Egypt

Ever since I was little, Egypt has been at the top of my bucket list. Prior to being a teacher I had dreams of being an archeologist and learning about ancient civilizations.

Mario and I spent 9 days exploring Egypt. We booked with Anton’s Tours, who handled everything expect our flights to and from Egypt, some food and drinks and tipping. We opted to pick our own hotels. Mario and I picked the luxury option where we had a private driver and guide throughout the trip.

We started in Cairo and finished at the Red Sea. Egypt makes my 35th country worldwide!

Things to know about Egypt:

• Arabic speaking country where man dominate, definitely felt that while there. 
• Tipping is a huge part of their way of living, so be prepare to pull money at airport since ATM restrict the amount which can be pulled. US money is widely accepted.
• Everyone hassles you and excepts a tip. All information comes with a fee here.
• At attractions be prepare to be hassled to buy merchandise especially from small children.  Don't engage unless you want to buy something. 
• You have to pay to use the bathroom and get toilet paper (not freely given). Bring your own toilet paper and hand sanitizers!
• Drivers are insane, especially in Cario! The lines on the road are pretty much optional and it's ok to reverse off an exit ramp and drive on the wrong of the road. Wasn't dull at all!
• Poverty level, stray animals and overworked animals are real life here, so prepare yourself.
• Bottle water is a must here but be careful some people refill with tap water. Like the water bottle says, if it clicks, it's safe to drink.
• If you can afford it, go with a private driver and guide. It makes the experience way better!
• Security check points are at the entrances of every attraction and hotels. You will have to put your bag thought the x-ray machine. Also there are security check points at the airports before you even get to the check in desks.
• Police are staged everywhere so be prepare to see them with guns.
• Temples and tombs would have be painted during the ancient times. It was a real treat to see a glimpse at what survived today!

Day 1: Traveling to Cairo

We left Frankfurt on an afternoon nonstop flight to Cairo. Once we arrived we met our tour representative who made the arrival process simple. He had already purchased the visa entry stickers, which is $25 USD each and has to be in US dollars. Once we put them in our passports, he took the passports to customs to get stamp. Then he lead us towards baggage claim. We waited only a few minutes for our bags. Then he lead us to our driver who would drive us the 45 minutes to our hotel. The airport and our hotel is one opposite sides of Cairo.

Egyptian Currency

Egyptian currency is the Egyptian pounds so 1 USD is 31 Egyptian pounds. So $100 USD is 3100 Egyptian pounds. When pulling money you look rich because there are so many bills.
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One thing we learned was that we should have pulled money at the airport because ATMs will limit how much money you can pull. We were able to use both our debit cards and credit cards to pull money and only had 1 ATM scare.

In Cairo, we spent three nights at the Mena House, which is a Marriott brand hotel. This hotel is located right next to the pyramids and has been hosting kings, emperors, celebrities and now the Curtis Family! We would be staying in a one bedroom suite which gave us pyramid views and worth every penny.

Day 2: Alexandria

Before heading to Alexandria for the day, we enjoyed our morning views of the pyramids from our hotel. We had our breakfast buffet at Restaurant 139, which is open 24 hours, while taking in the views.

​Our driver picked us up at the hotel and drove towards Alexandria arriving in under 3 hours.  We met our guide, Shaimaa who showed us around the city.

Tomb of Kom El Shouqafa
Meaning "mounds of shards" in English, it is a type of catacomb burial. This tomb was found by accident by a donkey and dates back to the end of the first century AD. It consists of three floors. The lower level used to fill with water, but the groundwater lowering project has fixed this problem. 

 Tigran Tomb

The Serapeum and Pompey's Pillar
After a few minutes drive, we arrive here and explored the area. We saw a small sanctuary and library located near the pillar.
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Qaitbay Citadel
Built on the location of the ancient lighthouse, which was one of the ancient wonders of the world.

Since it was Friday the library of Alexandra was closed, which was a bummer because I was hoping to see it. The current library is built in the the location of the ancient  library. After lunch at a fish market we headed back to Cairo.

Day 3: Pyramids and Museum

 Today started with thunderstorms and strong rain but cleared right as we met our guide, Dalida and driver. Since our hotel is next to the pyramids the drive was easy but super busy due to everyone else trying to get thought the security check point.  The Giza Plateau is the site of 4th Dynasty Pryamids complex. ​

Giza Plateau Complex Map

​King Khufu's Pyramid
This tomb is the largest pyramid and the last remaining wonders of the ancient world.  It took about 20 years to build and made of local limestone. The outside of the pyramids would have been covered with granite which was also local coming from Aswan in the south. 

To go inside this pyramid required an extra ticket. Due to the recent rains, the lighting wasn't working so it pitch dark. This didn't stop me as I climbed inside the pyramid heading towards the burial chamber using my phone's light.  It was tight and hot. The burial chamber is located in the middle of the pyramid. Even in the dark, I somehow got some pictures. I would definitely love to come back and climb it with the lights on.

King Khafre Pyramid
After a short drive, we arrive at Khafre's pyramid who was the son of Khufu and the middle pyramid. This pyramid is made of limestone and was once covered with granite. You could inside, but I opted out of it.  Three smaller pyramids were for his queens. Each pyramid would have had a funeral temple and valley temple but most are gone except for King  Khafre’s valley temple.

King Menkaure's Pyramid
This is the smallest one and is for the son of Khafre and grandson of Khufu which was King Menkaure. The three smaller pyramids were for his queens. He died before his pyramid complex was complete, hence why the granite on the outside isn't smooth.

Panorama View of the Pyramids

Great Sphinx
It is down the causeway from the pyramids. It shows a human head and body of a lion with a false royal beard and headdress.

Khafre's Valley Temple
The purpose of this temple was for purification of the mummy and used for mummification process of the king. It is build of limestone and covered with Aswan red granite. Each pyramid would have had one, but this one only survived.

Egyptian Museum
egyptianmuseumcairo.eg/emc/
It is the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East. Our guide said it would take 6 months to see every piece! We spent a few hours and still had tons more to see. A new museum is in the works and plans to open soon. 

Day 4: Aswan

Some of the temples we would see in the Aswan area.

We took an early morning flight to Aswan, which is known as the Land of Gold. So happy we book business because the economy line was huge.  After two security check points we were at our gate with  time to spare. It was a quick 1 hour 15 minute flight. We got our luggage and met our driver and guide. Our guide and archaeologist, Simon, would be with us for the next few days. 

 Philae Temple
We took a quick boat ride to the Philae Temple which honors the Goddess Isis.  This temple used to submerged under water many months of the year but it was relocated it when the dam was built.

It was to early to check into our hotel, so we took a boat ride on the Nile River. We took in the views of Aswan and the attraction near by. We saw the botanicals garden, Nubian village and wild life.

We would be spending one night at the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan. Author Agatha Christie based her book Death on the Nile and stay at the hotel often. We would be staying in the Palace Cataract Suite which provided amazing balcony views of the Nile. 

After dinner, we joined the hotel tour which showed us the Christie and Churchill suites which goes for around $6,00 a night.

Sunrise over the Nile River

Day 5: Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel: King Ramessess II

​We woke up early and drive 3 hours towards Abu Simbel. We arrived before the big tour bus and had the place to partially to ourselves besides a few others tourist.

It is located in Egypt's southern border. The temple is for King Ramessess II of the 19th dynasty. It is known for it's four statues, one collapsed due to an ancient earthquake. Did you know?? The temple was built that on 2 days of the year 22nd of October and February the sun rays enter the temple crosses the main hall and light up the innermost statue. 

The next temple known as the "Small temple" was dedicated to the goddess Hathor and Ramesses II's Great Royal Wife, Nefertari.

This temple was relocated due to the building of the Aswan High Dam. ​

The Small Temple of Abu Simbel
Temple for goddess Hathor and Ramesses II's Great Royal Wife, Nefertari

We drove three hours back to Aswan where we would be boarding our Nile Cruise, the Le Fayan, which would travel up the Nile towards Luxor, stopping and seeing sites along the way. We opted for a junior suite which was located at the front of the boat.

Many of the temples and pyramids offer light and sound shows in the evening. We opted to go to the Light and Sound show at the Philae Temple, which we had visit the previous day. Shows are shown at different times and in different languages. The show told the history of the temple.
​During the night we sailed onward to Aswan and docked in the morning.

Day 6:
Kom Ombo Temple and Crocodile Museum and Horus Temple of Edfu

Kom Ombo Temple
Our first temple of the day was Kom Ombo Temple which  is dedicated to the crocodile god, Sobek and the falcon god Har Wer (Horus the Elder). We were able to walk to this temple from the boat.

After touring the temple, we visited the Crocodile Museum where we saw mummified crocodiles.

Edfu Temple
This temple is located on the west bank of the Nile and dedicated to worship the god of Horus. It was buried for many years and discovered in 1860.

​As evening came, we headed up the Nile River towards Luxor. We passed the Esna lock system which has the boat rise to the higher level of the Nile River.

Day 7: Luxor

Attractions to see in Luxor

In ancient times Luxor was called Thebes which was the capital of the Upper Egypt. ​We had a super day in Luxor.

Hot Air Balloon ride over Luxor

Our day started at 4:30am as we headed towards the Hot air Balloon departure point. The weather has to be perfect. Our guide moved the hot air balloon ride today to better accommodate our itinerary. So glad he did because the two days after it was cancelled due to the wind. We fly over different temple ruins as we watched the sunrise. At the end we receive a certificate of completion. 

Valley of the Kings
Located on the west bank of Nile which was known as the land of the dead. This area is where the farmers live who harvest wheat and sugar cane and is still true today.
There are 62 different tombs in the Valley of Kings and would take some time to see them all. Each tomb is given a number. The valley of the kings is divided into the east and west valley. The east valley has most of the tombs while the west only has a few.
Originally we were only seeing 3, but our guide gave us the option to add two extra tombs which required extra tickets. One of them being the tomb of King Tut!

Rameses IV ( #2)
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Rameses IX (#6)

Rameses III (# 11)

Rameses V/VI (# 9)
This tomb required an extra ticket, but was worth it. Tomb began for Ramses V but taken over by Ramses VI.

King Tutankhamen (#62)
This is King's Tut tomb and required an extra ticket. In 1922, King Tut's tomb was discovered by Howard Carter. When discovered all the treasures for the after life and his mummifies body were inside. With this discovery we were able to learn about this ancient king and his short life, he died at 19. Inside his tomb you will see his mummified body and his burial chamber. You can see his treasures at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Alabaster Shop
We stopped at a local alabaster shop where we learned how the stone of alabaster is turned into different things. We decided to get a few pieces.

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
She was a queen who become pharaoh and built this temple at Deir al Bahari on the west bank of Luxor. It is across the river from Karnak Temple. After her death, much of her temple was destroyed, which is present today. I recently finished a book about her and it was amazing to read how she overcame so much to become a king in a man's world. If interested the book is called The Women Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt by Kara Cooney.

Amenhetep III and Colossi of Memnon

Luxor Temple 
We visited the Luxor Temple at sunrise to see the temple lite up at night. This temple was the main venue  for the religious celebration known as the Opet Festical. It wasn't built from one single ruler but numerous. One can walk from Luxor Temple to Karnak walking along the Avenue of the Sphinx. Near the entrance of the Avenue of the Sphinx were information poster of different rulers. I added them below if interesting in reading about them.

Karnak Temple's Sound and Light Show

Day 8: Karnak Temple and Hurghada, Red Sea

After checking out of the Nile Cruise we headed to the temple of Karnak arriving at 8:15, before the tour buses. Our guide told us many day trips from Hurghada come for the day in Luxor and normally arriving at 10. He was spot on, as were leaving there were tons of people everywhere! We saw some of this temple the previous night during the Sound and Light Show. We toured some of the temple but would have taken us lots of time to see every piece. There was so much to see here but my favorite was the hall of columns.

We said our good byes and thanks to our amazing guide Simon! Then we started our four hours drive towards to Red Sea staying at Hurghada. As we left Luxor, we past the agricultural section consisting of small villages, crops and water canals. Then we drove in the desert for many hours. When we arrived in Hurghada it was super windy with sand blowing every where. We would be spending two night at the Hurghada Marriott Beach Hotel in the Apollo Suite. 

Day 9: Free Day in Hurghada

We spent our last day relaxing at our hotel, taking in the view of the Red Sea. It was super windy and chilly so I didn't swim. I did touch the water to say I have been to the Red Sea. 

Day 10: So long Egypt

We left on a morning flight out of Hurghada with a layover Cairo where we experience some delays but we finally arrived home late evening.  Another amazing trip in the books! A trip of a lifetime!

Information:
All information came from information board at the sites or egymonuments.gov.eg/
Anton's Tours: www.antonsegypttours.com/
Memphis tours Travel Guide: www.memphistours.com/Egypt/WikiTravel