On our last day, we had the chance to see Islamic Cairo. We started at the Ibn Tulun mosque, the oldest mosque in Cairo. It really shows how the mosque was at once a religious building, a fortress, and a school, even sometimes a hospital. It is not the largest or grandest mosque I have ever seen, but it has an old majesty and a fascinating history. Its minaret spirals around the outside with stairs, inspired by the lighthouse of Alexandria. There is a similar mosque in Samarra, but that was actually inspired by this mosque. Who knew? Our tour leader considered Ibn Tulun to be one of the most important leaders in Egypt. For example, Napoleon's troups occupied it and used it as a barracks. At a later time, it was so decrepit that it ... read more

Although not as well-known as Karnak, the Great Pyramid, or the Valley of the Kings - Edfu temple is well-known in Egypt for being the most intact temple. It was built during the reign of the Ptolemies over a century's time. It's great pylon is still standing at its full height. The temple is dedicated to the God Horus - the god of protection - who takes the form of a while falcon. His image is depicted at a grand size on this pylon (large wall in front of the temple proper). As I looked up at the pylon, a white bird flew out of one of its windows. One of Horus' servants perhaps? We approached it at night, as it was lit up by spotlights. It was peaceful, and since it was twenty minutes prior ... read more

The entire day was spent on the west bank. Ballooning over Luxor We rose very early, long before sunrise, to take a ferry across the river. Tea and cookies were provided. From here, we took a shuttle bus to the hot air balloons. There were many more balloons than I expected, showing how popular this activity has become. Climbing into the balloons was an adventure of its own. Each balloon basket had 4 compartments, each of which could hold 4-5 people. I helped my mom into one, but somehow she ended up with one leg up and the other down in a ballet split! After getting in the balloon, we learned we would have to squat during landing. I felt very glad I have kept up with my yoga practice. Although it was cold outside, the ... read more

Not one of my best days on the trip, as you'll read.... Overnight Train from Cairo to Luxor Our bedraggled group arrived by overnight train in Luxor very early. The train itself had been quite an experience. For example, the toilet lid flipped up rather like a movie theater seat. So, if you wanted to say, put down toilet paper on the lid, you had to hold it down with one knee, while applyign the protecting toilet paper, and then quickly flip over to sit on it before it flipped up. Also, you couldn't squat over the bowl because the lid was always perpetually halfway up and blocking you. the advantage to this was that any dirt seemed to slide right off and it seemed pretty clean, relative to other train bathrooms we saw on the ... read more

We took a poll of our fellow travellers while we were still in Cairo. I promised I would post the answers later. It was interesting to hear all the different points of view. Favorite Shopping Experience: 1.) "The Inflatable Boy King Blowup Doll" in the Egyptian museum gift shop - Alli 2.) Rugs - Scott & Tere 3.) Mahmoud's - Shannon Favorite Dining Experience: 1.) Fishawi's - Shannon, Scott, & Tere 2.) Felfela's (for their falafel) - Alli 3.) Pizza at La Pergola hotel restaurant - Will & the Twins Favorite Site to Visit (or part of site) 1.) Synagogue, or Akhnaten/Amarna part of British Museum - Alli 2.) Pyramids - Shannon (this was before the donkey ride trumped them all) 3.) Crawling Into the Pyramid - Scott 4.) Sphinx - Tere 5.) the carpet-making school ... read more