I hope to write more substantial posts about the incredible trip to Egypt, but for now here's an annotated and illustrated compilation of tweets I wrote while it was happening. Unfortunately pictures aren't allowed in the Egyptian Museum (so no pics of King Tut's treasures or the mummies) or in the Valley of the Kings (so no pics of the tombs).
It's Egypt Eve! I'm as excited as a kid at Christmas and as terrified as an adult about to fly across the world in a tin can.
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| It really happened this time |
Woke up, checked Twitter, 1/2 expected news that'd cancel today's Egypt trip. RIP Tony Curtis, loved you, but thx for not being a volcano.
by the Icelandic volcano, news I read first on Twitter.]
Heading to the airport for Egypt! Well, Edmonton for now, but as Teresa & I proved last time - same thing
Napping at the Edmonton airport, hair askew, bags piled around. Only thing distinguishing me from a hobo is Twitter.
[No picture. Duh.]
Teresa's here! We're through security & at the gate! Reunion Trip 2: Actually Getting On The Plane is underway.
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| Plus, it's rare to see Diane in glasses in the wild. |
In Cairo, exhausted but exhilarated. Egypt doesn't seem very similar to Edmonton after all, though. Huh.
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| View from our first Cairo hotel. Not like Edmonton. |
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| Take my word for the "exhilarated" part |
Day 1: wandered Cairo streets (got lost), survived 42C weather (turned into puddle), made friends (fended off strange men). Loving it.
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| Checking the map during one of the many, many times we were lost. |
Pics will be: here's us sweaty & gross at pyramids. Here's us sweaty & gross by Nile. Here's us sweaty & gross at Abu Simbel.
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True. Also us with dorky headwear. And yet there's no way I'm posting the worst examples.
This is our closeup in front of the great pyramid. |
Pyramids, sphinx, King Tut's treasures - so surreal to see in person. Flying to Aswan now to make friends with a camel.
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| Pyramid of Khafre (not the big one) |
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| Sphinx and Pyramid of Khafre |
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| Sphinx and Great Pyramid of Khufu/Cheops |
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| Pyramids from a distance. |
Amazing, incredible day in desert near Aswan. Boat on Nile, camel to monastery, gardens, lunch in Nubian village.
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| In Aswan. Scenery unlike any I'd seen before. |
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| Krestina the Camel and I in front of St. Simeon Monastery. |
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| Banks of Aswan near the Kitchener gardens. |
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| Getting a henna tattoo in a Nubian village. |
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| The Nubian village. |
Up at 2:45am taking police convoy through desert to Abu Simbel. Teresa's dream destination but too sick to come. Other girl puking on bus.
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| The "lesser" temple of Hathor and Nefertari |
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| Ramses II on great temple |
Just hangin' out at Abu Simbel. Which is ... wow.
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| Posing awkwardly, or collapsing from the heat? |
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| The greater temple. The scale of this complex is enormous. And they moved it all when the Aswan Dam was built. |
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Visited an essence factory/shop on the way back from Abu Simbel.
Bought essense of papyrus. It's pretty. |
Perfect midpoint to trip, sailing down Nile in cooling breeze, doing nothing but watch camels, donkeys, cows, trees, sand, reeds as we pass.
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| Obligatory vacation foot shot |
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| One of our feluccas |
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| Hanging by the Nile |
Also? No one is puking or dropping from heat exhaustion. We're saving that for Luxor tomorrow. Sleeping on the felucca deck tonight.
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| Relaxing on the felucca |
Docked for night, Teresa seasick so sat on Nile bank. Lovely man gave me Nubian name of Unati (moon) and promised to build house for me next ... [tweet cut off]
Last tweet was supposed to say lovely Nubian man was going to build me a house next to his other wife's. It killed the romance a little.
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| Teresa on the banks of the Nile, watching our felucca bob up and down. |
3 temples today, all spectacular. Karnak built over period of 2000 yrs. I can't commit to what to do next weekend.
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| At Kom Ombo Temple |
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| Horus at Edfu Temple |
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| Sanctuary inside Edfu Temple |
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| Statue at Karnak |
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| Peeking behind columns at Karnak |
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| Queen Hatshepsut obelisk at Karnak |
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| Ram-headed sphinx at Karnak |
Shoutout to Sem Sem, our Egyptologist guide. By the time I'm home I'll have forgotten astonishing amount about ancient Egypt.
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| The amazing Sem Sem, Egyptologist, storyteller, and tour leader extraordinaire |
Day began at 4am w/balloon over Luxor, then donkeys to Hatshepsut Temple, then Valley of the Kings. Last day in Egypt tomorrow. Sniff.
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| Sunrise over Luxor |
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| Valley of the Kings below |
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| Post-landing: another balloon landing in Luxor, Valley of the Kings in the background |
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| Only a little freaked out |
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| Luxor Temple |
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| Avenue of sphinxes - excavation ongoing in Luxor |
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Me and my donkey, who tried to knock me off by brushing against everything in sight.
"Yallah habibi!" ("Let's go, darling!" That's what the guides yelled to the donkeys.) |
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| Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, only female Egyptian pharoah |
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| Statue of Queen Hatshepsut |
Last day in Egypt. Said goodbye to tour leader. Now must make all decisions on our own. So Twitter, where should we go for lunch in Cairo?
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| Our historic hotel for the last night in Cairo |
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Not sweaty and gross for the first time in a week, enjoying a
drink with ice at Shepheard's Hotel |
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| Teresa on the balcony over the Nile |
One of us got a bit of a tan. One of us got a lot more freckles. (Hint: I'm not the first one of us.)
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| But if my freckles would spread and join together, we'd be the same colour. |
Such an incredible couple of weeks I've had in Egypt and LA. Now back to reality. Sigh. Gotta plan my next adventure to anticipate.
[A hint? Next summer I'm going to
the country that
ruined the first attempt at an Egyptian vacation.]
