Let's Travel: Egypt

February 3-13, 2022 with Friendly Planet

Hello friends!

Let's catch up. Travel is a totally new topic for me to cover. But I had such a phenomenal experience traveling to Egypt, & so many of you wanted to hear about it, that I figured a review would be the best way! Now keep in mind, this will be a much longer post, & filled with plenty of pictures as well. So make sure to pour yourself a drink, get cozy, & please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I, of course, am in no way affiliated with the tour company Friendly Planet. I was in no way asked to write this, & it is purely for my own enjoyment. For more details on this exact trip, see my secondary post "Let's Travel: Egypt -- Logistics".

My Background With Egyptology: (This is a long story, but I feel it's very important in the context of this review). When I was in elementary school, my parents put me to bed way too early at night. Because of this, I'd sneak down & hide behind the big chair in the living room. My Dad always watched the History Channel, & they had an ongoing series on Ancient Egypt. So for years, I watched & learned from that. Then in middle school, we got a family computer, & every day after school I'd research Ancient Egypt. My parents also took me to all the exhibitions on Ancient Egypt that the Chicago museums offered. My childhood best friend & I were so in love with it that we made our own "Egypt" in my backyard. We used extra gardening bricks to build our own pyramids & monuments, & would make posters full of hieroglyphic writing. For years we studied & then acted out our time in Egypt. We even looked online for our own Egyptian names: mine was Anippe, which supposedly means "daughter of the Nile". So for about 7+ years, my life was consumed with intense, dedicated study. It was one of my original passions, even before theatre.

Fast forward to 2019. I hadn't thought about Egypt since my middle school days, but suddenly my parents sat me down one evening & told me they were going to Egypt. Needless to say, I gave such a persuasive speech detailing why I should go, that they agreed to take me along with them.

I can't begin to express in words how grateful I am to them for taking me on this trip. It was beyond anything I could've imagined, & I might not have ever made it there otherwise.

Egyptian Culture & My Specific Experience

Now as a culture, Egyptians are very catering to Americans, & tourists in general. Overall, they are very friendly & polite, but many of the vendors can be pushy (see my other blog post for more details on that). My particular experience with their culture was absolutely not the norm, & not the way the others in our tour group were treated. Some of you were quite curious about that, so let me elaborate.

For the entire time I was in Egypt, I was really treated like a celebrity. I'm not sure if it was the red hair (which I'm sure is rare in Africa because of us frying up like rotisserie chicken), or what exactly caused this. But strangers with whom I had no interactions, would come up & start complimenting me. Locals lit up like Christmas morning when they waved at me & I waved back. Boys of all ages would blow me kisses & wave at me as I went by. School girls raced around me, complimented my name, & tried to spend as much time around me as possible. At the papyrus shop we visited, a young man remarked that I was like "sugar," or "fruits," & likened me to "the goddess of beauty & romance". (His friends had a good laugh teasing him about that.) Even our Egyptologist asked a few different times throughout the trip if he could take photos & selfies with me. This experience was very unexpected, but admittedly, I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. And I never once felt that anyone meant it in a disrespectful or harrassing way. In America I have a lot of issues feeling that way, but here everyone was so openly affectionate & expressive, that I never felt bothered or that anyone who did those things were unprofessional or too forward. It's simply their culture to express their emotions & feelings to others, & I really wish America was more like this.

Meet Our Guides

The real heroes of the trip, our amazing guides. Remon (pictured with the sign) was our Tour Manager, & was with us for all the days in Cairo. He was very funny & outgoing, & really made us feel extremely welcomed. Our main tour guide & Egyptologist was Islam, who was extremely welcoming, & had a very calm, cool, & collected personality. He spent 5 years studying Egyptology at university, & has been doing this for 22 years. He's an absolute genius when it comes to Ancient Egypt, & I felt that he really went above & beyond what most tour guides do. For example, instead of taking a break from us during meals, he always chose to eat with us so we could ask him questions about what we saw. Remon & Islam were really what made this trip so phenomenal. I cannot express in words all the gratitude & appreciation I have for them.

Day One:

Arriving in Cairo

Remon picked us all up at the airport, & our tour bus drove us back to the Sheraton Cairo Hotel. It's a gorgeous hotel, & my room had a balcony that not only overlooked the Nile river, but also had a view of the Great Pyramids of Giza in the distance. Absolutely breathtaking.

That evening we had a bit of a driving tour around Egypt, & it actually rained during this. According to Remon, Egypt only gets about 3 total days of rain each year. Lucky us. We finished the tour & ate a welcome dinner together at a local restaurant. There I got to try some hibiscus tea, which was really sweet & flavorful.

Day Two:

Visiting the Egyptian Museum

Today, Islam joined us. As we went through the Egyptian museum, he pointed out the main highlights, including a copy of the Rosetta Stone, famous statues of Egyptian pharaohs & scribes, the physical mummies of King Tutankhamun's grandparents, & some of the treasures discovered in King Tutankhamun's tomb. At the end, he gave us time to roam around on our own, & recommended some other rooms & displays to look at. Right now, there are some exhibits missing, as they are being transported to a new Egyptian musuem that will be opening soon. Nevertheless, as a history nerd, I really enjoyed seeing so many different artifacts from all three periods of Ancient Egypt: the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, & the New Kingdom.

Visiting the Citadel of Saladin, & the Mosque of Muhammad Ali

After visiting the museum, we drove to the Citidel of Saladin. The citadel is the walled fortress, & it was built to defend Egypt. Saladin actually used some of the stones that had fallen from the pyramids to help build it. We heard a brief history on Saladin & the citadel (I do wish we had spent a bit more time on this history, but I'm also probably one of the few people that know of Saladin & would be interested in learning more).

We spent the majority of the afternoon at the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, which is located inside the citadel. Muhammad Ali was the Ottoman appointed ruler of Egypt at the time. The mosque is absolutely gorgeous, & the people working there were very kind & friendly. Islam took the time to tell us about Islamic religion. He discussed basic etiquette for entering the mosque, & inside, told us more about different aspects of the religion. For example, he thorougly explained what Ramadan is, & the importance of it for Muslims. I really loved that he took the time to teach us about his religion. I learned so much from that, & I feel that it's pretty unusual for others to share their religion as thoughtfully & thoroughly as he did. I really resonated with some of what he said, & now I have so much more appreciation & admiration for Islamic religion than I had previously, just because I didn't really know much about it.

Visiting Khan El Khalili Bazaar

This is the stereotypical bazaar people think of when they think Egypt. But our guides warned us that almost everything sold here is not actually local. They essentially said, have a fun time enjoying the atmosphere, but it's not recommended to actually shop here, unless you want to buy cheap gifts for people you don't really like.

The vendors here were very aggressive, with many of them getting in our faces & walking directly in front of us. That put off pretty much everyone in the tour group (except my dad), so when Remon & Islam gave us extra time there, we all just sat down & ordered tea & other drinks while my dad wandered around. Hibiscus tea can either be sweet or tart, but since I had already tried that, I opted for mint tea here. The mint tea was very good, & they actually brought out more mint leaves for me. I actually preferred this to the hibiscus tea.

Day Three:

The Great Pyramids of Giza

The Great Pyramids of Giza are one of the seven wonders of the world; it truly was a wonder to behold! When I stepped off the bus, I looked straight up into the sky, & I even had to take a step back to take it all in. It was absolutely magnificent, & I almost started crying on the spot. Islam told us that if the bricks from all three pyramids were laid out next to each other, they'd circle the entire Earth. At the time of their creation, the Egyptians had smoothed all surfaces of the pyramids, so it was a perfect, clean line at every angle. The triangle formation in those times was a sacred shape meaning "eternity" or "afterlife", & they believed building these pyramids were a way to help aid themselves in getting to the afterlife. The top portion of the pyramids were always coated in electrum: 75% gold, 22% silver, & 3% copper. They did this so that at sunrise & sunset the tops of the pyramids & monuments would shine, as a beacon to all Egyptians to remember to pray & to worship at temples to honor the gods & the dead.

The pyramids themselves were to house the body of the pharaohs for eternity. Separately, there would always be a specific Valley Temple built solely for mummifying the bodies (embalming took 70 days), & a Mortuary Temple, which would house the pharaoh's soul for all eternity. These three holy sites would have been connected by specially made waterways & channels, so the sacred boats could transport the deceased during the burial process.

One important fact that I feel is necessary to share is that slaves were never the ones to build the pyramids or temples or monuments. Egyptians felt very strongly that only people who really believed in their religion & the afterlife would work on holy sites. Therefore, these were built by willing Egyptian citizens, & I have been told they would've been paid for their work & labor as well. Slaves would've been used in quarries & places like that, but not for any of the sites we think of when we think of Ancient Egypt. (So that beautiful opening scene in the movie "Prince of Egypt" is slightly incorrect).

Now, you can purchase a ticket to go inside the pyramid of Giza; however, we were told that there's not much to see inside--no hieroglyphics on the walls, or paintings, or anything--& it can be a hard physical journey inside there as well. Nevertheless, my ego was not to be deterred. Why only see a wonder of the world when you can go inside it, right? In hindsight, it's not really worth it, but hey, I can say I experienced it.

Going inside is not recommended if you have knee problems, back problems, neck problems, etc. Essentially, make sure you're in great shape. Inside, it's so steep that stairs cannot work (my dad estimates the slope is 35 degrees or more). So you're walking on a wooden ramp with horizontal slats to help with grip. It's a decent/somewhat roomy size for one person at a time, but when others are coming down, you have to stop & duck under the handrails on the sides so they can squeeze by you. Oh, also, you're literally bent in half. So you're walking up a steep surface, bent at a 90 degree angle at your waist, & it's about a 15-20 min walk, depending on crowding. Fun.

After that walk, suddenly the ceiling opens up to this massive hallway. You're still on that steep ramp, but here you can stand fully upright. This section moves faster. Then you climb a couple ladder rungs, & are very close to reaching the burial chamber. There are about 4 small passageways you go through, but these are even tinier than the initial tunnel, so you're crawling on your hands & knees. However, every few feet, the ceiling opens up again, so you can stand for a second before going back down.

The burial chamber itself is a somewhat long room, but overall not very big. As you enter, you turn right, & maybe 10 feet away is a dark granite sarcophagus. It's not shaped or designed, & there's no covering. The lighting in there is pretty ineffective, so you can try taking a photo, but it's so dark, really nothing turns out. Then you head back down the exact way you came.

Descending, I found, was worse. The tiny tunnels connecting to the burial chamber weren't so bad, & at the tall hallway, they had a separate ramp for those exiting. But at that first tunnel section, you have to share the space with those going up. & the other tourists were so eager to go up, that everyone descending had to keep stopping for multiple minutes before we had room to move. Instead of bending over, I was walking in a proper monkey squat, & my butt was probably just a couple inches off the ground. Having to keep stopping & pausing in that position I found was quite hard. When we finally reached the exit, there were some people who had such a hard time in that tunnel, they were having some medical issues at the entrance.

When I finally got out & was standing on the limestone bricks of the pyramid posing for photos for my mom, my legs were shaking to the point where I was thinking I'd collapse at any second. (I didn't though, so my ego is still intact). But all in all, not really worth seeing.

To get to the third pyramid, we had the option of going on a camel ride. I highly recommend this--it's the quintessential desert experience. Guides lead the camels, & the camels themselves are connected by rope tethers, so there's no fear of wondering off. Near the pyramids, the guides will take pictures of you on the camel, with the pyramids in the background. I also had a guide who kept trying to take a selfie with me, so finally our bodyguard grabbed my phone & made sure to get photos with the guy cropped out--thank you, bodyguard. For those that didn't want to ride the camels, Islam was with the tour bus that drove over to pick us up at the end of the camel ride. (Remon joined in on the camel ride, & lost a race with the others in our tour group). Overall, this entire experience was absolutely wonderful, & one of my favorite moments on this trip.

The Great Sphinx of Giza

The sphinx was meant to be a protector of the land. It's purpose was to guard the three pyramids of Giza, & to fight off any approaching evil. Unfortunately, it seemed to have lost the fight against Napolean's army, who decided to use it's face for target practice. "Bloody French", as Islam would say. So that's why the poor thing is missing it's nose, & part of it's mouth. Despite the vandalism, it's amazing to see the carved features up close. The Egyptians were so skilled at every little detail: even the sphinx's paws have specially carved claws. I can only imagine how amazing it must've looked when it was first finished.

The Papyrus Shop

On our way back to Cairo, we stopped at a papyrus gallery/shop. Here, the owner explained how papyrus was cut & made into paper, & also explained other uses for the papyrus plant. Real papyrus paper will always have both vertical & horizontal lines, whereas most fake ones would just have the fiber running one direction.

I ended up purchasing the picture of the queen on the boat being annointed as pharaoh by the goddesses (we love a good female empowerment moment). I also had one of the artisans working there write my name out in hieroglyphics on a blank sheet of papyrus. It was a fun place to look around, & I appreciate all the detail & time it must take to make such traditional artwork.

Cairo's Old City

Back in Cairo, we did a walking tour of the old city. The arcitecture here changed a lot, due to all the different time periods things were built. Sand would cover up old buildings & people would build on top without knowing.

We visited some Coptic Christian churches (Coptic just means Egyptian), including a holy site. There was a crypt underneath an old church, & Mary, Joseph, & baby Jesus hid there for 3 months while escaping the perscution of King Herod.

We were also supposed to visit one of the oldest synagogues in Egypt, but it was currently being restored. Apparently that location was where Moses' basket was found, as well as a deerskin with some of Moses' teachings written on it.

I really didn't expect to come across so many different religious sites, but all are well loved & preserved. Even though it's mostly a Muslim population in Egypt, there are Coptic Christians & Jews, & they all work & live together in harmony; they even recognize & celebrate each other's holidays. I found that news quite delightful, & wish more places had the tolerance & respect that they showed each other.

Day Four:

Luxor

Early this morning we said goodbye (for now) to Remon, & flew from Cairo to Luxor, which is where we joined our cruise ship, the MS Tulip. Our first destination in Luxor: Karnak Temple.

Karnak Temple

Karnak Temple ended up being one of my favorite locations in Egypt. It's a quintessential Egyptian temple, & one of the grandest sights I've ever experienced. This temple had been built & expanded upon by many different pharaohs spanning many different dynasties.

There are over 130 columns in this temple, & each column is so huge that 100 men could easily stand on top of a single column. The painted pictures & hieroglyphics are also original to the temple. There are such vivid colors of whites, blues, reds, yellows, greens, blacks, etc, that I would've guessed it was painted/restored 5-10 years ago. But it's actually paint that's lasted rougly 4,000 years. Egyptian Antiquity has a policy against restorations of any paintings--they feel, when it's gone it's gone, but they will not retouch anything.

Karnak is also known for it's many obelisks, which is a single huge slab of granite--something that had to be hauled from a quarry many miles away. It was then transported here, carved, & raised up in one piece. Pharaoh Hatshepsut (the only female pharaoh) has a few obelisks here, & because obelisks are holy, no one was able to damage or vandalize these (unlike her temple in Valley of the Kings).

For my fellow movie nerds, the original Death on the Nile movie had part of it filmed here (Islam very kindly pointed out the boulder they used to try to kill Linnet). Also, the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me had a great shootout scene here. As both a huge Agatha Christie fan & a huge James Bond fan, I was thrilled to be "on location".

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple is very similar to Karak Temple in that multiple pharaohs worked upon & expanded this temple as well. For example, the statue of the seated pharaoh & his queen is actually King Tutankhamun & his bride. Overall, Luxor Temple is a bit more run down than Karnak, & many of the pillars & columns here had to be rebuilt & restored. But this temple is special in that it was not only used by Ancient Egyptians.

Within this temple there are also signs of other religions worshipping here. The temple square includes a Roman goddess' temple, an active mosque, & an old Coptic church, as well as ancient holy sites. Over the years, when a religion fell under prosecution, many believers would hide out in these ancient temples & worship here, because they would not be harmed at a sacred site. Due to this, there is grafiti over some of the original hieroglyphics by these other religious factions.

And newly restored to the area is the Avenue of the Sphinxes. This 1.7 mile walkway connects Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple, & was just restored in November 2021! They've done a beautiful job of lighting these temples & walkways up at night--it's a gorgeous sight to behold.

Day Five:

Hot Air Balloon at Sunrise

Early this morning we woke up & set out for an optional excursion; sunrise in a hot air balloon overlooking the Nile & the mountain that leads to Valley of the Kings. To the west beyond the Valley of the Kings lies the Sahara desert, which stretches uninterrupted for over 2,000 miles. Although this hot balloon ride was something my parents & I decided to do at the last minute, & my parents will tell you this was the highlight of their trip. Now I have to admit, I was having a rough mental health day this morning, so I took a few photos, but was so focused in on dealing with my struggles that I did not really enjoy the trip. To be honest, it's mostly all blacked out in my mind. I can say the sunrise was absolutely astonishing, & I really enjoyed seeing such vibrant green farmland. 70% of Egyptians are farmers, & it was really unique to see them working at harvesting sugar cane in their fields. For you fellow gamers out there, if you're familiar with Age of Empires, I felt like I was watching that in real life--which was an unexpected highlight for me.

Valley Of The Kings

Valley of the Kings is rugged, mountainous, & very deceiving to the eye. The tombs are all essentially dug into the ground or mountainside, so there's no exterior information revealing them, except for the signs Egyptian Antiquity put up, identifying each tomb.

This place was also known as the City of the Dead. Those skilled Egyptian laborers who were hired to work on these tombs were not allowed back into society, for the purpose was to keep these tombs a secret. Because of this, everyone working on the tombs had to create their own city nearby. They'd live & work here their entire lives, & then were buried nearby.

When creating the tombs, first Egyptians dug, created the structure, & stabilized the tomb. Then other artisans would come in & draw all the hieroglyphics & pictures. Next carvers would come in & carve out the stone where the drawings were. Finally painters would come in & finish painting. This would be a many year process, so if a pharaoh died suddenly, or died young, the workers had to rush to finish the tomb. There was no post-poning the funeral & burial, so some tombs have unfinished walls, or no paintings, etc. Historians estimated there were about 120 workers actively working in a tomb at one time.

Now, in Valley of the Kings, there are so many tombs, that not all are open at one time. Throughout the year, they'll close certain tombs for restoration & open new ones. Islam tried to pick out tombs that had the most beautiful paintings, or ones that were better preserved. At the end he gave us some suggestions of other tombs we could look in.

King Tutankhamun's tomb did require an additional special ticket, but there's no conceivable way anyone would miss that. Inside is his actual body (they did cover his body with linen, so only his head & feet show), & his outer sarcophagus remains with him as well. All of his other treasures can be found in museums, especially in the museum in Cairo.

Inside the tombs, there's usually thick crowds, & the air is quite stale & hot. It's recommended to wear a mask while inside, & I did for the beginning part; however, I ended up taking it off just because I was in so many photos.

The last tomb we visited was very deserted, so for most of it, it was just my mom & I. There was a very eager & excited Egyptian man who ended up giving us a private tour of this tomb, & he & I had a fun time commenting & identifying famous scenes & gods (I'm sure I'm probably one of the few Americans who can hold a proper conversation about the Book of the Dead with him). He climbed up onto the railing to take an overhead picture of the sarcophagus for me. At the end, we did give him a couple dollars as a tip for taking the time to do that for us.

The Mortuary Temple of Pharaoh/Queen Hatshepsut

Now, this site is something I have been looking forward to since elementary school. One of the most notorious female pharaohs to ever rule Egypt--Queen Hatshepsut. She was extremely intelligent & clever, & used her position in the royal family (as main wife to the former pharaoh) to take control of the throne, since his son Thutmose III was too young to rule. She continued to hold onto the throne her entire life, & had herself depicted as a male in statues & hieroglyphics so no one would question her authority.

During her reign, she sent multiple expeditions all over Africa to explore the land & bring back exotic plants, trees, & animals. She was known for the many obelisks she raised, as well as for uniquely building her temple into the side of the mountain (the opposite side of Valley of the Kings). She chose this location for her Mortuary Temple because the mountain came to a natural pyramid peak, which would aid in getting to the afterlife quicker. She also had her tomb in Valley of the Kings built opposite the Mortuary Temple, & had them dig so deep & low under the mountain that her physical tomb for her body was directly under the shrine in her Mortuary Temple that would house her soul. Another brilliant trick to ensure her swift departure into the afterlife.

Now her stupid, bratty successor Thutmose III was a bit irritated that she took control of ruling Egypt for so long. So he did what any jealous male does when a female outshines him. He tries to erase her. This asshole has artisans chip away at every single depiction of her at her own Mortuary Temple. He erased her name off of the cartouches there (a cartouche is an Egyptian name that's circled, with a line at the bottom. It helps distinguish names from regular text). Since he can't touch an obelisk because it's holy, he tried to build walls around her obelisks to hide them. He defaced her tomb, & took away any permanent sign of her. But the joke's on him, because his Mortuary Temple was destroyed & lost to time, but hers still remains. Sweet, sweet justice.

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed visiting there. Now, we're not allowed to go in the physical shrine that houses her soul, but we were allowed to stand at the entrance. And when I got to the front & stood before it, I had a profound experience. First of all, unlike Valley of the Kings with stale & hot air, when I stared into the shrine, I felt cool, fresh air blowing in my face. My mind suddenly cleared, & I felt so incredibly peaceful. I couldn't think of anything, but I just felt so relaxed & comforted. I don't remember the last time I've ever felt that way. And, for me, that was a good sign that this queen, who was so far ahead of her time, was fully at peace.

The Colossi of Memnon

This was just a stop on our bus ride back to the cruise ship. It's a location for the sole purpose of taking a photo-op in front of some statues.

Day Six:

Sailing from Esna to Edfu

I just had to include some shots of us sailing on the Nile. I really under-utilized the sundeck on our cruise ship, & I wish I had spent more time up there. Some parts of the banks are farmland, with animals such as cows & goats wandering right up to the water's edge.

Other parts are thick, vibrant jungle, & it's so easy to daydream & imagine a lion emerging from the thicket, or a crocodile sunning itself on a low rock. The natural world here is so inspiring that it's no wonder Agatha Christie kept writing books that took place here. It was clearly her favorite place to visit, & now I fully understand why.

The Temple of Horus

This temple was built & added upon by multiple pharaohs, however, it is known as the best preserved temple. It was mainly dedicated to the falcon-head god of protection, Horus, but also served other gods as well. (& now birds live in the temple walls, which is destructive, yet fitting).

This temple has Grecian/Roman influence, because when those civilizations would conquer Egypt, they had to assimilate to Egyptian culture & beliefs. Therefore, the invading people learned hieroglphics & tried to depict themselves as offspring of certain Egyptian gods. That's also why certain columns are designed differently than others, depending on which ruling influence was building on additions at that time. They also lit oil lamps inside the temples for light, which is why some ceilings & walls are blackened with soot. (The Egyptians knew how to design windows in temples so that natural sunlight or moonlight would flood in & keep the rooms lit, but clearly that information was not conveyed as new additions were built.)

A sacred boat was housed inside the temple as well, & would only be used once a year by priests who would carry the boat to the Nile on the specific holiday honoring Horus. (Priests would always be dressed in leopard skin as a signifier of their priest status; this scene is depicted among the hieroglyphics in this temple).

In the great courtyards there would be celebrations & offerings of all kinds. However, the one thing Egyptians never did was kill other human beings for sacrifice--something that sets them apart from all other ancient civilizations.

As time went on, Coptic Christians began living & worshipping here. They felt that the hieroglyphic carvings were crude & showing a naked human body was totally wrong. Therefore, they carved & chipped away at all of the hieroglypics they saw (some were luckily covered up by sand at the time). While I understand this was done a long time ago, I personally feel that destroying any culture's history & beliefs is blatantly wrong, so I didn't take as many pictures here because seeing the destruction & vandalism made me angry.

Sailing to Kom Ombo

My mom specially requested I tell the towel story, so here it is:

Because Egypt is so stunning, I decided to open the curtains so my room had a gorgeous view of the Nile & the land beyond. Now between sights, I decided to freshen up with a shower. I left the curtains opened & proceeded ahead with my plans. As I was drying off, I heard my mom shouting, & figured she's fighting with dad again (it tends to happen on vacations). Their room was directly across the hall from my room, so I stepped out of the bathroom & looked through the keyhole just in case I could see what's going on. Then suddenly I realized the male voice is not my dad's. Now I'm thinking 'what the heck kind of trouble did mom get into now?'. I heard her voice again, & then heard what sounded like a discussion of numbers. At this point, I recognized that the voices are close by, but not outside of my door. So I turned to walk over to my suitcase to get my clothes.

As I turned toward my luggage, which was right under the window, I froze in horror. Right outside of the window was a man on some sort of canoe that was teathered directly outside my room. Bags were falling down to him, & he was throwing things up in the air, & he was roughly at my height. Keep in mind, I'm trapped in a bath towel, & all my clean clothes were inches away from this man. So I turned & walked right back into the bathroom, where I remained trapped for an unknown length of time. More yelling happened, then things finally seemed resolved. The man sailed away in his little canoe, & I could finally get to my clothes. I hurriedly got dressed & raced up to the sundeck, which is where I'm certain my mom was.

As I reached there, my mom excitedly waved me over. She was beaming, & excitedly proclaimed she just bought herself a lovely peacock dress. Everyone on the sundeck was amused & happy with her purchase--apparently she made quite a spectacle up there. I let her explain what happened: Apparently Egyptian vendors will sail the Nile in these small boats & call up "Hello!" to people on these sundecks. If anyone responds back, they will tether their boat to the cruise ship & throw up their wares in bags, hoping someone will buy. There's of course haggling on prices, & once a price is agreed upon, the buyer will tuck the money into one of the bags & throw it down. Then they'll keep whatever they wanted that the vendor had thrown up to them.

Part of our tour group enjoyed this scene, as well as some lovely & encouraging British ladies. While they were all exclaiming on my mom's find, I lamented my tragic story to my mom & anyone else willing to listen. There was uproarious laughter at the end as everyone thoroughly enjoyed my towel tale. Meanwhile, Islam very kindly & patiently let me know that the windows were actually tinted so no one could see in after all.

At that exact moment the cruise ship offered welcome drinks in the lounge, so I proceeded there, to nurture my ego with some vodka.

The Temple of Kom Ombo

The Temple of Kom Ombo is special for a few reasons. First reason, it's dedicated to the crocodile-head god Sobek. Sobek was the god of the Nile, & was known to help trasnport the dead & protect the innocent from evil. Now, remember when I told you that story about creating an "Egypt" in my backyard? Let me remind you that the name I chose was Anippe--which means daughter of the Nile. So I've always felt a special fondness for Sobek. But I never realized he had his own temple in Egypt, let alone mummified crocodiles to honor him as well.

The other reason why this temple is special is because it depicts the full Ancient Egyptian calendar. They had their own way of telling days, weeks, & months, but everything added up to the day with the exact calendar we have today. The only thing they didn't catch was leap year. Pretty impressive for an ancient civilization.

They also had depictions of the various medical tools used in those times, including needles, pliers, etc. Lots of the tools they depicted are still used in modern medicine today.

And as a costume designer, let me also say that this civilization was the first to sew their clothing. Other ancient civilizations draped or tied extra fabric around themselves. But Egyptians were the first to properly make & tailor clothes, among other beauty amenities. (But that's another lecture for a different time).

Day Seven:

Sailing to Aswan, & learning about our Cartouches

While we were sailing to our next location, Islam gathered everyone together in the lounge & went through what each of our names meant. He wrote them out for us on a piece of paper, then explained one by one what each letter of each name meant.

The drawing of my name in hieroglyphics is something I did myself later on--it is not the paper he gave to me (although I still have that); & please bear with me, I haven't drawn hieroglyphics in over 12 years. But I wanted to show you what my name would look like.

While he was telling me what each letter of my name meant, I took notes on my phone, so I could remember the meaning of each part of it. Overall, I think the meanings are pretty accurate to me. I do love the additional meaning of the E & N next to each other. It just so happened that my name has 8 letters & 9 meanings. I feel pretty special.

I also ordered my own cartouche necklace (which is something I've dreamed of for many years). On the front it says "Kathleen", but on the back, I had them write "Anippe", as well, to honor my childhood & former self.

Islam told us that nowadays if someone orders a cartouche necklace, they'll usually put their own name on the front side, & their fiance/partner's name on the back side. So it's seen as something similar to an engagement ring.

Philae Temple

Philae Temple's original location is actually underwater. Due to the location of the cataract & the construction of the high dam, some locations experienced full flooding. While you can see the remnants of the original island from the shore here, this island was specifically created with the exact same orientation of the original island. Egyptian Antiquity also had every single piece of the original temple numbered, labeled, & catalogued so that they could reconstruct every single original piece the way it was found on the original island.

This temple honors the goddess Isis, partner to Osiris. Isis is the goddess of magic & romance, & her symbol is the throne of Egypt. (Osiris is god of life & afterlife, & his symbol is the crossed arms--think pharaohs & mummies). Arguably, these two gods are the most famous & most powerful in Ancient Egyptian times.

As you can see by some of the graffiti here, Coptic Christians hid out & worshipped here later on; they even tried to change the symbol of the Egyptian ankh (the symbol of life or key of life) to a Christian cross. And even more recent than that, some French explorers carved the date they were there & wrote what they had accomplished. Bloody French.

Philae Temple can only be reached by boat, & the island is quite breezy/windy, which can make it hard to take good photos of people. Nevertheless, it is a stunning place to see, & it is now home to many, many cats. There are also some spice stalls & vendors set up on the island as well. They're a bit less aggressive here, but can still be pushy. However, if you're looking for cooking spices or incense, this is your stop.

The Unfinished Obelisk

Most all of the building construction in Ancient Egypt is a mystery, with many scholars hazarding guesses as to the most likely way things were built or made. They don't have definite information on many of these brilliant landmarks, such as pyramids, temples, etc. Aswan is the site of most of the granite quarries that were used for obelisks & other statuary for temples & mortuaries throughout Egypt. This unfinished obelisk is located in one of the granite quarries near Aswan; it is one of the few definitive glimpses we have as to the construction process.

This unfinished obelisk is something Pharaoh/Queen Hatshepsut comissioned, & if it hadn't cracked, it would stand twice as high as all of the other Egyptian obelisks. The laborers at this quarry used flint to chip & carve away at the granite, which is the divets you can see in the stone. They'd work on separating the sides first, & intermittently dig deep holes at different places along the sides, so workers could fit underneath to start carving out the back/bottom. The obelisk would start to get shaped here, & once that was done, workers would go in with sand to polish & smooth the stone. They'd then leverage the obelisk out & put it on a special barge, that, during flood season, would transport the obelisk many miles up or down the Nile to it's location. Once it arrived at the designated location, artisans would carve the hieroglyphics. A special base would be made for the obelisk, & sand would be put on top to help cement the obelisk down to the base structure. The base would be perfectly leveled & balanced, so as the obelisk was lifted & pulled up, the obelisk would sit perfectly on the base. And despite it being freestanding, it was fully secure.

As the quarry workers labored on this particular obelisk, they discovered internal cracks in the granite. They did try to make wooden joints to attach it together, but it was too far damaged, which the pharaoh would not allow. Because of this, the workers left the obelisk where it was & moved on to find a new slab of granite to shape.

The Felucca Ride

A felucca is a type of Egyptian sailboat. They're known for being swift, & gliding quickly through the waters. Our felucca was manned by two Nubian men. Nubians are known for being extremely friendly people & tend to have darker skin than Egyptians. They paint their homes in whites & blues to keep it cooler & to deflect the sun.

While we were sailing, a Nubian boy rowed over to us, poked his head up & started to sing a few songs, some in English & some in French. After some applause, he rowed away to find more sailing tourists to sing to. This is pretty common here, & another great example of their friendliness.

As we were sailing we saw some tombs along the banks, which we were told were Roman. The entrances to these tombs were uneven & not nearly as precise or elegantly designed as Egyptian ones. Just goes to show that newer is not always better.

We also sailed by Elephantine Island, which is an island garden with a museum built there too. From the outside we couldn't see much of the gardens, but we caught glimpses of different brightly colored flowers growing.

Day Eight

Flight from Aswan to Abu Simbel

This morning we boarded a plane & flew to arguably one of the most famous Ancient Egyptian sites: Abu Simbel. During the flight we observed how the Nile supplied water to irrigate land that borders the river. Just beyond the fields lies the Sahara.

Abu Simbel

You can't fully say you've experienced all of Ancient Egypt if you don't visit here--it truly is a tremendous sight. I will say, it is very windy, which makes it hard to take good photos aligned directly in front of the statues.

Abu Simbel is similar to Philae Temple in that both original locations are underwater. Just as they did with Philae, Egyptian Antiquity carefully rebuilt Abu Simbel's new location to the precise angle. They made a new mountain to support the statues carved into the original mountianside. Even the inner chamber containing the four statues was arranged perfectly that the statue on the left falls in shadow, as the Ancient Egyptians had designed it. In fact that specific feature was calculated so that on one day each year, sunlight fills the entire temple, including that back room. Talk about precision engineering.

The two temples of Abu Simbel were built by Ramses the Great (Ramses II) to honor his favorite wife, Nefertari. In fact, in the second mountainside carving, alongside the statues of Ramses is a statue of Nefertari, standing at the same height as him. This is the only queen in all of Ancient Egypt to be carved as big & tall as the pharaoh was. According to Islam, Nefertari was by far the most beautiful queen. Now, historically, it's known as fact that Nefertiti (the famous Egyptian bust) was the most beautiful queen in all of Ancient Egypt. So I'm not sure how Nefertari compares to Nefertiti in the grand scheme of things. (If you know the answer, please tell me. This is a question I wished I had asked while I was there.)

One part I love about the inside of these temples are the grand paintings. I took some photos with them for perspective. It truly is a testiment to the artistry & precision the artisans had. Also, I loved the depictions of the queen. As a costume designer, it's always amazing to have a firsthand reference, & they fully detailed her clothes, which thrills me.

The Old Cataract Hotel

The Old Cataract Hotel. My happy place, & the very location where Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile. This gorgeous hotel has played host to many a famous person, including Princess Diana. The hotel has modern ammenities, but has hints of it's former past everywhere. It looks like a grand palace. The architecture & vintage styling is what I've always imagined quintissential Egyptian buildings to look like, & they even left the old ballroom preserved the way it was when Agatha Christie was here.

After briefly touring the inside, we descended onto the terrace for high tea at sunset. The terrace had absolutely gorgeous views of the Nile, & we watched through palm trees as sailboats traveled up & down it's waters. On the other side of the bank appeared to be some sort of temple that seemed partially restored. It really took me back in time to the early 1900's when archaeologists were exploring & discovering many of these sites. This place felt like a perfect time capsule, & I savored every moment here, along with every drop of tea.

If I ever come back to Egypt I've promised myself I'd stay at least one night here. This moment, in this sunset felt like a truly perfect ending. But we have one more day to go.

Day Nine:

Memphis

Memphis was the capitol of the Old Kingdom, but little remains of the original site. This site is now an outdoor museum that housed different statues, sarcophagi, obelisk bases, & more. These items were collected from various tombs, temples, & other locations throughout Egypt. It was nice to be able to be so close to these historic monuments, & to be able to touch them. The main feature here was, of course, the trememdous & incredibly detailed statue of Ramses the Great.

This location had vendors set up alongside a wall, but for the first time in all of our days there, not a single vendor came to harass us. My mom & I both saw tapestries we liked, so we asked Islam if it would be okay for us to take time to peruse the shops. I spotted a handmade tapestry I loved, thought up a price in my head I'd be willing to pay for it, & went to the vendor to start haggling. Islam had taught us to always first ask for half the price they're offering, & then adjust from there. That's exactly what I did, & Islam even came over to speak to the merchant I was haggling with to make sure I got what I wanted & got it at a fair price. In the end, I paid exactly what I wanted, & now I have this gorgeous piece to proudly display in my home.

Saqqara

At this final bus trip, our tour manager Remon rejoined us.

Saqqara is the first stone pyramid ever created on this planet. It is a step pyramid designed by the genius architect Imhotep. This was the starting point for stone pyramids in Egypt. Almost all of the pyramids were built for pharaohs during the Old Kingdom era. By the Middle Kingdom era most of the sites were entered & looted, so pyramid building stopped. While we were exploring the archaeological sites around here, we were shown one of the earliest pharaonic tombs. Not only was the inside painted & inscribed, but actually different parts of the stone wall itself were shaped into pictures. By shining a light on those areas, then turning off the lights, those shapes were revealed.

As you can see from the pictures, there are many step pyramids & pyramids all around the area. So far, over 100 different pyramids have been discovered in Egypt, & to this day they're still discovering new ones. Who knows what else sand & time will uncover?

After this excursion, we returned to the Sheraton Cairo Hotel, where we said goodbye to Islam, & freshened up for a final farewell dinner with Remon.

Final Pictures of Egypt

Final Thoughts

Well, we've reached the end of this journey. It's been bittersweet for me writing this, but I'm so excited to have finally shared this story with you. If you've managed to read this entire post, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know it took a long time to read, but I hope you found it worth your time. I've been working on this post for just over a month, because I wanted to make it as perfect & detailed as I could. I wanted to write not only so I could share my experience with you, but more than that--I wrote this for myself & as a love letter to Egypt.

I've been so lucky to have experienced quite a few different places around the world. Each location & culture I encountered, I searched for a feeling of warmth & belonging. I thought maybe in Ireland I'd find it. They were really lovely there, but no such luck.

But here, in Egypt, standing in Karnak Temple, among these ancient ruins, I finally felt it. I felt that I had come home. And what a homecoming it was.

If you've read all of this, & are still interested in reading & learning more, I have a secondary post about this trip, titled "Let's Travel: Egypt -- Logistics". That post covers fun facts on modern Egypt, travel tips, & more detailed information specifically about this tour. And if you have any specific questions about anything, feel free to message me! I could talk about Egypt for days. I have so many stories from there, & I'd love to share more.

If you have any good recommendations about things for me to review, or just general comments or suggestions, please send them my way! I truly love & appreciate all feedback.

Slainté!

Kathleen 💛

[ Photos taken by me, my family, & our tour guides. ]