Egypt calling??

[kashveera]

Anyone been to Egypt??

Kashveera

 

[Liebling:-)))]

We have been talk about go to Egypt for years... have been fail 3 times out of reasons... :roll:


I know we definitely will but when?

 

[kashveera]

I went recently, am planning to go again!

Egypt is really nice!!

Kashveera

 

[Liebling:-)))]

I went recently, am planning to go again!

Egypt is really nice!!

Kashveera

which part of Egypt you visited to?

We want to stay at Red Sea and like to visit Luxor.

Can you share your story with us what you have an experience of your visit there?

 

[kashveera]

which part of Egypt you visited to?

We want to stay at Red Sea and like to visit Luxor.

Can you share your story with us what you have an experience of your visit there?

Our holiday was one that celebrated Egypt, as a country with one foot in history, a land filled with nostalgia of the pharoahs that ruled once. The mesmerising Nile, fills one with Awe as you watch it turn Egypt from the barren sands of the Sinai Desert into a fertile, lush area!

We started our month long holiday in Sharm-el-Sheikh, which is a lovely beach resort at the very edge of the Sinai pennisula, where one can see the red sea stretch out before you.

I would suggest that you fly from Cairo to Sharm-el-Sheikh, instead of taking the seven/eight hour drive from Cairo to Sharm. It is a very bumpy and rocky ride, but thankfully our drivers could speak some english, so they entertained us a lot! But if you do take the drive its one that enables you to see the egyptian military at its best, we passed so many military institutions on our way to Sharm, for a good part of the hour, we basically saw policemen in every nook and cranny of the road not even 2m from each other! We took the road to Suez. The Suez Canal is one experience altogether, we all thought we were gonna see the sea, but our driver shocked us by saying that we were going to go under the sea!! The security here is high level. So don't be shocked if you see army men in bunkers with their rifles pointing at your moving vehicle!!

The vast arid plains of Sinai stretch for a good part of the journey, it is vastly unhabited, unspoilt by humans, you would fine a single tree 40km's to the journey! and then all you see is rocky desert, and sand all over...We stopped at Ras-Al-Sudr, where the water is crystal clear like you wouldn't believe!! We had a swim, and we couldn't see a single individual, it was as if we enjoyed our own private sea!!

We now move closer to St.Catherines.We stopped at St. Catherine's for the night, because we were so exhausted after our flight. (I think this is a must if you are a Christian), it's more relevant to your faith, I would think, but nevermind, I took the climb up to Mount Sinai, its beautiful at 5am in the morning, but trust me, you need to be fit!! At the top of Mount Sinai, it feels like heaven is touching you, thats how high you are and how low the clouds are!! This is apparently were Moses received the ten commandments from God, (please excuse me, I am a hindu, so I wouldn't know too much). I think the most beautiful thing is that you feel as if you are on top of the sun!


Well, we then proceeded, to Sharm the next morning...It is one helluva straight rocky road, and surrounded by mountain ranges which overshadowed our car and gave some sort of respite from the heat!! Thankfully St.Catherine's is only two hours away from Sharm-el-Sheikh! This road now goes through a valley, and begins to become very winding. We stopped to get a bird's eye view of Sharm-el-Sheikh, before we actually entered, through a small piece of rock, I saw white buildings, giving me the impression that I was in Crete (Greece), there were white houses everywhere, a church steeple reaching for the sky.

Sharm-el-Sheikh, is a bustling city, a city that is a foreigner's hub!! It has a romantic ambience surrounding it, a true place to find peace of mind and relax. We stayed at the Domina Coral Bay Hotel & Resort! It's a beautiful resort and I recommend it! The resort is massive, thankfully we stayed for a whole week, so we could use it to the maximum! The resort even has its own time!!

The old market in Sharm is very much a market that never sleeps, its always awake!! Two gigantic statues greet you as you enter, and there are alleys upon alleys where you must bargain!!

Na'ama Bay is another fantastic outing for the evening, almost like a modern night out !! You must visit it!!

One excursion you mustn't miss is the glass bottom boat, which takes you through the Ras Mahommed National Park, which has some scenic underwater life!!

If you are a fishing enthusiast, like my dad and brother, you could hire a boat, which we did, that takes you out to the Red Sea, they cought some lovely fish, but threw it back, It was beautiful, being moored in the middle of no where, while my dad and brother fished, I had the wonderful opportunity of being able to go scuba diving, the guy took me as I can't swim!!

We then flew back to Cairo, and then took a train trip to Aswan from Cairo, I recommend this, its first class luxury on the Albera Train Trip! It was highly unforgettable and off course it was a world class service.

When I woke up, I saw the Nile flowing, its waters full, accross the desert! You see bedouins and their goats, and at the same time, you see a tractor and modern farming tools, The contrast is unforgettable.

We reach Aswan, the land of the most incredibley friendly people...we stayed at Isis Island Aswan, it was fine, Aswan is the pride of Egypt, its truly idlyllic. The best is watching the sun set on the mortal Nile in all glory!

Aswan is a very quiet, quaint place, where life is slow-moving, Aswan City proper lies on teh East Bank, while the west Bank has cliffs, that were gigantic, the awesome fury has to be seen for one to believe!

A felucca ride on the Nile is an absolute MUST!! We took both a sun-rise cruise as well as the sun-set cruise!! You must take a horse-ride through the city, it feels really nice, we did!!

My brother and father are ardent fishermen, so they managed to land a Nile Perch, which the hotel chef dutifully cooked for dinner!!

I would suggest that you go to the Island of Philae, its stunning!! And above all the sound and light show is really nice, except that the sound, I didn't hear, well its not really worth going if you aren't gonna hear the story of the Nile and Philae, my mummy translated the whole thing for me!!

We had tea one fine afternoon at the Cataract hotel, would suggest it!! Kitchner's island is fine for a visit, and so s Elephantine island, and then upriver you see, some exotic plants, and the tombs of Muhammed Shah Agha Khan, hopefully I heard right!! From the tomb you can see the Coptic Monestary of St.Simeon!

You can see built into the cliffs some pharonic nobles and dignataries. I would suggest that you visit the botanical gardens, the beautifully trimmed hedges and wondrous designs, and off course exotic plants.

We also had an opportunity to visit the Nubian village, which is something I will never forget! I also was fortunate to have a camel ride through the desert!

We then took a cruise to the High Dam, of Aswan, that was really nice as wel... because we went in the afternoon, we could hear the local call for prayer (Azaan)... We also went for a tour of the Unfinished Obelisk, that thing is huge!! We took a walk down the Nile Corniche-that is another MUST!! We passed the Philae gardens, then the Nubian Museum, and they have tombs dated from the Fatimid Period!! We also saw something like a graeco-roman sarcophagi(the largest one is in India-In Goa...I've seen that too!!), you also see an unfinished colossus which remains half-buried in the sand!!


Luxor is a must if you want to see Egypt architecture at it's best besides the great pyramids in cairo!

Will update later...tell me if you wanna know more!!

Sorry to bore you guys to death...hope this helps!

Kashveera

 

[Liebling:-)))]

Oh no, it doesn´t boring me... Very interesting... wow...

Yes, I remember from reading the brochure about Hotels in Sharm-el-Sheikh which long way from Luxor.

You suggest to take fly from Cairo to Sharm-el-Sheikh instead of driving... Is it small plane... How much it cost? I met Eypian in Italy at 2 weeks ago and told me that life in Eypgt is cheap... Right?

Yes I heard good thing about Nils. I must go there.

Thank you for share your post here with us... I will remember your recommendation...

When is your last vacation there? You love to go there again?

 

[Heath]

I have always wanted to go to Egypt and see the landscape, meet the people and have fun swimming and see the ancient pymraids and I did not know that Mount Siani was in Egypt and I also would like to see the Red Sea of course, that is where Moses moved the Israelites through the Power that was God of Israel. I also would like to see the various different dances of Egypt and see what the belief systems are like in Egypt from the muslims to the ones that practice magic and witchcraft of couse I would not pray and participate in these things but it would be interesting to see and let them know about Jesus Christ then continue on my vacation throughout the land of Egypt and eat the food of Egypt, swim in the water there etc. I also would enjoy meeting Deaf Egyptians and see how they live, work and play too.

 

[Liebling:-)))]

Oh yes, I met hearing Eyptian who can sign language in Italy because his sister is deaf. His sign language is total different but we goes on well with our body language. He taught me how to sign from Monday to Sunday... Oh my dear... total different... He said that he will go back to Eypt when the last of season is end... He said that there´re many deafies around in Eypt.. Have you met deaf Eyptians there?

 

[kashveera]

Oh no, it doesn´t boring me... Very interesting... wow...

Yes, I remember from reading the brochure about Hotels in Sharm-el-Sheikh which long way from Luxor.

You suggest to take fly from Cairo to Sharm-el-Sheikh instead of driving... Is it small plane... How much it cost? I met Eypian in Italy at 2 weeks ago and told me that life in Eypgt is cheap... Right?

Yes I heard good thing about Nils. I must go there.

Thank you for share your post here with us... I will remember your recommendation...

When is your last vacation there? You love to go there again?

Hey guys, I must run to campus, will update in the evening! I will tell you about Karnak (largest temple complex in the world), I will also tell you about El-Giza and Cairo, you can't go to Egypt and not visit the Great Pyramids! Also Kom Ombo and Edfu, will tell you about those places!

I will also tell you some recommendations, and answer all your questions!!

Please go to Egypt, its a journey of a lifetime!!

Kashveera

 

[kashveera]

Well, I am back with the updated version...

Well I forgot to mention whilst you are in Aswan, do dine on one of the many floating restaurants, its lovely!

I think that while you are in Aswan, if you can afford the ride to Abu Simbel, go for it! I think that was one of the highlights of my trip!

Coming back to Luxor, well, we opted for a drive from Aswan to Luxor, it was so nice and safe, because a whole convoy of vehicles with tourists leave at the same time, and we are escourted by tourist police. You are able to see, the primative way of life, donkeys as modes of transport, you also see the graciousness of the Nile, providing fertile vegetation. I had the opportunity of seeing an open market, where some of the vegetables are double the size that a normal one would be!!

We must visted the Karnak and Luxor Temples, both built in absolute grandeur, towering over Luxor City proper. Well both temples are dedicated to Amun-Ra, the sun God! After seeing so many temples and works of art, I realized that every temple starts with an avenue of shphinix's and then leading to the obelisks, then a hall, then the sanctuary, where only the King and the Head Priest could enter.

Karnak, first, this is a temple dedicated to Amun-Ra, his wife, the Sky and his son, God of the Moon! What is very impressive about Karnak is that it is the largest complex of temples in the world. It also houses the greatest and biggest hall that was and still is today! Karnak impressed those who love History, like me, as we cold see life-sized statues of Ramses II . You also come across the sacred lake, its so peaceful, you also come across the scarab, where you must go around three times for luck, so as the Ancient Egyptians Believed!!

Luxor temple, is a bit more damaged, if I can use the word, because it was invaded by Romans, then again by the Coptic Christians, then again my Arabs, so you would see Coptic Christian symbols and a mosque that is currently built and still stands!!

The valley of Kings is a MUST, if you can visit Tutankhamen's tomb, go for it!! Its really a bit claustrophobic, but its really nice!! Just be careful! Very low and also narrow!

Well, the Valley of Kings is absolutely beautiful, we also saw absolutely beautiful tombs of Ramses I and the II as well as Seti I. We were also lucky that the best tombs were open when we were there!

We concluded Luxor with a pharonic temple dedicated to Queen Hatsheptut, YOU must go there!! Its stunning!! A beautiful three storied temple, its beauty enchanted me! What is amazing is the cliffs, they almost seem vertical with you when you are in the main sanctuary!

If you wanna know about Cairo, tell me I will tell you about the places and the pyramids!!

Sorry If I bored you guys once again!

Kashveera

 

[kashveera]

Yes, I remember from reading the brochure about Hotels in Sharm-el-Sheikh which long way from Luxor.

You suggest to take fly from Cairo to Sharm-el-Sheikh instead of driving... Is it small plane... How much it cost? I met Eypian in Italy at 2 weeks ago and told me that life in Eypgt is cheap... Right?

When is your last vacation there? You love to go there again?

Well, I went in December 2005-January 2006. I would love to go again, especially to Sharm-el-Sheikh!

It is a bit far, but the flights are reasonable...EgyptAir is the official carrier! Life in Egypt is cheap, you have the Egyptian Pound!! Its really a nice break away, but becareful you are likely to get ripped if you don't watch!!


If you wanna see arid desert and all that, take a drive from Cairo to Sharm, but I know most Christians go from Cairo to Sharm, then they go to St. Catherine, Mt.Sinai, by car, a overnight trip! That way you also get to see the plains of Sinai.

Kashveera

 

[Liebling:-)))]

wow interesting... I'm glad that you created a thread to ask question about Eypt. It's good for us to learn about their culture. What about Cain?

I told my hubby about your post. He said that we MUST go... we have been failed 3 times... 4th is MUST...

As you said that you went there between December and January... Weather there is hotter than summer time... April is best, we want to go...

 

[kashveera]

I have always wanted to go to Egypt and see the landscape, meet the people and have fun swimming and see the ancient pymraids and I did not know that Mount Siani was in Egypt and I also would like to see the Red Sea of course, that is where Moses moved the Israelites through the Power that was God of Israel. I also would like to see the various different dances of Egypt and see what the belief systems are like in Egypt from the muslims to the ones that practice magic and witchcraft of couse I would not pray and participate in these things but it would be interesting to see and let them know about Jesus Christ then continue on my vacation throughout the land of Egypt and eat the food of Egypt, swim in the water there etc. I also would enjoy meeting Deaf Egyptians and see how they live, work and play too.

I would suggest you visit Cairo, if you want to see Egyptian Hospitaliy at its best, let me warn you, Cairo is a city that never sleeps!! Its bustling espcially the markets, Khan-e-Khalili!

Swimming and snorkelling are the prime activities in the Sinai area, Sharm is famous for their beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see! I think if you really want to go snorkelling, try the Ras-Mohommed National Park, I saw some amazing fish underwater!

The Egyptian landscape is diverse, I think you would like it...Rocky,desert, arid land, all in one place!!

Mount Sinai is in Egypt, yes, also whilst you are there you can go to St. Catherine's Monestary, this is because it would interest you, as it has a lot of the old original copies of the Old Testament from the bible.

Egypt has Coptic Chrisitans and Old Cairo especially has some wonderful churches that offer a Sunday Service, my faith(hinduism) doesn't exist in Egypt, but the Christian and Muslim faith are certainly in evidence.

What I would suggest is that Egyptians do have a lot of dance perfermances, especially the famous belly dancing, I would suggest that you go for a dinner cruise on the Nile if you want to see a whole panorama of dance, entertainment and drama as well as good food!!

Pharonic faiths do not exist, i.e. the times of the Pharoah's are gone, you wouldn't really find people practicing witchcraft, but I think you would certainly find a lot of Azaan's(call to prayers!!)

I haven't managed to meet deaf people, but I certainly have interacted with the people and certainly they are one of the friendliest people in the world.

Just for interest's sake, Egypt in arabic is called MISR, so if you see MISR, it means Egypt!!

Any questions, I will answer them!!

Kashveera

 

[kashveera]

wow interesting... I'm glad that you created a thread to ask question about Eypt. It's good for us to learn about their culture. What about Cain?

I told my hubby about your post. He said that we MUST go... we have been failed 3 times... 4th is MUST...

As you said that you went there between December and January... Weather there is hotter than summer time... April is best, we want to go...

Going back to a lecture....will update later

Kashveera

 

[kashveera]

In case you are interested, my avatar picture, has the Nile river in the background. The picture was taken on the Nile in Aswan on a felucca.

See ya later.

Kashveera

 

[Liebling:-)))]

You can share the pictures here...

 

[kashveera]

Oh yes, I met hearing Eyptian who can sign language in Italy because his sister is deaf. His sign language is total different but we goes on well with our body language. He taught me how to sign from Monday to Sunday... Oh my dear... total different... He said that he will go back to Eypt when the last of season is end... He said that there´re many deafies around in Eypt.. Have you met deaf Eyptians there?

I have unfortunately not had the time to go and meet deaf people in Egypt, our intenary was jam packed and very busy, we made the most of our holiday...But my interactions were mainly with normal people!

Kashveera

 

[kashveera]

wow interesting... I'm glad that you created a thread to ask question about Eypt. It's good for us to learn about their culture. What about Cain?

I told my hubby about your post. He said that we MUST go... we have been failed 3 times... 4th is MUST...

As you said that you went there between December and January... Weather there is hotter than summer time... April is best, we want to go...

Thanks so much, at least I know I have helped someone out, Well, Cairo is the capital of Egypt, or known as Misr! Cairo is a city that never sleeps, the traffic is jam packed even at 1am in the morning, a very lively city, the most populated city in the world is a home to many bazaars and history at the same time.

Whilst in Cairo, you will discover that everything revolves around the Nile river, it is literally Egypt's lifeline.

The dinner cruise as a mentioned earlier is a must, in their you get to sample egyptian food as well as to see the dances, like belly dancers, mock nubian stick fights, etc.

In Egypt, is one of the seven wonder's of the ancient world. The Great pyramid of Giza is there...There are three pyramids, the father, Cheops, the Son Khufu and the grandson Khafra. The first pyramid built for the father does look smaller than the second pyramid made for the son, but it is in fact larger. The first pyramid of Giza, the great pyramid of Cheops, is 149m tall, the second pyramid is 145m tall. Behind the third pyramid is the pyramids for the chief-wives of the King, and then the other two for the most-beloved wives of the King.

What is interesting about the pyramids, this is history, the King is the architect, the mind-master of the pyramids, he conceived and designed the pyramids in his lifetime as a resthouse and a place to hide his mummy. The pyrmaids are made from granite from Aswan. Marble and the mud bricks of Cairo were also used.

In front of the second pyramid is the sphinix, known as the guardian of the Pyramids, it has the head of the king and the body ofa lion, truly symbolic because the head of the man represents the mind, the mind represents knowledge, intelligence. The body of the lion represents strength, courage, thus representing the King's might and his armed forces.

If you have been to Paris, in the Louvre, is a piece of the Sphinix's nose, as Alexander the Great used to practice shooting, and he shot the sphinix's nose, a piece of it lies in Paris!! (I remembered looking at it, but it didn't make sense until I went to Egypt!)

An ancient mummification temple is also in front of the pyramids, here the secret was discovered as to the art of mummification. This is performed by the high priest who takes the body through the whole art of mummification and embalmation. He also performed the rituals to take the King through the afterlife.

We also took an optional tour of going to Sattara, or known as the step pyramid, here you can actually view the oldest pyramid in the world. Quite nice, from Sattara you can see the pyramids of Giza and vice versa!

What I want to also say is that there is a big difference between Cairo and El-Giza, so choose carefully where you book. We stayed at the Oberoi Mena House, it's a stunning location to view the pyramids. The difference btween Cairo and El-Giza can be seen as both are certainly both crowded, El-Giza, as well as Cairo never sleeps. The modernization of Cairo is contrasted with the traditional laid-back atmosphere amidst the wonders of the world! El-Giza has retained a lot of the traditional buildings, whilst Cairo has modern skyscrapers!

How do you distinguish between the two cities, which are almost 40km's apart, is that on the west bank of the Nile(city of the dead) where the pyramids lie, is El-Giza, on the east bank is Cairo, Egypt's capital, its soul!

Tahir Square is where the hustle and bustle is all, this area is also known as downtown Cairo, whilst you also have the Egyptian Museum(A MUST!!), Egypt is a soccer mad country, thus you can also see the headquarters of the Arab League.

The Khan-e-Khalili(YOU HAVE TO GO HERE!!) or known as the Khan or the Great Khan. The Khan is famours for its unusual typical oriental souvenirs, and I think I heard that it is the biggest bazaar in the entire middle east!
The Khan is truly an experience on its own!

I must say that if you really want to see the Nile, a cruise a fantastic way to do it, most people take the cruise from Aswan to Luxor and then fly from Luxor to Cairo! Its quite a nice way of seeing the Nile and life on the Nile!

Yeah, the weather was fine though a bit cold, I wouldn't suggest the Egyptian summers, they are too hot, it would make the running around and the sighseeing very tedious!

Post your questions, will be glad to answer them.

Kashveera

 

[GalaxyAngel]

When I'm retired and will be always visit Egypt and pay visit prymiad and tomb every where... Love to hear all their history adicent(sp).

 

[kashveera]

When I'm retired and will be always visit Egypt and pay visit prymiad and tomb every where... Love to hear all their history adicent(sp).

If there's anything I really enjoyed it was learning the stories and off course the symbolism of the various pictures!

You will love it, if you are history inclined!

Kashveera