Leaving Egypt

Our flight leaving Cairo was scheduled at 5:00am Sunday, December 18. We arrived at the airport by 9:00pm the night before hoping to use the VIP lounge until check in time with Aitalia. The VIP lounge is  located behind the security and passport control gate. Unfortunately we could not check-in and go through security because the Alitalia desk did not open until a few hours before departure.   We had no choice but to wait for four hours in the airport terminal until Alitalia opened for business.


Waiting for Alitalia to open for business.


After checking in, we were able to use the VIP lounge.  The lounge has food and drinks and comfortable chairs to use while waiting for our flight out of Cairo.  The flight was on time and we made it to Rome with time to spend in the lounge and Duty Free stores.
Our trip went smoothly and we thoroughly enjoyed everything we've seen. Thanks to Kurt's experience of being in Egypt before, (the Sinai Peninsula and Cairo), we could have not done any better planning. We had the right amount of time at each city to see what we had on our itinerary. All hotels we stayed are budget hotels that were nice and clean, with good locations and English speaking staff. A group of four traveling together has the best deal when renting cars, taxis and other transportation.

Some fun and fond memories:
 - From the locals: Kurt is: Alibaba & Paul is Mustache.
 - From the street vendors: "You NEED a hat/a scarf" (whether or not you wear one!) .
 - From the store keepers: "Lady, don't know what you want, but I will have it!. Come (in ), look, look".
 - At a restaurant, we asked the waiter about a chicken dish: "Is it (chicken) a fillet?". The answer is: "Yes"..
   We're (still) not sure, again we asked : "Is it fillet (or) with bone?". The answer is (still) "Yes". 

Alibaba and Mustache

Back to Cairo, Egypt - December 2011

We stayed in Cairo the last two days of our trip. We went back to Khan al-Khalili to do some additional shopping as well as to explore more of this medieval establishment. We enjoyed walking down the interesting cobblestone streets and marveled at the beautifully carved mosques, domes and minarets.


Khan al-Khalili



Khan al-Khalili

 We also spent additional time to explore the Zamalek district near our hotel. Had a delicious pizza dinner at Maison Thomas and two meals at the highly recommended restaurant, Abou El Sid, for its tradition Egyptian cuisine. I had a chance to taste the molokiya, Egyptian national dish, and the delicious Moussaka, Egyptian style eggplant stew. We had moussaka in Aswan and Luxor restaurants.  But as Lyn said (and we all agreed), Abou El Sid has the best moussaka!.
 

Dinner at Abou El Sid

 

Dinner at Windsor Hotel in central Cairo.



We saved the Egyptian Museum for last!. On Saturday, Dec. 17, our last day in Cairo, we visited the famous  museum. It's a great way to wrap up our Egypt trip by viewing what was found from the temples, tombs and pyramids. The museum is HUGE. There were vast artifacts collected from many years of discovery and restoration.  We can spend many days in this museum to see what the treasure had to offer. For us, we spent "only" a little three and one half hours before being ushered out. The museum was closing suddenly the violent demonstration at the nearby Tahrir Square. As we came out of the museum, we saw a thick black layer of smoke coming from Tahrir Square and policemen with riot gear protection and masks rushing toward the square. We knew it's time to get out of the area. During our stay in Egypt, this is the only time we're close to any of the political riots.

Egyptian Museum

Pyramids at Giza, Egypt - December 2011

To see pyramids is the main reason of our coming to Egypt.  We saved the best for (almost) last!. We hired a taxi to take us to Giza and to visit the pyramids of Dahshur and Saqqaraa. 

Our first stop was Giza, about 10 miles southwest of Cairo. There we saw the famous "The Great Pyramid". There are three huge pyramids in the Giza Plateau with the Sphinx a as the guardian as we entered the site. The Great Pyramid is the oldest and largest of the Giza pyramids, built by the 4th Dynasty king, Khufu 2589BC. The other two are the pyramids of Khafre (Khufu's son) and Menkaure (Khafre's successor) are not as big. There is also Tomb of Queen Khentkawes, daughter of Menkaure in the plateau and three small pyramids (Queens' Pyramids) were built for members of the king's family. There were horse and camel rides availabe to tour the plateau but we chose to walk the ground instead. One of the main pyramids is open for the public to view the inside for a few hours a day. However, we decide to go inside the Red Pyramid in Dahshur later.

The Great Pyramid at Giza



The Sphinx and Pyramid of Khafre

The Sphinx at Giza in the background


Dahshur has two famous pyramids: The Bent Pyramid and The Red Pyramid. Bent Pyramid is considered Egypt's first proper pyramid because until that time, pyramids were stepped like the one at Saqqara. It was constructed by king Sneferu, father of Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid in Giza. Not happy with the Bent Pyramid, Sneferu began to construct the Red Pyramid (because of its ancient red graffiti). We entered the Red Pyramid from a passage on the north face. There are series of steps with very low ceiling inside to climb down and then up to the main burial chamber.

Sneferu's Bent Pyramid at Dahshur

The Red Pyramid at Dahshur



Inside the burial chamber of the Red Pyramid



"High Five' after exiting the Red Pyramid. 

Saqqara has much older pyramids than these of Giza's or Dahshur's. The Step Pyramid of Djoser was built in the 27th century BC for King Djoser. It is currently undergoing exterior conservation work. Before this pyramid, Egyptian royal tombs had been underground.

Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara

Cairo, Egypt - December 2011

Tuesday afternoon, December 13, we arrived in Cairo after a short flight from Sharm el-Sheik. This was our fourth time being in Cairo airport and will be back one more time when we leave for home.

It was a windy and cool day in Cairo. The city is a bustling home to 20 million people and it is always on the move.  The streets are gridlocked with horns blowing all the time. We call it the "Cairo Symphony" just like the streets of Saigon we saw in the past. Beyond the busy traffic and noise in Cairo, we could see the beauty and intricacy of the old European architecture with the big homes and mansions lining the wide boulevards.

Our hotel is located in the Zamalek area, on the west side of the Nile, across from downtown and Tahrir Square. Zamalek is a trendy international residential district. The main thoroughfare is the 26 July Blvd. where we can find great pizza at Maison Thomas and many European boutiques.

We spent the first evening in town at Khan al-Khalili market and the surrounding area. It's the big, central market of Cairo.  It began as a medieval bazaar located in Islamic Cairo. Bordering the market, there are old and stately mosques with impressive minarets and domes as well as other historic buildings. You can buy almost any tourist trinket you could think of.  The bazaar also has a gold and spice market.

Buying sweet potato from a street vendor in Khan al-Khalili.



Having coffee at El Fishawis, the oldest coffee shop in Khan al-Khalili.- Paul had his shoes shined while here.


One of the must-see attractions to Cairo is the Citadel. We spent the morning here, walking around the complex, visiting the Mohammed Ali Mosque built in 1830 and the older Suleiman Pasha built in 1528.  There was a military museum located in the complex. From the vantage point of the Citadel, we can see Cairo.  However, the view was obstructed by a thick brown cloud (smog). 

The Citadel



Mohammed Ali Mosque



View from the Citadel

Since we are in Cairo on a Wednesday evening, we were able to attend the dance of the Whirling Dervishes in the Al-Ghouri Complex. These dancers, the Sufis, belong to a semi-mystical branch of Islam. We were told the theater would be full, so we got to the theater two hours before the performance. We did not know what to expect.  The performance turned out to be one of the highlights of our Cairo visit.  The dance was full of upbeat music and colorful costumes. It's a splendid performance and we were glad to see.


Whirling Dervishes



Dahab and the Sinai Peninsula - December 2011

The Sinai Peninsula welcomed us after a short flight from Luxor to Sharm El Shiekh. Sharm has a modern international airport.  Tourists come from all over the world to the Red Sea for its famous scuba diving, wind surfing and other water sports. From Sharm, we took the cab to Dahab, about 90 km north of the airport. Our hotel is located one block from the beach and boardwalk of Dahab.  The boardwalk is lined with trendy shops and restaurants.  From the boardwalk, I can look across the Gulf of Aqaba to see Saudi Arabia.

Dahab Boardwalk

We took it easy the first full day in Dahab, strolling along the corniche and people watching. Scuba diving and certification classes are offered. We made some arrangements with a tour office to travel to the Blue Hole by camel the following day and a visit to St. Catherine's Monastery and climb Mt. Sinai the day after that.

I thought it would be a fun experience riding a camel.  The ride was along the beautiful coast for two hours to the Blue Hole. Paul, Kurt, & Lyn swam in the warm water, exploring the coral reef and the marine life while I stayed on the beach.  The camel ride back to Dahab was a bit long.  We should have taken the jeep back.!



Riding camel along the coast.



Camel riders.

The next day was the trip to St. Catherine's monastery and the climb to the top of Mt. Sinai.  It was a three hour drive with seventeen people packed in a mini van.  At St. Catherine's we saw what many scholars believed to be the Burning Bush that instructed Moses to climb Mt. Sinai.  We had about an hour to explore St. Catherine's before we started the rugged three hour climb to the summit of Mt. Sinai to see the sunset.  The climb was difficult, especially the last 750 steps.  We left the summit just before sunset so we could follow the steep trail back down in twilight.  The last descending hour, we had to use flashlights to find our way.

Burning Bush

Saint Catherine's Monastery in Mount Sinai

Trail to the top of Mt. Sinai

The summit

The sunset 

Luxor, Egypt - December 2011

We left Aswan for Luxor on Dec. 5 on a shared mini van.  It was a three hour ride along the Nile with stops at temples Kom Ombo and Edfu.  We were impressed with how lush the fields were along the Nile. Sugar cane, corn, cabbage, cauliflower and other vegetables are growing nicely in the oasis while the rest of the countryside was a barren desert.

The Temple of Kom Ombo is newer than many, having been built in the 2nd century BC.  Edfu is halfway between Aswan & Luxor and is considered a sacred site to the Egyptians.  It has the Temple of Horus, the falcon God. 



Kom Ombo

Kom Ombo



Edfu

 Our Luxor hotel was on the west side of the Nile.  Public ferry crossing the Nile cost 1 Egyptian pound or $0.17.  The Temple of Luxor and the Temple of Karnak are located right in the center of town, on the east bank of the Nile.  The Valley of the Kings and other tomb sites are located on the west bank of the Nile.  We hired a taxi to drive us around the various sites.  On our last day in Luxor, we drove more than two hours to Abydos to see the Temple of Orisis.  All along the way there were military check points and we had a police escort the last few miles to the temple.  On the way back to Luxor, we stopped at the Dendara to see the Temple of Hathorn, a goddess of music and musicians. 




Temple of Karnak



Scarab at Karnak

One evening in Luxor, I cashed in my birthday present, a nice dinner at the Winter Palace hotel.  This hotel is over 100 years old and has been home to royalty, the rich and famous.


Winter Palace Hotel



Dinner at the Winter Palace



The alternative to fine dining is McDelivery

 

Aswan, Egypt - December 2011

We took it easy the first day in Aswan. After a late morning start, we strolled on the Corniche along the Nile. We were surprised to see how blue and clean this part of the river was. There is the second largest Coptic Cathedral in Africa located not too far from our hotel. Almost across the street from the church is the beautiful, recently renovated, "Old Cataract" hotel where Agatha Christie lived while writing "Death on the Nile".  We enjoyed our "tea/beer" time at the hotel terrace while watching feluccas lazily sailing by. 



On the terrace of the Cataract Hotel

  

Entrance to the old Cataract Hotel


Later, we took two hour cruise on the Nile on a felucca. We sailed around Elephintine Island and Kitchener Island. It was a nice and relaxed sailing ...It made a stop to the Nubian Village on the banks of the Nile River near main town of Aswan. The Nubian village is colorful and touristy. But it gives a feeling of travelling back in time to ancient Nubia, one of Africa's oldest civillizaions. 



Captain Mohammed Ali.

 The next morning we got up at 2am to join the police escorted convoy heading south to the Tempel of Abu Simbel.  The convoy left at 4:30am for the three hour trip.  The original location of this temple was flooded when the Aswan Dam was built.  The temple was moved to higher ground and it is now situated overlooking Lake Nasser. 



In front of the Colossi of Ramsesses II

 The last full day in Aswan, we hired a taxi to take us to the camel market in Daraw.  These camels were brought up from Sudan to be sold.  The camels are then taken to Cairo to a larger camel market.  Due to mild weather, the smell was not as bad as it could have been.  We took a boat to the Temple of Philae on an island in the Nile.  Our last stop was the Unfinished Obelisk.


Camel market at Daraw- near the border of Sudan




Picking out camel

 

Temple of Philae



Leaving for Egypt

We left for Egypt via Rome on November 30, 2011. We were traveling with Kurt (Paul's cousin) and his wife, Lyn. The Rome flight was on time and we had a few hours to spare before our next flight to Cairo.  We arrived in Cairo on time but our flight to Aswan was cancelled.  We were able to get the last flight of the day which put us into Aswan at 1am.  A quick taxi ride from the airport taking us to our hotel safe and sound. We were happy to make it to Egypt okay.



Kurt, Lyn, Tien, & Paul at JFK



Resting in Cairo airport waiting for the next flight.