Kennedy's European Experience: Egypt trip

27 Dec 09 - 3 Jan 10 We travelled to Egypt for a Nile cruise and to see the sights. Great trip - very educational and thought provoking on many levels.

Day 1 and 8 were travel from Frankfurt to Cairo. Egypt Air is an experience. Security is extremely tight - they open about 75% of the carry on bags AFTER screening.

Day 2 - Luxor - Visited the Valley of the Kings (no photos allowed) where all the Pharaohs were buried and King Tut's Tomb was found. Jamie was the only one in the group to pay the extra money to go into Tut's tomb - $7. They stopped buying people in Pyramids after the first 20 or so because of the cost and time. Digging into sandstone was alot easier. There are 62 tombs here. Some are short and some are quite deep. They started when the Pharaoh came to power and buried him 70 days after death - tomb finished or not. There is great artwork on the inside, hieroglyphics, etc. Amazing to be able to visit them.

Then we visited the Temple of Queen Hechetsut. Jamie did a project on her for school 2 months ago. She was the first Female Pharaoh of Egypt. As a woman, she could not be Pharaoh. She shared power with her very young step brother Tuthmosis III. She had the priest develop a story that she was the daughter of the Sun god Amen who came to earth and spept with her Mother - BAM - she is a god herself and OK to be Pharaoh. Jamie enjoyed it very much. It is a HUGE temple with detailed drawing on both sides of her contributions while Pharaoh. She was the first to open trade with other countries. When she died and her step brother became Pharaoh, he had her face and name chipped out of the temples and everywhere else.

Next, we visited a few smaller statues and monuments on the way to Luxor temple. This is the most famous. It was built by the Ramses II and added to by all that followed him. It was linked to Karnak Temple by a 1.5 mile (2km) road lined with small sphinx's. It was very nice and interesting. there were actually 3 religions practiced here. Ancient Eqyptian, Christian and Islam. Christianity came to Egypt in the 1st Century AD with St Mark. They used part of this temple, after they chipped all the faces off the statues and carvings of the false gods, they painted over the carvings and made their own chapel; finally Islam came in the 7th Century and they built a mosque that is still in use in the middle of the temple. Really interesting history.

Next we visited a papryus store where they showed us how it is made. Papryus is made from a plant that is flatted, soaked in water then pressed and dried to make paper. This is what the ancients wrote their text on for centuries.

We visited a Gold/Silver/Gem store and bought some items and gifts :))) We returned to dinner and an evening on the boat.

Day 3 - Toured Karnak Temple. Largest temple in Egypt. Really interesting to see all the additions by each Pharaoh. Return to the boat for lunch and began the cruise down the Nile to Edfu. Passed thru a lock at one of the dams. When we did, vendors in boats pulled up to the boat like pirates and started yelling and throwing goods on the boat like blankets, coats, etc trying to sell them. There were about 8 of them in little boats - photos below. really interesting. Stopped in Edfu for the night. Jamie got the Curse of the Pharaoh's and was up most of the night sick - poor thing!!!

Day 4 - Jamie still sick and sleeping so Kim stayed with her. I went off to Edfu temple - rebuilt by the Ptolomeic rulers (Greek). Interesting and very detailed. Alot was defaced by early christians. Returned to the boat and set sail for Obo Kimbo and visited another temple on a hill at sunset. Very pretty. Back on the boat we had dinner. Dinner was an Egyptian meal and Jamie and Kim weredressed in their new clothes. They looked great. Jamie was a real trooper and made it through dinner and then some of the entertainment. There were some games in the lounger (one of which I won!!). Off we went to bed, while the boat sailed for Aswan arriving about 11pm with the hills lit up at the Tombs of the Nobles - very pretty.

Day 5 - Took a motor boat ride about 30 minutes down the nile for camel rides and visit to a Nubian village. Pretty scenery around Kitchner Island and Elephant Island. Rode camels to the village about 15 minutes. During the ride, Kim's camel boy decided he was going to race his friends and started going a little to fast! Kim sat back in her saddle and WHAM!!!!!!!! Off the back and down to the sand!! Fortunately, she was fine - stunned but fine! The security guy was there VERY quickly and they got her up. She got back on another camel and finished the ride. Thankfully, we had a military doc with us who checked her out. We toured the Nubian Village. Nubia is a forner country between Egypt and Sudan. They have their own spoken language - it is not written. The had to be relocated due to the construction of the High Dam in the 60s. The visit was OK. We bought a doll for Jamie and a few spices. Back on the motor boat, we passed the Old CataractHotel. What is it famous for? Well, guess.........nope. It is where Agathie Christie wrote "Death of the Nile". It is under renovation. Then back to our boat for lunch. Then off to visit Aswan Dam built by the British in 1902, the High Dam built by Egypt and the USSR in the 60s - referred to in our history books as the Suez Canal Crisis for those that remember. President Nasser too govt control of the Suez Canal. The US and Britain were not happy and withdrew support to build the High Dam for egypt - so Nasser did what any good leader did back then when shunned by the West. He went to the USSR who GLADLY came in and built the dam. It was feared that Egypt would be a Soviet satellite but that did not happen. Nasser died and President Sadat was elected in the 70s and that turned out pretty good. The High Dam is very pretty and well done. It provides 80% of the power in Egypt and controls flooding of the nile that allows cultivation and harvest year round. We visited a quarry to see how they ancients carved obelisks and items from the red granite. Then we visited Philae temple. That was interesting boat ride. No organization and a little dangerous!! The Temple was moved by Belgium durign the 1960s to prevent it from being covered by water from the damn. Then we returned to the boat. I went out shopping at the local bazaar in town and bought some spices and a few gifts. Jamie and Kim CRASHED on the boat. Dinner was good. I started to get a little sick. I took a nap and woke at 1130 to get Jamie and go to the party in the bar. They ahd some entertainment and we stayed for the countdown. It was anticlimatic. There were no fireworks, no nothing. Jsut cars and boats blowing horns but they do that all day so could not tell a difference. Then off to bed!! Being worried about Kim and her back and beign sick myself a little, I did not sleep but about 1 hour that night. It was going to be a bad next day!!

Day 6 - Happy New Year!! wake-up 5:30 and Flew to Cairo from Aswan. Kim feeling some better but very stiff. Upon arrival in Cairo, we drove to lunch at a buffet place. Luckily for Kim, our lunch room was on the 3rd floor!! She did not eat much but the food was good. Chocolate fudge cake with chocolate sauce was sooooooo gooooooooooood!!!! Then we toured St Mark's Coptic Church that was started by yep, you got it, THE St Mark of Gospel fame. It is built on the ruins of a greek fort so when you look down thru the windows in the floor, it looks like it is hanging in the air.....trust me. Then thru the tunnels and catacombs where Joseph, Mary and Jesus are believed to lived while hiding in Egypt on the way to a Jewish Synagogoe. There are no issues with religions in Egypt. There are 10 synagogoes in use in Cairo. It is a small place but still active. The to the Muhammad Ali Mosque where we got a lesson in Islam and prayer. It was very good. Jamie had to wear a scarf and robe. Kim sat out the mosque tour to rest her back. Then to the Cairo Museum. Kim sat this out as well. We toured for 2 hours - Abdul took us and showed us the key artifacts and why they were important and explained different things. The only way to see the museum is to have a guide. The building is not in good condition. There was asection on mummified animals that was great!! snake, shrew, cats, horse and best of all - two alligators!! Part of the King Tut collection is there as well. The large items and the jewelry and death mask!! fascinating. We saw the other part of the exhibit in Philadelphia a few years ago. Then we visited the large and I mean LARGE bazaar to do some final shopping. It was MAD. TONS of people. Then back to the hotel for dinner which Kim skipped. I only had a bowl of soup. Jamie enjoyed!! Kim and I both had a good sleep.

Day 7 - Visited the Great Pyramids of Giza at 8am. Great view with the sunrise!! It took 30-32 years to build the first one for Pharaos Cheops. It is believed that they only worked in the flood season for about 4 months of the year. The other two pyramids are smaller due to finances. Jamie and I crawled into the Second Pyramid to the burial chamber. It was a little crowded in the 4ft x 4ft space with 200 of your closest Italian friends going in and out of the Pyramid in that space. I had a little difficulty but Jamie had it easy!! The entrance was a 45 degree angle down about 90 feet, then flat to stand-up about 30 feet then up at a 45 degree angle in the small space another 90 feet to the burial chamber. Really interesting. Nothing in there but people and humidity. Then we visited the Sphinx and took photos. Really interesting and big - One piece of sandstone. It is believe to date BEFORE the Great Pyramid. Lunch was at a very good resturant in the open air covered by a tent. Best meal of the trip. Hummus, babaganush, kabob, spiced chicken, fire cooked bread, beer, french fries - YUMMY!!! Then we drove to the Step Pyramid near Sakarra. It was one of the first pyramids. It resembles 7 boxes on each other. The concept was the Pharaoh would climb the "steps" to heaven....Not sure how that worked. THEN they perfected it for the Great Pyramids. Then we travelled to the traditional center of ancient Egypt - Memphis to see some of the famous statues of Pharaohs there. We visited a carpet school where kids age 11 and up learn the trade. Looked more like child labor but it is a school soooooooooooo.... the Rugs are wool or silk and beautiful. We did not buy one. We visited a Egyptian Cotton store and bought a few small gifts and things. Egyptian cotton is some of the best in the world. There were some very pretty things!! Dinner was at the hotel. We packed and got everything for early wakeup and travel back home.

A few thoughts.

Food - the meals were good. Breakfasts were unremarkable. Lunches and dinners were good and desserts - yummy!!!!! Breads were very good and a large variety.

Cairo - LARGE city and plenty overcrowded and plenty dirty. It only rains .2L yearly so everything is covered in dust which is OK. However, there is TRASH everywhere and no attempt to clean it. Poverty, to us, is everywhere. It breaks your heart to know that kids grow up in those conditions. Over 100,000 people live in the crypts in the cemetary.

Pyramids Light and Sound show - Very nice

Jamie and our Tour Guide Abdul. Very good and really clicked with the group.

Jamie and Kim with the Sphinx

These pyramids are BIG.

Jamie in the Muhammad Ali Mosque in Cairo. It is the oldest mosque in Egypt.

Part of the tunnels and catacombs in Egypt where it is believed that is one of the places Joseph, Mary and Jesus hid while in Egypt.

St Marks Coptic Orthodox Church in Cario. Oldest known Coptic Church in Egypt.

New Year's Eve dessert table

Philea temple. Built by the Greeks and moved in the 1960s by Belgium to current location - piece by piece. The old location was going to be covered by water due to the construction of the Aswan Dam.

One of the dessert tables on the boat

Riding camels along the Nile - Kim is in the blue shirt all the way on the left

One of the bread tables on the ship

Another dessert table on the ship

Kim and Jamie on 30 Dec - dressed for the Eqyptian Evening

One of the vendor markets (bazaar) - They really hassle you. Best is to ignore and don't acknowledge which is just not our way. It is hard to not say "No Thanks" These folks speak about 6 languages or enough to carry on conversation to sell items.

One of the few pretty places on the Nile.

The crew folded towels in the rooms. Before we could get back to the room, the crocodile ate Jamie's Kitty doll!!

Edfu temple - Built by the Greeks to pacify the Egyptian population. The Greeks did not try and convert the Egyptians to Greek gods but instead built or rebuilt temples to Egyptian gods.

"Scenic" Nile??? this is what you see ALOT of on the Nile.

These were vendors that came along side the boat as we were entering the locks. They threw their goods to the top deck of the boat and haggled for a price. If yuo did not want it, yuo dropped it back over the side. Really interesting to watch.