Old Cairo, a dinner date, pyramids, and a camel…my Egyptian adventure comes to an end.

I arrived in Egypt early Friday morning on 04/15/2022. My trip lasted 12 days and was full of new experiences and dreams come true. This is the 5th and final installment regarding my adventures. As always, enjoy, and thank you for reading my blog.

Old Cairo

Our stay at the New Movenpick was only one night, so another early wakeup call and another boxed breakfast of bread. An hour delay at the Aswan airport puts us behind schedule and has us landing in Cairo at 10:00am. No time to rest as we board a bus taking us to El-Moez Street for a walking tour through Old Cairo, and then another foray into Khan El-Khalili Market. 

People gather on a street in Cairo.

It's an interesting walk through Old Cairo, but I am glad that, once we reach the market, we are able to rest at a café. The 91-degree heat, as well as all the touring and consumption of bread, is continuing to take its toll. We are given some free time to wander the market. As much as I want to sip my hibiscus tea and relax, I also want to wander the market again. Linda and I leave Christy at the café and set off to explore. The same guard who fetched us at the Nubian Spice Market, follows us the entire time. I guess he doesn't want a repeat of having to come after us because we were late to meet the group, but whatever his reasons, I am glad he is with us.

Enjoying a cup of hibiscus tea at Waly El Neam Cafe
in the Khan El-Khalili Market.

Waly El Neam Cafe - our guide sits upstairs, while we are downstairs.
Since it is Ramadan, he does not sit with us whenever
we are eating or drinking during the day. 

Shoppers at Khan El-Khalili Market.

A dinner date 

It is 2pm by the time we check into the InterContinental Citystars hotel in Cairo. It's nice to have the afternoon free, so Christy, Linda and I wander through a mall that is connected to the hotel. The Citystars Mall is huge with six levels and 750 stores, plus a cinema and numerous restaurants and food courts. 

I eventually leave Christy and Linda to enjoy their dinner and go back to the hotel to get ready for my date. Several days into the trip, I matched with a man on a dating app. We’ve been chatting for several days and I agreed to go on a date with him when I returned to Cairo. Because our group is given strict instructions not to go outside the hotel or mall, Khaled meets me in the hotel lobby. 

It's been 10 months since I've been on a date and I am feeling giddy, especially when I see him standing in the lobby. He is even more handsome in person with his dark hair and deep brown eyes, but I'm not sure how to react. Should I hug him? Shake his hand? Public displays of affection are frowned upon in the Muslim culture, more so when it is between two people who are not married. Khaled, however, makes it easy. As I approach, he takes my hand and kisses it. It's a sign of respect. 

We walk next door to the mall for dinner. It is a wonderful date. Even with our cultural differences, we have a lot in common and conversation comes easily. His English is near perfect, and I love his accent. My face hurts from smiling, but unfortunately, I am so tired, our date ends after only a few hours. I don't want him to leave, but Christy has given me strict instructions that I am not to bring him back to our room! I can't sneak him in even if I wanted to, because I find out later, a Muslim man is not allowed to enter the hotel room of a woman who he is not married to. 

We say goodbye in the hotel lobby, but this time we hug and Khaled gives me several kisses on my cheek. We promise to keep in touch, but sadly, as of this writing our communications have stopped.

**

Pyramids

GIZA! 

My last full day in Egypt and what better way to spend it than to see the pyramids and ride a camel! This is the reason I've travelled thousands of miles to Egypt. Everything else I’ve seen and done for the last ten days is a mere bonus. 

Breezy with clear skies, it's a perfect morning to have a dream come true. 

Giza! A dream comes true!

At the pyramids, we have two options. We can either go inside the Great Pyramid or listen to a lecture by an archaeologist. At first, Christy, Linda, and I choose to go inside the pyramid, because how awesome is it to say you went inside the Great Pyramid!? But when we hear it is very hot inside and we would have to crawl to reach a chamber that is void of any hieroglyphics or other design, we opt for the lecture. 

That, by far, is the better choice. 

Ashraf Mohie El-din is an Egyptologist, archaeologist, and the Director General of the pyramids. He has a big personality and exudes passion for his work. With his booming voice, he entertains us with tales of lost treasure and his behind-the-scenes antics of when he filmed two specials for National Geographic (Lost tomb of the Pyramids and Lost Treasures of Egypt). 

"If you can build a pyramid, you can do anything" - Ashraf Mohie. 

Our guide Khaled, Christy and I in front of the Great Pyramid.

A camel 

Now it is time to ride a camel! 

Majestic!

We stand in a group watching the camels. They are magnificent as they rest in the sand with the beautiful pyramids in the background, but I am not fooled. Camels are temperamental. They grunt, groan, and bellow loudly which affirms their unpredictability. I am very nervous to ride one. The camel keeper helps me climb on top of the camel but gives me no instructions of how to ride it or how to keep from falling off, only that I should hold on to the saddle horn. 

Don't look down, don't look down!
Trying hard not to fall off!

 

Watching a camel rise off the ground into a standing position is very different than being on top of a camel while it rises off the ground into a standing position. It first straightens its long back legs, and as its rump lifts into the air, I am abruptly thrown forward. Fortunately, my white-knuckle death grip on the saddle horn keeps me from somersaulting over the camel’s head. I scream anyway because it is such an unexpected motion and, in all seriousness, I thought I was going to die. However, just as quickly, it stands with its front legs, so now I am flung backwards. Again, my death-grip saves me from going ass over teakettle, but now the camel is walking. 

It doesn’t move with an easy rhythm, but with one that is shuffling and rolling like a ship at sea. I’m bouncing around on its back trying not to fall off and certainly trying not to look down. My camel seems unnaturally tall. Dromedary camels can stand at over 7-feet at the shoulder with females being a bit smaller. My camel’s name is Casanova, so I assume he is a male, but regardless, a few inches don't matter when I am a thousand feet in the air.

The ground seems far away and I know it would be extremely painful if I were to fall. My legs squeeze the camel tightly and my entire body tenses. My hands also hurt because I’ve retained my clench on the saddle horn. I don’t know how anyone could ride a camel across the desert for miles upon miles. It is an uncomfortable ride. I’ve gone maybe 300-feet and my butt hurts already.

My camel doesn’t entirely lift his feet when he walks. I don’t know if all camels walk like this or if mine is defective, but it’s scary. I’m trying not to think about my death by camel, but then Casanova stumbles and I panic. I’m about to callout to my camel handler and tell him I want to get off, but as I lift my gaze from the ground, I see the pyramids in the distance. 

Beautiful under the Egyptian sun.

Pyramids 

I take a moment to reiterate that this is my dream come true. It is unbelievable that I am riding a camel in the Sahara Desert!

After a few calming breaths, I focus on my surroundings, on the experience, rather than on my fears and overestimation of how high in the air I am. My legs relax, as does my grip on the saddle. Instead of fighting against the motion, I let myself be jostled around by Casanova’s movements and eventually find a somewhat tolerable position. 

Our group stops while we take turns getting our picture taken in front of the pyramids. Tim, one of the men in my tour group, is behind me on a camel named Ali Baba. It is tethered to mine. Ali Baba moves to stand next to me and pushes affectionately against my camel. I reach out to touch his hair and it is coarse and bristly. He nibbles my fingers with his lips and it feels gummy and wet. 

He is a nice camel, but he continues leaning against Casanova and my leg is squished between the two. It doesn’t hurt, but I am unable to move it. That makes me a bit anxious as these camels can weigh as much as 1,800 pounds! My svelte little self is no match for their size and strength. I push Ali Baba and he moves enough for me to pull my leg out, but I’m pretty sure he didn't even feel me. He probably thought I was just a fly.

Now it’s my turn to have a picture taken. 

Casanova and I are led into position with the pyramids standing majestic in the background, but he doesn’t want to cooperate. My camel handler whistles, waves, and calls to Casanova. Eventually he looks up and poses perfectly for our picture. It was a rough start, but I am enjoying myself immensely. 

Cassanova and I have become friends.

Not so gracefully getting off my camel.

Having some fun after my camel ride.

My day could have ended happily with me and my new bestie, Casanova, saying our goodbyes, but it didn’t.

There was one more thing to see - the Sphinx! 

Standing guard at the approach to the Pyramid of Khafre, the Sphinx is the earliest known monument sculpture of Egypt. It dates to around 2500 BC and stands 66-feet high. When the pyramids were built, the waters of the Nile came up to the edge of the Giza Plateau. Our guide draws a map in the sand showing where the canal and boat dock were and the path to the tomb. It is very helpful to get an overview of the area as it’s all desert sand now. 

Walking on a marble floor that is over 5,000 years old. 
It must have been stunning at one time. Our guide says it led to an embalming room.

Unfortunately, the area around the Sphinx is barricaded and we are unable to get very close, plus it is crowded. 

The Sphinx - Guardian of the Giza Plateau.

A security guard is yelling at a group of people who have climbed onto a stone wall to get a better look at the Sphinx. Just as they get down, another group climbs up. The guard then turns his attention to a group of Egyptian teenagers. I don’t know exactly what they are doing, but they run away laughing and acting silly like kids do. Our guide smiles, so I don’t think their antics were too serious, but the guard has clearly lost patience with people. It’s 12:30 and 85-degrees. 

Selfie!

My Egyptian adventure comes to an end 

Time to say goodbye.

That night we have a delicious farewell dinner at the hotel. Everyone is tired, but no one wants to be the first to leave the table and finalize the ending to a fabulous trip. Finally, at about 9pm with all of us falling asleep over our empty plates, one of the other women stands up. That’s our cue and the rest of us quickly follow her lead. 

There are many different personalities in our group, but overall, it is a great mix of people. I am inspired by their tales of travel, specifically by those from a group of four women. They met several years ago while on a previous tour, and now they travel the world together. Christy and I are already thinking about our next trip, perhaps to Israel and Jordan...?

It is an amazing last day of an already amazing trip. It feels good to be able to share such a wonderful experience with friends, new and old, but now it’s time for sleep. I have one more early wakeup call and one last boxed breakfast of bread to eat before I begin my journey home.

Thank you, Egypt. I miss you already.

* More of my photos can be seen on Facebook and Instagram. 

A souvenir from Egypt. I've named her Giza. 

Horses, crocodiles, a garden, and much more...my Egyptian journey goes on.

This is the 4th (of 5) blog postings about my trip to Egypt. 

Horses

We cruise down the Nile on the Royal Lotus and I enjoy the downtime. I sit by our room’s large window and watch Egypt drift by.

We cannot even escape the vendors at sea!
A boat latches onto to our cruise ship. The men call to those people standing 
on the upper deck and throw items to them wrapped in plastic bags. If you 
want to buy it, you wrap the money in the bag and throw it back to them. 

We dock sometime during the night in Edfu, which is located almost exactly between Luxor and Aswan.

Cruise ships docked in Edfu, Egypt.

According to ancient myth, this is where Horus fought with his uncle Seth, who had murdered Horus’s father, Osiris. Seth, the god of Chaos, was filled with hate and jealousy towards his brother so he chopped him into 14 pieces and scattered them throughout Egypt.

Osiris’s wife, Isis, who was also his and Seth’s sister, searched for Osiris, but found only 13 of his body parts. Rumor has it, the 14^th piece, which was Osiris’s penis, was tossed into the Nile and eaten by a catfish.

Isis put Osiris’s body back together, sans penis, which enabled Osiris to return to life. However, instead of returning to the land of the living, Osiris was reborn into the afterlife. He became the god of the underworld. Because his penis was never found, Isis could not get pregnant through conventional means. There are several different versions of how she became pregnant (with Horus), such as using her magical powers to make a phallus for Osiris, to changing into a being who flew around his body to absorb his sperm. Some older Egyptian myths have Osiris’s penis surviving his ordeal, but whichever ending is told, it is an intriguing story.

The Temple of Horus at Edfu, which was buried under sand and silt from the Nile River for almost 2,000 years, is the largest and best-preserved Ptolemaic temple in Egypt. Construction began under Ptolemy III Euergetes in 237 BC and completed in 57 BC during the reign of Cleopatra's father, Ptolemy XII Auletes. Although discovered in 1798 by French explorers, it wasn't excavated until 1860. 

Selfie at the Temple of Horus.

Temple of Horus is full of tourists. I couldn't get through
the crowd to reach the back of the temple. 

A statue of Horus at the Temple of Horus.

As beautiful as the temple is, I do not like Edfu.

Horse drawn carriages arrive at the cruise ship dock and run passengers from the boat to the temple, however, the horses are not well-cared for. Our guide tells us that guests were upset at seeing the condition of the horses, so Collette Tours refused to use the horse drawn carriages. The temple is owned by the village and they in turn, refused to allow the tour company access. As a compromise, Collette pays the village for use of the horse drawn carriages, but they don’t use them. Instead, they have a bus, which comes from over an hour away, pick up the tourists and drive them the 2 miles to the temple.

Horses get a moment of rest at the Temple of Horus before
taking tourists back to the cruise ship dock.

After visiting the Temple of Horus, we return to the Royal Lotus and continue our journey down the Nile.

Crocodiles

Several hours later we dock at Kom Ombo, an agricultural town surrounded by sugar cane and corn. It is a short walk from the boat to the Temple of Kom Ombo. The Greco-Roman style temple is unusual as it is a double temple dedicated to two gods. It is perfectly symmetrical with two entrances, two halls and two sanctuaries.  One half of the temple is dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, while the other half is dedicated to Horus the Elder. 

Unfortunately, much of the temple has been destroyed by flooding from the Nile, as well as from earthquakes. 

The tops of the columns at the Temple of Kom Ombo are carved in the
likeness of a lotus or lily from Upper Egypt and the papyrus of the delta.

This is a hieroglyph showing Cleopatra and her cartouche in
the Temple of Kom Ombo, Egypt. 

A museum near the exit of the temple houses about 40 of the 300 crocodile mummies that were discovered in the vicinity. They are estimated to be about 3,000 years old! Our guide tells us there are no longer any crocodiles in the Nile, that they have all been relocated to Lake Nasser. 

Mummified crocodiles were found in a small chamber 
at the Temple of Kom Ombo.

Several crocodile mummies are on display at the
Crocodile Museum at Kom Ombo.

**

We dock the next morning in Aswan, a bustling market and tourist center on the east bank of the Nile. It is Egypt's southernmost city. 

No surprise it’s already hot when we reach the Unfinished Obelisk at 8:30am. The Unfinished Obelisk is exactly that, a gigantic obelisk that was never finished. Had it been completed, it would have been one of the biggest obelisks ever built, standing at over 135-feet tall and weighing 1,200 tons! Unfortunately, during the last phase of construction, a large crack formed, and it was abandoned. However, it is one of Egypt’s most valuable discoveries because it offers insight into ancient stonemasonry techniques.

Workers abandoned the huge obelisk after a crack developed.

A vendor weaves a scarf in his shop at the Unfinished Obelisk plaza.

After a morning of sweating under the blazing Egyptian sun at the Unfinished Obelisk, we find the perfect way to cool off. A leisurely sail on the Nile in a felucca! A felucca is a traditional wooden sailing boat used in the eastern Mediterranean and ours is named “Captain Jack”.

Our captain adjusts the sails on the felucca.

Sailing on a felucca on the Nile! Christy looks 
adorable, but my hair is a mess.

A garden

Our felucca eventually lets us off on Kitchener Island, where we are allowed to wander freely through the Aswan Botanical Gardens. The island was given to British general Horatio Kitchener as a reward for leading the Egyptian army's campaign in Sudan. Kitchener, who loved plants and palm trees, transformed the island into a lush garden. The Egyptian Government eventually took over the island and maintains the botanical garden.

 A number of rare palm trees can be found on the island,
as well as trees from at least five different continents.

Although my guidebook reads that the lush gardens are “an ideal place to go for a peaceful stroll” it is not. Lush, yes, but peaceful, not so much. 

Vendors congregate near where the feluccas dock awaiting the tourist’s arrival. As our group disperses in various directions to explore the gardens, so do the vendors. They follow us while one insists on blowing a whistle that mimics a bird call. It’s loud and annoying. At every turn, they want me to buy something or follow them to look at a flower or tree. One of the men wants to show me a flower. He hurries up to a tree and picks a lotus flower and wants to give it to me, but I don’t want it. It is beautiful, but I wish he would have left it on the tree. I pay him to keep the flower.

From the botanical gardens, we take a motorboat down the Nile to visit a Nubian Village. It’s 93-degrees, but it feels refreshing being on the water with a cool breeze messing up my hair. I dip my hand into the Nile and touch it for the first time. I think how wonderful it would be to go for a swim on such a hot day, like the kids we’ve seen from our cruise ship, but then I remember the cow carcass I saw floating by. I immediately pull a pack of wet wipes from my purse and sanitize. 

Much more...

At the Nubian Village, an elder describes to us their way of life. He shows us items they use daily, such as baskets, ropes, and even a bed, all made from local plants.

In the village is a museum called Animalia Museum and the elder recommends we go there. It is full of taxidermy and very odd. I am uncomfortable under the googly-eyed gaze of the crudely stuffed animals. I wish I would have taken a picture, but I didn’t stay long. Instead, I wait outside in the shade for the rest of my group because being inside gives me the creeps. 

Boats filled with tourists dock at the Nubian Village.

A village elder shows us items made from local plants.

In the afternoon we have the option of either visiting the Thutmoses Perfume Palace and the Nubian Spice Market with our guide or remaining on the boat. Christy chooses to nap, but Linda and I are eager to visit the market. There are only a few of us who choose to go with Khaled and we spend about an hour at the market. It isn’t like the chaotic Khan El-Khalili market in Cairo. This is more of a local market, so there isn’t the constant yelling from the vendors, however, when they see our small group, they do call out, but not as aggressively.

Linda has told me that on a previous trip to Egypt, she bought some chicken spice and it was very good. I enter a shop filled with spices of every kind, but I’m not sure which one to buy. I call to Linda to join me, but unfortunately, the vendor hears me and he also calls out to Linda. I apologize profusely to her because now every other word he says is “Linda.” Linda. Linda. Linda.

Linda. Linda. Linda.

Locals shopping at the market.

Linda is wanting to buy a wooden mask of a sun, so we wander the market in search of one. We visit a vendor who says there might be one at another vendor’s booth, so we follow him, breaking one of the group rules: Do not follow a vendor when he says to follow him because you don’t know where he is taking you. The booth he takes us to is just a short distance away and we feel comfortable enough to remain with him. However, in doing so, we lose track of time. We are not at the designated location at the designated time to meet our guide.

Linda searches for a wooden mask of the sun.

While the vendor is in the middle of making suggestions to Linda of what she should buy instead of the mask he doesn’t have, our armed security guard suddenly appears behind us. He doesn’t need to say a word. His presence alone is enough for us to quickly scamper back to the awaiting group.

An armed security guard is provided by Collette Tours and one has been with us the entire trip. He trails behind us as we visit temple after temple, even suffering through the 110-degree heat in his polyester suite at Saqqara. He carries a M5 rifle hidden under his jacket. He looks more capable than the police I've seen, so I am comforted by his presence.

Although this photo was taken at Khan el-Khalili, it is the 
same guard who came to fetch us at the Nubian Spice Market.

I have perfected my method of covertly taking pictures of people.

Most of the women wear hijabs, while some are wearing burqas that cover the entire body, except for the eyes. I try to not stare, but the Egyptian culture is fascinating. I can easily identify the class status of the various people based on their clothes and demeanor. Those of the middle-class wear closed-toe shoes and some of the women don bedazzled sandals. I noticed the lower-class wears flip flops, Crocs, or no shoes at all. Crocs seem to be very popular as I’ve seen many booths selling them. This market, as opposed to Khan El- Khalili, is filled with a higher class of people.

A vendor at the Nubian Spice Market.

I want to take their photos against the vibrant fabrics, baskets full of hibiscus leaves, and sparkling souvenirs that make up the market, but it is considered rude. Another man in our group approached two women selling bread and held up his camera to take their photo. As they yelled and wagged their fingers at him, I discreetly took their picture.

Women selling bread at the Nubian Spice Market.

Their reaction to having their photo taken is understandable. It would be no different than having a tourist approach me at the mall to take my photo. I would not like it, so I hold my cell phone at chest level while I casually look about. I don’t look at people but snap their photo as they pass by. Some of my best photos have been taken this way and no one is the wiser.  

A man walks through the Nubian Spice Markt.

Linda and I are given free samples of what looks and tastes like donut holes. 
They are very good, but I am hesitant to eat anything from a street vendor, especially
when he uses his bare hand to mix the batter. 

**

It’s a quiet, restful morning as we get to sleep in.

Most of the group is flying to Abu Simbel with Khaled, but we’ve opted to forgo this optional tour. It was an additional $400, but even if we had wanted to go, we couldn’t. The tour was sold out.

Hassan, another guide, meets those of us who stay behind in the hotel lobby at 10am. We board a motorboat to Elephantine Island where we will be staying the night at the New Movenpick. It’s a beautiful hotel with a fabulous view from our room. I wish we could have spent more time here than on the cruise ship.

The view from our hotel room on Elephantine Island.

Nighttime view from our hotel room.

Christy, Linda, and I need an ATM, however, the ATM on the island is in the other hotel which has closed for the season. Thankfully Hassan escorts us, along with two others in our group, to the ATM across the Nile in Aswan. I am glad Hassan is with us.

Five or six ATMS are crammed together in a small room, but only two or three are working. We crowd in with the handful of other people already waiting in line. They look at us with a mix of curiosity and suspicion, especially a woman wearing a burka. She leaves the room only to return a few seconds later. Perhaps it is her impatience with the crowd, but she does this several times and it makes me nervous. I am thankful when we get our money and under the protection of Hassan, head back to the safety of the island.

On the way back from the ATM, we passed a McDonalds. Linda
and I wanted a McFalafel, but they were closed. 

It's still early and our afternoon is free.

Our plan is to explore the island and we ask the woman at guest relations what our options are, but she tells us we have none. Everything is closed, but she does volunteer to show us the hotel next door. Thankfully we are riding in a golf cart and not walking. It’s a sweltering 96-degrees and my right ankle is swollen and tender. We tour the lobby of the closed hotel, pause at a large, fenced area to look at several deer and then visit a bird viewing area which overlooks the Nile. 

The group eventually returns from Abu Simbel and, after a late dinner at the hotel, we take a motorboat to the Philae Temple for a light show.

The light show at Philae Temple.

When I hear ‘light show’ I think lasers and flashing colored lights, so I am a bit disappointed when I realize it isn't anything close to resembling a disco on a Saturday night. The lights are spotlights focusing on different parts of the temple as the story of Osiris, Seth, and Isis is broadcast over speakers. There is a lot of standing around as we move slowly through the temple, stopping occasionally as the story unfolds. I am glad to sit for the ending as my puffy ankles are protesting quite angrily.

Sadly, no glittery disco ball at Philae Temple.

The motorboat ride back to our hotel was unsettling. None of the boats have lights. I can hear other boats near us and faintly see their outlines, but nothing else. What if there is a rock? Or another boat lurking too close? We didn't even have life jackets. My hope is that the boat captains have crossed this route a million times and know it so well that lights aren't necessary, but still, I think it would be nice to have them. I am  relieved when we make it safely back to dry land. 

The motorboats that are used to take tourists to Philae Temple at night.

It is a late night, at least for me. 

We don't return to the hotel until 10pm, well past my usual bedtime, but it's enjoyable to be out after dark. Everything is different at night and the temperature is much cooler. Tomorrow is yet another early wakeup call as we are returning to Cairo for the last two days of our trip. I am excited because I am one day closer to riding a camel!

My Egyptian journey goes on....

Temples, Tombs, and a cruise down the Nile…My Egyptian adventure goes on.

This is the 3rd blog post regarding my trip to Egypt.

Temples.

Our wakeup-call at 2am comes sooner than we’d like, but as tired as we are, we somehow manage to get ourselves together. Our time at the Kempinski Hotel in Cairo has come to an end. One by one the group filters down to the lobby to pick up our boxed breakfast. It is nothing but bread, bread, and more bread. I have eaten so much bread that I’m certain I’ve devoured more carbs in the last few days than I’ve had all last year! But the bread here is fresh and delicious and most likely it's the reason why my travel bloat has yet to dissipate.

Our 7am flight is on time and as soon as we land in Luxor, we board a bus and head directly to Karnak.

A sandstone path lined with hundreds of ram-headed sphinx statues, dating back
more than 3,000 years, connects the temples of Karnak and Luxor.
The road is nearly two miles long and named "The Path of God" in ancient
Egyptian mythology. The ram is an embodiment of the Egyptian deity Amun-Ra.  

The Temple of Amun is at the heart of the Karnak complex and is dedicated to the king of the gods. Pharaoh after pharaoh have added to and changed the existing buildings in an attempt to leave their mark. During the 19th-Dynasty some 80,000 men worked at the temple. The temple lay buried under sand for over 1,000 years before excavation work began in the mid 19th century. Restoration of the complex continues today.

Our guide leads us through the Great Hypostyle Hall with its 134 massive columns. The columns are covered with hieroglyphics, and it is one of the more famous sites at Karnak.

Great Hypostyle Hall covers
an area of 54,000 sq ft and was built around 1290-1224 BC. 
The columns represent the papyrus swamp from which Atum rose
at the beginning of creation. 

Holes in one of the columns at Karnak show where camels were tethered. 
Some of the holes seem incredibly high, but it depended on the level of
the desert sand at the time as to where the holes were made. 

We take a respite from the heat and gaze out over the sacred lake, while sipping cold drinks in the open-air gift shop. It’s a nice break from the 99-degree heat. Khaled then suggests we all find rocks, make a wish, and toss the rocks into the lake.  As a group, we stand at the edge of the water, count to three, and make our wishes. I pull a bicep muscle as I hurl my rock. It barely makes it past the shoreline, but plops in the water. I make my wish. I cannot divulge my wish, but as of this writing, it has not come true yet.

Priests purified themselves in Sacred Lake at Karnak
before performing rituals in the temple. 

After Karnak we head to our cruise ship, the Movenpick Royal Lotus, which will be our home for the next four days. We are sailing down the Nile and will dock at various sites along the way, but we don’t set sail until later tonight. We have one more place to visit before leaving Luxor.

The Luxor Temple is located on the east bank of the Nile River and I learn that unlike other temples, Luxor is not dedicated to a god or a pharaoh, but to the rejuvenation of kingship. We have visited other temples during the day but visiting one at night gives it a vastly different feel. 

 Originally, there were two obelisks standing at the front of the temple.
One was removed in the early 19th century and placed in the Place de la Concorde
 in Paris. It was given as a gift from the Egyptian ruler Mohammed Ali. 

Luxor has a few strategically placed spotlights, but is not well lit. I try to imagine what it would be like when it was built in 1400 BC with only candles to illuminate the night. How scary I think it must have been.

And then I find out.

Linda and I are exploring deep inside the temple when suddenly the lights go out. There is no announcement to vacate the temple or a ‘last call’ signaling closing time.

Just click and we are in darkness.

Near the front of the temple, we see a light so that is the direction we head. The ground is uneven, and we proceed slowly. My night vision isn't great, but fortunately, neither of us falls. I see shadows of other people moving about and I am glad I have Linda with me. There are lots of dark corners within the temple where someone could hide without ever being seen. I am relieved when we get to the lighted area and see the rest of our group.

A double row of papyrus-bud columns, interspersed with huge
statues of Ramses II, encircles the Court of Ramses II at the Luxor Temple.

**

Tombs.

At the Valley of the Kings the next morning, the temperature is cooler than it has been. Khaled has suggested an earlier start time so when we arrive at 7:20am, it is a comfortable 77-degrees. Perfect for visiting tombs of dead people.

Valley of the Kings is the main burial place for royalty, including pharaohs, queens and privileged nobles. It contains 63 excavated tombs and has been a major focus of Egyptological explorations for the last two centuries. 

These included expeditions done during Napoleon's invasion of Egypt in 1708. Along with the 54,000 men he brought to invade, he also brought along scientists to document Egypt's culture and history. Although Napoleon's attempt to take over the country was a failure, the scholarly exploration of Egypt was not. While his men surveyed and studied the plants and animals of Egypt, they also discovered temples and tombs. The sites were mapped with every detail recorded. These findings were later published in France beginning in 1809.

Unfortunately, we do not have the time to visit all 63 of the tombs, so our guide gets us tickets for only three of them. 

We visit first the Tomb of Merneptah, who was a 19^th-Dynasty pharaoh and son of Ramses II. He reigned for almost a decade from 1213 BC to 1203 BC. The tomb was excavated in 1903, however robbers had already taken the treasures that were buried within. With the exception of King Tut's tomb, almost all the tombs in the valley were pillaged. 

Although robbers took the treasures buried with Merneptah,
they were unable to escape with the heavy sarcophagus lid
and left it in one of the tomb's corridors. 

At the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, we saw many of King Tut Ankh Amun’s treasures, but now we are visiting his tomb. The tomb itself is small, plain and with parts left undecorated, but it is interesting in that the king’s body was found inside a gilded coffin. 

King Tutankhamun's crypt.

On the wall to the right (in the above photo) are three murals depicting King Tut. The far-right scene shows the "Opening of the Mouth" ritual. It is performed on the body prior to burial with the belief that it would reactivate their senses, so the deceased could function in the afterlife. The scene in the middle depicts Tutankhamun being welcomed by the Goddess Nut into the afterlife. The last scene on the left, shows Tutankhamun embracing Osiris, while standing behind him is his Ka (his spiritual self) who is embracing Tutankhamun. 

The twelve baboons on the other wall, symbolize the twelve hours throughout the night it took King Tut to travel to the afterlife. Above the baboons, is a boat holding the scarab Khepri, which represents the solar god.

As amazing as I find King Tut's tomb, it pales in comparison to the one I see next. The Tomb of Ramses VI is fantastic. Every inch of the walls and ceiling is covered in hieroglyphics or some colorful design. I can only imagine the treasures archaeologists would have found in this tomb had it not been pillaged.  

Descending into the Tomb of Ramses VI at Valley of the Kings.

The ceiling depicts astronomical symbols.

The burial chamber of King Ramses VI.

We spend about 2-1/2 hours at the Valley of the Kings. I am disappointed to leave, but there is more to see before we head back to the Royal Lotus to begin our cruise down the Nile. 

At the Thutmoses Factory for Alabaster, we are given a demonstration of how the workers chisel and carve the alabaster. The pieces they create are beautiful and I splurge and buy a statue of Horus. 

Horus is one of the oldest and most significant Egyptian deities. He has served many functions and has taken many forms through time, but most often he’s depicted as a falcon or as a man with a falcon head. He is said to be the god of the sky and contains both the sun and the moon. Egyptians believed the sun was his right eye and the moon his left. His left eye is not as bright as his right because it was gouged out during a brutal battle with his uncle Set.

My Horus statue is about 8-inches tall. The ear is broken
because the customs agent at Heathrow Airport dropped it!!

Workers give us a demonstration of how they work the alabaster.

The Temple of Hatshepsut on the west bank of the Nile in the valley basin of Deir al-Bahri, was designed by Queen Hatshepsut's architect Senenmut in the 18th-Dynasty. The temple was damaged by Ramses II and his successors. Christians later turned it into a monastery. Deir al-Bahri in Arabic means "Monastery of the North."

Selfie at Hatshepsut Temple

There are many active archaeology sites at Deir al-Bahri.

Many of the sites have these men who hangout. I'm not sure if they
are there to keep an eye on visitors, but for a tip they will let you go into
areas that are normally roped off. This man also fixed my scarf for me.
And held me rather tightly for a photo. 

And a cruise down the Nile.

That afternoon we began our cruise down the Nile aboard the Movenpick Royal Lotus. We will dock sometime during the night in Edfu where we will visit the Temple of Horus.

Kids play in the cool water of the Nile.

View from my window aboard the Royal Lotus.

 

I was disappointed to see so much trash along the shoreline of the Nile.

    
To be continued....