Zim Photography Blog

Final Analysis: Egypt

Posted: 27 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

My stay in Egypt has come to a close. I’m at the airport and headed to Istanbul (I’m really looking forward to that). Until I started my preparations for this trip I had very little interest in coming here. After all, how interesting could a few pyramids in the desert be? In the end, the Pyramids really weren’t that interesting for me. You couldn’t climb them and couldn’t blink without someone asking you for more money for… whatever.

But the sites beyond the Pyramids proved to be quite interesting. All of the temples in and near Luxor were indeed spectacular. I found the food to be more than a one song note (see Mickey D’s post – ha!). Cairo, in the end was not as sleepy as I originally thought. Depending on the day of the week it can be a lively upbeat city with a nightlife, people out and about enjoying themselves. Overall I thought the country was way less conservative than I imagined. I thought I would have seen more people praying during prayer time than I did; for the most part unless I was at a mosque during prayers I only observed a few on the street praying – this was a surprise.

It is a much poorer country than I had imagined too. And perhaps this leads to my complaint about Egypt. The reason why most foreigners come here is to visit the ancient sites. At the sites are vendors of all sorts (nothing unusual there), they are aggressive and annoying (not unusual either). What is unusual is with certain tourists they seemed particularly obnoxious (for the most part they left me alone, must be my evil eye) which made for an unpleasant experience. What was also particularly annoying and really did sour my experience here was something called “Baksheesh” also known as a tip (perhaps bribe would be a better description). At every turn in the tourist area people (men) would openly ask for Baksheesh, to simply do their job, not do their job, to do something beyond their job or simply because they were standing there. The guy who took your ticket asked for baksheesh, the security guard would offer to let you touch the relics and then put his hand out AFTER. He would offer to take you into a “gated, off limits area” and then ask you for baksheesh. There would be several men standing in front of the bathroom doing nothing demanding baksheesh before and after you used the facilities (at monument sites) for using their facilities.

I am left wondering what is it in this culture that leads to this attitude/behavior? The only answer can be poverty and several millennia of struggle between the haves and have nots. I did find that once well outside the tourist areas however, that this attitude did begin to melt away and the people were friendlier.

Anyhoo, onward to Istanbul!

That’s me photographing a fish bbq. (good stuff!)

Just to give you a sense of scale (I’m still about 100 yds away from the bast of that pyramid (and it’s not the largest one)

Breakfast of champions! Foul is beans served with oil, salt, tahini sauce with a side of tomatoes, onions, peppers, cucumbers and bread. I think they added the fries to bring up my bill a bit. ;) I added the soda and tabouli salad. The total was about $1.30 . This is the most popular breakfast in the region – and you can get it everywhere.

The Pyramids – vblog

Posted: 25 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

Finally made it to the pyramids today. My Egypt adventure is starting to come to a close. This was the last major stop for me. Here’s the report:

For those of you paying attention to the happenings here in the Arab world it would seem that Syria is definitely heading down the road of massive protests, real violance and potential civil war. I’m getting reports on the syrian situation via BBC AND CNN World, and think it’s amazing how quickly the situation has changed there. All I have to say is that amoung the many Syrians that I met, they were the most hospitable and most friendly I have ever met in the world, only second to Mexicans. I hope they receive the freedoms that they deserve.

Sleepy Cairo

Posted: 23 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

So the time has come. I’m now in Cairo, deep breath…. nothing. There had been much anticipation and intrepidation leading up to my arrival here. Anticipation because I had heard so much about the “souk” or the old market of Cairo and was looking forward to that hustle and bustle and old world feeling. Intrepidation because of the whole revolution thing only a few weeks ago. (speaking of which guess I got out of Syria just in time eh?).

All I can report on both fronts is not a whole lot. Drove over Tahrir Square this morning and even through it this evening and…. nothing; the protesters seem to have gone home. A few tanks around, and a few soldiers. But that was all. Everyone has returned to their daily lives and as far as I can tell, from an outsiders perspective, things are normal (traffic is terrible). And all of the talk about aggressive/persistent vendors? I’m not feeling a ton of that either. The crazy market? Not so crazy.

How safe is it here? Walked all the way through Islamic Cairo today with out incident. Once out of the tourist areas, streets got more narrow, more crowded, and vendors no longer paid attention to me (which is good). But I’m finding that this “lively” town is just kind of sleepy, relative to other places I have been. Crowded yes, lively? Not so much. People just seem to be living. Will be going through the Christian Quarter in a couple of days. We’ll see what that has to offer.

The only product to buy of the revolution? One sad little stand selling “January 25, 2011″ stickers. I asked for t-shirts and they said they ain’t got it! There were all kinds of 9/11 stuff in Chinatown Manhattan less than 3 days after!

My those are well manicured eyebrows you have there for an Arab man! (someone on the highway who wanted his picture taken)

So glad this was not an American export!

One Trick Pony

Posted: 22 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

From Aswan headed further south to Abu Simbel, so what’s there to see here? welllllll, there’s Abu Simbel of course! Ok, the the Ramses Temple (see below). It feels like everywhere in the world some lonely ancient dude gets himself stuck in the middle of nowhere and decides to build monument to a God or just has one huge need to “erect” something big dedicated to himself because he was so clearly bored out his mind (and let’s face it, it’s always a dude!). And on just about every trip I’ve taken for the past past 5 years or so I’ve ended up at these places. They are what I call one trick ponies. Always in remote areas with nothing else to offer, and always attached is one little village/city/town with nothing else going for it; filled with poor people who can’t make a living doing anything but supply the “tourist” industry or lack there of with stuff us tourists don’t want or need.

And Abu Simbel? Is one of those towns. On the southern most part of Egypt bordering Sudan there is nothing to do or see but the monuments of Abu Simbel. I’m glad I made it here and I’m glad I saw this… it is spectacular. The ancient and modern history of these two temples makes it worth the trip. You see where it sits now is about 100 ft. higher off the valley floor than where it sat originally. Why were these moved? When they decided to build the Aswan Dam and flood valley they knew that they were going to submerge these two temples (and about 10 others) but this was the largest, and compared with the many other temples I have seen on this trip, it is amazingly well preserved. The fate of the others I am not sure, they did move the large temple of Philae and Dendur (now at the Met in NYC).

Feeling Better: I’m Lovin’ It…ok, not that much.

Posted: 21 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

Headed south to Aswan today. Saw the temple at Dendara (very cool) and also Kom Hombu (less cool). Was still not feeling great until about 2 o’clock when it felt like a switch had been turned and I was feeling completely better. Thank goodness!

Then headed further south and saw the Aswan Dam (I dunno, a dam is a dam right? I don’t get what the attraction is in seeing one) and now I can say I saw the Aswan Dam. The dam that gave the Met the Temple of Dendur! Anyhoo on the way back I just had to, a yup, I stopped at McDonalds! Yes folks I did. Although I think whatever I ate there made me sick for the rest of the night. I did find something very interesting there a McD’s Egypt towel and I just had to get it! (see below)

The thing about that experience is that it was perhaps the best experience among the local people I have had since I’ve been here! They were happy to see us they posed for pictures. The Manager even changed the menu so i could get extra pictures etc. And the gal even posed with the Zim Air passengers for me!

please no comments on the leg. I had to steady myself ok?

Offerings to the Gods!

Posted: 20 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

Question: Dear Gods, Would it be possible for me to get out of a foreign country without getting sick?

Did not sleep well last night (that’s always bad news), woke up with a headache and nautious. Drove 2.5 hours to my first temple, and started to make offerings to the Gods. (Was wondering why I had not made offerings in the vomitoriams in Syria?), Then made an offering to the Trash Can God, then to another Temple God, the Side of the Road God, and then the Side of a Building God. It would seem that my offerings did not make an impression.

Btw, everyone who has watched me give an offering (like police and security types) have asked if they should call a doctor for me, so we’ve taken to telling them that I may be preggars! It does seem to work. Instead of being all worried they are then all happy with congratulations! OMG.

Only squeezed off a couple of images. So nothing to share. Going bed now. :(

Ok, Ok, I’m Chinese!

Posted: 19 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

It’s day two now in Egypt and I’m tired of saying, “I’m American, really.” And then going into the whole thing about whether or not I’m “really” american. So today I decided when the question comes, “From China?” my answer is “yes”. It seemed to put and end to the discussion. And since the question only comes from people trying to sell me tourist junk, I don’t mind it putting and end to the discussion. I suppose most of them don’t speak Chinese.

Tonight found a restuarant advertised to be German-Egyptian owned, it’s called Gerda’s. Guess what? Gerda? She’s German. And the Egyptian food? Very nice.

And the photo below? That’s me next to an Egyptian Army sniper rifle with the Zim Air passengers on the rifle. The soldiers wouldn’t let me take photos WITH them.

And this is one of the temples I saw today. What’s the scale? Do you see the Zim Air Luxury Transportation Vehicle there on the bottom of the first column on the right?

Romans to Egyptians

Posted: 18 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

After going to the valley of the Kings today (where King Tut was found) I have definitely come to the conclusion that I experience things differently with my camera than without it. I pay attention more when I have my camera. I see things differently and as a result they are more interesting to me. The valley of the Kings has a number of tombs which you can visit, and access to the valley is via a main entrance building; there they tell you that you can not bring your cameras at all; and they have x-ray machines checking bags. So there I was leaving my entire photographic equipment for the trip to a stranger! I was not happy.

Although the tombs which I had access were interesting, I must admit I felt cheated. Afterwards I went to 3 more sites where there was open access with cameras and things were looking up! Never did I imagine what a large area this is and how extensive the excavations are. It is interesting that everything in Syria was built by the Romans (or at least what I saw was; now everything is Egyptian and predates the Romans – although there is evidence of the Romans here, it’s just not as impressive)

Ramaseum – a mausoleum

A group of school kids.

Touchdown Egypt!

Posted: 17 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

Arrived into Luxor this evening via Cairo. Thus far there is nothing to report. There were a couple of tanks out on the street and saw a few soldiers around with weapons. But that’s not a surprise as the headline in the Egypt Daily News was about how the police has been dismantled by the government; so I take it the army is policing the streets. I think the big news is that it’s really quiet on the streets here in luxor. There were only a few people out on the street at about 8:45 pm.

I’m staying at the hilton “Resort & Spa” Luxor. I saw a total of 4 guests during the entire check in process and the walk to our room despite the fact that they have 236 rooms, there are only 17 which was why we got our room upgraded! As we walked by the very empty bar and restaurant the staff waived as if to say “OMG, guests!”

The lack of tourists is looking rather sad for this place but I must say I think I will enjoy it.

As for the flight here from Damascus via Cairo? Got to fly on Egypt Air in Business/First. I had forgotten what a pleasure it is to fly an international carrier in the front of the plane. In the US for a 2 hour flight it means an extra drink and a couple 2 bags of peanuts instead of 1 (yipper). For the less than 2 hour flight there was a complete meal service and as you can see in the front you get GOLD colored seat belts (those are Zim Air Passengers checking out the seatbelts)! As then for the 40 minute flight down to Luxor? The airline made a mistake and did not check the luggage all the way through. Which meant that I had to retreive my bags, check in, and pass through security again. Which meant that time was short at the Cairo airport. When I got to the “gate” (which was not really a gate, but an extra set of security measures) I asked how much time there was left before boarding the agent said, “oh you have 10 minutes.” So took a bathroom break, came back and handed her the tickets. She looked at the ticket said, “You are flying C Class?” I said yes, “Business.” She said, “EEEhhh, we have ahhh lounge. Why you don’t use lounge?” I said, “yes I know we have access” Agent, “why don’t you go there now?” Me – shrug. Agent, “You can go there and take some food.” Me, “But there isn’t enough time? We have to board?” Agent, “You have unitl 7:30 (20 minutes). Why don’t you go there, and take some something?” She was so insistant it seemed like we would offend her if we didn’t, so we went. Agent, ” Please be back 7;30, don’t be late. I will call you.” And seeing how Egypt Air basically owns this airport I figured the lounge must be good. Aaaahem, NOT!

Tomorrow off to the Valley of the Kings!

Welcome crew at the Hilton Luxor (yes, iced tea, warm towel, and a rose for me!)

WoW Damascus!!

Posted: 15 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

So I’ve been here for a couple of days. Overall I can’t say that there is anything in particular that is special about Damascus, but I’m totally in love with it. I don’t know why. In a lot of ways it has nothing particularly special but in so many ways it has evoked this feeling of being exotic and old and historic. Over all the people here have been very very welcoming and warm. Everyday I am met by what looks like disapproving frowns from women in hijab, but when I smile back I receive a warm welcoming smile as well. Not just a nodding acknowledgment but a real smile.

I have come to find that if I linger anywhere long enough I am offered free food! I stopped in an alley way [Old Damascus is filled with lots of little alleys) a man looking out from a window got my attention and then threw some candy at me! In a couple of smaller mosques the watchman have offered me candy. I love watching people make food, so a few times now while standing in front of food stands watching them prepare food for customers they would offer me a sample (this is not usual for locals, that’s clear!). Other times when i want to just buy a small whatever it is to try it, they won’t let me pay for it! Crazy, but lovely too.

There seems to be a lot to see but I have found very little to shoot. I’ll be heading back to the big mosque again tomorrow to find a real image but I’m not sure that I will find anything. I did spend today out of the city in Bosra to visit more ancient Roman Ruins. It was pretty neat, but again a one trick pony.

Me at the Saida Zeinab Mosque

Here’s me at the Ummayid Mosque, I’m feeling a bit like a Jawa from Star Wars.

Seriously, I don’t speak French! (Damascus, Syria)

Posted: 14 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

So Went from Aleppo to Palmyra. Although I had planned on being there for 2.5 days, true to form did the speed tourism thing and left after 1.5 days. Although the area was big and very impressive with roman ruins (really impressive) I was able to shoot everything I wanted to shoot so it was off to Damascus!

After checking into my new hotel in Damascus (which is ok), getting settled in, I headed out to start shooting right away. Almost immediately a young fellow approached and said in french, “Excuse me, do you speak French?” I understood his question immediately and said, “NO!” adamently. He asked again, and again I said, “No!” I guess I was so convincing in my comprehension of his question that he decided that I speak french. So he proceeded to ask me for directions IN FRENCH! To which i responded in very broken french, “Please, I sorry. I aaahhh today my first day Damascus. Ahhh I understand nothing. Ahhh my french very bad.” He repeated to me in French, “oh you only just arrived?” and then in broken english he says, “can you tell me how to get to the Tomer Gate park?” To which i said in English, “no I don’t know how to get there.” He says in French, “I was looking for an Arabic bible, and found one in both french and Arabic, now I’m lost and I need to find this park.” And I’m like dude, seriously, which part of, “Je ne comprande pas Francais.” Don’t you understand?? he did finally get it in his head that I was not going to be of any help. He said in English, “Oh, right, you said you don’t speak French, and you just arrived. I sorry” and walked away. It was hilarious.

As for Damascus? A GREAT old city with a ton of history. I’m really impressed. This is much more fun that Aleppo which for one reason or another people really seem to have an affinity for. Dunny why.

More later.

I am a woman, an American and I was born in Vietnam…

Posted: 10 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

I am not Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, German and I’m not French either! Well it would seem that few tourists from the UK or Australia ever come here, and there are fewer Americans yet. Judging from the number of “Bon Jour’s” and “Buenos Dias’s” I get all over the street. I also get a decent number of “Mie How’s” too, but few “Konichiwa’s”. And although I get more “Hello’s” than anything else, the follow up is always: “France?”

Ok, yesterday was a bit of a bust. Went to some mosques, went to some churches (all of which were closed and I had to return at a later time) and they were… ok. All the while I’m thinking to myself, what’s the big deal with Aleppo? So it’s the second city here in Syria, but what’s the big deal? I didn’t see anything incredible. But the one thing I did get was that the people continue to be just as warm and welcome here as they were in Hama. Universally everyone is friendly and curious about where I’m from and if I’m having a good time. Although the “souk” or market here is very large, it is only mildly interesting. Or is it that I’m getting jaded by all of the other markets I’ve been to around the world?

So went to the big deal mosque here and a strange thing happened. I had to pay to get in. Ok, that’s not so strange because they just seem to be following the tradition of many big mosques out there that have become tourist attractions (heck, why not take money from the lowly non believers, who are just looking for souvenirs, right?). No, the strange part was that my very male travel partner did not have to pay and could use the nearest entry while I had to walk around to the front, and then… AND THEN I had to put on this lovely skirt over my pants! So it’s wasn’t just the lowly non believing tourists, but the lowly non believing FEMALE who had to pay. In the end perhaps that whole experience was worth the lovely picture below!

So 25 Syrian Pounds and being a woman gets me this:

Amazing!! Dead Cities & San Samaan

Posted: 09 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

It’s day 3 here in Syria. Left Hama this morning and headed north to the “Dead Cities”. These are essentially ghost towns like those in California and Nevada, but the difference is that these were built over 2 thousand years ago. Unlike the ruins in Bolivia where it was a pile of rocks sitting on the ground, there is still enough in tact to imagine what it was like all those years ago. For me being able to make the mental connection really helps bring these places alive.

After the dead cities I headed further north to San Samaan near Aleppo. From the phots I saw before arriving here, I must say I didn’t expect much; but it is clear that the photos did not clearly describe this incredible place. At the time it was the largest church in the world, and was later surpassed by the Aya Sophia in Istanbul. Although, most of it is in ruin, there is enough of it to see how tall it might have been and the work that it must have took. I don’t know, I just can’t describe this place, other than, it’s amazing.

So… so far, this trip really has delivered. Tomorrow Aleppo.

** thus far, posting a simple 1 minute video has proved impossible so still photos will have to do.

Zim Air Passengers enjoying the Dead Cities

San Samaan

Day 1 & 2 Syria

Posted: 08 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

After two days I feel like I’ve been here a week already. I’ve gotten so much in. Yesterday was spent in Hama, a city known for it’s “Norias” or Water Wheels. There are about 17 left in working order here in the city. The day was spent walking along the river looking for and at water wheels. Because it’s the dry season there were only two wheels in operation (see video below). And I gotta tell ya, it was cool! I just couldn’t get enough of these things! Although I must say I don’t think I pulled off a great shot.

In between visiting the wheels there was a stop at the Museum, where the security guard escorted us from room to room, why? because we were the only ones there and he had to turn on the lights before we walked into the room to warm them up first. There was also a stop at the Roman Catholic Cathedral. The largest church in Hama, although not particularly impressive. After arriving there it was clear that it was not open to the public outside of service hours. Just as we gave up and began to leave, a woman in a black dress (no head covering) walked up to us from the side of the church offering us some bread. She insisted that my partner and I each broke off a piece from her large flat round loaf of bread! Then she gestured to the side of the building. So we went; a group of women were standing next to what seemed like a small chapel and what seemed like the end of a service. They gestured for us to enter. It was nice enough, although catholic, ti seemed very much like a Greek Orthodox church. While inside, another woman approached us and again offered us bread. I must say there really is no gesture in the world more welcoming than food!

At the end of today, our driver also offered to take us to his house for some tea, which was followed by a modest (very modest) meal, which was actually vegetarian. Although it is supposed to be a pretty common gesture in these parts, I am very clear that it was a business dinner where he made a pitch to be our driver for the next week. It was very interesting, as at a certain point I was taken into a seperate room, where I was introduced to his sister in-law (who shook my hand and kissed me, and kissed me and kissed me) and then his wife (who did less of the same). After a little bit of discussion, none of which I understood, his wife clearly kicked him out of the room. It was now time for the women to talk and to get to know each other.

So what did I learn? I will likely loose my husband unless I conceive a child soon. It’s clearly a problem for me as a woman if I don’t have kids soon. The women children only get enough education to read, write and count. The boys actually get enough education to learn some english (their 12 year old son translated a little for me). Saying “I don’t understand” in English gets me no where. It is universally understood that when people don’t understand you, all you have to do is speak louder (which is what they did!).

So I’ve decided, for the rest of this trip? I have 3 kids, their names are Amber, Corbin and Mira. They are 7, 9 an 12 respectively. They are at home with their nanny.

And as for the rest of day two? I went to the best preserved and one of the largest crusader castle in the world. Although impressive, it was pretty much just a fortress. Saw the castle of the assasins and St. George’s cathedral too. Overall, just so so, but I must say I’m having a great time. The people here seem genuinely friendly. They seem to want to share their lives with foreigners. They seem curious about where I’m from and they extend that middle eastern “welcome”. And after two days it feels like people are staring less, perhaps, it’s because I’m not staring at them? or is it that I feel a little bit more secure about being here and owning my own space? I’m really not sure. I’m also starting to feel more comfortable about wearing my head scarf. That is I feel like I know what I’m doing, rather than the idea of wearing one (let’s not get carried away now).It should be noted that it is not mandatory to wear one. About 10% of the population here is Christian (very much so).

**unfortunately no pictures or video can be uploaded at this time due to some internet issues here.

yes folks this is a place that sells camel meat:

Transit point: Istanbul, Turkey

Posted: 04 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

10 hours on the flight from JFK, now a 5 hour wait until the connector to Damascas. It’s going to be a brutal rest of the day.

I wish I could say the flight was uneventful, but alas there was a medical emergency on board and they woke everyone up looking for a doctor. Then instead of landing on time we got waived off at the last minute to take another pass before landing.

After our long wait here it will be 2 hours in the air and another 2 hours on the ground to get to the first hotel. I know soon I will be hurting very badly. Perhaps I’ll get a little more sleep on this next flight.

Off to Syria and Egypt today (via Istanbul)

Posted: 03 March 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

Back in the airport lounge and ready for another adventure. Although many have asked about my decision to head off to the middle east during this time of unrest while others have simply said “good luck”, I must say I am neither nervous nor hesitant about my trip. I’m actually rather excited. There will be fewer tourists around so that should be good right?

I’ll be looking for “Revolution 2011″ t-shirts in Cairo, anyone want to place an order? I tell you what, if I actually find some I’ll bring back a couple of them and I’ll offer them for $35 each and I’ll send ALL of the proceeds to the Rocco’s Heart Foundation, of which Zim Air is an official sponsor!

Anyhoo, here’s a picture of Zim Air passengers getting all liquored the Zim Air Cubic Zirconia lounge!

Going to Egypt?

Posted: 28 February 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

I’m wondering if I’m going get to use this in two weeks?????

Homeward bound – Japan

Posted: 26 February 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

I’m just closing up my longest stay in Japan thus far. It’s been a very long, interesting and somewhat gratifying experience. I spent most of my time training (about 8-9 hours a day), in a martial art that I have practiced for over 14 years. But in doing so I spent a significant amount of time with the local people and learning and understanding the local culture. Again and again I am surprised by how such a modern country is so un-modern in so many ways. Although the use of credit cards seems to be on the rise it is nowhere near the level of the rest of the western world. Here cash is still king. There is still no gender war here, from what I can tell it’s never arrived on the shores of this country. There seems to be an acceptance of traditions and customs without question. I find this curious, as the world is changing quickly these days, and I wonder what Japan’s status will be in this global economy in 20 years?

Anyhoo, my body is sore from all the working out and I’m ready for the long flight home. I’m glad for the experiences I’ve had, the new friendships I have made and affirmation of old ones.

World Famous Costco!

Posted: 25 February 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

As my trip to Japan comes to a close, I discovered that they actually had a costco here! Ayup! Costco has come to Japan. And so I just had to go and check it out!

Here’s video of the store:

And I know, I just couldn’t help myself, I had to buy a COSTCO bag. I hadn’t seen them here before so this is my souvenir for the trip:

And a few items:

And finally Zim Air passengers enjoying food samples. It wouldn’t be a trip to Costco without a food sample!

Adventures in Trains and Toilettes

Posted: 22 February 2011 . / Categories: Where's Zim?

Headed back to Yokohama on the bullet train today. I have to say that was a really incredible experience. It was so quiet in the cabins and it took off and came to a stop soooo smoothly. I had no idea we were in motion until the train was almost out of the station! Incredible. And in this ultra modern train was an ultra modern restroom. So here it is: