Quoting
MissMonteCarlo:
So I've returned from an amazing holiday. I've always wanted to go on a Nile Cruise. We sailed from Luxor to Aswan and back visiting all the sites along the way.
Luxor was a very run down looking city. The people are desperately poor and lack of tourism is not helping the situation. The hassle was rather daunting to begin with but by the end of the week you toughen up to it all.
We visited the Valley of the Kings, visiting the tombs of the various Pharaohs. I went inside Tutankhamens Tomb, saw him laid out and his gold sarcophagus. Was really incredible. The walls were so detailed and colourful. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos in the Valley of the Kings but bought photographs.
We also visited the temple of Hatshepsut who was the only woman ruler who reigned Egypt. It was amazing to see how grand these buildings look and how 3000-4000 years later there is still colour on the walls.
Sailing down the Nile seeing the rural life of the farmers was really interesting. I heard a strange noise whilst we were cruising and when I looked there was a farmer on a rowing boat, pulling this ox across to the other side of the river, trying to keep its head above the water. Poor creature! The children would be calling out and waving at the river banks. We also heard the call to prayer from the minarets as there were Mosques everywhere dotted along the river. Was quite a relaxing sound apart from when it woke me up at 4am and then the full recital of the prayer at 4.30am. That was an exhausting day.
Being a blue eyed blonde in Egypt was interesting. They stare at you alot, you gain many complements, discounts and sometimes free stuff and of course you get the offers for camels. My highest bidder was 3 million camels. lol
The temple of Komombo was amazing. Dedicated to two gods. The crocodile god (Sobek) and the falcon god (Horus), We saw the worlds oldest calendar. We arrived just before sunset and it was kind of magical watching the temple glow in the last of the sun.
Aswan was different to Luxor, less run down but more extreme hassle. Aswan is very beautiful. We visited the high dam, although I could not see any crocodiles on the other side. We visited the Philea Temple which is set out on an island. That temple was dedicated to the God Isis (goddess of magic and life). We learned of the story of Isis and Osiris, although I already knew the story. Had a bit of an oops experience there. During our free time a security guard with a gun in his pocket was trying to lead me away and show me great views for pics, ended up taking my photo and of course demanding money. I did give him the money as it was only the equivalent to a £1 and honestly I'm not going to argue with a guy with a gun in his pocket. Highlights the corruption over there though. Any help given or offered requires payment. Even going to some of the god awful toilets, requires payment.
Later that night we went to the Philea sound and light show which was spectacular. Seeing the buildings lit up like it's the voices of the gods telling you the story of Isis and Osiris. What was also amazing was looking up at the stars. So many stars. I even spotted Orion's belt which is the only star constellation I can so far identify lol. After the show our boat ride back was a bit dramatic. No lights on the boat so it was very dark and our engine cut out. We were like- ahh death on the Nile. However another boat rescued us.
We were so lucky with our guide named Yassar. He was so well educated and had a wealth of knowledge. He was actually a spokesman for the political leader of the opposition party in Egypt. He gave us a talk about the political situation in Egypt, pointing out that the last president was better for Egypt than the current leader and predicts another revolution possible civil war in future for Egypt.
I'll post some pics for now and discuss more about my Nile adventure later.
So I've returned from an amazing holiday. I've always wanted to go on a Nile Cruise. We sailed from Luxor to Aswan and back visiting all the sites along the way.
Luxor was a very run down looking city. The people are desperately poor and lack of tourism is not helping the situation. The hassle was rather daunting to begin with but by the end of the week you toughen up to it all.
We visited the Valley of the Kings, visiting the tombs of the various Pharaohs. I went inside Tutankhamens Tomb, saw him laid out and his gold sarcophagus. Was really incredible. The walls were so detailed and colourful. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos in the Valley of the Kings but bought photographs.
We also visited the temple of Hatshepsut who was the only woman ruler who reigned Egypt. It was amazing to see how grand these buildings look and how 3000-4000 years later there is still colour on the walls.
Sailing down the Nile seeing the rural life of the farmers was really interesting. I heard a strange noise whilst we were cruising and when I looked there was a farmer on a rowing boat, pulling this ox across to the other side of the river, trying to keep its head above the water. Poor creature! The children would be calling out and waving at the river banks. We also heard the call to prayer from the minarets as there were Mosques everywhere dotted along the river. Was quite a relaxing sound apart from when it woke me up at 4am and then the full recital of the prayer at 4.30am. That was an exhausting day.
Being a blue eyed blonde in Egypt was interesting. They stare at you alot, you gain many complements, discounts and sometimes free stuff and of course you get the offers for camels. My highest bidder was 3 million camels. lol
The temple of Komombo was amazing. Dedicated to two gods. The crocodile god (Sobek) and the falcon god (Horus), We saw the worlds oldest calendar. We arrived just before sunset and it was kind of magical watching the temple glow in the last of the sun.
Aswan was different to Luxor, less run down but more extreme hassle. Aswan is very beautiful. We visited the high dam, although I could not see any crocodiles on the other side. We visited the Philea Temple which is set out on an island. That temple was dedicated to the God Isis (goddess of magic and life). We learned of the story of Isis and Osiris, although I already knew the story. Had a bit of an oops experience there. During our free time a security guard with a gun in his pocket was trying to lead me away and show me great views for pics, ended up taking my photo and of course demanding money. I did give him the money as it was only the equivalent to a £1 and honestly I'm not going to argue with a guy with a gun in his pocket. Highlights the corruption over there though. Any help given or offered requires payment. Even going to some of the god awful toilets, requires payment.
Later that night we went to the Philea sound and light show which was spectacular. Seeing the buildings lit up like it's the voices of the gods telling you the story of Isis and Osiris. What was also amazing was looking up at the stars. So many stars. I even spotted Orion's belt which is the only star constellation I can so far identify lol. After the show our boat ride back was a bit dramatic. No lights on the boat so it was very dark and our engine cut out. We were like- ahh death on the Nile. However another boat rescued us.
We were so lucky with our guide named Yassar. He was so well educated and had a wealth of knowledge. He was actually a spokesman for the political leader of the opposition party in Egypt. He gave us a talk about the political situation in Egypt, pointing out that the last president was better for Egypt than the current leader and predicts another revolution possible civil war in future for Egypt.
I'll post some pics for now and discuss more about my Nile adventure later.
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