CAIRO: The advertisement piqued my interest: "A very exciting trip , it said to "major Pharaonic sites, which, though rarely visited are "really out of this world. The day-trip to neighboring Sharqeya governorate was organized by some friends who spread the word via email, guaranteeing a mix bag of Egyptians and expatriates all hoping to revel in some of those tucked away gems. We were told that the trip would kick off with a visit to the ruins of Bubastis (or Tal Basta) - home to former cat catacombs and cat celebration feasts. Bubastis, a subnational administrative division of Ancient Egypt, served as the capital, housing the royal residence during the 22nd and 23rd dynasties. Next on the agenda was Tanis, or San El Hagar, boasting the ruins of a number of temples, including a major temple dedicated to the chief deity Amun. There was also a royal necropolis which contains an intact royal Pharaonic burial chamber. The day was to end with a different kind of site visit to Port Said's colonial European buildings before rounding off the day with a big dinner. But I learnt firsthand that I should be a lot more skeptical about such grand claims. Fortunately, I knew to be skeptical of such grand claims. What actually occured was a string of bitter disappointments. We were shown a string of ruins with so little intact that it was near impossible to imagine any past glory. "It had better get better than this, said one. The lone statue of feline goddess Bast with the head of a cat and the body of a woman, stood amid nondescript ancient stone remains. The second site, vaster than the first, was a little more interesting. Cartouches, tombs, inscriptions and some Pharaonic busts were found in a "rawer state than usual. It was as if we had landed in a wild garden of "ancientness where all the really good stuff had already been picked. After maneuvering along a bumpy unpaved road for a couple hours, it was too late to visit any buildings in Port Said and so decided to end our day with a hearty meal. It had become obvious why visitors rarely went to these undiscovered sites. The thing about travel though, is that the target destinations are rarely the true sources of enjoyment. Visitors' are often less excited about the height and ingenuity of the Pyramids, or the remarkable architecture of Khan El-Khalili than they are about the children who know exactly where visitors are from and can welcome them in any language; or about the sinewy paths, the walks, the people encountered, the bumpy donkey or camel alongside ancient wonders. Perhaps a good hamam (pigeon) is savored in memory or an unfortunate meal cannot be forgotten. In the end, these types of experinces are what we tookhome from an otherwise inefficientb exploration around the outskirts of Cairo. For some of the group, the highlight was facetious photos pointing at the testicles of a torso-less statue of a pharaoh. For Egyptology fans, it was perhaps a tidbit they learned about one thing or another. For me, the truth is I can (embarrassingly) hardly remember a word of what I managed to catch from the knowledgeable tour guide leading us along. I did learn though that Machu Piccu - fifteenth century Inca city - had become excessively expensive to tourists and that some South Americans, while similar to Egyptians in many respects (such as working dual shifts as teachers and cabdrivers), harbored misunderstandings about Islam because of regional politics - this from an Egyptian couple who recently honeymooned there. I also learned the difference between East coast swing and West coast swing from an American dancer, tired of living in the US, who decided life in Egypt was more "her. Along the same lines I learned bits and pieces about the German education system, Indian weddings and theater classes in Palestine. I also recall going down some grubby steps into the bottom of a large well, not because it was terribly risky, adventurous, or difficult, but because it was a stairwell I had discovered and a path only I took. Flashes of the scenery we drove past are also stored in my memory: Women washing their wares in the river; large ornate new buildings amid traditional village houses; the surprised staring faces at this trail of cars coming all this way to see what? And, yes, Port Said, though marked by major historic sites, will forever be associated in my mind with a sinfully indulgent seafood meal.
