Well that’s our first pit stop done and dusted. Emphasis on the dusted; as after one week in Egypt we were feeling more dust than human.
It’s winter time but it was a perfect temple-exploring 20-something-degrees for us Brits 🙂
Breathtaking, chaotic, crazy Egypt. Backpacking through it from top to bottom was definitely an experience to say the least.
Roughly 1/3 Egyptians live below the poverty line, with income inequality is rising – the gap between the rich and the poor widening. When backpacking, sadly we witnessed a lot of poverty; children begging, hungry stray cats and dogs, and we came into contact with a lot of people asking for tips. Despite the country’s wealth, it was sad to hear that there is corruption.
Our first accommodation was the charming Dahab Rooftop Hostel, what it lacked for in ceiling it made up for in staff friendliness, and also cats. It was brimming with cats. If you tried to eat anything at all, cats would appear from every corner and surround you!
We thoroughly recommend this super friendly hostel. They also do a delicious breakfast of ful medames (stewed fava beans), coffee, fried egg, soft cheese, cucumber & tomato for just 25 EGP = 1.19 GBP! We arranged our entire one week tour with them, with cost around 350 GBP.
We’ve had a fully loaded week, and tried to cram in the highlights!
CAIRO
- Pyramids of Giza, Dakshur, Red Pyramid, Saqqura
- Egyptian Museum
- Kushari
Pyramids of Giza
The Pyramids were a spectacular sight; standing so giant against the hazy dust-filled blue sky. A big tick off our bucket list!
Like it or not, you’ll be hassled. For the horse carriages, camel rides, souvenirs, a guide when you didn’t even want a guide or realise he was a guide. Giza was a constant game of saying no, and a continuous assessment of the intentions of those who “look official, but not official” as one of our guides would say.
The huge giant stone blocks were imported by boat down the Nile – which used to run beside the pyramids! Each block was almost as tall as me!
Tip of the day: make sure you see the pyramids early morning. We arrived at 9am and it was perfectly quiet with zero queue, but by the time we left at 11.30am it was an absolute. circus.
After Giza, we explored Dakshur the bent pyramid, and The Red Pyramid, and Saqqara (the step pyramid).
This had us doing movements akin to a Saturday morning boot camp. Scaling down backwards on our hands and knees down a rickety ladder/stairs hybrid, 200 feet into the heart of the pyramids. Feeling like Indiana Jones, we were bear walking, crab walking (I thought it would be easier but it wasn’t, lol), crawling on our hands and knees through it’s damp, smelly tunnels in solitude.
The Egyptian Museum
Located in the heart of Tahrir Square, Cairo, the Egyptian Museum hosts the world’s largest collection of Pharaonic art and monuments; approximately 120,000 items. We paid for a random guide lingering outside, as we had been pre-warned there was no explanations for anything. Like this board game below, though nobody knows exactly how it was played.
The museum boasts of a hall called the “hall of royal mummies” with 11 mummies of Egyptian kings and queens. Majority of the items on display are approx years old – including some pretty snazzy flippy floppys with images of his enemies on the soles. So wherever he went, he “trampled over his foes”.
Fun Fact: We’ve all heard of King Tutankhamen – did you know he reigned from the age of 9 until he died around 18 years old? The tomb of King Tut is one of the most famous because of its discovery by Howard Carter, a British archaeologist. It was very well-preserved, and you can see the treasures in the museum. Carter excavated in the Valley of the Kings for 11 years before he discovered Tut’s tomb in 1922. It took 17 years for the archaeologist to go through all the items in the tomb and write them down.
Kushari
Well we couldn’t talk about Egypt without mentioning their national dish. If you’re in Cairo, a visit to Abu Tarek restaurant. Clean, efficient, affordable, and full of locals. No menus in this place, as they only serve one dish and one dish only; Kushari.
Consisting of macaroni pasta, noodles, rice, lentils, and chickpeas. Pour on a tomato sauce, add vinegar, hot sauce, and you’re good to go. Oh, and just because there isn’t enough carbs, there is also a side of crispy bread. Cheap (20 EGP = 1.43 GBP) and very, very filling!
The only thing you need to decide: small, medium, or large?
LUXOR
- East Bank: Temple of Luxor, Sphinx Avenue, Karnak Temple
- West Bank: Temple of Edfu
- Valley of the Kings
- Sunrise Hot Air Balloon trip over Valley of the Kings
Temple of Luxor
Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned.
It was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. It took hundreds of years to build, by Amenhotep III, Ramses II, Tutankhamun, and other pharaohs.
Sphinx Avenue
One of the many, many sphinx’s! The avenue is lined with human headed sphinxes on both sides, for over one and a half miles (3 km) long, and connects the temples of Karnak and Luxor!
Karnack Temple
The Karnak Temple dates back from around 2055 BC to around 100 AD. It was dedicated to the gods Amun, Mut, and khonsu.
Being the largest building for religious purposes ever to be constructed. Built by Ramesses III, a king who reigned from 1186 to 1155 BC., the temple is about 230 feet (70 meters) by 88 feet (27 meters).
Edfu Temple
The Edfu temple was built on the land believed to have witnessed the greatest battle in the history of the ancient Egyptian Mythology between the powers of good and evil in the image of the ancient Egyptian gods of Horus and Set.
The temple was built between 237 and 57 BC.
Valley of The Kings
Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Trip
We were up at 4.15am for my eagerly awaited hot air balloon trip over Valley of The Kings in Luxor – my absolute highlight of the week!
It was a spectacular experience. Plus, my first time in a hot air balloon! They are so much bigger than I imagined! It was definitely worth getting up for 🙂
Hilariously before we went up in the air, they had us all take part in a super cheesy video they were making – getting us to hold hands in a large circle, sing, jump in time – even the stray dogs started joined in. We were in fits of laughter.
Aswan: The Temple of Kom Ombo
The Temple of Kom Ombo. Perched in a beautiful setting on top of a hill at a bend in the Nile, where in ancient times sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank.
The double temple is dedicated to the gods Sobek and Haroeris; and is a reminder of this area’s importance in Ancient Egypt due to its prime position along the Nile.
Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel are two massive rock-cut temples in the village of Abu Simbel, Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt, near the border with Sudan.
They were both built during the reign of King Ramses II sometime in the 1200 B.C. time period. One temple is dedicated to King Ramses I (left), and the second temple is dedicated to his beloved wife Queen Nefertari (far right).
River Nile Cruise
As well as the night buses and night trains, we also sailed on a fantastic River Nile cruise for two nights. A must if you visit Egypt.
Such a relaxing way to sail to the each of the sights above, and watch the sunrises and sunsets. We were spoilt; feasting on huge Egyptian buffets with the locals, and playing games and drinking beers with our new pals (there were 3 other tourists aboard!)
Of course Leon had packed a small box of board games, which came out straight away during the sailing times 😉
Well what a fantastic first week to kick off our round the world trip. We’ve had an incredible first week, learnt so much history and made some great pals. The wonders of the ancient Egypt are an absolute marvel.
Leon and Amy’s Big Adventures 