Egypt & Jordan GAP Tour - March 21st

March 21st is my new year and I definitely had a good day.

In the morning we took a tour of the monastery which is at the bottom of Mt. Sinai. We saw the famous burning bush and a church where all the bones of past pastors remained. Kind of chilling...

Then we drove to Nuweiba and checked in to the Eliaria Hotel Resort right on the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea). Although it was a port city, there really wasn’t anywhere else to go. We arrived at around 1 and were offered an all inclusive package for $25 that included lunch, dinner, and all the drinks you wanted until 11pm. So of course, we bought the deal, and we took full advantage.

After lunch we spent most of the afternoon on the beach, drinking, lying about, chatting, sun tanning, and playing beach volleyball.

The coolest part about this town was that when standing on the shore you could see Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Egypt & Jordan GAP Tour - March 20th

Today we got up early once again and took a 7-hour drive to the Sinai Peninsula. We passed through the famous Suez Canal Tunnel (I believe its 2km long!) and went from the continent of Africa to Asia!

We checked in to the Morgenland Hotel, which was literally in the middle of nowhere but close to Mt. Sinai. In the afternoon we took a drive to Mt. Sinai and started our trek up it. Our aim was to make it for the sunset – our guide was not with us but another guide came along. It was pretty difficult and we had to take many rests. There are 3,750 steps up to the top, but we took the easier route as most people do and only had to climb the last 750. This is where Moses supposedly red the Ten Commandments.

By the time we got to the top it was cold and the sunset was a couple hours away. We sat around for a bit, took a bunch of pictures, then decided as a group that we had seen enough sunrises and it was cloudy anyway, and headed back down. I have to say though, that I will definitely add this climb to the list of my accomplishments. When you get to the top you really do feel at peace with yourself.

We were starving after that! There was the ‘optional’ buffet at the hotel, but of course if you didn’t want to there was not a place in sight to eat at, so we all indulged. Also, snuck out a bit extra for lunch the next day lol.

Egypt & Jordan GAP Tour - March 19th

We checked back in to the Santana Hotel in Cairo. I don’t think too many of us were happy about being back in Cairo, but it did give us a chance to do some things we haven’t done. Unfortunately for me the citadel was the first thing on the itinerary that morning. So I skipped it and took a nap in the car.

After the citadel we drove to the Khan al-Khalili bazaar which is a traditional market place. That place was a maze! We had a mosque as a landmark but still had to ask around when trying to get back to our meeting spot. It was a very cultural experience. A couple of us walked as far as we could to find something to eat and ended up finding a small shop that was serving some traditional food. One of them was a sandwich filled with some sort of eggplant mix which was absolutely delicious! The other was one filled with falafel, which we have had before.

We then joined the rest of the group and sat at a coffee shop in the main square by the mosque. I had a very overpriced mango juice that was not blended properly.

On the way back to the hotel most of us got dropped off at the metro station as we were going to venture out on our own to Coptic Cairo. We had the rest of the afternoon off and didn’t want it to go to waste. I thought the metro experience was going to be something that might make me uncomfortable, but I was pleasantly surprised. The surprise, however, wasn’t that it wasn’t different or crazy, but that I’m so used to travelling now that it wasn’t shocking. The first time we took it, it wasn’t too packed but I almost didn’t make it in cause everyone rushes to the door. I had an older man wink and blow me air kisses the whole time. I tried so hard not to laugh but I couldn’t help it so it seemed as though I was smiling back at him! The second time the girls got on the one of their women-only carts – now that’s different.

The first thing we saw in Coptic Cairo was the Hanging Church. Then Saint Georges church, then a huge cemetery by a monastery. Then finally we entered a Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint George where I nice gentlemen gave us a little tour. We discovered that this was where Virgin Mary stayed. We saw where she slept, where she prayed, and the well where she drank from. I sure hope I have all this information right, cause it would be embarrassing. Forgive me, I’m templed and churched out.

Then we went to the Ben Ezra Synagogue. So we’ve covered the three major religions now. Pretty cool.

That night we tried some local shawarma. I’m always excited about trying the local food and this was delicious!

Egypt & Jordan GAP Tour - March 18th

This morning we woke up super early and left the hotel at 4:40 am for a ferry ride to Thebes on the west bank of the Nile. After some tea we drove to the spot where we’d take off in hot air balloons!

This was by far one of the coolest, most beautiful experiences yet! There were many other tourists there as well. Each balloon took 20 so we were able to all go in to one with a couple other tourists. We managed to get in to the air just in time to catch the sunrise. I’ve seen many sunrises, and some probably more beautiful than this, but seeing it from a hot air balloon just could not compare! We had a great view of the temple of Queen Hatshepsut which was cool because we would go and see that temple later in the day.

Somehow we landed in a field instead of the proper landing area. But the transport was obviously in touch and came to get us. But before we left they had a little ceremony – a couple people danced and sang – and then we received our certificates.

Then we took an hour and a half donkey ride to the Valley of the Kings. This was more fun than the camel ride because we had freedom with our donkeys. We could make them run if we wanted, or slow them down. My donkey had a mind of its own – it would only listen to the owner’s voice, run when it wanted to, walk when it wanted to, eat when it wanted to – but fun anyway.

Unfortunately one of the things I remember the most of the Valley of the Kings was just how tired I was. It was hot and we had to walk a lot. Walking in and out of the tombs was exhausting – you could hardly breathe down there and it took forever because it was PACKED with other tourists. Nonetheless it was interesting.

The first tomb we saw was Tuthmosis III. When we finally got down to the actual tomb it was interesting to see the differences in the drawings compared to other temples and tombs we’ve seen. It was very primitive – it looked as if children came down and drew Egyptian style stickmen to tell the stories.

The second tomb was Ramses I. Now we could see the progression from the first tomb to this one. The drawings were more advanced, and some were carvings.

The third was Ramses IX and was the most ‘advanced’. I was happy the tour guide planned it this way because it made it that much more interesting. Plus after such a long day I think I would have lost interest otherwise.

Next stop was an Alabaster factory. I have to be honest here, I didn’t listen and I didn’t look around. I was exhausted and I knew I wasn’t going to buy anything. I only remember them telling us they were going to teach us to know the difference between something fake and something real when we buy things in the local markets. Also their way of saying – bye it here it’s real.

Yes, there was another stop – the temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahari. I will always remember this name because of when the tour guide gave me this name on my first day of the tour (this was the guide that took me to Al Azhar park, Mena, a different guide from the group tour). He told us how to pronounce it: Hat-cheap-suit.

The temple was beautiful, but again full of tourists. We had a couple other tourists tag along while Saad gave us an explanation. I was happy we got to see the temple from the air when it was completely isolated.

Can you believe all this was done before we ate lunch?

We went back to the train station that night and boarded a sleeper train back to Cairo.

Egypt & Jordan GAP Tour - March 17th

After having breakfast on the support boat we sailed for a bit before pulling up to shore and getting on a bus. We drove to Edfu to see the famous temple of Horus. This temple is the most preserved of all the temples in Egypt and was built between 237 BCE to 57 BCE.

After Edfu it was a two hour bus ride to Luxor. Luxor has often been called the world’s greatest open air museum...the number and preservation of the monuments in the Luxor area are unparalleled anywhere else in the world. We stopped at a government run jewellery store. (I keep saying ‘government-owned’ because on tour they took us to these shops to do our shopping to make sure we got authentic items)

We then checked in to the Flobater Hotel and ate lunch at Pizza Hut. We were hungry and it was too much trouble to find anything else.

Our next stop was the Karnak temple in Luxor. Karnak is a complex area of many pylons, temples, halls and sanctuaries from the middle kingdom till the Greek-Roman period. It is also the largest temple in the world.

We had plenty of time to walk around see the hundreds of columns and statues. One of the halls – The Great Hypostyle Hall – had 134 columns representing the papyrus flower. That was my favourite part. There were many areas where even the colours in the carvings were very well preserved so we could get a good idea of what this may have looked like when it was first built. The temple grounds also had a big sacred lake. This was one of my favourite temples in Egypt.

Something interesting – some of the carvings of males had their ‘male organ’ very distinctly shown.

In the evening after dinner we thought we’d do something a little different. We had already seen so many temples, so to change it up a bit, we went to see the Luxor temple at night when it is all lit up. It made it that much more magical, and for a change it wasn’t polluted with too many tourists.

Something fun and probably dangerous – we fit 9 people plus the driver in to a taxi on the ride back to the hotel. It was a cosy experience.

We then went on a search for some kushari – the traditional Egyptian dish I described in an earlier post. After stuffing ourselves we went to Murphy’s Irish Pub to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. This was something REALLY different – walking in to an Irish pub in Luxor and feeling like we were in Ireland, or Canada, or anywhere but Egypt!

Egypt & Jordan GAP Tour - March 16th

This was the most peaceful and relaxing day I had in Egypt. We took two feluccas and sailed down the Nile heading towards Luxor to the vicinity of Kom Ombo. The day consisted of quite a few naps, and a couple stops to use the washroom on our support motor boat, and to eat lunch.

The support boat was fancier than I thought it would be, with nice toilets and a pretty big eating area. At night we had a couple of musicians that played for us while we enjoyed looking up at the enormous sky that was absolutely littered with stars. We were not sailing at night as it is not allowed so we had pulled up to a bank and the sleeping areas were covered. I shivered for most of the night but it was still an awesome experience.

Egypt & Jordan GAP Tour - March 15th

In the morning we joined a convoy and headed to Abu Simbel, which is the historic site for one of Egypt’s greatest temples. I want to add a little explanation from my GAP itinerary to explain:

Not only are the two temples located at Abu Simbel among the most magnificent monuments in the world but their removal and reconstruction was an historic event in itself. When the temples (280 km from Aswan) were threatened by submersion in Lake Nasser, due to the construction of the High Dam, the Egyptian Government secured the support of UNESCO and launched a world wide appeal. During the salvage operation which began in1964 and continued until 1968, the two temples were dismantled and raised over 60 meters up the sandstone cliff where they had been built more than 3,000 years before. Here they were reassembled, in the exact same relationship to each other and the sun, and covered with an artificial mountain.

It was quite a site. One temple is that of Ramesses II and the other Nefertari, his wife. It was discovered in 1813. You weren’t allowed to take pictures inside but I will never forget how grand the interior was, with its many columns and carvings.

On the way back through the Lybian desert our bus broke down. It was funny to think we could have been stuck in the desert for quite some time if we hadn’t been with a convoy. A German tour bus picked us up a little later on and we headed back to Aswan to a government run essence shop.

By then we were starving and it is Egyptian hospitality to always offer drinks and sometimes food to guests, even in a shop. So we were served their very popular Hibiscus tea and had Egyptian sandwiches filled with falafel. We were then entertained by a demonstration and explanation of how essences, perfumes, etc., are made. And of course, we had some time to shop.

We had some time to rest at the hotel before joining our guide once again for a walk through the market where he had to pick up some spices to take back home. We had a nice explanation of some of the spices there, most of which I knew already from my Zanzibar spice route tour.

For dinner we ate Egyptian pizzas which are much like calzones. We made our own way back to the hotel so that we could walk through the market some more. We had a very entertaining experience with the local vendors. One man came up to me and this is the conversation we had:

“How much?”
“How much for what?”
“For you!”
“Ha well I’m pretty expensive.”
“How about one million camels!?!”

We insisted to one man that we had no money, and his answer was: “No money, no funny, no honey!” And of course many times we would hear how they would give us money to walk through their store. Everyone always wants to know where you are from and not once was my answer, being ‘Canada’, acceptable for them. No I am ‘India’ and that’s that.

So long as you take everything in good humour it is a lot of fun to roam through the market and immerse yourself in the very well known ‘baksheesh’ culture of Egypt.

Egypt & Jordan GAP Tour - March 14th

After breakfast on the train we arrived in Aswan and headed to the Isis Hotel right by the Nile. We had the entire morning and early afternoon to ourselves. We took advantage of this time to catch up on e-mails, etc., at a nearby McDonald’s which had free wi-fi. And yes, I ate McDonald’s in Aswan.

In the afternoon we got on a felucca and took a trip down the Nile. We saw Elephantine Island, the botanical islands on Kitchener Island, and the Aga Khan Mausoleum whilst on the felucca. Then we stopped in a Nubian village and visited a craft shop where we met baby alligators! We went to a Nubian home and had a traditional dinner with some locals. It was nice to feel so immersed in their culture.

Egypt & Jordan GAP Tour - March 13th

In the morning we all headed to the Egyptian Museum, which has 107 halls and more than 100,000 relics and antiquities, including the famous collection of King Tutankhamon’s treasures. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside but the outside decor was fascinating enough. We saw King Tut’s mask, the Rosetta stone copy, a map of ancient Egypt, etc., etc. The coolest room I saw was the animal mummy room with dogs, crocodiles, etc. The museum is enormous and you would need days and days to see everything.

We had a buffet lunch and then headed to the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx. And there I was, finally, at one of the Wonders of the Ancient World. They date back to around 2500 BC. There are three very large ones, one of which is the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Although I had seen them at the sound and light show, it was much different to get up close. It was also every photographer’s paradise.

After having a walk around we took a short camel ride – which was actually the highlight of the day – in my opinion. It was my first time to ride a camel and it was fun! Camels are hilarious, they are ugly, they make some of the most disgusting sounds you’ve ever heard, and they are extremely uncomfortable, but fun nonetheless.

The next stop was the Sphinx – which has a body of a lion and the head of a king – and it seems to overlook the city and some believe it was built to look after it. The body reaches a height of 172 feet and the head is 66 feet. We had a great time taking funny pictures.

We then went to the Golden Eagle Papyrus store, which I had already been to in my first few days in Cairo. Our next stop was a restaurant where we sat and had tea to kill some time before heading to the train station to take the overnight train to Aswan.

This was my first time on a sleeper train and I was very impressed. The beds were comfortable and I slept like a baby. The dinner was much like one you’d get on plane but it was pretty decent.

Cairo - March 12th

On the 12th of March I arranged for a day tour and drop off at the new hotel where I would then meet my group in the evening. I didn’t want to waste another day at hotel by myself.

I got picked up early in the morning and fortunately three members of my group joined in – Mary, Ron and Sue. It was nice to meet a few people I’d be spending time with over the next few weeks.

Mena was our tour guide, a very nice and knowledgeable man who, before becoming a tour guide, was in to restoration. He gave us all Egyptian names. I was Hatshepsut, Mary was Nefertiti, Ron was Ramses, and Sue was Cleopatra.

Our first stop was ancient Islamic Cairo, which was founded in 969 as the royal city of the Fatimid dynasty. There are only two entrances to this part of the city as it is all gated. The gate we entered through was called Bab Zuwayla and is the southern entrance of the second wall, built in1092. Thank God I take pictures of all the signs...

The city was beautiful with it’s narrow, winding streets. We saw many sabils, which is where anyone can come and get free water. We also visited the Madrasa of Sultan Al-Muiayyad mosque, the Al-Azhar Mosque, and the Church of St. Virgin Mary the Relief (Coptic Christian Church).

After Islamic Cairo we went for a traditional meal at a nearby restaurant where most university students go for a quick bite. The dish was called Kushari and it is a mix of many ingredients such as chickpeas, pasta, tomato sauce, etc. One of the best meals I tasted while in Egypt. Cheap, delicious, and filling.

Our next stop was Al-Azhar Park, which was built by the Aga Khan so I was very excited to go there. The area which the park was built used to be a landfill so this park is really important for the Cairo landscape. It is also where you can go to the highest point in Cairo and get a great view of both the ‘city of death’ and the ‘city of life’. The city of death is an enormous cemetery and the city of life is, well, the rest of Cairo. Al-Azhar park is in the middle.

We were then dropped off to the Santana hotel. We had a group meeting at 6 where we met our group guide, Saad, and the rest of the group. After our meeting we said goodnight to our guide and most of us headed to the King’s Hotel nearby to grab a bite to eat and have a drink. It was nice that the group hit it off right away.

Cairo – Sheraton Hotel stay

When the iStyle Cairo trip was over I was driven to the Cairo Sheraton where I treated myself for three days, with the help of Auntie Nadia of course! Thank you!

I had three full days on my own before my next tour started so I thought this was a perfect time to relax at a nice hotel. I had a room on the 10th floor with a view of the Nile from my balcony. I had a beautiful room with a king size bed and enjoyed the excellent room service. Every day I was very entertained just by looking out on the street at the noisy traffic and people. The city never sleeps, the traffic never dies, and without fail you hear the call to prayer five times a day.

It was a bit depressing to be on my own and I was really happy when I got picked up on the 12th to start my next tour.

Egypt – Cairo iStyle tour – March 2nd to 5th

So after a flight back to Johannesburg, then to Doha Qatar where I had a 6 hour stopover, I got on a flight to Cairo. I was again pleasantly surprised by a GAP representative at the airport who helped me get my bags and go through immigration, which I was very happy about because it was all very confusing. So far every country I’ve been to has been mostly English speaking and now everything was in Arabic.

The representative took me to the Hosa Hotel which is right on the main strip in Cairo close to the pyramids. They told me you could see the pyramids from the roof of the hotel on a clear day. I checked in, went to my room, and took a deep breath. I have to admit I was a little freaked out. Cairo is just as crazy as everyone describes it to be and it is not like any place I’ve ever been to. I felt like I was on a different planet, or at least in a different era! I took a short walk to the nearest mall to find a phone place to get a SIM card, was totally lost and confused, went back to the hotel and stayed there till the morning!

The next day, Mohammad, a GAP guide, came to pick me up from the hotel nice and early. I was the only tourist so it was Mohammad, the driver, and myself. Our first stop was the Citadel of Prince Salah el-Din – one of Cairo’s most popular landmarks. Within the citadel walls there is the Mosque of Al Nasir Mohammad Ibn Qalaum and the Mosque of Mohammad Aly, where we sat for a while and admired the architecture and design. There was also an old police station museum where we could see old cells where prisoners were kept. From the citadel you get great views of this massive city of 22 million people.

Our next stop was a government run Papyrus Museum where I got a full explanation of how the Egyptians make papyrus paper – one of the most durable paper to ever be made. It was followed by a traditional lunch at a nearby restaurant where you can view the pyramids while eating.

That night I went to see the Sound and Light Show at the Giza Pyramids. As I sat there and waited for the show to start I thought to myself – I can’t believe I’m finally here sitting in front of the great pyramids! From where we were sitting they didn’t seem as grand as I imagined, and really they aren’t that huge but when you learn about how they were made you can understand why they are so admired by many. The show started out with men playing the bag pipes dressed up like Pharaohs, which I thought was amusing. Then they did a sound and light show which described a short history of the pyramids. It was for about an hour.

The next day I took a trip to Alexandria. We crossed 220km of desert and arrived at this beautiful city by the Mediterranean Sea. I was impressed with the city’s beauty and it’s very Greek influences. It is much smaller than Cairo and I felt almost at ease there.

One of our stops was the Catacomb of Komel-Shokafa – tombs that were “tunneled into the bedrock in the age of the Antonine emperors (2nd century AD) for a single wealthy family still practicing the ancient religion”.

Another stop was the fort and Citadel of Qaitbay (built around 1480) and the Pompey’s Pillar (built in 297 AD).

The last big stop was the Alexandria Library. It is a modern library and one of the greatest in the world. It currently has over 600,000 books and has space for millions. The architecture of the building is mind blowing and worth a visit for anyone going to Alexandria.

We took a short stop at the Montazah Summer Palace and walked around a bit. I was witness to the ferocious waves of the sea and watched fisherman struggle on the shoreline. We then took a photo stop by the Sultan’s palace before heading back to Cairo.

Cape Town, South Africa - DAY 3

The day before, my tour guide was telling me his experience with cage diving with great white sharks. He said he got in the cage and a 6-meter female white shark swam right by it. He couldn’t sleep for 3 days. So of course I was convinced immediately and signed up!

I was picked up from the hotel at 4 in the morning and we drove for a few hours to a bay that is known for their white sharks. Cape Town is the most popular place in the world for viewing these frightful, yet beautiful creatures. We had an introduction at the office and took an hour boat ride out and sat for a while waiting.

Unfortunately because of the high winds the day before the water was very murky and the visibility was extremely low. The first batch went in the cage and shivered through 11 degree water and saw nothing, meanwhile the rest of us remained on the boat and had a great view of the sharks swimming just about a foot away from the cage! So although I didn’t get in the cage, it was still exciting. The most important part was that I actually signed up for something that crazy.

I was then dropped to the airport and that was the end of my Cape Town trip.

Cape Town, South Africa - DAY 2

The next day I was picked up again from the hotel except this time I had the tour guide to myself. Our first stop was in the Table Mountain National Park at the Boulders Visitor Centre. This is where I got to see penguins – hundreds and hundreds of them – just standing about on the beach. The wind was so strong that at times I had to stand behind a rock because the sand would hurt my face. As far as I can remember, besides the Vancouver Zoo, I have never seen penguins. They make the strangest sounds.

After admiring the penguins and trying to get the sand out of my ears we headed to Cape Point. I have been waiting for a long time to visit Cape Point for the very same reason that most people want to go there – it’s the point at which the two bodies of water meet (Atlantic and Indian) and is considered the most southern tip of Africa. Or so we all think, including most South Africans. It seems most of the city’s tourism is built around these two rumours! In fact, there is another point in South Africa which is actually where the two oceans meet and is the most southern tip of Africa – Cape Agulhas.

Well it wasn’t that disappointing – it was still a beautiful sight.

The next stop was the Cape Point Ostrich Farm. I saw both adult and baby ostriches which I fed. I also learned a lot about how they mate and how large the male ‘mating organ’ is – information that I didn’t care to know but now I can’t forget. You should look it up. The drive back to the hotel was beautiful – we drove along the coast which reminded me a lot of the coast line in Australia.

Cape Town, South Africa - DAY 1

After a very sad farewell in Melbourne, a short flight from Melbourne to Sydney, a 14 hour dreadful flight from Sydney to Johannesburg (I couldn’t sleep and watched 6 movies) and then another short flight from there I was finally in Cape Town, South Africa. This would be where I would do my first G.A.P. trip. After collecting my luggage and exchanging some money I was surprised to hear my name being called on the PA system. A representative from G.A.P. came to pick me up and drove me to the Saasveld Lodge where I’d be staying for the next couple of days. This was the first time I was completely alone.

I was pleasantly surprised by the area and how comfortable I felt walking around on my own. I did not feel like I was in Africa at all. That night I ate at Nando’s, which by the way is from South Africa, walked around and got an early night.

The next day I got picked up from the hotel early in the morning by a G.A.P. tour guide who brought a couple other tourists. We drove around the city for a short while before heading to Table Mountain. We took a cable cart ride to the top to see the stunning view. We were above the clouds looking out on to the city and it was majestic.

After taking a gazillion photos we headed down the mountain and to the beach where we could see Table Mountain behind us and a closer view of one of the most luxurious and rich places to live in Cape Town.

On the way back we stopped at a point just outside the downtown core where we had a chat about the apartheid. It was interesting to learn what a long way South Africa has come since then. The afternoon was filled with walking around a beautiful park and botanical gardens, and roaming through one of Cape Town’s open markets. After that we took a short steam boat ride (the engine was over 100 years old) around the bay where I saw seals playing in the water.