The capital Cairo / Horsing around Pyramids
EGYPT
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Our base for exploring the Middle East was Amman as it was the cheapest way in. From there we crossed into Eqypt and came back the same way. We spent a rushed 10 days in Eqypt. There were 4 persons in the group.
From Amman in Jordan, the border town of Aqaba was a full day journey. We boarded a very crowded ferry accross to Egypt, followed by an arduous 12 hrs bus ride to Cairo, arriving past midnight. We started the day arrangi ng our next stops. At the train station, we were persuaded by a backpacker who had set up a travel business, to let her make all the ticketing and accomodation arrangements at a fair price.
The next two days, we toured Cairo including the Saqqara Pyramids, the oldest in Eqypt and Great Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza. Instead of the usual walking tour of the Giza Pyramids, we opted for a horse ride into the deserts for a better panoramic view. We also visited the Coptic Church and walked about the markets, including the much visited Khan al-Khalili bazaar. Not to be missed is the Egyptian Museum which has the best collection of Egyptian artifacts in the world, including the treasures of King Tutankhamun.
An overnight train took us to Aswan, a picturesque little town besides the Nile River. A full day was spend exploring the backstreets with its multitude of stalls hawking local as well as African goods. The next day, together with a bunch of other backpackers, we set off in a van to visit Abu Simbel. We stopped at the romantic Temple of Philae, surrounded by the waters of Aswan Lake. Abu Simbel is even more impressive with its four colossal statues of Ramses, each 20m in height.
Friendly backstreet Cairo / Eggplants
Early the next morning, we boarded the felucca (small sail boat) for our 3 days Nile cruise. Life in ancient Egypt revolves along the Nile River and there are still numerous villages. Our first major stop was the temple of Kom Ombo followed by the Temple of Horus in Edfu. We ate and slept in the little boat and it was surprisingly cold both nights. The felucca was also drawfed by the huge 5-Star cruise liners ferrying package tourists.
From Edfu, we were ferried by van to the town of Luxor. From here, the obvious attraction was the Valley of Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut. This is the area of hundreds of tombs of past Pharos of Egypt. Despite hunded of years of exploitation, there is still much more for archeologist to work on The immense Temple of Luxor with its towering columns, sited on the River Nile together with the Temple of Karnak are probably the most impressive Temples in Egypt.
From Luxor, we took another overnight train to Cairo. After a day of rest and more walkabouts, we boarded a night bus which took us up accross the Sinai Desert to Taba. From here it was a ferry ride accross the Red Sea into Jordan, back to where we started.
Email: yongleemin@pd.jaring.my or yongleekeng@yahoo.com
Mail: 2 Lrg Air Bersih Satu, Air Panas, 53200 Kuala Lumpur
Phone: Lee Min: 016-220 9033 or 603-4023 8210
Phone: Lee Keng: 012-315 8353 or 603-6137 9937