Dubai, Cairo, and Sonesta Nile Cruise- Adventures with Sungirl

[KCSungirl]

I wrote this travel blog for my family and friends, but thought I would share also with my CC friends as well. This is not a review exactly, but my personal travel journal. My historical facts are probably a little off, as I couldn't remember everything. This blog does not compare to most of reviews written on CC- Seafun and MVPBoynton, I am in awe of your reviews. You might find some interesting tips, stories or trivia, however. My pictures are fun, but possibly boring to others. I did have an exciting encounter with a famous person, so you have to read on to get the scoop......Best, Sungirl

 

 

 

Sungirl's Excellent Egyptian (and Dubai) Adventure October 17-29, 2008

 

I traveled to the Middle East with my friend, Carly, from Grand Rapids, MI. Carly and I met in GR while Lee and I were living there in 1986. She was a perfect travel companion. She actually could keep up with me! We shared an amazing adventure together. We had lots of hilarious moments, a few tense moments, and we were beyond fascinated with the history and culture of each country. Get a cup of coffee and enjoy the ride - it’s a long one. I will also attach a photo link and it might help to read the journal while following along with the photos. Some of the photos are funny. Enjoy!

http://community.webshots.com/user/KCSungirl

 

October 17 - Kansas City to Dubai

 

I flew to New York JFK via Detroit on Northwest Airlines. I arrived at terminal 4 at JFK on time at 3:30pm. My international flight was in terminal 4, so I didn’t have to take the air train to another terminal. Carly came in at the American terminal 8. She met me at the Emirates Air counter at 4:30pm. I made a friend, Tony, at the Emirates Air Biz class check-in and he saved Carly and I from having to line up at the check-in counter at 7pm. He tagged our bags and all we had to do was drop them at baggage anytime after 8pm. We went to the Sam Adams restaurant for dinner in the terminal. After dinner we shopped duty-free. I bought perfume. At 8pm we went back to the Emirates Air counter to check our bags and beg for a business class upgrade. Unfortunately, the flight was oversold and there would be no upgrade. At 9pm we made our way to the gate. I was very excited. I had planned our entire schedule around the new A380 Airbus. When I first laid eyes on the Airbus A380, I couldn’t believe how huge it was. It holds 500 passengers and a crew of probably 25 or so. It is a mega jumbo jet that would dwarf any other jet. This plane had been in service for less than two months. It is a double decker design with economy downstairs, and business/first class on the upper tier. The cockpit is on the lower level. We boarded the plane around 10pm. The flight attendants were beautiful. All different nationalities and ten languages spoken. We settled into our seats in the back of the plane. Carly took the window seat and I gave up my aisle seat for the middle seat next to Carly. We took off on time at 11pm. I didn’t know how I was going to manage a thirteen hour flight in a middle seat. Thank goodness for the excellent entertainment on the personal TV‘s, two meals, free drinks, and the will to sleep. I watched the movie “Made of Honor” and various other programming. I was able to sleep for a while and that made the time pass quicker than I would have thought. The service on Emirates Air was outstanding. The engines purred. I loved the fact that you could phone someone in any seat, watch the take offs and landings on the tail cam, and they had a sleeping dorm for the cabin crew with Emirate logo pajamas. The coach experience was so much better than that of American carriers. We got hot towels, menus, travel kits, pillows, blankets, etc. The food was also good. The bathrooms were pretty luxurious as well. When we landed in Dubai, the flight attendants gave us a tour upstairs of first and business class. They also gave both of us an Emirates linen tote bag. Those bags became a valuable piece of luggage. We used them for everything. We felt pretty cool walking around with the first class bags. It was a treat.

 

October 18 - NYC to Dubai

 

I made it to Dubai. Thirteen hours in the air. WOW. We arrived in Dubai on time. Emirates had just opened their new airport terminal and it was gorgeous. We were the only arriving flight at 7:30pm, so passport control was a breeze. It took a long time to get our luggage, but we were very happy to finally see it come down the chute. We exited the airport following our transfer instructions. We had our first problem - no airport transfer showed up. We were tired and weary, but we managed to figure out the cab situation and only had to spend $13 to the hotel. I thought if that was the worst problem we encountered it was no big deal. However, I was sweating the fact the tour operator might not have reserved the hotel either. We arrived at the Sheraton Deira Dubai at 9pm. I was so relieved that we did have rooms reserved after the transfer mishap. We checked in our room and headed to the bar for some drinks and snacks. The hotel was nice and clean. We ordered some wine and a mideast appetizer platter and listened to the lounge singer. Some Arab men sitting at another table were eyeing us. I looked terrible after traveling for two days. After a few minutes the men sent us drinks. Then they asked to join us. More food and drinks. We needed to go to bed but we were quite entertained by the lounge action and were really happy our Arab friends paid for all of the wine and food! I could hardly sleep because of my excitement, but I did manage to sleep at few hours before our first tour.

 

October 19- Dubai

 

Breakfast was included with our room and it was a nice buffet. We ate and met our Dubai city tour bus driver at 9:30am. Our driver was Pakistani and spoke very little English. We figured we had a English speaking guide joining us. WRONG! Some how the tour company didn’t have a driver or guide and sent this poor man to drive us around. It was pitiful We picked up a group of Pakistani woman at another hotel. They thought they had booked a private tour and were shocked when they found out we had been waiting on them for an hour. We were getting really impatient. Finally we got on the road, but the driver didn’t know what he was doing, nor did he have any narrations. Thankfully I had read the Frommer’s tour guide and I knew most of the sites. Dubai is wild. Everything is built to be the biggest and the best. They have the world’s tallest building, the largest man-made islands, the biggest shopping malls and hotels, and the architecture is like nothing else in the world. It is a fantasy land, Vegas or Disney on steroids. Construction cranes are everywhere. It blows your mind that they can create a metropolis out of the desert sand. Construction in Dubai started about thirty years ago, but most of the newer areas were constructed in the past five years. It is amazing to think that this city has been built in five years. The shocking wealth and grand buildings/hotels make this city a true wonder. The foreign labor from Pakistan and India have worked hard to build this city. They have labor camps for the workers and the wages are sadly low. Dubai’s oil is running out, so they are depending on tourism for their growth and income in the future. Arabic is the official language, but English is widely spoken. The traffic is terrible and their infrastructure is not yet up to par. The metro system is not complete. The train will be a huge improvement for tourists.

 

On our short introductory tour we visited the Jumeirah Mosque, a beautiful example of modern Islamic architecture built in 1998; the Islamic Art Center; drove by the tallest building in the world - the Burj Dubai, it is a secret as to how tall the building will be and they keep adding floors. It is estimated at over 2625 ft and it is scary tall. We drove by the Emirates towers, built in 2000, similar to the World Trade Center twin towers; drove out to the end of The Palms, the man-made island for a photo op at the new Atlantis hotel, a replica of the one in the Bahamas except for the Arabesque façade. We stopped at Jumeirah Beach for a photo op of the Burj Al Arab hotel, the only seven star hotel in the world, built in 1999 at 1053 ft. it is the world’s tallest hotel. It looks like a white sail jetting out from the ocean. We drove past the Dubai Museum which used to be a fort in the late 18th century. The tour was enough to get us oriented to the city and figure out what we wanted to see and do. We returned back to the hotel around 2pm and I immediately hired a private driver for the remainder of our stay in Dubai. Asif, from Pakistan , picked us up at 5:30pm in a black Lexus to explore Dubai on our own. Our first stop was the world famous Gold Souk, hundreds of jewelry stores in a two block or so area. It sparkles at night. Carly ordered two gold necklaces with her daughters names in Arabic. I bought a tri-color gold chain. My bargaining skills weren’t great that night, but Carly got a good deal. After we shopped we were on our way to the Burj Al Arab for drinks/dinner. In order to enter the property you have to have a credit card guarantee reservation. The Skyview Bar on the 27th floor was sold out when I called for reservations so I booked a restaurant on the main level of the hotel. Do you think I would go all the way to Dubai and not check out the Skyview Bar? Absolutely NOT. When we got to the hotel we marched up to the 27th floor and I ask the hostess if she could accommodate us - no problem. We had a window seat facing the sea. The minimum spend was $85/pp. I thought that was very reasonable for a seven star hotel. The bartenders are mixologists. I had an exotic margarita with black sea salt. We had cocktails, canapés, a cheese platter, and coffee. The drinks were around $30. We had a lovely evening on top of the world sitting over the Arabian Gulf. After we finished our evening at the Al Arab, Asif picked us up and we made a quick stop at the Hard Rock Café to get a souvenir pin and t-shirt. We got a mini-tour with Asif and enjoyed all of the beautiful buildings lit up at night time. Asif dropped us off close to midnight. I think we made another bar run at the hotel before bed.

 

October 20- Dubai

Asif picked us up at 9:30am for our day at the beach. We made a quick stop at the Dubai Harley Davidson dealership to buy Carly a souvenir. We went to The Le Meridien and Westin resorts on Jumeirah Beach. We paid $40 for hotel privileges for the day. It was heaven. The weather was hot and sunny and the water temperature was the warmest I have ever experienced. We had a lovely lunch on our chaise lounges ten feet from the water. Asif picked us up at 1:30pm to go back to the hotel for our desert safari. We got ready for our safari and the driver, Nouhad from Lebanon, picked us up at 3:30pm. Nouhad had on the worst toupee and I couldn’t stop looking at it. Full on Elvis type wig. We picked up our safari mates - 2 couples from Australia. We would share a LandCruiser with them. Nouhad drove us an hour outside of town to the desert filled with mountains of red sand. It was so interesting and beautiful. There were several vehicles in the desert as this is the most popular excursion in Dubai. We went dune bashing for about thirty minutes. Everyone got nauseated. Ten minutes would have been plenty of time. It is like a scary roller-coaster and you think you are going to roll at any minute. I didn’t enjoy it at all. The driver gets a rise out of seeing how intensely he can scare/thrill the passengers. After the ride was over we headed to the Beudoin camp for dinner and camel rides. We stopped to take a photo of the sunset and that is when the evening took a scary turn. We had lost all of the other vehicles in the caravan going to the camp. We were alone and our driver got lost in the desert. It was getting darker and we kept asking how long it would take to get to camp. Every 25 minutes, the driver said it would be 25 minutes. We had to drive through the dark sand dunes to camp because the tire pressure on the tires was too low to use the street. After driving in circles for 45 minutes we were getting scared. The cell phone was ringing and our driver would not answer it. That is when Stan from Australia started vomiting and I thought we were going to die. We were either going to be lost in the desert forever and die of dehydration or Nouhad was going to rob and kill us. I was scared, but decided to speak up and demand we be taken back to the hotel. Everyone else agreed . Nouhad was refusing to do anything because he was worried about his tires on the pavement. I said everyone was sick and we must get to the paved road immediately. I have never been so scared in my life. Thankfully Nouhad knew he had better do what we said or he was going to be in trouble if we did make it to the camp. I would have refused to get back in the vehicle with him. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a tire store so Nouhad could fill his tires. He was cussing us out in Lebonese the entire time. I was never so happy in all of my life to get back to the hotel safely. It was a scary experience to be in the black of the desert. When we got back to the hotel, guess who was miraculously waiting for us - ASIF, our driver! I hugged him and told him how happy I was to see him after the trauma of the desert safari. He was available to drive us around the rest of the night. It was Divine intervention for Asif to be at our hotel. We went back to the Gold Souk to pick up Carly’s jewelry. We made a detour to a secret room to buy a knockoff purse and watch. Carly was scared in the third floor secret room, but nothing could scare me after the desert safari episode. After we left the Gold Souk we went to the Spice Souk to buy spices - curry and vanilla. Asif took us to a lovely area on Dubai Creek for dinner. It was at Heritage Village, a tourist area with a gorgeous view. We had Arabic food at Al Bandhar. We both had seafood. The lights of the city were beautiful on the creek. After dinner Asif returned us to our hotel and we said our goodbyes to him. He was a wonderful driver and tour guide. We made our last bar run at the Sheraton and got ready to leave for Cairo. There were so many things we didn’t have time to see in Dubai. It is a perfect stopover when traveling to Africa/Middle East. I hope I can go back someday on a stopover.

 

October 21- Dubai to Cairo

We had breakfast at the hotel before our driver picked us up. Our airport driver showed up in a black BMW 730 at 10am. We figured the transfer company was making amends to us for not showing up the first night. Water and chocolates provided too - First Class! We checked in for our 1pm Emirates Air flight to Cairo. We again tried for an upgrade, but no luck. We flew a 777, a very nice plane. We had a meal and an empty middle seat. Perfect flight. Welcome to Cairo! Our transfer agent, Ahmed, was waiting for us. Our relationship with Ahmed would be very important while in Egypt. After we cleared passport control, Ahmed was waiting for us with the luggage. First Class! We arrived after dark, so we couldn’t get a feel for this city of 18 million people. Cairo is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. On our way to the hotel, Ahmed briefed us on the “new” schedule. I was not happy that they had changed our Nile cruise from four nights to three, but it ended up being a great blessing. Ahmed checked us into our hotel, The Four Seasons Nile Plaza. The hotel was located in the Garden City area of Cairo, next door to the US Embassy, a very nice area. The security was impressive. All cars entering the hotel had to stop and be searched by police and the bomb squad dogs. The hotel was lovely and our room was heaven. I was excited to have an additional night to enjoy the hotel and surroundings. We had a city view of Cairo, including the Citadel. After we got settled in our room and had a few glasses of wine, we walked across the street to the Grand Hyatt. The Hard Rock Café is next door. We shared a burger with a Vodka lemon drop at the HRC and bought some souvenirs. The adrenaline was wearing off and the jet lag was setting in. We never knew what day or time it was exactly. We fell into bed anticipating our tour in Cairo the next day.

 

October 22 - Cairo

A fabulous breakfast buffet included in our room rate. We had breakfast before our driver and guide picked us up at 9:30am. Mrs Maha was our guide. She was great. Her English was perfect as she had spent a lot of time in the states. She took us to Giza, home of the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. Giza was a royal burial ground and the pyramids served as tombs for dead kings. The pyramids are a great mystery. How did ancient Egyptians build some of the biggest, enduring, and perfectly engineered structures without any modern equipment? The two primary theories are that the Egyptians built ramps up the side of the pyramids or they used some kind of lever device to lift up the blocks. Some of the blocks from one of the smaller pyramids are estimated to weigh 220 tons, roughly 200compact cars. It is a wonder of the world. The first glimpse of the pyramids is a moment I will never forget. I couldn’t believe I was half way around the world seeing these ancient wonders. There are three pyramids of different sizes on the Giza Plateau - The Great Pyramid of Khufu, Pyramid of Khafre, and Pyramid of Menkaura. The pyramids were built on the western edge of the Nile valley between 2589 and 2530 B.C. I did try to go in the pyramid, but the passages were too narrow. I got very claustrophobic with all of the people and there was no air to breath. Carly made a quick trip down the passage, but came right back up due to the crowds. Other than the thrill of saying you have been inside the pyramid, there is nothing to see except for the massive slabs of limestone and granite that make up the walls and roof. There is a Solar Boat Museum on the south side of the Great Pyramid, a full-size ancient boat discovered in pieces in 1954. After viewing the pyramids and getting a quick history lesson from Maha, we took a 30 minute camel ride around the pyramids. Maha hand-picked The Camel Man, Sammy, to be our guide. We had so much fun. The camels were cleaner than I would have thought. We could not stop laughing. How did I get so lucky as to be on a camel in Giza? After several great photo ops we returned to the “stable” (the desert). We left the pyramid area to make our way down the hill to the Sphinx, a half cat, half human figure carved from the same bedrock as the pyramids. The nose is missing from the Sphinx and there are many theories as to what happened to the nose. The sphinx stands 66 ft. high and dates to around 2500 B.C.. Mrs. Maha was also our personal photographer for the day. Another perk of a private guide. After we finished touring the Sphinx area, we drove a few blocks to Queen Cleopatra Restaurant for lunch. It was a large tourist restaurant with a nice buffet. Since I was being very careful about what I was eating, I ate nothing uncooked. I enjoyed noodle soup and meatballs. Egyptian food was not a highlight for me, but I always found something I could eat. After lunch we went to the Papyrus Institute. Papyrus is a plant used to make paper for art. Carly bought the Last Deception or something to that effect. Some famous scene in Egyptian history. We then drove back across the river to the Egyptian Museum. This is Egypt’s national collection of archaeological treasures It was built in 1902 and a new museum is under construction. The museum is dominated by massive sculptures, the King Tut tomb treasures, including the famous gold mask, and two mummy rooms- human and animal. It was as fascinating to me as the Louvre or any famous museum. The collection of over 120,000 pieces was magnificent. It was not air-conditioned and I couldn’t imagine touring this museum in the heat of the summer. I bought a souvenir book of the highlights of the museum. It was dark by the time we finished our tour. Mrs. Maha and our driver dropped us back at the hotel about 6pm. We made a quick costume change, had a glass of wine, and headed out to the world famous Khan al Khalili bazaar. We took a cab from the hotel to the bazaar. The cab drivers don’t speak English for the most part so we always had our information written in Arabic from the hotel. The bazaar was a fabulous experience. It is a dense network of twisting alleys packed with hundreds of stores and stalls. It was built in 1382 as a center for craftsman and trade. Now it caters to the tourists, but has the authentic feel of an Arab Souk. Carly was getting a little spooked until she figured out we were completely safe. The vendors are beyond aggressive. I had a recommendation (thanks MVPMike) of a gold jewelry store in the bazaar to buy a cartouche. We found Gouzlan’s Jewelry and made several purchases. I bought a cartouche with my name in hieroglyphics, a wedding ring with both Lee and my names in hieroglyphics, and two charms - the Ankh, the symbol of eternal life and a Lotus flower, another symbol of Egypt. We had a lot of fun shopping for gold. We bought a few other souvenirs - embroidered tunics, scarves, etc. As we were winding down our shopping we found a string of outdoor cafes. We had not had dinner and it was getting close to 10pm. We started to eat at the tourist restaurant, Naguib Mahfouz, until we realized they didn’t serve wine. We found the perfect restaurant for me - Egyptian Pancakes! My favorite food. They were delicious. A homemade pita like bread baked on a pizza pan with your choice of toppings. I had butter and powdered sugar on my pancake. It was the best food item I ate in Egypt. We were hounded by street vendors during our pancake fest. I paid some kid $2 for a pair of silver shoes just to get rid of him. He haggled with me for thirty minutes. It was funny, but also annoying. After we finished eating we taxied back to the hotel. We got back to the hotel around 11pm and I suggested to Carly that we go to the hotel gift shop to look around. My life changed forever! Carly and I walk in the gift shop and saw another couple shopping. I turned around and screamed in a whisper to Carly “There is Paul McCartney”. I tried to get my composure before approaching him. He was dressed in a suit and tie and looked fit and youthful. His hair was dyed. I went up to him and said I was a big fan and wondered if he would mind taking a photo with me. He declined to take a photo because he was on vacation and didn’t want the intrusion. He was very gracious and apologetic. I said “How does a girl from Kansas meet Paul McCartney in Cairo?” He says “How does a boy from Liverpool meet a girl from Kansas in Cairo?” He then proceeds to sing “Everything’s Up to Date in Kansas City” for me. We all kind of sing it together. I asked him if he had taken a Nile cruise and he said he had just come off a Nile cruise, probably more like a luxury yacht. His girlfriend, Nancy, was beautiful and very gracious also. I told him I had seen LOVE in Las Vegas and it brought back all of the wonderful Beatles music. I also told him that I couldn’t get the song “All you Need is Love” out of my head so I turned it in to my Christmas theme that year. There was no security around that was noticeable - just the four of us in the gift shop. Paul performed a concert in Tel Aviv on Sept 25. The Beatles had been banned from Israel since 1965 and it was the first time he had performed there in 43 years. Maybe he was touring Egypt/Middle East after the Israel gig. I didn’t want the relationship to end, but I had taken a lot of his time and I had to say goodbye, unfortunately. I was over the moon for the rest of the night. I will always treasure my ten minute relationship with Paul McCartney.

 

October 23 - Cairo

A FREE day - Yea! We slept in, enjoyed the breakfast buffet, enjoyed the hotel pool, and taxied downtown to shop at 6pm. The shopping downtown is overwhelming. Hundreds of shoe and clothing stores. Carly bought a pair of cute jeans for less than $27. We attempted to go to an Egyptian restaurant for dinner, but as we got off the beaten path close to the restaurant, two guys approached us to see if we needed directions and asked to join us for dinner. I made a quick decision to go back to hotel instead of trying to get rid of these guys. We told the guys we changed our mind about dinner and we needed to get back to the hotel for our 1:30am airport transfer. We returned to the hotel and had a nice dinner in the high-end department store inside the hotel - Café Behmal, or something like that. I had lamb chops. Very delicious. This was going to be a real test of our endurance tonight. No time for sleep.

 

October 24 - Cairo to Abu Simbel to Aswan

 

Ahmed, our Cairo transfer agent, was picking us up at 1:30am for our 4am flight to the ancient site of Abu-Simbel. We checked out of the hotel at 1am and went to the bar to wait for Ahmed. We didn’t want to start drinking until we got close to flight time, as we were afraid we might pass out somewhere. Ahmed was on schedule and had the Four Season’s Breakfast boxes ready for us. Cairo has two airports - one for domestic flights and one for international flights. We went to the domestic airport for our internal flights. This would be our first Egypt Air experience. Eygpt Air flies mostly Airbus’s. They still have ash trays in the arm rests, but everything is non-smoking. Egypt does not allow any foreign airline to fly internally. We boarded the flight and took off close to schedule. The flights are always full with cruisers. I got amused by the safety instructions on the flight. It was a cartoon on the TV monitor. It was an Egyptian man with a huge mustache and unibrow - talk about stereo-typing! I got a great photo of him. We had to rearrange some of our luggage because we could not take any bags with us to Abu Simbel. They would be removed on our stop-over in Aswan. I had packed an extra backpack so we could put valuables and anything we didn’t want to leave behind in it. It is always smart to have an extra bag/tote in case of luggage restrictions.

 

Abu Simbel lies between Aswan to the north and less than an hour from Sudan to the south. Abu Simbel is the site of the temple of Ramses II, the most famous temple in Egypt, and one of the most famous monuments in the world. The Pharaoh carved it into the rock of the Nile Valley between 1274 and 1244 B.C. It was saved by the flooded waters of Lake Nasser in the early 1960’s. Lake Nasser is the world’s largest artificial lake. It was created by the construction of the High Dam. Because of the dam construction, Lake Nasser flooded the Nile banks and dozens of temples had to be relocated. An international conservation group, UNESCO, moved the temple at Abu Simbel to a safe location above the water. Three 69 ft. statues of Rames II guard the entrance to the temple. Rames II was married to Queen Nefertari. Inside the temple are carvings and hieroglyphics and a sanctuary where four gods are seated. The temple is designed so that twice a year the sun rises through the door all the way back to the sanctuary onto the seated gods. We missed this happening by two days. People camp out to see this happen. We had a quick lesson from a guide, then had thirty minutes to walk around and take photos. We went back to the airport to catch our 10am Egypt Air flight back to Aswan. The flight from Abu Simbel to Aswan was less than an hour.

 

We were greeted in Aswan by our transfer agent, and picked up our luggage that had been stored while we toured Abu Simbel. Our transfer agent drove us to our Nile cruise boat - the Sonesta Nile Goddess. I was not on my game after being awake for 24 hours, and I successfully secured the worst cabin on the ship. We were on the first level, basically even with the water, and underneath the ramp to enter and exit the boat. It was only a three day cruise and I was too tired to make a fuss. There are hundreds of cruise boats on the Nile. They are usually four level barge type boats. Sonesta is a five star cruise line and I would hate to cruise on anything less. It was not exactly what I would call five stars, but adequate for as little time as we would be spending the boat. It had 57 cabins. The ship was sold out, but we never saw very many people around except at meals. We quickly dropped our luggage, went to lunch, and were off on our Aswan tour. We were getting a little goofy by now after pulling the all-nighter. There were about 16 English speaking people on our tour bus. The cruise offered separate tour buses/guides for different languages. Most of the guests on the boat spoke Spanish. We started our Aswan tour with a visit to the granite quarry and the Unfinished Obelisk. This slab of granite probably would have been the biggest column in Luxor, but masons discovered a flaw in the stone and left it in this quarry. It is a massive rock and it is unbelievable how the ancient Egyptians were able to move such rocks to all of the temples using levers, ropes, and lots of man power. Our second stop was the High Dam. The dam was built to keep the Nile Valley from flooding. The view was interesting, but unless you are fascinated by dams, it looks like any other dam. The highlight of our visit to Aswan was the Temple of Philae/Isis. It sits between the old British-built dam and the High dam, only accessible by ferry. The temple was being flooded regularly so in the 1970’s UNESCO moved the temple to higher ground on Agilkia Island. The Island was beautiful, and the columns, temples, and carvings were amazing. We were touring at sunset and the views were very pretty. I bought a Nile Guide and a guide to the Ancient Gods and Kings of Egypt because I was having trouble remembering who was who. After we left the Temple of Isis, we went to a perfume factory. I had no idea we were stopping here, as I didn’t see it on the schedule. It was a waste of time for me, but Carly bought some oils. It was better than a carpet factory. We then boarded a felucca, a traditional lateen-rigged large sailboat, and cruised around Kitchener’s Island, a botanical park. It was dark by the time we sailed, but it was a beautiful evening. Needless to say Carly and I were fried, and were looking a bit worn out. We had been up 32 hours. We sailed back to the Nile Goddess and laid down for a quick nap before dinner. We had dinner at 8:30pm, watched the Nubian Folklore show for a while, and headed to bed. It was a long day!

 

October 25 - Aswan to Kom Ombo to Edfu to Esna to Luxor

 

We cruised up the Nile first thing in the morning to Kom Ombo. Carly and I slept through breakfast and the tour of Kom Ombo. We were exhausted. The temple of Kom Ombo was dedicated to the crocodile god, Sobek and the falcon god, Haroeis. We missed the mummified crocodiles. We needed sleep.

 

We continued cruising north on the Nile to Edfu. I spent the most glorious three hours laying in the sun at the pool enjoying the fascinating scenery of the Nile. I got my Nile tan. The only green that exists in Egypt is along the banks of the Nile. I learned one important fact - without the Nile, there would be no Egypt. It is the lifeline of the country. The desert dominates most of the country of Egypt. We got off the boat at 2pm to tour the Temple of Horus at Edfu. We rode horse drawn carriages from the boat to the temple. This was a lot of fun. This was the last big temple to be built in the Nile Valley in 237 B.C. and was built high enough to escape all flood damage so it is the best preserved temple.. Horus was the falcon god. It is an important ancient site because according to myth, Horus fought a battle with his uncle Seth, who had murdered Horus’s father Osiris. Two black granite statues of Horus sit at the entrance to the pylon. I was in awe of all of the temple because of the good condition it was in. After a carriage ride back to the boat, we set off for Esna to pass through the locks. Traffic on the Nile was not bad and we only waited for one other boat to get through the locks. I had no idea the Nile had locks like the Panama Canal. After we passed through the locks we continued sailing north to Luxor. We had a nice dinner outside on the top deck of the boat. It was the Egyptian Galabeya party. Many people were in traditional party dress - the long robes with embellishments. Carly and I opted for the embroidered tunics and scarves. My costume cost $16 - tunic, scarf and silver shoes. It was a lot of fun. We participated in the dancing and games in the lounge. We made some really nice friends on our tour bus and we enjoyed hanging out with them. After the party, we went to bed.

 

October 26 - Luxor

 

Luxor - WOW! So much history. We met our tour guide at 7am. Our first tour was the west bank of the Nile - Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Temple of Queen Hatsheput, and the Colossi of Memnon, The Valley of the Kings is a maze of tombs built into the mountain of limestone, and houses the tomb of King Tut. The Valley of Queens is also a maze of tombs, with the Tomb of Nefertari being the crown jewel. Her tomb was closed for restoration. The kings would build these tombs for family members. I was impressed with the Temple of Hatshepsut. This was built by Hatsheput, who ruled Egypt as queen between 1479 and 1458 B.C. She was a very important figure in ancient times. The statues were amazing. The temple is a series of terraces built into a limestone cliff. I was very interested in learning about Anubis, the black, slender dog with tall pointed ears you see in Egyptian pictures and art. You will see Anubis at the entrance of tombs to guard the bodies of the interred from jackals. His black color represents the color of decayed flesh and also the black fertile soil of the Nile Valley - life and death. After our tour we made a quick stop at the pharmacy as many people were starting to show signs of Mummy’s Tummy and Pharaoh’s Revenge. Everyone purchased Antinal, the anti bacterial intestinal drug. I was being very careful as to what I ate. I ate mostly bread and cheese. One woman got sick on tour bus and I came to the rescue with two zip lock bags. Another tip - always keep a zip lock bag in your touring bag. Carly and I both agreed that whoever the woman was on the message boards that recommended traveling with Depends, knew what she was talking about. We had lunch on the boat and then met another tour guide for a 3pm private tour of the East Bank of the Nile. Carly was starting to feel a little sick so she was not sure if she should tour or not. She went ahead to magnificent Karnak: Temple of Amun. Karnak was another highlight. This is the most important Pharaonic site next to the Giza Pyramids. Every ruler contributed to the temple and it had many additions. It is dedicated to the king of gods and has endless courts, halls, pylons, columns, and the Sacred Lake. The hypostyle hall is the most famous structure with 134 columns. As you enter you pass through the row of Sphinxes which led to the Nile. The granite statues were incredible. This temple was buried in the sand for more than 1000 years before being excavated in the mid-19th century. Restoration continues today. After we toured Karnak, Carly was feeling really sick and went back to the boat. I continued on the tour to Luxor Temple. The entrance to the temple is an avenue of Sphinxes which once connected with the Karnak temple. Fronting the entrance is a gigantic pylon and two enormous seated colossi of Ramses II and a huge 82ft. Pink granite obelisk. The obelisk was originally one of a pair, but the other one was removed in the early 19th century and re-erected in the Place de la Concorde in Paris, a gift from the Egyptian ruler Mohammed Ali to the people of France. The temple was amazing. Words can’t describe the massive structures, granite statues, and carvings. After we finished the tour my guide and driver took me back to the boat. I became Carly’s nurse for the rest of the night. She got really sick. She had eaten a tomato the night before. BIG mistake. Almost half of the people on the boat were sick. The dining room was empty on the last night. The food was not good on the boat. Everything that was supposed to be hot was cold, and everything that was supposed to be cold was room temperature. We had to fly back to Cairo the next morning, so Carly had to rally fast. I got everything packed for both of us and we kept our fingers crossed that Carly could make the 8am flight. If I were to cruise the Nile again and my budget allowed, I would chose the Oberoi cruise line.

 

October 27 - Luxor to Cairo

Happy 50th Birthday to Lee, the love of my life who makes all things possible. Carly dragged herself out of bed and we made the 8am flight back to Cairo. She was weak and had severe Mummy‘s Tummy, but we were relieved she was able to get off the boat. Our transfer agent, Ahmed, was waiting for us at the Cairo aiport for our 9:30am arrival. We were so happy to see him again. He took care of everything. Ahmed collected our bags and we were on the road to our hotel downtown fairly quickly. Traffic is terrible in Cairo and it took us over an hour to reach our hotel - the Grand Hyatt Cairo. This hotel was directly across the street from the Four Seasons in the Garden City area. We had a wonderful room facing the pool, the Nile, and the Giza Pyramids. It was a gorgeous day. Ahmed had set up a private Cairo city tour for us, but Carly could not make the tour. I left her to rest in the hotel room and I went to meet my guide at 1pm. My driver took me the to the Citadel to meet Gamel, my guide. Islamic Cairo is an area of densely packed neighborhoods and very old buildings. The Citadel dominates the skyline of Cairo and is a walled compound of mosques, museums, and military facility. It was built in the 12th century. It is most famously associated with the great leader Muhammed Ali who ruled Egypt in the early 19th century. I had my picture taken in a Cleopatra costume and I looked completely ridiculous in a black wig. I love the tourist photos, however. The city views from the Citadel were amazing, mostly because of the densely packed neighborhoods with the Nile in the background. After we left the Citadel we went to Old Cairo, also known as Coptic Cairo. This was the Christian and Jewish area of Cairo built between the 4th and 9th century. Several churches were built in the 3rd century ancient fortress of Babylon. We toured the Church of St. George, a Greek Orthodox church, the Ben Ezra Synagogue and the Hanging Church. The buildings have been restored and rebuilt through the years. Since I was fascinated by the City of the Dead, Gamel agreed to give me tour. This is an area of Cairo that the government does not want tourists to see. It is a cemetery with tombs where homeless people live. I found it quite interesting to see people living with the dead. It would not be safe after dark. Gamel and I made another trip to the Khan al Khalili Bazaar so I could pick up the gold cartouches I had purchased earlier at Gouzlan Jeweler. I picked up a few more souvenirs - Cleopatra pens and a photo album. Having Gamel with me was like having a personal bodyguard for the aggressive vendors. It was great shopping with him. Gamel and my driver returned me to the hotel around 5pm. Carly had slept all day and was feeling a little better. We showered and went to dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. We had a lovely view of the Nile in the restaurant. I had the dinner buffet and Carly ate some pasta. She had to be careful what she ate. We shopped at the mall inside the hotel. They had a lot of nice stores. I found another jewelry store and bought some gold earrings with the Ankh symbol and a gold chain. The prices were really good. We went back to our room and got organized to fly back to Dubai the next day.

 

October 28 Cairo to Dubai

 

Ahmed picked us up at 9am for a noon flight to Dubai. He helped check us in and we were starting our journey home. Ahmed was an angel. He really took care of us in Egypt and we could not have had such a fantastic experience without him. I highly recommend Ahmed and Ancient Royal Tours. We tipped him every time we met. I read before we left the states that tipping is very important because chances are you will need help at some point. We were flying Emirates Air back to Dubai on a 777. A perfect flight. We arrived in Dubai around 6pm and took a cab to the Renaissance Hotel. We had private club level check-in thanks to our platinum status. We ate dinner in the concierge lounge around 8:30pm. We looked around the shops in the hotel and found our way to the bar for farewell cocktails. We met a private pilot living in Dubai and he treated us for drinks. He was lonely for some American women companionship. We had a nice visit and went back to the room after midnight. We had a driver picking us up at 6am the next morning. It was a short night. Carly had disposed of several pajamas, outfits, and under garments along the way so she had a lot more space in her luggage. Me, I could hardly get my luggage zipped!

 

October 29 - Dubai to NYC to Kansas City

 

Our hotel driver picked us up at 6am in a BMW. After he assessed the luggage, he went and got a minivan! We were downgraded! We checked in for our 8:30am flight to JFK. The Dubai airport is a duty-free shopper’s paradise. Unfortunately we were too pooped to shop. We had enough energy to find Starbucks and that was it. We boarded our A380 Airbus and much to our surprise the plane was EMPTY. This was the second A380 Emirates had taken possession of and it was only three days old. I felt like I was flying private. Every person on the flight had their own row of seats. It was complete JOY. The flight was 15 hours due to a strong head wind and I was living large on an empty jumbo jet. It couldn’t have been a more perfect ending to a fantastic trip. I shopped duty-free on the plane - a pashmina and some cosmetics. After we landed, the luggage took forever to come down and I was running late for my connecting flight due to being an hour late arriving. I grabbed my luggage and said a hurried goodbye to Carly and ran for my flight. I missed my connecting domestic flight on Northwest. I learned a huge lesson, check in online at all costs. I didn’t check in online and they gave my seat away thirty minutes in advance of the flight. They also didn’t want me to stand-by for the later flight because it was oversold. My choices were to stay over night at JFK or try to find another flight home at 5pm. I didn’t have the energy to get myself to a hotel, so I bought a ticket on American Airlines. I surprised Carly at the AA gate. We got to spend a few more hours together reminiscing about our trip. The best thing about flying American and connecting at O’Hare is Garrett’s Popcorn. My favorite. That was almost worth the $442 I had to spend to get home. I had travel insurance and I am hoping they will cover my expense. I felt victorious - no lost luggage, no Pharaoh’s Revenge, and no flight anxiety. Lee was so happy to see me when I landed. I love to travel, but there is no place like HOME.

 

I conquered the Middle East and I gained a lot of confidence. I hope you enjoyed this tour across two continents. This was a very special trip that I will not soon forget.

 

Afterword

I left my eyeglasses in the Dubai Renaissance hotel room. The hotel kindly sent them to me Fed Ex for $57 in an ENVELOPE. I could not believe someone was so stupid to put glasses in an envelope. They were smashed. I got them repaired, however, and a refund.. ;-)

[slidergirl]

Your review of your Egypt trip was just fine. You and your friend sound like the kind of women I'd like to travel around with! Your sure sounded like a pair of confident women. I will say that I would have been scared out of my wits on that desert boondoggle - I'm glad that your driver finally took the hint and headed back to the highway.

I'm jealous that you got to fly on the A-380. I'll have to come up with a vacation that has at least one flight that uses it. Sometimes I'll take the more "esoteric" route to get where I want to be, just to hit a different flight or airline, or airport. It's part of the travel adventure!

All these good reviews are getting me psyched for my Egypt/Jordan trip that is 11 months away!!!

[micked10@earthlink.net]

What a wonderful travel journal! I felt like I was experiencing part of the trip with you and Carly. It sounds like you had many adventures and some wonderful memories. We do not go for a year and now you have thinking about going to Dubai too. Just have to convince my DH. Our Egypt trip is Nov. 10, 2009.

Thanks for posting your trip. It was great to read!

micked10

[KCSungirl]

thanks mick and slider girl for your compliments. I enjoy writing to create a visual for others, and maybe give a few helpful tips or interesting trivia. It is a lot of work to plan a trip like this and I always appreciate others sharing so I can learn. best, sungirl ;-)

[love*2*cruise]

Hi, I truly loved your review & what you did in Dubai! OK, except the safari incident! Could you possibly share how you found "ASIF"? We will be on a Dubai cruise & will have a few days in Dubai as part of the cruise & would really prefer to have a private tour like you did.

 

You gals sound like so much fun, keep on cruisin & enjoing this wonderful worls we live in!

 

So looking forward to seeing this part of the world!

 

Barbara

[WeBeGone]

Thanks so much for the review. It brought back treasured memories.

[micked10@earthlink.net]

Hi KC Sungirl,

How long was your flight from Dubai to Cairo? We are going to Cairo next year in Nov. and thought ( after reading your wonderful trip report) that maybe we would do the stopover in Dubai. When I look up the flight info. it lists times as 17 hours!!! Don't think I want 2 long flights within days of each other. If it is truly that long I think I would make Dubai another trip---it is on my "bucket list" of places to go!!!!

I see that we are neighbors. We live in Missouri.

thanks for your help.

micked10

[celle]

Hi KC Sungirl,

How long was your flight from Dubai to Cairo? We are going to Cairo next year in Nov. and thought ( after reading your wonderful trip report) that maybe we would do the stopover in Dubai. When I look up the flight info. it lists times as 17 hours!!! Don't think I want 2 long flights within days of each other. If it is truly that long I think I would make Dubai another trip---it is on my "bucket list" of places to go!!!!

I see that we are neighbors. We live in Missouri.

thanks for your help.

micked10

 

Dubai to Cairo is only about 3 hours. We did it last month.

[micked10@earthlink.net]

Thanks Celle. I knew I was misreading it somehow. They must have given me the total flight time from St. Louis.

Did you do the stopover in Dubai before you went to Cairo? Did you find that food was terrifically expensive? considering the price of hotels I am wondering if everything else is expensive and maybe we should do it as a separate trip. How many days did you spend in Dubai?

Thanks for any information that you can provide.

micked10

[KCSungirl]

HI Mick,

 

You should absolutely visit Dubai as a stopover. I would never spend for Dubai as a seperate trip. It's like Las Vegas, three days is enough on a stopover. The flight from Dubai to Cairo is three hours but keep in mind you gain 2 hours going to Cairo and lose 2 hours going back to Dubai due to the time zones. Yes, we are neighbors! Are you looking forward to MU in the Big 12 championship? I am going to sell my seats, since KU is out of the picture. When I travel to India or Africa, I will use Emirates again for the Dubai stopover. The price was only $200 more for the stopover. I think it was something like $1200 RT NY and $1450 with the stopover. It's well worth the $$ to fly Emirates.

 

love2cruise - i will get back to you on the contact info for our driver Asif. I am trying to get ready to leave on the Emerald Princess on Thursday. ;-) The rate was $24/hr, but he gave us a discount since we used him so much.

 

I am getting a vacation from the vacation this week. Yea!! Southern Carib on the Emerald Princess AND taking the husband which is a surprise. ;-) Best, Sungirl

[micked10@earthlink.net]

Thanks for your reply. I will look into a little more and see what kind of air fare I can find.

I am not too big of a football fan, but my husband is. He is looking forward to the BIG game!

Have a great time on your cruise. I love to cruise!

Thanks,

micked10

[jdymiller]

Can you tell me how to contact your driver in Dubai? Judy

[KCSungirl]

Hi Judy,

 

This is the name and contact info of my driver on his business card. We called the driver direct on his cell phone thru the hotel locally.

 

Muhammed Asif (Goes by Asif)

Mobile 971-50-4283932 (Need country code from US???)

 

Golden Eagle Luxury Transport

goldeneg@eim.ae

971 4 2348418

 

Hope this is a good resource for you. Best, Sungirl

[idnas71]

KCSungirl,

 

Hi there... Missouri gal here. Really enjoyed your trip report for Dubai and Egypt. I've been searching several travel forums for private guide recommendations. You mentioned using a guide/transfer agent named Ahmed in Egypt. Is his full name perhaps Ahmed Hamed Yousif? Do you have contact information for Ahmed?

 

Thank you!

Sandi in Jeff City

[TravelguruDanville]

Hi,

Just read your blog on Dubai. Do you have an address for Asif, your guide in Dubai? Looking for a guide for upcoming 2 days and he sounded fabulous!

Thanks!

Gail