Blogs from Africa - page 8

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

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

We now await our plane home at Tana's modern airport. It has been a whirlwind tour and finished with trips to famous rain forest parks and on our last day a tour of Tana's reconstructed royal palace. We drove back from Manakara on the coast and before reaching the top of the escarpment stopped at Ranomafana National Park. Ranomafana means hot water and the town was originally created as a colonial thermal spa. The National Park is a popular destination for tourists, especially those just focused on the wildlife, because it is within striking distance of Tana. It has had a lot of support from NGOs and academics and there is an on site Research Station that also has programs for overseas students. It is a rainforest and lived up to its name. There is a ... read more

As we drove up N7 towards Ranohina large escarpments of sandstone started to appear either side of us. This was Isola National Park. Our official NP guide, Jose, was a member of the local Bara tribe. He spoke excellent English in measured tones and had exceptional knowledge of the local wildlife and traditions. The Isola is a long range of sandstone escarpments created by tectonic forces as Madagascar separated from mainland Africa. There are steep cliffs and gorges with wonderful natural swimming pools below crystal waterfalls. When you climbed up the escarpments there were spectacular vistas. The local Bara people bury their ancestors high up on the cliffs so they are close to the sky. Ancestors are very very important to all Malagasy and many of the local traditions revolve around them. After three days mourning ... read more

Well in fact we had one more day at the beach. The key difference was that we got to Ifaty, from where there is a 'good' road to Tuliara, the main city in the South. Our 4x4 adventure had come to an end. The tarmac road made Ifaty a tourist town with numerous hotels. Ironically the beach was not nearly as nice as those further North from where we had come. At some point they will presumably create a tarmac road north to Morombe. This will transform the area and turn it into a holiday strip. Hotels will be built by outside investors. I can see that the coastal Vezo people and their pirogues would not survive. In fact I can't see the locals gaining any benefit from a 'good' road. We had stopped north of ... read more

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