Egypt: April 2024

 Egypt: April 2024

Wednesday, March 27 and Thursday, March 28:

We drove to Seattle, arriving around 4:30pm.  We met up with Brian and Noelle and Matt and Mariah.  Our Turkish Airlines flight was supposed to take off at 7:40pm, but was almost 30 minutes late.  The almost 12-hour flight was for the most part uneventful.  We flew over Greenland and then over Poland, Ukraine, and then landed in Istanbul.  It took forever to taxi to our gate.  We only had about 30 minutes to our next flight, so we had to run to our next flight.  On the plane they gave us the gate number, but in the airport we couldn’t find that flight listed, so we went to another gate that had a flight going to Cairo at the same time, thinking maybe that was our flight.  Once we got there, they told us the original gate was the actual one, so we had to run over to that terminal and gate.  Luckily, all of us (and our bags) made it there on time.  The two-hour flight to Cairo was somewhat bumpy, but at least they fed us a meal!  Upon arriving in Cairo, we were met by a Gate 1 representative that helped us with our visas and bags.  We then took a van through Cairo and finally got to our hotel around 9:30pm.  We were tired and went to bed.

Somewhere over Greenland

Arriving in Cairo at night

Our hotel in Cairo

Friday, March 29:

We got an early start this morning and took a bus out to the great pyramids in Giza.  It is amazing how close the pyramids are to the rest of the city.  Our first stop was the great Pyramid of Cheops (or Khorfu).  After an explanation of the pyramids by our guide, Walid, we had some free time to wander around the pyramid.  At almost 500 feet tall, it was the tallest man-made structure on earth for several millennia.  Brian, Noelle, Becky, and I bought an extra ticket to go inside the pyramid.  It was very tight, crowded, and hot inside the pyramid.  We made our way up to the burial chamber where the broken sarcophagus was the only thing left after tomb raiders stole everything else.  The burial chamber was very plain, with no decorations.  After we made our way out of the pyramid, we walked around the perimeter and admired the sheer size of the object.  It took over two million blocks to build it, each weighing 20-30 tons!  We were eventually able to view the other pyramids as well. 

Cairo in the morning

Outside the great pyramid

The Great Pyramid

Inside the Great Pyramid

Climbing inside the pyramid

Burial Chamber inside the pyramid

The pyramids with the city of Giza in the distance

Next we drove past the other two large pyramids and stopped at the panorama point where you have a great view of all three major pyramids.  Becky and I decided to pay a little extra to ride and get a picture on a camel.  We were able to get a family picture, recreating the one Terry and Jennifer did back in the 1980’s. 

The obligatory camel ride

Family photo

Our next stop was at the Sphinx, which is right down the road from the pyramids.  The Sphinx is literally right on the edge of town, with a KFC and Pizza Hut across the street!  After touring a temple right next to the Sphinx, we were able to walk close to it and take pictures.  It was honestly not as big as I imagined it would be.   

Profile of the Sphinx

We then drove south for a bit, had lunch at an outdoor restaurant, then went to the great step pyramid of Djosser in Saqqara.  This was the first attempt at a pyramid and the oldest brick structure in the world.  We walked around the site and then Walid took us inside some of the ancient tombs to get some of our first looks at hieroglyphs.  Saqqara is still an active archeological site, so many areas were closed off.  After Saqqara we stopped at a carpet factory to watch how they hand-make carpets.  We didn’t buy anything, but several family members did.  At the end of a long day, we drove back to Cairo to our hotel where we had dinner with Walid and the rest of our Gate 1 group.  There are only 17 in our group, 11 of which are part of our family.

Lunch stop

Great Step Pyramid of Djosser

Ruins at Saqqara

Inside a tomb

Visiting a rug factory

The store at the carpet factory

Saturday, March 30:

Today was an early start at 3:30am for breakfast and on the bus by 4:30am.  We arrived at the Cairo airport around 5am and boarded our flight to Luxor at 7:05am.  Since they had changed to a different plane, they bumped almost our whole group to business/first class.  Sadly, it was only a one hour flight, so we didn’t have that much to enjoy the comfort (they did, however, feed us a meal, on a one hour flight!  Once we touched down in Luxor we drove over to our cruise ship, checked into our room and took a nap.  The lunch buffet was very good, with a mix of Egyptian food and other selections.  

Landing in Luxor

Our cabin on the ship

Pool on the top deck of our ship

In the afternoon we visited the temple of Karnak.  Karnak is one of the largest religious complexes in the world.  It was built and added to for over 2,000 years.  All over the site there were unique ruins to look at. The entryway was flanked by rows of rams.  There were a pair of obelisks that are some of the last ones remaining in Egypt (there are only five left in the country; the rest have been removed and “sent” to other countries like France and the Vatican).  I was amazed at the large robust columns in the Hypostyle Gallery.  Each massive column was gorgeously painted with colors so vibrant that they looked like they were painted yesterday.  Our tour guide Walid continued to show us around the site, ending by the sacred lake and a large carving of a scarab beetle.  Legend says if you do two rotations around the beetle you will return to Egypt; if you do three then you will get a new wife (I only did two).  From there we were given free time to wander around the site. 

Entrance to Karnak Temple

Mud ramp showing how they built the pylon (wall)

Large columns in Karnak Temple

Paintings on the columns at Karnak Temple

After Karnak we made a stop at a papyrus factory that produced authentic papyri with unique paintings on them.  Many were very beautiful while some were somewhat cheesy.  Toward the end of the afternoon we came back to our ship and had dinner, followed by a belly dancer and a whirling dervish demonstration.

Papyrus factory

Sunday, March 31:

Today was another early start so we could beat the desert heat.  By 6am we were crossing the Nile and heading over to the Valley of the Kings.  The Valley of the Kings was used for centuries by the Egyptians to bury their royal family members.  The location was kept as secret as possible to prevent the tombs from being raided.  Sadly, most were looted of their treasures, some as soon as they were sealed up.  As a group we toured the tombs of Ramses IV, Ramses IX, and Ramses III.  The artwork in each of these tombs was amazing and was so vibrant it looked like it was painted yesterday, not several thousands of years ago! 

Breakfast pastries on our ship

Watching hot air balloons take off over the Valley of the Kings

3D map of the Valley of the Kings

Valley of the Kings

Entrance to one of the tombs

Inside one of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings

We then had some free time to explore the area.  Becky and I and a few others bought the extra tickets to go see King Tutankamen’s tomb.  Though his tomb is one of the smallest ones in the Valley and hardly decorated, it is probably the most famous due to the historic discovery of the tomb in 1922, along with all of the treasures still intact.  I had read and studied about King Tut almost my whole life, so this was one of the highlights of the trip.  To top it off, King Tut’s mummy is still kept in the tomb, albeit in a glass coffin instead of the original (which is in the museum in Cairo).  It was amazing to step up close and see the actual King Tut, or what is left of him.  After Tut’s tomb, we went over to the tomb of Ramses V and VI.  This tomb was a lot longer than some of the others and had the sarcophagus still at the bottom, though it had been severely damaged by looters.  Becky and I then walked around the valley, stopping to watch an archeological dig occurring alongside one of the tombs.  The temperature continued to rise, so it was time to move on to our next stop (I couldn’t imagine being in the Valley of the Kings in the middle of summer).

Outside King Tut's Tomb

King Tut's mummified body

King Tut's burial chamber 

King Tut's mummy

Tomb of Ramses V and VI

Archeological dig in the Valley of the Kings

Our tour guide Walid then took us to an Alabaster factory to watch them create pots, vases, statues, etc. out of Alabaster.  After that we drove over to the temple of Queen Hatshepsut.  The temple is on the back side of the Valley of the Kings and is very distinct and has a different style than other Egyptian temples.  It is made of several layers, the last of which goes into the mountainside.  When we first arrived there our tour guide had several of us on the tour help act out the family history of Queen Hatshepsut to show how she came to power.  We then had free time to wander around the temple. 

Alabaster factory

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

Colossi of Memnon

After a brief stop at the Colossi of Memnon, we made our way back to the boat.  After lunch we took a nap while the boat started making its way upriver.  Later in the afternoon most of us went up to the top deck to watch as our boat went through the locks at Esna, where we stopped for the evening.

Relaxing on the boat

Going through the locks at Esna

Sunset in Esna

Monday, April 1:

Since we had to wake up very early the last several days, today was a sleep-in morning.  After breakfast we gathered in the ship’s lounge to listen to our guide Walid discuss current events in Egypt.  He was very open about the events leading up to the Arab Spring and the events that have happened since.  It was interesting to hear his perspective on his country’s history.  Walid also discussed different aspects of Egyptian culture. 

Cruise ships docked in Esna

Cruising along the Nile

After some more relaxing as the ship made its way up the Nile, we stopped at the Kom Ombo Temple.  Kom Ombo is dubbed the “double temple” since it is dedicated to two gods: Sobek the crocodile-headed god and Haroeris.  There were a lot of cruise ships here.  In fact, we had to walk through five ships just to get off of ours.  Some of the highlights at this temple were an ancient calendar that showed the flooding dates of the Nile and carvings that showed ancient medical instruments.  Right outside the temple is a very small museum that contains several mummified crocodiles that were left at the temple as offerings.  As the sun started to set, we made our way back to the ship and continued our journey along the Nile.  Dinner tonight was an Egyptian buffet, with very flavorful food.  The entertainment after dinner was some Egyptian music, but it was very loud.  We could hear it in our cabin.

Temple of Kom Ombo

Calendar showing the flood days of the Nile

Carvings of ancient medical tools

Mummified Crocodiles

Sunset at Kom Ombo

Leaving Kom Ombo

Tuesday, April 2:

This morning was another very early start, this time to get on our bus for a three-hour ride from Aswan, across the Sahara Desert, and then to the ruins of Abu Simbel.  We stopped briefly at a rest area to take pictures in the desert (and watch a bunch of Chinese tourists almost get hit as they took selfies in the middle of the road).  

Leaving our boat early in the morning

On the road to Abu Simbel

We arrived in Abu Simbel around 8:30 am.  The place was already full of tourists, which was a bit surprising being that the location is somewhat remote and only about 20 miles from the border with Sudan.  The ruins and temples of Abu Simbel were built by Ramses II for him and his wife Queen Nefertari. At first sight the ruins are impressive.  Ramses’ temple is flanked by four giant statues of him.  What is almost equally impressive is the story of how these massive temples were saved from the rising waters of the new Lake Nasser which was created by the Aswan High Dam.  In the 1960’s, groups of engineers, archeologists and more from several countries and UNESCO took the temples, ruins, and most of the hillsides in which they were built block by block and moved the temples higher up and above the water level.  It was amazing to go inside the temples, which are cut inside the hillside.  The new “hills” in which the temples are built are actually man-made concrete domes covered by dirt and rock.  If you didn’t know this, you wouldn’t be able to tell.  The site sits right alongside Lake Nasser, with beautiful views up and down the lake.  Becky and I looked around and inside both temples.  There were hoards of tourists inside both temples, so much so that it was hard to move around and extremely hot and sweaty. 

Approaching Abu Simbel

Giant statues of Ramses II at Abu Simbel

Diagram showing how they moved the temples

Inside the temple

The Temple of Ramses II in the background and the Temple of Nefertari in the foreground

After wandering around some more, we made our way back to the bus for the three-hour ride back to Aswan.  Back at our ship we had lunch and relaxed for the rest of the evening.  After dinner we went to a show in the lounge which featured Nubian dancers and music.

 

Driving through the Sahara Desert

Nubian Dancers

Wednesday, April 3:

To beat the heat, we were off again by 7am.  Our first stop was the Aswan High Dam, one of the largest dams in the world.  By building the dam, Egypt was able to control the flooding of the Nile (for better or worse), create electricity, and create Lake Nasser, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world for fresh water.  Security was tight on top of the dam.  Any damage to the dam would have devastating effects on the whole of Egypt (since most of the population lives along the Nile).

Aswan High Dam

After the dam we made our way over to the bank of the Nile to catch a small boat out to Philae Temple, which sits on an island.  Just like Abu Simbel, Philae temple was in jeopardy of being lost to the waters of the new Lake Nasser.  UNESCO was able to move the whole temple block by block to a nearby island that was slightly higher.  Philae temple is dedicated to the goddess Isis and was one of the last Egyptian temples to be used.  In fact, the last hieroglyphs were carved here during the 6th century A.D.  Others, such as the Romans and early Christians used the temple for worship.  The whole island is very beautiful, with the ruins mixed in with palm trees.  By about 10 am the temperature was getting very hot outside and it was time to catch our boat back to the shore.  It was very entertaining to watch our boatman try to squeeze his boat in at the dock.  There were tons of empty boats tied up, but no one was willing to move.  That didn’t stop our boatman, who decided that the best option was to go full throttle, full speed ahead and just continually ram his way in until a spot opened up. 

Taking the boat out to Philae Temple

Philae Temple

Our tour guide Walid

Philae Temple

Leaving Philae Temple

Glass blower at the essential oils factory

We then drove back into Aswan and went to a perfumery, where we sat and listened to an explanation of essential oils and had an opportunity to try a few.  Becky bought a little bit of oil and several family members bought a lot.  After getting our fill of smells, we went back to the ship for lunch and a nap.

Sampling essential oils

This guy didn't know what he was getting into when he volunteered to rub Terry's feet!

In the late afternoon we went to the Aswan market.  Our first stop was a spice shop, where we watched a quick demonstration on spices and where they come from.  We then had some free time to wander through the market (which wasn’t that big).  The vendors were extremely annoying and would not leave you alone.  They wouldn’t even give you a starting price to bargain and would follow you out of the store if you did not buy something.  Terry and I found some galabeyas to wear for the dinner party tomorrow night.  We then made our way back to the bus and drove the short drive back to the ship for the evening.

Aswan Market

Spices

Thursday, April 4:

Our ship left Aswan early this morning and started heading back down the Nile toward Luxor.  After lunch we visited the Edfu temple, which is one of the best preserved temples.  The temple was covered for long periods by shifting sand, which protected its walls and carvings.  Since we were there at mid-day, we pretty much had the place to ourselves, but it was blazing hot.  Our tour guide Walid had a few of us act out a story on the genealogy of some of the Egyptian Gods.  The temple at Edfu is dedicated to the falcon god Horus, and there are large statues of Horus here as well. 

Falucca on the Nile

The MS Sudan, the same ship that Agatha Christie wrote "Death on the Nile" on

Edfu Temple

By the end of our time looking around the temple, we were very hot and ready to head back to the ship.  In the evening we had our Egyptian dinner and party, with everyone dressing up in their Egyptian outfits.  After dinner we went to the lounge where Walid and some of the crew members taught us some dances.  It was a lot of fun and the crew members were having a great time as well.

Egyptian Night costumes

Family photo

Our tour guide Walid

The dining room on the ship

Main lobby

Sitting area

Lounge

Friday, April 5:

We arrived in Luxor late last night and awoke to the sights of the hot air balloons taking off over the west bank of the Nile.  In the morning several family members took a taxi into town and visited the Luxor Museum.  The museum contains some amazing artifacts.  It also houses the mummies of two kings.  In the basement of the museum are statues that were found in the 1980s, buried in the Luxor temple complex.

Luxor Museum

Mummy at the Luxor Museum

Ancient blueprint

Classic taxi ride

Our ancient taxi

In the afternoon we made our way over to the Luxor temple, one of the most famous Egyptian temples.  Luxor has been a place of worship for 3,500 years, from the Egyptian, through the Romans, to Christians, to Muslims now (there is a mosque built on the site).  It was hot outside, but that didn’t stop the hordes of tourists from coming to the temple.  We entered the complex, passing the giant statues of Rames II and an obelisk.  Once inside, Walid pointed out different parts of the temple and which rulers built what.  Toward the back of the area there is a space where you can still see Roman paintings that were plastered over the earlier Egyptian carvings.  Archeologists had to determine whether to leave the Roman paintings there or take them off to reveal the older carvings.  They decided to leave them there.  Becky and I looked around the various parts of the temple and then walked out to the Avenue of the Sphinxes, which is the ancient road that connected Luxor to Karnak temple.  Toward the end of time at Luxor we went into the gift shop and bought a statue of Surket, one of the goddesses that stood around King Tut’s canopic jars.  We spent the rest of the evening on the ship talking with the family and packing up our bags.

Luxor Temple

Mosque inside Luxor Temple

Roman arch inside Luxor Temple

Roman Frescos

Avenue of the Sphinxes

Sunset on the Nile

Our statue of the goddess Surket

Mosques lit up for Ramadan

Saturday, April 6:

We had another early morning breakfast, then caught our bus to the Luxor airport.  After a quick hour-long flight on a small plane to Cairo, we then took a short driving tour of Cairo and proceeded to drive to the top of a hill with an amazing view over the area.  We then stopped and ate lunch at a restaurant that was right on the edge of the hill, with windows looking out over Cairo.  In the distance you could see the pyramids (albeit it was a bit difficult with the smog). 

Apartments in Cairo

View of Cairo from the Restaurant

Trash city hill

Once we made it back to our hotel, we had the rest of the afternoon to explore.  Many of the family members decided to relax at the hotel, while Becky and I took Terry and Jennifer and caught a cab over to the Citadel.  The Citadel is a large fortress built upon a hill overlooking Cairo.  Several mosques and other important buildings make up the complex.  We walked around, looking in an old mosque and also at the military museum and a small jail.  We then went over to the Muhammed Ali Mosque and went inside.  It was very beautiful with stained glass and large chandeliers.  After the mosque we scheduled an Uber to come pick us up and waited and waited for the car to arrive.  Finally the driver said he was at the bottom of the hill waiting for us.  We quickly ran down and met him, only to find out that his car was parked on the other side of a busy road.  Our driver walked in front of us and did his best to try to stop traffic.  Fortunately, we made it across alive (most cars don’t stop for pedestrians and there really aren’t any “lanes” of traffic).

The Citadel

Inside one of the mosques

Military museum

Muhammed Ali Mosque

View of Cairo with the pyramids in the distance

Inside the Muhammed Ali Mosque

Our next stop was the Khan el-Khalili, one of the largest markets in Cairo.  The market is also one of the oldest in the world, starting as a spice market in the 1300’s.  Terry and Jennifer found a restaurant to sit at while Becky and I wandered the market looking for goods.  Becky got to hone her bargaining skills.  Since we were visiting during Ramadan, at sunset everything stopped as people came out of shops and houses to sit down at long tables set up in the streets to eat and break their fast.  It was a unique event where we really got to see the true Egypt.  After buying a few things, we caught a taxi back to our hotel. For dinner, Becky and I went out and found a local place making excellent and cheap shawarmas.  We were the only locals around, which isn’t always a bad thing.  

Khan el-Khalili Market

Entrance to our hotel in Cairo

View from our hotel room

Sunday, April 7:

First off this morning we went to the world-famous Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo. The museum contains some of the finest and most famous Egyptian Artifacts in the world.  Eventually all of the artifacts will be moved to the new Grand Egyptian Museum, but for the time being most are still here.  For the first half, our guide Walid took us around and showed us some of the more famous artifacts and told us their history.  We wound up to the second floor and to the famous King Tut exhibit.  We had to wait in line to enter and see some of the more famous and priceless artifacts that were kept in a special room.  Of course, there were big Egyptian men in there yelling, “no stopping, keep moving, no photos”!  We made our way around the room, pausing to see Tut’s golden coffin and the most famous piece, his golden mask.  It was truly amazing to see the mask up close.  The details on the mask were exquisite.  I’ve always wanted to see the mask and I wish I had a bit more time to examine it.  I wish I could have taken a picture, but then again, I got to see it with my own eyes.  After that we walked around and looked at other artifacts from King Tut’s tomb, such as his throne and some of his treasury boxes.  We then had some free time to wander on our own.  Becky and I decided to go see some mummies and some mummified animals.  The museum is vast and it is hard to take it all in.  Some rooms were filled with coffins stacked from floor to ceiling.  Others had large statues or pieces of papyrus that stretched across the walls.  When we were finally finished in the museum we went to a restaurant on a boat that was docked along the bank of the Nile.

Egyptian Museum

The Scribe

Papyrus

Statue from King Tut's tomb

King Tut's canopic jars

King Tut's Throne

Box belonging to King Tut

Statue of King Tut and his sandals

Mummy

Mummified baboon

Mummified dog

Mummified small dog

Oldest artifact found in Egypt, almost 7,000 years old!

In the afternoon we went back to the Khan el-Khalili market as a group and had some time to explore more of the shops.  We decided to buy a few more things, giving Becky one more chance to bargain for some trinkets.  Since we were there earlier in the day, the market wasn’t nearly as busy as it was the night before. 

Cairo traffic

Our police escort

Khan el-Khalili Market

Mosque

Public market

Police van, Mad Max version

Back at the hotel we gathered for our farewell dinner.  We had one more chance to swap travel stories with the other members of our group and say goodbye to them and our amazing guide, Walid.  Walid gave us a large group picture, along with a carved scarab beetle.  We then went back to our room to try and fit everything into our bags!

Monday, April 8:   

Most of the family left for the Cairo airport together, since we were flying together back to Seattle.  Fortunately, we had a non-eventful flight to Istanbul, where we actually had a long enough layover that we did not have to run to our gate like last time.  The flight from Istanbul to Seattle was somewhat uneventful, even though I had a really smelly, large guy from India sitting behind me that somehow managed to bump my seat every 20 minutes or so for the entire 12-hour flight.  We were flying home right in the middle of the total Solar Eclipse that crossed the U.S., but we were too far north to see it.  When we arrived in Seattle customs and immigration was practically empty and took us less than five minutes.  We said our goodbyes to the rest of the family, got in our car and made the drive back home, tired and ready for work the next day.