11 days in Egypt = Incredible.
Craig and I flew from Frankfurt, Germany on Thursday 21st of April to Cairo, Egypt. I had some anxiety prior to this trip due to the recent events that had occurred in Egypt. However, we had booked our trip through a tour company and were assured everything in Egypt was fine. Also, we felt security in knowing we would be traveling with a tour group. I am happy to say that during our travel in Egypt we did not run into any problems. Instead we were constantly greeted with people who are hopeful and excited for their future.
Upon arriving at Cairo's airport, we saw a massive billboard inside the airport which said “We must educate our children to become like young Egyptian people” – Barack Obama. Seeing the sign brought Craig and I felt relief. At least the Egyptian people would be welcoming to Americans!
We were grateful to be met at the airport by a representative from our travel company, Oasis. He helped us with our visas and currency exchange as well as escorted us to a taxi.
The taxi ride was very nerve racking for me. Supposedly, the trip was to be 15 minutes from the airport to our hotel. However, it ended up taking 1.5 hours. We dropped off the representative after leaving the airport, and had an exciting ride with the taxi driver. He was a very charming man and I think he could sense my anxiety because he explained to me that Cairo traffic is very stressful, but people are accustomed to driving in it. He then went on to explain that the lines on the road are just for decoration. This was obvious by the 5 lanes of cars trying to drive down a 3 lane highway.
Once at the hotel we were again grateful to be met by someone from Oasis who provided us with more information about our adventure in Egypt. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to meet with the others from our group.
After a short night's sleep we met the rest of our group for a day of sightseeing in Cairo. We were very happy to see that our group members were around our age. There were 11 Kiwi's and 1 Scotsman.
The first stop for the day was the Egyptian Museum. The museum is located next to Tahrir Square which has become very famous due to the recent riots in Cairo. Thankfully, the museum remained unharmed during the revolution. Unfortunately, we were not able to take cameras into the museum.
First, we had a tour through the museum. This was very helpful because labels were not widely seen. Something that struck Craig and I was how it felt as if we were tramping through someone's attic. Artifacts were out in the open and we weaved in and out of them. When we saw King Tut's mask we were of course amazed at the beauty but also at how close we were able to get to it. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the lock was held on by two pieces of metal wire twisted together!
After the museum we headed to a perfume shop for lunch. We were greeted by an older man who was a character! He wore a traditional long robe and kept us laughing throughout our Egyptian lunch. Afterward, he showed us perfumes that he makes. I know nothing about perfumes. However, one of the girls in the group kept saying how certain perfumes smelled exactly like what you would buy at the store (for example: Dior). The perfume man explained that he takes flowers and crushes them to make the smells. He then exports the perfumes all over the world and the companies take what he sends them and mixes it with chemicals. We couldn't believe it! Of course, I had to buy a small bottle of very nice smelling perfume which was sold at an unbelievable price (I sound just like a salesman; but it was a cool souvenir).
After we had a full tummy and reeked of different types of perfume, we headed to the pyramids. I had always envisioned the pyramids being out in the middle of the desert. Instead, they appeared to be right on the edge of town. Seeing the pyramids for the first time was certainly a highlight of the trip. I mean, the Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the last remaining natural wonders of the world! Craig actually went inside of the Great Pyramid which I know was a highlight for him.
Part of our day trip included a camel ride. This was not a very comfortable ride, and I had unfortunately wore a dress. Luckily, Craig was a good husband and held my dress down for me so I wouldn't show all of Cairo my bloomers.
After the pyramids we drove over to take a look at the beautiful Sphinx. We certainly took a lot of touristy photos, but we love 'em.
After a day of trekking around we caught a late night flight to Luxor. We arrived in Luxor around midnight and was once again met at the airport and escorted to our hotel. We were excited when the Oasis representative told us about the opportunity to go on a Felucca ride on the Nile River.
Therefore, the next morning we woke up and headed to the Nile. There we boarded a sailboat which is called a felucca. I was surprised at the young boy who was on board the boat and working quite hard to prepare the boat for sailing. We asked the sailor if the boy was his son and he said no, the boy worked for him. The boy had worked for him for 2 years already. I couldn't believe it! The child was only 10 years old.
On the Nile we had a nice time enjoying the sites. Our guide spoke a little about the recent revolution that took place. He, like most people we talked to, were excited and hopeful for the future. Unfortunately, the tourism in Egypt has suffered due to the revolution, however this particular Egyptian thought the lack of money was worth the freedom the people had gained.
After our felucca ride we rushed back to the hotel to meet our fabulous tour leader, Jenny. Jenny took care of us for the remainder of the trip.
During our afternoon in Luxor we visited the Luxor Temple. Once again, we were shown around by a tour guide. Egyptian history is pretty incredible. I was amazed to actually see hieroglyphics. As the trip progressed, I learned that the Ancient Egyptians had a lot to say. Everywhere historical we went was covered in hieroglyphics.
For dinner we ate in the middle of a market. Of course, I had to try my hand at haggling. I didn't buy anything, but had a lot of fun. I also became fluent at saying “no, thank you” in Arabic.
The next day in Luxor we had a 5:45 AM start. Needless to say, we were exhausted but we knew it was necessary. When in the desert it is much more sensible to start early before it gets too hot.
We spent the morning walking through the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Workers. These were the burial grounds for the kings and workers; in separate locations. It was a bit morbid at times to know that we were walking into someone's burial place. However, the tombs were incredible. They were painted and had hieroglyphics covering the walls. The hieroglyphics told the story of the king that was buried there. As I was walking through I tried to imagine what it would be like to stumble upon this tomb filled with treasures. They were massive chambers which had a tunnel which led down to the actual spot for the mummy.
The Valley of the Workers was not as lavish because the workers had to spend their time preparing the tomb for the king. However, they did work weekends on their own tombs and they were very special. Just a small bit of information, the Ancient Egyptians believed that their tomb prepared them for their entry into the next life.
After our time walking in the tombs, we took a ride along the West Bank of the Nile. I rode a donkey but Craig rode a horse. It was great way to explore the village.
That afternoon were given the option to visit an orphanage which is sponsored by the company we were traveling with. Craig and I have a soft spot for children, but didn't feel comfortable going to the orphanage and not be able to help out. So, we asked if we could at least bring something. Yes! The orphanage was happy to accept donations and told us some suggestions. We then got to go on a bit of an adventure to find diapers, and were happy to have something to bring with us to the orphanage.
Visiting the orphanage was certainly another highlight. The children were healthy, clean and happy to see us. I spent my time cuddling with the babies. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of wearing shorts. I received some glances from the staff that my outfit was inappropriate. I learned quickly on this trip, that being covered was the best way to walk around. Muslim women cover their entire bodies, so you can only imagine what they are thinking seeing me in shorts!
In the evening we took a boat to the other side of the Nile where we enjoyed a full Egyptian meal complete with music and dancing. It was a great night.
On our last day in Luxor we visited Karnak temple. This temple is massive!
We then took a 4 hour bus journey through the desert to Hurghada. This is a town along the Red Sea. We spent the night here and then caught a plane to Sharm el Sheikh.
Our plane ride was a good 20 minutes. We had a beautiful view of the Red Sea. The wonderful thing about flying is that it cut out the 14 hour bus journey it would've taken to reach Dahab.
Once in Sharm we caught a taxi to Dahab. Dahab was a breath of fresh air. The people are much more laid back. Our hotel was right on the Red Sea and was stunning. We could look out over the sea and see Saudi Arabia.
We had anticipated spending our time in Dahab laying out in the Egyptian sun, but there was too much to do!
The day after arriving in Dahab we took jeeps out to the blue hole for snorkeling. The blue hole was right off the beach. Craig and I had a lot of fun swimming around looking at the beautiful fish.
However, Craig managed to scrape his leg on coral which hurts a great deal. I then stepped in a crack between two rocks and bummed up my ankle. After that the entry way I was walking on to get out of the water broke and my foot feel through. My ankle turned a pretty purple but luckily a little ice and some elevation and I was good as new.
What should you do after a full day of snorkeling and sun? Well, hike up a mountain of course!
One excursion Craig and I had certainly wanted to do while in Egypt was hike to the top of Mt. Sinai. This is where Moses was said to receive the 10 Commandments. Also St. Catherine's Monastery, located at the bottom of the mountain, is said to be where the burning bush is. We just had to see this!
Therefore, at 11 PM we set out in a taxi with other members of our group for a 2 hour ride, through the desert, to Mt. Sinai. I received a fright when I was woken up. We had only been driving 15 minutes when our driver was asked to pull over. We were at a police checkpoint. I groggily looked out the window to see several men, one wearing a long white robe and white scarf around his head, talking passionately to the driver. I cannot even say all of the thoughts that were going through my mind! I kept asking, “uh.. what's going on???” From what I gather, our driver did not have the right date on the tourist visa. When traveling around Egypt you have to have permission to travel from point A to point B. Because we had originally planned to hike Mt. Sinai the night before, our driver must have gotten permission to travel the night before and then not changed the date. Luckily, we were safe and were eventually able to continue our way. However, there were several police checkpoints along the way which didn't leave much availability for sleeping.
Once at the base of the mountain, we were assigned a person to lead us up the mountain. I was not feeling so good at this point. Too much sun and not enough water started playing it's toll. Oh, and the fact that it was 1:30 AM didn't help much either. However, we managed to hike all the way to the top and even got 1 hour of sleep before the magical sunrise. It was a moment to remember as groups sang and prayed with the rising sun. I hadn't expected to see so many people at the top, but from what I can gather, people used this hike as a pilgrimage.
The way back to the bottom was much easier and along the way we were able to take a look at the beauty we weren't able to see on the hike up. We were also charged to use the toilets on the way back to the bottom. That's right, I had to pay 2 Euros to use an outhouse!
After a full night and morning of hiking, Craig and I were more than happy to crawl into bed for a nap.
On our final day in Dahab we tried to get in a little relaxation. We spent time laying by the pool and even had couples massage. That night we left for Cairo; an 8 hour bus journey once again filled with police checkpoints.
We arrived in Cairo late and were once again excited to climb into bed. We spent our final day in Egypt having an “American” day. Cairo is a huge city, full of some of our favorite foods. We had lunch at KFC and then dessert at Baskin Robbins. We then relaxed for a bit and had a snack at Cinnabon followed by dinner at Papa John's. Needless to say, we were very happy with our “American” day.
Our trip was nothing short of incredible and we feel very blessed at the opportunity we had to travel around Egypt.
Please check out our pictures from our trip:
http://amygoodwin.shutterfly.com/
It has a great garden.
Front of the apartment.
Standing on the balcony looking into the living room.
Living room. The kitchen is on the right. 
Hallway to bathrooms and bedrooms.
Full bath.
Office/extra room.
Master bedroom leading out to the second balcony.
Master bedroom leading out to the second balcony.
