Orchid, thanks, lots more inside...
I didn't post a review but it was an absolutely amazing trip. We flew to Istanbul and spent a week, then we flew to Cairo for a 21-day Grand Tour of Egypt that pretty much covered it from top to bottom. We used Insight tours and had only a few quibbles with them (the forced shopping "sightseeing" irritated the hell out of me, but I guess all organized tours do that). This was the first and only organized tour we'd ever gone on so I was apprehensive, but there was no way I was going to go into Egypt and wing it on my own like I do every place else I've been.
So we spent a relaxing evening at our resort hotel in Heliopolis swimming and then having our first Egyptian dinner that night.
The next morning we started off bright and early to head for the Sinai Peninsula and Mt. Moses. The crossing into the Sinai actually goes under the Suez Canal. Sinai was beautiful with the desert, the mountains, the Bedouin sheep herders, and the colorful head scarves of the Bedouins riding their camels.
After this visit, we drove back to Africa from Asia and spent some time at a resort on the Red Sea and also toured the Suez Canal.
Off again through Cairo, passing the pyramids for our first glimpse, up through the dessert to El-Alamein and the WWII Allied War Cemetery (fascinating--so different than the European versions, 3/4 of our group were Australians and this was actually the reason many of them had taken this particular tour--very few go here--because they had relatives in the cemetery. It made for a very sobering visit.), then off to Alexandria. We visited the Qatby fort built on the site of, and out of the stones of, the Ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria. We toured the roman ruins of the Ptolemaic period: coliseum, catacombs, etc. The Egyptian Antiquities Museum, the new Library of Alexandria, and got to luxuriate in a deluxe Mediterranean beach resort on the grounds of one of the Khedives Palaces where we had fabulous dinners each night.
Next we were off to Cairo by way of the out of the way Coptic monastery which was supposed to have sheltered Mary and Joseph after the flight to Egypt. Back in Cairo, we were on Zamalak Island staying in another palace of the Khedive of Egypt. We used this as our base to see Cairo and we did the usual: Giza, Pyramids, Sphinx, and Light Show, Alabaster Mosque, Citadel, ancient city walls, Egyptian Museum and Tahir Square.
After Cairo, we flew to Aswan and toured the dam, toured the Nile in felucas and sailed to Philae Island to see the Temple of Isis (Amazing), visited a Nubian village where they invited us into their homes and let us play with their pet baby crocodiles (and of course buy things), Botanical Gardens, unfinishe oblisk.
Next was one of the highlights of the entire trip, we flew to the Egyptian-Sudan boarder to see the amazing gigantic cliff sculptures of Ramses II at Abu Simbel and the nearby Nefertari version. Just stunning in its majesty. words cannot begin to describe this awesome monument.
We flew back to Aswan and boarded our cruise ship and set sail for Luxor down the Nile. Stopping to see the temple at Kom Ombu before reaching Luxor.
It was fascinating watching Egypt go by from the deck of our cruise ship. The Sahara came nearly to the banks of the Nile in places. Egypt lives in that little strip of green along the banks of the Nile, the lush groves of date palms, the farmers out in the fields, lines of camels on the horizon walking single file, thick papyrus stands, the naked Egyptian men bathing in the Nile, and the women washing the clothes. It was a timeless scene that has changed little over the centuries.
The Temple of Karnak was also not to be believed. We got there in late afternoon and seeing it in the golden light of sundown followed by all the lights coming on to illuminate the entire complex in a brilliant golden glow made the sky above a deep lapis blue that made for some amazing photographs. We hung out in Luxor for a few days, staying aboard our cruise ship, and saw other sites: Valley of the Kings (we went into 3 of the tombs), the Colossi of Memmon, Temple of Hatshepsut, etc. We sailed a little further north of Luxor to visit the Temple of Hathor in Dendara which is nearly intact down to the original painting on the walls and ceilings which features the only known surviving image of Cleopatra and her son Caesarian. then we sailed south again visiting Temple of Horus at Edfu. (I may have the order of this all wrong, I'm just typing from memory). We sailed back to Aswan and then flew to Cairo for our last few days.
The touring basically ended and they wanted us to stay in the resort and enjoy ourselves after the tour (which could be gruelling at times: It was 108F on our pyramids day (and at least 10 degrees warmer inside the Great Pyramid of Cheops), we went far south of Giza and saw the various other pyramids: step, bent, etc., I drank 3 liters of water that day and never once went to the bathroom since it was all evporating out in the dry heat. I felt so sorry for the poor camels we rode on). But I was ready to see more of Cairo, so we hired a driver and set off for the old Islamic quarter. I wanted to amble through the Khan el-Khalili souk which was a total sensory overload. We did some shopping/bartering (my basic elementary Arabic always stunned them and threw them off their game), we ate real authentic Egyptian food, not the tourist versions we had been eating, at a busy restaurant right at the entrance to the Souk on the big square (can't remember the name. There is a big plaza, lots of palms, a couple mosques, LOL, I know, that's every square in Cairo). We had the national dish of Egypt in its Authentic version for the first time: Kushari, and it was intoxicating. We absolutely snarffed it down like it was our last meal. We spent hours wandering through the labyrinth of the souk, marvelling at the ancient architecture, the islamic arabesques ornately carved into the stones, the passageways, it was all like a dream. From here we headed south and really got into old Cairo until we reached the last remaining old city gate in the southern walls, the massive Bab al-Zuweila.
This day was also one of the highlights of the trip. Not another tourist in site and we were looking at real Cairo, eating real Egyptian food, and I knew enough Arabic to deflect the vendors. Ha!
The Egyptians I encountered were so stunned that an American would know any Arabic. And admittedly after 1 semester, it was very little, but just the little effort of basic courtesies in their language, brought smiles, opened doors, lowered prices, and showered little gifts and favors on me. I think we made a beeline for every bazaar and souk we saw at each stop and I became quite the pro at haggling and bargaining (as a result, we have a beautiful collection of Egyptian scarves now that we treasure, and everyone comments, on when we wear them as neck scarves in cold weather, as well as very comfy Galibaya robes to lounge around the house in). It was an amazing experience that I am so happy to have had a chance to live. I will never forget it.
