From Heights to Depths

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From the Heights to the Depths in Luxor, Egypt
A four-hour flight and the smiling faces and skill of our familiar flight crew (today our pilot “takes us all into the cockpit by talking us through takeoff and landing) deliver us to the ancient land of Pharaohs, Doug’s dream come true! A quick bus ride along the Nile and a western-style dinner (to the delight of some) at our hotel, The Sonesta St. George introduces us to this most fascinating venue. We awaken to the most arduous day of our travels … beginning with a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings and surrounding banks of the Nile; to an elegant luncheon for four in a small sail boat on the water; to exploration of the tombs of the Valley of Kings and Queens (think Ramses,Tut, and incredible stories of palace uprising and intrigue). Our room in this shabby chique hotel is suite sized with two balconies encourages us to forego tonight’s dinner to enjoy our good fortune in this fabulous location! Our experiences here will endure a lifetime! Visits to the Temples of Carnack and Luxor are awe inspiring demonstrations of early architectural feats of accomplishment - particularly obelisks and columns inscribed with ancient hieroglyphics.

We’ve crossed the equator twice now amidst toasts and figurative “bumps” in the flight!

On our last morning in Egypt we journey by air to Cairo for a morning tour of Giza and the Great Pyramids. Whether atop a camel (our second ride), from the bus, or on foot … the eight pyramids of Cairo (140 total in Egypt) do not disappoint! Though plagued by persistent hawkers (similar to Agra), gazing at these 6,000 year old human structures is truly an opportunity of a lifetime! Though the Sphinx is absent a nose (shot off by invaders lead by Napoleon), this head of a man and body of a lion sent chills up my spine. We’ve arrived and now tread on the same pathways as others for thousands of years. A quick bus ride and we return to the Cairo airport and our private jet whisks us away to Prague. During this time our flight crew recognizes that we will be departing with an announcement from the cockpit that we were passing over the lights of Sofia, Bulgaria.

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