Blogs from Lower Egypt, Egypt, Africa - page 19

Geo: 30.0982, 31.2461Flight leaves on time and despite our concerns at flying with Air Egypt everything is fine and we arrive in Cairo on schedule after decent food and a good sleep. About 2 hours on the ground here at an almost deserted airport and we catch our next flight to London Heathrow which once again was fine and on time.Unusually the immigration hall at Heathrow was empty and we were through in no time. Our bags arrived early as well and we were soon at the coach station where we had a 90 minute wait.Bus back to Gloucester and walk down the alley and home by 18:30. Tired !!!!... read more

Hey all!! Slept fine last night despite calls from the nearest minaret at half four and half seven!! We all got up early to meet with our driver and guide for Cairo, Mina. He was out of Cairo on holiday in Singapore when the protests in Egypt broke out and couldn't get back for a month!! However he was able to tell us a great deal. We first went to Cairo tower for panoramic views across the city, it was a bit smoggy but the Nile looked nice and the old fashioned houseboats which were moored alongside. We went to the zoo and ended up feeling up like the animals themselves as we attracted more attention from the locals- a big group of seven white people!! However everyone was very friendly and even in passing were ... read more

Day 5 – Felucca Riding the Felucca from Aswan to Luxor was one of the things on our itinerary that stood out on our itinerary from the first time I looked at the trips website and the day still exceeded expectations. While the majority of our group ate breakfast at the hotel Amy, Adrian, Tash, Stacey and I set out to find snacks for the felucca and McDonald’s for breakfast. Not only did we find both but I also learned the McDonald’s on the Nile sells ham and breakfast sausages both made of pork, This was the very first time I have seen pork in Egypt anywhere as the country is 80% Muslim. Another significant effect of the countries strong Muslim background is the fact 5 times a day the call to prayer can be heard ... read more

Our tour group was supposed to meet up at 4sam on saturday but do to the fact that almost our entire group was in town we meet up at 9am instead. I admit I was a little bit nervous to meet our tour group, I have never been on a trip like this and had no idea what to expect. Now that I am two days in I can safely say I am presently surprised. Our guide leader for the first 8 days is Hoda she is an Egyptoligist and has strudied Egpytion history at university for 6 years. She has so far been an incredible fountain of knowledge, guidance and patience. I can not imagine learning or experienceing all the amazing things we have over the last 48 hours without Hoda. As for the rest ... read more

The Egyptian revolution of 2011 captivated the world, and proved to be a triumph for the people of this great nation. An overwhelming desire for freedom and liberty has culminated in extraordinary scenes in and around Tahrir square during the last month, as the former regime was driven from office by the will of the people. There are many wonderful experiences to be had in this world we share, but it's truly an honour to visit post revolutionary Egypt only weeks after unprecedented waves of humanity in Cairo and Alexandria made an emphatic statement of intent about their future. I greet you again, the lovely reader, as the Egyptian people make the necessary transition to free and fair elections, and look forward to a bright future as a democratic republic. At the same time I'm thrilled ... read more