Tanzania 2009-2010

Egypt is home to what is considered the first great civilization on earth! From the Giza pyramids and Great Sphinx to the temples and tombs of Luxor it is a fascinating country to visit. It is at the center of the Arab world and borders Libya to the west, Sudan to the south, and the Gaza strip and Israel to the east. Its capital city, Cairo, is Africa’s largest city and is where I began my adventure. I am only posting a fraction of the millions of pictures I took, so if you want to see more ask me when I get home!

I left Arusha with Christine and Brandon and traveled via shuttle bus to Nairobi, Kenya. The road to Nairobi is under construction and the 6 hour ride was so bumpy that our teeth chattered and we couldn’t even read books! At the Kenyan border we had to get out of the bus, walk across, and purchase temporary transit visas. Once in Nairobi we had 8 hours to kill at the airport until our 4am flight to Cairo. We played cards, ate chips (french fries), and tried to sleep on the concrete floor. We finally made it to Cairo where Christine and Brandon continued on to London and I met up with my tour company, Egypt Uncovered!

Killing time at the Nairobi airport

I was pretty exhausted, so my guide Mohammed took me on a drive around the city. Cairo has a population of almost 20 million people with more than 5 million cars, so traffic was horrendous! We drove past several statues, the old citadel, crossed the Nile, and I even glimpsed the pyramids of Giza on the outskirts of the city. Cairo is over 90% Muslim and it seems like there are mosques on almost every block. The city certainly lives up to its nickname “the City of a Thousand Minarets!” The Arabic writing on all the stores and street signs and the women shuffling about in full burqas made me feel like I was on another planet.

A view of Cairo from the citadel. Look closely in the background and you can see 2 of the 3 pyramids in Giza!

I arrived at my hotel and took a short nap and a much needed shower. I then hit up the town with Mohammed to see Cairo by night! We ate Koshary (a local dish with chickpeas, lentils, pasta, fried onion, lime, and chili sauce), visited the Abdeen palace, crossed the oldest bridge over the Nile, saw the Opera house, Cairo tower, Al-Alzhar mosque, Khan el-Khalili bazaar, the old city walls, and the Gate of the Conquerors. Despite my resistance, we participated in the age old tradition of smoking apple flavored shisha from a hookah (don’t worry Mom, it’s just tobacco, but still not doctor recommended) and drank mint tea and sugar cane juice. We watched some of the Egypt vs. England football match with a crowd of rowdy locals and then I headed home to sleep.

The next morning I woke up early and went to see the 3 pyramids and the Sphinx in Giza! They were incredible! The Great Pyramid is the only remaining monument of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.”

The pyramids in Giza! Awesome!!

Standing on the Great Pyramid!

Some camels just checking out the city scape

Sphinx!!

Right across the street from the sphinx is a Pizza Hut and KFC! Ridiculous!

After visiting Giza I spent the afternoon at the Egyptian Museum. The mummies, hieroglyphics, and statues were great, but the artifacts from King Tutankhamun’s (King Tut) tomb stole the show!! His famous gold burial mask is the icon of Egypt and was so cool to see in person!

King Tut's burial mask (I "borrowed" this picture from Wikipedia!)

After the museum, I visited a papyrus factory, ate a shawarma sandwich, and caught the overnight sitting train to Luxor. I was able to get a few hours of sleep and arrived in Luxor at 5am. I went to my hotel for a quick nap and then met up with Mollie (a medical student from Wisconsin that was in Arusha with me) and Doug (her husband) for breakfast!! It was so nice to see familiar faces and have travel buddies!! We explored Luxor after breakfast and found it to be much more peaceful than Cairo. In the afternoon we went to visit Karnak and Luxor temples. Karnak temple is the largest ancient religious site in the world and 30 pharaohs contributed to its construction. The hieroglyphics, statues, columns, and obelisks there were amazing.

A bazaar in Luxor

The entrance to Karnak temple

Luxor temple

The next day we crossed the Nile to the West Bank of Luxor and visited the Colossi of Memnon, the Habu temple, Queen Hatshepsup’s temple, and the Valley of the Kings. The desert scenery was beautiful, but very desolate and hot! We were not allowed to take cameras to the Valley of the Kings, but this is the area where many tombs were constructed for kings and nobles in the 11 to 16 centuries BC (yup! BC!)! So far 63 tombs have been discovered, the most famous being the tomb of King Tutankhamun. We went down into 3 tombs and the walls of the chambers were decorated with beautiful scenes from Egyptian mythology. All of the tombs, except King Tut’s, were opened and robbed long ago, but they believe there are other tombs yet to be discovered! After our touring we went back to the hotel to swim, relax, and drink Egyptian beer. Mollie and I also had to vent about the terrible state of women in Egypt and all the hassling and scamming of tourists that goes on. For dinner we had pita bread, hummus, and grilled pigeon! At 10pm we caught the overnight train back to Cairo. For this trip I upgraded to a sleeper car and it was great!

Colossi of Memnon

Habu temple (this guy was pretty cute, but a little creepy)

With Mollie and Doug in front of Queen Hatshepsut's temple

Turkish coffee

Grilled pigeon...not so tasty

For my last day in Cairo I went touring with Mollie and Doug. We visited the Coptic area of Cairo and saw the oldest Christian church in Egypt where Mary and Jesus were believed to have stayed for 18 months. We ate falafels and then went to the citadel. This is an old fort that also contains the Mosque of Mohamed Aly and his tomb. We had to “cover up” to go inside, but it was interesting to see. We returned to the hotel and then it was time for me to start the long journey back to Tanzania! Mollie and Doug were off to snorkel in the Red Sea, climb Mt. Sinai, and visit Jordan. I guess I’ll have to save that for my next trip to Egypt!!

Mosque of Mohamed Aly

Here are some pictures from the last week in Arusha!! We have been busy hanging out with friends, hosting visitors (Christine's friend Megan from Chicago and Ann and Grant from Uganda), going to goat roasts, running the Kili 1/2 marathon, and packing for upcoming trips. Christine and Brandon are returning to the states tomorrow (via London) and I am flying to Egypt for a week!