Strange

On our last day in Luxor we took a sunset felucca ride on the Nile….something Fred and I did years ago. For some strange reason Fred had a photo of the previous felucca pilot and when he showed the picture to the present day pilot we found out that he knew the guy!

In fact we were sailing on his brother’s boat. The pilot even brought out photos of the previous pilot to show that he knew him and his brother. He even knew the name of his old boat….Nefertiti! And that matched the notes from our old travel journal! Talk about coincidence.

And the sunset was beautiful!

Driving

Yesterday (July 25th) we drove to see the temples of Dendara and Abydos. Both were so full of colour and we were glad we made the journey. It was an extremely long day as the roads to Abydos were rough and in poor shape. 

The nice thing about the long ride was that we were able to view the local towns close up. We saw some nice things and some not so nice things. 

The garbage on the side of the road was s the most disappointing thing I saw…the people just throw their garbage out their front door. We thought Cairo was dirty until we saw these villages and towns.

Their way of life looked simple and uncomplicated…donkeys were in evidence everywhere along with outdoor markets and shops.

And So Many More

 The temples just never seem to stop…we visited Edfu and Kom Ombo. Both were excellent, but Kom Ombo caught our attention. It was a short walk from the boat and was an excellent place to spend an  hour or so.

After Kom Ombo we sailed to Edfu to see another ruin that was pretty good. To get there we had to take a carriage ride with Abdula and Lila,  Lila was our favourite horse, but she was so slow,

And the race is on….this guy kept passing Lila! We were the last to arrive….poor Lila!

So Many

We have seen so many temples and monuments in the last week that it is becoming difficult keeping track. I do know that today’s visit to Karnak and Luxor Temple climbed to the top of my favourites list.

Revisiting these sites was a must do for me. If I remember correctly Karnak covers 60 acres….60 acres of wonderful and huge statues and monuments.

Wrong

 If we thought that all we were going to do for three days aboard the Sonesta St. George was rest and swim in the pool, we were badly mistaken!

The first morning was our flight to Abu Simbel and the scary drive back to Aswan…. Our driver was a maniac who loved driving 140 kmph, eating chips and drinking water all at the same time. The van was rocking pretty good until Jim finally spoke to him and had him slow down.  Thank you, Jim!

Once we checked in and were issued our cabins we were able to get some rest from the heat. Yesterday was recorded at 48C.

The meals are awesome with so much variety that it is hard to choose!

Boats

We were looking at some of our Mekong River Cruise photos and comparing them to this cruise ship! The Vietnamese boat  (2015) was for four people and this one is for many more than that…. only about 60 on board now. 

Sonesta St. George on the Nile

No Name Boat on the Mekong

Comparison

The city of Alexandria, Egypt reminds me so much of the city of Havana Cuba. Just take a look at the style and decay of the buildings.

Not an Easy Day

Yesterday we drove back to Cairo with a stop at the El Alamein military museum where Montgomery fought Rommel on Egypt soil. The museum was small but very interesting. The Commonwealth nations maintain a cemetery for the soldiers who never left Egypt and the number is surprising. Italy and Germany also have their own cemeteries so the number keeps rising.

The drive back to Cairo was supposed to be an easy three hour trip but things just kept happening. First we had a flat tire…picked up two nails somewhere in the city of Alexandria. One hour delay for that stop!

                            Supervisors…..four men watching and one working….typical road crew style!

Our next hour delay was due to the fact that our driver missed the turn off to El Alamein….we had to stop for directions at least twice. But we did make it back to the Fairmont Hotel in Cairo in time for a nice supper and an early bed….we had to be up at 3:00 am for a 6:30 flight to Aswan.

View

 Not bad for a breakfast view! Mediterranean Sea in front!

Mystery Man

Suit and tie, short hair and aviator sunglasses…..who does this sound like? If you guessed FBI you are on the right track. Not really, but you are getting closer!

This morning when we were leaving for Alexandria, we were informed that security would be joining us. We have no clue as to why, but he stayed with us all day. We don’t know if he is joining us tomorrow or the next day…who knows, he may have been following us all afternoon. He might be that good!

Museum

We drove to the old Egyptian Museum today to take a look at the many artifacts found in the tombs of the Pharoahs. Some of the findings have been already transported to the new museum located by the pyramids. Even so there was lots to see, including King Tut’s collection. 

We have seen this before and back then we were able to take pictures…no longer able to do that. So much to see that it is hard to absorb it all in one trip.

Just a small sample of what we saw today.

Old Town

Today (16th of July) was a day spent in some of the older parts of the city of Cairo. One of the most interesting walks was through the oldest streets in the city….about a thirty minute walk through some pretty rough looking areas.

This walk led us to the bazaar, filled with things we don’t need at home. Fun looking though. One of the best stops along this walk was a stop at the El Feshawi coffee shop…one of my favourite new drinks…lemon with mint (and lots of it).

Memories

After such a long time away from Egypt we weren’t surprised by the changes we saw today.  The roads leading up to the pyramids are definitely new and the structures around the Sphinx are all different. 

Regardless, the ancient sites were thrilling to see! Our first stop was the Pyramids of Giza and then we went to the hill for a panoramic view of the area.  

The Sphinx hasn’t changed much, just the access to the site is different….still a pretty impressive visit

.

Our last two stops were at Memphis and Saqqara….this is where we saw the most change. The grounds around Saqqara have been excavated whereas before there was only the Step Pyramid to be found. Alice wins the prize for the best pose….and if she gives me permission I will show you tomorrow!

Hot Day

 On Thursday (July 13th) we were driven from Petra to Wadi Rum for the yurt adventure. It was a very hot day when we arrived at our destination….I think Alice said it best when she said “think convection oven”. I’m not sure what the temperature ended up at but I think 39 C sticks in my head.

Our driver dropped us off at the Jeep office and from there we were in the hands of the Bedouins….they put our luggage in the back of a small half ton and crammed four bodies (not including the driver) into the small truck body.

We were driven about ten minutes into the desert and taken to our accommodations….a panoramic yurt! As I said before, they uncover the yurt at 5:30 and recover it in the morning at 9:00. Quite the process to keep the place cool.

Closer to sunset we were driven to see some of the sites nearby… sand dunes, cliffs and of course the sunset.

We made another stop while waiting for the sun to drop and got a chance to observe the Bedouins at work.

It was a great day and I am so glad we took the time to explore this area.

Under the Stars

Just a short note to let you know that we have arrived at Wadi Rum Camp.  We are in two yurts in a camp away from most everything. Looks like a very enjoyable evening ahead of us. 

In an hour we are heading out in a truck to see some of the surrounding sites… back of the truck, BTW.

Tomorrow I will give an update on this yurt and truck experience. 

Another BTW, at 5:30 they take the cover off of our yurts to allow a view of the evening sky.