PART 1: GOODBYE NEW ZEALAND
Well. This is it. Sitting here at Auckland Airport with the Fayum 2012 Survey Field Crew, toasting to the start of this years field season, and saying farewell to New Zealand. My turn to toast. I should say somthing meaningful and deep, like, uhhh: It has been the best of times, im sad to see you go, and that im looking forward to the challenges of Egypt field season... instead I say TO NZ:
GG-WP. No RE. TO EGYPT: GL-HF!!!!!... yeah... close nuff...
But seriously, this is it, in 2 hours ill be gone for good, off Egypt for 5 weeks field work before heading onto the motherland to continue with academia. The last few weeks have soared past, ultra stress leading up to handing in of thesis, playing TF2 OWL season, packing up of my life into boxes, catching up with old friends, and preparing for a new life back in the UK, there was also the ultra stress of NZ customs... but ill get to that story soon. Sitting here now, drinking this beer it suddenly hits me how much I have achieved in this last year and how much of an experience this next 5 weeks will be. But fuck it, thats tomorow mes problem... For now, the only thing on my mind is buying a refil to this beer and the Hello Kitty watches which caught my eye on the way through duty free. After a short discussion with the rest of the crew it is decided that the pink, diamonte hello-kitty watch will be my field-work watch, the impracticallity of the white strap not a part of our decision making process. Its all about the aesthitics (yes. I lift). bets are placed as to how long it will last. My bet is 5eva.
Returning now to the customs story. So, me and customs have a long and fraught history of misunderstandings. combine this with my unatural ability to set off metal detectors and you have a recipie for airport fun. This journey was no exception. Ill lay the scene out for you below.
Me: Carrying a bag packed with electronics: headset, mouse, mic, external drive, 3 laptops
Me: Places said bag on xray machine
Customs man: FREAKS OUT
Me: Sets of metal detector on way to full bag search
Customs man #2: FREAKS OUT
Me: D:!!!!!!
Me: THAT STUFFS FOR GAMING SOZ!
Customs man: wut
Me: Im a gaming archaeologist, I take all my shit to the field with me
Customs man: 10 points for most inventive story ive ever heard
Me: :( is true :( :( :( :(
*extensive bag and person search ensues*
Several minutes later, after a full bag search and a brisk patting down I was released to continue with my journeys with the following words of wisdom: Dont pack all your gaming shit into the same bag... it looks like a bomb... Also "gaming archaeologist" has the effect of making everyone at customs have a good ol' laugh at your expense... >.<
Anywho, boarding times here, time to haul ass to the gate... not gonna lie, we look ridiculous heading to the plane. 9 archaeologists, all with indianna-jones hats, and at least 3 laptop bags each, wearing all kaki (except for my hello-kitty watch). Bystanders stare at this wierd spectacle, several people question our motives and fashion choices... replies vary from OH HI WE ARE ARCHAEOLOGISTS through THATS COVERT INFORMATION SORRY SIR through to YOU WOT M8?
PART 2: HELLO MELBOURNE
So on the plane I made the decision that I would watch the worst movies in an attempt to get me off to sleep... Don't question this logic. I also decided that because nobody else on the crew wanted their prawn cocktails that I would eat all of these as well... Again don't question the logic...
Landed in melbourne, contently full of my dinner of 9 prawn cocktails and filled with a sudden desire to dance everything after watching the abomination which is Step-Up Revolution.
Again a run in with customs, this time in the form of a "Random drug and explosives test" - coincidence? I think not...
Again after assessing that my electronics were indeed not fashioned for the exploding of planes, but rather for the collection of data and for purposes of gaming I was let through.
4 Hours of the 24 down.
Feeling good. Excited for the next 15 hours sitting watching terrible movies.
PART 3: HELLO DUBAI
Ok. So. I have some movie reviews to deliver to you after that abomination of a flight.
Katy Perry: 2.5 hours of Katy crying and wearing spinny shit on her tits. Probably the worst thing Ive seen since I had the misfortune to watch Slugby projectile vomit over his microphone after one particulary good vodka sesh.
Chenobyl Diaries: I cant begin to explain how soul destroying this movie is. Even without the fatal inacuracies regarding radiation poisoning the general film is just. just. just. no. 1/10.
I dont even. Just. No.
Anyway. Dubai customs. the saga continues. set the metal detector off. 5 passess through the machine later, the removal of my xena boots and several other items of clothing and it was assessed that
I could pass. Once through customs it was a straight shot through to Burger King and candy world where a large amount of junk food was purchased and consumed.
Back onto the flight. Not long now.
So close.
So close.
I think im gonna...
gonna....
PART 4: HELLO EGYPT
uneventful 5 hour flight later. Landed. Taken the bus to the terminal. Daym it feels good to be a gangsta. And also to finally be here. Time to get down to buisness. Time to navigate Cairo airport security.
So, Cairo security is kind of like russian roulette, your never quite sure whats gonna set them off, or who will set them off, you just know that when they get set off, its gonna get messy.
Previous encounters of Cairo airport security have included a 45 minute holding because "I have nice eyes" and a 10 minute interrigation because "I have a arabic sounding name but dont speak arabic"... yeah... I dont even...
Now this time went smoothly, no gun fire, no holding room, no interrigation... however... there was light comedy: Went to change money and the guy at the change desk looks at my hat and outifit and goes: HEYYY!!! CLAIRE MACLEOD!!!! YOUR MACLEODS DAUGHTER????? I honestly didnt know how to deal with this situation, mostly because I feel like Claire Macleod is a step down from Shakira (what im usually called in egypt) but also because I was genuinley impressed that anyone outside of Auzzie and NZ had even heard of the show. Anyway, a short banter continued in which he tried to convince me that I was an australian outback cowgirl and I tried to convince him that i was not. He won. I am now Claire Macleod.
The second incedent was passing through passport / visa check... so to give some background context to this, I had decided to travel with my pink hello-kitty bag as my primary carry on (with laptop bags extra) and was wearing xena boots and a indianna jones hat (like all archaeologists must do ofc). So I approach the desk and the guy goes Salam! HEY! YOU! Your hat! It matches your bag! Im like wut. He then starts laughting histerically and says: NO IT DOSENT, NOTHING MATCHES THAT BAG and then passes me my passport back... Yep. I just got ultra-sassed by a Cairo visa checker. FOR SHAME!!!!!!! I was so taken aback that I didnt even reply, I just kinda, shuffled off into the baggage pickup whilst he waved and laughed at me :(
Finally we all cleared customs and were on our way out to the Fayum (about 1.5 hours drive) via the highway of terror. The first thing to note about driving in Egypt is that it is fucking terrifying. No lines on the road. No rules. Honking signals everything from IM HERE DONT DRIVE INTO ME through to IMAH SLICE YO FAYCE. Hamman, our beloved camp manager, navigated the trafic at 150 MPH, swerving wildly and honking just as wildly. All of a sudden this ride was halted as he pulled up on the side of the highway, jumped out and ran to the mosque for call to prayer... the entire highway came to a standstill as motorists ran from their vehicles for prayer time. This is not my first time in Egypt, but this is my first time experiencing the wonders of open-road call to prayer frogger. It was quite somthing. 20 minutes later and we were underway again, leaving the smoggy city of Cairo behind and heading out into the desert to our locale of the Fayum. We arrived somewhat white-knucked but otherwise relatively soundly, were greeted by the other international archaeologists that we will be living and working with for the next 5 weeks, and then began the unpacking process.
For the next 5 weeks I will be sharing a room with Tash, Slaggy and Rach: the other 3 girls from the NZ contingent. We were lucky enough to score one of the concrete rooms and set about turning our room into a fairy wonderland with pink and purple mosquito nets, hello-kitty products and soft toys. The boys pretend to be disgusted, but we all know they are secretly jelous and impressed. Soon after unpacking we all crashed out, 24 hours of plane ride, 2 hours of highway terror, and setting up the majestic room of archaeology princesses had taken its toll. Goodnight sweet prince.
The Fairy Princess room at the dig-house
The tents for the other archaeologists not in the fairy-princess room
Loading up the Land-Rover for the move to the dig-house
No comments:
Post a Comment