Tag Archives: Egypt

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 11 – Feb 13, 2026


A Balloon Ride over the west bank of Luxor – To Go or Not to Go?.

Hussien starts off the ‘sales’ pitch by telling us that the Balloon Ride is expensive, and that there are 32 people in the basket with you – plus of course the Pilot. And you must get up super early to get to the launch site. And it’s possible that the Balloons won’t fly because the wind is wrong, or there’s too much sand in the air.

Given that Cairo is under a Sand Storm watch – We do hesitate for a second – but then Hussien continues by telling us that it is unbelievably good.

To go or Not to go? But I loved my balloon ride in Turkey – so we decide – Ok – we’re going.

Turns out that 15 of the 21 of us opt in – so we will make up 1/2 of the basket. That sounds a bit better – but I’m still wondering about crowding. Well – we will see.

The alarm rings, we dress warmly (I don’t know WHY I listen to Egyptians complaining about the temperature. They are wearing faux fur coats and I’m in short sleeves and shorts – and find it warm). But maybe it’s colder 300’ above Luxor.

We all pile into a large van – and head out. The city is very quiet – there are folks around, but the real action hasn’t started yet, thank goodness. So traffic is light, very very light by Cairo standards for sure.

In the pre-dawn, we cross over the Nile, and quickly find ourselves in a van parking lot! There must be over 100 white ‘tourist’ vans jockeying for parking locations, but our driver knows exactly were to go – so we’re parking right acoss from 2 balloons spread out on the sand. The first of these is ‘Our’ Balloon.

Most folks opt to stay in the van, but I’m way to curious to do that. So out I hop to check out the action. There are ‘coffee’ shops along the side away from the balloons – and probably 100 balloons laid out on the sand, ready to start the process as soon as they get the ok to fly!

I walk over to our balloon. The basket is on it’s side – and there are 3 Giant Fans on the right and left side of the basket. The basket is huge – figures if 33 people are going to be inside. And the size of the balloon is equally huge. Way larger than the balloons I ‘flew’ in Turkey for sure. The width of the opening is larger than the basket – and the balloon itself stretches at least 100’ off.

I am totally surprised when a voice from inside the basket say – hi! A face peeks out of a foothole in the basket – and I ask – who are you? Maybe a better way might have been to say hi back – I’m Leslie – Who are you. But never mind – too late to fix mistakes.

He explains he’s part of the crew! I then realize that what I’d taken to be an empty set of steps is now the resting place for 4 other guys – and they are taking out drums to entertain themselves before the balloon gets launched. I’m chatting with them when suddenly folks are running past me in all directions – sprinting to their assigned Balloons. The ‘GO’ signal has sounded.

Everyone has his assigned job. Guys man each of the Giant fans, and 3 other guys open up the mouth of the Giant Balloon. The fans fill the balloon with air – slowly at first, then increasingly effective as more and more of the silk gets filled. The guys walking around inside the balloon straighten folds, push out the sides, and then check that things are going correctly.

The pilot arrives – walks the interior of the Balloon – just like a pilot inspecting his airplane, and then he signals to the crew that the fire will be starting. A huge flame erupts from the center of the basket – hot air is driven into the air filled balloon, and it starts slowly to rise up.

What seems like a slow process accelerates as the Balloon fills, and starts to float over our heads. Suddenly there’s a tap on my arm – Andrea has joined me to watch. Victor, Andrea and I decide to share a section of the huge basket. Over the noise of the flame – the pilot explains that there are 9 sections – one for him and 4 on each side. 4 people max can go in each basket section – but one group will be 3. We opt to be 3.

That settled we wait for a few moments as the crew pushes the basket up right and readies the basket for us to clamber in. The sides are high – to my chest for sure – so no falling out! I watch how other folks get into their sections – and the teams bring a step stool up so we can get a start on the height. But to get down off the rim, we have to drop down 3.5 feet. I do a horse descent – super glad for that training – and suddenly everyone is in the basket. We are instructed on the landing position – bend your knees hard, duck your head, put your hands on the cords on the side of the basket and DON’T move until the pilot gives the all clear.

The crew has stopped holding the fans – and are now circling the basket holding it down while the Pilot get’s the engines ready to take us up. The air in the balloon has to be heated before the crew can let go – but there’s an exciting minute or so while the crew puts all their weight into keeping the balloon on the ground.

The pilot signals the crew to let go – and we wave goodbye! Suddenly we are flying.

Our balloon rises quickly – and now that I’m not paniced – I take a look around. There are over 100 balloons flying – We are in the middle of the pack – but 2nd to go up. The balloons were laid out in such a way as to keep enough space between the balloons to avoid collisions. I’m guessing they also control ‘lift-off’ time to stagger the balloons further.

The ride up is actually quiet and the view is amazing. We are looking towards the hills that seperate Luxor from the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens and the pilot explains that we definitely don’t want to go over those hills – There’s no easy place to land. And we aren’t allowed to cross the Nile for exactly the same reason. It would be really hard to find a landing space for one of these huge balloons in Luxor City.

So we are hoping to drift North towards Cairo where there is a good place to land the balloons.

But right now – he’s going to spin the balloon and the basket so we can all get a Pano picture of the sunrise over Luxor. Insanely beautiful. I’m so happy.

We drift over towns on the west bank of the Nile – Victor loves the view of the roof tops – it’s HO scale! I’m just enjoying the breeze, the feeling of flying, and the thrill of being up so high.

My heart is definitely racing! This is so beautiful. Much better than the balloon ride in Turkey!

Folks in another basket ask our Pilot how much training he has – and after quiping that this is his first try – admits that to be a Pilot you must do 3 years of training and get something like 1000 hours of experience before you can take up a balloon on your own – let alone with guests.

He then starts explaining about landing – reminds us of the landing position – and then shows us where it is safest to bring the balloon down. Only then does he also explain that it’s almost impossible to hit a good spot – so we need to be prepared to stay in the landing position till his all clear.

Our 90 minute flight is almost over – and to say it has flown by is an understatement! Wonderful.

We start to decend – and while several of the balloons are already down in the right place, we decend a bit quicker than our Pilot planned – and we are going to be landing in a rougher area than he likes. He cautions us again about the landing position – and then asks us to assume it!

We are only 20 feet above the sand and rock – and the crew has driven around to be directly below us with the truck parked safely to the side. As we decend – the crew grabs the basket and tugs it into a flatter part of the landing area.

Then once again they put all their weight into holding us down. The balloon as a different idea and makes a quick dash for the sky – but loses the battle and falls gentle to the ground.

Now most of the crew stop hanging onto the basket and switch jobs. The silk of the balloon can not be torn – so they have somehow spread a large mat on the rocks and sand where we have landed and pull the lower part of the balloon onto that mat. There is still a bit of air in the upper part of the balloon so they team up to fold and twist the lower part of the balloon, safely protected by the mat, and pull it forward into a fold. Pull, twist, fold, Pull, twist, fold – repeat until the balloon has been emptied of all the air – and safely carried onto a truck.

Next it’s our turn. The crew circles around the basket helping folks out of their sections. We were the last section in – so we’re the last section out. And it’s not like getting out of bed, but it’s easier than getting up from the ground without using your hands! Victor waits until both Andrea and I are safely out of the basket and in the hands of the crew before climbing out himself.

Now we must board a flat bed truck to be taken back to our van. Remember we were last out … well – everyone else is already sitting in the truck bed – we have to squeeze in. This is made more interesting by the fact that the side of the flat bed has to be raised to hold us all in. Us and 29 of our closest friends cuddle up on the bed of the truck with some members of the crew. Other crew members sit on top of the truck Cab!

It’s about a 5 minute drive – 30 minute walk – to where the vans are waiting. We get off the truck bed, into to the Van – and all of us cheer! We’ve done it – and it was super fun.

My heart is racing the entire ride back to the hotel for a quick breakfast. Surprisingly there’s an Egyptian Gal with a Chef’s badge working the omlet station! I’m so surprised – it’s one of the few women I’ve seen working since we got to Egypt. We start to chat and I tell her that my daughter and my granddaughter are also chefs! She asks about what they do – and without mention the animal – I explain that Adrienne used to butcher animals and use the meat to make sausages and that Anais is a running a bar and the head Mix-ologist. She says – say hello to them from a Chef in Egypt!

So Hello Adrienne and Anais from Chef Yasmine!

Now we regroup for the moments this tour has been working towards – visiting the tombs of the Valley of the Kings and the tombs in the Valley of the Queens.

Hussein explains that there are 32 tombs in ‘good’ condition in the valley of the Kings, but only 5 are open to visits each day. They rotate which of the 5 will be open – but always include one of the ‘Super Stars’! And he thinks 2 of the 5 of the ones open today are amazing!

But first we are starting with the place that King (Queen) Hapshepsut had built to be mummified. Imagine – this was built for just 40 days of use! And every Pharoah had one. Despite the efforts of her nephew to remove her name from the lists of Pharoahs, this survived quite intact – and was an amazing place to visit.

The outside is more amazing than the inside – but still – pretty cool. On the ground floor on the left side of the building (a 3 story hehemoth with a huge entrance staircase) are some well preserved carvings celebrating the Expedition to Punt – still with some of the original 4000 year old coloring). This is one of the few military victories for Hatshepsut – doesn’t it surprise you that she believed in compromise over the sword? We check those out, climb the steps up to the actually Temple, and then Hussein explains that because so many tourists visit these temples – as of 6 years ago – the government banned all guides from entering.

It was determined that having the guides in with their tour groups delayed folks from quickly leaving the inner chambers – and I have to admit that most folks move a lot faster when someone isn’t trying to get them to see a particular carving.

Hussein outlines the ‘top’ things to watch for – including the stunning blue sky with stars in the Santuary. I recognize and gleefully photograph the image celebrating the fact that this Pharoah ruled both upper and lower Egypt. It’s clearly Horus and Set holding ropes that knot around the spine (for stability) to the lungs. I particularly love the fact that in this rendition the feet of the Gods are so vividly pushing down on the lungs to get more pressure on the knot.

There are frequent occurances of the Lives Life slogan.

Unlike the paintings on the bottom floor – the carvings in the Santurary are High Relief and very well done. Given that her nephew tried to erase her – it’s a miracle that her Mortuary Temple survived.

I meet an Egyptian family wearing of all things – Disney attire! They pose for a picture with me – what fun!

Next stop – the Valley of the Kings. First stop Tomb of Ramses IV – and as Hussein predicted – it’s extraordinary.

One of my concerns has always been that the Valley of the Kings – because of the massive amount of tourists that visit it – will disappoint. I’m pleased to report that I was wrong. The carvings are truly magnificant – from the Book of the Dead carved into the walls to help the Pharoah’s Ka find it’s way to heaven to the stars on the ceiling to full color (4000 years old people) images of his attendance in different colored robes, to the magnificant ceiling – still highly colored.

I can’t read the Hieroglics – but I can admire them.

After all of Hussein’s efforts – I do recognize the symbol for Ra giving Life to the Pharoah!

The way into the tomb is fairly straight – and easy – and again guides are not allowed in so the stream of folks moves fairly quickly. Yet again I run into another Egyptian Family – also touring the tombs with their 1 year old son. Did I get a picture – of course!

Hussian challenged us to find the image of the sky – a woman bending at her hips and shoulders to protect the land. Her legs are firmly planted on the land, her hips to shoulder are the sky, and from the shoulders her arms reach back down to the earth. It’s a very powerful way of seeing the world.

There are also full colored carving of the Pharoah taking the boat thru the night to reach heaven. Not surprisingly – the carved boat looks very much like the one found near King Korfu at the GEM.

Hussein also challenged us to keep our eyes out for snakes – a re-occuring theme in tombs of this period. There are good and bad snakes of course – the good ones protect the Pharoah, the bad ones provide challenges he must overcome to get to Heaven.

One last challenge – see if you can find the ‘good’ people and the ‘bad’ people. The ‘good’ people are shown walking upright to greet their God, the ‘bad’ people are shown upside down, and sometimes headless on their way to Egyptian hell.

Our next tomb is the one created for the sons of Rameses II. Given that he had close to 50 sons – there were lots of folks to celebrate – and the tomb is fairly large.

We pause for a photo of the plaque showing where the tomb of King Tut Ankh Amun was found – they charge extra to enter the tomb ($20 US) – and Hussein warns us that it is small, crowded and empty. There are not even any carvings because he died so young.

We also get to visit the Tomb of Rameses VI – originally intended for Rameses V but quickly repurposed for Rameses VI. Like the one for Rameses IV – it’s covered with paintings – but the carvings at the top level are much less impressive and have been damaged. You have to continue walking downwards to get to the ‘good stuff’.

I particularly liked the carving showing Rameses VI on his throne and suplicants coming to him up a staircase. They represent the different tribes he had conquored! Again its the richness of the blue and yellow colors that is most surprising. How can artifical colors, created by chemist 4000 years ago have lasted so long?

In this tomb I easily find the upside down folks heading for their punishment – They are actually carved in Low Relief right below their more fortunately fellows heading to heaven!

This tomb goes on and on – as it spirals downward – the colors are better preserved and the carvings become High Relief – clearly the artists started at the lowest level.

Hussein explains that when the 40 days required to mummify the body was finished – all work immediately stopped on that Pharoah’s tomb, the body was sealed inside and the artists moved on to the tomb of the next Pharoah.

My favorite image in this tomb – just for the use of color – shows the Pharoah on his chair holding blue and white colored staffs crossed, a red sash that is tied and flows down to the hem of his robe, and an offering of a Lotus Flower.

At the lowest levels – this tomb is insanely beautifully decorated – and at the very lowest level there is the final burial chamber – with it’s images of the sky as a woman bent over the earth to protect it.

The colors and carvings at this level are breathtaking.

Without Hussein’s guidence I can only guess at the meanings – but I easily find the snakes – both good and bad, and the details are just wonderful.

We then visit the tomb of Rameses III – I do love the crocodile details and take a close up image of the Pharoah (identified by the snake shown on his forehead ready to spit posion at his enemies offering smoking incense to a God. I am reminded yet again that High Relief makes a huge difference!

There is also a surprising image of a large block of stone sliding down a ramp. Is this a hint at building techniques?

Did I mention the other Egyptian family I met who had brought their 2 year old son to view the tombs. Friday is a day off for Egyptians – which explains why today I’m meeting Egyptians among the hoards of Foreign Tourists!

We get back on the bus – and Hussein has a treat for us – the Egyptian version of Lays Potato chips! Yum!

We move on the Valley of the Queens – where we are offered access to two tombs. One has been severly damaged by water coming in over the years from the Nile, but the 2nd one is my personal favorite.

Unlike most tombs which just celebrate a Pharoah and at best have interesting scenes of the conquests marching towards the Pharoah with their hands tied behind their backs – this one has a very loving story to tell.

The Prince buried here was the Pharoah’s favorite and his death was a shock. So the images on the walls of the tomb show the father first telling his Queen that he will return and the son is shown walking behind the grieving couple. The young prince is identified by his side hairlock and the Ostrich feather he proudly carries. In another scene his father introduces him to the Gods, and in the last scene – the father is seen leaving the tomb with his son among the Gods.

I’m emotional just writing about this story. It is told so clearly and so beautifully.

Like the best of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings – the carvings are high relief, the colors brilliant and the story told well.

Our last tomb is the least impressive – although it is much more famous – it’s the tomb of Titi. Unfortunately the damage by the water seeping in and out of the tomb has destroyed the colors and made the carving hard to see. Because they are so damaged, glass panels have been placed over them – making them hard to see and a challenge to photograph.

We board our bus and head back to the hotel for a mixed grill lunch and an afternoon of leisure. Victor and I grab a nap – then try to take a walk outside. We manage to go in the wrong direction – so we quickly run out of anywhere to walk.

We are approached by two different gentlemen – who say that they remember seeing us at breakfast in the hotel.

Fortunately – Hussein had mentioned that this had become the newest ‘come-on’ – so we know to ignore them. But isn’t that funny – twice – about 5 minutes apart.

We return to the hotel, eat dinner – and go to bed. Later tonight (like 1:30 AM) we have to wake up, pack our bags, and check-out. We fly to Cairo at about 4:30 AM and definitely can’t be late.

Signing off for a few hours of rest – 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