Day 87 – April 2 - Egypt

The “Cruise Ship Ban” to Egypt has been lifted so Holland America’s advisory committee decided that it was safe for our ship to dock at Safaga, Egypt

  Safaga Port

So here we are arriving at the port on the east coast of the Red Sea.  The rugged mountains surrounding this area have numerous phosphate mines so the port is a top phosphates export center.

 

  A curious sight

As I looked over the deck I couldn’t help but notice a sight that we haven’t seen before:  the unloading and organizing of household possessions belonging to either Egyptian refugees returning from Kuwait or used merchandise heading for a warehouse in Egypt.  If the latter is true then it was a good sign for what we were later to hear was “New Egypt”, however it was distressing to see the shabbiness of their meager possessions next to this grand cruise ship.

I was booked on a excursion to the Valley of the Kings and Karnak, this was going to be a long day of approximately 6-7 hours in a motor coach with my fellow cruise passengers.  I tried to nap during the endless ride through the desert, however, I would perk up as soon as we hit settlements along the canal.

  Housing on the canal

  One of many guarded checkpoints.  After awhile you do get used to seeing uniformed men carrying serious looking guns.

  The Nile River

We crossed the Nile a couple of times during the day and each time the tour guide barely announced it.  I guess I was expecting more of a fanfare after all this is the famous north flowing Nile River.

These river cruise boats very much resembled the one I had seen the other night in an Agatha Christie Mystery “Pirot – Death on the Nile”.

  Nile River

  School Children getting off the bus.

  Statue of some Pharaoh

Our first stop was the Valley of the Kings, this is the contemporary name for the lavish hillside tombs that date from the ancient Dynasties of Egypt.  It was hot but not unbearable however the sun is very intense.  I so appreciated my Panama Hat which is perfect for this kind of weather.  We were told to leave our cameras on the bus because photography is forbidden, the flash is destructive to the elaborate wall paintings.  Therefore, I don’t have any pictures of this area just my memories.  This area lies deep down a northern ravine of the limestone hills of Qurna.  The valley is sacred to the local goddess Mertseger (she who loves silence) so I immediately felt at home but it seems that many of the tourists don’t share this love.  The valley is surrounded by high cliffs, dominated by a natural pyramid shaped peak.   This is just as I imagined it would be; bright, dusty and other world like.   There are over 60 tombs at the Valley of the Kings but we were only allowed to go in 3 of them – the Egyptian government wisely protects the monuments from over-visitation by opening them in rotation.  When I heard that the “alert ban” for Egypt had been lifted, I was thrilled because I now mistakenly thought that I was going to see the Pyramids.  The tour to the pyramids had to be from Cairo and our dockage at that port was cancelled and could not be re-booked.  I was disappointed but I now realize that a visit to the Valley of the Kings is one of the high spots of any Egyptian tour.  I’m a “Happy Camper”… 

  Courthouse in Luxor

The Winter Palace Hotel which is right on the Nile River.

Luxor straddles the Nile and has many famous sites on the west bank.  We headed for the Temples of Karnac which have the most amazing ancient structures.

This were the first columns that we came upon but there were many more to come.  It took more than 1,000 years to build the entire compound around the original inner sanctuary.

 

 The gate to Hypostyle Hall

This is the largest Hypostyle Hall in the world northing even approaches it’s size.  Building began in the 12th century BC by King Seti I and was completed by his son Ramses II.

  Avenue of Ram-Headed Sphinxes

  A row of Elephant Sphinxes

  Hieroglyphics

 

  A Colonnade featuring 134 immense and richly decorated columns.  To walk through and around these columns alone and in complete silence is an amazing experience.

  Oldest known painting of Jesus Christ.  If you look closely to the left right above the third yellow row you will see a faint depiction of a man with a beard.  Also one of his mother -

  The Blessed Mother, to the left and above the 2nd blue row.

 

  Oldest Graffiti – You can see the name written in English about half way up this column

  Sculpture of a Scarab, a symbol of good luck.  Our guide told us if we walked around it 3x we would soon have good luck, 4x we would get married and 5x have many children.  I walked around it 3x.

 The Sacred Lake

  The Temple of Amen-Re and me.

  Obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut

I loved the columns

 

 A scene from the Book of Gates.  According to this book the underworld is divided into twelve sections, representing the twelve hours of the night.  A gate represents each hour and is guarded by a huge serpent.  Egyptian Royalty were obsessed with the afterlife and the objects that they would need for that time.

  A Shop Owner.  He won in the bargaining battle and I paid $5 instead of $3 for a lovely top.

After shopping we then headed for our buses for the 2 1/2 hour ride back to the port.  So once again we have:

  Canal Scenes

 Donkey & Cart Scenes

I have never seen so many Donkeys.  I swear I saw Mary & Joseph with their donkey walking through a sugar cane field.  These animals are unbelievably hard workers and they move along very smartly.

  Sugar Cane Fields

  White Ibis’s were everywhere.

  Housing and Laundry.

Egypt is definitely a 3rd World country.

  Geese

This was a day filled with awe and amazement at every level!  The trip was physically demanding but oh so worth it.