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Africa » Egypt » Upper Egypt December 23rd 2023

The day began with a leisurely breakfast on the deck and the promise of more ugh history to please the masses. Jumped on our tug for a quick trip to Gebel el Silsila which was the site of the quarry used for much of the building material around the place. First stop was a small temple built for the workers which was built by the successor to Tut. Then we wandered through the quarry and visited the project manager’s house. Being a kin of ours, we were interested in his set up - lived there with his wife and daughter while the other workers lived across the Nile. We were fascinated (ok, some of us were, some of us passed the time by singing Taylor Swift songs) by the way they organised the workers - not ... read more
Edfu temple
Mother’s find the hieroglyphs challenge
In the spiritual home of engineers

Africa » Egypt » Upper Egypt » Kom Ombo December 20th 2023

Our morning started with a little less opportunity for atmosphere soaking and we were actually dropped off on time - they must have known that our plan for the next three days was to soak, on the deck of our dahabiya, along the Nile to Esna. We knew we were in for three relaxing days on the deck, watching the world go by, punctuated by a few excursions to shore for some ugh history. What we didn’t know is that our 10 berth boat was exclusively for us! Well isn’t this just the way to travel! Ugh poshness! Our journey started northwards, pulled by a tug and we relaxed on our (exclusive) deck, reading, lolling about on deck chairs and generally soaking up the (posh) atmosphere. We looked down our noses as many cruise ships passed ... read more
Lapping up the luxury
Kom Ombo temple - for Horus and Sobek
Dual temple

Africa » Egypt » Upper Egypt » Aswan December 19th 2023

Everyone knows about all the ancient stuff here, lots of temples and ruins and stuff…almost like the land that time forgot. Cleverly, the Egyptians have also managed to mix it up a bit and create the land that forgot time, or at least how to tell it, or stick by it, or pay any attention to it at all! Lucky we’re in beautiful Aswan, on the banks of the Nile so we have plenty of opportunity to soak up the ambience while we’re doing our waiting. Arrived at our Nubian Farm under the cover of darkness - an eerie experience for those of us who hadn’t completely succumbed to jet lag and passed out. Our boat wove through the tall granite protrusions of the river under the light of Aga Khan’s illuminated mausoleum high on the ... read more
A different view of Philae
Hooray for not capsizing
Beautiful Aswan…much time to soak

Africa » Egypt » Lower Egypt » Cairo December 17th 2023

People dream of the moment they set eyes on the wonders of the world in Cairo. Perhaps the view from our airbnb isn’t what has filled travellers with awe across the centuries but it’s filled our hearts with joy having a shower and somewhere to stretch out before we head to Aswan. ... read more

Africa » Egypt » Upper Egypt » Aswan November 16th 2023

An overnight train from Cairo to Aswan was memorable but not something I would want to do again. Aswan is the nearest city to the Abu Simbel site built by Ramses 2. It still takes several hours to drive there. It is amazing to look at some of the old photos of how the structures were relocated to avoid loss by flooding when the Aswan Dam was built. Similarly in Aswan the temple of Phillae was moved and rebuilt. Like a giant jigsaw puzzle where lives were marked with numbers then rebuilt. Huge effort indeed. Another highlight of the time in Aswan was a felucca boat ride. It was such a peaceful experience. Fabulous! One afternoon my sister and I took ourselves off to the Old Cataract hotel where we paid 500 EGP for entry which ... read more
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Africa » Egypt » Upper Egypt » Luxor November 16th 2023

Luxor: the spectacular Valley of the Kings and last day in Cairo trip to the Khan el Khalili bazaar We set off early to the Valley of the Kings to avoid crowds. We visited 6 tombs in all. Tutankhamen was a must see of course and yes we saw his mummy but the tomb is very simple.his famous burial mask is in the Egyptian museum and other treasures are all likely to end in the new Grand Egyptian Museum. The most extraordinary of the tombs was Seti 1. At an extra charge of $70AUD it was worth it. Outstanding colours and it is very big with several different sections. Other visits were to Hatshepsut (pronounced hats cheap suit), the Luxor temple at night which was great and Karnak. Karnak and Luxor temple are connected by a ... read more
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Africa » Egypt » Upper Egypt » Kom Ombo November 16th 2023

We had fun sailing from Aswan to Luxor over 3 nights. One very special highlight was the night visit to Kom Ombo. The atmosphere was breathtaking.The temple is dedicated to both Horus the falcon on one side and Sobek the fertility crocodile on the other. It was fantastic! The cruise boat is quite relaxing being equipped with nice rooms, we scored a suite! And a swimming pool on the top deck. Fun! There were added attractions of passing through a lock and watching the merchants row up to the boat and throw their wares to customers on the top deck. What a hoot it was!... read more
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Africa » Egypt » Lower Egypt » Giza October 30th 2023

Another bucket list day today. Up early and off to the pyramids to beat the crowds. First thing was to go into the Great Pyramid of Cheops circa 2700 BC. Phenomenal! It was an achievement to go all the way into the burial chamber. Initially I had a bit of a panic and turned back but then recovered and went all the way. It’s quite steep, quite low in parts, hot and the ramp inside is narrow. We spent a few hours walking around the site and going to the Sphinx. Later we stopped for lunch: Koshary then on the the Egyptian Museum where Tutankhamen's burial mask and sarcophagus are. There are also many thousands of other pieces and although the museum is old in style it is still makes for an amazing visit.... read more
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Africa » Egypt » Lower Egypt » Cairo October 29th 2023

Arrived late afternoon and met by hotel driver. This worked well as he gave us an insight into some of the areas which I had been researching. Drove past Kahn el Khalili and through the downtown area. Everyone emphasises welcome and safety At night we headed out to downtown area to get something to eat. Ended up at Abu Tarek, a restaurant that serves Khoshary. It was great fun and there was a certain theatre about the serving! Abou Tarek restaurant: 2 bowls with amusing waiter who put it all together with some theatrics, 2 sprite and rice pudding=$10 Koshary: chickpeas, fried onions, spaghetti, tiny pasta and garlicky tomato sauce. Add squeeze of lemon, vinegar salt pepper and cumin. After dinner we walked home. Streets are busy and people are friendly. One of the streets was ... read more
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Africa » Egypt September 26th 2023

I can still picture that National Geographic magazine on my grandparent’s dusty coffee table, right next to the Swarovski bowl, full of stale sweets. It was February 1982 and I was 13 years old. Despite the controversy about the Giza pyramids touching each other in the cover photo. It didn’t matter. It ignited a spark within me to travel to this exotic place to marvel at this feat of mankind. But you know how the story goes. Life happens. No matter how I tried. No matter what I planned. I never got there. Then finally one day, I had a text from my best friend, who is also my cousin. I’ll call her Shell. She had just retired, and after years of child-rearing and career climbing, wanted to travel. With me. Her top pick: Egypt. We ... read more
Salam Alaykum Giza
Camel Toe
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