A dream is becoming reality....I'm going to Egypt!!! I can't pinpoint what triggered my interest in Ancient Egypt but I can't get enough of the history and mysteries surrounding one of mankind’s greatest ancient civilization. I have seen the Egyptian exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City), Wadsworth Atheneum (Hartford), North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh), and the temporary King Tutankhamen exhibit at the Museum of Art in Ft. Lauderdale but now I’m going to have the opportunity to visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities and experience the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts!!
This trip of a lifetime is being made possible by Contiki, a company that specializes in travel and tours for 18 yr old to 35 yr old individuals. I'll be flying solo to Egypt and meeting my tour mates at the hotel in Cairo. Fortunately, I have had the ability to "meet" quite a few of my tour mates through Facebook and so far, it seems like a very good group!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In 18 days, I’ll be on my way to explore the pyramids, haggle in the bazaars, sail the Nile in a felucca, ride camels and donkeys, see real mummies up close and personal, climb Saharan dunes, and see the temples and burial chambers of the great pharaohs!!!
**Cue to start playing Indiana Jones theme song**
Day 1:
Egypt here I come!!! Today I head out to the airport for a fun filled day of checking in, passing security, boarding, and flying (and hopefully no lost luggage!). I’ll be flying Delta and connecting in NYC with my first flight starting at 2:35pm and landing in Cairo at 3:15pm the next day (this includes a 4hr layover at JFK). This is my first transatlantic flight so I’m both excited and nervous! I managed to get a window seat on all legs of the trip so I can sleep without having people trip all over me.
Day 2:
I survived my flight and I’m in Cairo! Luckily Contiki provides airport transfers so I won’t have to hassle with taxis. This evening I get to meet my tour manager and group.
Day 3:
Out and about in Cairo! The morning starts with a trip to Giza to see the pyramids and the Sphinx where I’ll have the opportunity to actually go inside one of the pyramids. I’ll also have the opportunity to ride a camel! Afterwards it is off to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities to see the treasures of King Tutankhamen and the mummies of Egypt’s great pharaohs.
Tonight, we board a sleeper train and head south to the town of Aswan.
Day 4:
In Aswan, we visit a stone quarry to see the unfinished Obelisk (stone pillar), Egypt’s single heaviest piece of rock weighing 1168 tons, and the impressive High Dam, the country’s powerhouse for both irrigation and electricity.
Tonight, will be a great night since it is our first night on the Nile Cruise!
Day 5:
We’re off to Abu Simbel! It is an early morning to catch a quick flight to southern Egypt to visit the temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel. We get to explore one of Egypt’s greatest temples while enjoying the views of one of the world’s biggest man-made lakes, Lake Nasser. After flying back to Aswan, we board the boat to enjoy a leisure afternoon floating on the Nile on our way to Edfu. In the evening, we visit Kom Ombo to see the town’s unique riverside temple which is famous for being perfectly symmetrical and for being shared by two gods.
Tonight we spend another night aboard the cruise!
Day 6:
Today we are in Edfu to see Egypt’s second largest and best-preserved temple, the Temple of Horus the Avenger. We then spend a relaxing afternoon on board the boats deck as we head off to Luxor, site of the ancient city of Thebes.
Tonight we enjoy our last evening on the ship.
Day 7:
This morning we visit the city of the dead with a tour of the Valley of the Kings to explore the burial chambers of the great pharaohs including the tomb of Tutankhamen! Later we explore the stunning Temple of Karnak, 2 sq km site crammed full of remains, obelisks and sanctuaries, including the world’s largest religious structure, the Temple of Amun. Then we cross the Nile to see the Colossos of Memnon, the large scale remains of a once massive temple.
Back on the train tonight, we head north to Cairo.
Day 8
Our second day in Cairo starts off with a visit to the world’s oldest pyramid, the Step Pyramid. Then we travel to the Citadel in Cairo, home of Egypt’s rulers for 700 years, followed by a visit at the Alabaster Mosque. Later in the afternoon we stop by the ancient Khan El Khalili bazaar for some shopping! This evening we have the option of traveling to Giza for the Sound and Light Show to enjoy a final look at the amazing pyramids all lit up.
Tonight is the last night of the tour so we must say farewell to our tour manager and a few of our tour mates!
Day 9
I decided to extend my trip two days so this morning I grab the train in Cairo with a few of my tour mates and we head out to Alexandria for a day of sightseeing! Itinerary for the day is to be determined. In the evening we return to Cairo for what will be my last night in Egypt! (I know…very, very sad!!)
Day 10:
On my last day, the only thing on my “wish-list of places to see” is Coptic Cairo. I’ll like to visit the Coptic Christian museum, the Babylon Fortress, the Hanging Church, the Greek Church of St. George and a few other Coptic churches. As for the afternoon, I’ll have to see what the day brings!
This evening, I wait for my airport transfer to pick me up and whisk me away to the airport. My flight is at 11:25pm!
Day 11:
I arrive in NYC at 5:15am (I know, a tad too early for my taste) and enjoy a 5.5 hour layover before catching my flight home!
I'm not sure on what day it is but there is a really interesting optional tour offered that I'll like to sign up for. We get to ride a camel or donkey (we get to pick our mode of transportation...I might pick the donkey since we ride camels in Giza) through a Nubian village to see how people in Egypt live. At the end of the tour, we are welcomed into one of the houses to get an inside look at a rural Egyptian house and the owners of the house offer us tea and cookies while sharing stories about living in Egypt. Definitely sounds interesting!
We also get to visit a papyrus factory and perfume factory while in Cairo! Can't wait to purchase a few papyrus paintings.
I can't wait..eleven days of traveling which I’m sure will be the trip of a life time!!
Stayed tuned as I write more about this adventure!
