déjà vu and new miracles

Today I made a trip to kind of an Oasis near Cairo called Fayoum and had a sense of déjà vu over there. After cruising around for shile including the try of a local to rip me off in a roadside coffee house (the price should be about 10 times higher than usual) I decided to visit the archaeological place Qasr Qarun which I didn’t know before.

Entry fee was far higher than the site is worth, since there is not more to see than a rundown temple building with exactly nothing of interest inside. But at the entrance of this place, in the middle of nowhere, the old Egypt, the one before revolution, still was present.

At the entrance the guard casually (at least he thought it was) asked me where I came from, where I would head on later, where I considered to sleep in the night and if I worked in Egypt. I told him totally nonsense as mostly, just to get the question time to an end. When I continued my way to the temple I suddenly turned around again and saw him phoning – I knew what would follow.

Short time later the local Police officer (with a bunch of teeth missing) joined me on my way through the boring ruins, questioning me more and more. Wonder what they thought when the guard and him met again, since I told them completely different stories. But there it was again, the attempt to gather control of all individual travellers movements. the changes going on all over the country might not have come to their ear yet.

Then again on my way back I was really impressed about new Egypt. For a short stopover I drove to the great Meidum Pyramid – not shooting, just enjoying the view this time. Back in the car – and remembering last years trip to Cairo from there – I thought about some interesting stories to tell nerving police at the numerous checkpoints on the way to Cairo.

But how shall I put it: There were nearly no checkpoints and if, police didn’t take care of me and the other drivers at all. One officer even waved and shouted some welcoming words. They must be somehow bewitched.

From my view this magic could last forever.