Cairo 22nd Feb 09- Tour of the Pyramids and Sphinx. The most underdeveloped tourist attraction in the world. Set amongst one of Cairo's sprawling suburbs. Camel and Horse touts everywhere.
- Great Pyramid of Khufu 146 metres tall
- Khafre- looks taller due to its location on higher ground. Still complete with limestone casing on the peak
- Menkavre- the smallest with three smaller pyramids alongside
- Sphinx-small head, big feet. Napolean blew up the nose. Built by Khafre with left over limestone from the Khufu pyramid
- Sakkara- Step pyramid of Zoser the worlds oldest stone monument and first attempt at a pyramid
- Dashur-poverty in the town. The Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid which held Khafre fathers tomb
- 6th of October Bridge-commemorating Egypt taking back the Sinai from Israel in 1973
Upper Egypt=Luxor and Aswan
Lower Egypt=Cairo and Alexandra
Cairo 23 Feb 09 (12 hour sleep !!!)-Bomb overnight in Khan el Khailli market. Scary start to the day. Lost in the direction of the Grand Bazaar, a taxi to correct us. Big Police presence but no remnants of the previous night. A labyrinth of alleys with different areas of speciality. Tea at the famous tea room El Fishawai. Street vendor felafel and crisps for lunch. A visit to the Coptic Christian area full of crosses seeming strange with the call to prayer in the background. Kosharry for dinner then onto our night train to Aswan. Purchased alcohol free beer by mistake.
Aswan 24 Feb 09- Good sleep on the train. Friendly staff at the Keylany Hotel. Felafel on the street, 4 sandwiches for less than 1 euro. Constant Felucca hassle and touts. Agree to one hour trip end up with two. Nubian skippers. Criss cross down stream, little wind up. More hassle in the souq. Ulster Bank cancel our credit card for fraudulent activity. Restaurant El Medina for dinner ate Kofta (mince meat kebabs). Violently ill afterwards. Ended up cancelling our trip to Abu Simbel. Incredible noise during the night, TV, dogs, roosters, horns and the call to prayer.
Aswan 25 Feb 09- Still not 100%. Managed to get a local ferry across the Nile to a Nubian Village and tombs of the nobles. Great views back to Aswan. Rest on the Hotel rooftop then a walk to the Nubian Museum. The most impressive building in Egypt so far. Traced the history of the Nubian people from the Old Kingdom to today. Piece on the high dam construction. Dam was built to counter flooding and to make the valley more fertile consistently throughout the year. Resulted in 20-30% more productivity. Also info on the huge project of moving Abu Simbel up 62 metres so it sat on the new river bank. Chips for dinner and a early night.
Aswan 26 Feb 09-Ridiculously early start for 4am convoy to Abu Simbel, 80k short of the Sudan border. Surrounded by dessert, some of the most inhospitable landscape I have ever seen. The temple towers 20 metres high, dedicated to the three gods Ra-Hakarty, Amun, Ptah and himself Ramses 2. Incredible hieroglyphics inside. Temple of Hathor alongside six 10 metre statues, four of Ramses and two of his wife Nefertari. Killed some time in back in Aswan. Train to Luxor and a ride to the Bob Marley inspired Nubian Oasis.
Luxor 27 Feb 09 (as known as Thebes ancient capital of the Middle and New Kingdoms)-Rooftop brekkie. Mission to find bus ticket office. Finally located and ye man is off praying. Quieter today as it is Friday. Tried a weak Turkish coffee. Ferry to west bank, to much wind for the Feluccas today. Touts even on the ferry. Bike ride to Deir el Bahri (Funerary Temple of Hatsheput) built into the Thebian hills. Onto the amazing Valley of the Kings. The Royal Necropolis, 60 tombs in total. We visited Ramses 4, Seti 1, Ramses 9, Ramses 1 (a hurried construction). All had a rock hewn corridor, vibrant colours on the halls, different chambers and the sarcophagus itself. The royalty were buried with items to use in the afterlife and organs offered to the gods. Discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. Couple of beers on the roof and Western style baguettes for dinner.
Luxor 28 Feb 09-Rooftop brekkie and left luggage in our dodgy Nubian Oasis. Leisurely walk through the souq, one side tourists the other locals. Fish, meat, pigeons, chickens, hardware, veges, clothes you name it. Onto Karnak Temple the largest ever Egyptian excavation. Built and added to throughout the middle and new kingdoms. Entry through the Sphinx lined path into the 1st Pylon and Great Court. Next room the highlight a 6000sqm great hypostyle hall with its 164 still standing pillars all inscribed. A walk along the Nile back to the Luxor temple past some manicured gardens kept no doubt for the cruise ships. Another snack time baguette before our 17 hour bus mission to Dahab via, Hurghada, Suez and Sharm el Sheikh.
Dahab 01 March 09-Awake at 6am after nodding on and off all night. Freezing cold as still wearing shorts. Rain and wind in the upper Sinai. A few touts on arrival in Dahab. Room on the beach in the Penguin. A wander along the promenade. A taste of snorkeling at the lighthouse reef, impressive stuff. A couple of beers watching the Carling Cup final Man U v Spurs. Dinner at the non-touristy road. Still not feeling 100%.
Dahab 02 March 09- First run of the trip along the beach. Brekkie on the beach amongst the pillows and cats. Mid morn departure for St Katherine Monastery. 2 and a half hour trek up Mt Sinai. Snow everywhere, cold at the top 2280m. Disappointing sunset. Incredible landscapes though, lunar like rock formations stretching as far as the eye can see. Descent in the fading light. Back to Dahab for first Shwarma and new room as old one had cockroaches. Mt Sinai where Moses received the 10 commandments.
Dahab 03 March 09- Brekkie on the beach with the cats again. Jeep to the Blue Hole for some snorkelling. 100m drop off from the beach. Amazing coral and reef fish. Two stints second with wet suit. Cold breeze. Packaged tourists from Sharm on day trips especially Russians. Beers overlooking Dahab Bay and Kohary for dinner.
Dahab/Nueiba 04 March 09- Last brekkie with the stray cats, dogs and flies. Mini bus to Nueiba and the Fayrouz camp. Deserted beach with scattered waterfront huts. Aborted snorkeling attempt due to jellyfish. A wander through hundreds of old huts, partly destroyed and empty. Spent afternoon starring at Saudi Arabia, ferries, planes in the sun. A feast cooked by our Sudanese host Mohammed followed by an early night.
Nueiba/Aqaba 05 March 09- Uncomfortable sleep, woken up by the sun and lapping sea on the beach. Tickets for the ferry and a couple of more hours on the beach. Nightmare ferry arrived three hours before departure, painfully slow journey followed by a huge delay once in Jordan. Taxi to Aqaba and an expensive Hotel for the night. Shwarma and a fruit cocktail for dinner.
