Blogs from Lower Egypt, Egypt, Africa - page 4

Transiting the Suez Canal 3rd April We sailed the Suez Canal back in 2014 and didn’t realise the changes that were coming. Since 2014 a new section has been built which I’ll come onto later. Not a history lesson but a bit of background to the Canal. It was constructed by the Suez Canal Company between 1859 and 1869, officially opened in November 1869 and is a sea level waterway that connects the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea unlike the Panama Canal that has locks because of the difference in sea levels between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It’s length is just over 120 miles and takes approximately 10/12 hours to go through. The original canal was a single-lane waterway with passing locations in the Ballah Bypass and the Great Bitter Lakes. As I said ... read more

Addio pace e quiete: sono arrivato al Cairo, che con i suoi piu' di 10 milioni di abitanti si appresta a diventare una delle piu' grandi megalopoli del pianeta. E come non accorgersene? Viali ad otto corsie attraversano il centro e mostruose sopraelevate oscurano il cielo; fiumi di automobili intasano le strade e muri di gente ostruiscono i marciapiedi; rumore di clacson e fumi di gas di scarico appestano l'ambiente, cumuli di rifiuti per la strada e palazzi decrepiti prossimi al crollo: una dannata citta' infernale? Niente affatto, il Cairo non e' poi cosi' male! La gente e' in gamba, simpatica ed affabile, alcuni quartieri sono ovviamente peggiori di altri ma in ognuno di essi e' possibile trovare qualche vicolo tranquillo dove la gente ama sedersi all'aperto gustandosi un caffe' fumando rilassatamente una pipa ad acqua. ... read more

Today, was dedicated to exploring the wonderful city of Cairo. Our first stop, the Egyptian Museum! The Egyptian Museum The Egyptian Museum houses the worlds largest collection of ancient Egyptian Artifacts. During our trip to Cairo, the Egyptian government had just finished building a beautiful, new, more advanced, and larger Egyptian museum closer to the Giza plateau. The museum officials were in the process of moving the artifacts from the current Egyptian museum to its new location. So not all of the artifacts were on display at the old museum. The old museum looked like it needed a makeover as it was in a state of organized chaos. It was small and overcrowded with no air conditioning. However, it did have the ambiance of an old storage warehouse. Going through the museum would not be as ... read more

We finally arrived! After a long flight Renata and I finally reached Cairo. At the airport, we were greeted by a representative for Travel Talk Tours who kindly helped us with obtaining our Visa and Luggage (which took forever). We were then on our way to our hotel, the Oasis Hotel Pyramids, which I highly recommend. Today was a day to relax as we slept and swam in the luxurious hotel pool. Later that evening we met up with our tour mates and Egyptologist guide, Sam. Sam went over the itinerary and optional excursions of the Egyptian part of our tour. Afterwards a group of us decided to go on the optional group dinner and cruise. In hindsight, the cruise was unremarkable and the food tasted bland. However, it was great getting to know the other ... read more

Today I pigged out on pyramids. Over 300 Pyramids were built during the 3,000 year reign of the Pharaohs. Pyramids were always exclusively for burial of the Pharaoh, his wife and children. They were designed with the journey crossing through the underworld and the after life in mind. The Pharaoh was a god in human form and was therefore associated with that God, it's beliefs and practices. The art on the walls of his Pyramid of would portray him in both human and godly form, telling the story of who he was (all good) and the things he did during his life. The ART on the walls, ceilings and corridors of his Pyramid and temple would portray him in both human and godly form, the HIEROGLYPHS would write his name and tell the story of his ... read more