Day 12 - Queen Hapshetsut and the SS Sudan

There was an emergency this morning! Kim went to the ATM to get a little more cash before we left on the cruise. She started screaming that the card was not returned. She got the money and the receipt, but no card. I had heard of schemes where thieves could rig an ATM to keep the cards and return later to get them. Last night, we noticed that the bank was working on the ATM. We just hoped that the ATM was still malfunctioning! Our guide was ready to leave and the hotel said that the bank did not open until 9:00, so there was nothing we could do.

We went to Hatshepsut’s temple this morning. She had married her half-brother Tutmosis II (there was lots of incest going on back in those days). When he died, his son (Tutmosis III) from another wife became Pharaoh. Since he was too young to rule, Hatshepsut became regent. After a few years, she took over as Pharaoh. Because she did not have a legitimate right to the throne, she concocted a story of how the god, Amun, impregnated her mother and she was now the child of a god. In most of her statues, she is portrayed as a man. She built this fabulous temple into the side of a mountain. It has been reconstructed and is beautiful in construction. When Tutmosis III grew old enough, he kicked Hatshepsut out of power and defaced or covered up her temples and monuments. Her cartouche has been erased from this temple and her statues have been beheaded.

On the way back to Luxor, we stopped at TiTi Oraby Alabaster Factory. The building was built over top of a noble’s tomb. Many of the houses in this area are built over tombs and have been plundered over the years. I was at this place nine years ago. When we entered, we got a demonstration of how they work alabaster by hand into the final shape. In the showroom, each time we would touch something, he would try to sell it to us. He guided us around the entire shop. At one point, he showed us a scarab that his grandfather had made. He said it was so good, that if we bought it, he would give us a business card. He said the officials at the airport would think the scarab was an antique and we were trying to smuggle it out of the country. I wonder if he really thought we believed that story. We bought three pieces that I bargained pretty hard for. I suspect that I still paid too much for them, but they are nice.

The guide and I dropped Kim off at the cruise ship and we returned to the hotel. After several phone calls, we went to the bank to get our ATM card back. We had to wait a long time while a technician went to retrieve the card. I did not really know what was going on, because our guide was speaking in Arabic and gave me few details. The guide told them that our ship was leaving at 12:00, so they would speed-up the process. Suddenly, a manager asked if this was my card. I thought he would hand it to me and we could be on our way. I guess it doesn’t happen that way in Egypt. I had to talk to two managers, turn over my passport, and wait an excruciatingly long time to get it back. It was a relief to have it back.

Now Kim and I could enjoy our time on the SS Sudan. It is the one of two steam ships cruising the Nile. The rest of the ships are like big boxy Motel 8’s floating on the river. In the late 1800’s, Thomas Cook had a fleet of steam ships constructed for Nile Cruises. This particular ship was built for King Fouad in 1885. It stayed in the family until the revolution in 1952. It has been refurbished and is run by Voyageurs du Monde. All of the staff wears period uniforms. Agatha Christie toured Egypt and cruised on this ship. This experience inspired her to write the novel “Death on the Nile”. In fact, it was the movie that helped us decide on the trip to Egypt this year.

Agatha Christie had decided to spend some time in Egypt to help her get over a bad marriage. It was on the Sudan that she met an archeologist, who was to become the love of her life. After marrying, she stated that that archeologists make the best husbands because the older you get the more interested they become in you.

The ship is absolutely beautiful. We spent the first half hour walking around taking pictures. When we came on board, they gave us a cool cloth to wipe our hands and face. We were also given a cool hibiscus drink as well. We have the Agatha Christie suite. It looks out onto the bow of the ship and we have full side views.

Lunch was served buffet-style in the dining-room. It was very good. Both of us still were not feeling well, so we tried to eat as little as possible. Our waiter was very attentive. If our water glasses were down, even a little, he would fill them for us. We are not used to this kind of service. We also started to look at our fellow travelers around the room. It looks like most, if not all, of them are French. I hope we can talk with them later.
























We were introduced to our guide (thank God he can speak English). We were originally told that we might only have French guides. The only French I know is kissing and I wasn’t going to communicate with him that way! One couple was from Switzerland, Sabina and Luke, speak excellent English, so we toured together. Our first tour was the Karnak Temple. It was a large temple complex that was expanded by each new Pharaoh. King Tutankhamen built a chapel and put up statues for his wife and himself. At one time, as many as 80,000 people worked at building this temple. It was built and rebuilt over a span of 1,500 years.

We spent a lot of time in the big hypostyle hall. It has 134 pillars and still has some original paint on those pillars. Our guide took us around the walls and told us what was going on in each scene. He took more time than we thought he would. He is very knowledgeable about the temple and the scenes depicted on the walls.


















Our next stop was Luxor temple. It was built by Amenhotep III. He also didn’t have a legitimate right to the throne either, so he used Hatshepsut’s story about being the son of a god to stay in power. When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, he rebuilt the “Holy of the Holies”. He put his picture on the walls and his name in a cartouche as if he was a Pharaoh. During the early Christian era, the Christians were persecuted by the Romans. They would use the ruined temples as a sanctuary or a church. Because the pagan gods and scenes offended the Christians, they would try to chisel away the features. Because they would cook in these temples, the painted ceilings would be turned black. The early Christians turned the Luxor temple into a Coptic Christian Church. When the Romans expelled the Christians, they erected their own temples to their gods. After the Arab invasion and the conversion to Islam, a mosque was erected. Luxor temple has been worshiped by the Pharaohs, Greeks, Romans, Christians, and the Muslims.

Before we were done with the tour, our guide received a call from the ship wanting to know where we were. Dinner was supposed to start soon and we were not on board yet. Our guide takes his time and covers a lot of good information. We didn’t care if we were a little late. Kim was getting tired and was happy that the tours were over.

We went to bed early, because we were to be up and ready to go by 6:30 the next morning. We have a full day planned.

Day 11 - Dendera and Abydos

We were met at the airport by a local representative of Aerocontact Travel. He started to talk about doing the Hapschesut Temple today and Abydos and Dendara tomorrow. I stressed that we had to be on our cruise ship by noon tomorrow and needed to get to Abydos and Dendara today. After a few frantic phone calls, he said it was settled.

It was a three hour ride to Abydos. Both Kim and I were tired; we only had three hours of sleep from the night before. We slept most of the way. On the way, we encountered many check-points. In years past, you could only visit these temples as part of a convoy. Convoys were groups of tour busses and vans with armed guards on either end. This was to keep the tourists “safe”. This area is still dangerous, as the government has a hard time keeping law-and-order here. In the last year or so, they have reduced the restrictions and individual vans and busses can travel freely (sort of). At some of the check-points, special permits must be examined. At one, a cocky guard blew a kiss at me. He was trying to intimidate me. I just smiled.

We wanted to see Abydos, because all of the other temples, except at Luxor, were built by the Greeks and Romans. Seti I started building this temple and it was finished by his son Ramses II (Ramses the Great). Seti I ruled right after the Amarna period where Tutankhamen’s father abolished all other gods, but the sun god. Seti put six different gods in this temple. He wanted to please the gods for the past period. Whenever you see pictures of the temples, they always appear as bare stone. Once you get closer, you can see some of the original colors on the stone. The colors are quite vibrant in some spots. Because the temple was neglected in antiquity, sand covered most of the temple and preserved the paint. However, Christians and then locals took up residence and used to cook inside the temple. All of the ceilings were back with soot.

Kim wore a skirt in this very conservative area. Since she was showing some leg, there were a lot of guards who would check her out as she walked by. To them, she was like a stripper.

Our guide left us in the temple to look around on our own. We quickly learned that when the guide is gone, there is a feeding frenzy of vendor and people wanting “tips” for showing you areas of the temple. We quickly left.


















After another long drive, we made it to Dendara. The temple of Hathor (goddess of love and pleasure) was built by the Ptolemies and finished by the Romans. It is one of the few mostly intact temples from the period of the pharaohs. It has one of the few portraits of Cleopatra (the last of the Ptolemies). However, either the Romans or the Christians chiseled out some of the facial features. This was a common theme in the entire temple.

We wanted to walk around the area and get some bottled water. As soon as we left the hotel, a man across the street started to yell and come our way. We must look like easy marks, because he wanted to tour us around for money. We were both tired, so we just went back in the hotel. We purchased the water in the hotel. What a system to purchase anything. Someone had to get the water, another had to hand-write it on a slip of paper, and then someone else had to ring it up and take the money. The original person who showed us the water had to hand the back the change.

Day 10 - On the Red Sea

We had to be out of our room by 2:00, so we got up early. We swam and snorkeled for a few hours and then got ready to go. I have heard about this fashion faux pax before, but I have never seen it. I truly believe that there are some people who simply do not belong in a bikini. I have seen some things that I really did not need to see. There were some behinds that also need way more coverage than they got!

I did get to see a topless bather; however, she shouldn’t have bothered. I would use the baseball in a tube sock analogy, but there was no baseball!

The airport system in Egypt takes a little getting used to. We got there a little early and they could not find our reservation. We had to come back in ten minutes. I’m starting to see why the locals are starting to like Americans more. The pushy Russians on the plane are giving Americans a good name!

Day 9 - On the Red Sea

We slept in a little later than we wanted, but we were so tired from the last few days. Omelets, fresh fruit, sweet rolls, cheese, …. it was hard to pick. With both of us still feeling a little sick, we didn’t eat much, because it would just shoot right through us. Some of the waiters from last night recognized us and came over to greet us. Everytime we would meet someone, they would ask us where we were from. When we replied America, they all replied immediately “Obama”. I’m not used to getting a positive response when I tell foreigners that I am from America. It was a welcome change!

We had thought about going on a snorkeling trip, but it was almost noon until we were ready to go. We bought masks and snorkels as well as an underwater camera. There was a little reef area within wading distance from the shore. Kim and I went out and played around and looked at the many colorful fish. At one point, I felt one peck at my leg. I must have been too close to their nest. Kim wanted to rest, so I went out to the bigger reef. It was spectacular. There were several kinds of coral formations and bigger fish. I hope these pictures come out.

I guess I stayed out too long and got a little too much sun. Kim got a little, but it wasn’t bad.

Another air-conditioned night!

Day 8 - Colored Canyon and Air-Conditioning

After a bowl of fruit for breakfast, we pack our bags to leave our last Bedouin camp. I think I may be in trouble. My Diarrhea is back and with a vengeance.

On the way to the Colored Canyon, we were stopped at a check-point for our passports and permits. As a bribe to one of the guards, we gave up one of our valuable bottles of water. Kim initially didn’t want to walk through the canyon. It was one of the highlights of the Sinai and I didn’t want her to miss it, but if she wasn’t feeling good I didn’t want her to overexert herself. Rajab offered to stay back with her. He later told me that Kim shouldn’t stay there alone. I had read the women who are alone sometimes get raped, so I was glad Rajab offered to stay.

After some discussion, Kim said she would do the hike. I had read before we left that you should go back in further to the canyon to see some sites that are rarely visited. It is supposed to be worth the extra effort. However, with the heat and how both Kim and I felt, the tourist canyon was just fine. It was very beautiful. There were some rocks that looked like they had a wood-grain. Each layer would have a different color. It was spectacular.

We were finally on the road to air-conditioning. After four days without, it would be welcome to have it again. Sharm el-Sheik was like almost any resort area in the US. It seemed a little strange to see all of this modern development after the starkness of the desert and mountains of the central Sinai. (Kim – It didn’t seem strange, it was wonderful. We were back at a 5 star resort. The men referred to me as “My Queen”. How can a girl not like this place.)













The first thing we did was to shower off the dust and sweat. We both were starved and went looking for some late lunch. Pizza and pasta, it tasted great! Kim decided she needed some diarrhea medicine and we headed for the nearest pharmacy. I suspect the pharmacist completed a two week certificate in pill dispensing. God only knows what he gave her.

After a long nap, we decided to go exploring and find some supper. Watching the people head to the buffet line and the amount of food that was put out for dinner was like an assault on the senses after the last few days. We almost felt guilty consuming that food. (Again, these are Jon’s words. I quite enjoyed not having my food swarming with flies.)

Ahhhh, air-conditioned sleeping. It was great!

Day 7 - We are Starting to smell Like the Camels

Death of a Tampon: Kim had a dilemma first thing in the morning. Where do you put those pesky tampons. There is not really a place to dispose of them in the “toilette” (Brian Young knows what these are now). The toilette is not really a flushable kind (it sort of empties into the sand). When Kim asked me what to do with it, I joked that she should flush it down the toilette. She took me seriously. After it wouldn’t stay down, I had to get a palm leaf for her to push it deeper. That didn’t work either. I gave her a stick and she fished it out of the hole chopstick style. Finally, I had to dig a hole in the sand next to the toilette to bury it. I put a rock on the grave to mark its burial! We were praying to Allah that the cats didn’t dig it up before we left.

We had a nice breakfast. I ate more than I had since Cairo. I think I’m feeling better. Kim is still having diarrhea.

This was our last day on the camels. It was a fun ride through the desert. It will be a shame to leave them. I thought I had seen some bad camel-toe in the past, but this was the worst (except for that Elvis impersonator)!















We retraced our steps from the day before (well, the camels did most of the walking). On the steep path through the pass in the mountains, we had to walk. Kim barely made it. We met our next air-conditioned jeep for the ride to Nuweiba on the Gulf of Aquba. It was a beautiful sight. The waters had the same colors as you would see in the Caribbean. I knew we were staying somewhere, but I thought it would be some kind of a hotel. It was another Bedouin camp right on the water’s edge. We were given a “Bedouin Tent” area that overlooked the water. Kim wanted to go searching for beach glass and started walking along the beach. Before long, several young Bedouin girls started following her. She made some new friends.

Rajab had found a mask and snorkel. It didn’t take me long to jump in and cool off. The water was very cool compared to the temperature on land. When I started to snorkel, I found some small reefs with several colorful fish. Some of the coral formations were pretty. I found it hard to get out, but I was going to get sunburn if I stayed out longer.

Rajab asked us if we wanted fish of meat for dinner. We said meat. He then informed us that they were going to slaughter a goat for our dinner. Kim was dismayed and I asked to watch.

After dinner, we showed Rajab what a winter looked like at our house. He wanted to see more pictures, so we showed him some of our past vacations.

We paid a heavy price for forgetting to pack the bug spray on this part of the trip. Between the heat and the bugs, we didn’t get much sleep.

Day 6 - First Day on the Camel

At 3:30 we could hear people stating to accent to the top. At 5:00 the Spanish started singing hymns. We could see people at the top shining flashlights around our area. Kim overheard someone tell some others to be quiet, because there were people sleeping. We had hoped that they would not find the staircase to get down to our area. It didn’t take them long. Once it was found, they flooded the area. Some Russians were bold enough to climb up to our rooftop and plop themselves around us.

Slowly, you start to make out the mountains in the distance as the sun started to rise. The fog between the mountains made for a beautiful sight. As it got brighter, the view got even more spectacular. I’m glad we got a chance to experience it.

Today’s breakfast was the first that I (Jon) had in two days that my stomach felt OK. I think I’m adjusting to the heat. Kim saw the flies and decided to nibble on a few items.

Once the sun peaked above the mountains, the great exodus of tourists began. There must have been two or three hundred at the top. It was difficult to go fast. All kinds and ages of people were working their way down. At one point we came across a British couple who had stopped because the guy, who was wearing loose sandals, had rubbed a blister on his foot. Kim being the “Angel of Mercy”, that she is, gave him a few band-aids. We overheard her say, “I must really love you, because I’m touching your foot, and just look at your ugly toes!”

It took a little over two hours to walk down the trail. The shower we took at the camp was well needed, but we were sweating again within minutes after we were finished.

We were met by our air-conditioned Land Cruiser for the 70 Km drive to the next camel adventure. Well, it wasn’t really air-conditioned. All of the windows were open and very hot air blew through the vehicle. When we stopped at this isolated building alongside the road, we met our new camel driver and camels. We were going to an Oasis on the other side of the mountains. Kim had been asking me about our accommodations for the night. I told her we had a room at the Sheraton Oasis. I don’t think she believed me!

After an hour’s ride through the desert, we came to the mountains. We had to walk down the pass, because it would have been dangerous for us to be on the camels. If they lost their footing with a heavy load, they could go over the edge. At the bottom, we got back on the unhappy beasts for another hour trek through the desert. The oasis was a funny sight in the middle of the desert. It was the first oasis for Kim and me. When we got to the final destination there was a sign that read “All of the comforts of home”. I don’t think it reassured Kim. We were invited into another Bedouin family’s home. We put our bags in the “Bedouin Tent” area. It was like a big lounge with rug walls and a reed roof. It was cooler than being out in the sun

Once lunch was served, one of the five cats stationed himself under the table. When no one was watching, he would poke his head out and try to grab some tuna from the bowl on the table. I was proud of Kim for eating some after seeing the cat as well as the flies eating out of the bowl. I think she is getting used to roughing it! I still cannot understand how you can drink boiling hot tea on such a hot day.

The camel driver started to roll a cigarette. Rajab said he was using “Green Bedouin Tabacco”. If that was the case, there was a boat-load of Bedouins at the Grateful Dead concerts I was at last month!

Rajab wanted us to take a nap before we went to the White Canyon. Kim started to feel like I did a few days ago and said she might skip the canyon. When it was time to go, I pushed her a little to go. I wanted her to experience it as well. Once we got to the start of the canyon, she asked to sit and rest until we got back. Rajab and I commenced the journey. Immediately we had a difficult climb to get into a ravine and then had to climb down a steep face to get into the White Canyon. After that, it was fairly easy walking. The canyon got narrower as we walked further. In some spots it was just wide enough for a human to pass. It was very beautiful. At the end of the canyon, there was a make-shift ladder and some rope to get out to the rim. Kim would have stopped here. She hates to climb ladders, especially if it is not anchored well.

We retraced our steps and saw Kim in the distance. Rajab yelled to her and she didn’t respond. I was worried that she may have been dead. I was relieved to see she was just sleeping. I felt bad for her, not only is this type of travel not as fun for her, she was sick, and it was extremely hot; she was going through a monthly change (not like a werewolf or vampire, even though it seems like it sometimes). She was very uncomfortable. (While Jon and Rajab went trekking I was looking for a big rock to go to the bathroom behind. My stomach was churning and I now had full blown diarrhea. Thank goodness I brought a tissue along. A few minutes passed, oh no, not again! What was I going to do? I already used my tissue. Good thing I had on a multi-purpose panty liner. I know this is more information than some of you need, but it shows just how desperate I was.)

When we got back to the camp, it was time for dinner. They pulled some rugs/blankets out into the middle of an open area. The sun was going down, so it wasn’t unbearable to stay out in the open. Once the food arrived, the cats surrounded the blankets. Supper was an assortment of pasta, beans, and something that looked like hot dogs. I was starting to feel a little better, so I was able to finish a full serving. Something I haven’t been able to do in a few days. When everyone was finished, the leftovers were scrapped into a plastic bucket. The cats went wild trying to get to the bucket. Needless to say, there were quite a few cat fights.

Once the sun was gone, the only light was from the moon. This oasis doesn’t have electricity, so there was complete darkness. The tables and dishes were carried away from the blankets and pillows were brought out. This was our sleeping area. We were given some sheets to cover up, if we needed them. We were worried that it would be too hot to sleep. After the sun went down, a breeze started to blow. After an hour or so, it got quite cool (cool compared to the intense heat from earlier in the day). Before we fell asleep, we could just look straight up and see the stars. At that moment, I felt this was going to be the single best experience of the entire trip. Kim isn’t as convinced! We both had a good night sleep; the first in a few days.