I'll always remember the hours on deck, talking about everything and nothing, solving the world, discussing whether Ramses really loved Nefertari, imagining how would have had to be watching them enter the Hall of Columns in Karnak, daydreaming.
It really was like traveling to a different planet, not only cause of the obvious change to our normal lives, but because it was like entering a different time. There, time stops. Everything has a different light, a shade of sepia, a smell of history, a taste of the desert. Unsurprisingly, we came back to Spain with a case full of presents and our bodies plentiful over the pants waist.
Even though it was a trip I'd always wanted to take (it was one of the places in the "Not die before visit" list), I have to say with relief that I wasn't disappointed by anything I saw, no matter how broken it was or how different it was from the picture I had in my mind. Of all the places we visited, strolled, gazed at with tearful eyes (from the emotion, that is), there were several things that impressed me the most. The first one was the tomb of Ramses VI. The second, the Hall of Columns in Karnak, which I
had dreamt about since I knew of its existence. And the third was the mummy room in the Cairo Museum. I'll only stop to talk to you about the last one, and I promise I'll write some more about the other two, and about the trip in general.
The Cairo Museum is huge. Our guide, wonderful Mohammed, tried to take us through the most important pieces, covering all fronts possible with the truly little time we had to watch it all. At the end, he gave us half an hour to wander about, and some of us run to the mummy room. I could have never ever, not even in my wildest dreams, imagined what we saw there. I can only say that the mummies are so well-kept I'm glad they were in glass cabinets. Cause had they been uncovered and one little breeze moved any of their hairs, I would have gotten to Australia without swimming. It's amazing some of them are more than 3,000 years old. In fact, except for the fact that they don't have any eyeballs, they look like they're sleeping. It's breathtaking.
And all this is because the mummy of Hatshepsut has been identified. And all because of a tooth. Who could have told her in 1480 b.C. that more than 3,000 years later someone would make her famous cause of one of her teeth?
Hatshepsut was known for being the queen-pharao that reigned over the two lands for the longest time. What does that mean? That as Ramses II and a few other pharaos, she managed to keep her people united. All people in the Upper and Lower Egypt. That, in a time when transportation and communications were very limited, it was a feat of intelligence, planification and leadership. Besides, it could be said that she was a model for womanhood. Cause even though she lived in a society ruled by men, she managed to position herself and make everybody respect her, as a woman and leader. From our point of view now, that doesn't seem like such a big of a deal, but just think about how we were here just 50 years ago. Now go back 3,000 years more... impressive, huh?
Well, I'll leave you here till the next issue of "Egypt: mandatory visit".
I must admit this is a new low for me. I haven't written anything in... too long.
e. Kisses and snow for everyone.
I've always said the trip to Egypt was a big change, it meant a beginning and an end of something. Personally, for me it meant the end of a more immature time, and the beginning of a pineapply kind of era. There the "pineapple" came to life, all its members were united by a same passion: Egypt.
had dreamt about since I knew of its existence. And the third was the mummy room in the Cairo Museum. I'll only stop to talk to you about the last one, and I promise I'll write some more about the other two, and about the trip in general.
Hatshepsut was known for being the queen-pharao that reigned over the two lands for the longest time. What does that mean? That as Ramses II and a few other pharaos, she managed to keep her people united. All people in the Upper and Lower Egypt. That, in a time when transportation and communications were very limited, it was a feat of intelligence, planification and leadership. Besides, it could be said that she was a model for womanhood. Cause even though she lived in a society ruled by men, she managed to position herself and make everybody respect her, as a woman and leader. From our point of view now, that doesn't seem like such a big of a deal, but just think about how we were here just 50 years ago. Now go back 3,000 years more... impressive, huh?
iempre he dicho que el viaje a Egipto supuso un gran cambio, que marcó el principio y el fin de algo. Para mí, personalmente, supuso el fin de una época más inmadura y el principio de una era piñil. Allí la piña tomó forma, todos sus piñones se unieron bajo una misma pasión, Egipto. Siempre recordaré las horas en la cubierta del barco, hablando de todo y nada, solucionando el mundo, discutiendo si Ramsés realmente amó a Nefertari, imaginando cómo habría sido verles entrar en la sala hipóstila de Karnak, soñando despiertas.
e siempre había querido hacer (era uno de los sitios en la lista de "No morir sin visitar"), tengo que decir con alivio que nada de lo que ví me decepcionó, sin importar lo roto que estuviera o la diferencia con lo que había imaginado. De todos los sitios que visitamos, por los que paseamos, que contemplamos al borde de las lágrimas (por la emoción, claro), hubo varias cosas que me impresionaron sobremanera. La primera fue la tumba de Ramsés VI. La segunda, la sala hipóstila de Karnak, con la que llevaba soñando desde que supe de su existencia. Y la tercera fue la sala de las momias del Museo del Cairo. Ahora sólo me detendré a hablaros sobre la última, y prometo escribir más entradas acerca de las otras dos, y del viaje en general.
endo. Es sobrecogedor.
(Lil' explanation for the non-Spanish speakers:
Lo siento, sé que debería estar trabajando, pero es que estoy rodeada, no puedo dejar de pensar en la nieve.
que casi parecían descender del cielo en vez de caer, fue el 20 de octubre del 2001. Sí, sí, parece mentira que me acuerde de la fecha exacta, pero fue como un punto de giro en mi vida. A partir de entonces nada sería igual. A partir de ahí, mi vida quedaría ligada a la nieve para siempre. A partir de entonces, sería feliz cada vez que oyera ese crujido al pisar, cada vez que viera el cielo ponerse blanco justo antes de una nevada, cada vez que notara que no se oye ningún ruido cuando estás allí en medio, rodeada de nieve, en una paz infinita. Ese día empezó a nevar y no paró de hacerlo hasta mediados de febrero del año siguiente. Fueron los mejores meses de mi vida.
y me había tirado por una cuesta nevada. Pregunté que qué era más fácil y me aseguraron que el snowboard era mucho más fácil que el esquí. Y quién era yo para discutirlo. Así fueron los comienzos. Las dos primeras semanas tuve las dos rodillas negras de tantos moratones como me salieron, pero como soy muy bruta y no dejaban de decirme eso de "No pain, no gain" ("Sin dolor, no mola" *traducción más que libre*), pues decidí que hasta que eso no fuera ningún misterio para mí, no pararía.
sensación en los escasos segundos que estás en el aire durante un salto o lo libre que te sientes haciendo cabriolas en un cañón de nieve vírgen. Es lo mejor del mundo. Y después de un día entero haciendo el cabra, te vas a la cama y parece que sigues en la nieve, que tienes los pies todavía atados a la tabla y que flotas.
