Nicole's Grand Adventure (cont.)

The Avenue of the Sphinxes at Karnak Temple

Day 7

Today was a big, important day, because it was the first day I ever walked into a pyramid. We awoke and had another lovely breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Then, we loaded into our charter bus to visit the Saqqara necropolis. This huge site is still an active archaeological dig, and the early stepped pyramids here are precursors to those at Giza. 

Girl, meet pyramid. This is one of the 
beautiful stepped pyramids at Saqqara,
the pyramid of Djoser.

Upon entry, visitors are treated to the beautiful stepped pyramid of Djoser, and then they walk through the on-site temple (the route royal funeral processions would have taken). This temple features some of the earliest known columns in Egypt. We later walked down a short, steep shaft in the pyramid of Unas to visit the decorated tomb of the king within. An attendant there pointed out the hieroglyphics which spelled the king's name. (And we recognized them, because our tour guide - who was not allowed to go with us into the pyramid itself - had explained them to us earlier! It really was a helpful system to learn and retain information.) 

A note about Egyptian attractions like these: as you wander, you'll come upon Egyptians throughout the site who tell you they want to show you something, or take a photo for you, etc. If you engage with them, they will indeed show you an artifact or direct you to a vantage point or take a photo for you. But they will then ask for payment. You will find this in literally every significant historic site, so remain aware of what you are agreeing to if you engage. This is another reason to keep small American bills with you - to tip these attraction attendants if they offer something you actually want. 

We took our time exploring the site before it got too hot outside, then got back on the bus for our next cultural stop - a carpet-making facility. We listened to a short presentation and demonstration on how the facility makes carpets and the history of this art and trade in Egypt. Then, again, we were presented with some cold beverages and allowed to browse.

I wasn't very interested in purchasing a carpet, so I found myself a seat and rested while other traveling companions shopped. Afterwards, we stopped for a group lunch at a local restaurant. We dined al fresco, and a few local kitties ran about our feet from time to time, hoping for a dropped morsel. (We noticed communal dogs and cats throughout our trip to Egypt. They were all so chill and were obviously being cared for by either locals or living off the tourist trade themselves!) 

One of the largest pyramids at Giza. I walked completely around its base.

When we were finished with lunch, we returned to the bus for the main attraction of the day - the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx!

Making friends with the locals . . .

As at every attraction we visited, our tour guide presented our tickets from the desk, we went through security (both a bag scan and a metal detector), and then we accessed the site. At this site, you drive between areas, so our bus first took us to the largest pyramid. Some members of our traveling party had purchased extra tickets to climb inside this pyramid. I, however, opted instead to walk fully around the base of the pyramid outside, so I set out. 

Honestly, doing so helps you understand even more what a marvel this place is and fully grasp why the Pyramids at Giza were one of the wonders of the ancient world. The size of them, the fact that they remain after thousands of years. I went to take a photo of the top of the structure, and in the sky in frame, I could see an airplane. It was such an anachronistic moment. These two things shouldn't simultaneously exist, but they do. Egypt can be a contradiction that way.

A note about security in Egypt: Each day on our tour bus, we had an armed security guard accompanying us. This guard also accompanied our group into each site (pyramid, mosque, etc.) that we visited. In addition, this guard, along with our bus driver, dialogued with the tourism police that stopped our bus periodically (both on the road and at the vehicle entrance to each and every attraction). You'll see the tourism police throughout Egypt. They are a special security division and have white uniforms. 

Also at every site, be prepared to have any bag you're carrying scanned in a bag scan and also to walk through a metal detector. None of these practices are new; they are obviously long-standing. With something like 10% of Egypt's GDP coming from tourism, they are clearly very serious about tourist security. 

The Sphinx keeps her secrets. 

Why I mention all of this now - About halfway through my walk around the base of the pyramid, I noticed our security guard following behind me at a distance. I'd had no idea he was there! Once I saw him, I allowed him to draw up alongside me, and we finished the walk together. 

Next, we all boarded the bus again, and those of us who chose to take a camel ride were driven to the appointed location. This was so fun! I'd never ridden a camel before, and the ride itself was short (basically a chance for a photo op). But I wouldn't trade it for anything! My camel was sweet and gentle, and I was really proud of several members of our group (including Jill!) for getting outside their comfort zone and trying this!

Then, it was back on the bus and on to the Sphinx! This area was rather crowded, so what I recommend is this - Find a vantage point and (as long as you have time) wait the crowds out. People tend to enter in waves. So, get yourself into a good spot, settle in, and wait. Pretty soon, the crowd will thin out, and you'll have space to commune with the secrets of the Sphinx.  

Afterwards, it was back to the hotel for dinner and preparation, because we had an early start ahead of us.

Karnak Temple in the morning sunshine

Day 8

On this day, we had a 2 a.m. wake up call. Yes, you read that correctly. TWO A.M. Our tour guide was a little sheepish about sharing this information with us the day before and didn't provide specifics until we point-blank asked her what time the wake up call was on the following day. I don't know about you, but for me, 2 a.m. is not a vacation wake up time. I could hardly believe it, but I grimly set my alarm and was rudely pulled from dream land at zero dark thirty. 

The sheer scale of Karnak Temple will
blow your mind. It's truly massive.

This is an example of one of the trade offs of group travel. I NEVER would have scheduled such an early wake up call for myself. But when you cede this measure of control to others, there will be travel specifics that aren't ideal for you. And all you can do is roll with the punches. 

So, up I got. I'd showered and packed the night before, so all I had to do was dress. They had takeaway breakfast boxes for us in the lobby, so we picked those up and boarded the bus for the airport.

The reason for the early start was that we were flying to Luxor that day, and our first stop once there was the Temple of Karnak. The tour company was clearly trying to get us to the temple at open so we could view the site before all the crowds rushed in. 

Luckily, we got checked in easily and our flight was on time and uneventful. We landed in Luxor and boarded a new charter bus with a new driver and a new security guard. After the crush of Cairo, Luxor seemed like a safer, greener, less crowded home base. It just felt more manageable. 

Our travel party navigated straight to Karnak Temple. The Temple of Karnak was believed to be the spot where creation began and a point of interaction between the god Amun-Ra and the Egyptians. It is, to this day, considered the largest temple complex ever constructed anywhere in the world. (The site is huge.)

Found this cutie in a patch of shade!

At this attraction, I decided to break away from the group a bit more to explore on my own. (I wasn't the only one in our travel party to do so.) We were a few days in to pretty constant commentary from our tour leader on the audio device (even when we were riding in the bus), and I had learned a lot. But sometimes, your brain either needs a bit of quiet, or you want to discover a site on your own and see what flits through your mind. And nothing can really flit through your mind if someone is constantly talking to you. 

So, I found out when we needed to be back at the bus and struck out a bit on my own. You can get lost at this massive site, but luckily, you can also use the larger structures (obelisks, columns) to orient yourself. I loved the Avenue of the Sphinxes, the thousands of glyph carvings, and all of the completely chill dogs I discovered on site. When I got a bit hungry, I made my way to the cafe near the back of the complex and got myself a big ice cream cone. Divine. I also made time to dialogue with some of the site staff. It gave me a chance to practice my (very limited) Arabic! 

When the time came, I made my way back to the bus and rejoined the group. Next on the itinerary was a visit to a gold shop. (I'd been looking forward to this one.) In Middle Eastern cultures, gold is a big deal. When myself and my sisters were just babies, our relatives in Lebanon sent us gold - little gold bangles, chain bracelets, necklaces and pendants. Many babies in the Middle East have their ears pierced at a very early age, and their parents fit their tiny ears with gold studs. And not 14 karat gold, either. In most Middle Eastern gold shops, you won't find anything less than 18 karat gold. So, needless to say, I spent some time at the gold shop buying earrings for myself and both of my sisters. They were NOT cheap, but they were special! 

Next up, we visited Luxor Museum. What I enjoyed about this museum - it's an exquisite but manageable collection. You can cover it in a couple of hours. They have some lovely gold jewelry on display, as well as some mummified animals (a falcon, an ibis, snakes, shrews, etc.). But honestly, most of our group was so dead on their feet from the 2 a.m. wake up call at this point that it was difficult to fully appreciate what we were seeing.  

One of the treasures in the 
Luxor Museum collection

I breathed a huge sigh of relief when we were told that our cruise ship was ready for us to check in. We loaded back onto the bus, drove to our boat on the Nile River, checked in (Again, have your passport ready.), had a bite of lunch in the ship's buffet, went to our rooms, and sacked out. 

Our cruise ship was part of the Jaz Cruise line. It was several levels, with the lowest level housing the ship's onboard shop and restaurant, the very top level (open air) housing a bar/pool/sun deck area, and the lobby and indoor bar on interior floors. My room was spacious and comfortable, and I sank deliriously into bed for a delightful nap.

I couldn't sleep too long, though, as we had one more stop for the day - Luxor Temple. We arrived there just at sunset, so we got to see the temple in the fading light, and then see it lit up brilliantly after night fall. (There's something about being amongst these ancient ruins, lit moodily against a dark blue sky. If I didn't know better, I'd say I heard the rustling wings of the bas of the ancients all around me.) 

Luxor is the ancient city of Thebes. And the Avenue of the Sphinxes, that I loved that morning at Karnak Temple? It once linked Karnak and the Luxor Temple together. The Luxor Temple site has been an almost continuous place of worship from 1400 B.C. until today. (It's currently home to a mosque, in addition to these ruins. We heard the call to prayer while we were there.) 

After our visit here, it was back to the ship, where we had dinner in the on board restaurant and went gratefully to bed. 

More to come . . . 

Luxor Temple, lit dramatically under a dark blue sky