Death is but the doorway to new life.

Ahlan (أهلاً) from Egypt. Apologies, this is a bit of an epic blog as 2 weeks in Egypt feels like about a month as there is soooooooooo much to see. 

Leaving Alexandria we headed to Giza – a fairly grotty town but with the Great Pyramids of Egypt and the Sphinx on its doorstep, it’s a must for any visitor to Egypt. If you can, stay in Giza itself in a hotel with a view of the pyramids - there are quite a few of them. We had a view from both our bedroom window and from the rooftop terrace where we had breakfast, so we could see dawn, sunset and the light show from the comfort of our bed 😊. Pick a hotel with a restaurant as where we were there were no restaurants within comfortable walking distance and there weren’t really any footpaths, the roads were covered with garbage and it all felt a bit dodge. You can use uber to call taxi’s to take you anywhere you want to go.  We just stayed two nights, so we had a packed day heading first to the Egyptian Museum and then the Pyramids.

 

The new Grand Egyptian Museum has now opened in Giza and they have moved all of the Tutankhamen exhibit plus other stuff out there. While it had been open to the public over the last few months it was unfortunately closed for 2 weeks while we were there for its grand opening the day after we left!! It reopened to the public on 4 November. It was a shame Trap didn’t get to see these riches but we did see some of the 120,000 artefacts still at the original museum in town. It’s looking a little dusty now and you could see where artefacts had been moved to the new museum, but it’s apparently going to be redesigned and freshened up shortly.

 

On to the Pyramids – we got tickets online the night before and I HIGHLY recommend doing this as you can then enter from the Sphinx entrance very easily. There is apparently a ticket booth at this entrance but we didn’t see one and we saw lots of confused tourists trying to find out where to get tickets. It’s not a timed entry or anything, just book for the day you want to go. There is another new entrance where there is a ticket office but it was at the other side of the plateau. We whipped through security (getting kind of used to having to go through multiple sets of bag and body scanners when you go anywhere) and headed straight to the Sphinx. He (if you follow Egyptian mythology) was quite lovely and majestic keeping watch over the crowds. There were quite a few people (although not as bad as expected) so we joined the lines to get some pics. When I was last here, you could get up close but now he's all roped off.

 

They have free buses which take you around the site which are brilliant. The bus staff were really helpful telling you which line to get on for where you wanted to go and there was plenty of room. With the high temps, burning sun and no shelter, I’m glad I didn’t have to drag Trap across the desert to the different pyramids!  We headed off to the Great Pyramid of Khufu which is next door to the Pyramid of Khafre. These massive monuments, along with the Pyramid of Menkaure, are some of the largest structures ever built and were originally covered in polished white limestone. They are central to Egyptian royal ideology and funerary beliefs. Just to note, your entry fee includes visiting everything but not going inside the pyramids themselves. You have to pay extra for that and buy it at the gate before you enter. You can’t buy tickets at the pyramids themselves.

 

The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It served as the tomb of Pharaoh Khufu ("Cheops”). It was built around 2600 BC over a period of 26 years. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only wonder that has remained largely intact. The second largest, Khafre, still has some of the limestone cladding at the top, the only Giza pyramid to still have it. It was the tomb of Pharaoh Khafre who ruled from 2558-2532 BC and is estimated to have taken 20 years to complete. The final and smallest of the three, Menkaure, also took around 20 years to complete. It’s hard to even imagine how many thousands of people were involved in building these structures and how they have stood the test of time.

From Giza, we flew down to Luxor to join our Nile Cruise. Our flight was rescheduled to an hour later meaning we landed when it was dark. Our airport transfer was in a pretty old van and seemed to go through all the backstreets before our driver got in an argument with a motorcyclist who was weaving slowly in front of the van. Yelling turned to our driver exiting the vehicle to fighting and people coming out to see what was going on. We stayed in the back of the van but tried to get our driver to leave and drive us to the hotel. It is the first time in 8 months that we have felt unsafe and nervous. The hotel was cheap and basic but ended up being fine, however, we decided to pay a bit more from now on!!

 

We were picked up the next morning by our tour operator and ended up with our own guide and driver. We headed off to Karnak, a large complex with temples, pylons, chapels and other buildings. Karnak is the second most visited site in Egypt after the pyramids, so we were not alone in admiring the incredible structures. Approximately thirty pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity, and diversity not seen elsewhere in Egypt. Few of the individual features of Karnak are unique, but the size and number of features are vast. I had a quick cuddle with the colossal statue of Rameses II before we departed. An impressive start to our Nile trip.

 

Our second stop was at Luxor Temple. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of a pharaoh in death. Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship. Alexander the Great claimed he had been crowned at Luxor but there’s no evidence he was actually there. Once again it was incredible to see how well preserved/conserved the site is.

 

After a wee drive around Luxor and a visit to the Colossus of Agamemnon, we headed to the boat to check in and grab some lunch. We picked a mid-range boat and it was very pleasant. The staff were lovely, food really good and room comfortable.

 

Early the next morning (4.15am) I was up and heading off for my hot air balloon ride. A small boat ride, then wait in a van and 2 hours later, the flight was cancelled and it was back to the boat – Trap was still in bed!

 

After breakfast, we headed off to the Valley of the Kings. There are around 63 tombs in the Valley of the Kings, though the exact number varies slightly. These tombs served as the burial sites for pharaohs, royal family members, and nobles of the New Kingdom era, with most dating from approximately 1539 BC to 1075 BC. Your entry gets you into any three tombs excluding Tutankhamun’s, Seti I or Rameses V/VI – you have to pay extra for these. For a small fee you can catch a golf buggy up to the start of the tombs.

 

We headed into Rameses IX first – the mosaics, colours, design are just incredible and very easy to access. Due to it being open since antiquity, it was looted and is missing its sarcophagus and mummy. Inside, you can see astronomical ceilings, with the burial chamber decorated with images of the goddess Nut, and scenes from the Book of the Earth, and the Book of the Day and Night. As you can imagine we took heaps of photos, but I have only included a small portion here!

I headed to Merenptah’s tomb next which while not as colourful, is one of the deepest and was quite a hike down into the depths. It wasn’t as packed as some of the others and has a massive pink granite sarcophagus (though the mummy is gone), intricate wall decorations with religious texts like the Book of the Dead and Book of Gates, alongside evidence of ancient graffiti from Greek and Coptic visitors. It was quite surreal being so deep.

 

Trap headed into Raneses III, an easier to access tomb. While there, his phone was snatched from his hand by an attendant, photos taken from behind the blocked area, handed back and he was asked for money – which he didn’t have any of!!!  In all these tombs locals offer you to climb over the barriers or take photos, but they will charge you for it. This tomb contains a sarcophagus (minus its lid), five bronze shabti figures, and numerous decorative paintings on the walls. However, due to ancient damage and looting, most of the original funerary equipment are gone. The tomb is also famous for its unique "Tomb of the Harpists" decoration which you can see in the pics. 

Our final tomb was Rameses 4 – another popular spot. Once again there are gorgeous designs and paintings on the walls and roof. It is truly incredible seeing such amazing paintings so clearly.

 

Leaving the Valley of the Kings, we headed to the other side of the hill to the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was the sixth pharaoh of Egypt, ruling first as regent, then as queen regent from 1479 BC until 1458 BC.  She was Egypt's second confirmed woman who ruled in her own right. As well as the amazing engineering, the Temple of Hatshepsut is important because it offers insight into her rule. Hatshepsut was largely written out of history, but the stories told on the colonnades in the temple shed a lot of light on the two decades of her reign.

 

Back to the boat and a well-earned rest (especially after my early start) as we started our journey down the Nile. There are hundreds of boats on the Nile at any one time, so at times it feels a bit like a bus station, however it doesn’t distract from the tranquillity. 

 

Boat passing us

We travelled till late evening, arriving at Edfu for our overnight stay. We were supposed to go through the lock on the way to Edfu about 6.30pm, however we were still waiting when I went to bed. Trap woke about 1am and watched us head through. Early the next morning we headed off to Edfu, the best-preserved  ancient Egyptian temple. Its walls are covered in inscriptions detailing mythology and rituals, while its architecture showcases the fusion of Egyptian and Greek styles and its large scale makes it a magnificent monument.

 

Getting back on board, we cruised for a few hours before landing in Kom Ombo about 6pm. I went on the night excursion to the temple and you get quite a different perspective at night. We were so close, Trap could watch from the rooftop bar – snapping a couple of pics while drinking a cold beer. It was very busy, but with just our guide and me, I got a more personalised tour and was soo pleased not to be among the larger tour groups – it was very cool.

 

After a cold beer and some dinner we were lulled to sleep as we continued floating down the Nile towards Aswan.

 

Awaking in Aswan, our guide made a change to our itinerary, moving the visit to Abu Simbel to the following day, making day 4 of our trip a bit more relaxing. We headed off to see the Aswan Dam and the Temple of Philae which you have to take a boat to. Again you see incredible carving, design and preservation.

 

After our final night on board, we headed off at 5.30am on our final tour of the trip to Abu Simbel. When deciding whether to do this, keep in mind it is about 3.5hrs driving each way for about a 1/1.5hr visit.  Having said that – WOW, WOW, WOW! The Great Temple of Rameses II and the temple of his beloved wife Queen Nefertiti are pretty incredible (yes I know I seem to be using the same words again and again but there are only so many superlatives available!).

 

The Great Temple is dedicated to the pharaoh and the gods Amun-Ra, Re-Horakhty, and Ptah, while the smaller temple honours Nefertari. Both temples were carved into the mountainside. They were relocated in the 1960s to save them from flooding caused by the Aswan High Dam – we watched a video on the four year process to move them and what a monumental feat. It took less time than expected as people from around the world volunteered to assist. If you haven’t been, you’ll probably recognise the façade as it’s pretty famous with its four colossal statues of Ramesses II. Queen Nefertari’s tomb has beautiful reliefs and statues and is unusual because it is only the second time an entire temple was dedicated to a royal wife.

 

We were dropped off at our Aswan hotel in the Nubian valley and thus ended our Nile adventure. While the hotel was cheap and very basic (we had booked it before our new resolution!), we were treated to local food for dinner and a Nubian dance show that evening. Typically, I got pulled up to dance with the troop, while Trap videoed – thanks Trap – not!!

 

This trip has been incredible and if you don’t have Egypt on your bucket list already, put it on there. It is beautiful, awe-inspiring, majestic and moving - a must see.

 

We have had a slight change in plans again. Trap’s passport expires in June next year and I miscalculated it as January for the 6-month cut off that you need on your passport to enter a country. It turns out that mid Dec is the cut off and from wherever we are from that date will be the last country we can visit on his existing passport (excl Aussie). So we have headed to Asia a bit earlier than planned and are now relaxing in our apartment in Bangkok after a 28-hr journey from Aswan to Cairo to Bahrain to Bangkok!!!! We are here for a week before heading to Ko Chang for another week - that’s all we have planned at the mo.

 

This blog’s sign off is a little more philosophical than usual, from Egyptian mythology: “True wisdom is less presuming than folly. The wise man doubteth often, and changeth his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubteth not; he knoweth all things but his own ignorance.”

 

เจอกันที่เมืองไทยนะ - Cex kạn thī̀ meụ̄xng thịy na (See you in Thailand).

 

J&T xx