- Joined
- Jan 7, 2005
Our four years of being a Nielsen ratings family came to an end last week when they removed our equipment. Because we are no longer be a Nielsen family, I can share a story from earlier in the cruise. At one of the meals on the ship when we were at the same table as Bill, I mentioned that we were a Nielsen family. Bill then shared that he had also been a Nielsen family. I asked Bill how long he was with Nielsen, and he said that he called to cancel after only a few months because he grew tired of it. Was Bill telling the truth? The odds of his also being a Nielsen family were close to nil, and one would think, as a former scientist, he would find some interest in participating in any kind of research, even if it was only market research. It was another one of those conversations that called into question Bill’s character.
Back to the present. The morning started with an early check-out from the riverboat and off to the airport. We were taking a chartered, not private, plane, and all of the security and check-in protocols remained the same as if we were taking EgyptAir, not Petroleum Air Services, which was the name of the charter. At the airport, we noticed that in addition to our group, there were three other groups of NatGeo travelers who were on solo trips, including the family of giants. Mama giant explained to me later in the day that they did not want to mimic our itinerary by having to leave so early in the morning to fly to Luxor, so they started their trip in Luxor, on the cruise, and would do all of the Cairo part of the trip consecutively. Luckily for them, the plane had Southwest-style seating in the front, with two sets of seats facing each other, so the boys could sit with minimal discomfort to their extremely long legs.
The flight was uneventful. One aspect to a charter flight that was pretty cool was that like when we travelled by bus, we could leave our belongings on the plane, since the plane would be waiting for us.
Today was the day that I started to get sick again with early signs of fever and fatigue. I later concluded that the lingering stomach bug had weakened my immune system and made me vulnerable the other diseases which were so easily transmitted as a result of spending so much time packed in large groups in very small places with little ventilation. If you can go to Egypt and not get sick, especially during peak season, you have an incredible immune system.
The two spectacular temples were familiar to anyone who saw at least the remake of “Death on the Nile”. Luckily, unlike in that movie, there was no fear of being crushed by scheming murderers pushing boulders from on high:
It was at this point that Bill got tired of playing second fiddle. When Magdy began one of his explanations, Bill had had enough and interrupted, “Magdy, you never give me the opportunity to speak!” You may remember earlier in the trip, I asked Bill why Magdy wasn’t giving him more opportunities to present, and my question finally prompted Bill into action. Magdy surprisingly looked shocked, as if there was some way that he didn’t know he was hogging the floor. Bill’s expression of frustration did not increase the amount of time that Magdy gave him, which maybe was a factor in Bill being so irritable.
There were signs at Abu Simbel for a sound-and-light show, which of course we would not be attending. If I was designing my own itinerary, I would have wanted a “Spy Who Loved Me” filming locations tour and at least one sound-and-light show. While the temples at Abu Simbel were spectacular to see in person, the combination of being templed-out, not feeling great, and the extreme heat (another reason why it would have been better seen as a sound-and-light show at night) limited the amount of time I spent inside the temples. We went into the air-conditioned gift store, where Karen wanted to buy scarab souvenirs for her co-workers. They were priced at $10 each, and she did not want to spend more than the $5 each that I had spent for the hand-woven cotton hand towels that I bought for my co-workers at Magdy’s “special” stall at Aswan. Faced with a take-it-or-leave-it scenario, the owner took it.
I went back outside while Karen mulled over buying more of them, which prompted Bill’s second incident of mansplaining. I was coaching Karen in how to bargain, since I didn’t have the energy for a second round myself, when Bill advanced his theory that because a seller will never sell lower than his predetermined price, and a buyer will never pay more for something than they are prepared to spend, that it is impossible to end a negotiation with anyone having hard feelings. Someone pointed out that Bill’s theory was incorrect because sometimes people have buyer’s remorse and regret over-spending. Bill countered that he wasn’t talking about feelings that develop later, only one’s experiences during the negotiation process. I explained that a person can feel put off or even insulted if a seller charges too much initially, even if the buyer subsequently lowers the price later. Suffice it to say, I felt that I understood how to negotiate without Bill’s help.
It was then time for our break. We all got boxed lunches and had the choice between eating there or bringing it back on the plane. I was feeling progressively worse, which meant in this case that my temperature was creeping up, and I had no appetite. I was planning on bringing the boxed lunch to the plane anyway when Magdy got an urgent call, as he was informed that the pilot was back at the airport, ready to take off, and that we needed to leave right away.
We made our way back to the bus and the airport and repeated the security process. While we were in the waiting room, we observed Magdy visibly upset. Several people needed to comfort him, patting him, holding his arm or patting his shoulder, trying to de-escalate him. We were convinced that the plane had left without us, but we could still see it on the tarmac. We boarded the plane after a wait and left. Later, I asked Magdy what had happened. It turned out that the caller had lied to him by saying that the pilot was ready to depart when in fact the pilot arrived at the airport after us.
We were all glad to be returning to the Ritz. Being sick, the Cairo air really got to me. I haven’t mentioned it before, but the air pollution in Cairo is severe. Someone told me that they asked Bill about it, and he replied that it was humidity, not air pollution. He didn’t get many takers on that theory. Given the extremely high percentage of men that we observed smoking combined with the air pollution, it’s amazing that any man doesn’t die of lung cancer before reaching 60.
I was not up for the group dinner that night at the hotel’s Italian restaurant, so I ordered room service: chicken noodle soup, bread, and a fruit platter. The whole meal came to around $20, including the service fee. It was delicious as well.
I was coughing and needed some cough medicine, which I didn’t think to bring. I called the concierge and described needing a cough medicine with guaifenesin. She called a pharmacist and arranged for the medicine to be delivered to my room. A short while later, the medication arrived, and I charged it and gave the courier a tip. The whole thing came to 100 Egyptian pounds, around $3.
Final Day
At this point, it felt like I had a case of Pharoah’s Revenge. I had a fever, fatigue, and slight cough, so I kept taking the medicine. I rested, sleeping on-and-off, for the day after going down with Karen for breakfast. I decided that I needed to power through the after-hours visit to the Egyptian Museum and the farewell dinner, so I took some Motrin, which got me through the night.
There was a brief get-together before going to the museum, and Nat Geo provided alcoholic beverages for the second and final time. There were a couple of people who avoided me, eying me like I might give them the plague, but most of the others seemed genuinely happy to see me after my disappearance for the past day. Even Bill, who I think had received the message that he was leaving a poor impression, approached me to say that he was glad that I was feeling better, since I wouldn’t have wanted to come all this way to miss the private visit to the Egyptian Museum.
The Ritz is adjacent to the museum, though we were accompanied, as always during our excursions in Cairo, with an armed bodyguard. Here is a final photo of Bill, in full Bill-galia, speaking about his favorite piece of the museum. I couldn’t really understand what it made it so special other than the fact that it was very old and documented the reuniting of Lower and Upper Egypt after their division.
Here is what the museum looks like when empty, or nearly empty:
The highlight of the museum, certainly, was the opportunity to be alone in the room that contains Tut’s treasures, including his famous gold mask and coffins. When this artifact was exhibited around the world, the museums were thronged with visitors. It was almost impossible to see it through the throngs of other visitors, so to be alone in the same room with it now was a powerful and unique experience.
There were a couple of moments of levity during the tour. As we passed a statue of Zoser, I commented on the Ghostbusters reference, which got Magdy singing its famous title song. Bill, however, corrected me that the actual name of the villain was Gozer, not Zoser, and that he was Mesopotamian, not Egyptian. Bill did share, however, that the Pharoah Akhenaten was the inspiration for the look of Jafar, as you can see below:
After the museum was the final dinner, which was held at the hotel’s outdoor restaurant. I was pretty drained after the cocktail party and museum, so when the manager asked me what I had ordered, I was stumped. I guessed fish, and he told me that fish was not one of the selections, so I chose chicken. Happily, I have not had to preorder a meal since then. After the standard dips and kabobs, and a nice warm pudding, it was time for farewells. As I was standing to leave, Bill, to his credit, actually approached me, shook my hand, and said, “Carl, it was a pleasure traveling with you.” I have to hand it to him, he sold it well, given that the sentiment could not have been genuine.
You know a trip is special when the prospect of its ending fills you with depression, and maybe you even contemplate wanting to move there. This trip was the polar opposite. It might have been my illness, exhaustion, and/or having had my fill of seeing temples and eating in groups, but I have never been so glad to get to an airport and board a plane back home.
Final installment: Overall impressions and recommendations
Back to the present. The morning started with an early check-out from the riverboat and off to the airport. We were taking a chartered, not private, plane, and all of the security and check-in protocols remained the same as if we were taking EgyptAir, not Petroleum Air Services, which was the name of the charter. At the airport, we noticed that in addition to our group, there were three other groups of NatGeo travelers who were on solo trips, including the family of giants. Mama giant explained to me later in the day that they did not want to mimic our itinerary by having to leave so early in the morning to fly to Luxor, so they started their trip in Luxor, on the cruise, and would do all of the Cairo part of the trip consecutively. Luckily for them, the plane had Southwest-style seating in the front, with two sets of seats facing each other, so the boys could sit with minimal discomfort to their extremely long legs.
The flight was uneventful. One aspect to a charter flight that was pretty cool was that like when we travelled by bus, we could leave our belongings on the plane, since the plane would be waiting for us.
Today was the day that I started to get sick again with early signs of fever and fatigue. I later concluded that the lingering stomach bug had weakened my immune system and made me vulnerable the other diseases which were so easily transmitted as a result of spending so much time packed in large groups in very small places with little ventilation. If you can go to Egypt and not get sick, especially during peak season, you have an incredible immune system.
The two spectacular temples were familiar to anyone who saw at least the remake of “Death on the Nile”. Luckily, unlike in that movie, there was no fear of being crushed by scheming murderers pushing boulders from on high:
It was at this point that Bill got tired of playing second fiddle. When Magdy began one of his explanations, Bill had had enough and interrupted, “Magdy, you never give me the opportunity to speak!” You may remember earlier in the trip, I asked Bill why Magdy wasn’t giving him more opportunities to present, and my question finally prompted Bill into action. Magdy surprisingly looked shocked, as if there was some way that he didn’t know he was hogging the floor. Bill’s expression of frustration did not increase the amount of time that Magdy gave him, which maybe was a factor in Bill being so irritable.
There were signs at Abu Simbel for a sound-and-light show, which of course we would not be attending. If I was designing my own itinerary, I would have wanted a “Spy Who Loved Me” filming locations tour and at least one sound-and-light show. While the temples at Abu Simbel were spectacular to see in person, the combination of being templed-out, not feeling great, and the extreme heat (another reason why it would have been better seen as a sound-and-light show at night) limited the amount of time I spent inside the temples. We went into the air-conditioned gift store, where Karen wanted to buy scarab souvenirs for her co-workers. They were priced at $10 each, and she did not want to spend more than the $5 each that I had spent for the hand-woven cotton hand towels that I bought for my co-workers at Magdy’s “special” stall at Aswan. Faced with a take-it-or-leave-it scenario, the owner took it.
I went back outside while Karen mulled over buying more of them, which prompted Bill’s second incident of mansplaining. I was coaching Karen in how to bargain, since I didn’t have the energy for a second round myself, when Bill advanced his theory that because a seller will never sell lower than his predetermined price, and a buyer will never pay more for something than they are prepared to spend, that it is impossible to end a negotiation with anyone having hard feelings. Someone pointed out that Bill’s theory was incorrect because sometimes people have buyer’s remorse and regret over-spending. Bill countered that he wasn’t talking about feelings that develop later, only one’s experiences during the negotiation process. I explained that a person can feel put off or even insulted if a seller charges too much initially, even if the buyer subsequently lowers the price later. Suffice it to say, I felt that I understood how to negotiate without Bill’s help.
It was then time for our break. We all got boxed lunches and had the choice between eating there or bringing it back on the plane. I was feeling progressively worse, which meant in this case that my temperature was creeping up, and I had no appetite. I was planning on bringing the boxed lunch to the plane anyway when Magdy got an urgent call, as he was informed that the pilot was back at the airport, ready to take off, and that we needed to leave right away.
We made our way back to the bus and the airport and repeated the security process. While we were in the waiting room, we observed Magdy visibly upset. Several people needed to comfort him, patting him, holding his arm or patting his shoulder, trying to de-escalate him. We were convinced that the plane had left without us, but we could still see it on the tarmac. We boarded the plane after a wait and left. Later, I asked Magdy what had happened. It turned out that the caller had lied to him by saying that the pilot was ready to depart when in fact the pilot arrived at the airport after us.
We were all glad to be returning to the Ritz. Being sick, the Cairo air really got to me. I haven’t mentioned it before, but the air pollution in Cairo is severe. Someone told me that they asked Bill about it, and he replied that it was humidity, not air pollution. He didn’t get many takers on that theory. Given the extremely high percentage of men that we observed smoking combined with the air pollution, it’s amazing that any man doesn’t die of lung cancer before reaching 60.
I was not up for the group dinner that night at the hotel’s Italian restaurant, so I ordered room service: chicken noodle soup, bread, and a fruit platter. The whole meal came to around $20, including the service fee. It was delicious as well.
I was coughing and needed some cough medicine, which I didn’t think to bring. I called the concierge and described needing a cough medicine with guaifenesin. She called a pharmacist and arranged for the medicine to be delivered to my room. A short while later, the medication arrived, and I charged it and gave the courier a tip. The whole thing came to 100 Egyptian pounds, around $3.
Final Day
At this point, it felt like I had a case of Pharoah’s Revenge. I had a fever, fatigue, and slight cough, so I kept taking the medicine. I rested, sleeping on-and-off, for the day after going down with Karen for breakfast. I decided that I needed to power through the after-hours visit to the Egyptian Museum and the farewell dinner, so I took some Motrin, which got me through the night.
There was a brief get-together before going to the museum, and Nat Geo provided alcoholic beverages for the second and final time. There were a couple of people who avoided me, eying me like I might give them the plague, but most of the others seemed genuinely happy to see me after my disappearance for the past day. Even Bill, who I think had received the message that he was leaving a poor impression, approached me to say that he was glad that I was feeling better, since I wouldn’t have wanted to come all this way to miss the private visit to the Egyptian Museum.
The Ritz is adjacent to the museum, though we were accompanied, as always during our excursions in Cairo, with an armed bodyguard. Here is a final photo of Bill, in full Bill-galia, speaking about his favorite piece of the museum. I couldn’t really understand what it made it so special other than the fact that it was very old and documented the reuniting of Lower and Upper Egypt after their division.
Here is what the museum looks like when empty, or nearly empty:
The highlight of the museum, certainly, was the opportunity to be alone in the room that contains Tut’s treasures, including his famous gold mask and coffins. When this artifact was exhibited around the world, the museums were thronged with visitors. It was almost impossible to see it through the throngs of other visitors, so to be alone in the same room with it now was a powerful and unique experience.
There were a couple of moments of levity during the tour. As we passed a statue of Zoser, I commented on the Ghostbusters reference, which got Magdy singing its famous title song. Bill, however, corrected me that the actual name of the villain was Gozer, not Zoser, and that he was Mesopotamian, not Egyptian. Bill did share, however, that the Pharoah Akhenaten was the inspiration for the look of Jafar, as you can see below:
After the museum was the final dinner, which was held at the hotel’s outdoor restaurant. I was pretty drained after the cocktail party and museum, so when the manager asked me what I had ordered, I was stumped. I guessed fish, and he told me that fish was not one of the selections, so I chose chicken. Happily, I have not had to preorder a meal since then. After the standard dips and kabobs, and a nice warm pudding, it was time for farewells. As I was standing to leave, Bill, to his credit, actually approached me, shook my hand, and said, “Carl, it was a pleasure traveling with you.” I have to hand it to him, he sold it well, given that the sentiment could not have been genuine.
You know a trip is special when the prospect of its ending fills you with depression, and maybe you even contemplate wanting to move there. This trip was the polar opposite. It might have been my illness, exhaustion, and/or having had my fill of seeing temples and eating in groups, but I have never been so glad to get to an airport and board a plane back home.
Final installment: Overall impressions and recommendations
