32 - North Shore News ~ Sunday, September 24, 2000 Egypt much more than anc Cruise the Nile or dive the Red Sea Andrew Renton Contributing Writer THE dervish whirled effortlessly in a clock- wise direction to the haunting music. He loosened the tie to a layer of skirt. The skirt rose in a perfect circle. It reached his chest and he eased it over his head, never slowing or chang- ing direction, It became a wheel at the tip of his finger. His eyes rolled. The transtor- mation was taking place. The last layer was finally removed. A renunciation of all things worldly. He reached | the trance necessary for a Sufi te pray to his God. The audience filed quietly out. _ The Mausoleuns of E] Ghouri was silent again. . Cairo is a fascinating city of maybe 20,000,000 souls — no one knows tor sure. Like all great cities it is best seen on foot, despite appalling smug, on a windless day. It is possible to spend days exploring the Old Islamic quarter, poking around tiny alleys, ancient mosques and. minarets, perhaps stop- ping for a sheesha, a water pipe, and a glass of . tea’ on. the way. In a short afternoon you can walk along the Nile from the heart ofa modern city to a place where time has stood still. ; Donkeys replace vehicles as the means of ——— TRAVEL transport. Copper and tinsmiths hammer out huge pots for use at weddings and circumei- sions. Bales of raw cotton await a buyer. This is the Cairo that most tourists miss, anxious to tick -off the important sights before moving down the Nile to Luxor. The roads are a mass of smoke-spewing, strung together, horn-honking old_ beaters. Five lanes of traffic squeeze into a four lane highway. There’s a useful saying in Cairo. To cross the street and survive, walk like an | The mysteries and marveis of Egypt — Cairo, the Pyramids; =the Sphinx, the.Nile — have always heid an irresistible lure ‘for travelers. Now you can unlock the secrets of the Nile on this luxury cruise tour. Departing in February 2001 PRESENTATION: Tuesday, Sept. 26th @ 7:00 pm CLIPPER CRUISES THE GREAT BAR DOWN UNDER ., RIER REEF F we Sail from coastal New Zealand to Australas Great Barier Reef “board the new “Gipper Odyssey’. Experience the exotic & cuttural ” beauty of the South Pacific from the decks of a luxurious smail ship. Departing in March 2001. ° : - PRESENTATION: Tuesday, CRYSTAL &@ Oct. 3rd @ 7:00 pm CRUISES. .COLOURS OF AUTUMN & CARIBBEAN PASSAGE 5 Set sail from Montreal aboard the magnificent Crystal >: Harmony. Explore the wonders of New England and >, . North America’ east coast, with stops in Quebec City, Halifax, Boston, Martha’ Vineyard, New York, Hamilton and many more ail the way down to San Juan. i. PRESENTATION: Tuesday, Hiking ~ Biking ~ Trekking ~ Sailing Oct. 24th @ 7:00 pm ~ Trains Around the World ~ River Cruising ~ Smail Ship Cruising ~ Cultura! Tours ~ Safaris Space is limited, Call today to reserve your seat! CALL 926-4344 phote Andrew Renton TIME has stood stil! in Cairo’s Old islamic quarter, where donkeys provide transport. Egyptian, slowly, predictably. As a neophyte, T opted to wait for a plump Cairene to walk between me and the oncoming traffic. A chick- en solution. You came to see the Pyramids at Giza, now a mere suburb of an ever expanding city. Cheops, Chephren and Menkaure are testimo- ny to generations of work by slaves and the inflated egos of pharaohs seeking suitable. bur- ial sites in the 26th century BC. Swarms of. postcard salesmen, trinket hucksters and phony Bedouin camel drivers, offering that Kodak moment, descend like mosquitoes. The Sphinx sits in inscrutable repose close by. The Egyptian Museum, conveniently locat- ed in Tahrir Square, the city centre, offers the best insight to the history of this impoverished country once rich beyond belief in the time of the pharaohs. : : Much of the second floor houses the fabled contents of the tomb of King Tutankhamun, . right down to nis fossilized underwear. If you missed an international tour of the exhibition, - this could be the high point of your tip to Egypt. Remember, while China was emerging from the Stone Age, Egyptians were recording ‘-the Pharaonic period, 2650-2150 BC, on _ papyrus leaves and building pyramids. Buying that perfume bottle, papyrus paint- ing — probably banana leaf -- or mother of pear! box for Aunt. Nellie and the kids is not - without challenge. In the labyrinth of Egypr’s largest market, Khan el-Khalili, no prices are displayed. You will be swamped with people wishing to be your friend. His brother has a shop. He wishes to be your guide at no charge. Beware, at best they want backsheesh, an intro- duction fee from the store owner. At worst they want to rob you. No exceptions. Sometimes " jnternationally-known expletives are required. ‘Doing my Christmas shopping I became known as Mr. = offas I rid myself of yet anoth- er limpet with a toothless grin. Barter hard. Ifa store owner lets you leave without pursuit you've offered too little. If you must have that brass pyramid, hire a shoeshine boy to polish your shoes in the merchant's doorway and restart negotiations. A good way to save face. . From the train station in Luxor, take -a kalish, a horse-drawn carnage, to your chosen hotel. As with everything in Egypt, bargain first to avoid nasty surprises. A mid-range hotel like." ~ the St. Emilio shouldn't run you more than ~ $25 US with air conditioning, rooftop pool and breakfasr. Luxor, once the capital of upper and lower. -; Egypt, is overwhelming with must-see ruins. The Temple of Karnak, begun around 2,500 - years agv and added to over the centuries, is - partisularly impressive at an evening sound - and Ught show. A thorough examination of this 120-acre sight can take several hours..- There are different ways to visit the Valley. . of The Kings. Either be normal, and join a tour group, or get up at 3.30 a.m., cross the. river on an old ferry, camber onto a lumpy donkey with a three-legged gait and ride halt- ingly up the hillside above the Valley into the | dawn. I must grudgingly admit that watching. - the colour of the sand change from deep red to pale beige was so inspiring that even my hotel boxed breakfast of a hard boiled egg, banana and stale bread tasted like manna from’ the gods. aes It was here that the tomb of Tutankhamun was found in 1922, untouched by grave rob- bers. Much excavation is proceeding.in the: hope of making more such discoveries under the shifting sand. In many of the tombs open. to the public, colourful frescoes depicting brave feats of the incumbents are remarkably intact. A short hemorrhoid-provoking ‘trot over the hilltop revealed The. Temple of Hatshepsut protruding from the rockface. .: It was built by the only female to be called pharaoh. Sadly this is the place where a bus- load of tourists were killed by fundamentalists in Nev. 1997, Ct 7 Egypt, of course, is much more. than” ancient monuments. To many, a cruise down the Nile from Luxor to Aswan is the high point of their trip. Life is straight from bibli cal times. Scrawny ‘oxen. haul “wooden ploughs. Camel carts transport. the tobacc crop. Feluccas, faden with goods* forth Aswan market, sail peacefully by. A boat fe ries camels across the river to the auction.in Daraow. ee Diving in the Red Sea is considered some: of the finest anywhere and resorts like Shar el-Sheikh and Ras Muhammad attract wealthy: ‘aficionados from around the. world. The huge: Western desert is still home -to a‘ traditions Bedouin way of life. Dp ove Tourism is vital to Egypt’s fragile econo: my. Since the shooting incident in 199: the terrorists were dealt with instantly. by-hor: rified locals — the government has stepped security at every tourist site. Military. outrider: accompany tour bus convoys through know: fundamentalist areas. Trains are heavily guard ed by soldiers straight ‘from. charm -school.;: Prices are still a bargain ‘as the “industry: rebuilds. eT Magical journeys For All-Ages With Disney Cruise Line Embark ona voyage into pure Disney magic. : Choose either a 7-night land and sea vacation package ora 7-night Caribbean cruise. Jar 4-Mancr 4, 2001 Derarrunas - Biensp COUISE LINE.