Touring around Egypt
At Easter 2006 myself and my twin brother went to a place we had both long wanted to visit - Egypt. It was to be our opportunity to cram all there is to see in just 13 days!
We started our
At Easter 2006 myself and my twin brother went to a place we had both long wanted to visit - Egypt. It was to be our opportunity to cram all there is to see in just 13 days!
We started our trip in Cairo. An opening night dinner cruise got us into the spirit, complete withbelly dancing entertainment and the amazing whirling dervishes!
Giza was the next port of call to see the famous pyramids. They do not disappoint, mostly because of their enormous size, which in itself is awe-inspiring. The only drawback is the locals that try to sell you thinks. They are very pesistent and tricky too, trying every trick they can to con you into buying something. The best thing to do is to keep moving and avoid eye contact. If you have a good guide - and we did in the shape of the wonderful Sharif! - they will often keep these people at bay. I know they are only trying to make a living, but they do harrass visitors and it can spoil your enjoyment.
While at Gize take the opportunity to climb down into one of the pyramids, but beware as the space is very small and you will have to crouch down as you climb. It's also overpoweringly hot down there, as there is no breezde at all under the pyramid, so be prepared to be uncomfortable.
In addition, make sure you check out the Sphinx. A word of warning - it is not as big as you think, so bear that in mind or you may be disappointed. While in the area we also visited the first pyramids built in Saqqara.
From Cairo we took an overnight sleeper train to Aswan. It's a good way to make the long journey and not waste any of your precious time in Egypt. Upon arrival we took in the Aswan Dam, which in my opinion was slightly disappointing.
However, our trip to nearby Phillae Temple did not disappoint me. This is a beautiful spot which you can only reach by a short boat trip and the ruins there are excellent.
If you get as far south as Aswan, it was be a crime not to spend a little extra cash and take a trip to Abu Simbel. We took a very early flight there (by early I mean getting up at 3am!) and watched the sun rise there, so that the red rock that makes up this impressive structure almost glows as the sun hits it. Amazing and so worth the early start. It also means its not too crowded there then and not too hot. Perfect!
Back in Aswan, we boarded a felucca for a three-day cruise down the River Nile. To be honest I feared that I might find this boring, but actually it was one of the nicest and most relaxing few days I have had. Local beduin crew guide the traditional boat down the river, powered only by the breeze, so all you have to do is sit back, eat, drink and chat - bliss!
There are stops along the way to Luxor - notably Kom Ombo and Edfu and we enjoyed an evening in a traditional beduin village, where some of our party from New Zealand treated us to their traditional Haka.
Once in Luxor we took in Luxor Temple (lit up at night) and Karnack Temple. We also visited the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, where we battled the sweltering heat to climb down into the tombs. Queen Hashepsut Temple was also another stop whilst we were in the area.
With mainland Egypt done, we went to the Sinai peninsular via Hurgada and after a very long coach journey we made it to Dahab. A small diving and snorkelling community, this is the closest settlement to the famous Blue Hole and it's an amazing sie to visit for spectacular coral and fish. You have to be an experienced diver to dive this site, so we made do with snorkelling, but as the best coral and marinelife is near the surface this is just as good. Other great sites we visited while we were there included the Lighthouse.
The other great thing about Dahab is the bars and restaurants on the front. Its a great evening out with lots of open air cafes, bars and restaurants. We were there less that a week before the bombing and it made me so sad to think that such a blissful place was turned into a blood bath. I hope people keep going there, so this wonderful place continues to benefit from the tourism is relies on so much.
We were almost at the end of our trip, so it was back to Cairo. There was just time to visit the Egypt Museum, which is well worth a visit and then it was off home.
Egypt is a fantastic and interesting place to visit and if this trip sounds exciting to you make sure you give it a go. We went with On The Go and I would toroughly recommend them.
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