This trip is for 16 days and starts in Cairo and ends in Amman Jordan on 20 September 2011.
Highlights are supposed to include:
Cruising past Komombo and Edfu Temples (my guess is they are not Catholic), cruising the Nile for three days, time in Cairo (while trying not to get robbed), visit Aswan, face to face with Egypt’s mummies, more Cairo (in case they did not rob me the first time), visit Luxor, Mt Sinai (I am hiking it at 3.00am to watch the sunrise – no red wine this night!), visit the Giza Plateau – the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx, Valley of the Kings, Amman, Aqaba, camping in the desert with Bedouin, Wadi Rum (this is not a drink but the place where Lawrence of Arabia based himself), visit Crusader castles, Mt Nebo in Jordan where Moses is buried, another float in the Dead Sea, hiking into and through Petra, and visit Jerash (and this is a place too, not a medical condition). Other highlights I will create as I go, I am sure.
Day 1: 4 Sept - Cairo
After arrival, the balance of this first day is free to explore my surroundings. There is a group meeting in the evening. There are 15 venturers in this trip and I am not sure yet where they come from, but the Company who helped me organise this trip are Australian, so I am guessing most will be Aussies or Kiwis.
Day 2: 5 Sept - Cairo - overnight train
We head to the Egyptian Museum for a tour of the various key exhibits. Our guide explains the complexity of Egypt’s many dynastic periods, starting with the Old Kingdom and ending with the Greco-Roman occupation. This provides us with a background for our visit south to Upper Egypt. Later we drive out to Giza, where we visit the Great Pyramids and the nearby Sphinx. For an additional charge I may be able to go inside one of the pyramids but I reckon Ramadan will interfere here. Not that I am pessimistic, just not lucky. We board an overnight sleeper train to Luxor.
Day 3: 6 Sept - Luxor
I am transferred to a Nile cruise boat and my home for the next four nights. I may relax by the pool on the boat or explore the bazaar in town. Later in the day we take horse-drawn carriages to Karnak, which is one of the world’s most celebrated temple complexes, built over a period of some 200 years. This day is spent in history followed by Bazaars and the smell of strong local coffee.
Day 4: 7 Sept - Luxor
We rise early this morning and drive across to the west bank of the Nile. We head into the Valley of the Kings where our guide explains the funerary rites of the ancient Egyptians and significance of the many tomb paintings and hieroglyphics. We visit three royal tombs and then continue to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, set in a spectacular natural amphitheatre. Our final stop is at the Colossi of Memnon, giant statues that were once part of an impressive colonnade. We return to our cruise boat on the east bank. We then set sail for Edfu. We pass through Esna lock, which can sometimes be a slow process, depending on the number of vessels waiting to get through, and continue our journey upstream.
Day 5: 8 Sept - Edfu - Komombo
Morning finds us moored near Edfu, a very well-preserved temple dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed God. We disembark and have time to explore the temple as well as experiencing the bustling town centre. Returning to our cruise boat we continue travelling upstream. Arriving at Komombo we visit the Temple of Sobek (the crocodile-headed god) that lies classically ruined on the edge of the Nile River. Its most spectacular aspect is undoubtedly from the river itself, but a short walk around the temple also provides an interesting insight into the Greco-Roman period.
Day 6: 9 Sept - Aswan
We arrive in Aswan, Egypt’s southernmost city. This friendly metropolis has an easygoing charm that is due in no small part to its large Nubian population. We may make a visit to the beautiful Temple of Isis that was rescued from the rising waters of the Nile and relocated on Philae Island. It is an absolute gem and one of the highlights of Upper Egypt. The rest of this day is free to wander through the Nubian bazaar, visit the Nubian Museum or enjoy a walk along the 'corniche', which is the promenade that runs alongside the river.
Day 7: 10 Sept - Aswan - overnight train
My much anticipated visit to Abu Simbel will occur this morning. Apparently a popular afternoon option is a relaxing sailboat ride around the islands in a traditional felucca, stopping off at the botanical gardens on Kitchener’s Island. I plan to visit the Monastery of St. Simeon, located in the desert on the west bank of the river. My afternoon will definitely involve the hotel pool relax. In the late afternoon we board the sleeper train for the return journey to Cairo.
Day 8: 11 Sept - Cairo
Move from train to hotel – yippee! Having experienced the highlights of ancient Egypt today is my opportunity to see something of medieval Cairo in the form of the Khan al-Khalili Bazaar, Cairo’s oldest mosque and the Gayer-Anderson Museum. We go to the beautiful Ibn Tulun Mosque, considered one of the finest examples of 9th century architecture, before walking across to the Gayer-Anderson Museum, housed in two fine old villas (16th and 17th century) overlooking the mosque. Once owned by an English army officer, the two houses contain a fascinating collection of Arabic artifacts, furniture and memorabilia, giving us a great insight into Cairene life during the Ottoman period. We then continue into the Khan al-Khalili Bazaar, which sprawls around an old area of Cairo known as Al-Azhar. The tortuous streets and alleyways and attendant hawkers all combine apparently to look like a scene from '1001 Nights'. We explore the heart of the bazaar, gold market, ‘perfume street’ and the spice market – where the scent of cumin, coriander and cardamom hangs in the air like a thick blanket of Damascene cloth (which can be purchased next door in the cloth market of course!). These bazaars make me nervous so I will have to pray to the Westfield gods!
Day 9: 12 Sept - Mount Sinai
This morning I travel east towards Suez where we drive through the Suez Canal tunnel and then turn south towards Mt. Sinai. It’s a long day’s drive (around eight hours). All will be rewarded by a pool at the hotel, or else!
Day 10: 13 Sept - Mount Sinai - Nuweiba - Aqaba
This morning I ascend Mount Sinai to watch the sun rise over the peninsula I. will be woken up between 2am and 3am. It is a fairly steep climb (with stairs all the way), but as it is dark most people take two to three hours to reach the summit. (Note to self: “Duty free torch at the airport”. The view is supposed to be amazing, and what a way to make my Morning Offering. If I return in one piece, around mid-morning we drive to Nuweiba to board the hydrofoil to Aqaba, Jordan.
Day 11: 14 Sept - Aqaba - Wadi Rum
We visit Aqaba. We visit the old castle before driving to Wadi Rum. We have time for lunch in the small village of Rum and a browse around the informative visitor’s centre before we meet our Bedouin friends and ride camels to our traditional Bedouin tent situated deep within Wadi Rum. I still bet I get the ugly camel. The sunsets are supposed to be quite memorable, but will they have Internet? Wadi Rum is supposed to be a truly beautiful place with towering wind sculpted, sandstone mountains rising from the desert. The area is home to Bedouin tribes who live in scattered camps throughout the area. We spend an evening with the Bedouin at their camp. This is where I am scared about what lands on my plate at dinner time. I have heard the goats here are very scared. Wadi Rum is probably best known because of its connection with the enigmatic British officer T.E. Lawrence, who was based here during the Great Arab Revolt of 1917-18. Much of David Lean’s movie on his exploits, 'Lawrence of Arabia', was actually filmed in Wadi Rum.
Day 12: 15 Sept - Wadi Rum - Petra
After I run an autopsy on what I ate the night before, I rise to watch the cliffs change colour at sunrise, and then scale one of the large dunes to enjoy the breathtaking views of the surrounding area. We then take 4WDs from our camp back to the main entrance. We then continue our journey to Petra. On arrival there is time in the afternoon to check out the town and get ready for the big trek back into Petra tomorrow.
Day 13: 16 Sept - Petra
For most people the image of Petra is a narrow chasm with glimpses of the famous Treasury in the distance. Built by the Nabataean people 2000 years ago, this was their capital. With our guide we explore the old Roman road, amphitheatre and several old tombs. We also climb up to the Monastery for a view of the entire site. It is going to be a memorable day and sure to be one of the main highlights of my trip. I have planned this venture for a long time, so I am not going to waste a minute.
Day 14: 17 Sept - Shobak - Dana - Madaba - Amman
This morning we drive along the King’s Highway, a road that dates back to beyond the time of the Old Testament. We reach Shobak Castle, originally built to protect the eastern flank of the Latin Kingdom and its trade routes to the sea before it fell to Saladin in 1189. We walk through the site and continue to the ancient village at Dana. We then reach Madaba, where we visit the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George that houses an ancient mosaic map. This is of particular interest as it clearly depicts Palestine and Lower Egypt around 550 AD. We expect to arrive in Amman in the late afternoon.
Day 15: 18 Sept - Jerash - Dead Sea - Amman
The Roman city of Jerash is in a fine state of preservation. Founded in the time of Alexander the Great, it had become a centre of considerable importance by the 3rd century AD. Today it is one of the grandest ancient cities in the world with an imposing collection of archways, theatres, baths, public buildings and colonnaded streets. We visit the site in the morning and later drive down to the Dead Sea. After the ‘float’, I am going up to Mt Nebo to visit the Franciscans who care for the Holy site where Moses is reputedly buried.
Day 16: 19 Sept - Amman (capital of Jordan)
My organised trip ends here today. I am staying on for another day to perhaps revisit Mt Nebo, but certainly take time to have a long bath. I am then off to Paris for a week, then Germany and Austria, I think?
This pic is my last farewell from Italy. It was taken atop of a huge mountain overlooking Lake Como and Como city. That is snow on the mountains behind me and the marina in the bottom left. I did this one by cable car as I planned a long lunch and postcard writing from the top. I will be back in Rome 10 October for the Canonisation process of Bl Mary Mackillop.
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