Category Archives: Cairo

Egypt and Jordan – Day 15 – Feb 16, 2026


8:00 AM and the noise level in Cairo is already quite unbelievable. I will admit however, that I am starting to get used to the noise, the people seeming to constantly be yelling at each other, the insane amount of traffic – and as we head out into the ‘country-side’ – the increasing use of donkeys and/or horses to pull carts.

We’ve even seen donkeys pulling carts containing Oxen.

These are not tourist attractions, these are farmers who have no other way of getting their goods to market. There is a level of poverty here that is quite challenging by western standards.

Yet again we are also stunned by the piles of garbage everywhere – and while I believe that Hussein believes it shows how little the population respects the government – we watched out the bus window while a police officer in a dress uniform standing near an oh so common police standpoint casually take a paper out of his pocket, wipe the front of his uniform, then lean down and clean his shoes. When he finished – we all watched as he tossed the paper onto the already dirty street.

I know myself that if there is no liter – I will careful put a trash wrapper in my pocket. I’ll even pick up a piece of litter if it is the only piece and find a garbage can. But with no garbage cans in sight, and a filty street – picking up one piece seems hopeless. So even I – while annoyed – won’t stop to clean. I’m guessing the population of Egypt must be feeling the same way – and there are millions of them! (and we actually never saw a public garbage can!)

Somehow, I think the issue is more a cultural disregard for property that is not mine. Maybe the inside of my home is clean, but I’ll guarentee that streets in your neighborhood are dirty, areas near fences layered in discarded boxes and crates, the sidewalks challenging to walk down, and if there is a unoccupied area – particularly a gully of any size, it is filled with garbage. And the mounds are often high.

Maybe there is a ‘nicer’ section of Cairo, but we have yet to see it. Unless it is a very clearly tourist area – it’s a mess. Have people no pride?

But clearly, I digress. We are headed for the Step Pyramid. Hussein tells us that this national monument area is his favorite and he can’t wait to share it with us.

If you are interested in the history of this pyramid – there is a lot of information in Google on it, and on the rest of this National Park – check it out. I’m going to just talk about the parts I found interesting.

But first – when we park the bus inside the Monument – I see something I haven’t seen before. A man sweeping garbage on the sand into a dust pan. And not just one. I spot at least 3 employees cleaning up here – and then I realize that there is no litter to be seen. What a contrast to the street in Cairo!

Our first stop is the tomb of Idut – one of Hussein’s favorites – and rightly so. Unlike the massive Temples of Luxor and Karnak, the tombs we visited in the Valley of the Kings, or even the smaller temples we visited by boat in the Nubian area of Upper Egypt – the hieroglyics in this tomb are not about the book of the dead, or even much about the young princess (probably the daughter of King Teti) that died. They are all about local activities from 4,340 years ago! Imagine that – it’s a picture book for kids on what common folks were doing in the fields, and the kind of products that the Princess might expect to get from the common folks in the afterlife.

There’s hunting, fishing, farming, and even tax payments shown. This tomb is stunningly different from anything we have seen before.

There are colored carvings of rivers filled with different kind of fish, with Fishermen pictured fishing with lines with multiple hooks and a fish caught on one of them. There are other fishermen using nets. The accounting scene looks like it could be drawn today – with the scribe having pencils held behind his ears as he records the days receipts. There are common folks shown bowing to the princess to show respect, and a lovely colored scene of a fisherman with his net avoiding a hippo to catch huge fish. Another hunter is trying to use his staff to spear something. There are farmers carrying different kinds of birds to the princess, some being held, some in a sack.

In another scene, cows are being coaxed across a stream by the simple technique of holding a calf by his legs from a boat. The calf is clearly calling out to his mother – and the herd in solidarity are following the mother across the river!

In another scene – the farmers are crossing the river in a boat while below them the hippos including a baby hippo are being pursued by a Crocodile.

In another scene – a commoner is shown carrying a hind quarter of a calf – complete with the leg and hoof. There is also a butchering scene with the cows legs tied together in the forground. Another carving shows a young ibex leading his owner towards the Princess – one assumes that the young ibex is a gift to her.

One imagines that over 4000 years ago – an artist was having a lot of fun drawing what he could see around him every day.

We then move on to see the oldest tomb found so far with paintings from the book of the Dead. It’s easy to get inside compared to the challenge of the Great Pyramid – just down a few steps and you are surrounded by extremely well preserved Hieroglypics giving all the instructions for the Ka – the soul of the dead person – on how to enter the afterlife! All over 4000 years old. And some of these pyramids even still have sections of the finer limestone in tact.

It is easy to understand why Hussein, as an Arcologist finds these tombs of greater interest than the more popular and famous Giza Momuments. They are truly stunning.

Finally we are going to visit the funeral complex of King Unas – also dating back 4500 years. He ruled long enough to have time to build a truly elaborate Complex – including a Hall of columns, a large courtyard with false fascades so when his Ka came to visit – it would feel at home. Think Disneyland – from one side they look like elaborate buildings, but from the back they are just 2 stones thick.

There is a lot of ongoing excavaations going on in this area – and it’s been a hot bed of exploration for over 100 years – so you can imagine how much there is to see. But while our time isn’t limited, our ability to cope with the heat and the crowds limits our desire to explore. We only check out the highlights. There are well over 100 pyramids in this area alone – many of them visible from a high view point.

Hussein explains that the architect for King Unas was very creative, but hedged his bets. So while the buildings are made of stone, they are made to look like they are made of logs in keeping with older techniques. And the Hall of Columns features Columns attached to walls – not free standing – to make sure they didn’t fall down. We end our visit with a walk thru the stunningly beautiful hall of columns – and reboard our bus.

What has made our trip to Egypt so interesting is the depth of knowledge that Hussein is willing/able to share with us. He clearly knows his stuff. And some of the most interesting ‘lectures’ are about how he views the current political and Economic Situation. It’s way more interesting than – “and on your right is the Great Pyramid”.

We have one more stop before we get lunch. There is a magnificant statude of Ramses II that was found on it’s side with his feet missing. It has been uncovered and left lying on his back so the magnificant carving work can be seen up close. And it is amazingly lovely. I’m particularly impressed by the carving of his nose, his lips, and the bracelet on his right arm.

My best part of this visit is not the statue – but the opportunity to drive thru different sections from Cairo. We pass farm land, and more interestingly – farm land that has been converted into private schools. Hussein points out that the farmers make more money selling the land – but the problem is that the students who go to this school aren’t local students – they couldn’t afford it. So the kids are bused in, and bused out.

He also says that the government has caught on to this, and recently has created a law that makes it much harder – but not impossible – for farmers to try to cash in on their arable land. But the farmers figured out that they could make their land ‘useless’ by simply not farming it for a couple of years. Then they go to government and get a certificate that says the land isn’t worth farming – and bang – they can sell it for development.

Soon we are back at the hotel. A quick clean-up and we have our farewell dinner.

Early tomorrow morning we have to get our suitcases into the hallway and our bodies to the lobby. 5 of us are leaving the tour – 16 of us are going on to Jordan.

Signing off to catch way too few hours of sleep – The Soup Lady.

Egypt and Jordan – Day 13 – Feb 15, 2026


The Pyramids – we are Going to see the Pyramids!

Finally – after 12 days in Egypt we are going to go where everyone who visits Egypt thinks of first – the Great Pyramid.

Hussein tells us that isn’t just one Pyramid in Egypt – there are over 185 of them. But the truly famous ones are of course the three Pyramids of the Khufu family. King Khufu who was buried in the Great Pyramid, his son and his grandson who were buried in the middle and smallest of the Giza Pyramids in their turns.

We’d been able to see them from the GEM (Great Egyptian Museum) – but this time we’re going to up close and personal.

On the ride from the Kempenski to the Pyramid Complex, Hussein explains that we all have tickets to climb inside the Great Pyramid to the place where King Khufu was buried, but it’s a challenging tour and our guides can not come with us.

First you climb up large blocks to the entrance to the Pyramid, craved by the Muslins who were certain there was treasure inside, and were I suspect sorely disappointed to discover that the tomb raiders had been there long, long, long before them. Then you walk thru a 2 way narrow stone tunnel to the staircase and go up a narrow staircase. Then you are at the first of 3 ramps that climb ever upward. It is 340 meters to the top of the ramps, the ceiling becoming increasingly lower until people must stoop or even crawl. And your reward? An empty Stone Rectangle with nothing inside. The worst part – you must reverse the journey to get back.

He continues to explain that folks have complained of back and thigh pain for 2 and 3 days after this experience.

Hmm – not sure that sounds like much fun.

But then I tell myself – I travel here for 24 hours on airplanes – and I’m going to admit to my friends and family that I didn’t go inside the Great Pyramid. Does that sound like me? I think not.

So – the bus drops us off, we gather near the foot of the Great Pyramid to be told a bit of it’s history, along with the fact that for over 3000 years it was the tallest man made structure in the world and is the last of the 7 great wonders of the ancient world still standing.

We walk the short distance up to the foot of the pyramid – and it is a lot larger from this perspective than it was from the GEM windows.

There is a crowd of people lined up climbing the big stones to the begining of the tunnel that marks the entrance to the Pyramid, and Hussein asks – ok – who is going to go inside.

Bravely, I raise my hand. I’m not even alone of our group to do this. This is highly reassuring. I’m not the only nut!

Naturally, I quickly fall the rear of our group – I’m easily going to be the slowest climber – but my first thought is to just do the tunnel – say I’ve been inside – and be done with it.

But in for a nickel, in for a pound. Of course I do the first tunnel, then I climb the stairs, and now I’m going up the first of the ramps. These are wooden ramps with wooden ‘steps’ going across at about 9” intervals. The ramps will get increasingly steep as we go higher, but at this point I don’t know that. This first ramp, which extends out of view above me looks very do-able.

So I start climbing. I bang my head on the ceiling from time to time – it is quite low and the height changes suddenly – hence the ‘bangs’ but I’m doing ok. What is most challenging is that folks are going down the same ramp, and the ramp is only about 2’ wide. Some folks slip by easily – but the guy going down sitting on his bum and taking up the entire 2’ does pose a climbing challenge.

First ramp completed – now I’m at a flat part about 2’ square (just enough to breathe and stretch) before I start the next part. A guard is stationed at this point, and his job is to encourage folks to keep moving! This time there is one ramp going up, and another ramp going down – so it’s much much faster. But the ceiling is getting lower – and I’m definitely having to stoop. It’s the stooping that slows you down.

This ramp ends, and the third and last ramp is now visible. We’re back to the 2’ wide 2 way ramp design, so I’m frequently forced to stop while someone passes me on their way down.

And this ramp is much much steeper, and the ceiling is quite a bit lower. I’ve figured out that my head is safer if I keep a hand raised over it, dragging my fingers along the ceiling. When my fingers find a down part – I duck a bit further.

340 meters upward – that’s about 340 yards or 1000 feet – I’m at a flat tunnel that is seriously small. This is where some folks crawl, but I’m ok walking with my back bent, hand above my head, and my knees stretching out straight ahead with each step.

At the end – as promised – the actual burial space of King Khufu. Hurrah – I made it! And I’m very proud of mysel.

But as promised – it’s an large empty space. I take a photo of a fan to prove I’ve been there, look around and stretch – and then start the long crouch back down.

I suppose if figures that if I’m polite on the way up, I’ll be polite on the way down – so bottom line – I’m slow. But I make it back down all the ramps, the stairs and thru the tunnels to daylight. The guards at the entrance greet us with “You’ve been born again” – which makes me chuckle.

I DID IT! I climbed to King Khufu’s burial Chamber. Yea Me!

We re-group, and get back on the bus to go to the Sphinx. This is actually easy to visit – although it’s finally getting a bit crowded and there’s a bottleneck where we have to squeeze thru a narrow doorway. But it’s totally worth it – it’s the Great Sphinx. I even spot the location where Detective Hercule Poirot sat at the being of Death on the Nile! If you’ve never seen it, or it’s been too long – the 1978 version is such a classic – Check it out.

Folks are posing as if they are kissing the Sphinx – if you stand on the high edge of the walkway and bend over – from the right angle it does look like you are exchanging kisses.

We walk back slowly, it’s the SPHINX! I’m so excited to finally come face to face with something so beautiful, so historic, so old!

Hussein gives us a bit of a talk about the Sphinx, then Victor takes the mike to explain that Napoleon definitely didn’t blow the nose off – there are written reports from years before he came to Egypt describing the Sphinx as having no nose.

Back to the bus, and it’s time for our camel rides. I can’t resist. I’ve climbed up inside the Great Pyramid – I can sit on a camel. And I now have the picture to prove it. I even got a ride – albeit very short. But enough to realize that a camel is a lot like a horse with a very awkward way of kneeling. First they put their front legs out and bend their knees toward the back. Then they bring down their back legs – with the knees bending towards the front. It makes for a bit of a pitch forward then backwards – which some folks in our group find surprising, but it’s quite fast.

The Camel Handler signals me to raise both my hands to frame the Great Pyramid behind me – and snaps my picture.

Very Cute!

And no – my camel did not spit at me, or behave in the last bit inappropriately. He was easy down for me to get on, easy up with me on his back, a bit of posting while he walked around, and then absolutely still when asked to stop by the driver so we could get the photos.

Next stop – the smaller of the Pyramids, where we walk around looking at the pits where the boats we saw in the GEM were discovered – and Hussein explains a bit more about how these momuments were built. They have found ruins of mud brick ramps in other places, so they are quite certain that the same method was used here. The most interesting – I didn’t know that – thing is that they discovered above the burial chamber of King Khufu a series of decreasing empty chambers ending in one that is triangular. They suspect that these were used to reduce the pressure on the burial chamber by redirecting the weight of the stones above it on all 4 sides. Neat.

Back to the bus, a drive along the highway linking the GEM to Cairo proper past the crowded and half empty appartment buildings, and crowds of folks pushing and shoving their way on the streets to a Fish Restaurant. It’s relatively new and actually interviewed Victor for a TV advertisement they were working on after each of us was served a whole grilled fish (a small sea bream we decide) with skewers of 3 grilled shrimp (head and tail on). I like the Mezze the best to be honest.

Then it’s back to the hotel – and I opt for a lovely afternoon on the roof terrace, hidden from the sun by a large umbrella – working on my blog of course.

For dinner we go back to the Taboula with Ed and Todd. We have a very very lovely time, the food is even better than last time. The host remembers us from the night before (I think it’s my hat with it’s purple flower – or maybe Victor’s destinctive sideburns and ponytail?) and greets us warmly. He suggests different dishes – although we insist that one of the main courses be the Beef with Pomegrante and Citrus Sauce. Dessert is 3 unique dishes – and I love everything. Best place we’ve eaten since we arrived in Egypt – for sure.

The walk home is past the security guards for the British and American Embassys again – and it still feels awkward.

Cairo just feels like a city in big trouble. So many men just standing around, not even talking in small groups, just standing around at all hours of the day and night. Hussein says unemployment is about 30% amoung younger men – which tallies with what we see. Although when I look up unemployment in Egypt – officially it’s at 6.5%. Hmmm – hard to believe.

Although they are doing the 3rd world thing of throwing people at problems, not equipment as we would in the 1st world. There are donkeys used to pull carts – not just one or two, but clearly the obvious choice. And while I don’t see the thousands of motorbikes that I did in Thailand and Vietnam – there are ‘common’ taxis.

These are white vans that pick up folks standing on the highways. Hand signals determine where the van with it’s load of riders is heading so the folks needing a ride can quickly determine if this van will work for them. And everyone – old and young, men and women – use these services. Apparently a ride is 1/2 an Egyptian pound. We see crowds of people just standing around waiting – literally blocking an entire lane of the highway on each side.

And I can see that the much advertised Metro to the GEM is very closed.

Signing off to go to bed – tomorrow is another busy day.

The Soup Lady

Egypt and Jordan – Day 12 – Feb 14, 2026


Another insanely early start day! That’s 2 in a row – tough on these old bones – but it is what I signed up for – so I’ll pull up my big girl pants and bravely head out into the dark.

Our destination is Cairo – and everything goes smoothly. Thank goodness for the Odyessy Folks – they really have this streamlined. We re-group at a completely unreasonable hour in the lobby, grab coffee or tea or hot water from the hotel staff who also had to get up early, grab our ‘to go’ breakfast bags – and board a bus for the 45 minute trip to the Luxor Airport.

The streets are empty – but the airport is packed. There are layers upon layers of security. First stop – we seperate into women’s and men’s lines – We are told to carry only our passports – Everything else goes thru the scanners. And then we walk thru a human scanner – and everyone gets a pat down. They even make us put our legs up on a block and they pat them down. There is a woman doing the patting on the ladies side, and a man for the man’s side.

Then we get to the check-in counter – wait in line to check-in, then we go to the security system (Men vs Women division and another full body pat down this one with shoes off), and finally we are at the gate level. All these checks – and we are only flying Domestic – Egypt Air from Luxor to Cairo.

The plane is packed, not an empty seat to be had. But at least we are all able to get on the plane. Hussein warned us that sometimes groups are bumped to later flights if they arrive late at the check-in counter. But we dodged that bullet.

Even so the flight is delayed, and we get a late start. No matter – Hussein has plans that he can flex to make sure we get to see everything we were told we’d see in Cairo.

The other option is the train from Luxor to Cairo – a distance of about 500 miles. But the train takes 13 hours! The train from Montreal to Toronto, a distance of 600 miles, takes a bit over 4 hours – and we’re screaming that this is extremely slow. Well – it’s not slow in comparison, that’s for sure.

Anyway – we have a quick flight and uneventful flight – and we land in Cairo. Our first experience with the Cairo Airport wasn’t great – but this time we are firmly in Hussein’s hands. His cheerful ‘Follow Me’ gets us out of security to baggage claim. There’s a heart stopping few moments when everyone elses luggage has arrived – and ours is MIA. But then the baggage conveyer begins to spin again – and out pop our Bags.

Whew.

We walk out of baggage claim to our bus without anyone asking if they can help us, and we are on our way to our first stop in Record Time. I’m impressed. There are clearly advantages to being with a well organized tour group like Odyessey!

The Citidel in Old Cairo was built in response to the Crusades – The rulers of Egypt wanted to defend themselves, but in fact the feared invasions never happened, and the Citidel was never used. It does remain today as the Egyptian reminder of the Crusades. In the courtyard of the Citidel is a Mosque built like Turkish Aga Sophia except they used Alebastor for the walls. Inside it is stunningly beautiful.

Right now it’s being refurbished, so while all visitors either cover their shoes or remove them, we were allowed in to get a better feel for the place. Among the planned refurmishments are new carpets, so the old carpets have been removed, giving the giagantic inside a clean and very relaxed feel. I’m also impressed by the view of Old Cairo from the Balcony that runs the entire width of the Mosque.

We take a short bus ride down to the ‘old Bazzar’ area of Cairo. It feels a lot like the Bazzar in Fez – except all the vendors are hawking tourist items. But the narrow alley ways and the tiny size of the shops definitely brings home that Bazzar feeling.

Some of us opt to shop, but Victor, Andrea, Ed, Todd and I opt for a different tour. Hussein takes us to see some of the more interesting aspects of “Old Cairo’. We walk past an entry way where the Threshold stone is has clearly been lifted from a Temple – it is covered in Hieroglypics. There a door way to a former Synogous – recognizable by the Jewish Star. There are butcher shops with butchers working on cutting Beef Quarters into smaller cuts of meat. I chat with a lovely Egyptian Family – Mother, Grandmother and two Daughters. Curled around the legs of the Grandmother – but finally willing to do high fives with me is the pride of the family – a young son!

Other highlights – a shop making and selling Brass Cannons – in a variety of sizes – from large to really really large! I tell Victor – NO CANNONS!

There are also Tin shops making Hookahs in various sizes – including

Just as we are getting ready to leave – Andrea and I beg for a bathroom stop. Our security guard chats up one of the shop owners – and we are alowed to accend a very narrow spiral stone staircase 3 flights to a tiny bathroom. I don’t care – it’s clean and the guy who found us the toliet hands us some toliet paper!

Life is good!

Now we are driven to the Coptic area of Old Cairo. This area is actually buried underneath ‘New’ Cairo, and was built on top of Roman Ruins. So layer upon layer upon layer! So interesting. To get to the Coptic area, you actually walk down a rather steep staircase and under a bridge that carries pedestrians. There – much like Diagon Alley – is an under ground shopping street with small restaurants – a very large antique book store, and a Christian Nunnery (I spot a Nun!). There are two reasons we came down – a quick visit to the ‘Cavern’ where Jesus was hidden for from 3 months to 2 years – depending on who is telling you, and a magnificant old Synagogue that has been donated to the Egyptian Government during Nasser’s Nationalization of all things Jewish.

After taking over the Synagogue, the Egyptians discovered a hidden room filled with old records. In the records – it is recorded that Mamonidies once came here. It is unclear from the presentation we have what he might have been doing – research perhaps – but he was here! Amazing.

To say I’m impressed is an understatement. I know from being in England many times that history can be found buried in the ground, but this is a complete community that is still functional.

We then visit the Hanging Church – built over Roman Ruins that can actually be seen thru the floor boards, and get back on the Bus. For the first time today, I am feeling ‘crowded’. A high school group joins us in the church – and there isn’t even room to breathe. I’m out of here! (hey – first I admire the mosaics – then I run!)

Next stop – lunch and then back to the hotel for a well earned Nap.

We are ‘free’ for dinner, and Hussein suggests a Lebonese Restaurant called Taboula. It was on Victor’s – must try – list, so we are for sure going. Pam and Suzanne join us – and we get a shared meal for 4. There’s enough food for 6 – and it is easily the best meal we’ve enjoyed in Egypt. Superb cooking, great presentation – and one of the main courses – a Beef dish with a Pomegranate/Citris sauce blows us away. Victor asks how it was made or even just the name – but the maitre d’s lack of English and our lack of Arabic proves a stumbling block. He’s definitely looking it up when we get back to the hotel.

Dessert is also excellent – we decide that it’s a bread pudding made with pita – so a Pita Pudding!

The short walk back to the Kempenski takes us past the American and British Embassies. There is – not unexpectedly – a huge police presence. They are set up with Metal riot shields, Personnel Carriers, machine guns, and helmets with face shields every 25 yards – and clearly awake and on guard. I had wondered early about the relatively high number of police in the area of the hotel – now I know why. It’s definitely not about us!

The Kempenski is a warm and welcoming beacon and we gleefully say hi to the staff and make our way to our room.

Definitely bed time.

Signing off – the Soup Lady

Egypt and Jordan – Day 3 – Feb 5, 2026


It’s another day in Cairo, and today we start our Odyssey Tour by meeting our guide and fellow travelers in the lobby of the Kempinski.

But first – breakfast. It’s just as overwhelming as it was yesterday – but this time I bravely ask the chefs to prepare me an Egyptian Version. They gleefully agree and are handing me plates with samples of all the ‘special’ things that they feel Egypt has to offer.

I do love their version of scambled eggs I will admit – add nuts to anything and you pretty much have me sold, but Ful Medames has me frankly unimpressed. Part of the issue – I said not spicy – and I’ll bet it is always served spicy. But it’s a very unappealing grey color. I kinda pretend to eat it, and then push it aside.

Now we go down to the lobby area and meet our guide – Hussain, and our 19 fellow travelers. They are mostly in the 60 to 79 age range = or as Victor refers to us – the White Haired Crowd. But they seem very nice. Hussain – our guide and fearless leader for the next 2 weeks is a Nubian Gentleman with a degree in Egyptology, and has actually worked 2 seasons as a archologist. He’s experienced, well spoken, extremely informatie – and a general delight.

This is going to be great.

We start with the standard ‘rules’. No polictics – there was a fist fight several months ago – they don’t want repeats. Don’t talk or even recognize the vendors. If you ignore them, they will ignore you. Be polite, be on time (he’s not waiting if you aren’t there), All delivered in a droll manner and with a smile. I like him!

We then board our 44 passenger bus. Given that we’re just 19 (21 if you include Hussian and our security guard), that makes for plenty of space.

As before – we are heading out to the GEM.

I ask Hussain about the frequent condos that have entire floors vacant – without even windows.

Hussain says that naturally there are lots of reasons – but bottom line – it’s money. If you want to put up a building – you need a permit. Permits are only good for one year.. So developers hop to it. and get the structure of the bilding up and running . They stop just sort of finishing the building! No foors, No ceilings, No windows, and tell the buyer – your job to finish. They have fulfilled the requirements of the Permit – their job is done.

And there are lots and lots of building like this –

As one of our fellow travellers quipped – well that explains the lack of ‘homelessness’.

After what feels like a much faster trip – avoid rush hour in Cairo folks – it’s not worth the travel time – we again arrive at the GEM.

And this time Hussain takes care of everything for us. We are given ‘Whispers’ – remote listening devices that allow us to hear what Hussim has to say – even if he Whispers. Since we must set them to a specific channel – I’m going to guess a version of an old fashioned walkie-talkie. Our channel for the entire trip will be #5!

What is astonding is the differences between what Hussain (remember – he’s a University trained Egyptogist and has experience doing digs) shows us and what we saw yesterday reveals the incredible depth of displays in this volumous space.

Again we start with a quick look at some of the materials before King Tut – focusing on reading the hieroglyphics. Hussain tells us that we define Civilization as an Organized society with a discernable leadership, a written language, and records. By this standard – as soon as the Egyptians had formalized hieroglyphics, they were civilized – and that happened almost 5000 years ago.

He shows us how to do a beginner’s read of hieroglyphics, then takes us to see some of the most interesting examples of why the Egyptians were considered Civilized so long before other communities. In the museum’s collection are examples of early writings that have now been ‘translated’ – and because the Egyptains loved to write on stone – are still readable. He also shows us perserved early versions of the Book of the Dead – the insanely complicated instructions that had to go with a corpse to the afterlife.

Unlike our first guide – Hussain is interested in convincing us of the depth and weath of Egypt. He also is concerned with some of the more conteversal aspects of the current regime. But more on that later.

We tour the museum slowly – but very differently today. So worth that extra day! I spot places that I didn’t ‘see’ yesterday and would like to spend more time at today because Hussain has promised us time to wander. The docents have done a wonderful job of identifing in both English and Arabic all the display cases – sometimes repeating a brief explanation 4 times (once on each side), but sometimes changing it up.

After our 2 hour guided tour – which includes a much more detailed description of what might have gone wrong with King Tut who died very young – and was buried with 365 Canes (clearly he had trouble walking) and a very detailed discussion of the relationship between the 4 gods – Osiris, Isis, Set and the 4th sister – Nephithys – it’s free time.

Victor finds a comfy place to sit – I go back to sections that were skipped on both tours. There are 3 (maybe more – I found 3) underground sections. One dedicated to the Valley of the Kings, one to what has been uncovered in the ‘artist’ colony that existed not far from the Valley of the Kings and housed all the folks and their families who had dedicated themselves to workiing on the tombs, and one focused on what has been done underwater near the former site of Alexandria.

The last was my favorite. They had video footage of the divers ‘discovering’ various items – mostly statue pieces and coins – and then the items were displayed for us to see. As a scuba diver who’s done some underwater ‘forging’ – this was super interesting.

They also had photos taken during the opening of King Tut’s tomb, a section devoted to explaining what happens during the 12 hours of night – including images of the various gates a soul must navigate on their way to the afterlife.

It’s a huge huge museum, and like all really big museums, there is lots to uncover. I barely make it on time back to our meeting place!

We all go for lunch at Zooba – and this time are served a feast of Egyptian flavors and foods. Beware the Egyptian appetizers – it’s easy to eat your fill of beets, sausages, and humus – not leaving room for the main courses of grilled chicken (I do LOVE their grilled chicken), fava bean and cheese vegetarian dishes, and of course deserts. Today it was a truly delicious rice pudding.

Hussain now takes us over to see the full sized ship that carried King Korfu to the great Pyramid and was then unassembled and stored near by for his use in the afterlife. I’m am again impressed. Not only with the ship which is remarkable intact after 4000 years – but the incredible design of the building built to house it.

Hussain also points out some Paprus that is growing at the museum. I didn’t actually realize it was a plant much like bamboo! Cool.

We have definitely walked our feet off today – but we still need to get back to the hotel.

Because buses are higher than cars, on the return trip we drive very close to the appartment buildings we’ve been passing. Hussain explains that these appartment buildings were painted by the government when it was realized that the road visitors must travel from the ‘fancy hotel district near the Nile’ and the museum would pass this way.

We also see ‘farms’ on the roofs of several of the buildings. Once you know to look for them – they were highly visible from our elevated positon. We say several chicken farms of course – but also sheep herds, and goat herds. I’m consumed with wondering how they take them down the elevators!

Back at the hotel we get a brief period to relax – then we meet for a welcome ‘drink’ (I’m drinking only soda water – this place is dry!) – and then we go over to one of the popular islands in the Nile for dinner. Again the appetizers (Mezze) are delicious. This time we have the Egyptian version of Samosas, Fried Beef buns, and course Pita. The main course – Grilled Chicken! I’m a happy camper.

Back to the hotel and bed. We must have our luggage outside by 1:30 AM – and we must be in the lobby by 2:00 AM sharp as we are flying tomorrow to Ashwan!

Signing off to get packing – and trying to grab some sleep – The Soup Lady

Egypt and Jordan – Day 2 – Feb 4, 2026


It’s a new day – and I’m straving! Clearly the airport and airplane food wasn’t sufficient – and I’m thinking Breakfast!

So Victor and I get up – and get going. First stop – Breakfast at the Kempinski Nile – and What a breakfast it is!

I’m totally blown away. And it’s not like I haven’t enjoyed some pretty impressive breakfasts in my life – but this one – wow. And it was included in our reservation. Color me very very happy.

Naturally – my first stop is coffee – but you are not allowed to get your own – oh no – there are two coffee waiters and it is their job to get my coffee.

Ok – Latte would be perfect – and they smile, nod, and disappear, returning quickly with a small but completely perfect Latte. Yum.

Meanwhile, I’m investing the breakfast options. There are several different service areas. First I see the fruit juices – fresh squeezed Mango, Guava, Orange and a fourth choice that I can’t remember.

2nd section – the fruit station – some fruits I recognize, like grapefruit and oranges, others I think look familiar – like dates, and a lot of fruits that I’ve honestly never seen before. I try something white – and I’m no wiser. On this section there are also a lot of round fruits – green, white, pink, red – but my bravery only goes so far. I’ll skip them for now. Also on the fruit station are the meats and cheeses. So many options.

3rd section – the Honey Comb and raw honey selection! Wow – My camera is out immediately. That’s the largest Honey Comb I’ve ever seen!

4th section – the Bread choices. I’d say I recognize maybe 4 or 5 of the options – the rest are mysteries. Not quite pastries, but they look to be sweet. I’m sure at least 3 different options were in the donut family, but the ones that appeal to me the most are decorated with sesame seeds – both white and black. They are in different shapes – round and cresent variations, and I gleefully grab a round one with black seeds. Then I turn around and realize there’s another station behind me with cereals like oatmeal (delicious) and Fool (fava beans I’m told – but not green – more of a grey). There are toppings for the hot cereals – standards like nuts, but other options I really don’t recognize.

And there’s an omlet station! Now that looks familiar – and delicious.

Since it’s my first breakfast here – and I’m not sure how my stomach is going to react to gastronomical challenges – I opt to go safe. We are here for 3 nights – I’ll be braver tomorrow!

After my delicious breakfast, we take a hired car to the GEM. I’d bought us tour tickets for 10:00, and based on last nights travel adventure – I’m leaving lots of time to get to the Museum. Ahmad is quite friendly – the car is a mini-van – even though it’s just the two of us.

The plan is that the car is ours for the day – and we trade phone numbers. I’m to message Ahmad when we’re ready to head back to the hotel.

After info exchange – we head to the GEM. This time it’s both daylight, and not rush hour – although the traffic is still quite insane. We can see more and more appartment buildings – and I point out to Victor how many appear to have deserted floors. Not only do the floor appear vacant – they often have no windows, and the ones we can see inside have no finishing inside either. We spend the ride trying to guess what causes this – I suggest that maybe when you move out you take the windows with you, Victor thinks that maybe something has happened and the owners have never moved in at all. I decide to definitely ask when we meet our guide tomorrow.

From one of the many multi-lane highways in Cairo, Ahmad rounds a corner – and there is the GEM. It’s over 500,000 ft of exibit space making it one of the largest museums in the world. The entire thing is done on a massive scale – in keeping with the massive size of the objects on display.

I’d pre-bought tickets – and despite my language concerns – folks generally speak English – and everyone is super helpful. It’s the massive size that is the most daunting.

We find how to get earphone sets for our tour – and join our guide. She’s obviously highly experienced, and after a bried info proceeds to guide us thru the top exhibit in a 2 hour tour. About 1 hour of the tour is devoted to King Tut – all 5000+ of the object discovered in his tomb are on display. And the rest of the tour is spent pointing out the highlights of the exhibits related to other Kings.

The grandeur simply can not be described in words. Nor can words describe the crowding. Our guide estimates that there are more than 5000 visitors today – a relatively standard week-day load. I’m betting that 1/2 of them were in the King Tut Galleries. Good thing are are 6 of them, right?

The center part of the musuem is an open air atrium that runs the full height of the building. To reach the main exhibit areas – all located on the top level, on the left side of the Atrium – you can opt to take an upward moving sidewalk, or climb stairs. Or guide takes the walkway – and talks to us about what she’s seeing as we move slowly up past the Egyptain timeline. Everything is on a simply gigantic scale. Even the moving sidewalk is split into 5 parts!

King Tut is clearly the highlight of our first tour – and our guide makes sure that we play attention to what she thinks are the highlights of that collection. So yes we get time with the all gold funeral mask, she points out dagger with the iron blade – created hundreds of years before iron was created, and most importantly – talks about the 8 layers of Sarcophgus.

I hadn’t appreciated the sheer size of the outer 4 Wooden Boxes that were nested, one inside the next. They are quite literally room sized – and decorated with gold that has been engraved with glorious Designs – including of course – Eyes of Horus.

But even more stunning are the inner coffins (he had 4). From Gold covered carved wood to solid gold – they are beautiful. And in absolutely perfect condition.

It’s the condition of the items – all 4000 years old – that of course makes them most remarkable.

After the tour – Victor and I decide to try the Multi-Reality show on the creation of the pyramids – from simple dug graves, to the humble ‘bread’ momunent – thru the step Pyramid to the Great Pyramid that is visible from the ‘Pyramid Viewing Gallery’. It’s cute – but not a must see.

The real must see is the Boat of King Korfu. Discovered fairly recently, it was used to transport the body of the King to Giza, then disassempbled and carefully placed into a boat shaped pit dug to one side of the Great Pyramid. After the discovery, the boat was treated like a jig-saw puzzle and re-assembled.

It is massive – over 150 feet long – and intact. Over 4000 years old – Organic – and beautifully preserved.

We grab lunch at Zooba – an upscale Egyptian Fast Food Restaurant in the GEM and very highly rated. Yum.

Then we contact Ahmed to let him know we’re ready to head out. As we leave – we realize they are closing the GEM for some dignatary – and said VIP is arriving right now! Yikes. I ask who is coming – and find out that it is the wife of the Turkish President who has come to chat the Egypitan Leader.

We quickly regroup with Ahmad and head out – we are lucky and manage to escape the parking area secuirty detail right before the VIP shows up. Whew.

The trip back to the hotel is much easier than the trip to the GEM. Victor and I are totally wiped out – we’ve done a lot of walking and a lot of traveling in the last 2 days – and we need some down time.

The roof of the Kempinski is the perfect hideout. There’s a heated swimming pool, nice tables, a bar and food service team, and a magnificant view over the Nile. We relax, chat, blog, and wind-down. Tomorrow is another long day.

Signing off over-looking tourist boats on the Nile – the Soup Lady

Egypt and Jordan – Day 1 – Feb 3, 2026


Yes – it’s been a long time since I picked up pen and pencil (well, computer and keyboard) to write a blog post. Ignore the last one of course – I was finishing up Santa Fe, but a Turtle doesn’t get ahead unless they stick their Necks out – so I’m fulfilling my promise to my daughter Adrienne – I’m blogging my trip with Victor (husband of 55+ years) to Egypt and Jordan.

The idea for the trip has always been on our bucket list – but wars kept interferring. Our timing was pretty horrid to be honest. And we didn’t want to commit to this kind of a trip without some positive feelings – so we kept delaying and dodging and avoiding.

But then Tufts sent us a brochure for their trip to Egypt and Jordan for February 2026 – and the fire got re-ignited. It turned out that the Tufts trip was fully booked, but the same travel company – Odysseys Unlimited – had exactly the same trip planned – but without the ‘Tufts’ ID. and the dates worked. So we took the jump – and booked the trip with Odyssey.

Odyssey specializes in small group travel (max of 24), and focuses on specific destinations. The trips are ‘all inclusive’ – or what passes for ‘all inclusive’ these days – most meals, all hotels, most travel. And their offering for Egypt and Jordan covered everything on our bucket list. And we wouldn’t have to do any planning – they had everything planned for us (almost).

So we booked the trip – and figured out the missing pieces, primariy the Air Fare arrangements and how to spend extra time at the GEM (Great Egypt Museum) which just opened 2 months ago (November 2025).

The tour starts Feb 4th – a travel day – so there’s nothing planned.

But we had to get to Egypt. And while Odessey which do the airplane booking for you – they won’t give you your flight points, and there’s a surcharge for Premium Economy which Victor prefers. So I went flight hunting – and found that if we flew out of Canada – there were heavily discounted Business Class tickets available – and when crossing ‘The Pond’ – there were lie-flat beds.

Challenge #1 – Victor was going to be in STX on Jan 31, and I was going to be in Utah. Hmm. Best bet seemed to fly to Miami, spend the night there – and then start our trip to Cairo from Miami. Crazy thing – to get the discounted Business Class seats – we had to fly Miami and spend the night. Then the next morning, we’d board an AC flight to Toronto, change to the long haul to Vienna, then change to a short haul on Austian Airlines to Cairo.

I’m not generally a fan of having to change planes twice, let alone thiree times – but the appeal of a lie-flat bad on the long (8 hr) haul for barely more than economy was insanely appealing.

Next – dates. I didn’t want to have to hit the ground running – so we decided to arrive in Cairo the day before everyone else. Odessey agreed to arrange for someone to meet us at the airport in Cairo on Feb 3, and we opted to spend an extra night in the Kempinski Nile Hotel. That allowed us to go to the GEM museum the next day (Feb 4) which I hoped would mean I’d have more time to actually see the museum than the tour was allowing.

Planning done – the hard part was simply waiting for Feb 1 to arrive.

As I mentioned in my last blog – I was very sick (Flu-A, then Pneumonia) for the month of January – so instead of flying from Salt Lake city to Miami – I went back to my sisters home in Columbia to be nursed back to health (thank you Cathy) – and from there went with my sister and her husband Bob to a week long Tai-Chi retreat in Dunedin. On Feb 1 – instead of flying from SLC to Miami as originally planned – I flew from Tampa to Miami and then sat at the airport waiting for Victor to arrive.

For the record – this is during that insane cold snap in the Southern US – and it was cold. Tampa was expecting Snow – and the hotel we selected in Miami had no HEAT! I forgive them that – who thinks you’ll ever need to heat a room in Miami – but I have to tell you – it was just above freezing – and it was COLD in Miami and COLDER in our room. I needed 2 extra blankets – and my winter coat from Montreal.

Not a great start I must tell you. We decided that the hotel we’d chosen near the Miami Airport was the pits – even though it was hardly their fault that for once in 10 years they needed heating in the rooms. But a cold room is a COLD room.

Next morning we are up, I take a hot shower to warm up (the room is still COLD – and we get out of Dodge. Since we’re flying Business Class – we have access to the Lounges at the airport – and we figure that will be the better Breakfast.

And it was great. I had oatmeal, some delicious Turkish Cookies, and 2 cups of Latte! I’m a lot happier – and Victor too is feeling better about this ‘traveling’ thing. At least we are both finally feeling warmer.

When we check in – I have – to the staff’s amusement – a serious talk with our luggage. I want to be sure they know that they are going to Cairo. I always fine that making sure your luggage is aware of the correct destination helps cut down on the possibility of lost bags. And it does seem to help. Of course I also use that time to check the luggage tags!

Flight from Miami to Toronto – Great. I eat a lovely lite lunch – Victor sleeps. In Toronto – we go to the Air Canada Signature Lounge and have the best meal I’ve had in an airport in forever! Seriously. It was table service, and the Tuna Sushimi and the Alberta Beef (severed medium Rare) were both excellent. We were greeted with Champagne, and Victor opted for wine with his dinner.

Then we boarded the flight from Toronto to Vienna. Air Canada Business Class – even with lie flight beds – is not the Emerites. It’s worth what we paid for it – but just barely. Not the most comfortable of beds, and the service was hit and miss. Sometimes quite lovely – sometimes as if we’d tried to make their lives tougher than necessary. But still – a bargain is a bargain and I did have a bed, and I did get at least 3 hours of sleep. Totally worth it!

Transfer from Air Canada to Austrian Airlines went swiftly – with no border to deal with. In fact – we only saw border folks once, and that was in Miami. After that – it was free sailing all the way.

We arrive in Cairo thinking – Whew – good job. Even get both our suitcases (see – talking to them worked) – and it is only as we’re leaving baggage claim that we realize that we didn’t see anyone with a sign with our names.

Oh dear. Did I manage to NOT arrange for a pickup from the airport? I just can’t remember. So we call the Kempinski Nile. They tell us that they have no record of us arranging to be picked up – but we can just take one of the taxi’s on offer. And then we get the best advice ever – the fellow from the hotel tells us – it should be 15 to 20 dollars US – 25 at most.

The challenge for us as Canadians arriving in Cairo is simple. We don’t normally bargain for taxis. In Canadian airports – random folks coming up to you to ask if you want a taxi is not only frowned upon – it’s forbidden. So to be suddenly flooded with at least a dozen different men and women asking us if we need a taxi, and they will help us – give them our phone, we’ll call a taxi for you… ya da ya da – it’s scary.

But once we knew the correct price range – it was a lot easier. One guy was sticking with us like glue – so we finally asked how much. He said $40. Victor says no – $15 to $20 – finally they agree on $25. He uses his cell phone to call a driver (very nice chap) – and tells him – $25 and the name of our hotel.

Being nervous nellies – we track our driver’s path thru the city – but he is going to our hotel. Much comforted I start looking around and notice that many buildings just don’t look occupied. In some cases – there are no windows at all – in some there is a floor or two or three with no windows – and the rest looks normal. A building that’s occupied and a building that’s not looks very different. Tomorrow I’m going to ask that this is about.

Most of the buildings I see are clearly appartment buildings – maxing out at maybe 12 floors which makes me wonder about the popularity of elevators. And most are a rather uniform drap light brown or beige. Often folks have put up a curtain to protect their balcony space from too much sun, and there are lots of laundry hanging out to dry.

Like areas of India that I was driven thru – there are market areas with folks selling what ever they can sell – sometimes from tables, often with just a piece of cardboard under the goods.

The traffic is insane. The city scape a dreary beige, folks seemingly everywhere – jay walking across 8 lines of traffic the norm, police cars every where, and in the more popular areas – police standing behind bullet proof shields on major corners.

I’m reminded of when I first saw Bangcock – dirty and noisy and loud and scary. Too many cars, too many people.

But I also know I’m tired – and I need to get to the hotel and stop.

And our driver does exactly the right thing – he gets us to the Kempinski Nile – and we over tip him we are so relieved to be where we know there’s a restaurant and a bed with our names on it.

The hotel is stunning – our room is lovely, the food was quite good – and maybe I had a bit too much wine. But tomorrow is another day!

Signing off – The Soup Lady