Susan just returned from a trip to Egypt. Her husband joined her while she carried out site inspections in Cairo, Luxor, Abu Simbel, and Hurghada. They also managed to find time to celebrate their anniversary, cruising down the Nile on board the Nile Adventurer. Isadore wrote a daily blog and we thought it would be fun to share some of his observations. If you’d like to read the full account, click here.
[On the Delta flight to Cairo] A passenger complained to an attendant that there was no room in the bin above her seat. The attendant replied ” well the good news is all the overhead bins are going to the same place…..”
The Mena House Oberoi is across the street from the Pyramids. The hotel is amazing as is our room. We unpacked, relaxed on the deck gazing in awe at the huge Pyramids in our back yard. We dined in the restaurant which entertained us with a singer followed by a swirling fellow (Whirling dervish) and finally the belly dancer. This swirling guy spun around and around for ten minutes non-stop.
Our guide was a lady in her early fifties, drop dead gorgeous, blond, Egyptologist with a masters degree.
The statues of Ramses & the queens were just mind boggling. I used to consider the sun and heat of Namibia to be quite torturous, but clearly I was wrong as the midday temperatures reached 45 degrees in the shade – it was HOT HOT HOT.
We spent a fair amount of time at King Tutankhamen and then moved onto the Royal Mummies where we discovered the Gods mummified their favourite pets or animals. So amongst the animals were a dog, a ram, a cow, a 20ft Nile crocodile and many more.
The Pyramids are located just out of range of the Niles fertile banks. This left the soil for crops, hence most of the antiquities – pyramids, palaces and tombs etc. were built just out of reach of the river.
The sphinx took my breath away. Seeing all the pictures in the world cannot make up for your presence in front of a statue more than 5000 years old.
From the Presidents Suite, we heard nothing and felt nothing. Such smooth sailing. The sites along the banks were pretty much the same, mile after mile of fertile farming. Beyond the farmlands were the occasional mountains and factories and of course there were the antiquities the hungry tourists were anxious to see. And there was no shortage of them.
Of the 62 tombs found thus far, many of them have been closed to the public due to salty mineral build up on the rock face brought in by sweaty visitors. So the authorities open three or four at a time for a period then close those and open others. Should you have the craving desire to see a specific tomb, for a small additional fee of around US$5,000 you can get five minutes of private viewing.
Only as we approached the Red Sea did the terrain become mountainous and quite spectacular.
Entry to the suite was from the sea facing view into the living room with 12 ft ceilings and windows from floor to ceiling arched at the top.
The huge infinity pool over looked the Red Sea about sixty feet below. Down on the beach we found the diving shop where you can rent gear to snorkel and or dive. We both enjoyed the snorkeling immensely.
Find out about the trips we offer to Egypt, we can customize any itinerary for you. And rest assured, we’ve visited every hotel and sailed on all the cruise ships we recommend!