So on to my story. We departed on our packaged tour to Egypt. Ah…. Yes! Egypt, the land of Pharaohs, famous pyramids, historical sites, burial chambers, mysteries and oh yes the unique belly dancing! Naturally the roads were a well trodden one and the route was similar to many major tours, however, on our packaged tour we had the benefit of two friendly guides, magnificent hotels, superb cuisine and hospitality, including excellent company.
As we arrived in Cairo and checked-in to a hotel, due to extreme jetlag I crashed on my bed and dozed off missing dinner with the group. Everyone else had doubts of whether I fell ill after an extended flight with a long hazardous transit, where arising questions provoked my poor hubby who had some explaining to do.
The next morning was a great day filled with anticipation and impatience to begin my long awaited tour. The moment I stepped out, a sudden chill in the air, yes that is winter in Egypt, very cold indeed.
Cairo is a busy city, bustling crowd and plenty of vehicles. Our bus had to skew through the traffic to reach our destination. From Cairo new city we headed to the old town. Our itinerary began with a trip to view the famous huge statue of Ramses II and an alabaster Sphinx. We were in awe as we admired the statue; it was carved from one gigantic stone almost 3000 years ago.
Next we headed off to the dessert of Saqqara or “Sakkara” where one of the “Seven Wonders of the World” stood; “The Great Pyramids of Giza”. When we reached there, I remembered the funny remarks of my Uncle who often teased my mom who loved to travel to countries filled with “sand and stones” and mom would reply “it’s all pure history”! When you’re there you're actually walking on pure, untainted sand that stretches westward for almost 3,000 miles. Some tourists were so fascinated that they in fact collected some sand into bottles as mementos of their journey.
Later, we moved to a view site of all three Giza pyramids, Cheops, Chephren, and Mycerinus; Cheops being the largest pyramid. Here the realization hit home, we had to pose for a snap shot of the breathtaking view.
Our visit to Giza was not complete without a visit to the nearby Sphinx. This huge statue, half man, half lion, was carved from one huge stone during Pharaoh Chephren’s rule, but its purpose remains a mystery. Its missing nose and beard were the result of mishaps during the war ages. Of course, the camel guys were there, and the junk sellers, etc. Some from our tour group ended the day with a camel ride up to an even better viewpoint out in the desert. We had to pass on that ride except uncle, as we all continued to stand there, ignoring the tourist mobs who laughed, took pictures and ran on to the next sight.
Some of Egypt’s greatest ancient wonders are the breathtakingly vivid wall paintings in the pharaohs’ Valley of the Kings. The most awe inspired moment after the Great Pyramids is the Sun Temple at Abu Simbel of four giant statues of Ramses II. It was quite a feat for Archeologists to have actually moved the entire sculptures in pieces and reassembling them on a nearby dry land for preservation purposes. Among other sites visited were the Ptolemic Temple, Egyptian Museum, The Alabaster Mosque, Old Dam, The Temple of Horus, The Karnak, Luxor and Queen Hatshepsut Temple. Our trip would also not be completed without shopping as we were brought to the ever famous Egyptian bazaar, cotton factory, Papyrus centre and the Alabaster crystal factory.
The most memorable part of our tour wasn’t only touring the famous sites but funny gestures and crack pot jokes made by my aunt and uncle; as they never actually slept through the nights due to extreme excitement, asking each other whether dawn broke almost every hour since they hit the sack. Everyday throughout our entire trip uncle would eventually be the first to arise as early as 4 am to awaken the rest of the group. But I will never forget that we also celebrated my hubby’s birthday on board the 3 days River Nile cruise liner, courtesy of the friendly crew who wheeled in a cake for him.
In Egypt, the stones speak to all visitors of the ancient sites, but they literally spring to life when our much knowledgeable tour guide relates their stories while walking in the steps of pharaohs.
The Egyptian trip was the culmination to many years of anticipating its amazing and timeless wonders of the world. Our visit left us awed and inspired to learn more of ancient Egypt, already considered ancient when the Greeks discovered the Giza Pyramids, naming them among the World's Seven Wonders.
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