EGYPT - DAY 07 - PART 01 - PERJALANAN KE ALEXANDRIA

Dah pun hari ke 7 dalam program percutian kami di Mesir ni. Hari ini kami bertolak seawal pukul 7 pagi untuk ke bandar Alexandria, sebuah bandar di persisiran Laut Mediterranean yang popular sebagai destinasi perlancongan. 

Lokasi Alexandria adalah di utara Cairo.

Jarak Kaherah dan Alexandria ialah 218 km atau hampir 3 jam perjalanan.

Selama di Kaherah kami menginap di Hotel Amarante Pyramids Cairo.

Bas dah sedia menunggu.

Bas yang digunakan membawa kami group 22 orang ke destinasi-destinasi perlancongan di Mesir ni.

Since dah keluar awal, maka sarapan dipack oleh pihak hotel. Nice! Alhamdulillah.

Jauh perjalanan kami pada hari ni, so pukul 6:20 kami dah naik bas. Tapi tak la sejauh perjalanan kami ke Semenanjung Sinai pada hari ke 3 kami di Mesir ni.

Seperti biasa tangkap gambar dari dalam bas. 

Bendera Negara Mesir. 

🔴The flag of Egypt is a tricolour consisting of the three equal horizontal red, white, and black bands of the Egyptian revolutionary flag dating back to the 1952 Egyptian Revolution. The flag bears Egypt's national emblem, the Egyptian eagle of Saladin centered in the white band.
🔴The flag of Egypt is a tricolour consisting of the three equal horizontal red, white, and black bands of the Egyptian revolutionary flag dating back to the 1952 Egyptian Revolution. The flag bears Egypt's national emblem, the Egyptian eagle of Saladin centered in the white band.
🔴The Egyptian Free Officers who toppled King Farouk in the Revolution of 1952 assigned specific symbolism to each of the three bands of the revolutionary and liberation flag. The red band symbolizes the Egyptians’ blood in the war against colonization. The white band symbolizes the purity of the Egyptian’s heart. The black band below the white, symbolizes the manner in which darkness is overcome.
Wikipedia

Mengebas habuk pada kereta. Agaknya kalau cuci pun kejap je dah covered with dust.

Most bangunan-bangunan di Kaherah ni gini la kalernya.

Morning shisha and cigarette. 

Masih awal pagi so jalan agak lengang. 

Sarapan dalam bas. Pada saya sedapnya la bread dan chicken slice ni.. hmmm... 😋. 

Bulan Oktober di Mesir suhunya nyaman. 

Tak tau pak cik Arab ni jual sayur apa. 

Zabbaleen, garbage colleectors.

Al-Ahram Canadian University adalah sebuah universiti swasta di 6th of October City, Mesir. Ia ditubuhkan oleh akhbar harian Al-Ahram Mesir.  

Iya, di Mesir ni ada bandar namanya '6th of October City'. Macam special kan name a city like that.

🔴Al Sadis Min October or '6th of October City'[note 1] is a city in Giza Governorate, a satellite town and part of the urban area of Cairo, Egypt, 32 km (20 miles) outside the city. It has a population ranging between some 185,000 in the city to an estimated 500,000 inhabitants in the wider area.
🔴6th of October was the capital of the now defunct 6th of October Governorate. A new city in the desert,[3] it hosts Egyptian students and students from various countries, such as the Persian Gulf, Jordan, Nigeria, Cameroon , Syria, Iraq, and the Palestinian territories, who study at its private universities.
🔴The settlement was established in 1979 by the 504th presidential decree of Egyptian president Anwar El Sadat. It is 17 km (11 mi) from the great pyramids of Giza and 32 km (20 mi) from downtown Cairo. The city has a total area of 482 km2 (119,200 acres) and, eventually, is expected to have 6 million inhabitants, although there are many unoccupied or incomplete buildings.
🔴It was announced as the capital of the 6th of October Governorate in April 2008. Following the governorate's dissolution in April 2011, in the wake of the Egyptian revolution, it was reincorporated into the Giza Governorate, to which it had originally belonged.
🔴The city's name commemorates the commencement of the October War on the 6 October 1973, the same date chosen as Egypt's Armed Forces Day.
Wikipedia

Nampaknya macam memakai topi keledar adalah tidak wajib di sini.

Ni excerpt dari WHO report tentang Egypt's Motorcycle helmet law.

Sudah semestinya a pink princessy school bag for her 😊.

Saya noticed uniform sekolah mereka ada macam-macam colors.

Suasana jalanraya kucar kacir macam ni adalah pemandangan biasa. Mereka ok je, saya yang runsing.. hehe. Ni belum lagi peak hour.

Like I shared before, signages di Kaherah ni mostly semua dalam bahasa Arab. 

An Egyptian Microbus. Di Mesir ni, van bawak penumpang memang dipanggil 'bas'.

Mini 'bas' bawa budak sekolah tadika. I worried la kot ada beg-beg yang terhumban off the roof tu! 

More students.

Zabbaleen making rounds mengumpul sampah yang boleh dikitar semula. Mereka mula kerja seawal pukul 2 atau 3 pagi dan head home to process their collections by 10 am.

Yang berkereta kuda bukan sahaja oleh Zabbaleen dan penjual barangan tapi juga sebagai transport bawa penumpang.

Gerai mobile jual sarapan di tepi jalan.

Masa nak dekat masuk ke Cairo-Alexandria Highway di Giza ni kami nampak puncak piramid. 

Program kami ke piramid will be tomorrow.

Penjual roti.

Perjalanan kami ke Alexandria adalah melalui the 220 km Alexandria Desert Road atau Cairo–Alexandria highway yang menghubungkan 2 bandaraya terbesar Mesir iaitu Kaherah dan Alexandria.

A kiddy park in Cairo.

Di stesen microbus. Panjang queue.

Ramai Egyptian yang menggunakan khidmat microbus ini setiap hari di Kaherah.

Yang satu lagi tak nampak pulak. Ada 3 piramid besar di Giza ni.

On the way tu juga kami nampak bangunan baru Grand Egyptian Museum yang sedang dibina. Negara banyak sejarah dan barangan artifak macam Mesir ni memang perlu la bangunan muzium besar macam ni. 

Masuk ke Cairo–Alexandria highway. 

Info board El-Sheikh Zayed Life Park. Sheikh Zayed City ada nearby, di district of 6th of October City dalam Giza Governorate. It was established in 1995 and is named after Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. 

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004 was the Ruler of Abu Dhabi for 38 years. He is the founding father and the principal driving force behind the formation of the United Arab Emirates, becoming the Union's first President, a post which he held for a period of almost 33 years. - Wikipedia

Tol di Cairo–Alexandria highway.

Nampak futuristic.

Patung di plaza tol ni mungkin statue Salahuddin al Ayubi.

Ini signboard Al Ahly Sporting Club (The National Sporting Club). 

🔴Al Ahly Sporting Club (The National Sporting Club) is an Egyptian sports club based in Cairo, Egypt. It is known as "the club of the century" in African football. It is best known for its professional football team that plays in the Egyptian Premier League, the top tier in the Egyptian football league system, and is the most decorated football club in Africa. It was founded on 24 April 1907, as a gathering place for Cairo's Student Unions.
🔴Al Ahly has a record of 40 national titles, 36 national cups, and 10 national super cups making Al Ahly the most decorated club in Egypt. In addition, Al Ahly has never been relegated to the second division.
🔴Al Ahly is the second most successful club in the world in terms of number of international titles (24) behind Real Madrid.

View di highway.

Passed by kawasan ladang.

Yes, kadang tu jalanrayanya tak ada lanes.

Generally, Lebuhraya Cairo-Alexandria ni keadaannya adalah bagus. 

As expected, ada banyak masjid di sepanjang lebuhraya ini.

Nissan Egypt.

Dandy Mall, Alexandria Desert Road, AL Omraneyah, Giza Governorate.

Di Dandy Mall ni ada Carrefour.

Egypt Post.

Egypt Post is the governmental agency responsible for postal service in Egypt. Established in 1865, it is one of the oldest governmental institutions in the country. - Wikipedia.

Oracle, Egypt. In 2018, Oracle was the third-largest software maker by revenue, after Microsoft and Alphabet.

192 km lagi nak sampai Al Iskandariah.

Namanya highway ni pun 'Alexandria Desert Road', maka pemandangan mostly padang pasir le. 

Dari highway ini boleh ke Alexandria, Sadat City, Marsa Matrouh dan Dabaa. Satu dinamakan sempena Anwar Sadat. Satu ada ruins Ramesses II. Yang satu lagi pernah nak dijadikan pusat nuclear.

Lokasi Cairo, Alexandria, Sadat City, Marsa Matrouh dan Dabaa.

🔴Sadat is a city in the Monufia Governorate, Egypt. It is named after late president Anwar Sadat. The city is located 94 kilometres northwest of Cairo. It is a first generation new urban community and one of the largest industrial cities in the country.
🔴Mersa Matruh is a port in Egypt, capital of Matrouh Governorate. It is 240 km west of Alexandria and 222 km from Sallum on the main highway from the Nile Delta to the Libyan border. Marsa Matruh is served by Marsa Matruh International Airport. The city features soft white sand beaches and calm transparent waters; the bay is protected from the high seas by a series of rocks forming a natural breakwater, with a small opening to allow access for light vessels. There are ruins of a temple of Ramesses II (1200 BC) and Cleopatra's Bath.
🔴El Dabaa is a city in the Matrouh Governorate, Egypt. It lies 296 kilometres from Cairo on the north coast and is served by the El Alamain International Airport. It is famous for the proposed nuclear power plant that is intended to be constructed in the city. El Dabaa has been targeted by protesters who are claiming that their land was wrongly taken by the government to make way for the nuclear plant. As of 2012, and as a result of those protests, the site has been shut down. The protests that targeted El Dabaa was ended by the court announcing that they have the right in the land.
- Wikipedia

الإسكندرية

Sebuah lagi ladang besar.

Nampaknya macam ada laluan khas untuk lori-lori.

Misr Petroleum.

Selepas lebih kurang sejam dalam perjalanan, about after 100 km journey dari Cairo, bas driver stop di Master Rest House for short break and refreshments. 

Di rest area ni ada restoran, mini market (mini metro), bilik solat, masjid, McDonalds, coffee bean, huge gardens, petrol station dan kedai-kedai kecil. And adorable cats! 😊

Bilik solat.

Lots of seats to relax and stretch. 

Adorable, right! 😍. I mean the cat la.. hehe.

Kedai-kedai di dalam.

Ada big green lawn.

Green lawns with water sprinklers.

Meow berhati-hati melintas taman rumput basah.. hehe. Comel!

Di hujung sana ada masjid. 

Besar masjid di RnR ni.

Selesai break for about 30 minutes kami pun sambung semula perjalanan ke Alexandria.

Kalau di padang hijau Master Rest House tadi ada water sprinklers, di ladang ni pun ada juga. Lagi besar. Dan beroda. I think either use this method or use underground irrigation.

Lane kiri sekali speed limitnya 120 km/h. Driving in Egypt is done on the right-hand side of the road.

Ladang sayur.

Biri-biri. Populasi kambing di Mesir ada kira-kira 3 juta ekor. Tiga jenis kambing Mesir utama adalah Barki, Ossimi dan Rhamani, yang mewakili 65% daripada total population. Kalau tak silap yang dalam foto bawah ni jenis Barki. Di Mesir kambing diternak untuk daging dan kulit, dan juga untuk bulu dan susu.

Africa Safari Park ini adalah safari park yang pertama di Mesir.

🔴Located at the 65km mark on the Cairo-Alexandria desert road, Africa Safari Park offers you the chance to experience a true safari excursion – wild animals in a natural habitat and all. The park is one of a kind in Cairo and was the first of its type to open in Egypt. There is a motel on the grounds that looks like it belongs in a tropical forest and its restaurant provides the option of having a meal while you’re there.
🔴There are several activities available to visitors; the ‘Zambezi’ river trip takes you out to see crocodiles, monkeys and a variety of birds, a cave showcases a collection of more birds, reptiles, and rare species – the most dangerous of them safely are kept in glass cases. Africa Safari Park also offers some sports including table tennis, shooting, football, billiards and more.
🔴The entry fee is 250LE per car and includes the safari, the river trip and visiting the cave. Entry for groups of 28 people and above is 40LE per person and you can rent a bus for 350LE.
www.cairo360.com

109 km lagi.

Ladang jagung.

Mobile sprinklers irrigation system.

Melintas busy highway macam ni adalah biasa.

Juga nampak groups of people tepi highway ni. Not sure kalau mereka ni tengah tunggu public transport. 

Mungkin tengah tunggu company transport. Ke nak hitch hike?

Ladang sunflowers. Selain sunflower, peladang Mesir juga menanam jagung, kacang soya dan pokok kapas.

Fancy running in a sunflower field? Totally instagram-worthy photo.. hehe. 

Pokok kurma.

Ternak lembu pun ada juga di Mesir untuk daging dan pelaburan seperti menjual lembu dewasa dan anak-anak lembu.

Deretan pokok-pokok kurma di tengah ladang.

Di sepanjang perjalanan ini juga kami nampak banyak binaan berbentuk kon ini. Dipanggil pigeon houses atau dovecotes.

Ini adalah binaan rumah-rumah burung merpati yang dibuat dari lumpur, kaedah kuno untuk membela dan menjaga merpati untuk terus berada dalam kawasan ladang atau berhampiran rumah penternak. Selain dibiakkan untuk dimakan (daging dan telur), merpati juga dibesarkan sebagai pets. Juga boleh dijual dan masuk bird competitions. Najis merpati juga boleh dibuat baja.

Kilang-kilang perusahaan.

Ladang jagung.

Kawasan perindustrian Alexandria.

Plaza tol. Kira dah sampai ke Alexandria.

Kawasan pertanian dan industri.

Menuju ke city center.

Ini lombong garam di Lake Mariout. Pada zaman dahulu kala tasik ini sangat besar dari 700 km persegi dan sekarang cuma tinggal 200 km persegi menjadi koleksi tasik-tasik garam dan salt flats.

Pemandangan lombong garam di Lake Mariout, Alexandria.

Lake Mariout. Sumber airnya bukan dari Laut Mediterranean tapi dari Sungai Nil via beberapa cabang. 

Pokok-pokok Papyrus digunakan oleh orang ancient Egypt untuk buat kertas. Selain bahan penulisan, orang Mesir kuno juga menggunakan papyrus dalam pembinaan barang lain, seperti bot, tikar, tali, sandal dan bakul.

Bandar Alexandria dilihat dari Tasik Mariout.

Menyeberang Sungai Nil.

Sungai Nil.

Mula memasuki Bandar Alexandria.

Residential area.

Stesen microbus Alexandria.

Sebuah masjid kecil.

Dovecotes yang dibina atas bangunan tinggi.

Ini Faten Elhelw Circus. I've only been to the circus twice in my life. Sekali masa kecik. I remembered being super excited. But now the only thing I remembered was how horrible the smell of the animals' urine was. Not quite the fond memory I thought I would remember years after that.. hehe. Kali kedua was not entirely bad. I remembered I was quite busy taking photos instead of enjoying the show.. haha.

Bekerja di sarkas di Mesir adalah mencabar. Gaji kecik, peralatan dah uzur. Performers dah tua dan bersara, tinggal yang muda-muda to figure it out themselves. Sampai kena tengok YouTube cari persembahan baru. Peralatan kena beli sendiri. Gaji dah le kecik. Pulak tu dah ada beberapa kes tiger tamers and trainers yang kena bunuh oleh singa-singa. Sebab nak cut costs, sarkas gantikan daging lembu ke daging keldai yang dikatakan nak dekat rasanya dengan rasa daging manusia. Tu yang singa-singa tu tengok manusia macam tengok lauk.

Yang ini Circus Mundial. 

Yang ini pula ialah Italian Circus Bellucci. Banyak sarkasnya. Orang Alexandria ni suka tengok sarkas agaknya. 

International Garden Mosque terletak di dalam kawasan International Garden.

Teksi kereta klasik.

Bandar Alexandria.

Office buildings.

Bas awam di Alexandria dengan logo Alexandrian Passenger Transportation Authority. Nampak tak logo tu? 

Simbol ini adalah sebenarnya The Lighthouse of Alexandria atau Pharos yang pernah berdiri megah di Pelabuhan Alexandria pada kurun ke-3 Sebelum Masehi dulu. Rumah api ini yang rendah sedikit dari Piramid adalah antara struktur terbesar di dunia yang pernah dibina oleh manusia. Walau bagaimanapun, kita tak dapat melihatnya lagi kini kerana ia telah musnah dalam dua kejadian gempa bumi yang melanda Alexandria.

Selamat Datang ke Bandaraya Alexandria.

Selain dari pengangkutan awam yang biasa, tram juga banyak terdapat di Alexandria. Walaupun rupanya nampak vintage, ia tetap realiable dan digunakan oleh penduduk bandar ini setiap hari.

Ustaz Faiz bercerita ada Malaysian Medical Students yang belajar di Alexandria, Egypt melakukan pembersihan stesyen dan laluan tram di Alexandria ini yang sering sahaja kotor dengan sampah sarap. Kerja pembersihan ini dilakukan mereka sekali setiap 2 minggu.

Kerja-kerja pembersihan ini dilancarkan melalui kempen pelajar-pelajar tersebut yang dinamakan 'For the Sake of Egypt' atau 'Demi Mesir' in honor of Egypt. Dan tentunya the locals were very surprised sampai usaha ini masuk suratkhabar mereka.

Bersambung...

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