In Limbo

I'm stuck in Singapore. Yes, stuck.

I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for this Australian visa thing to pan out and it's been non-stop chaos. First it was x-rays in Cairo (no small feat), then getting them released to me (a bigger bureaucratic debacle), then sending them to Australia (stuck in Haj/Christmas traffic), and now waiting for their medical examiner to approve them. I seriously started this thing nearly a month ago and am yet to be approved. Now they say it may be several weeks.

Jeremy went to Tehran yesterday while I flew on to Singapore in hope that approval would be fast and that I'd only be here a bit before purchasing my cheap flight to Brisbane. But of course, nothing is so simple, is it? Along with the disappearing sand in my egg-timer, my bank account empties in a similar fashion.

Who knows how long I'll be here. Cash on hand is limited to $2,000 (actually, I think it's less). If I go home, I can't afford to fly back to Australia (not to mention it's winter and I won't find any work there). If I go to Australia as a tourist, I won't be approved for my visa because you must be outside the country at the time of approval. If I stay in Singapore for too long, I won't have money to send myself in either direction... I better start thinking of swimming. I could be one of the boat people!! (An Australian joke about immigrants--not too far from our own story with Cuba.) But hey, there are still a few things to smile about; Singapore has the cleanest public toilets I've ever seen. Anywhere.

Prayers are much appreciated.

With all this time on my hands, I'll be posting the left overs of Egypt and Azerbaijan soon plus New Years and the beginning of my life in Singapore. Don't forget to check out my 365 Degrees blog because tomorrow I'll post the first project photo.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

By the way...

Some of you seemed a little confused by my post about the 365 Degrees blog. I'm not abandoning this one. I'm just going to manage a second one wholly dedicated to my photography. The two will be linked and you can follow them both (or just one) if you want to. Check it out here.

Luxor Luxury

Well, Luxor may not have been very luxurious for us but it certainly was for the pharaohs! I don't really have much to say about Luxor except that there are temples, temples, temples, and more temples. Oh, and tombs, tombs, tombs, and more tombs. I can hardly remember where all of these photos were taken so I'll just comment on those that I can remember something about.

I think this was in Kom Umbo but I'm not sure. It was actually a closed stairway to the roof. Or sorta closed. I guess we could have paid the guide 5 Pounds to take us up there but neither of us were keen. Looks cool though. :)

I think this may have been my favorite temple. It was HUGE and CHEAP! Way cheaper than the other ones with far less people. There was so much to see.

These are the remaining feet of Ramses II at the Rameseum Temple in Luxor. It's believed that these feet were the inspiration for the poem Ozymandius.

This was taken at Karnak Temple in Luxor.

Hope you're not afraid of heights! This was one long and a bit unsteady metal stairway up a steep crevice in the canyon wall at The Valley of the Kings. We had to climb up here to get a look at one of the tombs. Photos inside were forbidden. Sorry.

The entrance to a closed and unknown tomb in The Valley of the Kings.

I think this was at the Temple of Karnak but I'm not sure. Karnak was the most important and oldest temple among the ancient Egyptians. Very interesting stuff. I believe there was something like 2,000 pillars in this room!

Some cool hieroglyphics at my favorite temple in Luxor. I believe this depiction is of Ramses II smiting the Lybians. Kinda gruesome.

Aswan and Abu Simbel

When we left Siwa, we headed down to Aswan to catch a glimpse of Abu Simbel --two glorious temples rescued from the waters of the Nile when it was dammed just north of Aswan. Unfortunately there really wasn't much else to do there. Abu Simbel was definitely just a day trip and Aswan is a serious tourist trap.


We got up early and caught a bus to Abu Simbel (just across the border from Sudan) but were a little unsure of whether we could get one back. (A guy working at the bus station said there were no evening or afternoon return buses but our book assured us there were...?) In the end, we hopped on a minibus arranged by a soldier in town and took the 6 hour drive back with a car full of Egyptians. There were two cute girls (twins) age 24 behind us and we had a great time talking. They were both teaching English out there in remote Egypt.


On the way back to Aswan it became quite clear that our 30 Pound bus ticket was a rip off. One of the girls behind me told me that the fare was 16 Pounds so that's what I handed up to the front but the driver didn't like it. He started yelling at us in Arabic and the locals started yelling back--defending us!! He eventually pulled over, got out, opened the side door and really started laying in to us. The Egyptians seemed to argue passionately in our defense but to no avail. It seems we were E-gypt again!!

Back in Aswan we hurried out to the Nubian village/island to get me a henna tattoo (not a real tattoo, just some herbal concoction that stains your skin). When we arrived we discovered that we had been dropped not at the village but at a closed museum and had to walk a ways in the dark to get to the village. That's when we met the village "chief." Ha. Right. He took me to "The Nubian House" (a reputable place for henna) but of course, it wasn't the real thing and they wanted me to pay 100 Pounds for a tattoo!!! Now way! I said I would pay 40 which after a bit of haggling they accepted. Unfortunately, the peacock the girl was supposed to draw was really back (looked kinda like a chicken) and I had to go wash it all off before it dried and stained my skin for weeks! I paid them 20 for their time and material and left a little disappointed.

But ruthless touts is about all there is to Aswan. Our only way to really escape them was at McDonalds where a police officer was hired to chase those pesky touts away. Finding a felucca captian was pretty difficult. We spent lots of time wandering up and down the corniche looking for someone to take us down the river. They mostly wanted us to go alone on the boat but we were looking to make new friends and preferred a boat with some people already booked. After several hours of haggling and being chased by those annoying critters, we finally found one.

When the day came to load up and set sail, we found ourselves a bit confused. There were more people than we were told, the boat was different from the one we inspected, and the captain had changed--twice! Eventually everything got sorted out and it was indeed the right boat, and like everything in Egypt, what you pay for isn't always what you get. We decided to just roll with the punches and were pretty glad we did. The trip down the Nile was excellent.

365 Degrees

I've finally decided what I'm going to do with this other site I have.

I realized several months ago that when I set up my blog I took the web address of kortneythoma.blogspot.com not twentyfirstcenturynomad.blogspot.com and I decided to snatch up the address before someone else did.

But what to do with it?

I've been wanting to journal everyday but I can't seem to make myself write that often (plus this blog thing has kind of become my journal anyway) so I'm going to make this other site my photo journal. I want to capture the world around me--360 degrees--everyday of the year--365 days. Thus, I'm calling this little project 365 Degrees. All photos will be fresh and no past photos will be posted. If I end up photoshopping something, I will post the original take as well.

I hope that at the end of the year I will have learned a few things, had some interesting ideas, created a large portfolio of work, and improved my technique. My most specific goal though: I want to be skilled at manual photography.

So get ready! January 1st will be day one.

Check out the new blog here or find it from my list on the right side of the screen.

Alexandria

We first arrived in Alexandria and had a great time wandering around there for a few days (even if it all started out wrong). When we arrived we walked out of the airport and jumped in a pretty plain looking taxi. Following local custom--which is to not negotiate a price before hand (as all taxis are un-metered) and instead just toss them a fair price as you exit--we handed our diver 15 Pounds and jumped out. But our large driver followed us. He didn't seem happy. We were pretty convinced that was a fair price as we had asked some locals at the airport but he kept insisting that it wasn't and followed us a long way down the road as we tried to walk off (well, Jeremy was walking and I was kinda helplessly following). But when the driver started threatening to call the police it seemed that maybe we were wrong and he was right. With a little coaxing I got J to stop.

By this time the driver was so upset that he couldn't speak English anymore and we were fortunate to find two young Egyptian guys walking down the street toward us (it was about 1 AM). With a little their help, we learned that he was a special "tourist taxi" driver and that 60 Pounds was indeed the going rate for his special car (though it really didn't look much more special than a 1960's blue station wagon). It was a little embarrassing. Jeremy, though, enraged by the man's dishonesty (we had no idea what we were walking in to) refused to pay him the full 60 Pounds and felt that 50 should be enough to make the problem go away. The driver wasn't satisfied and I was a little worried that this big guy was going to crush my boyfriend in front of my eyes, but he blubbered on for a bit and eventually took what he could get and let us go. What a way to meet and greet the locals!! So much for first impressions!!

After that, almost everything was fine. We did have another unpleasant run in with a sassy old waiter at an over priced restaurant. I ordered a croissant with cheese but he brught me some meat dish that I didn't order. When I complained to another waiter and took them my dish, he returned, threw the dish down in front of me and said, "No. This is your order," and stomped off. Ugh. It took a few more tries plus a talk with the manager to get the order right but he did eventually come back with the right dish and apologize. Weirdness.


We totally lucked out with what had to be the BEST hotel room ever (notice I said ROOM and not BATHROOM--eww) found at www.wikitravel.org (a good alternative/supplement to Lonely Planet and Hostel World). For about the equivalent of $8, we got a sea view right on the corniche (ocean drive) smack dab in the middle of the bay, so we could see Alexandria sprawling out to the left and right, curling forth towards the center entrance of the bay. Lovely. Really. With beautiful french doors opening to a nice little balcony.

While in Alex, we visited the Bibliotheca Alexandria (Alexandria Library)--once the largest library in the world and one of the world's seven wonders (though long ago destroyed). Today a modern library stands in it's place and is a great place to just hang out for a bit and read or surf the net. We had a interesting time searching their catalog for books we suspected might be banned. The Satanic Bible, for example, is only available to authorized researchers. Interesting. But perhaps the most interesting part of the museum is the crazy architecture!



The next day we visited Pompey's Pillar which is basically a bit pillar above two sphinxs and is all that remains of ancient Alexandria (as in the city that Alexander the Great built). While there, the old gate keeper let us in to some closed off areas below where we could see a reproductin of the bull that the ancient Romans used to pray to as well as some catacombs and the old temple library-second only to the main library of Alexandria.


The next day we visited Pompey's Pillar which is basically a bit pillar above two sphinxs and is all that remains of ancient Alexandria (as in the city that Alexander the Great built). While there, the old gate keeper let us in to some closed off areas below where we could see a reproductin of the bull that the ancient Romans used to pray to as well as some catacombs and the old temple library-second only to the main library of Alexandria.

Later that day we went to a very old catacomb complex where thousands of Roman and Egyptian were once buried. We weren't supposed to take photos in there but there were no gaurds around and it was only me and J, so he stood watch and I snapped a few. :)

On the way back we walked through a very charming Islamic district, witnessing impromptu soccer games, home made dough-making in the street, lovely afternoon sun, and the best animal market ever.

A lovely little side street in the market area.

A piece of the action in that impromptu soccer game.

I just loved all the kids cheering from the side line. :)

That lovely light I was telling you about...

And some serious bread making! I wonder how much soot that dough collects from being out on the street...

I have never seen a goose like this before but it sure is pretty! Taken from the animal market.

Jeremy and those cute kids we met in the market. They LOVED having their photos taken!

Sand Land

Off to the desert! We had a lovely time in Alex (that's Alexandria in local speak) but were ready for a slower pace of life--and we got it!

Starting with the bus. It was a long 8 hours out into the desert...

One day we took a trip out to Fatnas Island by bike (not really an island) and Jeremy decided to take a swim in the hot spring out there. But oops! We forgot our swimsuits! Yep, that's him, diving in his underwear! :) I didn't get in because I would have had to swim in my clothes (wasn't willing to strip) and there was a police officer there trying to coax me in but he gave me the creeps.

We also biked out to the Temple of the Oracle--the same oracle that Alexander the Great consulted with and used to confirm himself a deity and therefore pharaoh. A very important historical site.

And the next night we went out to the Mountain of the Dead. It sounds like a bad horror film title but it's really just a big hill covered with tombs--maybe 100+? Some had really nice reliefs and multiple rooms. It was hot but nice and we sat on top the mountain watching and waiting for the sunset. It never ceases to amaze me how much time can pass while we talk. We had to have waited about 3 hours for that sun to set... He's a cool guy. Really.

After the came ride, it was goodbye Siwa and hello Aswan! But not until we spent another two nights/days on trains and busses...

Desert Rats

The camel trek in Siwa has so far been the best part of our trip in Egypt. We really wanted to do something with camels at some point, really wanted to see parts of the Great Sand Sea and wanted to do at least one overnight in the desert, so we started asking around and the owner of the restaurant (Abdu's) that we frequented recommended Sharif at Talaat Ranch. Sharif was an amazing guy who had about 12 well trained and well cared for camels. He taught us TONS of cool stuff about camels and the desert, plus, since it was too late to arrange an overnight permit for inside the Sand Sea, he arranged for us to camp overnight at the edge of the Sea at a friend of his's house where we could use her natural hot spring. It was awesome.

But of course the camel part was best.

The view from my camel. It was a bumpy ride.

One cool sand dune that I had fun photographing during lunch.

Heading up a dun late in the afternnoon, Jeremy in front of me. You can see there are lots of tire tracks from all the 4WD guys taking tours out there. It makes it really difficult to take a camel through because it churns the sand and they kind of sink a bit when they step down. Plus, those 4WD guys leave ots of trash. We don't like them.

Our camel caravan, sans moi.

We had to get off at one point and wak our camels down a particuarly steep dune. It was a lot bigger that it looked and if we had tried to ride our camels down we probably would have fallen or gone shooting off at super speed as camels perfer to run downhill. Crazy animals.

But it was all good fun. The only down side is that there's no bathroom out in the desert and very litte (if anything) to pee behind. And our lunch kind of made us sick (of course aided by the rocking motion of our steeds). We were ready to burst when we finally arrived at camp. lol.

Slowly Down the Nile

Our trip down the Nile was certainly a memorable one (though it began in a bad way). Trying to find a felucca in Aswan to take you down the Nile is like trying to return a lost $100 bill--everyone is the one you're looking for! We were harrassed so many times as we walked along the corniche trying to find a captain. We met Captain Cook, Captain Abu and Captain Cool, but the most ominous of the felucca captains is perhaps Captain Fish.

From what we can tell, Captain Fish is a (mythical?) felucca captain who roams the open waters at night snatching the unknowing traveller's bag off the side of the boat while everyone is asleep. We found out about him one night while we prepared for bed and our little captain (a kid of perhaps 14 yrs old who smoked cigarettes and bossed around his 20+ yr old 1st mate) jumped all over the deck throwing our stuff to the middle of the bodies saying, "Careful! Captain fish!" It's stuck. Now whenever we think we're being scammed J or I will say, "Hmmm, Captain Fish," as code for: "Let's get out of here!"

Here we are, resting as we float down the river, reading books, sleeping, and chatting. It was incredibly relaxing.

Our cool ship proudly flying the--Jamaican?--flag. What's up with that? Everyone had a flag on their boat though it rarely reflected the nationalities of it's crew or guests. However, we did come upon one boat with an Australian flag that curiously had only Australians aboard...

We had fun playing cards at sunset too.

This is Jeremy's Fabio photo. Can't you just hear him saying, "Hello, my sweet... I've been waiting..." lol.

Those beautiful, blissful silent mornings along the shore. A nice time to just sit and contemplate stuff.

This was our first night, shortly after we set sail. It was beautiful and enjoyable from the moment we stepped on the boat and the loveliness of Egypt and the Nile never disappointed.

We had such a good time. We made lots of new friends and found tons of people to trade books with. The food was... uh, decent, but it was just having the company of some other travelers that made it unforgettable. It was great to sit down, share photos, swapp stories, and play cards. We all shared a bottle of wine and (some) took a dip in the river. If you ever make it to Egypt, a felucca ride down the Nile is a must.

Books on the go!

Here are a few of my reads from the last few months:

Atonement
I found this over all to be a rather boring read with some good parts. The narrative throughout the war is particuarly good but in the end, I think most readers will walk away disappointed. I chose to read this because I heard such good things about the movie but was unable to get my hands on a copy. I really hope the movie was better...

Out of Iran
A really interesting autobiography about an elite and rich family in Iran and their escape during and after the revolution. I would highly recommend this book. Jermey and I read the whole thing out loud to each other over numerous dinners and he loved it as well.

Reading Lolita in Tehran
After you read the one above, make sure you read this one. This is a memoir/literary criticism about a middle class family and their experiences during the Shah's reign and after Kohmeini and his revolution. The writer talks about her secret literature classes where she taught banned novels to a select group of girls who once a week came to her hous and took off their veils. Evaluating numerous novels such as Pride and Prejudice and The Great Gatsby, the author shows how each girl from a different class and different perspective interprets these great books and sees themselves throught he character's eyes. Highly recommended.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
This is a fascinatnig biography/anthropological/medical study about a family of Hmong refuges from Laos struggle with doctors, CPS workers, community members, religion, and western culture to treat their daughter who was born with epilepsy. It will significantly change your mind and hyou heart when you read of not only their struggles but those of the doctors and it'll probably inspire you to be a little kinder with the next immigrant you meet who can't speak English. Highly Recommened.

Natural Causes
An airport novel about a doctor who is framed because she practices alternative medicine. It's a quick paced book that won't challenge you at all. But hey, if you'd like to check out and read a book as if you're watching a movie, go ahead. But don't be surprised by the numerous cheesy one-liners. Not recommended.

The Secret Life of Bees
Oh my! This is a beautiful comming of age story about Southern life, racism, the powerful bond between mothers and daughters, and the power within every woman to defend herself. I can't say anything more than to go---go read it! I don't want to give anything away! This book is perfect for mothers, daughters, sisters, nannies--pretty much every woman! LOVED IT. READ IT. (Aunt Judy, I expect to hear from you about this book!)

The Road
Well, I just started so I can't say too much except that it's obviously a master piece and sooo worthy of it's Pulitzer Prize. It's a post-apocolyptic novel about a father and son crossing American in search of the ocean and a better life. The book is relatively easy to read (with small chunks of stream of consciousness thrown in) but thoughtful. READ IT.

More photos?

Well, I've been busy trying to upload photos (it's taken me a while) so feel free to check them out at Flickr.com. There is a link to my Flickr albums on the right side of this web page. You can look at them in the order that I uploaded photos or click on the collections to the right and choose which photos you want to see by country and city. Enjoy!!

Yerevan? Where did it go?

I'm sorry to say this but we hardly spent anytime in Armenia at all. We had about 6 days total and realized that 6 days just wasn't enough to see much more than Yerevan, so we stayed there the whole time as the only guests in a REALLY nice hostel. However we did have a lot of fun.

One day we went took a trip out of the city to visit Echmadzine, the Vatican of Armenian Orthodoxy. It was really nice, if a little small, and had a wonderful museum housing numerous pieces of the church's treasury. Some of the things that caught our attention: a piece of Noah's Ark from the top of Mt Ararat, the spear the Roman centurion pierce the side of Jesus with, and a piece of wood from the cross. Now, I'm not sure how anyone can believe these things are legit but there is certainly something about them that makes you smile. The tradition in believing is beautiful.

Another day Jeremy took me on a date and we went to see Giselle (a ballet). It was my first ballet and though a little slow at times, it was really nice. I hope I have many more chances to attend ballets in the future. :)

We also visited the Mt Ararat Bandy Company and took a really cool tour through their factory. Interestingly, every head of state to visit their factory is given a barrel of their own brandy which they can remove at anytime. Then we went and tasted their brandys aged 5, 10 and 20 years. This was also a first for me and I guess it tasted good but wow! It was strong! I hardly sipped much of any of the three! But we did find that chocolate was a great thing to eat along side the Brandy (a nice reprieve since we made a vow not to eat anymore candy after leaving Azerbaijan).

One of the last things we did was visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum--a very humbling tourist attraction. I honestly knew pretty much nothing about it except that Chirac had made it illegal in France to deny the genocide (which upset Turkey). It was really sad to see the photos and read the letters of prisoners, escapees, orphanes, missionaries, foreign dignitaries, and eye witnesses of the holocaust-like events. The above photo is of the eternal flame which stands amidt 12 pillars representing the 12 states lost to Turkey in the conflict.

And around the side, carnations and roses were laid.

Hopefully I will have a chance to return someday to this lovely city and country. The people were great, the food nice, the scenery unsurpassable, the churches inspiring.

Oh yeah, Azerbaijan.

So, Azerbaijan... Well, let me start off by saying I'm glad I didn't accept my Peace Corp invite to teach there. This country is about 90% unpleasant with 10% wonderful. I believe that 10% reside primarily in Seki. I'll post about Baku and the nastiness of Azerbaijan's pollution later and for now, I'll show you the charming 10% of Azerbaijan.

After visiting the Seki palace, Jeremy and I walked out to find this guy standing outside with something covered up under a dirty rag with ears poking out. We thought it was going to be some silly small donkey and just to humor the old man, Jeremy reached out his hand to touch it. Just then the "donkey" wobbled over (obviously not alive) and the man pulled back the rag; underneath was a taxidermied wolf. We lost it laughing.

It was too good of a photo to pass up, even if I had to pay for it. So Jeremy posed but before I could take the photo, the man flipped a switch on the wolf's underside and his eyes lit up like Christmas lights. It was hilarious! And then the man started growling as Jeremy resumed position.

I think this photo says it all. Even though it's not in great focus, the man's smirk is clearly visible. He was sooo funny!

Down the street from our hotel was this adorable fruit stand that we often bought our snacks at (Jeremy swears they sell the best apples on earth). These two guys have some pretty serious faces on but they were sweet and dying to have their photo taken.

The whole city was covered in these beautiful fall colors. This is just one of the three mosque minarets rising above them. It was the perfect time to visit. Especially since I was missing Halloween at home (we stayed up and tried to tell ghost stories but ended up laughing all night).

Charming Soviet architecture. Just kidding. I think this apartment block looks like a big brick of Pepto Bismol. Jeremy posed me the question, "Is there anything you could do to make this building beautiful?" I reckon no.

Oh, okay, one photo from Baku because it's great. This is one of the beautiful little alley's we got lost wondering around it. The colors are magnificent, eh?

In the presence of gods and kings...

Here are some photos from our day out in Giza.

You know, the Sphinx really isn't all that big... And the "Great Pyramid" really is only the middle sized one (there's one next to it that's bigger but just looks smaller because it's at a lower elevation). Just putting a few things in perspective.

Those crazy camel touts... If he had seen me take this picture I'm sure I would have been hit up for money...

Our silly sides coming out.

I look like I have a mullet. The desert does bad things to my hair.

There they all are. Three pyramids in a row.

This one, the largest one, is the one we climbed up into. It was like a super sauna in there. We had sweat dripping from every part of our bodies as we climbed up the narrow, low ceiling tunnels into the pyramid's heart. There was a big group of Japanese tourists coming down while we went up and they kept hitting their heads on the ceiling. I hit mine too once or twice. Unfortunately there are no photos from inside as they confiscated our cameras at the entrance. I don't really no why though; there weren't any reliefs or murals inside...

And here is the Great Pyramid from the bottom up. It didn't feel that big until you were standing next to it and looking up but it was.