka was called Volga and just like the name it tasted vulgar. But with heaps of soft drink added it was drinkable. The crew put on some music Bob Marley was playing. So here I was cruising up the Nile, drinking Volga and sprite, listening to Bob Marley playing cards with a few of the others. I was so relaxed. Every now and then I would find myself staring in the direction of Marwuan as he made his way around the boat talking to all the little groups that had formed. I had to stop myself I didn't want him or anyone else to see me staring. I think I have formed a little crush.

It was getting dark the sun was almost gone for the day. The felucca docked up on the banks of the Nile. The crew had placed a row of food down the middle of the boat. It was all traditional Egyptian food. There was flat bread, cooked eggplant, potatoes in a tomato sauce, chicken drumets and a salad mix. The food was basic but delicious Once dinner was finished the crew set up a small fire on the beach and started a sheesha. A sheesha is a water pipe that is used in the Middle East to smoke tobacco in. You can smoke plain tobacco or tobacco flavored with fruit. I had a sheesha back home in Australia I had received one as a gift a few years earlier so I was interested to see if it tasted the same here where it had originated. As expected it taste better I got some tips off the crew so i could make mine taste this good when I got back home.

Only a few joined the crew on the banks of the Nile most people stayed on the boat. Still drinking I was feeling a little drunk I had only had the one beer and one wine on the holiday before today so I was drinking the vodka pretty fast. Marwuan came and joined us by the sheesha. It was starting to get late most people had left the fire and back on the boat sleeping. Marwuan sat down beside me and asked me what I thought of the trip so far. I told him it was great and being a little drunk the following slipped out my mouth "but it would be better if I could kiss you". He went quiet. Then replied "I'm sorry I can't." Oh my god what have just done? My heart sunk into my stomach. I know nothing about this guy he was at work and he could be have a girlfriend, or married with children and me being a drunken fool said out loud what I was thinking. All embarrassed I replied "oh of course you can't" I looked the other way we both sat there in silence for what seemed like ages but was only about a minute then I said "well I'm tired I should be going to bed" I got up and went to the boat.

Lying in my sleeping bag looking up to the stars I was cursing myself how stupid of me to be a drunken fool and say that. Now I have to spend the next 10 days felling awkward. I tossed and turned until I finally fell asleep.

Pyramids

The alarm went off on my phone it was time to get up and pack my bag we were leaving our room where we had been based in for the last four days and storing our bags in another room with the other travelers while we went sightseeing that day. My belongings were scattered across the room and bathroom. No matter how hard I tried I could not keep my bag organised.

After cleaning the room and showering we made our way downstairs to the lobby to meet out tour leader and other members of the group. Once everyone was present Marwuan introduced us to our guide for the day, Marwuan was our tour leader however he was not an Egyptologist which meant he is not qualified to explain in detail about the history of all the accent sites. Once we were informed of the day activities Marwuan told us that he would be leaving us for the day and we will not be seeing him again until we meet him in the lobby later that evening when it time to take us to the train?

We all boarded onto a bus for our first site the Cairo Museum. It was not far from our hotel the trip on the bus took only 10 minutes. The building was fenced all around with security at each entrance. I walked through the metal detectors and then faced with a big pinkish colour building. We followed our guide inside the museum where she informs us that this museum holds the world’s largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts featuring the famous Tutankhamen collection. In each room we enter there were statues and glass cabinets filled with treasures that had been dug up from the land. Lucky we had a guide because the artifacts had little or no information beside them. Some rooms were filled with mummies both children and adults. It is fascinating to realize that there are actual bodies of people who lived thousands of years ago.

The most amazing room was the Tutankhamen collection this was what I was most looking forward to in the museum I had done a project on him at school and ever since then been intrigued by his story. The room was filled with his gold jewels the centerpiece was his beautiful gold mask. I had seen this mask in movies and books before and to see it so close up was overwhelming. The Tutankhamen displays alone justify the visit, but there is much more than that to see. I could have spent all day looking through all the treasures and hearing about all the history but we had to move on to our next destination the Giza Pyramids.

Again back on the bus we made our way to the Great Pyramids along the way we got to see more of Cairo. One thing that I noticed was there were heaps of apartment buildings that were not finished with steel rods sticking out the top yet people were taking resident in the lower floors. We asked the guide about this and she informed us that these houses were for whole families, once the sons would find a wife the family would build up a level and the son and his new wife would live in an apartment above the parents. Some buildings were 5 storeys high. So I'm guessing they had a lot of sons. I could never imagine having all my family living in the same apartment building I needed my space and my mother would drive me crazy. Egyptians are very family orientated I guess you have to rely on each other when money was always an issue. Another reason why some of the buildings look unfinished is that the owners of the building didn't have to pay taxes to the government until the apartment was finished.Why would you ever finish then?

When we reached the pyramids local children flocked to the bus some without even shoes their hand filled with trinkets and postcards to sell to us. I felt sorry for them they should be at school and not out here in the heat selling trinkets. Making our way through the children we collected our tickets and enter into the gates, right in front of us is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Words can't explain how I was feeling. They are truly majestic structures and to know that they were built without any machinery and have stood the test of times for thousands of years is amazing. Mel and I take heaps of photos of us standing, jumping and walking like an Egyptian in front of these magical structures. We both have a smile from ear to ear we had been looking forward to this moment since we booked our ticket to Egypt all those months ago. We had free time to walk around and explore. There was an option to go inside the pyramid but worried that I would feel claustrophobic I did not accept. While we are walking around the pyramids with sun beating down and sand blowing in our face we are getting harassed by more vendors trying to sell us their trinkets it was surprising how well they spoke English considering they did not attend school, men rode up to you on camels asking you if you would like a picture with them or a ride on their camel. Each camel was wearing a coat with its name written on the behind. The names were mostly of famous people and the spelling was always incorrect.

There were two single guys traveling stag in our group, Nick was one of them he is in his late 20's and from England. Nick was the first one of our tour group to get scammed in Egypt. And it happened on the first day at the Pyramids by one of the camel owners. Nick was asked by one of the men riding a camel if he would like to have a photo of him on a camel Nick accepted. Nick's expectation was to hop on the camel have his photo then hop off however the camel owner had a different idea. Once the photo was taken the camel owner would not let Nick off the camel and would not return the camera. Camel owner told Nick that he had to go on a ride as well as the photo opportunity and would not let Nick off the camel until he had paid for both. Nick had no other option and did what the camel owner said. This was the first and last time on tour that Nick went near a camel.

After walking around the pyramids we made our way down the hill to where the Sphinx is located. The sphinx was carved out of one piece of stone and like the pyramids very majestic. Mel and I sat here for a while taking in the atmosphere the surroundings, and take many pictures. It was time to leave and go back to the hotel we made our way back to the bus trying to avoid the flock of children selling their postcards and keyrings.

Back at the hotel that evening we took our bags down to the lobby to meet Marwuan he was taking us to a supermarket close by to buy snacks for the long train ride because he recommended that we didn't eat the food that was available on the train unless we wanted to get sick.

At the train station we made our way to the platform it was a lot cleaner than I expected it to be. At the platform we all put our bags down on the ground and sat in groups talking or playing cards waiting for the train that was supposed to depart at 10pm. Train did not arrive until midnight. There's a saying in Egypt that goes "All in Egyptian time" the reason for this is no one is ever on time. This is one thing that really frustrates me because I am the kind of person that always arrives at a place early to ensure I don't make other wait. The train is an older train the seats are a blue colour some have rips in them and are a little hard on the behind they do recline a little so at least I won't be sitting up right for the next 12 hours. By the time the train departs Cairo it closer to 1am everyone is exhausted.

Sleeping on the train is near impossible not just because the seats are uncomfortable; because its an older train it made a lot of creaky sounds against the track also the other passengers and train employees have no respect for those trying to sleep. I put in my Ipod and place on my eye mask then started to drift off to sleep but an hour later my battery died. Oh no I forgot to put on charge during the day. I took my ear pieces out and lifted my eye mask there are men walking up and down the aisles selling food and hot tea. They are yelling at the top of their lungs "Hummus Hummus" and "Chai Chai" hitting against a tin pot this went on for the whole trip. Sleep was very limited it was a very long night.

Meeting my group and Marwuan for the first time

This morning I slept through the morning prayer and woke up at 7am finally a good night sleep. Once Mel woke up we went down and had breakfast in the hotel. What was served for breakfast was interesting to the eye there were no cereals. I had a choice of hot dogs cut up soaking in a red sauce that looked like tomato soup, mashed up brown beans (which I later found out is called Foul), scrambled eggs, hard bread, lunchon meat cut into thick slices this looked like the roll of meat you feed your puppy, a white cheese that looked like some sort of feta as well as some tomato and cucumber sliced. I ate the bread with white cheese, tomato and cucumber I was not brave enough to try the other food.

We relaxed in the room for a bit then set off on our walk down to the Nile. We reached the main road we had to cross it, there are no traffic lights anywhere but we did see a zebra crossing great we would use this but when we stood at the crossing cars are not stopping to let us cross it seemed that pedestrians have no right of way. Ok looks like we have to just take a chance and do the best we can to get across we literally have to dodge around cars that were passing by. We made it across the road my heart was racing I was sure I was going to get squashed.

Not really sure where to go we were just guessing we passed the Cairo Opera House but did not see the Nile anywhere we were lost we were walking around in circles. After walking around for what seemed like hours in the heat but was only 30 mins we came to a road with a bridge ahead of us we had made it to the Nile. There was a gate beside the bridge that leads down to the river we walked in. A man jumped out at us and started speaking in Arabic we had no idea what was going on, were we going into private property? He then pulled out some tickets we had to pay to enter. We paid the man the money it was not much 5 pounds he handed over us a ticket then not really knowing what we were paying for we made our way in.

We walked down the stairs towards the river, we could see why we had to pay unlike the rest of the places we seen around Cairo it was a well maintain park with lovely green grass, wooden benches to sit on and a footpath that ran parallel with the river. We took a seat and spent time watching the people and the boats pass us by. After an hour of sitting talking, people watching and taking a few photos we walked down the river in the direction of the Cairo Tower it was a lovely clear day so we decided to go up and see the view of the city from above

Cairo Tower is a tall thin tower that stands alone in the middle of Cairo beside the Nile. Up the top it has a rotating restaurant and above that a viewing deck with 360 degree views. We had to go through some security checking then made our way up the lift to the restaurant then we had to walk up a flight of stairs. We came out to an open air area we are greeted by men dressed as pharaohs.We walk further out the view is amazing you can see far into the horizon. The weather was perfect we were lucky that it was a sunny clear day. Cairo looked like a different city. Its quiet up here I couldn't hear the horns of the traffic that was jammed down below. I see a sporting facilities, pools, tennis courts and soccer pitches. I see the Nile and the boats that are slowing making their way down the river. I see all the building across the river that are all the same grey brown colour because of the weather conditions they have been standing in for so many years. And when I looked far into the horizon I see the Pyramids.

After some time on the viewing deck we made our way back down to the restaurant where we had planned to have lunch. Lunch was nice the prices were more on the expensive side but they did serve wine so I was happy I finally was enjoying a nice glass of white. We took our time enjoying the view and lunch as we rotated around. It was getting late we had to get back to the hotel we were meeting our group in a few hours and we were unsure how long it would take us to walk back there was a high possibility we would get lost again.

Mel and I made it back to the hotel without getting lost this We made it across the main road again playing chicken with traffic was not my idea of fun but it had to be done. When back in our room I had a quick nap but really I was just laying there because I was very excited about meeting the new people on our tour.
Mel and I both showered and changed and made our way up to the top level of the hotel this is where we were all meeting. I walk in and people are sitting around a table I ask them if they are here to do the tour "Yep" someone replied. Awesome we are in the right place. The table has about 10 people around it so far mostly females and a few males. We took a seat one of the girls gives me some paperwork and informs me that I have to fill it out.
While filling out the paperwork a dark skinned male walks in the room and introduces himself as Marwuan our Tour Leader. I put two and two together he is the same man I was speaking to on the phone yesterday.

We had to wait a little bit longer for more people to arrive but there was a bit of small talk happening around the table. People were introducing themselves and talking about where they were from and where they had just traveled from. The group had people from Canada, England, Brazil, New Zealand but majority were Australian. Everyone seemed really nice. When there were a total of 15 of us Marwuan began talking. He informed us that there were still a few arriving that night and he would fill them in once they had arrived. He then went on to inform us that we were 2 groups that were joining together to make one so half the group would be doing 8 days of the tour then leaving and the remaining would continue on to Dahab.

Marwuan was quite direct when explaining the information about the tour his face was serious very rarely breaking into a smile. Another tour leader came in he was all bubbly and laughing he handed Marwuan a beer and told us that it was Marwuan's birthday the day before and we were to wish him a happy birthday. We all did so. Marwuan gave us a quick smile and thanks then continued talking about what we had installed over the next few days. After explaining everything he told us he would meet us early in the morning and said we were free to go. I was surprised that was it I had expected that he would be taking us out for dinner for us to get to know each other.

My first impressions of Marwuan were not very high I was starting to worry that he would be a grumpy tour leader and hard to approach. I was a little disappointed I had expected more and after seeing the other tour leader all bubbly I felt that we had really lucked out on who we had leading our tour.

After the meeting a few of the group were starving and because Mel and I had been in the hotel for a few days now we knew where to go to eat we invited others to join if they would like. Some accepted and we took them a few blocks to get pizza we took this time to get to know each other. Once we collected our dinner we returned to our room because tomorrow we were going to be up a 6am we had a full day of sightseeing we were going to the Cairo Museum and Pyramids then tomorrow evening we were taking an overnight train down south.

Shopping and Zoo

Stall at Khan El-Khalili Market

We were both woken to what seemed to be the sound of a man singing over a loud speaker I turned on the lamp and looked at my clock it was 4:30am the singing went on for about another 5 minutes then stopped. Later we found out that it was the mosque close by calling everyone to come to prey. This happened 5 times a day and no matter where you were in Cairo you would hear a call from Mosque coming from every direction.

We were awake now and due to a early night and jet lag we could not get back to sleep, being 4:30 in the morning and breakfast not available until 7am we spent the next few hours flicking through the channels on the tv, reading the lonely planet and planning what we would be doing in Cairo over the next few days.

Our plan on the first day was to go to the famous Khan El-Khalili Market in the morning and the Cairo Zoo in the afternoon. After breakfast and some time on the internet we went to the main road and caught a taxi to the market. Once we reached the destination and we were out of the taxi we had no idea where to go we saw a big mosque in front of us and many little alleys around us with stalls selling fabrics this is not what we expected, unsure if we were in the right place we started going in one direction and that didn't feel right so we turned around and went the other we must have looked lost because a man came up to us and asked us what we were looking for. We told him the El-Khalili Market he laughed and said "You are here come to my friends shop" we had read about people coming up to you and dragging you in their shop and not letting you leave until you purchased something so we kindly declined. He then asked if we wanted him to show us around, again we declined and turned away he was following us again asking us to go with him to his friends shop " I will get you and good price I won't ask for any 'backshish'" which means tipping in Arabic. Again we declined the man and walked in the other direction to get away we saw a tunnel that went under the road we would go that way, when we came out of the tunnel we saw a big open square with cafe's lined on the left and stalls on the right side this is what we more expected to see we felt we were in the right place

It was now late-morning so it was somewhat vacant we thought that the place would be crowded with people because that what we had read in the lonely planet. We decided that we would sit down at one of the cafe's and have a bite to eat and a drink before we ventured into the rest of the baazar, even though the bazzar was not busy there was still lots of noise shopkeepers calling out to people walking past their stalls, coffee cups clinking against saucers and horns of the traffic that were driving by. It also had the smell of freshly baked bread and incense burning.

After our meal we went in one of the alleys that was connected to the square we saw stall after stall all filled with different colours. They sold everything from tourist knicknacks, Galabea clothing, food, spices and local wear. It seems like if you can't find it here, you won't find it anywhere. The stall holders are very vocal in trying to find out what country your from to open up conversation to get you into their stalls, we both felt a little uncomfortable because it was quiet we were harassed a lot so we never walked deep into any stalls we looked at the items that were lined up at the front. We walked around for about 2 hours in the end we didn't buy anything because we were worried about our bargaining skills and decided that if we had the time after our tour we would come back, we should be experts at bargaining by then.

We were now in a taxi onto our next destination the Cairo Zoo it was on the other side of the city in the taxi Mel and I sat in silence looking out the window taking in what was going on around us. No one seemed to follow any road rules traffic was not sticking in any of the lanes that were lined on the roads and no indicators were used turn corners, cars were using their horns to tell other drivers that they were coming and to move out of their way.

At the Zoo we went to the front gate to purchase our tickets there was a price for locals and a price for foreigners for our tickets it cost us 10 Egyptian pounds a total of $3 AUD each.
Inside the gates there was a big grass area but it looked like it had not been watered in months so it was so dry and brown however people were still using the area sitting having picnics.

We took one of the paths and started to make our way around the zoo. We were the only foreigners there all other visitors were Egyptian. Not long after being there we noticed a group of teenage boys following us with their phones out taking photos of us. They followed us most the time we were there.

There were a lot of empty cages or cages with just one animal looking sad and lonely. It was dirty, neglected, poorly maintained. Most the animals were skinny and smelt really bad. If you are an animal lover, you will probably not be happy with what you see. If you wanted you could get photos with the lion cubs for $1. Even though it was cheap Mel and I both decided against it we felt terrible for the animals and knew the money was not going to go towards them.

We had enough of looking at sad animals it was getting late anyway so we went back towards the hotel stopping for something to eat we found a KFC unlike any KFC I had been to all the staff that worked there were deaf. To order your food they gave you a place-mat and you had to point at what you wanted. This was something I did not expect to see in Egypt it really took me by surprise what a great idea to get the deaf community out in the working community.
Back at our hotel we were exhausted it was going to be another early night shower and bed.

Again the next morning at 4:30 I was woken by the call for prayer. Mel slept through it this time so I spent the time reading and listening to my ipod. After breakfast today our plan was to spend some time by the pool in the morning and in the afternoon go to the biggest shopping centre in Egypt.

Before we could go anywhere we had exchange money we went to the reception desk to ask where was the closest place to do this. They had no idea they said that we would have to go all the way back to the airport that was the only place. Surely this could not be right. We saw a sign in the lobby with our tour company information and a number to call if you had any questions. After niggling with my sister over who should make the call to the number provided I was the one that had to do it.

A man answered the phone his name was Marwuan, I told him our situation that we had to exchange US dollars to Egyptian Pounds and that reception told us to go to the airport to do so. He told me that the information was incorrect and I could exchange it at a 5 star hotel that was just a few blocks away. Sorted we knew where to go. Little did I know then that the man I had just spoken to would one day become my husband?

We went on our way to exchange the money it was very easy to find on the way back to our hotel a man started to follow us he then started to speak to us saying that he worked at our hotel and asked if we wanted to go and see his friends shop. We had never seen this man at our hotel before so I asked him to tell me which hotel he worked at. He went quiet I asked again still no response he continued to walk beside us. I grabbed my sisters hand then told the man that we were not interested in his friend shop and asked him to please leave us alone. To my surprise he stopped walking beside us and just watched us walk away.

When returned to the hotel we put on our bathers. We went down to the pool area we were the only people there. Our plan was to get a bit of a sun tan but the pool was surrounded by tall buildings so that did not happen. We were both sure that people were looking out their window at us lying their in our bathers but we continued we were on vacation and needed to start to relax so we enjoyed the morning swimming and relaxing in the heat.

In the afternoon we made our way to Citystars the biggest shopping mall in Egypt. It was huge 5 floors filled with all the great labels Zara, Hugo Boss, Celvin Klein, Gap and many more. During our time shopping it just came upon us we were holidays and yet to have a nice alcohol beverage. All the restaurants were on the top level surely one of them would sell alcohol. We choose a restaurant called Ruby Tuesday because on their menu they had pictures of all these pretty cocktails in tall glasses win we thought our first drink on holidays after a great morning swimming and afternoon shopping. We sat down all excited ordered our food then went to the drinks menu lots of cocktail were listed so we ordered our cocktails Mojito with big smiles on our faces. The waiter must have noticed our excitement then said to us "you realise these have no alcohol in them". I looked at Mel then turned to the waiter the smile had left my face "oh really no I didn't but that's ok" I was shattered was really looking forward to a nice cold cocktails. I started to worry was this holiday going to be a dry holiday would I not be able to have a drink for the whole 3 weeks.

We returned to our hotel after dinner. As we walked through the lobby we noticed a group of people that seemed to have Australian accents listening on the sly to see if they were on our tour I learned that they were just finishing their tour. We also over heard them say they were going to have a shower and dinner then go up to the roof for a beer. What a beer on the roof I turned to Mel "you're telling me there is a bar on the roof here and we didn't even know" the concern I earlier had a about a dry holiday was no longer an issue we had to go up there straight away.

When we reached the roof bar no one was there not even a bartender we looked around the view was amazing we had a view of the city and the Cairo Tower which was lit up with lights changing colours every minute. Even though no bartender we took a seat anyway we wanted to enjoy the view, a bartender arrived not much longer.

Bartender came over to our table and asked to take our order I asked what was available he told us soft drink, juices and 2 types of beers that was it. I'm not a beer drinker I actually can't stand the stuff but if that's all they had to offer that had to be it. The bartender returned with 2 bottles of beer they were bigger than I was used to seeing 500ml and 8% alcohol. They tasted terrible but I got through most of it. I felt a little tipsy also fatigue hit me hard the jet lag was still lingering and the fact I was awake again at 4:30am. We were going to wait around to meet the other Australians and ask about their tour but I couldn't it was time for me to hit the pillow, tomorrow we planned to explore along the Nile and our tour was starting tomorrow evening.

The Begining

Hi all and welcome to my page "Beyond the Pyramids :)

Today I am just setting it up but over the next few weeks I will go back to the start and let you know all the details from when I first went on tour to Egypt and met my husband to where I was kidnapped , spent days in hiding under police watch, shot at with machine guns by Bedouins, being pregnant, having a baby in an Egyptian hospital and my daily life married to an Egyptian Muslim man... The last two years of my life have been interesting and I can't wait to finally share with you..Please feel free to share this page with whoever you like.. I hope you enjoy and get inspired by my story.

My sister Mel had just moved Melbourne it was the first time as adults that we lived in the same city. It was a very exciting time for us to get to know each other on a more mature level. We thought it was also the right time for us to share travel overseas we were both old enough, single and had some spare money. If we were not going to do it then we would probably never do it.
We started to look into where our big adventure would be, both of us had been to south east Asia so that was out, Europe was an option but for what we wanted to do in Europe we both didn't have the time or the money to fit everything in so we said we would put that on a back burner and do in a few years. Where could we go that was in our budget and we could fit into our short time we both had off work?

After doing our research talking to friends, flicking through travel brochures and speaking to travel agents everyone was raving about Egypt it was the number one place to holiday at the time, plenty of sights to see, warm weather, the prices were cheap once you got there and the time of the tours fit us perfectly, so we made up our mind Egypt it was.. We booked a 14 day tour which included all the ancient sights as well as 5 days relaxing in a Red Sea coastal town we still had a couple spare days up our sleeves so we decided to add 2 extra days before and after the tour in Cairo to explore the city on our own..

I remember us walking out the travel agent jumping up and down, we were going to see the pyramids, cruise down the Nile and snorkel in the Red Sea and we were going to do it together.
After months of counting the days October 27th had arrived time for us to leave for Egypt both of us excited but also a little nervous about the first few days that we were going to be spending alone in a Middle Eastern country that we heard was very racist towards women traveling without a man.

Flying over Egypt the sun was shining we were both leaning over looking out the window at endless desert. It is interesting to see that the desert is not all sand dunes like you see in the movies. It looks very rough, rocky and the colour is a dull brown. As we got closer to Cairo we started to see apartment building after apartment building all different heights but all looking similar blending into the ground with the same dull brown colour. Occasionally you would see a patch of green ground which we figured to be football pitches. Finally after 24 long hours traveling we landed in Cairo..

Stepping out the plane the heat hit us it was hot and dry and dust was in the air, reminded me of the dust you get lingering around after you shake out your vacuum bag.

The terminal was chaos people were going in every direction we had no idea where we should be going all we knew was we needed to get our entry visas then after going around in circles we spotted a small sign sticky taped to a window with a man sitting behind that said "ENTRY VISA 15 USD" The man spoke English but not very well collected our visas then asked for directions out . We were soon out of the airport with very little security checking from airport officials to meet our transfer driver and on our way to the hotel where we would be based for the next few days.

Traffic was terrible we were moving very slowly with people everywhere walking in between the cars but we did not mind as we were taking it all in. After almost 2 hours in the car we arrived at our hotel" Indiana", it was on a one way street lodged between apartment buildings it was located in Giza and walking distance from the Nile.It looked run down but we did not expect much as we were doing a budget tour all we cared about was if it was clean and close to the city. Walking into the lobby we noticed the decor it was like we had just gone back in time 40 to 50 years with big old dusty chandeliers, pinkish and gold coloured walls and furniture that was wooden with gold timings.

We checked in and made our way up to the room the lift was worrying you had to pull open the door and once in it you could fit at most 3 to 4 people it made creaky noises and jolted each time you went past a floor, Mel and I looked at each other then both started to laugh. Our room colour was much like the lobby with 2 brown beds with yellow covers thankfully my sister was a thinker and made us sleep sheets we did not have to use the covers provided. We decided that we settle in for the night and would start our adventures of Cairo the next day.