Wow. It's really the only word I can use to describe it. I spent eight days travelling from Cairo to Luxor along The Nile to Aswan and back to Cairo. It was my first trip to Egypt, and it wasn't a normal sightseeing adventure. I went on one of RTT's flight tours, not as a guest, but as a secondary tour escort.
I've been a tour guide for RTT for the past year, but my blog doesn't reflect the trips I lead. My blog only covers my personal travels. I had to share this trip. It may not be a European destination from Ktown, but it was much easier and cheaper flying from here than the U.S. Plus, it was fantastic, and I can't help but recommend it to others.
The itenerary for this trip varies for each group that goes. It depends upon shipping schedules and other technical issues in Cairo. Basically, people who take this tour spend a few days in Cairo and a few days cruising from Luxor to Aswan along The Nile, or vice versa.
The ship makes several stops in towns like Edfu and Aswan. At most stops, amazing temples covered in hieroglyphs await visitors. We toured The Temples of Karnak, Luxor, Philae and Abu Simbel. These temples are amazing, and I personally preferred them to the pyramids in Cairo. Preserved so beautifully along the desert, these temples made the ruins of Rome and Athens look like rubble to me.
At the Valley of the Kings, the place where King Tut's tomb is located, I felt like I stepped into the Raiders of the Lost Ark movie. The Valley was built after the pyramids, because those big tombs basically had a "come rob me" sign on them. The tombs built into the hillside of The Valley was supposed to hide the royal artifacts buried inside from tomb raiders. It didn't work.
Going to Abu Simbel was an optional tour at an extra cost. It was a three hour drive into the Sahara Desert to these two temples. The Temple of Ramsees II sits here, and his statues are so huge you feel like a tiny ant standing below looking up. I enjoyed this side detour.
Once we arrived in Cairo, our time was packed visiting the Great Pyramids in Giza, the ancient site of Memphis, El Kahlili Market, Coptic Cairo and its hanging church as well as many other sites. I never realized how close the pyramids sit to downtown Cairo. From one vantage point, you can see the cityline behind these majestic structures.
There isn't much to see in Memphis, the first capital of Egypt, but I got a kick out of it since my first pyramid visit ever was of glass construction sitting along the great Mississippi River to see a Disney on Ice show.
There isn't enough space in this blog to really describe how wonderful it was to tour this country. But here are some important items to know before you go:
1. Be prepared for spontaneity and lack of clear itenerary each day. The Egyptian culture is different from ours. Your Egyptian tour guides that spend the week with you do not operate under the rules of Western fast-paced, structured work ethic. If you let them, they help you experience the local flavor of life by taking each day/hour by the day.
2. Watch your food and water intake. It's easy to not get sick if you stay away from the local water and uncooked vegetables, fruits, tea, coffee or anything. Even be wary of local bottled water -- although it doesn't have the "bug" that makes tourists ill, it may contain magnesium that can still cause stomach issues. Bottled water is labeled, and I tried to stick to Dasani when I could purchase it.
3. Bring $1 bills, candy and pens. The dollar bills can be used for tipping, bathrooms, etc. I would recommend bringing at least $50. The candy and pens can be used as negotiating tools when haggling at markets or they can be given to kids. Or, they can be given to kids trying to haggle you as a bribe to get them to leave you alone. Haggling is big in Egypt for every purchase.
I loved visiting Egypt, and look forward to the day when I can return as a tourist. As a tour escort, I learned lots about the social culture, a little about the business culture and absolutely adored the guests in my group.