Cairo Craziness

CAIRO

The last days in Cairo are a blur after an unforgettable high the camel ride by the pyramids so after that most things seem to fade comparison.  We whisked away to the Sphinx, then a papyrus place, lunch and the Egyptian Museum. 

 It was at the museum that both Margaret and I began to break out in a sweat and need to sit whenever Osama would give us a brief of what we seeing.  The King Tut salon was air conditioned so we stayed in there as long as possible thinking it was the heat taking a toll.  We opted to bypass Khan al Kalihi for today. Back at the Fairmont Nile City in our luxurious Nile view room complete with flat screen television, "open concept" bath tub wired and positioned to enjoy a movie while bathing, 

Powerful Symbols of Love, Eternity and...

Big Kitty

CAIRO

The Great Pyramid

limestone top pyramid

check out the size of those stones!

Osama our guide and Egyptologist

up close and personal with a camel

girls on camels gone wild!

Head camel guy's business card!  Yes, that IS President
Obama's photo, he rode one of his camels...

the head camel guy

"Flats" do the Pyramids of Giza

Luxor on the Nile

LUXOR

After a day in the heat, we were very happy for cool liquids and air conditioning!  A shower and lots of hydration settled into the wifi lobby to get caught up on writing though I get distracted often by watching the comings and goings of people around me.  It is much too stifling and intense to be outside on the deck facing the Nile which I would rather so here I am keeping cool.

thai beef salad, yum!

Tonight we opted for a quick meal before we head out for the Sound and Light Show at Karnak Temple. The Thai restaurant was actually quite good ~ lighter in flavor though quite enjoyable and a good change from our mezze, bread and meat choices.

phad thai

The Karnak show was part walking through the temple, with a zillion other folks, in the dark then ending in an outdoor theater style setting across a moat to give the viewer a greater view of the expanse of the temple.  The narrative was quite dramatic that it made me giggle.  The sound effects of drama "duh duh, duhnnn" was quite soap opera like but entertaining none the less.  Everything about the Temple is massive:  the columns reminded me of those at the Vatican. the walls are high and wide, the obelisks mirror it's Parisian partner, the statues huge!

Funnier than that:  everyone was snapping photos right and left in the dark without actually being able to focus since you've got to shoot over everyone's heads.  For your enjoyment only I am attaching two photos I took, then gave up...

Entering the Temple of Karnak

See what I mean???

Before taking off for Cairo, one last look around...

water pipes for customer use...

making bread for the hotel

Across the Nile, Valley of the Kings in the background

Felucca ~ an Egyptian sailboat

Hieroglyphics,Temples and Tombs...oh my!

Colossi of Memnon

Colossi of Memnon

LUXOR

Arriving in Luxor in the evening in cooler temperatures made it easier though it was still a balmy 40 degrees centigrade; hot for a Northwesterner! A handsome honey-eyed man appropriately named Hani happily and smilingly greeted and whisked us away. Outside the airport terminal building thousands of singing birds and a few dozen men in caftans sitting in the grounds waiting to help with your luggage trying to make a living. We were clearly in a different place; on our drive into town there were no women on the street though lots of activity of cart pulling donkeys, caftan dressed men on scooters, honking trucks, and other vehicles competing for road space. The highway into town nicely lined with bougainvillea and Myrtle, giving the impression money had been recently sunk into tourism.

Steinberger Palace Hotel

Felucca at sunset on the Nile

The next morning Begat our Egyptologist guide and Amir the driver collected us at what they considered early, to get ahead of the intense heat. Eight thirty was not early enough! We crossed over the Nile to the West Bank towards the mountains. The transition from fertile green farmland and desert is abrupt. Begat began to tell the story of the Valley of the Kings, of the sixty two burial chambers, built deep into the mountain, of the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms, of Pharonic times, facts and numbers that it was mind boggling! Someone had 102 girls and 96 boys in his brood, in 1922 Howard Somebody found Tutankhamun's tomb, 100 plus tombs have yet to be found, 42 representatives judge at the gates to the afterworld. can you guess which of these numbers are untrue??  Begat's enthusiasm for history was remarkable though I had a tough time keeping up with all the facts and figures!

Entrance to the Valley of the Kings
NOTE: no cameras are allowed into the site so this is IT!

Begat studied eight years post graduate Egyptology, speaks four languages displaying great passion for his chosen career. Clearly well respected in the field as many of his colleagues stopped to ask him specific questions along the way. Making the most of our time, he chose three tombs for us to investigate; giving a lesson then letting you explore it.

Our next stop was an alabaster shop for a quick cool drink and opportunity to spend money - everyone does it, so we obliged ourselves.

handmade alabaster process

Before heading to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut; the only woman buried in the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatshepsut is depicted as a man, dressed as a man and ruled powerfully as a man. The temple was certainly a tribute to her rule, her strength, her fortitude to succeed on this male dominated society. Many of her likenesses were destroyed by a jealous husband who quickly took over after her death, erasing all evidence of her existence.

the falcon, symbol of strength

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

Begat our guide and Egyptologist