The Great Adventure

[stephen]

(I apologize in advance for this blatent thematic departure, but hey... Al was talking about his new baby, wasn't he?)

This is a mass mailing to everyone who might care, and a post for a couple of forums that I regularly visit to explain my one-month absence to all my friends and family. Please pardon the vanity, but somewhere, someone is bound to miss me if I fail to let people know.

Speedvision cable network has asked me to fly to North Africa in January and be their on-site announcer for the world famous Paris-Dakar-Cairo cross country rally race. After two days of hasty negotiations, we came to an agreement and I can't wait to go.

On the 2nd of January, I depart Indianapolis for Cincinnati where I catch a connecting flight to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. I spend a day resting in Paris before flying across Spain, then across the Mediterranean and Morocco to Dakar, Senegal. The Paris-Dakar-Cairo rally begins in Dakar on January 6th. The exact route and full race details can be found on the official web site at www.dakar.com. Suffice to say that we spend the next 20 days trekking across Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Timbuktu (no kidding!), Niger, across the Sahara Desert and Libya (yikes!), through a volcanic valley in western Egypt and finally winding up at the finish line at the foot of the Pyramids in Cairo on January 23rd. I'm taking an extra day in Cairo to see the Pyramids and local sites (do they have any others?), then hopping a flight back across the Mediterranean to Paris. One quick day to enjoy Paris, then another flight takes me back to Cincy then Indianapolis, Lord willing (!), on January 27th.

Speedvision will primarily use the world satellite feed to cover the race itself. My specific duties will be to shoot an opening segment for the show on camera to give it a bit of "live" flavor, shoot a 2 minute feature on various anecdotal happenings within the Dakar camp itself, and a similar closing segment to end each day's show. Among my other primary goals, of course, is to stay alive. And no, I have no idea what time Speedvision will air it; I can only say that there will be daily coverage of the event from Day 1 through completion. Check local listings, yadda yadda.

So essentially, I will be gone for the entire month of January, missing my family terribly, but experiencing a truly unique, once in a lifetime adventure… and making a living at it. God IS good. J I hope to have internet access and am trying to establish a means of posting a daily update for everyone, but that's yet to be seen (anyone have any ideas? Please? Any advice is GREATLY appreciated.) Sorry to miss you all, but please put a hold on my various activities and wait… I'll take plenty of pictures.

Let the fun begin.

Yours truly,
Stephen
Sopwith21@hotmail.com

"Security is an illusion. Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing at all."
- Helen Keller

[Reinout]

Stephen,

Caïro has plenty to offer besides the pyramids and the Sphinx, but I'd recommend to see them first. There's nothing like seeing a World Wonder and I should know - I've seen them all! That means the last two still in existence...

Choefoe's pyramid has been opened for tourists since a few months (about three weeks after I was there of course) but it has a visitor limit.

If you're there don't take any rides on donkeys/camels/horses etc., the drivers will charge you to get on and to get off again! The salespersons are extremely pesky and cheaty at the Giza plateau.

If you have time, try to see the National Museum in Caïro - and pay the extra LE 20 to see the mummies of Ramses II, Ramses V, Merenptah, Thutmoses III and IV, Seti I (the most beautiful mummy arguably) and the smashed and battered remains of Seqenenre Tao.

That's a few bob well spent.

Otherwise you can visit one of the famous mosques, the al-Hakim and al-Azhar mosque or the mosque of Muhammed Ali situated on Salah-ad-din's fortress.

One final tip: don't be frightened when you see 3 or so soldiers on every street corner, they are there for your protection.

Have a ball and if you have some questions about Caïro, you can always e-mail me or ask me here.

Kind regards,

Reinout

[stephen]

>>>>One final tip: don't be frightened when you see 3 or so soldiers on every street corner, they are there for your protection.

So was the Nazi SS. If they want to protect me, they'll let me carry my Walther PPK/S .380... nobody cares more about my protection than me. But somehow I don't think that's their genuine interest. Thank you for the warning, though.

Boy, can I ever use your expertise! First of all, its been a lifelong dream to see the inside of the Great Pyramid... is it closed to visitors now? If so, I'll try the press angle and see if I can get in with my cameraman. What agency would I contact in Egypt for such a request? That's really important to me, and I may never get another chance. Aren't the Sphinx basically on the same site so you can see them and the Pyramids at once? What form of transportation do you recommend? Thank you so much.

Also, does anyone have any idea how or where I can post a daily diary for everyone to see? I think I can get internet access, but I don't know how or where to post something... do I need to fire up my own little web site somewhere? Thanks again.

[stephen]

Hey, Reinout... Seriously, I did not plan on taking my Walther with me. I assumed that the laws of those nations would require my being defenseless at all times... is that correct? I can't imagine that those countries - especially Libya and Egypt - have any firearms freedoms at all, so I wasn't going to risk trying.

PS-Readers, start your own gun control post! I'm trying to get information here, that's all!

[Reinout]

Stephen,

In my honest judgment, you are a lot safer on the streets of Caïro -unarmed- than ANY street in the US if you're afraid of people with guns/knives/pointy sticks/other weapons! Since the big terrorist attack at the temple of Hatsjepsut at Deir-al-Bahri, there are soldiers roaming the streets. Safety is tremendous. It looked rather weird at first for us too, but when we realised that it wasn't for watching our every move but for protecting us and the populace, we got used to it. And we even had some funny encounters with a few soldiers (a couple of fellas of our group got drunk with the guards of our hotel). Really, the word "defenceless" is totally unapplicable - there wasn't any need when we were there.

Egypt isn't like Lebanon. First of all the Muslim Brothers Association's terrorist wing has been virtually reduced to history, and second, Egypt is an autonomous country without openly warring factions. I remember having to adjust to Hezbollah rules in Baälbek and I certainly remember leaving the Jesuit Retreat House where we had spent the night on a Saturday - the terrorist camp on its premises was bombed on Tuesday! THAT was different! But Egypt is quite safe now because of all the soldiers (and it helps keep the unemployment figures down).

Tell me, do you always want to be armed when abroad? If so, you won't be going there often I guess.

The Sphinx lies on the same Giza plateau. It's positioned right next to Cha'ephra's funerary temple. The temple is linked to his pyramid by a long causeway (maybe as much as 1km). You can get to the edge of the pit where it rests, but no closer (at least we weren't allowed closer). You can make out the details of the weathering of the walls of the pit - it's rainwater just like Bauval etc. claimed!

We of course had a big touring bus to drive us around the country, and that bus also took us to the Giza plateau (situated on the outskirts of Caïro) and to the Sphinx (it's a small ride from the pyramids to the Sphinx). I wouldn't recommend walking for long in the hot Egyptian sun.

The pyramid of Choefoe (Khufu, Cheops, whatever) has been opened but it has a visitor limit. I recall something about not more than 300 visitors a day. We had to pay a single entrance fee to get on to the plateau, no money for seeing the individual pyramids. You can also visit the solar boat of Choefoe and the pyramids of Cha'ephra and Mankauore (arguably the finest surviving pyramid of the three).

You can always get a taxi to drive you to and fro the plateau and the Sphinx, but, and this is the best tip I can give: always agree on a price beforehand! And always haggle - it's a national sport. We had guys who haggled a price away until it was one tenth of its original asking price - and they probably still were cheated!

Also take a good note in restaurants whether they include a tip (if so, it says on the menu) as service costs for every customer, or whether you have to decide for yourself. You might find yourself to be cheated out of LE 1 or 2 at some restaurants.

In Egypt, all film camera's have to be registred in one's passport. But I wouldn't recommend bringing along a film camera. You often have to pay a steep price for bringing it inside a site (sometimes as much as $30!) and then you're often barred from filming specific parts even though you paid good money. And worse, when you're considered to be a filming team (ie, not for leisure/tourism) than you have to pay an even steeper price. They call it commercial photography/filming and is sometimes seen on the camera tickets fees. You need camera tickets for almost all sites. If you don't take one, you'll have to give up your camera for a while. I don't recommend that.

There are plenty of internet café's in Caïro, they become scarce south of the city. you can usually try a shopping mall and ask there.

Final suggestion. If you buy souvenirs, do not bother with papyrus. You never really know when you've got the right stuff. Even the certificates they give cannot be fully trusted. Stay away from them and don't be fooled into buying "papyrus" for LE 1 - it's probably made from banana leaves!

Anything else? Mind you, I am talking from my own experiences. We were a group of 50, doing a 2-week tour throught Egypt. Some things could be different now.

Kind regards,

Reinout

[stephen]

WOW! Thanks a bunch, Reinout! Lessee... where to start. As you know my friend, we disagree on the whole gun thing, but that's okay. Yes, I like to travel armed... anywhere, anytime, but not because the streets of the US are deadly combat zones. Our handgun death rate is the same as France, England and Germany, and has been dropping like a rock for over a decade when right-to-carry gun permits became more prevalent. I carry a gun because its my responsibility to take care of myself and my family in any situation, and as a free citizen of a free country I have an unalienable right to do so. BTW, the security of a person's environment does not define whether or not they are defenseless, only whether or not a defense is arguably needed. When I travel, I must accept the risks that other governments impose on me and that's that. No point in complaining.

I was also going to use the "press" angle to try and get me and my camera man into the great pyramid and do some way cool filming... that sounds like a BIG mistake with all the filming taxes. Should we just go as tourists and forget it? Also, you said FILM cameras were charged a fee and registered... what about my digital, filmless camera? Also, if local crime is virtually nonexistant why would I hesitate to leave my camera with someone? Did I misunderstand that?

There's no way I'm gonna miss the pyramid... how do I make sure I'm one of the 300 visitors allowed in that day? Do you know of an agency I can call or email to reserve a spot? Nothing like flying around the world and missing your biggest site.

And finally, what type of clothing do you suggest? I'm packing lightweight nylon type material, convertible pants and light, long sleeved cotton safari shirts. Am I on the right track?

Thank you so much for your help. This info is really invaluable as I've never been there before and want to be prepared.

[Vin]

Interesting set of statistics at

http://cyberteens.com/ezine/issue14/fresh/stats.html

Homicide deaths per 100,000 population 15 - 24 y o males

France 0.9
England & Wales 0.6
Germany 1.1
U S 37.3


Vin

[stephen]

Those numbers are slightly off, but not much. They could have manipulated them even better if they'd narrowed it to ages 17-22, black male only in urban areas and dropped Germany. Those numbers did not originate with cyberteen, as I'm sure you already know. They were premanufactured and imported.

However, the handgun death rate for England, France, Germany and the USA remains virtually identical. USA's continues to drop while violent crime rises in every other listed nation. Sorry. Someday we'll hash out the obvious on another thread.

Back to Egypt, please.

[Vin]

The cyberteen site claims its source as World Health Organisation figures. If Cyberteen is using genuine WHO figures then you could have faith in them as being pretty objective. The statement that the handgun death rate for England, France, Germany and the USA remains virtually identical does not look right. What is the factual or statistical basis for it ?


Vin

[stephen]

I did not contest your stats... they are within 0.5 of being correct, and they do not contradict my statement. I'll be glad to explain all if you want to start another thread or email me... I do understand your question and there is a factual, statistical explanation for both sides.

I really do need Reinout's help here and anyone else who can help me with my trip to Egypt, so please allow me to steer the conversation that direction.