Egypt - 2010

We finally made it to Egypt and what a place! It is a land of contrasts and it was especially interesting to be there during Ramadan - no daylight savings time, no eating or drinking (even water) between sunrise and sunset, museums and shops on varying open/closed schedules, and much celebration and eating after sunset for the faithful. I highly recommend Overseas Adventure Travel - they took such very good care of the 14 of us in our group. The food was fantastic and very satisfying (mostly Mediterranean - hummus, tahini, pita bread, baba ghanoush, a soft white cheese to die for, grilled chicken, kofta, rice pilaf, grilled tomatoes, french fries, wonderful pastries made with nuts and honey, etc.).

We saw the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, visited several tombs in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, went into King Tut's tomb, visited the Howard Carter home (due to be open to the public next year), took a hot air balloon ride around Queen Hatshepsut's temple, had a too-short but wonderful Nile cruise (Luxor to Aswan), a camel ride (note that Ruth got the biggest camel), saw a sunrise on the way to Abu Simbel, had a felucca (sail boat) ride to a botanical garden, a horse-drawn carriage ride through the back streets and markets of Luxor, visited a farm and also a women's sewing center, had mint tea in a Nubian home and dinner with a family in their home in Aswan. And of course we visited the Pyramids and Sphinx, and saw the "solar" boat in the Cheops Boat Museum (put together after 4000 years), and a trip to the oldest step pyramid at Saqqara. We also went to the Citadel of Salah Al-Din in Cairo, visiting the mosque, a Coptic (Egyptian) Orthodox Church and Jewish Synagogue. It is amazing to learn the similarities between the religions - we sometimes pay more attention to the differences. Of course there were the markets and vendors - bargaining required.

Tarek, our guide and Egyptologist, was wonderful and everyone in our group was easy-going and noncomplaining (no novice travelers in this group). It was a fabulous trip and the hardest part was the long bus ride in the sky to get home.

Use our name if you book with Grand Circle or Overseas Travel Adventures (http://www.oattravel.com/) - you'll get a discount.