John and Diane's Amazing Round the World Aventure

[wander]

The party HAL threw last year during the WC with Stan Kruse and other HAL biggies was increditable! It riveled "The Sisters" events, but with entertainment that was the best wandering entertainment I have ever seen. Of course it was also opened to all which made it less cozy. I would guess that folks who were on the 2007 World Cruise have already told you about it. If not, ask them. It will be interesting to see how the one this year compares.

[Johnny B]

March 24 – Safaga to Luxor, Egypt

(Get Comfortable – this is a long one)

 

When you're watching hundreds of people being herded into the Queen's Lounge, labeled with numbered stickers, handed a sack lunch and then dismissed to hike downstairs and find the correct one of 22 buses, it's really nice just to go down the stairs on our own (we haven't taken an elevator yet!), meet our driver and guide, get in our car and head off to joint the convoy.

 

A word about the convoy: About ten years ago there was a terrorist attack which killed dozens of tourists and basically dried up tourism for about five years, only coming back full force in the last couple of years. Working with the idea that "it's better to be safe than sorry," the Egyptian government sends three convoys from Safaga to Luxor daily. We have armed soldiers (AK-47's) in front, middle and back and I'm watching the desert really carefully.

 

I've been through desert, but this looked absolutely Old Testament – funny, that. The land was absolutely barren, with miles of brown sand rising into jagged brown mountains. Even when the mountains are in the distance, small hills arise like islands in the middle of the desert. Unlike our expectations, the desert is mostly rock rather than sand. Occasionally we see a Bedouin hut and camels, a stopping point in their wanderings through the desert.

 

At 9:00 AM it was about 85 degrees, with promises of 100 in the afternoon. Our guide also added that it last rained in Luxor in 2004 (really!)

 

As we approached Luxor, suddenly everything turned green, a result of the canal bringing water from the Nile. The towns looked prosperous, but every bridge across the canal was guarded by a robed, turbaned Egyptian with an AK-47 or Kalishnakov, or whatever it was. Additionally, the major traffic interchanges have, instead of stoplights, heavily armed soldiers. The houses, built next to the canal, are built of mud bricks and, with their goats and donkeys, look exactly like National Geographic photos.

 

Reaching Luxor, we drove through several armed checkpoints juxtaposed against the beautiful multi-colored bouganvilla which lined the road. It's an amazing city. As we drove, our guide casually pointed and said, "Oh, that temple we're passing is 4000 years old." We drove along the Nile and I was so excited I wanted to do the "Happy Dance."

 

Skipping lunch, we crossed the Nile and drove up into the hills, past a Moorish house that had been used by Howard Carter for 13 years, into an area that looked like a cross between a moonscape and the Southwest cave dwellings. This is The Valley of the Kings, which sits below a pyramid-shaped hill, representing to the pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom the same shape as the pyramids near Cairo had for the Old Kingdom pharaohs.

 

Out of eleven tombs, we visited those of Ramses III, Ramses IV, and Ramses IX. Because they were looted, the only things left are the carvings and paintings. The colors are original, about 3000 years old, and get more vivid as one proceeds further into the tomb. Then we came to the piece de resistance – King Tut's tomb. Really, it's not much, being very small and only containing the stone sarcophagus and the outermost wooden coffin. But then . . . you turn around and there he is, in the (very blackened) flesh: King Tut himself. He was only taken from his coffin and put on display in November, and he lies there under a sheet of linen, with just head and upturned feet showing. Having seen most of his exhibit in San Francisco in 1979 and then again in London last November, we were really excited to see the mummy itself.

 

Tut's tomb was the last one discovered, and the only one found intact. However, Ayman, our Coptic Christian guide, told us that only three weeks ago, using new technology, archeologists located the tomb of Ramses VIII, which they also believe to be undisturbed. Now they are waiting for the "bad air" to clear out of the tomb and then will begin excavations. If it is what they think, it will be the greatest Egyptian treasure trove ever. Pretty exciting, huh?

 

Finally, we proceeded to the Temple of Queen Hatsheput, three levels of rectangular pillars containing outstanding paintings and sculpture. Hatsheput is the one Egyptian queen pictured with a beard, which she wore to convince her subjects she was a man, since they would not accept a woman as pharaoh – sounds unlikely, but it's true. Sadly, this was the site of the aforementioned terrorist attack ten years ago, killing 65 tourists and 4 guides. Because of that, we looked at it very differently from the others.

 

After visits to the Colossi of Memnon and Luxor Temple, we collapsed at our hotel, and tried not to think about the fact that our guide will be calling for us tomorrow morning at 6:15. Gotta get some sleep!

[Cruising-along]

WOW.

 

Speaking as someone who visited the Giza pyramids 2 years ago and would love to see Luxor, I just ate this up. Thank you SO MUCH for your wonderful detailed posts! I always feel like I'm right there too. :D

[SDHALFAN]

March 24 – Safaga to Luxor, Egypt

(Get Comfortable – this is a long one)

 

When you're watching hundreds of people being herded into the Queen's Lounge, labeled with numbered stickers, handed a sack lunch and then dismissed to hike downstairs and find the correct one of 22 buses, it's really nice just to go down the stairs on our own (we haven't taken an elevator yet!), meet our driver and guide, get in our car and head off to joint the convoy.

 

A word about the convoy: About ten years ago there was a terrorist attack which killed dozens of tourists and basically dried up tourism for about five years, only coming back full force in the last couple of years. Working with the idea that "it's better to be safe than sorry," the Egyptian government sends three convoys from Safaga to Luxor daily. We have armed soldiers (AK-47's) in front, middle and back and I'm watching the desert really carefully.

 

I've been through desert, but this looked absolutely Old Testament – funny, that. The land was absolutely barren, with miles of brown sand rising into jagged brown mountains. Even when the mountains are in the distance, small hills arise like islands in the middle of the desert. Unlike our expectations, the desert is mostly rock rather than sand. Occasionally we see a Bedouin hut and camels, a stopping point in their wanderings through the desert.

 

At 9:00 AM it was about 85 degrees, with promises of 100 in the afternoon. Our guide also added that it last rained in Luxor in 2004 (really!)

 

As we approached Luxor, suddenly everything turned green, a result of the canal bringing water from the Nile. The towns looked prosperous, but every bridge across the canal was guarded by a robed, turbaned Egyptian with an AK-47 or Kalishnakov, or whatever it was. Additionally, the major traffic interchanges have, instead of stoplights, heavily armed soldiers. The houses, built next to the canal, are built of mud bricks and, with their goats and donkeys, look exactly like National Geographic photos.

 

Reaching Luxor, we drove through several armed checkpoints juxtaposed against the beautiful multi-colored bouganvilla which lined the road. It's an amazing city. As we drove, our guide casually pointed and said, "Oh, that temple we're passing is 4000 years old." We drove along the Nile and I was so excited I wanted to do the "Happy Dance."

 

Skipping lunch, we crossed the Nile and drove up into the hills, past a Moorish house that had been used by Howard Carter for 13 years, into an area that looked like a cross between a moonscape and the Southwest cave dwellings. This is The Valley of the Kings, which sits below a pyramid-shaped hill, representing to the pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom the same shape as the pyramids near Cairo had for the Old Kingdom pharaohs.

 

Out of eleven tombs, we visited those of Ramses III, Ramses IV, and Ramses IX. Because they were looted, the only things left are the carvings and paintings. The colors are original, about 3000 years old, and get more vivid as one proceeds further into the tomb. Then we came to the piece de resistance – King Tut's tomb. Really, it's not much, being very small and only containing the stone sarcophagus and the outermost wooden coffin. But then . . . you turn around and there he is, in the (very blackened) flesh: King Tut himself. He was only taken from his coffin and put on display in November, and he lies there under a sheet of linen, with just head and upturned feet showing. Having seen most of his exhibit in San Francisco in 1979 and then again in London last November, we were really excited to see the mummy itself.

 

Tut's tomb was the last one discovered, and the only one found intact. However, Ayman, our Coptic Christian guide, told us that only three weeks ago, using new technology, archeologists located the tomb of Ramses VIII, which they also believe to be undisturbed. Now they are waiting for the "bad air" to clear out of the tomb and then will begin excavations. If it is what they think, it will be the greatest Egyptian treasure trove ever. Pretty exciting, huh?

 

Finally, we proceeded to the Temple of Queen Hatsheput, three levels of rectangular pillars containing outstanding paintings and sculpture. Hatsheput is the one Egyptian queen pictured with a beard, which she wore to convince her subjects she was a man, since they would not accept a woman as pharaoh – sounds unlikely, but it's true. Sadly, this was the site of the aforementioned terrorist attack ten years ago, killing 65 tourists and 4 guides. Because of that, we looked at it very differently from the others.

 

After visits to the Colossi of Memnon and Luxor Temple, we collapsed at our hotel, and tried not to think about the fact that our guide will be calling for us tomorrow morning at 6:15. Gotta get some sleep!

 

 

WOW: What an amazing post - thank you so much for "taking us along" with you on this wonderful adventure.

 

As a little girl I lived in Egypt for about 3-1/2 years (courtesy of The Royal Air Force) at Abu Suer and then Ismailia, which of course are both further north in the Nile Delta area and close to the Suez Canal. We were lucky enough to spend some vacation time visiting Cairo, Alexandria and Giza but never made it to Luxor. Luxor is definitely on my "to do before I die list".

 

I can't wait to hear about you next adventure and, honestly, I can't thank you enough for sharing your adventures with us. Your wonderful and informative posts make us feel as though we too are along on this great ride with you.

 

Valerie:)

[jtl513]

Diane - Have you met Greg, who is one of your casino cashiers? He is also doing a blog of your cruise (http://planettrekker.info/cruise/) from the perspective of a crew member seeing the same countries pretty much "on the cheap". I don't think I'd recommend spending a lot of your expensive web time reading his blog, but maybe he would let you read some episodes on his laptop. Or at least after you get home I think you should read his accounts for an entirely different view of the same ports you've seen.

 

I thoroughly enjoy reading both your accounts and his! Thank you! :D

[BonnieJeansMum]

Please keep the journaling coming, you 2! Thanks so much for the excellent narrative and insights to the world from your perspectives, and giving us all a comfy chair next to you.:D

[GranysT]

Wow, nothing like seeing Pyramid's and mummy's, thousands of years old, to make us realize how small we really are in the scheme of things.

 

I wish this cruise could go on forever and ever.

[Johnny B]

March 26 – Luxor to Aswan

 

6:15 AM – nooooo!

The clock went off at 5:00, and to our joy, the restaurant was open half an hour earlier than its stated 6:00, allowing at least for a leisurely breakfast. We sat above the pool, next to the Nile, watching faluccas glide by in both directions. By the time Ayman arrived, 6:15 didn’t seem so bad.

 

Our 6:20 sightseeing stop began with sunrise over Karnak Temple. The complex covers 50 acres, and looking at its columns and obelisks is impressive, but imagining what it was like about 4,000 years ago is just amazing. There are columns and columns of pillars, 132 in all, the tallest being 45 feet. The incredible thing is that at its height, those pillars were covered by a granite roof. How in the world did they do that lifting without modern machinery?

 

The temple originally had several pairs of obelisks, built in twos as gifts to the gods. If you’ve been in London, you may have seen one of them along the Thames, gracing The Embankment. Two and a half are still at Karnak, the rest spread out throughout the world as souvenirs for invading powers. Personally, I prefer my papyrus calendar.

 

After Karnak, and on the way to the rail station, Ayman told us that the Luxor government has plans to tear down much of the downtown area and replace it with a new one in ancient Egyptian style (hello, Disneyland) and decorate it with ancient statuary currently in storage.

 

We had a reservation on the 9:25 train to Aswan, which left promptly at 10:30. It was a three-hour ride along the Nile, with irrigated greenery and crops on the river side and brown rocks and sand on the other. There were exceptions to this, but it was easy to see why Egypt is considered “The Gift of the Nile.”

 

As was the case yesterday, we are heavily guarded, with gun-totin’ security men in the front and back of the train, and even the conductor has a side-arm.

 

I’ll bet you thought the camel was Egypt’s national animal, but we’ve seen a lot more donkeys and boy, those suckers can run. People ride them, they carry huge loads of crops, and they pull carts. We saw some in town, but here in the countryside, they’re everywhere.

 

Now that we’ve taken a three-hour train ride in Egypt, we’re experts, so here are some of our thoughts. First, when you book first class, don’t get your hopes up. Next, when they say air conditioned – well, maybe. Our train car was cool when we got in, but an hour later, we had to either move to the next car or die. As to punctuality, see the paragraph up the page. On our next trip to Egypt (and there WILL be a next trip), we’ll fly and take a Nile River cruise – now THAT’S the way to travel.

 

We arrived in Aswan at 1:30, hopped into the (air-conditioned) car, and headed off for sightseeing. Our first stop was a granite quarry which holds the largest unfinished obelisk in the world. It was ordered by Queen Hatchepsut, but as work began it developed cracks, so it still lies in the ground, 3500 years later, like a pencil in an open pencil case. We continued to the top of the Aswan High Dam, built in 1971, which has good and bad points. It stopped Nile flooding, produced enough electricity for all of Africa, and created Lake Nasser, the largest freshwater lake in the world. However, ancient monuments and Nubian villages had to be moved. Our guide is a Nubian whose family was forced to move – once for the old Aswan Dam and then again for the High Dam.

 

Our last stop was the Temple at Philae. I thought we’d stop at yet another ancient temple, but instead, we drove down to a dock, boarded a little boat, and sailed across the Lake which is located between the old and new Aswan dams. The Philae Temple had been built on an island about 700 BC, but was endangered in the early 1970’s by the dam. It was moved, stone by stone, funded by UNESCO, to a higher, larger island where we visited today. It looks very like a Hollywood set because it’s so perfect, but on closer inspection, it has suffered internal damage by the Christians who used it as a church in the Fourth Century AD. It really is a beautiful place, completely covered with carvings and just sitting in the middle of a huge lake.

 

Finally, it was off to our hotel, The Isis Island, located (not surprisingly) on an island in the middle of the Nile and reached by hotel ferry. We cooled off from the 105 degree temperature in the huge pool, and then had an early dinner and were early to bed, preparing to meet our guide tomorrow at 5:30 AM for a ride to the airport. Where have we gone wrong?

[Johnny B]

March 26 – Aswan to Abu Simbel to Aswan to Cairo (what?)

 

Getting up at 4:30 is probably no one’s cup of tea, but there is something to be said for sitting on the dock alongside the Nile in that magical time between dark and down, watching stars, listening to the birds sing, and feeling a cool(!) breeze blow. Then, boarding a small boat and sailing sever hundred yards down the Nile to the mainland dock just completes the picture.

 

We were off to the airport – another cultural experience. As our luggage and other bags went through the scanner, the man whose job it was to put the bags on the conveyor belt leaned toward me and whispered “Baksheesh,” meaning he wanted a tip. I just ignored him and proceeded along. Our flight, like every other one we’ve taken so far in Viet Nam and India, left right on time (hear that, United Airlines?) for a 40-minute flight to Abu Simbel. Anything I said earlier about more rocks than sand is now completely undermined (no pun intended) by the view from the plane. It is almost solid sand in this northern part of the Sahara, and unbelievably monochromatic and desolate.

 

I think we’ve all seen the four massive statues that were moved to higher ground when the Aswan High Dam was built. However, we had no idea that there was another, smaller temple nearby or that each of the structures contained a series of beautifully carved and painted rooms within. The reds and yellows are original and really beautiful. What entertained me was what I like to call “historical graffiti.” Shortly after the temples were discovered in about 1814, people began carving their names into the statues. One read, “Godfrey Wyse – 1819,” and there were dozens of others, all in the 1800’s. I guess tourists never change.

 

After a fairly short visit, we flew back to Aswan and connected with a flight to Cairo, where we were met and driven to the Egyptian Museum, or “Mummy Central.” Like all good museums, it has far too much information to absorb, and I think this one ore than most, since it covers 4,000 years. Our guide, Neveen, is small, cute, about 21 years old, and has just finished her degree in tourism. John thought we should stay for hours!

 

We began downstairs with the Old Kingdom, continued to the Middle Kingdom, and then went upstairs to the King Tut exhibit. Since we had seen him in the flesh, so to speak, in the Valley of the Kings, we thought we really out to see all of his loot. It really is mind-boggling. There’s a huge amount of jewelry, a 10-kilo solid gold mask, a 100-kilo solid gold coffin, four nesting boxes in which his three coffins were located and really a whole lot more. It was more than this mind could absorb.

 

After our two hours at the museum, we drove across the river to the Meridian Hotel, where they put us in a room with a view of the pyramids – could like get any better? Tomorrow we’re going to see them, visit the Sphinx, and I won’t be happy until I’ve ridden a camel!

[SDHALFAN]

March 26 –

 

We were off to the airport – another cultural experience. As our luggage and other bags went through the scanner, the man whose job it was to put the bags on the conveyor belt leaned toward me and whispered “Baksheesh,” meaning he wanted a tip.

 

 

Now that really made me laugh out loud. Litttle kids seem to pick up foreign languages more easily than adults do and I still remember some of the Arabic that I learned in Egypt, but uppermost in my mind is "Baksheesh": it seemed that that word was everywhere. Good for you for being smart enough to ignore the "hint".

 

I do hope that you get your camel ride before you leave Egypt.

 

Valerie:D

[cruzinnluvinit]

Oh Robin, your sign is a hoot! I think I'll start collecting signs too, what a great idea! :)

 

John and Diane, I'm loving every minute of your posts and look for them every day :D

 

edited to say "photos" of signs !

I found a sign in New Hampshire at a rest area that said "live parking only".. What does that mean? Do people actually park there to die? LOL

 

Linda

[Johnny B]

March 27 – Cairo to Alexandria

 

I really don’t know what’s better, waking up to a view of the Taj Mahal or a view of two of the three great pyramids. They’re both fantastic, especially when they’re right out your window. Of course we do realize we’re two of the luckiest people on the planet.

 

Today was pyramids, sphinx and camel day, and I’m doing the happy dance again. We drove about five minutes to the pyramids and boy, are they big! Two of the main three are over 400 feet tall and the third is over 200. The largest belonged to Cheops and, because we were early, we were able to buy tickets to go inside, up hundreds of steps to his burial chamber. Apparently they limit the number of tickets to a few hundred, so if you snooze, you lose. A word of advice: if you’re six feet tall or more, you might consider skipping this one. We’re both under 5’8” and we had to climb steps almost doubled over. I’m also slightly claustrophobic and had a few intense moments, but hey – how many chances do you get to go inside The Great Pyramid?

 

Our next stop was the Sphinx, and somehow I thought it would be bigger; it’s about 65 feet tall and over 200 feet long. The features, however, seem somehow sharper in person. I also didn’t realize that it’s next to a temple – the postcards never show that. I took dozens of photos, and we decided that the next time we will go to the sound and light show – it must be spectacular.

 

What about the camel? It was so much better than I expected. Instead of “Give me ten dollars and you can sit on my camel for a photo,” it was $30 for a half hour camel ride across the desert to a spot where we could see NINE pyramids – the three big ones and six smaller ones. We found out that the camels near the pyramids are private and can cost anything (our guide told us that one of her clients was charged $500), but up on the panoramic lookout the price is set by the government. In addition, the price is per person – you can each have your own camel or share.

 

You mount the camel like a horse, using a stirrup, but when he gets up, it’s a little tricky. We found out why there are two pommels, front and back, to hold on to. We had been warned by a (male) friend that guys had better be careful when the camel gets up because you tend to slide forward, and the pommel is wooden (ouch!). However, another problem is that you, of course, ride astride, and camels are really, really wide. After our ride was over, walking was a bit dicey, and this morning (the next day), I could hardly get out of bed.

 

From the pyramids we drove into Old Cairo, where Neveen, our guide, took us on a leisurely walking tour. She’s a Coptic Christian, and we visited her basilica as well as a Greek Orthodox church, a synagogue/museum (since there are very few Jews in Egypt, having been expelled by Nasser in the 1950’s) and then another Coptic church where tradition says that Mary, Joseph and Jesus lived during their flight from Herod into Egypt.

 

After lunch in probably the most touristy restaurant we’ve been in (but which had a cheap, tasty buffet), we said goodbye to Naveen and got settled in for the 3-4 hour drive to Alexandria. The road is like a freeway, but it has a whole series of speed bumps every ten miles or so, making it hard to write postcards. The “freeway” is really a whole new concept in driving. People cross it, like the boy on his bicycle and the man strolling across the road, cell phone in his ear. Donkey carts clip-clop down the roadside and I know I’ve commented before about lane lines on highways being mere suggestions, but on this drive it’s amazingly true. There are four lanes headed toward Alexandria, but in reality sometimes it seems to be only two. We followed a double-trailer truck going right down the line, and when we passed him, we did exactly the same thing. It’s really like there are no lanes at all, only open highway, so each driver can choose where to place his or her car. It seems to work, though, so we can’t complain.

 

Speaking of his or her, it’s obvious that this is primarily a Muslim country, since almost all women (except the 13% Christian) cover their hair, and it was rare to see women in Burka, but now as we approach Alexandria we see more and more. I know I wouldn’t make a very good Muslim wife.

 

After four hours, we arrived at Alexandria and our ship. It was a very long four days, and I don’t think we could have put in another thing. We learned a great deal, saw even more, and are ever so pleased that we did this overland. Egypt deserves a great deal more time, and next time we’ll make it a separate trip and give it the time it deserves. That said, however, we were very happy to re-board the ship and join our seagoing “family.”

We must have been told “Welcome home” about two dozen times as we walked toward the ship and then through it, and up the stairs to our cabin. It is nice to be home.

[Aussie Gal]

John and Diane,

 

Once again a wonderful narrative. You have transported me to to Egypt with your posts and the time is coming closer when we leave on our trip to ports that you have recently visited including Da Nang, Saigon, Salalah and Safaga. I cannot believe that we will be seeing some of the sights that you have described so well.

 

Continue to enjoy the rest of your wonderful journey.

 

Jennie

[huskypup]

Thank you for allowing us to follow your adventures, your latest report took me back, we also travelled to Egypt a few years ago, I find the country amazing.

 

I also thought that the Sphinx was larger than it actually was - is it still surrounding my scaffolding?, they were half way through a major restoration project when we were there. I did not go inside the Pyramid but HB and children did, and they said it was certainly an experience, my HB is only 5ft 8" and he aggrees with you anyone taller would be struggling.

 

Did you manage to spend anytime in the Soouke in Cairo itself, this in itself is an experience, just becareful where you stand!!!:eek: .

 

Can't wait for your next report.

[ldog]

Your writing makes this trip so vivid! We were in Alexandria/Cairo in 2006. Our guide said that the markings on the highway were for decoration! No drivers paid any attention to them.:confused:

[cruzinnluvinit]

John and Diane,

 

I think there is a theme to your posts-you will be traveling a lot in the future and have many places in mind. I hope you get to go back to all the places in your posts. You make them all so interesting and make me want to travel more. I will need to win the lottery too (as another poster stated). Our savings went to start a company (not the best thing when you are in your late 40s). I have gotten my DH to go on 2 cruises and he LOVED them, so maybe if the company ever sells, we can start traveling more. You make it so appealing.

 

I can tell I need to be in better shape though.

 

Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself.

 

Linda

[OldCodger73]

John and Diane, it sounds like you're well on your way to a second career, that of a travel writer. Now all you have to do is figure out how to get paid for it, grin.

[cruzinnluvinit]

John and Diane, it sounds like you're well on your way to a second career, that of a travel writer. Now all you have to do is figure out how to get paid for it, grin.

I second that.

 

Linda

[Peggy Sue]

What a fantastic review of your latest overland adventure ... I'm exhausted after reading about your treck up the stairs in the pyramid, and the camel ride! Once again you're transported us to another country and made us feel as if we were traveling right there beside you

 

Thank you for continuing to share your journey with us ...much appreciated!

 

Peggy

[Bucky3]

John and Diane - I'm at a loss for words! I happened upon this thread very late last night and remained mesmerized through the wee hours of the morning! All I can say is "THANK YOU!" The descriptive writings from both of you have been pure joy and an education. Our daughters both graduated from Cal Poly years ago, and we now have a granddaughter there in her junior year and another who has just been accepted to begin her freshman year this fall. If you lecture at the college on your return, I hope they can attend.

 

We'll be following your remaining itinerary and look forward to every word you write. John's description of his love of the sea brought tears! I'm not sure how many of us that cruise truly understand how the sea affects some of us. I, too, take books with great intention to read each one but find myself too enthralled with the sea to finish most of them! Again, sincere thanks for taking us all along on this marvelous adventure.

[Johnny B]

March 29 – Day 85

 

We’ve just arrived in Istanbul and will be here for two full days. (The weather is sure different than what we left in Egypt—low 50’s with the possibility of rain.) Diane has asked that I write an entry summing up our Egyptian adventures, so here goes. First, over lands, as we take them, are exhausting as we try to cram in as much as we possibly can. Our three over lands took place within a three-week time span, but now we are on the ship for the next month. If you ever have the chance to take an over land like this, my advice is to do it, as we did, on your own. Do some research and book with a local agency, and you will save lots of money and have much flexibility in your adventures. You don’t have to stop for a 90 minute lunch with a large group or spend lots of time going to designated shops.

 

Besides the obvious sightingseeing we do, we like to talk to our guides about their lives, their country, politics, etc. to get more of a “human” side of traveling. Most of our guides know much more about American politics than we do about Egyptian affairs. We were asked many times if we preferred Obama or Clinton. How many Americans know who the president of Egypt is? One thing common, though, in all our discussions was that we found no overt anti-American feelings. Only one guide commented on how helpful the Russians were in building the High Dam at Aswan and how President Sadat, who was assassinated, was too friendly with the West and might have deserved his fate. When we asked if most Egyptians liked President Mubarak, no one was overly enthusiastic or overly negative—it seems like he’s been president for so long they’re just used to him.

 

The number of Coptic Christians and how influential they are is something most of us in the states are unfamiliar with. Three of our four Egyptian guides were Coptic (the word derives from ancient Egyptian and the services in church are conducted in Coptic, which is supposedly similar to what was spoken two thousand years ago.) The guides were all university graduates from educated families. Divorce is legal in Egypt, but the Coptic Church forbids it, so divorce is very rare, for a divorced Coptic cannot remarry. Muslims and Christians seem to live parallel lives in Egypt. They work together but tend to go to separate schools and live in separate areas of the city.

 

The vendors in Egypt are at all the major tourist sites, but there didn’t seem to be the “in your face” attitude that we have witnessed in other areas. We were continually asked where we were from and when we said California we were greeted with an ,”Oh, American—welcome.” Later one of our guides told us to say we were Canadian or Australian and we would get better prices! But, we’ll never know, Most of bartering was done in good humor and it felt like we were all playing a game. And, as for tipping, a sensitive subject, we took the advice of our travel agent (Egyptian) and then added to it! We did not resent tipping for services, but when someone just put out a hand and asked for money, we politely declined.

 

During our overland travels we flew on airlines we never had imagined we would have: Vietnam Air, Siem Reap Air, Silk Air, Kingfisher, Jet, and Egypt Air. Guess what? All flights departed on schedule as well as arrived on time—and our luggage was not lost. Now why can’t our airlines do the same thing?

 

Well, it’s time to get off the ship and visit Istanbul. We were here in 1971, so it’ll be interesting to see the changes.

[34XB]

We have been following your account since you departed FLL in January. We were on the Rotterdam World Cruise in 1999 and visited some of your ports. We know the time it takes to collect your thoughts and take notes when traveling overland at your pace. Thanks for taking the time to record your experience's for us all to enjoy. It has brought back memories of our time in Egypt in 1989. The security measures onboard and overland in Egypt that you observed were very insightful. I think we could visit with you both for dayssssssssssss....

 

We depart Mar 31 to catch the Rotterdam in Rio for crossing to Europe. Maybe we will catch your wake off the Amsterdam in the Atlantic!! Rob

[mjcruisers]

I awoke today knowing it would be my worse day, day 3 post chemo, but I had the joy of taking an 85 day cruise with John and Diane. It is so beautifully written and I so enjoyed being taken out of my world and into their world for a couple of hours. You will never know how much it has meant to me. Now could you extend your cruise until June so you can entertain me? Thanks for such wonderful descriptions so I still have some dreams during this trying period. Mary

[GranysT]

Mary, so sorry to read of your illness, and having to deal with the chemo. God Bless, and I hope you will soon be feeling much better. I just love reading about John and Diane's marvelous trip. Imagine, all those countries, sights, and sounds? She makes it all so readable, and delightful. Can't wait for the next installment.

[cruzinnluvinit]

I awoke today knowing it would be my worse day, day 3 post chemo, but I had the joy of taking an 85 day cruise with John and Diane. It is so beautifully written and I so enjoyed being taken out of my world and into their world for a couple of hours. You will never know how much it has meant to me. Now could you extend your cruise until June so you can entertain me? Thanks for such wonderful descriptions so I still have some dreams during this trying period. Mary

Mary, prayers and hugs coming your way. Isn't it nice to leave our lives and join John & Diane on their wonderful adventure. Keep your chin up and fill your time with good thoughts and maybe come comedy movies.

 

Linda