Last parts of Egypt

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After all of the amazing experiances and sites thus far, I was still able to get a bit more of Egypt before I left. I was able to see one more temple at the end of the cruise. This was a smaller temple, but still a site to see. It was just a quick walk from the dock for the ship. At this temple, I was able to see the sight from the perspective of a sunset. Overall, I got a slight sense of the history in this area. Egypt is a place that was able to thrive without fear of outside invaders for a very long time. This is a reason why it's military, though sometimes large, was not fully advanced. Looking at the documents, you don't see a high level of armor and or weapons. For the most part, Egypt only had to protect the ports. Any other conqueror, for a very long time, had to cross the African desert, then be able to fight. With the protection of the desert, Egypt was able to grow and develop and become a pretty sophisticated society. Anyway, seeing only a handful of the temples, and taking into account these are thousands of years old, the idea of ancient Egypt is at least beginning to come across to me.

As for other last bits of adventure, the next day I was able to go through a park right in the middle of the Nile. This garden paradise was an impressive display of local plant life. Walking through the park literaly made me feel like I was no where near a desert. Being in the middle of the trees, plant life and hearing the constant bird songs, this place really showed the life in the Nile. The birds were all different types and sizes, and the types of trees and plants set an atmosphere of being in a green house. I think one of the best jobs in this area would be the landscaping in this place. The tropical beauty in the Nile has its own appeal.

I was able to take in a local souq later on this night. Of course, evryone wanted to sell me things since I was an American. Pretty much, the rule is whatever they offer, you reply with you might purchase with half of that amount, then you should meet some where in the middle. I picked up some shirts, souviners and saw many other goods. For the most part, you can see where locals came to shop for clothes and groceries, kind of like an outdoor market. There of course was a tourist spot, loaded with shiny plastic things. Another good rule is that the deeper you go in, the better the prices become. Also, offerring a price, then walking away helps to seal the deal. Be prepared to say no to get what you want.

When it was all said and done, the travel agent was very helpful getting us back on the plane and ready to get home. They provided one last light show at the pyramids, which was quite neat. Basically, a laser show with audio stories about the history of the pyramids and sphinx. Would be the thing to do for field trips! The next morning, I got to enjoy a little more of Cairo traffic, then back on the plane straight for Dubai. In many ways Dubai is much more Westernized then Cairo, so it felt a bit like getting back home. Egypt was definatly a great experiance. Getting a taste of thousands of years of history and culture that is very different from the US is something that can't really be put into words, but it is fun to try.

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Photos

Saying goodbye to the Nile
Up and down the Nile, you see that life still strongly exists.

Entrance at the park
This sign, if you look closely, explains that you can not shoot the wildlife, so now we all know!

Along the walkway in the middle
All throughout the park, the birds were loud and everywhere.

Light show
My last view of the pyramids, great show!