Breakaway Backpacker

Diary of a 2nd class train ride in Egypt!

Jaime Davila — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:05:37 +0000

Last time I took notes during a transportation day was the time I was in Central America getting from Nicaragua to El Salvador. I wrote the post Diary of a “Transportation Day” in there I explained about how I hate transportation days & a full detailed account of getting from one place to another in Central America. I hadn’t thought about taking notes during a transportation day in a while, but I knew taking a 2nd class train ride from Luxor to Cairo would be interesting so did so.

Train travel in Egypt is reliable and even though it still takes for ever to get from place to place it’s the best way to get around (where available) and actually good. My 1st experience with train travel in Egypt was taking a 1st class sleeper car train from Cairo all the way down to Aswan. I normally avoid 1st class and take whatever is cheapest. However in Egypt they will not sell you anything, but 1st class at the window if you are a tourist. They do it for our protection because in the past their has been terrorist attempts on trains. The ticket was 360L.E. ($60) and not much in reality for a long 15 hour ride in a sleeper train, but compared to 52L.E. ($8.66) for a 2nd class train ticket that’s a huge difference (especially when you are on a budget).

—

The train ride down to Aswan was amazing. I was treated very well and was traveling in luxury something I’m not used to. They served us dinner after in hour in route and then after that came back to do the beds. I had the top bunk and loved it. I couldn’t stop EEEEeeee-ing I was like a kid and so excited. I was going to stay up and do some writing, but the bed was actually comfortable so I knocked out and slept like a king. I woke up in time for sunrise by coincidence and then went back to sleep.

Yup that is me sleeping in the train! Ahh it was so cool… I would so do it every time if I could afford it. Made it to Aswan and I enjoyed the Temples of Abu Simbel & Philae and then fell in love with Elephantine Island. I then hopped on a train to get to Luxor and enjoyed a view of Luxor the Pharaohs didn’t even have. After 8 days in Upper Egypt it was time for me to get back to Cairo. I was missing a certain someone and well ready to get back to him. The thing was I did not want to pay $60 to take a sleeper train back to Cairo. Luckily a girl in my dorm was going to Cairo that night and told me she was just going to hop on the 2nd class train and buy the ticket on board. I couldn’t believe it and told her I would tag along, because I wanted to do that too, but to scared to do it alone.

What happened next is the following:

—

7:15pm – Arrived at station for a train that departs at 7:45pm.

7:45pm – Of course the train is still not here… ahh Egypt how I love ya!

7:50pm – Some random man tells us it’s going to arrive at a different platform. So we change platforms.

8:00pm – We get on the train. We have no tickets which means we have no assigned seats which means we will play musical seats the entire ride to Cairo.

8:03pm – The train starts rolling!

8:05pm – We found some empty seats.

8:09pm – Okay yeah they weren’t empty… ah let the fun begin.

8:11pm – Found an empty seat so took it. Every one is looking at me crazy and like I don’t belong in that seat, im sure it is someones. I guess I’ll find out in a bit.

8:15pm - I notice a group of kids in front of me looking at me in awe.

8:30pm – They start speaking English to me and asking me questions:

“What’s your favorite subject?”

“Are you married?”

“Where you from?”

“How old are you?”

8:35pm – Yay the ticket guy just sold me a ticket for 52L.E. ($8.66).

Oh & that doesn’t mean I get a seat… that just means I can stay on the train until Cairo.

9:00pm – My 1st yawn… ahh this is going to be a long night, but these kids are too cute and still talking to me.

I can’t stop smiling.

9:25pm – They ask if I can please take a photo of me with their parents cell phone. They take several.

9:30pm – They then ask me to please touch their baby sister.

I’ve never been asked to touch a baby, but okay.

9:35pm – I am asked to please be quite by the guy behind me because he is trying to sleep. So the talking stops.

9:37pm – Since I haven’t been asked to move I will close my eyes and try and to get some sleep.

9:51pm – Ahh thought to soon… was asked to move because it’s someones seat.

9:52pm – The father of the children offeres me the seat next to him because it’s his friends and he won’t be back for a while.

10:04pm – I am then offered sunflower seeds. I accept and eat away.

10:30pm – I want to go to sleep, but can’t.

10:48pm – Ugh it’s gonna be a long ride.

1:03am – Wow I slept for a while.

2:11am – Damn it the guy came for his seat… time to move again.

Not a single seat is available.

2:26am – I am now standing between cabins with others and it’s fucking freezing.

2:27am – It is Superbowl Sunday at home and I know my girl Kelly Clarkson is sing the national anthem.

I wonder how my girl Kelly Clarkson did singing the national anthem at the Superbowl.

2:49am – OMG it’s fucking freezing here and I am tired of standing up… ugh are we in Cairo yet?

3:15am – Someone sitting on the floor has moved so now I am sitting on the floor and freezing to death.

3:30am – Yup still freezing and still have about 5 Egyptians just looking at me like what am I doing here.

3:48am – I still can’t get comfortable… ugh just kill me now… this is when I start questioning everything.

Why am I traveling?

Why am I on a budget?

Why am I cheap?

Why am I doing this?

5:07am – I must have fallen asleep clenching my day pack. I wake up to someone tapping me on my shoulder and telling me that they are getting off and that I can take their seat.

5:08am – Oh it’s cus we are pulling into Cairo… well I don’t need it anymore.

—

The entire time I am dealing with this the other girl had a comfortable crate to sit on in the kitchen area through out the whole ride. So yeah that is what traveling in 2nd class looks like in Egypt. It is by all means very uncomfortable and crazy yet so amazing at the same time. I will never forget talking to the kids and being asked to take a photo or touch their baby sister. I won’t forget freezing my ass off between cabins. It’s the small crazy experiences like this that make travel fun and such an adventure. Now that I know how to use the train system on a budget when I get back I will continue to do so. I will just hop on a train pay and enjoy! So tell me would you be able to handle this? What’s your craziest train ride story? When things are so uncomfortable do you start questioning everything too?

Music Monday – One Moment in Time

Jaime Davila — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 06:05:27 +0000

Anyone who meets me knows I love music. I love all types… ummm okay I love most types of music. For me its about the lyrics and what it is the artist is talking about or what message they are trying to convey. I love to dissect a song and its lyrics completely. Every Monday I want to post a song that either inspires me, makes me think about the world we live in, motivates me to always be who I am or may be something I was feeling at some point. It will be a great mix of different types of music and hope it will also do the same for you. I love to think that music captures what so many of us may be feeling or want to say, but don’t know how.

SONG – One Moment in Time

ARTIST – Whitney Houston

LYRICS -

Each day I live
I want to be
A day to give
The best of me
I’m only one
But not alone
My finest day
Is yet unknown

I broke my heart
Fought every gain
To taste the sweet
I face the pain
I rise and fall
Yet through it all
This much remains

I want one moment in time
When I’m more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away
And the answers are all up to me
Give me one moment in time
When I’m racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time
I will feel
I will feel eternity

I’ve lived to be
The very best
I want it all
No time for less
I’ve laid the plans
Now lay the chance
Here in my hands

Give me one moment in time
When I’m more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away
And the answers are all up to me
Give me one moment in time
When I’m racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time
I will feel
I will feel eternity

You’re a winner for a lifetime
If you seize that one moment in time
Make it shine

LISTEN TO IT HERE – One Moment in Time – Whitney Houston

WHY I PICKED IT – To be honest I didn’t pick this song… Brock from Backpack with Brock picked it for me. No he didn’t ask me to pick it. He posted this amazing well written beautiful tribute to Whitney Houston. Recently with Whitney’s passing I started listening to her greatest hits album that I bought a few years ago, but of course I kept playing on repeat my favorites and this one wasn’t one of them. In the tribute Brock mentions this song… that of course I had heard many times, but never really listened to the lyrics. He also explains why it mean so much to him… and I couldn’t agree more. Please check out his tribute to see why it means so much to him. Now I can’t stop listening to this song… it is beautiful and amazing and about living the life you want to live and achieving a dream you have always wanted to achieve. That is what my blog is all about… live your dream and achieving it. We all want that moment in time where you feel like we are more than we thought we could be. I have been blessed to feel it many times on my trip around the world and know anyone can feel it if they set their mind to it. So go for it… fight for your moment in time. Listen to this song.. let it inspire you to live your dream and a happy life!

Whitney Houston thank you for this amazing song, that has now inspired me to find many more moments in time and hope it inspires others.

Photo Round Up – Week 51

Jaime Davila — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:05:37 +0000

5 photo round up of what I saw/did this week.

Hope you all enjoy them.

Just another peaceful Friday in Tahrir Square... that yup of course the news and media will not share with you. I LOVE TAHRIR SQUARE!

I had already been to the Cairo train station but didn't have my camera on me... this week I took a friend to buy her ticket and made sure I had it with me. I love train stations... I think they are so interesting and pretty. This is Ramses Station the main train station of Cairo and think it's so pretty. I love this shot because it shows everyone with luggage... and I wonder where they are going.

Ahh Cairo... a city where you can do anything anywhere... I was able to weight myself on the street the other day for $0.32 cents... yup that cheap. I love this shot cus it's from above and you can see my shoes and the lady looking at my weight. Yup I weight 75kg... which is 165lbs! I love it... travel is the best diet.

So i need you to be honest, what do you think of this??? Don't lie to me... please tell me in the comments how you feel! I have wanted a tattoo for ever & have always known where I want it (on my right leg calf muscle), but never knew what & well now that I have been in Egypt & love it I want to get a this. The EYE OF HORUS it is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, royal power and good health. Also believed it was intended to protect the king in the afterlife and to ward off evil.

Ahhh little old Dahab, a beach town I have always wanted to visit and am finally here. I've been here 2 days and love it already. This is the amazing color of the water... i am shoulder deep and can still see my beautiful toes! Oh & look at the far end of the photo on the right... you see that lil mountain range? That is SAUDI ARABIA? Fucking crazy I am laying out and watching SAUDI ARABIA just across the way.

THIS WEEKS UPDATES

MONDAY – 02/13/12 – Music Monday – Life Ain’t Always Beautiful
TUESDAY – 02/14/12 – Meet Elephantine Island (my new love) in photos!
THURSDAY – 02/16/12 – A view of Luxor the Pharaohs didn’t have.

PREVIOUS PHOTO UPDATE

A view of Luxor the Pharaohs didn’t even have.

Jaime Davila — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:05:19 +0000

I know I have mentioned this before on my blog, but will do so again. Sometimes after I do something amazing… I sit there and think “having this much fun or having this many amazing experiences should be illegal”. I mean really… how many amazing experiences can one have in a life time? Well the truth is so damn many… if you make them happen for ya! I mean I can go on and list so many amazing things I have done through out my trip and it’s insane. What’s even more insane is that in the span of less than 3 weeks in Egypt I have managed to do many things I have always wanted to do in my life. I lived my childhood dream of visiting the Great Pyramids of Giza, I saw a side of Tahrir Square they are not showing us on the media/news, I went back to the Sahara Desert to go 4×4 & sand boarding, I have visited so many temples and even fell in love with an Island I had never heard of. Oh & I even met a guy on my 1st day in Cairo who is great and that I am still seeing today (more on that later).

Okay so back to the post… one of the things I have always wanted to do in my life was ride a hot air ballon. I didn’t care where or how, I just wanted to do it. The truth is I had planned to do it during my trip around the world in Turkey. It’s known all over the world, that riding a hot air balloon over Cappadocia is one of the most amazing experiences you can have in your life. I however was not able to do it while I was there, because it was dab smack in the middle of winter, it rained a lot and even snowed. I was a bit sad, but not upset because I knew I was going to be coming back. Fast forward a month and I found out you can do a hot air balloon ride over Luxor in Egypt. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and knew I had to do it. Not only was I going to be riding a hot air balloon, but I wold be doing it in EGYPT… IN FUCKING EGYPT!!! I was so excited.

I arrived in Luxor a few days after Mica from Kaypatcha Travels, and she was kind enough to wait for me and book our hot air balloon ride for the morning after I arrived. We woke up bright and early to be on the balloon in time to watch the sun rise over Luxor. Sadly it was a cloudy day and were not able to see the sunrise… however we were able to have one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. After a brief meeting with instructions on how to prepare for lift off and landing we were placed in the basket. We were so excited and giggling and chatting we didn’t even realize we had taken off. Yes it’s that smooth… you don’t feel a thing. Moments later we were magically hanging from a huge balloon over the city of Luxor. The feeling of floating freely in the air over beautiful scenery is crazy. I managed to get many shots from above and here are some of my favorites.

—

I was in the clouds after that experience it was truly amazing. I got back and shared on Facebook my excitement. I posted one of my favorite pictures of this experience and one of my readers left a comment that struck a cord with me.

“How fantastic! Not even the Pharoahs got a view like that.” – Grace

I hadn’t thought about it like that, but it is a view of Luxor the Pharaohs didn’t even have. It’s kinda crazy when you think about it like that. I mean really… THE PHAROAHS COULDN’T HAVE HAD THIS VIEW. Well unless they were aliens???

—

After this amazing experience we were exhausted went back to the hostel took a nap then rented bikes and rode them down to the Temple of Karnak. It is by far the most impressive Temple I have visited through out Egypt. Even though the Pharaohs had a better view of the Temple in full glory I was able to get a view of what is left of them 1000′s years later.

—

So tell me… have you been hot air balloon riding? Did you like it or hate it? If you haven’t do you want too? Have you ever seen something from above that you know even the Kings, Queens, or Pharaohs couldn’t of had a view like that?

Meet Elephantine Island (my new love) in photos!

Jaime Davila — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:05:35 +0000

“IN PHOTOS” is a series I will use to share many of the hundreds of photos I have taken during my travels. It is a series I have thought about for a while now, but did not want to start until I got back home from my trip. However after spending a week in Chefchaouen, Morocco I couldn’t wait any longer. “IN PHOTOS” will not have a set schedule like my “MUSIC MONDAY” or “PHOTO ROUND UP” series. “IN PHOTOS” will be a post with several photos with no limit. The only restriction this series will have is that it must be about a certain subject or theme. I will write a brief paragraph or sentence describing the subject or theme of the photos and then post the photos. I will label the photos (if you hover over them with your mouse you will see the label), but I will not caption the photos like I do on my blog post or on “PHOTO ROUND UP” with my thoughts. I want to use “IN PHOTOS” to share my photos and let you come up with your own thoughts about the images and hope you share them with me.

—

A part of me honestly doesn’t want to share these photos with you or even let you know about this Island. I know it’s in the guide books (Lonely Planet) and I know people know about it, but it seems like not enough because during my visit here I only ran into maybe one or two other tourist. I am going to share these photos and tell you about this beautiful island anyway to show you a different side of Egypt. You won’t find temples or a desert or pyramids or hell even a square here, but you will find one of the most beautiful Islands in the world. Okay one of the most beautiful Islands I have visited (so far). I hope after seeing these you don’t want to visit (and yes I mean that).

Elephantine Island is located in the middle of the Nile river in front of the city of Aswan it is 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) from north to south, and is 400 metres (1,300 ft) across at its widest point. Yeah it’s a tiny island with no cars and donkeys rule the roads. The island gets its name from 2 rumored sources… the 1st one is because way back 3000 B.C. it was a strategic point for trade in the region and one of the main items traded was IVORY the 2nd rumor is that it received the name because of the shapes of the rocks found around the island (check out the 1st two photos).

So why is Elephantine “MY NEW LOVE” ahhh for many reasons. I had spent one afternoon with Mica from Kaypacha Travels roaming the island and from the moment we stepped on I knew I could easily spend weeks here doing nothing and love it. I mean seriously look at the photos look how beautiful and adorable this place is. The colors, the houses, the dirt roads and the people made me love it even more. I ended up coming back 3 more times. Yes I spent 3 afternoons here and loved every minute of them. I had one of the most special moments of my trip here. I spent one afternoon and evening speaking to locals and chatting away. I was then invited the next day for dinner and to spend more time with them. I have photos and video of all of us, but want to keep those to my self for now (I will show you the Islands, but not my locals). I even took a Felucca ride around the island and was able to capture more of it’s charm & beauty. I wasn’t ready to leave Aswan (because of this Island), but knew I had too move on. I did however let them know I would be coming back during the summer to spend more time with them and even go swimming in the Nile. For now though just in time for Valentine’s Day I want you to meet Elephantine Island (my new love) in photos!

—

—1—

—2—

—3—

—4—

—5—

—6—

—7—

—8—

—9—

—10—

—11—

—12—

—13—

—14—

—15—

—16—

—17—

—18—

—19—

—20—

—21—

—22—