Blogging the Nile | Tombs, Alexandria, and Sick?

CAIRO, EGYPT – Alexandria’s cool, but totally overrated.

Three Observations

1. A warm dungeon makes me think of fresh bodies. Lauran and I decided yesterday that today would be the day to really travel again (since we were getting too comfy in Cairo), so the plan for today was to try out the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. After waking up at 5am and being in Ramses Station by 6:30, we waited an hour-and-a-half for a cheap Turbini train to take us up north. About 2 hours passed, and I was already smelling sea-scented air. Ah, Alexandria…

Now there really isn’t a lot to do up in this town, but the one thing I was really looking forward to was visiting the Catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa, with its “creepy tombs straight out of a horror-film set” (Lonely Planet). So once we got out of the train, we started walking south towards the catacombs, passing some Coptic neighborhoods and cute little side-streets. We finally hit the gate of the tomb, and after paying, I delved into the dark abyss.

It all started out with a spiral staircase that began at ground level but ended more than 100 feet in the ground. With every step, it got darker and cooler, until finally I was standing in a dimly lit stone room, shadows creeping all around me and warning of mummies and monsters awaiting behind walls. To my left was the triclinium, or the “cafeteria” where mourners would pay their last respects to their deceased with a banquet. To my right, a horrifying little tomb with locules (pigeonhole-like shelves for the bodies to lay… *gulp*). Straight ahead, a descending staircase leading into the torch-lit antechamber tomb, guarded by two monstrous stone statues.

Did I mention that I’m completely alone down here?

I hesitantly crept down the stairs, eyes darting side to side in expectance for the mummy that was undoubtedly about to jump out from a corner and… well, do whatever mummies do to humans. (Come to think of it, why are mummies scary? They’re not like a vampire, with fangs and that blood-thing they have, and they’re not like a werewolf or something that can like eat you. So why am I scared? Hmmmm, I’ll consider that… later. Right now, I’m so anxious, if I was to hear a mosquito buzz by, I’d probably urinate my pants.) To my sides were small, uncomfortably warm rooms with 20 open locules (no bodies, thank the Lord). In front of me, the statues (combination Egyptian, Greek, and Roman iconography) guarding the final locule room were illuminated by two fire torches. Indiana Jones wasn’t there, but it looked like he should have been.

When I’d had enough of exploring that area (so, like, after .00000000457 seconds), I came back into the main room to check out that side room that had frightened me before. Again, warm like a fresh body, with open locules peering at me through the darkness, but this time there was no light to guide my way. At all. I passed through the room and entered the Hall of Caracalla (how the heck did they make the ceilings so high?). It was apparently an entirely different funerary complex with its own tombs, bodies, and locules. Ok, I’d seen enough.

I scurried back through the previous room, up the spiral staircase, and breathed a sigh of relief to see sunlight again. Of all the places I’ve ever been, that was the most horrifying… and it was so much fun. I considered going back in for another quick peek, but decided against it at the last minute. There was still more to do around town.

2. More exploring. After escaping that horror-movie set, Lauran and I hopped in a cab and headed up towards the Mosque of Abu Abbas al-Mursi, and with a little coaxing, I managed to get Lauran to go inside. He’s done the whole mosque thing before, but I’d never been inside, so I was excited that my first time was in this gorgeous building. To be let in, I had to take off my shoes and leave them with a man at the door, but inside it was worth it. It was simply a large spacious carpeted room with columns to supports its gigantic ceiling. Everywhere you looked there were Muslim men, carrying their prayer carpets and reverently praying towards Mecca. It was a beautiful and calming sight for something that, really, our culture condemns as an evil sect.

From there we walked up along the coast to Fort Quaitbey, the huge stone building built on the remains of the Pharaohs Lighthouse, one of the original 7 Wonders of the World. Inside I walked around, was taken on a tour by a non-english-speaking-at-all guard. Did I understand anything? No way. But it was still nice to be walked around and talked to by someone.

By this time, it was getting to be late, and our stomachs were grumbling. No lunch yet! We walked back towards the city to find a phantom fish market, but no such luck, so we settled on some pizza in a little restaurant on the coast. Pretty cool, and a good way to close out our time in Alexandria. From here, we just walked back towards the train station, boarded the 6pm to Cairo, and took the subway home, back to Saray el Kobba.

3. Feeling gross. Lauran was feeling really hungry again, since we’d only eaten once, and he was also craving an internet café fix. His plan was to hop off the metro, grab some grub, and go look for a connection somewhere.

I, however, wasn’t feeling so enthusiastic. I was feeling a little tired and starting to have some soreness in the throat. Am I getting sick? NO NO NO! Please no! In an effort to nip it in the bud, I decided to skip out on the day’s final two activities and just come back to the apartment for some extra sleep. I headed on direction, he headed the other, and I arrived at our place for some extra rest. After a super-long and relaxing shower (and another wrestling bout with the washing machine), I laid down and wrote for a while. Now, as the clock is ticking closer to 11:00p, I’m feeling my eyes closing more and more…

-cw, (or in Arabic, )