Egypt 2008

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April 19th 2008

Published: April 24th 2008

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Jacster

Man on Donkey

Life for one man

This was my third trip to Egypt and I still love it. It is one of those places that you can return to over and over again and still see and experiences new things. It is full magical and full of ancients knowledge, each temple tells a different story, dedicated to a different Egyptian God or Goddess. We travelled in a small group of 16 and started in Cairo for a few days. Next a flight to Aswan where we boarded our own boat for a 8-day journey up the Nile. Having a smaller boat was a real blessing as we could visit and cruise when we liked, no schedules to keep like the Cruise ships and no timetable to limit our freedom. Spending such a journey on the boat allowed us to really sink into the rhythm of the Nile, to watch life pass by and witness the sun at the end of each day lower itself behind the horizon. We visited Philae early in the morning, Elephantine Island, Dendara, Edfu, Karnak, Luxor, Esna and other temples along the way. The Edfu visit was done at night and with no-one else present it welcomed us in a peaceful and gentle

Wall shot

Nice bit of lighting on Temple Wall

way. These temples have a life of their own and open their secrets to those that are ready or are in the right place at the right time. We ended this part of the trip in Egypt with a special access to the Pyramids, there is nothing like it!

With a few days, to spare before our flights, we went to St Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai Desert. The Monastery itself was very busy and very small. For me it didn't feel particularly sacred, a little like a shopping mall, people chatting and being busy. To feel places like this I believe being in silence allows you access to the energies, otherwise it's just another tourist destination.

Climbing and riding camels up to the mountain where Moses went was beautiful. The camels knew the way and even though they were not led physically and seemed to enjoy being as close to the edge of the pathway, I felt very much at home in the mountains. Watching the sunset was lovely and the colours at the end of the day were fab!

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