Leaving the cruise boat in Luxor, we
set off to explore The Valley of the Kings. A vast maze of tunnels and tombs
buried into the rock and under the ground, the valley was home to hundreds of
mummified royals and their families.
The most famous discovery in the
valley was the tomb of Tutankhamen. Found by Howard Carter in 1921, the discovery
of the child Pharaoh’s tomb, still intact and complete with treasures, was
big news. King Tut’s mummified body is still housed in the Valley, so we
spent our morning exploring tunnels, examining stone carvings and paintings,
and saying hi to Tut.
No happy snaps allowed in the Valley, the train is the closest thing
A short drive and we were at the Valley of
the Queens, also the tomb of Queen Hatshepsut. She was the first woman in
history to rule Egypt, and reigned for 20 years. During that time, her
architect lover erected the tomb for her, with a long extensive tunnel linking
his own tomb high in the mountain to hers. These ancient Egyptians sure were
into romance.
The Valley of the Queens
Playing Power Rangers
Outside the tomb of Queen 'Hot-chicken-soup'
After the morning playing Tomb Riders,
it was off to another temple. This
one was the temple of Karnack, which took over 2000 years to complete. Each new
pharaoh added to the temple, making it easily the biggest one we visited.
In ancient Egyptian culture, the
scarab beetle symbolised good luck. This temple has a large scarab where it is
said if you walk around it seven times and make seven wishes, they will all
come true.
I got a little dizzy but I made my
seven wishes.
Walking around the lucky scarab
The lucky scarab himself
A friend we made on the tour, Greg, had his own theories about how the Pyramids were formed and the meanings behind different inscriptions in the rock. He had interesting views on extra-terrestrial influence and the passing down of knowledge from celestial beings. This led us to scrutinise the hieroglyphics and inscriptions more thoroughly, and appreciate the sheer amount of work it would have taken the ancient Egyptians to achieve these works.
How did they do it? Was it aliens?
It was great to hear an alternative view from someone so passionate who has spent years researching his beliefs. Ash, Livi and I were so glad to have met Greg, he definitely made the trip a whole lot more fun and interesting.
A first opportunity to have McDonalds
on the trip, which we politely refused, followed by a four hour bus ride, and
we were in the seaside city of Hurghada.
Hurghada was the most modern and
Western influenced city we visited in Egypt. After a rushed 30 minutes to get
ready, we were out at the pub drinking cocktails and eating chicken fajitas.
This was to be our last party night so we had to do it right!
Hanging out in H-town
After more and more cocktails, and
only 160 Egyptian pounds later (approximately $25-$30 AUS), we were off to ‘Papa’s Beach Club’. Free entry and Ladies Night. Score!
Clubbing in Egypt was a little strange
at first – unfamiliar music, and all the tables and seating areas were ‘booked
for a company function’. But a little more Egyptian vodka (much cheaper), some
Egyptian tequila (also cheaper), some familiar beats and we were burning up the
dance floor.
"You girls are the heart and soul of the dance floor!"
Great night with some great new friends
The night absolutely flew, it was so
much fun. Great to party with our new friends, and we were clubbing in Egypt!
How many times can you say that in your life??
Two hours sleep and it was our final day on Contiki. No longer required to cover our shoulders and ankles, we put on our bikinis, beach dresses and fedoras ready for a day at sea.
Setting sail, "I trust you Jack!"
The weather was perfect, but the Red Sea was still chilly. Flippers and snorkels on, we braced ourselves for the cold to swim with the fishes. There were huge purple jelly fish with no sting that people were picking up and taking photos with. I don’t care if they don’t sting; no way I am going near them.
Snorkelling in the Red Sea was a lot harder than initially thought. The snorkel gear was so heavy, and I could barely see a thing out of the old masks. However, having been a swimmer through High School, I tried following the guide as deep as I could into the reef without my ears popping. There were so many beautiful fish and marine life, and I found Nemo!
Hey Red Sea, check out our treasures and our secrets of the desert
It seems Egyptian captains’ sail their ships much like car drivers drive their vehicles on the roads in Cairo.
With the whole of the open sea ahead of them, and only a few boats in the area, we still managed to get involved in a side-on boat crash.
Heads down and sunbaking on the deck, we heard the crash of windows smashing, wood cracking, and boats colliding. Luckily no one was hurt, and we were back jumping from the roof of the boat into the crystal blue water.
Ohhhhh myyyyy goooddddddd!
It was the perfect end to the tour. I
would never have thought I would be snorkelling, sunbaking and jumping from a
cruiser in Egypt.
We were so lucky with the beautiful
weather, and with the even greater people we could share the past week with. It
was sad to say goodbye to everyone, knowing our next encounter would be sharing
pictures on Facebook. Ash, Livi and I made plans to catch up with some tour
buddies during the rest of our trip, so grateful that we were able to make such
good friends.
The experiences we all shared were amazing. Standing in awe of the pyramids, riding camels through the Sahara Desert, sailing down the Nile, flying to Abu Simbel, snorkelling in the Red Sea, partying in Hurghada. It was an incredible week, one I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life.
If you haven’t been to Egypt or have been thinking about making the trip over there, I urge you to do it. Although the Revolution caused unrest at the time, it is safe and tourists are welcomed by locals. It is the ideal time with limited waits for attractions and destinations. Contiki was a great way to see Egypt, we were incredibly well looked after, everything was organised above and beyond what anyone expected, and our guide Sherif really made the trip with his knowledge, advice and humour. I would recommend making this trip in a heartbeat. I loved every minute of it, and it was so much more than I was expecting. Huge thank you to Contiki and Sherif, I had the time of my life.
Yalla alla Habibi! Waki waki Contiki!
stumbled across your blog in my search for the contiki egypt trip and enjoyed reading it very much. today i booked my trip for September and cant wait!
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