Leroy travels through Egypt as the Arab Spring erupts…

Giza, Egypt:  January 19, 2011
Journal Entry #1:  Welcome to Egypt

Well, I finally arrived in Cairo, Egypt after traveling for 26 hours.

Driving in my cab through the city to my hotel in Giza was somewhat overwhelming. The poverty in this city is expansive.

The architecture is a miserable sight to see: red- and mustard-colored tenement buildings layered in soot and grime.

Laundry is suspended from balconies and awnings, and it is hard to quite figure out the layout of the city, as the buildings are stacked one upon the other. Filth and debris are everywhere, in the streets, on the freeways and the intersections.

All the while, existing in the shadow of the towering pyramids, my hotel in Giza is nice, and there are many amenities here. However, nothing is complimentary. You pay for everything. While I am in the hotel, my wallet continues to get lighter.

The U.S. dollar is strong here. Yet the Egyptians take advantage of the American way of thinking. One U.S. dollar is valued at five Egyptian pounds.

Egyptians are pushy. If you tip someone a $5 bill (30 pounds Egypt), he asks you, “Only five dollars? Did I not do a good job?” So you give him an extra dollar. Now he is satisfied. He just made 35 pounds Egyptian currency for serving you a meal. I will have to be stern and extremely mindful here.

Tourism is a huge business in Egypt. They overcharge you for everything. And you are expected to pay it. You came to visit them; they did not come to you.

I have been here about a day and have already spent about U.S. $125 on so little. I can’t even consider enjoying the amenities of this hotel, knowing full well they will clean my wallet down to the interior fabric of it.

Giza, Egypt:  January 21, 2011
Journal Entry #2:  Uh, I don’t own a Rolex or a Fortune 500 Company.  My travel agent is to blame.

I arrived at my hotel a day early to rest and relax from a long journey into Egypt. My travel agent booked me into a 5 star golf resort. I don’t even play golf.

Beyond the perimeter of the hotel is an expansive desert oasis. Large gated fences, metal detectors, bomb sniffing dogs and police surround the hotel complex.

 “I was overwhelmed by what I witnessed: masses of people fighting to get into the airport . . .

. . . it was absolute chaos; no organization whatsoever. Masses of people were pushing and shoving, shouting and crying. The banks had shut down in Cairo, and the ATMs were completely dry.”

The endless levels of security here bring me back to the realization that I am, in fact, in the Middle East. I am relaxed, though, and ready to go adventuring into the desert. I am waiting for a guide who is supposed to arrive today to take me touring the pyramids and Giza plateau.

Maybe I will finally get my chance to ride a camel through the desert.

Giza, Egypt:  January 22, 2011
Journal Entry #3:  Out and about

My tour guide arrived today with an armed guard. A very thin gentleman with a crisp grey suit, nice red tie and a sub-machine gun slung from his arm underneath his suit jacket. The first agenda item for the day was the tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Saqqara. I had a chance to go into the tombs. However, they are not recommended for those who are claustrophobic.

When I got to the great pyramids of Giza, my heart was pounding like a jackhammer. I had visualized this moment for the last 12 months, and now to finally be in front of these massive monuments was somewhat overwhelming.

I finally got my chance to ride a camel, and it was everything I had expected it to be: nothing short of awesome. Riding this camel around the pyramids and through the Sahara had me feeling like a 12-year-old kid again, living out my childhood Indiana Jones fantasies.

I also visited the Sphinx. To stand in front of this monument and walk around it was hard to describe, but I was just in awe during my tours today. Tomorrow I will travel upward from Giza to Alexandria.

Alexandria, Egypt:  January 23, 2011
Journal Entry #4:  Alexandria: Another dirty city with a colorful past

I took the opportunity to visit Alexandria yesterday. It was nice to revisit my favorite period in art history, the Greek and Roman era. I expected to see a city filled with classical adornments and Mediterranean themes throughout the city and streets, as this city was founded by Alexander the Great.

However, I was greeted with the same conditions that are commonly present in Giza and Cairo. The neighborhoods were littered with trash and debris from dilapidated buildings, scattered along the pavement and filtering out into the streets.

There were some areas that were nicer than others, as I got closer to the beachfront along the Mediterranean coastline. While there, I visited the catacombs where Alexander was buried and then the remains of the old Roman forum and University of Alexandria.

The unique thing about this city, unlike many in Egypt, is that you can see the emersion of three cultures as one empire rises and another falls. Throughout the city, you bear witness to the fall of the Egyptian empire, the expansion of Greek rule, and eventual Roman domination over this region.

I was rather frustrated with the street vendors. I now resort to speaking only Korean, and distance myself from them as they stare at me with perplexed looks.

Luxor, Egypt:  January 24, 2011
Journal Entry #5:  The Valley of the Kings

I left the golf resort this morning at 1:00am to catch a flight down to Luxor. It was only one hour, which was nice.

The statues and temples here are even more impressive than those I had witnessed in Giza. While the great pyramids exemplify the greatness of Egyptian engineering, the temples and sculptures in Luxor reflect the grandeur and prominence of Egyptian rule over the land.

I spent the afternoon in the Valley of the Kings. To say the least, it was one heck of a workout. It was around 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and in order to enter the tombs, you have to descend down the long shafts leading to the burial chambers.

Police were patrolling the area heavily and were enforcing the “no camera” policy. If any tourist is found with a camera while in the valley (even if they are not photographing anything), they are issued a 2,000 Egyptian pound citation that must be paid immediately, or the offender faces jail time. This basically equates to $340 U.S.

Aswan, Egypt:  January 26, 2011
Journal Entry #6:  Touring the Nile River

I have been completely oblivious to the world around me for the last few days. I boarded a cruise ship that set sail from Luxor and I am traveling down the Nile River. Last I checked on the news, there were public riots taking place in Tunisia, Alexander and Cairo. As a result, three people have died and a few police officers were severely wounded.

I am stopping in ports along the way to visit several temples and cities. Each and every one of them leaves me even more awe struck than the one before it. I sit out on the top deck during the day and enjoy the warm sun and lush green landscape, while at night I relax with a few glasses of wine under what appear to be millions of stars. I still have about five more days in Egypt before I head back to Korea. When I was a kid, I dreamed of one day visiting Egypt. My expectations were high, and now that I have finally arrived and toured this country, it has proven to be larger than life. This place is exotic and mysterious.

Aswan, Egypt:  January 28, 2011
Journal Entry #8:  Hostilities in the Middle East

Egypt has erupted into a full-scale public protest throughout the region. What initially started out as a peaceful protest organized by the Muslim community on Facebook has erupted into public riots in the streets from Tunisia all the way to Jordan. The protests began shortly after I had arrived in the country. However, because I was constantly on the move with a tour guide and armed security officer, I was not affected by the hostilities.

The people of Egypt are protesting the strain of political corruption that has all but enslaved the population in poverty and turmoil. They are demanding that the current president, Mohammad Mubarak, resign from office; a position that he has held for over 30 years.

Many public officials fled the country on their private planes yesterday. A revolution is coming to Egypt. It has gone from a peaceful protest to a violent demonstration. Phone lines and the Internet have been shut off here.

The police in Alexandria were overwhelmed by the mass of demonstrators and surrendered their weapons to them. A few people have been seriously injured and now the military has entered Cairo. The city may soon be under martial law.

I have lost the protection of my armed guard, and I am unable to contact the U.S. embassy. My tour guide has been extremely helpful to me and has assured me that he will stay at my side until I can get out of Cairo.

All American tourists have been directed to leave the country immediately for their own safety. Unfortunately for me, I am traveling back to South Korea and I am unable to get a hold of my airline. I have to wait it out here until the 31st.

I foresaw this. I had expected something like this to happen and did my best to prepare for it. I cannot contact family or friends, but I am hoping they used the information that I have sent them and forwarded it to the U.S. embassy. If I make it out of the Middle East, I doubt very much that I will be inclined to revisit. Egypt is an exotic country, but a dangerous one. One has to exercise discretion at every turn and tread carefully here.

Cairo, Egypt: January 30, 2011
Journal Entry #8:  Trapped in the Revolution

Everyone else in my tour group was able to safely get out of the country yesterday. Only my tour guide and myself are left behind. I hope that I am able to get out tomorrow.

For now, my travel agent has generously paid for me to stay at the Intercontinental Hotel here in Cairo. It is a 5 star luxury hotel, which is amazing, and surprisingly, a safe distance from the hostilities taking place in the city.

The bus ride to the hotel was very sobering. Only an hour ago it was filled with the entire tour group, whom I have come to appreciate and respect. Now it is only me.

During the scheduled meals, I talk with my tour guide and listen attentively to him as he talks about the political situation and the affects that it has had on the country over the last 30 years. I appreciate his sincerity and forwardness, taking into consideration that I am an American tourist, with no genuine insight into the frustrations and hardships that have plagued the country of Egypt for over three decades.

I watch the news closely and I am truly disturbed by what I see. Masses of people protesting for the president to resign, looting in the streets, destruction of public buildings and personal property. It has erupted from a peaceful demonstration to chaos out on the road. Vandals have broken into the Cairo museum and have stolen precious artifacts belonging to the Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Access to the Internet is extremely limited.

Fortunately, I was able to get online at my hotel. I used that opportunity to contact friends and family. Hell, I even used it to try and convince an ex-girlfriend of mine to take me back if I survive this ordeal. While my safety is not threatened in anyway, surely if I can survive a revolution in one piece, that has got to convince her that I am one boyfriend worth keeping around.

For now, I wait, and observe, waiting for the very moment that the people of Egypt desperately desire, the resignation of the current president. The level of corruption is embedded so deep in this culture’s history that it is like an ink stain on a white shirt. I knew full well the dangers of touring the Middle East, and now I have to just persevere and do my best to get home.

Cairo, Egypt:  January 31, 2011
Journal Entry #9:  Monday morning fallout

I woke up early today, and had breakfast and met with my tour guide to say our final goodbyes. He has truly been a blessing to have around. His name is Hesham, and for his own personal safety in this hostile region, that is all that I will disclose.

I was able to catch a flight out of Cairo at 3:00pm today. I took a limousine from the hotel to the airport. On the way I was able to assess the damage that I had been viewing on CNN for the last few days. Locked away in the hotel, I couldn’t really grasp the magnitude of this revolution that has been taking place since last week.

I witness barricades, burned out cars, trash and debris littering the streets and military personnel everywhere. Every soldier patrolling the streets has an AK-47 with fixed a bayonet. It was relatively calm in the streets. However, this was Monday, or what I will aptly refer to as Evacuation Day.

When I arrived at the airport, I was overwhelmed by what I witnessed: masses of people fighting to get into the airport. My driver let me off about 30 feet from the entrance and wished me luck in his native language, or so I assumed.

When I entered, it was absolute chaos; no organization whatsoever. Masses of people were pushing and shoving, shouting and crying. The banks had shut down in Cairo, and the ATMs were completely dry. Access to hard currency was scarce. Baggage handlers tugging at my luggage offering to help me get to my gate for $100 bombarded me. At every turn someone was offering to help me, demanding a tip.

A security officer directed me to pass through the metal detector and then wouldn’t let me proceed until I tipped him $20. There was no police presence and everyone was taking advantage. The tension was reaching a fever pitch, and I truly felt that at any moment, without some level of law enforcement, the airport would erupt into an explosive mob of angry and panicked travelers. My blood was boiling and I did my best to remain calm. Despite the fact that I checked in for my flight online, it didn’t ease my situation in any way.

I really felt that I was going to break under these conditions, regardless of my military training. In my peripheral vision, I noticed something odd among all of the disorder and chaos. Not too far from where I was standing, there was a little Chinese woman wearing a cotton white cap with a lock of purple hair running down the side of her face. Yes, it was purple.

She was sitting on her luggage patiently. She looked directly at me, and when I looked back at her, I could not help but notice how serene and relaxed she appeared.

When I approached her, I noticed that she must have been in her late 40s, but she was wide-eyed and appeared to have a keen fashion sense. I was stuck in the airport not going anywhere for a while, so I laid my luggage down and sat down beside her. She had a real calming effect on me.

We began talking, about random stuff mostly. Occasionally she offered words of wisdom, from years of travel. I was truly taken by this woman’s charm. Despite the hostility swirling all around us, she was very cheerful and joked candidly about our situation. Talking with her, I began to calm down and felt more relaxed myself.

She was leaving Egypt to go back to China to be with her family. She had lived in Cairo for two years and was regretful about the situation that was taking place. However, she was compliant and at ease. She expressed how truly grateful she was to be alive to have witnessed so much in her life, and now this.

I was so grateful to this woman whom I barely knew, and felt that she was truly a blessing in disguise. She added balance to the disorder and helped me get through this traumatic experience. I eventually checked in and made it through all the checkpoints and finally to my departure gate. I lost sight of her after that. By this time I was fatigued and maybe a little delirious.

As I was getting in line to board my flight I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to her, as she was on the same flight as I. When I asked people around me, it was the same, they had recalled seeing her, but not for some time. I actually stepped out of line, knowing that my flight was getting ready to board in order to look for her.

I don’t know why I did this, but I felt genuine concern for this woman and didn’t want her to get left behind. Eventually I could see her white cap bobbing among the crowd as she was struggling to get to the gate. I offered to help her with her luggage but she refused kindly, saying how embarrassed she felt because she was having difficulty.

We made it out of Cairo safely and headed to Doha to catch our connecting flights. I felt relieved knowing that she was safely on the plane. That was the last that I saw of her. I eventually made my way to my connecting flight and headed home to South Korea.

I knew that she would be ok, though, because she was so charming and regal. I am not super religious or anything, but I do believe in God. You know, I never met an angel during my world travels, but if I ever do, I am pretty confident that they will resemble this kind little Chinese woman that I had the luxury of meeting today. So ends my journey to the Middle East.

Article and photos by Leroy Kucia