Jordan and Egypt Part 2

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After arriving in Cairo from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, we stayed at the Ramses Hilton in the heart of Cairo. It was a fabulous hotel with great views of the city, several restaurants, and a pool (which unfortunately closed at sunset so we never got to use it). Even though we arrived late the night before, we were on a tour bus by 7:30am the next day to go see the Great Pyramids of Giza. None of us minded the early wake up as it is not every day you get to see the final surviving Wonder of the World, dating back to 2500 BC. The largest pyramid at Giza was the tallest structure on the planet for over 3,800 years. There are three large pyramids at Giza built by three generations (Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure). There are another six Pyramids of the Queens. I was fortunate to get to see them all. We drove around the complex first and could see the pyramids at a distance, then arrived at the main gate battling heavy traffic. As a family, we took some photos at the Great Pyramid, then I had the opportunity to climb the first couple levels, enter into the Great Pyramid and climb up inside it to the burial chamber (along with about 500 other tourists in a confined space). While there was not much to see inside, it was an epic feeling to be inside the heart of the pyramid. I also had time to circumnavigate the pyramid, viewing the Eastern Cemetery, the Mastabas, boat pits, Funerary Temple of Khafre and the Western Cemetery, before we had to get back on the bus. The bus then drove us about a kilometer away from the pyramids to offer a ‘better view’ and camel rides. Ann and Riley went for the camel ride while I immediately started hiking back to the pyramids. I had about an hour to hike over, walk around the remaining two large pyramids, the Queens’ pyramids and the Menkaure Quarry. I would stop at each one and put my hands on the stones to try and imagine all the history that had unfolded at these monuments. While I was hounded by a camel herder for about half way back, I still made it in time to reboard the bus for our next stop. Next, we drove down in front of the Sphinx and had a measly half hour to look around. I made the most of it. After taking some family photos together at the front, I headed towards the Valley Temple of Khafre. I saw a tour guide give a man some money and take his group through, so I joined at the back and made it inside. Behind the temple, I could access the Causeway and see the Sphinx from a side view with the Great Pyramid behind.

Unfortunately, the tour to the Egyptian Museum and Khan el-Khalili market got cut from our itinerary (with several people paying extra to get them back). We decided to skip the rest of the tour (linen and papyrus shops) and head out on our own. We talked Trevor and Chrissie into joining us on a trip to Saqqara. Our tour guide, George, was not too pleased that we were leaving (hopefully because he wanted us to be safe, but we later found out he actively sabotaged other tourists trying to make trips outside of his optional tours). We booked an Uber and the five of us squeezed in. While it was only 20 km south of Giza, it took us an hour to get there, partially due to the horrible driving conditions and poor roads, and partially because the map app sent our driver to the wrong side of the complex. After we drove down some dirt roads near El Moez Mosque, he backtracked to the main entrance. We had all felt a little uneasy until we made it to Saqqara. It was everything we had hoped for! We were able to visit the main complex with almost no other tourists around. The Pyramid of Djoser (also know as the Step Pyramid) is the oldest surviving large pyramid (2630 BC). It was considered a precursor and practice for the larger pyramids. We got to tour the Colonnaded Entrance, the South Court, the Festival Complex, South and North Pavilion, the Mortuary Temple and the North Court. Some highlights included spotting a wild fox on the Step Pyramid, seeing fresh excavation at the Step Pyramid, and the vibrant paintings at the Necropolis. From different points of Saqqara, we could see the Pyramids of Giza, the Pyramid of Userkaf, the Pyramid of Unas, the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid (10 km south). We had paid the Uber driver to wait for us and bring us back to Cairo. All went smoothly and we arrived back with enough time to cross the street from our hotel and see the Egyptian Museum. I am sure that scholars could spend days or weeks here but it was a little overwhelming for us. We focused on seeing the largest and most famous pieces, including the Statue of Djoser, The Colossal Statues of Amenhotep III and Tiye, the Anubis Statue and the Mask of Tutankhamun. That evening, we had dinner at a really good Indian Restaurant in the hotel with Bob and Trish.

We had a 3:15am start to catch a flight to Luxor the next day. We only found out the flight information from the guide when we arrived at the airport. We chatted with Daniel and Isabelle before the flight. We reached Karnak Temple in Luxor by 8am on a bus that crossed the Avenue of the Sphinxes. The temple was bigger than we expected with lots of extra areas to visit beyond the tour. There were locals up on the scaffolding completing restoration works in the Great Hypostyle Hall. The tour ended at the Great Scarab by the Sacred Lake. Then we took off to see the pylons, Festival Temple of Amenhotep II, Temple of Khonshu, Temple of Ptah, the White Chapel, and Red Chapel. Next, we headed to the Temple of Luxor which was much smaller but had more impressive statues at the front. We got back on the bus afterwards to go 500m to the Chateau Lafayette Nile River cruise boat. We were pleasantly surprised by our large room (as other guests had to battle to get them). Unfortunately, all meals were buffets. We tried to use the pool but it was freezing cold. We sat out with Trevor, Chrissy, Matt, and Katie on the top deck to see the sunset.

The next morning, I went over to have a look at the Winter Place Hotel where Agatha Christie wrote her novel, Death on the Nile. For a tip, I was able to have a look around the hotel and in the gardens. I was fortunate to go in the morning, as they moved the boat later and would have lost the opportunity had I waited. We took a small boat to the east side of the river and met our bus to head to the Valley of the Kings. We saw the Collossi of Memnon on the way, the Ramesseum, the Tombs of the Nobles and then stopped at the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. There were several terraces leading up to the entrance with the mountain looming behind. We saw the Anubis Chapel, Hathor Chapel and Sanctuary of Amun. On the hillside, we could see the Elite Tombs of North Asasif, but it was forbidden to climb up to them. As we entered the valley nearby, it looked relatively unremarkable, hiding the secret tombs of the Valley of the Kings. We had to take a shuttle to the entrance and our ticket allowed us to see three tombs each. 61 of the 62 identified tombs had been looted, leaving behind only the wall paintings. Only Tutankhamen’s tomb was undisturbed and the relics had been moved to the museum. The tombs were well lit and it was easy to see the hieroglyphics and images. I managed to walk to the entrance of almost all the tombs. Our favourite was the Ramses V & VI tombs. Afterwards, it was time for a mandatory stop at the Alabaster Factory. This was in a poorer area. I escaped and went out to walk around the town, saw the local mosque, the edge of the irrigated valley, and gave some money to one of the little boys (away from the rests of the kids so as not to be swamped). When we got back to the boat, we started the cruise and were part of a convoy of over twenty boats heading towards the lock at Esna. We had almost the whole group sitting out on the deck with beer and wine. We also saw our friends from Jordan, Paul and Margaret, on a neighbouring cruise and we waved. We told our guide, George, to come up and give his presentation on the next day upstairs. When we were stopped, waiting for our turn through the lock, some locals pulled alongside in a small boat and threw souvenirs up to the deck asking for money. While the group had a lot of fun throwing them back, I don’t think they made any purchases. After Ann and Riley had gone to sleep, I joined Nick and Bob on deck to watch us pass through the locks.

When we woke up the next day, we were at Edfu. We took a horse and carriage through the busy streets to go se the Temple of Horus at Edfu. There were lots of falcon statues and the Outer Hypostyle Hall had huge columns, which led to the entryway into the Vestible/Naos and the surrounding chapels and chambers. We also wandered outside the temple and saw Roman remains with urns still buried in the side of the cliff. We took the horse and carriage back to the ship and were underway. We had lunch and sat out on the top deck in the warm sun but tried to avoid the cold pool. We could see Roman ruins on the east side of the Nile and the Gebel el Silsila tombs on the west side. We crossed under the Pont Fares Bridge and Riley convinced me to go swimming in the really cold pool for a while. We arrived at the Temple of Kom Ombro and disembarked. It was steps away from the shore. It is a dual temple to Sobek and Haroeris. The sun was setting so the lighting on the entrance and pillars was amazing. Riley got told off by a guard for walking on top of the walls. He also photobombed some of our friends’ photos (particularly Torrey and Augie). Last but not least for the day, was the mummified crocodile museum. Very creepy.

The next day was a 4am start to head out from Aswan to Abu Simbel with Bob, Trish, Cathy and Brian. The bus ride took four hours due to a wait for ‘the road to open’ and a rest stop. We had 1.5 hours to visit the two temples, which was plenty. The Great Temple of Ramses II was as impressive as expected. Three of the large statues remain intact. It was swamped by tourists, so we went to see the Temple of Hathor first, which contains six smaller statues of Nefertari and Ramses II. Afterwards, we headed into the main temple to see the interior decorations. It is so impressive that this whole structure was moved here from another location before the Aswan Dam flooded the area. Another three hour’s drive back to Aswan, with views of the Aswan Dam and the Isis temple complex of Philae located on Agilkia Island (also moved due to the flooding). I picked up some lunch for Riley and had a nice walk along the waterfront and then through the Sharia as Souq (Saad Zaghloul) and ended up at the Aswan Railway Station, close to the boat. After lunch, we took a bus to see the unfinished Obelisk and Stone Quarry, where we had a great view of Fatimid Cemetery. Then we took a tourist felucca for a sunset Nile cruise. We could see the Monastery of St. Simeon and many tombs on the west bank, and a large mosque to the north on the east bank. We spent time with Katie and Matt on the top deck before dinner and an early night.

Surprise! At 6:25am, we get a message from Bob saying we are leaving at 6:30am rather than the 7am we were told the night before. So we rushed to get ready, skip breakfast and bring our bags down. Of course, nothing happens until 6:50am and we are all annoyed. Some people were told the flight changed and others that the airport will be extra busy. This doesn’t stop us from taking the long way around to visit the High Dam. Not until we get through security do we find out we are getting the 9:10am Egypt Air flight. Then they make Riley sit without his parents (but he was fine because he knew his seatmates, Paul and Margaret). We stay at the Concorde El Salon Hotel in Cairo which has great restaurants and a heated pool but is a bit further from the downtown sights. We took an Uber to the Citadel to see the views of the city, the Mosque of Mohammed Ali and the National Military Museum. Then we continued to Al-Azhmer Mosque and Khan el-Khalili market. We were assaulted by sales people as soon as we arrived and Riley spent his budget at the first stall. I managed to hold out and bought souvenirs at one of the last stalls we saw, far away from the tourists. We had a lot of fun making our way through the narrow alleys, with kitsch shops, food stalls, machine shops, clothes and more local stores further out. It was amazing to be charged the local price at a little grocery store, one fifth of the tourist price. We saw the Mosque Al-Hakim at the north end of the market and went out the Bab al-Futuh gate and saw the ancient walls of the city. We crossed back into the market through the Bab El Nasr gate and went hunting for Fishawi’s Coffeehouse. After avoiding ‘the same place’ offered by a couple locals, we managed to find the original, and sat down for some mint tea in the atmospheric location. We walked by the Mosque of Sayyidna Al-Husayn just as the light came on to illuminate it. Then we caught an Uber back to the hotel. We had a final party on the hotel terrace with the whole gang before saying our goodbyes.

It was time to leave Cairo. We saw Augie and Torrey in the lobby at 5:30am when we caught the shuttle to the airport. We caught the first plane to Frankfurt, then to Toronto, where we had to go get our bags and recheck in for the flight to Vancouver. There were limited food choices in Frankfurt but fortunately we were able to pick up food in Toronto for the flight home. It was a whirlwind trip and we got to see so many wonderful places. The history and experience will stay with us forever.

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