Hmm, I think my last email was from Sharm el Shiekh. Met up with Elisabeth and her friends Fouda (Mohammad 1) and Samy (Mohammed I Lost Track By Now) at the Cairo airport around 4am and got on our flight to Luxor. Flying over Cairo, I look for signs of the pyramids but see no signs in the dark. It is strange thinking of flying over something so ancient that is still standing. We arrive in Luxor in the early morning and the desert around the airport looks like desert scenes from Star Wars. Got checked into the cruise boat we would be using as home base for the next 5 days. In the late afternoon, we headed for Karnak temple. It was AMAZING.
I have studied this place, but pictures don't do it justice of how enormous it really is. Rows of sphinx, massive pillars of the decorated hypostyle hall, gigantic statues and even a small lake. There was a sun set with beautiful rays of light through the clouds.
We checked out a papyrus art store and I bought myself a small souvenir. Then we went to Luxor after the sun set. It was lit up at night and was mostly empty, with only the sounds of the prayer from the mosque and city noises of honking horns and clop of horses and donkeys outside the walls. I sat on the middle of the floor all alone amongst the massive pillars, staring at the night sky and it was magical. Afterwards, I tried super fresh falafel in town and I wish I had more time to spend in what appeared to be a fun, friendly city.
The next day was a visit to the west side of the Nile. First was the Valley of the Kings, full of over 60 underground tombs (no photos allowed inside). We went inside the tombs of Ramses IV, Ramses IX, and Tutankhamen. They were each different and equally interesting, with different detailed hieroglyphic narratives and artwork shown along walls. We then were whisked off to the Valley of the Queens, with its impressive stairway into the mountainside monument. We reboarded the boat and set off down the Nile. I enjoy chatting with the variety of interesting people on the boat while watching scenes of life along the Nile and passing through the locks. We dock and overnight in Edfu.
The next morning, we take a horse carriage to the Temple of Horus in Edfu. It has an enormous pylon with statues of Horus depicted as a falcon. The columns depict many different plants such as lotus, palm, and papyrus. I know this will come as no shock to anyone, but I am bad at staying with the group and I almost immediately wander off as there are all kinds of dark hallways and storerooms to explore.
We head back to the boat to cruise to Kom Ombo to visit the temple of Haroeris and Sobek right next to the Nile. This temple worshiped crocodiles. It also had a calendar etched into the walls and a health clinic with a mural depicting ancient surgical equipment, some not unlike what is still used today.
We also check out the attached Crocodile Museum full of mummified crocodiles and crocodile-related offerings. We sail again to dock and finally arrive in Aswan. I am going a bit boat crazy and want to stretch my legs, so we all set out to explore the Souk and are treated to coffee and a shisha from a really wonderful gentleman who is Egyptian but has been living in Tampa and has been part of our tour group.
At this point, I am a little templed out. But we grab a small ferry boat and visit Philae in the morning. It is on an island and is dedicated to Isis. Alongside the ancient monuments and depictions is also a French memorial to lost soldiers in one corner. I mainly just enjoy the view of the water along the temple edge, chase a cat around that has newborn kittens hidden under the temple floorboards, and chat with people.
We then check out the Aswan High Dam, creating Lake Nasser, the largest man made lake in the World but also displacing a lot of Nubians. I take a break from the afternoon group activities and join two nice German men I have been chatting with the last few days on the cruise.
Their guide and the guide's wife take us to the Old Cataract Hotel, a beautifully decorated hotel which used to be the Royal Palace. It is also famous for being the filming spot for Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile. We have enjoyable conversations and tea while watching the sun set as feluccas pass by, enjoying a slice of what ritzy people do on vacation.
The next morning starts at 3:15am. We are heading to Abu Simbel, south near the Sudan. We have to go by convoy with security and all groups going together. Our guide mentions we have a Swede, but fails to mention there is an American in the car as he says that may have delayed us and added an extra security guard to our car. Everyone thinks I am Spanish anyway :). It takes us three hours to get there, but it is well worth it.
Dedicated to Ramesses II and Nefertari, it is one of my favorites, the statues outside are enormous. The interior artwork is well preserved (no photos allowed inside) and it is not too busy, even with us all having to go at once and be on a very set schedule. We even have it to ourselves for a brief, peaceful moment, taking it all in. It was truly spectacular. We visit the unfinished Obelisk once we return to Aswan and say goodbye to our guide and new friends we spent the week with on the boat.
We find a nice, relatively cheap but super clean hotel on the Corniche along the Nile called the Philae Hotel. Once we check in, we are off to explore the nearby bustling marketplace. We have a delicious and well-priced lamb dinner at El Masry before a night walk along the Nile to the lit up Cathedral. On the way back, we spot a rooftop deck and head up for some relaxation, tea, and enjoying the city lights at night off the boat.
Sleep in the next morning and plan how I want to spend my birthday. We hear word that there was a large fight in Aswan the previous evening resulting in over 20 killed. What supposedly started as a high school argument and graffiti turned into a violent fight between the Nubians and Arabs of the area. Hopes that it will not continue.
We all head to Elephantine Island by ferry and explore the archeological area behind the closed Aswan Museum. We stop for tea at a house in the Nubian village and then wander around the village. It reminds me a little of Zanzibar with its narrow residential alley streets, ornate colors, and decorative doors. We head back to the city and mainland and grab a yummy late lunch at an off the road, little cafe restaurant for just a few bucks.
The guys head to the market and Elisabeth and I head to a Movenpick, swanky hotel that has a lounge atop a high tower with a 360 degree view of the city. We enjoy a beverage (I have a refreshing sunset rum drink) and then we all meet up and head to a Nubian restaurant called Al-Dokka on a little nearby island. It has a beautiful garden patio with the sounds of nearby frogs and live music by a man singing with his string instrument. I am completely full after a most delicious meat tangen dinner with bread and all the sides of tahini, abergine, babaganoush, and a yogurt dip.
Thinking we have to hurry back to the hotel so Elisabeth, Fouda, and Samy can catch their flight back to Cairo, out comes a huge, super decorated chocolate and fruit birthday. Everyone sang happy birthday to me in both English and the Egyptian version. What a wonderful and thoughtful surprise and a perfect evening to ring in my forties and as my last evening in Egypt! We head back and say our goodbyes. I have another half a day wandering Aswan alone tomorrow and then sadly have to say goodbye to Egypt, as I head to Jordan tomorrow afternoon. My phone will be off since I no longer get free texting in Jordan (only Egypt and Israel, for some reason) but should have better internet access (except when I likely try to go stay in a cave... my pact to grow up and start acting like a responsible 40 year old obviously shouldn't start until I get back to the US). I will send an email once I get settled and come up with some sort of plan.
My trip photos from Egypt are up or you can view them as a slideshow.
Hope everyone is happy and healthy. And of course, I miss each and every one of you.
Love, Betsy
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