Santa Yourself - Turn yourself into a dancing Santa

Santa Yourself - Turn yourself into a dancing Santa

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This funky card is created by Pauline, Tuck, & David.
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The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities - Cairo

The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities Cairo

The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities was first built in Boulak. In 1891, it was moved to Giza Palace of "Ismail Pasha" which housed the antiquities that were later moved to the present building. The Egyptian Museum is situated at Tahrir Square in Cairo. It was built during the reign of Khedive Abbass Helmi II in 1897, and opened on November 15, 1902.

On the ground floor there are the huge statues and sarcophagi. The upper floor houses small statues, jewels, Tutankhamun's treasures and the royal mummy room, which contains 11 royal mummies that are inside special showcases, which have a small electronic devices to control the humidity level around the mummies at all times. The mummies belong to royalty of the 20th Dynasty like King Ramses III, King priests of Amun and three Queens. To enter this area you have to pay a separate entrance fee and are not allowed to take photos. An adjacent room, which is free to enter has mummified animals and birds including a very large crocodile.

One of King Tut's Beautiful Thrones

King Tut's Gold Middle Coffin
He is holding a flail in his right hand and
a crook in his left hand, symbols of his kingship.

A separate room holds King Tut's personal effects - the jewellery and ornaments that went into his sarcophagus with him. His funeral mask is more beautiful than you expect. Made from gold and inlaid with, carnelian, lapis lazuli and turquoise. Tutankhamun is wearing the nemes, a white and blue striped linen headdress pulled close around the head, fixed over the forehead, a vulture and a uraeus serpent rise from the forehead and represent the two guardian deities of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nekhbet and Uadjet,which when shown together symbolize sovereignty over unified Egypt.

it is truly stunning and you can walk right around the glass case, thus see the mask from all angles. Tutankhamun's gold coffin is made of solid gold and weighs 110kg, and is unbelievably beautiful.

The jewellery alone would be worth many kings ransoms, everything is stunning. It's quite dimmly lit in this room, which is essential for the preservation of the displays, but makes photography very difficult, especially since flash isn't permitted.

The few photos I took didn't come out very well. The mask is very dull looking because of the reflections.

Ushabi - Small Statues inscribed with magical spells to assist in
the afterlife .

The halls outside this room contain leopard-skin shields, still in good condition after 2300 years.The walls are lined with many ushabtis, small doll like objects said to hold the spirits of the servants, soldiers and farmers who would cater to the Pharoah's needs in the afterlife. There is a folding bed with quite modern looking hinges, a golden chariot, gold shrine and various ornate thrones.

The 1st floor has a large atrium with the larger exhibits including a massive pair of statues of Rameses II and Amenhotep III and his wife Tiye. These are actually best viewed from the 2nd floor. There is also a collection of stone sarcophagi of the Old Kingdom and many large statues too numerous to list.

We didn't see a lot on the first floor, as we ran out of time.

Limestone Statue of Prince Rahotep and his

... More >

Wife Nofret

Heavy Black Granite Statue of Goddess Isis

Wooden Statue of Anubis - Guardian of the underworld who guided the deceased or initiate into the Double Hall of Truth and checked the balance on the Scales of Justice during the "Weighing of the Heart" ceremony.

Hatshepsut - The Queen who Ruled as a Pharoah in the 18th Dynasty

Old Cairo

The Hanging Church in Old Cairo

Carved Marble Pulpit in Hanging Church

The Old Roman Fort Walls

St Sergius The Oldest Church in Old Cairo

The Sign to Entrance of St Sergius

Entrance Below Street Level To St Sergius

Old Cairo also called Coptic Cairo - as the name suggests, is the oldest part of Cairo. It is believed that there was a settlement here as early as the 6th century BC. Later, the Romans built a fortress here which is known as Fort Babylon. Some of the Roman fort's walls still exist today.

After the spread of Christianity throughout Egypt, the area of Old Cairo became a Christian stronghold, with as many as twenty churches built within an area of just one square mile. Now only five remain, along with the earliest mosque ever built in Egypt. After the fall of Jerusalem in around 70 AD, the area saw an influx of Jews, and it's here where Egypt's oldest synagogue, Ben Ezra is located.

Apparently, the term Coptic is a corruption of the Greek word Aigyptos, which means Egyptian. Aigyptos springs from the Ancient Egyptian "Ha-ka-Ptah" which means "the house of the Ptah". From that came the Arabic word "qubt" or "qibt", and from there it was translated to Copt.The modern use of the term Coptic refers to both the Egyptian Christians themselves, and the last stage of the Ancient Egyptian language.

The Coptic Church is based upon the teachings of St Mark, who brought Christianity to Egypt in around 50 AD. St Mark was one of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and the gospel of St Mark is the oldest gospel.

The Hanging Church

The Hanging Church or its Egyptian name, El-Muallaqa dates back to 4th century, el-Muallaqa is the oldest Christian church in Cairo. This Coptic Church is within the old Babylon fortress and is called the 'Hanging Church' because it is built on top of a Roman gate and reached by a stairway that leads to the courtyard.

It was destroyed in the 9th century, and rebuilt in 11th century. The interior of the church features three vaulted aisles, inlaid ivory & bone altar screens and a beautiful, carved marble pulpit which is supported by 13 pillars which represent Jesus and the disciples. There is also a collection of a hundred plus icons in the church that date back to the 8th century.

Abu Serga Church (St Sergius)

The Church of Abu Serga (St Sergius) is another 4th Century church, (rebuilt in the 10th-11th centuries over the original church) dedicated to Saint Sergius and Bacchus. They were warrior saints and were executed on the orders of Maximian, the Roman Emperor. The Church is said to be built on the spot where Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus Christ, rested in a cave at the end of their journey into Egypt.

There is a crypt below the curtained off sanctuary which contains part of the original church where it is said the cave the Holy Family lived in once was Unfortunately, this area was roped off due to the presence of subterranean water. The church exposed roof beams over the nave, a raised area for the choir and galleries It is considered the oldest of Cairo's Christian churches.

Although Old Cairo contains a number of Christian churches and monuments, most of the really ancient Christian churches of Egypt are to be found in the isolated monasteries of the Eastern Desert. What is believed to be the world's oldest monastery, St Anthony's, was established in the middle of the fourth century AD by the Red Sea coast in the Eastern Desert in Egypt.

City Of The Dead

Photos taken from the Bus Window as we drove Past The City of the Dead

The City of the Dead, refers to the vast cemeteries on the outskirts of Cairo and was originally the burial place chosen by former rulers of Cairo and is filled with the graves of Fatimids, Abbasids, Ayyubids, Mamlukes, Ottomans. The area also houses some 5 million plus poor urban Egyptians and other immigrants who inhabit the area out of necessity, due to a huge housing shortage problem in Cairo.

The Egyptians don't see the cemeteries as exclusively for the dead. They see them as a place where life begins, a bit like in the time of the Pharoahs. The cemeteries built in the City of the Dead are quite different to from western cemeteries. Traditionally, Egyptians buried their dead in room or small house like “burial sites” the mourning family actually lived in them during the long mourning period of forty days.

It is not a romantic place to live, but one with poor sanitaion, garbage smells and little electricity, but the homeless have adapted the house like tombs to their needs are are content to have a roof over their heads.

We did not visit the City of the dead, but drove past it and learnt a small bit of its history from Ayman our guide.

If I ever go back to Egypt I would like to actually wander through the City of the Dead. It contains so much history.

If you click on the photos they should open into bigger ones so it is easier to see the detail.

The Khan El Khalili

A Narrow lane in The Khan El Khalili

One cannot write about the sites of Egypt without mentioning the famous Khan El Khalili market. On entering the Khan El Khalili you feel all your senses come alive and you are kind of transported back in time as the Khan has a decidedly medieval atmosphere. It is one of those absolutely must visit places - generally not once either, it drwas you back time after time ... it certainly casts it spell on those who 'dare to venture within its labyrinth of alleys'.

Besides the very obvious shopping, it is a lively and colourful sprawling labyrinth of a market with what seems like zillions of narrow cobblestone alleys, zillions of people and zillions of products for sale that spill out into the narrow lanes from the tiny shops, so that people pass each other by walking sideways. A couple of the main laneways are quite wide, but they are an exception.

The Khan is the perfect place to idle away a few hours and quite a few dollars. It is a bellydancers mecca, and you could go nuts with the buying and I am sure many do! I was very conservative. I only bought 6 hipscarves, and placed an order for 7 saiidi dresses for our troupe, then decided to buy 2 more saiidi dresses for myself. That was it!. I did indulge in the lovely silver jewellery ... after all I adore silver and it is quite cheap. So 3 bracelets, a necklace and 3 rings later. I stopped myself from anymore looking.

The shop and stall holders assail you with .. 'let me help you spend your money', 'excuse me you dropped something' and when you turn to look the man will clutch his heart and say something like 'mt heart just dropped at your feet'. The Khan folk are happy, funny and helpful. Of course they will ask you to 'just look, no pressure to buy' but the charm will generally be turned on to try to get you to buy something. I found it wasn't in your face hassling or pressure at all, not like some countries I have visited. it was just a fun and pleasant experience.

On one visit, I got sick of shopping and the rest of the girls were still going crazy in the bellydance shops, so I just stood out in front of the alley where the shop was and watch all the happenings out in the street. Two shop owners stopped to talk to me, and offered me a stool and a cup of tea. They were just interested to know what I thought of Egypt and where I was from.

After about 45 minutes and the girls were still shopping, I decided to go back to Ali's friend Tarek's shop, but knew I would get hopelessly lost. One of the shop owners offered to call Ali, so that Ali could come and get me. Which Ali did. But these friendly and kind men didn't even ask me to look at their goods, just happy to chat. They also told the girls when they finally came out that I had returned to Tarek's shop.

During my several visits to the Khan, I only purchased a few trinket/tourist things as small gifts. A couple of pewter pens, a beautiful pewter jewllery box with Isis on the lide ( for me of course), a handful of fridge magnets, coasters, 3 pretty compact mirrors. and a couple of other knick knacks. But it is the perfect place to shop for whatever you want as memorabilia of Egypt. The traditional coffee houses are great and the 'shisha' (hookah water pipes) quite yum! Of course I had to try it! If I had, had room in my suitcase, I am sure I would have bought a Shisha pipe thing home, but they are a bit big. I just loved the atmosphere and din't feel that I had to buy things. It was a wonderful, cultural, colourful experience and a place that pulsed with life all the time.

Coffee House - Drinking Coffee and Smoking Shisha in The Khan

The Khan has quite a long and colourful history, it dates back to 1382, when Emir Djaharks el-Khalili built a large caravanserai (A caravanserai, means home/hotel or shelter for caravans....khan in Arabic) in Cairo because it was a meeting place for traders from all points of the compass. These Trading markets provide facilities for the storage and sale of goods and animals and the revenue they generated not only supported the market but also, the mosques and madrasas in the city.

The term Khan is a actually a Persian word but due to the foreign rulers at the time of establishment that is the term that came into use. Wikala ( the term for warehouse) is the Egyptian term for caravanserai. But the Khan El Khalili is a world heritage listed site so it and the name is here to stay!

One of the wider Streets of the Khan El Khalili
(That is me with the orange jacket on)

The Awesome Pyramids

The Pyramids of Giza, The sun is just beginning to set.

We have all seen books, photo's, and TV programs about the pyramids, but believe me until you actually stand in front of them you cannot understand their magnificence, they are totally awesome and take your breathe away. To actually be able to touch these ancient monuments is humbling and uplifting at the same time. They may have lost their original smooth surfaces and be crumbling, chipped and broken in places, but stand before them, touch them then close your eyes, and you will see them as they once were. Extraordinary monuments to a great an ancient civilisation.

The Pyramids of Giza are over 4500 years old. They were built as the burial places for the Kings Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, three Pharaohs during the Old Kingdom (4th Dynasty).

Each pyramids at Giza has a name; "Khufu's Horizon", Khafre is Great", and "Menkaure is Divine." As divine places, all the pyramids are believed to have had names, even the small ones, and there are over 100 pyramids scattered around Egypt.

They were not the first pyramids, but are the most recognized and held in great awe by most people.

Some Egyptologists believe it took 10 years just to build the ramp that leads from the Nile valley floor to Khufu's pyramid (the Great pyramid), and 20 years to construct the pyramid itself. It is estimated that over two million blocks of stone were used to build Khufu's pyramid each weighing approximately 2.5 tons, and the heaviest blocks, that were used as the ceiling of Khufu's burial chamber, weigh an estimated nine tons.

Egyptologists believe that gradually sloping ramps, built out of mud, stone, and wood were used as transportation causeways for moving the large stones to their positions up and around the four sides of the pyramids.

The Sphinx

Khufu's son, Khafre, built not only his pyramid but also the world recognised Sphinx. The Sphinx represents Khafre reborn as the sun god. A sphinx is considered a guardian statue of great power. Carved out of a natural limestone outcrop, the Sphinx is 19.8 metres (65 feet) high and 73.2 metres (240 feet) long.

Menkaure's tomb is the smallest of the 3 large Giza pyramids, and near to Menkaure's tomb are 3 small pyramids (tiny when compared to the 3 large ones) which belong to the queens.

The Giza pyramids are the only remaining example of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

They are located across the River Nile from Cairo on the West Bank. But can be clearly seen rising above apartment blocks on the outskirts of Cairo.

At night there is a sound and light show at the Pyramids which is worthwhile seeing. The Pyramids and spinx look quite ethereal lit up, and booming voices tell the story of the Pyramids and Sphinx.

Part of the history of the Sphinx is told on a Stele called the Dream Stele. Tutmosis a son of Amenhotep II had a dream while he was out on a hunting trip, he stopped to rest under the head of the Sphinx, which was buried up to the neck in sand. He soon fell asleep and had a dream in which the Sphinx told him that if he cleared away the sand and restored it he would become the next Pharaoh. After restoring the Sphinx to its former glory, he placed a carved stone tablet, with the dream carved on the tablet, (now known as the Dream Stele), between the paws of the Sphinx. The restoration of the Sphinx and the text of the Dream Stele very likely was meant to bestow legitimacy upon his unexpected kingship., as he was not next in line and he had somehow ousted his older brother.

I don't know where the Dream Stele is now, as i didn't see it but we were unable to get very close to the Sphinx as they are doing some restoration work.

The Pyramids Lit up at Night

Some of the places I visited First Installment

The Citadel & Mohammad Ali Mosque within the Walls

The Citadel and Mohammad Ali Mosque.

The Citadel originally was built in 810 AD as a pavilion called the "Dome of the Wind", by the governor of the city at that time. The area was well known for its cool breeze. The early governors, used the pavilion for its view of Cairo and the cooling breeze. Between 1176 and 1183, Salah ad-Din (Saladin 1171-1193 AD), built a strong and impenetrable fort and palace to protect the area from attacks by the Crusaders. The Citadel of Cairo is very medieval in look and style.

For the next 700 years, Egypt was ruled from this hill. During the 1330s al-Nasir Muhammad, (AD 1293-1340) and was considered the greatest Mamluk sultan, tore down most of the Ayyubid buildings to make room for his own needs, which included several palaces and a mosque in addition to barracks for his army.

Over the course of the Citadel’s history it has been the seat of government for the Ayyubid, Mamluk, Ottoman, and Khedival rulers of Egypt from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries, and each ruler has added their influence to the buildings by adding to or rebuilding all, or parts of the Citadel.

Nothing remains of the original fortress except a part of the walls and the well that supplied the Citadel with water. The walls that circle the northern side are 18 metres (33 ft) tall and 3.4 metres (10 ft) thick.

When the Turkish Muhammad 'Ali was sent to Cairo by the Ottoman rulers as Governor in the 1800s he had all the original buildings of the Citadel torn down and he rebuilt the complex which is why it has a heavy Turkish-Ottoman empire influence.

The mosque that he built also bears his name. It was built between 1824 and 1848. The current domes were rebuilt in the 1930s. The Muhammad Ali Mosque is also known as the Alabaster Mosque.

The mosque has the customary domes and tall slender minarets but show the Ottoman style. The interior has hanging globe lamps circling the ceiling, like stars in an evening sky as well as a very large chandelier. The ceiling is absolutely stunning, richly decorated with mosaics in green and gold and the interior is huge and has large, tall marble columns holding and archways as part of the beautiful interior. There are also small stained glass windows high up near the ceiling and the light is filtered through the coloured glass. The effect is stunning. The red and gold carpets are probably not the originals, but would reflect the style of the original ones. Although very worn from the hundreds of feet that walk on them daily, you can see the rich traditional elegance of the carpets.

Muhammad Ali is buried beneath a white marble monument on the right side of the entrance behind a bronze grill.

In the large open courtyard is a Turkish style Baroque ablutions fountain and a French ornate clock which was a gift from King Louis Philippe in exchange for an obelisk that is in Paris. The clock for some reason, has never worked.

Ceiling inside Mosque

A week and a bit after Egypt

I have been intending to add more on Egypt for several days, but the home world keeps intruding.

I just read my last post which I wrote at Transit hotel in Malaysia on the way home (done while brain was obviously not functioning). I was horrified at the myriad of spelling bloopers .... you know I actually checked that before posting and didn't see the mistakes. I knew i was exhausted but didn't realise I was THAT exhausted.

Besides unpacking and talking to family and friends ninety to the dozen about Egypt, I have managed to check out and post to the forums I am part of and also played around with facebook ... basically all time wasters LOL because I can't completely pull myself back into the everyday, though this week I do find that the body and mind is more in sync, and I am ready to try to put everything together and begin to add to the blog.

I still await photos from a couple of the girls, who were kind enough to take photos for me after my camera came to grief when we visited the pyramids.

I have also copied the DVD of the cruise that 3 of us purchased between us, but I still haven't managed to find the time to sit and watch it. Lindy tells me it is really good. So another thing to do is added to my every growing 'To Do' list.

The cruise ship has a resident video man, he runs a shop on board and he just wanders around taking video of everyone on board. He told us it was LE 150 for 2 DVDs, but the morning we were leaving the the cruise, he told us it was now LE 175 ( nearly AUD$50 / USD $32, now that is expensive!).

We tried to bring the price down, and we did want the memories, so finally agreed to pay the extra ( he was the only crook we met out of all the 100s of Egyptians we met) - After receiving the DVD which is only a home made thing no fancy covers or DVD label. We found that thepromised 2nd DVD was not part of the deal lucky we had disembarked when we found out or we probably would have thrown him and his camera overboard.

Anyway when I return to post some more, I will add more on the sights and special places of Egypt.

On Way Home

Well here I am in Malaysia at the Transit hotel. It was sad to leave Egypt. A nicer lot of people one would be hard pressed to meet. The Egyptians are friendly kind and so hospitable, even strangers on the street. They smile and laugh a lot and welcome visitors with open arms.

Our last day and half was spent just browsing the market at Khan el Khalili. The other ladies spent a lot of time at bellydance costume shops. I lost interest and went back to a small shop where a friend of Ali's was. I sat and talked to Ali and Tarek. Ali was our tour operator, an Egyptian who lives in Aussie. Tarek is one of his many friends.

We had a farewell dinner on the Nile Maxim river boat. Asmahan the well known brazilian bellydancer put on a special show for us. It was great, we all got up and danced as well. Ayman our guide through much of our trip joined us for the dinner, it was great to see him one last time. He has such a love for Egypt and his knowledge of ancient Egypt is amazing. We all learnt so much. I will add more to the blog after my brain begins to function again:-) We are all in overload at the moment and absolutely exhausted. Everyday was full to the brim, hardly a moment to spare to think on each days happenings.

I will continue in a few days .....

Camera

Addition:

I forgot to mention about my camera. In the first days when we went to the pyramids, my camera fell off the xray table and smashed. I was so disappointed, but the girls have all taken heaps of photos, so we will be sharing and yes I am in lots of them. Christy and Lindy will burn CDs with the photos they took and I took. Tonight at the pyramids light & sound show, went to take photos with phone camera and the jolly thing jammed! I couldn't believe it! So no photos again ( Isabelle & Jeanette tiik some). I tried several times to get it too work all to no avail:-( When we got back to the hotel I turned the phone on and yes ... the phone worked again, I couldn't believe it! Seems something was saying to me "no photos" just absorb and feel the magic and believe me the pyramids are magic and out there AWESOME!

21st January 2009 - Aswan -Alexandria - Cairo

Restored Fort - Alexandria Egypt

We left Aswan by train on Sunday 18th Jan. It was an overnight sleeper train. The trains are oldish and a bit run down but comfortable if somewhat cramped in the cabins. We dressed in our galabeya's and hip scarves for the purpose of having a fun time. After the ghastly dinner that was served we rocked and rolled (due to train motion - not alcohol) to the club bar in the centre of the train and had a ghastly bottle of wine ... literally undrinkable.

The train attendants were there and as soon as they saw us they put on some music and we all got up and began dancing. Quite difficult when the train swung around bends at a fast clip, but we managed to stay upright most of the time. We provided entertainment for people standing on stations that we stopped at, and the glum/bored faces were transformed into big smiles and laughter ... platform patrons, station staff and police all waved vigorously as the train pulled out. It was a lot of fun. Most of us slept reasonably well, and none of us ate the ghastly breakfast that was served at 6am. It was drink coffee or tea or nothing - we arrived in Cairo at 7am. Boarded a waiting bus and set off for Alexandria.

It was a tiring trip as we were weary and hit a big traffic snarl on the outskirts of Cairo after fighting the milling and jammed traffic in getting away from the station and catching the morning traffic through Cairo. The normally 2.5hr trip took an extra hour.

About a 1/2 hour out of Alex, I got Ali our tour "chaprone/organiser" to phone Kerolos my friend with whom 4 of us was going to stay with, or I should say in an apartment he owned and had offered for free.

Kerolos picked the 4 of us up at the Sheraton where the other 1/2 of our group was staying. The apartment was smack in the middle of high rise local burbs. Very interesting to be thrust head on into a culture so different from our own. Rania, Kero's wife and 3 gorgeous kiddies were waiting at the apartment for us. We received a genuinely warm welcome. The people around the apartment block all greeted us with big smiles and warmth. It was really lovely.

The apartment was large and spacious, an old style place, with high ceilings and big rooms, the lift to the 11th floor was quaint with an open outwards door not the standard double door with auto close/open ( I can't remember, if anyone took a photo of it, I hope so then I can post a pic here later). It was great to experience 'culture' at its roots. The Hanna family are absolutely delightful, and treated us like beloved family. We all felt a little teary when we said goodbye this morning. We were well fed, with Rania's home cooking .... yum! we chatted and laughed, and enjoyed each others company.

Kerolos drove us around to see the sights of Alex. the city has wide spacious roads, and traffic is not as dense and crazy as Cairo's which is like Jakarta Indonesia. Both cities are spastic and crazy when it comes to traffic. But I must say Egypt's drivers are amazing, I don't know how many times I put on the 'invisible' passenger breaks and closed my eyes! The traffic and antics of the drivers had us in hysterics at times. The pedestrians all have 90 lives, not just 9, I am sure the 9 are used up by the time they are 5 years old. They duck and weave through wild, mad, push and shove traffic without blinking. I think every single car/truck/bus, old and new, has a dent or 2, it is just the way it is.

Alexandria is right on the Mediterrenean sea, and has a wide road which sweeps around the shore line, it is quite lovely, but there are many old and run down buildings. The city streets are very, very narrow 2 way streets and it is literally push and shove and who gives in first that dictates right of way, So cars are frequently seen backing up to allow other cars through passage. We had to do that a few times and other times we were the victors and cars had to back up until there was space enough to pass. The Egyptians from upper to lower Egypt are very welcoming and friendly people, We have had a wonderful time, not one bad moment the whole trip.

We had a great time at Kerolos's wharehouse, belly dance costumes galore. Lindy found 3 she loved and bought them, Christy found one, Ros found one, and me nothing, but I have ordered a bra/belt set and a black with red beading saaidi dress.

We left Alex at 10am this morning, and arrived back in Cairo after a fast run at 1.15pm even after stopping for a bite to eat 1/2 way.

Great Pyramid Lit Up

We just settled back into the Movenpick hotel ( we are in the same hotel that we stayed in when in Cairo at the beginning of trip). At 6.30 we went to the Pyramid Light & sound show. It was lovely and you could just about imagine the ancients doing their thing around the pyramids. To see the Pyramids and Sphinx lit up in bursts of colour was magic!

Camels/Nubian village cont.....

One of the wall paintings in the Nubian village house

The village itself ... I suppose we would call it 'quaint' but putting quaint aside it is very practical and workable. Very thick mud brick walls are what the houses are constructed of. Straw/camel hair is added to the bricks for strength and insulation. the homes have a central domed roof, to let in natural light and to allow heat to rise and be released. the area the village is situated is very hot. it is 'winter' here right now, and from 11am onwards it is very hot, so hate to think what summer is like. The nice thing about the heat it is a clear heat, very little humidity and if you get out of the sun it is coolish... I love it

Anyway back to the houses. The houses are painted in cool colours, inside. Pale watery blues, kind of a sponge wash look. They also paint the walls with memorable scenes of things that are important to them. Weddings, and other special celebrations and the proudest of all is the Merkaba, which homes proudly paint on the wall when a family member/s perform the Haj to Mecca. One home had a scene of a young boy riding a camel, with the dunes and village in the background. I am not sure of the significance, but possibly the boy's first camel? they learn to ride at a very young age, and are so casual and at ease on the camels. We tourists must provide them with lots of laughs.

The floors of the homes are simply brushed smooth sand. Colourful hand woven rugs adorn the bench seats around each room and other woven decorations are hung on the walls and from the ceilings.

The house we went into had 1 to 2 yr old crocs for show, and I actually patted one. A couple of the girls held one. They had a pet tortoise, that was very cute, also a couple of stuffed animals, a large fox and weasel thing. I hate to see animals stuffed and on display. The energy isn't good, I don't think.

After leaving the village we returned by boat to the hotel. The boatmen sang and played the riq
(a large tambourine drum thing). we sang along and they got us up to dance, that was fun, dancing on a small boat chugging along the Nile.We also did that a couple of nights ago, after having been out to a restaurant for dinner.

Earlier that day when we had been chugging along the Nile to go to the village, I heard this small boy calling and was quite taken aback ... where had the voice come from, I turned around and was surprised to see a small boy holding onto tire slung over the side of the boat ( they use them as cushioning when they dock as they bang into each other to get to moorings). he was singing to us for money. first he asked 'where from? - spanish, Italy, English. He wanted to know the language we spoke. Once he sussed out we spoke English he sang songs in English. It was so amusing, the kids are fearless and enterprising. we each paid him LE5 (5 Egyptian pounds), so he paddled ( using his hands as paddles as he sat on his blue painted plank) back to shore quite happy.

We 'westerners' would be horrified if our kids did a 1/4 of the things kids do here. We just molly-coddle our kids too much I think. Different worlds that is for sure. Mind you Aussie kids have much less molly-coddling than some countries.

One thing I noticed here, is the sand. it is so fine and soft like silk, and a deep goldy colour. being so soft and fine it is really quite strange to walk in, it shifts differently underfoot. It is also in a weird way sticky, it doesn't brush off easily, just clings to your skin, hair and clothes. I think because it is so fine, the silica has a better chance of clinging to the skin that the sand in our part of the world.

We have a beach here in Victoria, called Squeaky Beach. The sand is really white and squeaks as you walk on it, that is the silica content, and it can be kind of sticky as well, it is not ultra silky fine like in Egypt either. The Sand in Egypt didn't squeak, it tends to flow underfoot a bit like water.

Last night we went to a Nubian restaurant for dinner. The food here has been totally yummy, and we have all eaten everything in sight! The salads are so nice I am in my food element;-)

OK that is it for now.... We catch the train to cairo this evening. it is a sleeper. Arriving in Cairo around 7pm then a 2.5 - 3 hour bus trip to Alexandria. next entry will probably be from Alex.

Saturday 17th January

Well we all did it! we rode camels! Kind of scary at first, but so much fun!

Once again across the Nile to the Nubian village area, from our hotel which is on an island in the middle of the Nile. From the boat it is a stp and slippery climb up sand dunes to wher the camels wait. You can hear some of them groaning and moaning as camels do while they sit and wait for the crazy tourists. First you run the gauntlet from all the hawkers of hand made wares - or should I say stagger :-) it is not easy to run in sand - then the 'cameliers' start to call you to ride their particular camel. Of course you have no idea which camel is which or what and just go to whoever calls the loudest.

My camel's name was Bob Marley, and the Camelier Moustafa - but it seems 3/4s of the handlers are 'Moustafa', we haven't worked that one out yet!

It is a bit scary when they stand up, you feel like you will topple right off over the camel's head. You have to lean back as the camel raises up on his front feet, then rock forward and back as he raises his back legs. Sounds easy but it isn't as you feel like you are about to go flying and kiss the sand lol!

When the camels start their lolling gait you have to adjust to the movement AND for us novice camel riders hang on for dear life!

The track they walk is atop of the sand dunes along what seems to be a very narrow ridge. The rolling gait makes you feel like you are about to slip over the edge any second, right into the Nile below! After a while you do relax into the ride ( still hanging on for dear life though!). We rode atop of these tall 'ships of the desert' for about 25 minutes, until we reached the Nubian village itself.

What a pretty 'ancient other world pictureresque place. The Nubians live as their ancestors have done for generations, by choice. They do have the odd mod con, a small fridge here and there, ceiling fans, and in the tea house they have an air con, which looks decidedly odd in such a place.

We all had photos taken standing next to the camel we rode, Bob marley was grumpy when i stood next to him and patted his head, he grumbled and groaned, but lazily. Christy's camel really carried on a piece about the whole affair, they really are characters. Each camel has a distinct personality.

I'm running out of internet time so will edit and add to this later as I have more to tell. I also want to add to an earlier post... until later

Friday 16th Jan 09 - Valley of The kings etc

OK to continue from previous post. The 3 tombs we actually went inside while visiting the valley of the Kings were -

The tomb of Siptah,

The tomb of Tauerset & Seknakht

The tomb of Ramses II

All are fascinating and have wonderful colours and reliefs clearly visible in the tombs. The valley of the Kings is huge, and there are so many tombs. They continue to excavate throughout the area and will be doing so for many years to come.

You are not allowed to take photos inside tombs because the colours would very quickly fade due to the thousands of flash bulbs. Just the mere fact that tourists in their droves enter on a daily basis is enough to cause destruction.

16th Jan continued:

The Nile cruise boat the El Kahila ( which means kohl) docked in Aswan at 11.30pm on Thursday night. A local bellydancer came on board, for couple of hours entertainment. Her costume was totally tacky 'entertain us'... humph! entertain she did, aimed soley at the males ... she was awful! We found it difficult not to roll around the floor laughing!

She was in your face dancing like she was selling sex! She was more a pole dancer with a few sloppy Belly dance moves.The whirling dervish dancer was good, but nothing like the one we saw in Cairo, that fellow was incredible. they move so fast it is near impossible to get good photos. some of the girls were able to get some video, so I hope to get copy of that.

Thursday morning we visited the Aswan dam, it is massive and is divided into upper and lower Aswan Dam. The whole area looks like some huge never-ending sea.

Apparently if the dam ever broke there is so much water in it, it would literally drown Egypt, plus areas beyond Egypt.

In the afternoon we took a boat ride across the Nile to see The temple of Isis. The Philae temple. This temple was moved due to it being completely underwater when the dam was filled. It sat underwater for 4 months before they could move it all, and most of the colour that the temple was known for, was lost. It is still beautiful even without the colours. The temple of Philae is amazing, the energy there is very real. It is a smaller temple when compared to others, but for me it was probably the most beautiful. I offered up prayers for everyone. I had a scarab blessed there and felt like I didn't want to leave.

The boat ride was an experience in itself, and lots of fun. It really is just so peaceful sailing the Nile. I could do that every day for the rest of my life. it is like 'coming home'!

We disembarked from the Nile cruise this morning (Thursday) and boarded a bus for the Aswan airport. The flight of 35 minutes took us to Abu Simbel. (an airport was built simply for people to get to the temple - going by road takes forever) One of the last Temples built. It is HUGE! the Front entrance statues are massive. Rameses II built it for himself and the drawings show Rameses as both a God and King. He wanted to be thought of as a God, and the portrayal as both was a deliberate choice. ( yes they had big egos back then just as some have today ... so nothing has changed much in the world:-)) The approach to the temple front, is quite unexpected, you slowly climb upwards in the heat and think OMG when will we get there, when all of sudden as you trudge around a bend or should I say drag your feet around the bend, and feel like your throat is so dry, the next breathe won't reach your lungs ( the air in Egypt is very hot and dry) this massive edifice is right in front of you, and the intake of breathe from all those nearby - including myself, is clearly audible. It is quite a shock as you are not quite expecting it.

He also built a smaller temple for his wife the beloved Nefertari. Hathor and Isis are predominant Goddesses in that temple. I say smaller temple, yet it is still huge.

Abu Simbel was actually moved and reconstructed 80 metres from the original spot because of the Aswan dam, If it wasn't moved it would be completely under water and totally destroyed.

It took months and months to move it, each piece was numbered and all was put back together like some giant's jigsaw puzzle.

I am trying to work out how to place photos, I have managed to downloiad a few to my computer, I will work on this off line I think. But here is one. it looks very ordinary in a photo, but is very big, but not as big as the great pyramid.















The Step Pyramid

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Finding the time to write is difficult it seems every hour is full. So much to see and do .... Hopefully later this evening we will have some free time so I can finish this post.

Sunday 11th Jan

We transferred to the airport for our flight to Luxor a short flight of 50 minutes. The hotel/resort was right on the Nile - The Jolie ville, it was lovely and the setting very relaxing. We have had such perfect weather all the way through. Chilly most mornings and late in the evening, but superb days.

That evening we went to Luxor temple, it was all lit up and looked fabulous, it is truly an edifice for the Gods. It was like taking a step back in time.

The temples are huge, how they built them really is intriguing. Our guide Amon explined how, By building sand ramps, which would have ben like huge mountains, hundreds of men would drag and pull the blocks to the position needed, and the ramp height would be increased for each succeeding block.

A slow process which would take years.

Monday morning we checked out of the Jolie Ville and made our way to the valley of the kings. Spending several hours there. That is something that one should not miss, and unless you had days to spend in that area you would need to go back several times to see all there is too see. Thank goodness they have little train carriages pulled by a tractor thing to take you up the mountain, to the tomb area. It was so hot even early in the morning. We went inside 3 tombs, and it was quite cool inside but stuffy. They are extraordinarily beautiful. To enter, you go down stone ramps or steps which take you deep into the earth, quite an eerie experience but one not to be missed.

Finding the time to write is difficult it seems every hour is full. So much to see and do .... Hopefully later this evening we will have some free time so I can finish this post. It is time for breakfast. I have to get up early to get an internet connection, so will get back to part 2 later.

To be continued.....

Saturday 10th Jan 2009

Went to the Cairo musuem. the facade is very Greco-Roman showing the roman influence at the time the building was constructed. It is a huge place and one would need several days to see everything. A few hours does not do it justice. The king Tut room is glorious, such workmanship, it is no wonder it is under very high security. We had to pay extra to visit the human mummy section and there are quite a few well known Pharoah mummies as well as Hatshepsut the 'woman Pharoah. Hatshepsut is a fairly recent find. They are all is very good condition for 'their age'.

Old Cairo was the next stop, it is very Coptic Christian but quite beautiful, it seeems like you step back into the past, with its cobbleed rough streets and ancient buildings. So many narrow alleys it is quite intriguing. Thee Citidel where the beautiful Mosque sits atop of a hill is stunning. It is a huge complex and the mosaic work in the ceiling inside the mosque is glorious.

We had dinner on the Nile maximum river boat restuarant, and there was a belly dancer (Asmahan) ... she had a corny entrance, being carried into the restuarant in a big pink heart which is opened 'dramatically' and she steps out.

It was fun though. the whirling dervish dance performed by a male dancer was mind blowing he is fantastic. He never misses a step, he must have such strength of mind, anyone else would be dizzy in seconds and would fall in a heap and he danced ( or I should say spun while using discs to enhance his dance for at least 10 minutes, with each dance set.

Amazing Pyramids

Finally got to actually stand on the great pyramid of Cheops (kufu). That is such an amazing sight, you just can't appreciate it all until you actually see it, It is starkly beautiful, the wind seemed to whip up in flurries, and the energy was something else. Words cannot describe how exhilarated I felt as I walked through the soft as silk fine sand ran my hand along the lowest flank of the the stone blocks, then climbed up and stood facing the distant dunes, with the picture postcard panoramic view. the horizon was dotted with camels and riders. You swing your gaze around and smaller pyramids come into view. Excavations are going on all around the area, it is quite exciting, to see tghe beginnings of some long hidden wall with niches for satutes of the gods or the king.

The Sphinx is majestic and so serene, you are not allowed to go too close as they are doing some restoration work. (Restoration is a continous job as one can imagine) I was not at all disappointed with Giza, it was thrilling and perfect! History in all its ancient glory right before my eyes, so much to taake in and not enough time to so.

We also visited Sakkarra today also the ancient city of memphis, which was once the capital of Egypt. The original name was memnefer ( beautiful city)

This evening we cruised the Nile on the Maxim Nile restaurant boat. beautiful food, decor and a whiling dervish dancer along with men doing the tahtib ( stick dance) & the Cairo dancer Asmahan. She is lovely.

I am soooooo tired, I 'm about to run out of internet time so will finish this post in more detail later

Tomorrow we have another busy day, the Citadel, Cairo museum and and old cairo that has quite a lot of historical areas and markets:-)

I have so much more to write about what we did today, so will continue later.
Goodnight from Cairo