See Part 1 where we discuss our decision-making funnel which led to the trip and how we initially made our way to Jordan, and ultimately Petra, here. These are the important decisions before our Jordan and Egypt Trip Review. (link)
See Part 2 where we meet our tour group and visit the Dead Sea, Jaresh, and Mt. Nebo here. (link)
See Part 3 where we pretend we’re Indiana Jones and visit Petra here. (link)
See Part 4 where we follow the ghost of TE Lawrence through Wadi Rum and fly from Jordan over the Red Sea to Egypt, and experience the splendor of the Old Cataract Hotel where Agatha Christie and Winston Churchill (among others) stayed. (link)
See Part 5 in which we cruise up the Nile and visit several temples, including a big stop at Luxor and the Valley of the Kings and Queens! (link)
I’m going to breeze through the next couple of sites because, while interesting, they weren’t nearly as fun as what was to come later in our walkthrough of our trip to Egypt. Be ready for picture overload today!
Our Tauck-commissioned cruise ship docked at Kom Ombo, where we learned about the Egyptian’s love of the crocodile and their belief that crocodiles were gods. The crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility, also helped create the world! Exhausting, I’m sure. One of the interesting parts of this temple is the first relief we saw depicting medical and surgical instruments. Ancient Egyptians were truly ahead of their time. The temple is divided into two parts; one part is dedicated to Sobek while the other part is dedicated to Horus. It’s fascinating how the temple is split in half to honor two different deities. We ducked into a crocodile museum, which was part of our temple experience, and it was a nice ten-minute walkthrough. If you’re stopping at Kom Ombo, I highly recommend all of it.
You can’t have an Egypt trip review without mentioning time on the Nile river! Much of the day we were aboard our riverboat, enjoying the scenery along the shores, laying in the sun, swimming in the pool, and learning a new card game a Stacker sent me after my book tour called Tutto. We all enjoyed the low-stakes, casino style game (which was even more fun over a couple of WAY overpriced beers). Watching the banks of the Nile truly feels like one is stepping back in time. Farmers are working the fields using what looks to be ancient tools, mules pulling carts filled with grains, and kids frolicking in the water.
The following morning we were up early again to experience Edfu and the grand Temple of Horus. This temple was truly a sight to behold (did I write another flowery, over-the-top sentence about how amazing things are in Egypt…there I did it again!). It is the largest and best preserved of the temples built during the Ptolemaic era. After all this time, the roof is still intact, and you get the strong feeling that you’re walking back in time. The front of the temple is absolutely huge, as you’ll see in our photos.
As I mentioned in part five, because we arrived early, we experienced fewer crowds. Many people were arriving as we were leaving. After walking the gauntlet of shops again, with their overly annoying and harassing vendors, we boarded the bus.
We saw many people on tours riding in horse carts through town to the temple. We asked our guide, Debra, why we didn’t do the same. She shared that the town wasn’t at all scenic and Tauck had researched, finding that the carts weren’t safe and the horses not well cared for, so they decided to pass. I agreed with this answer. All the way back to the boat, peering out the window, we either missed the beautiful pieces of Edfu or this was not a great city. Sadly, I think it was the latter.
Back on the ship, we experienced more time watching the banks of the beautiful Nile before finally landing in Luxor, AKA Thebes. This splendid city is the home of not one but TWO temples, Luxor and Karnak, and also is a short drive from Valley of the Kings, where many Pharaohs rest.
While Karnak is huge and awe-inspiring, what hit me hardest were two things. First, the vendors in and around both temples in Luxor weren’t nearly as oppressive as elsewhere. Second, the work still being done today to find and restore this antiquity is mind-blowing. We passed near a site where, only months earlier, they’d discovered new grave sites and also what they think may be another temple. It’s amazing that while we think of history behind us, it’s truly living around us as researchers continue to uncover more and more.
We began closer to the boat and the Luxor temple, which I found to be particularly interesting for no other reason than it was a little smaller, a little more majestic without being over-the-top, and extremely photogenic. It was also right in the middle of the town, giving you a great feel for modern-meets-ancient times, as I wrote about above.
Karnak, on the other hand, can be reached by foot from the smaller Luxor temple via a road lined with sphinx, or you could drive. It was a long, long walk, so we drove. Restoration of Karnak includes returning color to the reliefs and columns. Imaging this temple in its hay day, completely painted and standing yes, you guessed it–stupendous. The temple complex was huge, and in places, the security guards (who wore uniforms making them look exactly like police) would offer to “take a photo of us.” Of course, this was for a fee. So, while the vendors were less aggressive, Egyptians generally were still just treating us like walking wallets.
Karnak has been buried under sand for more than 1,000 years, and a significant portion of it is still undergoing excavation.
Can you visit these places without a tour? Sure. But much like when I use the audio tours in museums and have a MUCH better experience, I believe you get a richness that you wouldn’t get without a guide walking through these sites. Frankly, you’ve come all the way to Egypt; I’m not sure why you wouldn’t want to know as much as possible about these places. Besides the earlier medicine reliefs I would have never found on my own, we also heard much about early Christians, who used these temples as sometimes secret meeting places, defacing the Egyptian gods. Their theory? If the Egyptian gods were real, they’d restore their likenesses. Clever. I could clog this diary with so many of these little moments with them. Will I? No. Will I recommend a guide highly? Absolutely.
While in Luxor, we ventured from the ship down the beautiful waterfront promenade to the sister hotel of the Old Cataract, the iconic Winter Palace. Wow (sorry, another superlative). We walked through the hallways, admiring the art, the history, and the grandeur of a truly amazing old hotel. While also iconic, it was different enough from the Old Cataract that I could have stayed at both places. It’s a sign of the hotel’s cost that we did not stay at both.
Winter Palace
On our way back to the ship, I wish we could have spent more time at the waterfront because it was so beautiful, and the weather was perfect for a nice stroll. We took in what we could and headed back to the ship.
We’ve been to Karnak, Edfu, Philae, Abu Simbel, and Kom Ombo, so how could it get better? …well come to Thebes and find out.
We headed out for the Valley of the Kings and Queens the following day. We were fortunate that a Tauck exclusive is after-hours Valley of the Kings and Queens, so once again, there were no crowds. Our first stop was the intact tomb of Nefertari. Without the sunlight, colors were vibrant, having never been touched up. Of course, the guard wanted to “help us” with some photos. I gave in, and they were worth the overhead. Next up, the most famous grave of all, King Tut. Because it was built quickly (he died young), it was neither splendid nor big. Still, it was a treat to walk down the same stairs and visit the rooms, which caused such a stir when they were discovered by Mr. Carter and his team back in 1922.
Valley of the Queens
Valley of the Kings
The visitor center features a model showing all of the underground passages in the valley. Some are extensive and impressive!
No more ship for us. This time, we boarded a plane because it was time for the tour to end…north to Cairo!
More pictures, please! The crew of MS Philae has a great sense of humor.
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