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Travel Talk
Travelling in Egypt and Jordan.....
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Egypt and Jordan 13 Day Tour / Cruise
February 11, 2009 . We arrived at the Cairo airport and were met by our airport host who handled our visas, guided us through customs, helped us with our luggage and introduced us to Tamer who would be our guide for our stay in Egypt.
It was an interesting bus ride to our hotel and we could not wait to glimpse the pyramids. That did not happen of course as they are in Giza, an hour from Cairo. The first impressions were of sand, chaotic traffic and litter. Our hotel, Swiss Inn Pyramids, was beautiful and located beside the Hilton which gave us access to banking and shopping. We relaxed after our long flight and prepared for the next day.
February 12. We travelled back to ancient Egypt and marveled at the pyramids! Words cannot express the wonder. Taking our first camel ride was a little scary but a lot of fun and the pictures are priceless.
We also toured the Egyptian museum with commentary from our guide.
February 13. A very early morning began with a 2 AM wake up call and breakfast served on the bus on the way to the airport to catch our flight to Aswan. From there some of us continued on the flight to Abu Simble, others went to the ship where we waited for a guide to take us on an optional tour of a Nubian village. We re-united again on the ship, the Ramadis 11, for lunch and an afternoon tour of the High Dam and Philae Temple which was relocated to Isi-Island due to the impending destruction upon the completion of the High Dam. We topped off the afternoon with a quiet Felucca ride around the Agf Khan Mausoleum Aa lovely dinner was served on board and we enjoyed the sights as we cruised down the Nile to our next stop. Our rooms were very comfortable with wide windows to view the countryside. We even had the pleasure of watching a belly dancer for the evening entertainment.
February 14. A day of touring the ruins of the Kom Ombo Temple , the only temple in Egypt dedicated to two gods, Sebek the crocodile god and Horus the great. In the afternoon we arrived in Edfu, the location of one of the best preserved Egyptian temples. This site was initially developed 1000 years before Abraham came to Egypt! We continued cruising the Nile to Luxor.
February 15. We arrived into Luxor where we visited the temples of Karnak and Luxor. These temples were built during the time of the bondage and Exodus of the Israelites. In the evening on board we enjoyed a fun Egyptian night when we all wore our Egyptian garb and dance and played Egyptian games with Tamer being our MC.
February 16. This morning we disembarked the ship and visited the Valley of the Kings where many ancient pharaohs were buried and the temple of Hatshepsut , the princess who perhaps pulled baby Moses out of the Nile river. We bought our dinners at the airport and got the flight to Cairo and back ot the Swiss Inn Pyramid Hotel.
February 17. Breakfast and then a day tour to the seaport city of Alexandria where we saw the Greco-Roman culture in Egypt. It is the second largest city in Egypt and known as "The Pearl of the Meditteranean". We climbed down into the catacombs of Kom and saw Pompay's Pillar. Fort Quit – the site of the once famous lighthouse - overlooks the lively harbour . We even visited the beautiful gardens around King Farouk's summer palace. While enroute we learned about pigeon farms, and the different types of agriculture. The weather was rainy but warm.
February 18. This morning we departed Cairo, passed through the "Land of Goshen", and travelled the southward route of the Exodus through the wilderness of Shur. We learned of the terrain and history of the region as we passed the Spring of Moses and the oasis of Elim. The mountains and valleys surprised us all. We arrived into the village of St. Katherines and stayed at the Wadi El Raha a picturesque Inn that is good for the experience but not for comfort. To be that close to Mt. Moses where Moses received the ten commandments , again, was a "feeling" difficult to describe.
February 19. Two of our group made the early morning trek up the mountain to watch the sun rising. It was a very strenuous climb and we applauded to ones who did it. The rest of us were ready to climb up to the monastery and learn of its history. . A bush growing in St. Catherine's monastery on the traditional site of Mount Sinai is revered by the monks as the original burning bush. After a short ride to the Red Sea we began to imagine the miracle of the parting of the sea. When we arrived at the Port of Aqaba, Tamer our guide said goodbye and ensured we all boarded the catamaran that took us across the Gulf of Aqaba and into Jordan After a scenic two hour ride we arrived into Aqaba, the lovely seaport of King Soloman. where our guide Aladdin welcomed us. Our hotel room at the Golden Tulip allowed a magnificent night time view of Jericho. It was in a good location to explore the town on foot. Even though it was evening, many people were out and about. Some of us made a visit ot a bank machine to take out Jordanian dollars. We did notice the weather was cooler here. Also the streets were clean and driving was done in an organized manner unlike in Egypt.
February 20. The sun is shining brightly but it is windy and cool. Perfect touring weather . This morning we travelled north to the amazing mountain fortress of Petra. known to be inhabited by the Edomites, the descendants of Esau. We walked about 2 km through the "siq" , an immense crack in the Nubian sandstone, and beheld the Treasury as we turned the corner. There are hundreds of carved and built structures to see. Petra is a site not to be missed. We drove on to Amman on the King's highway through the land of the Moabites where we can view the hilltop palace / fortress of Machaerus where John the Baptist was beheaded. We stayed at the Jerusalem International Hotel .
Feb. 21. Snow!! That is one thing we did not expect!! It was rainy, snowy and cold so we were happy we did Petra in better weather. Today we did go up Mount Nebo which – in good weather the view across the Jordan Valley is spectacular, this day it was cloudy but still impressive. We viewed the Plains of Moab, the area where the tribes of Israel camped before crossing the Jordan . We could only imagine Moses disappointment at not being able to enter the valley.
Feb. 22. Still snowy and rainy meaning we had to change our plans from going to Jerash to visiting some sites in Amman. This turned out to be a good thing. We enjoyed the car museum, the amphitheatre, the museums and seeing "Old Amman" We filled our last afternoon in Jordan in a fun way thanks to Aladdin our guide.
Our flight departed Amman at midnight on Feb. 23 and we arrived back home in Chatham at 4 PM. A long day but in the end everyone said it was very worthwhile and they were glad they experienced it.
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