"Walking Like an Egyptian" a Egypt Travel Page by gypsysoul73

I couldn't believe it! I was here...in Egypt....the land of mummies and pharaohs, pyramids, King Tut's home! As we were being driven from the airport into the city, I tried to take it all in...the craziness in the streets, the deafening noise, the friendly faces - some half-hidden under veils, the smells, the Citadell looming in the distance, a first glimpse of the Nile, the blaring car horns, the heady aroma of sandalwood and cumin, all a glorious assault on the senses. I felt my heart start to beat faster and my tummy flutter.

I knew exactly what the tour company planned for our trip, and yet I had no idea what to expect. And I loved it. I loved the anticipation of new experiences, the thrill of discovery and the slight fear of the unknown.

This is the itinerary we were given:

Day 01/18Sep Manila/Cairo
Depart Manila on board Qatar Airways. Arrive in Cairo. Our representative will meet and assist you through airport formalities then you will be brought to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Day 02/19Sep CAIRO-ASWAN
Breakfast at the hotel, then check out. Proceed with your visit of the Egyptian Museum famous for its antiquities from Egypt’s Pharaonic period which dates back some 50 centuries and includes some of the most fabulous treasures of King Tutankhamoun.

Continue your visit to Old Cairo with the Coptic Church then to the Giza Pyramids and the Khan Khalili Bazaar. After the tour, transfer to the station where you will take your overnight sleeper train to Aswan. Dinner on board.

Day 03/20Sep ASWAN
Breakfast on board the train . Arrive in Aswan. Disembark, then transfer to your cruise boat. Check-in. Then visit the High Dam and the Temple of Philae. Lunch on board. In the afternoon take a felucca boat ride on the Nile and view the Elephantine Island and Aga Khan Mausoleum… Return to the boat for dinner & overnight.

Day 04/21Sep ASWAN-KOM OMBO-EDFU
Sail to Kom Ombo. Lunch on Board. Then visit the Temple of Kom Ombo, a unique Greco Roman Temple dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and falcon-headed Haroeris. Sail to Edfu.

Day 05/22Sep EDFU-LUXOR
Today, you will visit the Temple of Horus, the best preserved Egyptian Temple in existence. Continue sailing to Luxor where the boat makes a final stop.

Day 06/23Sep LUXOR/MANILA
Breakfast on board, then disembark. Today, you will visit the Temple of Karnak which took over 1500 years to build and is considered the world’s largest religious complex.

Then visit the Temple of Luxor, a strikingly beautiful piece of architecture adorned with the colossal statues of Ramses II. Then cross to the West Bank to visit Thebes Necropolis, passing the Colossi of Memnon to visit the Temple of Hatshepsut.

Continue to the Valley of the Kings and Queens where the Tombs of the Great Pharaohs are still visible from thousands of years ago. Lunch in a local restaurant. Then you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight to Manila via Doha.

Day 07/24Sep Arrive in Manila

So there you have it. The 6 day plan. How we we're going to manage, I had no clue. But I was dying to find out! :)

Everything went smoothly. Almost perfectly. I was pleasantly surprised since I am known to carry bad luck with me , being given the name "Murphy" by friends after Murphy's Law. I guess Nope! No mummy's curse, or any curse for that matter, for this chick! :D

What struck me most was how safe I felt here. Even on our first night as a couple of girl friends and I ventured into the city on our own. We explored the streets and shopped for spices peacefully. No one bothered us and we didn't feel as if we had to clutch our purses to our bodies tightly.

Within the first 3 days, we rode a plane, taxi, camel, train, tram, bus, cruise ship, felucca, horse -drawn carriage, motor boat,name it. We haggled for jewelry, sipped karkady, learned how to make papyrus, sampled perfume essences, danced to Nubian folk music as we crossed the Nile, got henna tattoos, rode camels in the dessert, marveled at King Tut's treasures, wondered over mummies, feasted on Fuul and Taamiya, played dress-up for Gallabiyah night, hugged pyramid rocks, visited temples, gazed at the hieorglyphics...

There is just so much to tell. Not only did we gain new knowledge about our past, and wisdom from our experiences, we also made many new friends.Only 6 days, but the wealth of memories collected immeasurable.