Rameses

Hotel Du Nil

Luxor

Adresse telegraphique

NILHOTEL – LUXOR

Le February 18, 1914

Angel dear:

I’ve been longing to have a nice long talk with you, for there’s so much I want to say, but in Cairo I hadn’t time to sit down a minute to write you.  It is a most dreadful place.  Shepheard’s Hotel1 which is so famous and so popular was simply jambed – hundreds of Americans and I believe every living soul on our boat stayed there, so every time I’d start upstairs someone I knew would come along and want me to sit down and talk, or go out somewhere, or do something else.

The streets were crowded with dirty, insolent tourist-trained natives getting in our way, trying to sell hideous spangled scarves, scarabs, etc.  and yelling and squabbling.  The camels, horses, children and automobiles all jumbled together, and in short the most awful confusion imaginable.

Mrs. Stewart, wife of our vice consul in Calcutta and who (I have always forgotten to tell you) was before she married Rebecca Ross of Washington- her father was from McVeaghtown (?) and also was about engaged to Mr. Harris.  You remember him, don’t you, out at the Naval Station, a pay master.  Well she wrote to a friend of hers back here, an Englishman, to look us up and he certainly did, and was most attentive.  Also the son of our consul in Java is here and he too has been only too eager to do things.  In fact, between them I was kept so on the jump that I had to just simply refuse to do things. I was so bored and tired.  The whole place got on my nerves more than I ever thought was possible.

You see it is the first “civilized” place we’ve been for so long that I was simply amazed at the clothes I saw.  I realize that here the women were even more extreme than usual.  At least I hope they aren’t as bad at home, for I was ashamed to be classed as a woman, if they are a fair representation.  I don’t think I’m an old maid, although I don’t voice the opinion of the majority, but to me it was distressing to know that any woman would dare to dress as extravagantly and exaggeratedly as some of them did, and for no other purpose and aim than to parade the hotel lobby and attract attention.  Goodness, what is this world coming to?  Perhaps it wouldn’t seem so dreadful to you, because you’ve been seeing it gradually coming, but it burst upon me so suddenly I haven’t recovered yet, and hope I never shall.

The hotel itself is really beautiful – all sorts of Turkish and Arabic rooms, wonderful hangings and rugs and everything most luxurious, but everywhere was the spirit of unrest, and I could hardly wait to get away from all those dances, dinners and silly talking.  Adelaide is of the same turn of mind, and she was nearly crazy, and we spent our time the last few days crawling out of engagements and making excuses.  However, enough of that.

You’ll be thinking I’ve turned into an awful snob, but truly Sallie dear, I was so annoyed and worn out that suddenly my voice left me right in the middle of a sentence, and for three days I could hardly whisper decently, but as soon as I left it all and came up here, I was all right and never had even a sign of a cold or sore throat.

We went out to see the Sphinx and Pyramids, rode camels and enjoyed it all, but I think I’ll be more impressed when I get home and have time to think it all over.  My mind now is fairly numb, and I know I don’t “take in” half that I should.  The trouble is besides having seen so much we are all (except father) spoiled by India.  There the natives seem worthwhile.  They are a fine race compared with these.  Color everywhere, and a feeling of more or less thriftiness, while here they are doing things and living just as they did 4000 years BC.  They wear layers of dirty, black, ugly draperies and are slow, lazy and stupid.  Certainly not people one should like to live amongst.

We’ve been up here several days and it is much more attractive than Cairo.  We wanted to come up by boat, but the Nile is lower than it’s been for a hundred years, and the boats all stick every few minutes on a sand bar, and everyone must get out and push.  So we decided we’d better take the train.  It’s just a night’s trip, and  here we’ve been busy every minute.  Every day we have done about twenty miles in the desert by donkey back to see various sights.  Walking fills up the afternoon, and at sunset we take a row on the Nile to watch the glorious colors and lights on the sands.  It is wonderful how much a place that apparently has but one color can change, for all around us is nothing but sand and hills of sand colored rocks – except  a tiny patch of green where the town is situated – but really it scarcely ever looks the same, and the camels and Arabs in their flowing robes lend the picturesque touch necessary.

The king’s and queen’s tombs are  perfectly wonderful, and how the archaeologists ever found them, I can’t understand.  Either a [low/long] stairway or incline leading down into the ground, many chambers and long, twisting passageways leading and turning in all directions to put the excavator off the track, and the walls covered with elaborate carvings and beautiful paintings depicting the life of the deceased, on down and along into the very depths of the earth, till finally you come to the real sarcophagus and in it lying the mummy of the king Amemphes or Seth or who’s ever tomb it happens to be.

Doesn’t it in a way seem wicked to be looking at him when he tried so hard to be hidden, especially when it was against his religion to be found?  I think people should be satisfied to look only at the tomb, instead of having him not even in the mummy case, but opened to the public and even the clothes removed.  Crowds of natives are busy everywhere excavating.  Wouldn’t it be exciting to find wonderful jewels and gold ornaments and [] and such things right in the ground?

Mrs. Chandler got a cable from her brother-in-law saying she must come home immediately to sign some papers and settle some dispute that came up about the settling of her husband’s property, so she left yesterday and will sail in a couple of days.  She was quite upset about going, and so disappointed to miss Greece and Turkey.

Lover wants to meet us in London, go home and marry me this summer, and take me back to Tien Tsin having his service there extended if possible, but I told him I didn’t think you would approve, and anyhow it’s best to stick to our former plans.  Don’t you think so?  In almost every letter he speaks of you, sends you his love and says something about what we’ll do when you visit us and what good times we’ll have.

Feb. 20 – I forgot to tell you that yesterday while coming down a hill at full gallop “Rameses” suddenly struck a stone and fell, and I shot over his head and slid on my tummy for about fifteen feet.  The rest thought I was killed, but I wasn’t hurt a speck except having my breath rudely knocked out of me.

Today we sailed in a little boat several miles up the river, and had our lunch which we took with us in a beautiful orange grove where the trees were fairly laden with fruit.  It is so lovely having the Gillis’s with us, for we have such fun doing everything together.

I had a letter from Sue Carter saying she had written me five letters and every one had been returned, but she was trying once more as she had been asking me in each one to be godmother to Suzanne, and now she was almost discouraged as the baby was a year old and hadn’t been christened yet.  Her address is 111 Warren St., New Rochelle.

It is cooler here than anywhere we’ve been.  Everyone is wearing suits and black shoes, something I haven’t done for over a year.  Warm in the middle of the day, in fact on the desert sizzling, but at night quite chilly.

Address now is c/o U.S. Dispatch Agent, 4 Trafalgar Square, London.

Oceans of love,

Alice