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Published: February 23rd 2009
Three Thumbs Up!
Travelling Canucks had an exceptional time in Egypt!Want to know what the Travelling Canucks are talking about now that they are back home in Vancouver, Canada after a 4 week trip over Christmas Break? Well, even if you don't, we Senior Canucks are approaching our 50's so before our memories fade, we are sharing some of the highlights and lowlights of our trip to Egypt. Hopefully, Junior Canuck's memories of Egypt will be everlasting!
Since we captured amazing sights and experiences of our Egyptian adventure having taken over 4000 photographs and 4 hours of video, we have posted some of our favourite photographs on our travel blog for friends and travel blog fans to enjoy. Junior Canuck has yet to produce her short film, so stay tuned for the You Tube premiere!
Our journey to Alexandria, Siwa Oasis, Cairo, Aswan, Luxor and Abu Simbel and points in between that we experienced, viewed by air, or saw as we cruised on the Nile, was amazing. While photographs capture some of the visual highlights of our trip, it is the sounds, smells, travellers we met, and Egyptians we got to know that we will remember!
No lost luggage, no need for inoculations, no problems with planes, automobiles,
restaurants or hotels. Of course, there were a few disappointments and surprises along the way, but that's what makes traveling so interesting!
As far as independent travel to Egypt - it can be done; however, it does require a lot of planning, patience and luck when it comes to going it alone in Egypt!
Picks and Pans
We were thrilled with our hotel choices, which proved to meet the expectations set after reading Trip Advisor reviews. For our hotel reviews, go to Trip Advisor where we posted our reviews at the end of January 2009 under our Trip Advisor name: VancouverMukluk!
Our Favourite Hotels • Four Seasons Alexandria at San Stefano for the warmth and comfort of the room, especially the comfy bedding and exceptional service;
• Shali Lodge's authentic desert experience;
• Four Seasons Cairo at First Residence for the luxurious and intimate surroundings, excellent dining experience, and shopping at the First Residence Mall;
• El Nakhil in Luxor, a budget hotel offering great value - cleanliness, great food and service; and,
• Eskaleh Nubian Traditional House for offering an authentic Nubian experience on the banks of Lake Nasser, Abu Simbel.
We enjoyed both Egyptian and Lebanese cuisine,
Egyptian Sweets Rule!
Great food and service at Four Seasons Hotels in Egypt. including tagines, lamb kebabs, cold and hot salads, and Egyptian desserts.
Our Favourite Restaurants • Byblos at Four Seasons Alexandria at San Stefano (Lebanese cuisine);
• Breakfast at Kenooz Restaurant at Shali lodge, Siwa Oasis (date jam, olive jam and banana-filled and date-filled crepes);
• Albebanshal in Siwa Oasis (camel stew);
• Lai Thai at Four Seasons Cairo at First Residence;
• Breakfast at Aswan's Moevenpick Elephantine Resort;
• Dinner at Bet el Kerem on Aswan's West Bank;
• Egyptian feast at Salahadeen Restaurant at Mara's House in Luxor;
• Tagines at Eskaleh Traditional Nubian House in Abu Simbel;
• Fefelas in Giza (Egyptian cuisine);
• Egyptian Pancakes at Khan el Khalili (sweet fiteers);
• Fishawi's Coffeehouse (strawberry juice and Chai); and,
• Zitouni's at Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza for breakfast and Lebanese buffet.
Our Favourite Sites/Experiences • Stopping at idyllic Cleopatra's Beach;
• Siwa Oasis;
• Exploring the Great Sand Sea;
• Boating to and touring the Philae Temple Complex around sunset;
• Cruising the Nile and watching the sunset on the Nile;
• Visiting Edfu's Temple at night;
• Seeing Ramses VI's Tomb decor;
• Touring Karnak Temple in Luxor;
• Visiting Luxor Museum;
Meeting Egyptians Young & Old
Travelling Canucks warmly welcomed. Friendly faces of young & old Egyptians. Montazah Palace Gardens, Alexandria. • Camel Trek on Aswan's West Bank;
• Petting baby Nile Crocodile;
• Sitting on the banks of the Nile on Elephantine Island watching life on the Nile pass by;
• Sailing in a felucca on the Nile around Aswan's Islands;
• Visiting Aswan's Nubian Museum;
• Seeing Abu Simbel's Temples and Sound & Light Show;
• Hanging out in Islamic Cairo and Khan el Khalili Bazaar;
• Touring the pyramid fields at Saqqara, Dahshur, and Giza;
• Entering the Red Pyramid in Dashur;
• Seeing the Sphinx in Giza; and,
• Visiting the Egyptian Museum and seeing King Tut's treasures.
Senior Canuck Challenges • Staying awake at dinner after losing our battle with jet lag and travelling for 4 weeks across Egypt;
• Climbing the Mountain of the Dead, Temple of the Oracle, and Shali Ruins in Siwa Oasis;
• Not getting lost, walking and keeping sand out of our eyes in a sandstorm when exploring the Great Sand Sea;
• Cleaning sand from the jammed lenses of our video and digital cameras after surviving the sandstorm;
• Climbing the Red Pyramid and descending into the chamber that smelled like ammonia;
• Papa Canuck walking for two days
Biblioteca Alexandrian
Amazing architecture in Alexandria. Interior and exterior of high- tech library were impressive. after exploring the Red Pyramid;
• Mama Canuck enjoying cruising - average dining experience, quality of tour guide and being rushed during tours on Sonesta St George;
• Climbing the stairs at KV 34 in the Valley of the Kings and breathing in the stuffy, hot tomb;
• Climbing the steep mountainside to visit the Nobles Tombs in the Valley of the Kings;
• Mama Canuck's sore back after dancing with Egyptians on New Year's Eve;
• Feeling helpless when Canuck Junior is struck twice with Mummy Tummy;
• Climbing the mountain to visit the Tombs of the Nobles in Aswan;
• Mama Canuck mounting a camel and going down steep hills on camel back;
• Keeping warm in our hotel room at Aswan's Moevenpick Resort; and,
• Speaking Arabic.
Experiences to Talk About • Over 10 hour stopover in Frankfurt where we were repeatedly woken up at Airport Sheraton Hotel and Papa Canuck had an allergic reaction to Sinus medication;
• Borg el Arab Airport chaos after traveling for over 24 hours from Vancouver to Alexandria;
• Traffic in Alexandria - no headlights, no signalling, no seatbelts, only blaring horns in traffic chaos;
• Alexandria's beautiful buildings in
Egyptian Museum in Cairo
King Tut's treasures were stunning. a state of collapse;
• Slow, expensive or scarce Internet access across Egypt compounded by laptop problems making blogging difficult to impossible;
• Last two hours of 9 hour drive from Alexandria to Siwa Oasis - too much barren desert and getting lost in Siwa when we get there;
• Plastic bags and containers and child poverty around Siwa Oasis;
• 2 hour traffic jam in Cairo after driving 8 hours through the desert from Siwa Oasis;
• Tour guide keeping us waiting on sunny Christmas Eve morning and having to visit pyramid fields the next day under cloudy skies;
• Canuck Junior sleeping through Christmas Eve dinner;
• Getting up for early flight departures;
• Loud Egyptian music at New Year's Eve Party - potential for permanent hearing loss;
• Egyptian touts, hustlers and sellers at docks, souks and bazaars;
• Snake charmers and charming Egyptians and their not so charming leering, touching, and groping.
• Mummy Tummy forcing the cancellation of our day trip to Abydos and Dendara and not getting some of our money back;
• Visiting Nubian Village on Aswan's Elephantine Island;
• Trying to listen on our headphones and ignoring the loud Japanese narration at
Clear Day in Cairo
Travelling Canucks can see as far as Saqqara and Giza Pyramids from the Citadel. Abu Simbel's Sound and Light Show;
• Small, quiet and voracious mosquitoes in Siwa Oasis, Luxor's West Bank, and Abu Simbel;
• Closures: Aswan's Old Cataract Hotel where Agatha Christie wrote" Death on the Nile", Alexandria's Jewellery & Greco-Roman Museums and Cairo's Islamic Arts Museum;
• Crossing streets in Cairo; and,
• Bribing security official at Cairo Airport at 2am and hanging out at the Airport for three hours.
While exhaustion set in after travelling for 4 weeks, we do not regret trying to experience all that Egypt has to offer. While it would have been nice to relax on the beaches on the Red Sea, travel into the Sinai, and tour Abydos and Dendara, Egypt has so much to offer and we had only so much time to spend. Perhaps the future holds a second visit to this amazing country?
We stayed in great hotels, visited amazing archaeological sites, and met interesting people, which is what we love about travelling. As expected, we had many great experiences and have great memories of our trip. Thank you for joining the Travelling Canucks on our journey! It's time to start planning the next adventure!
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anonymous
non-member comment
Travelling Canucks you have the best blog on this site. Thank you for all the valuable information and letting us travel to Egypt through your adventures. Thanks number one fan