Big Steps Back

This pile of rubble is really...

An ancient Harbour and Lighthouse (1st c BC to 2nd c AD)

The end of our stay started with an interesting crossing of the Suez Canal on a local coach.  We all had to de-bus to complete a security check; cameras forbidden of course.  Then it was back headlong into the smoggy, hectic, bustle of Cairo.  We found some respite in the Salma Hotel before making plans for our last day in Egypt.  Mr DIY made arrangements to visit a work colleague; I made for the Egyptian Museum.   We met in Khan al-Khalili for some last minute shopping.  Well, it was nearly Christmas!

Amazing colours near Sharm el-Sheikh

I’ve included a map of our romp through the timelines of ancient Egypt; a path that allowed us to get a sense of life in those times – a mere jump away from prehistoric man.  You can however, become quite giddy as you try to  assimilate the many layers of history that have been imposed as civilisations glitter then fade, again and again.    

We covered a lot of ground!

We enjoyed our Imaginative Traveller tour; it was professionally managed and well organised.  Athena, our group leader and all the monument docents were well informed and friendly; as were our bus drivers and cruising staff.  Our travelling companions were good fun and we enjoyed being able to do extra “cultural immersions” on our own and at our own pace.  Would I ever go back?  I don’t think so.  There are just too many other wonderful things to see and do.  I’d need to live a thousand years to cover it all.  Perhaps I could make a start by building a big pyramid in readiness for my next life….now there’s a thought!

Farewell to Egypt

Diving In

Bread by Bus

Mr DIY and I said farewell to our travelling companions at the village of St Catherine and caught a local bus back to Dahab.  It took us a while, but we eventually worked out that the flat, round objects on the dashboard were breads.  We started to relax…

A Cool Corniche overlooking the Gulf of Aqaba

So began a wonderful few days of diving whilst I renewed acquaintances with my moggie friends at the many cafes along the corniche.  One was particularly charming – a regular old gentleman, until I tried to gently move him off my lap.  The claws, ever so slowly dug into my leg – a reminder that he, not me, was in charge of seating arrangements.  I did eventually escape to find another nice silver shop while Mr DIY splashed about madly in some very clear diving spots.  We could hardly believe we were on the sleepy fringes of the Gulf of Aqaba and a mere stones throw from the Suez Canal.

Meet the Boyfriend

More Animals - A Woven Mat

Watch Tower

Relics of the Past

Busy at the Burning Bush

St Catherine’s Monastery is sited at the base of the mountain and after our dawn climb, we were able to visit a few of their unique treasures.  The Monastery was built at the time of Emperor Justinian, on the site where Moses saw the burning bush.  Follow the link to see more detailed information about this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Quiet by the Well

We were able to see a contemporary of the burning bush, the well where Moses first met his wife Zipporah, and inside the richly dark Byzantine style basilica.  Athena, our guide had arranged a special treat for us.  We moved on into the usually closed-to-the-pubic Museum & Library for a guided tour of its special treasures.  It certainly is a rich treasure-hold for Christian faith.

From inside the Monastery

You can see the towering mountains behind

Monastery Grounds

Here Moses Stood

Sinai's barren landscape

Copper and turquoise were the treasures Pharaohs sought in Sinai’s desert, however the peninsular was more than just a mine.  In ancient times, Sinai was crossed by major trading and pilgrimage routes.  It has seen Roman Legionnaires, Nabataean camel caravans, refugees, Christian monks, Crusaders and Mecca bound pilgrims.  The Suez is a strategic modern day facility that replicates this same utility.  The Bedouins are the original inhabitants of this harsh desert area.  Their traditional nomadic life has declined with the rise of tourism so villages like Dhahab are spreading.  However, the area still remains an uncompromising landscape, harsh and barren.

Warming up with pre-walk drinks in a Tea House along the Route

We however had come to climb the holy mountain of Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments.  And to be there for sunrise!  We were to climb (in 3 hours and in the dark) a very high mountain, at 2285m, on the Sinai Peninsula.  We oldies had a plan.  Slow and steady was the pace – no stopping at tea houses for refreshments, just a goodly paced slog.  The youngies dallied about, socialising at the teashops.  We counted stairs.  The unfit and unwell resorted to a camel ride, but they still had a few stairs to climb to the top.  We set out, after a 2.30am rise, on the ancient path of 3700 steps.

We were there...and made it to the top for first light

We made it to the top to be greeted with blankets and cushions (a nice touch in the cold) to wait for the sunrise.  We should not have been surprised to see a  small chapel built in 1943, over the remains of a 5 ^th century church.  

We perched on a ledge overlooking the east and recovered.  The sunrise was stunning and the view across the mountains worth the climb. 

How ever did they carry up the building materials??

The early morning sun a cast strong golden light and it picked out the red & purplish colours in the mountains.  We walked slowly back following Sikket el-Basha (the Pasha’s path), outpaced by some very tired camels.

We really climbed up that??

Going Down Sir....

Desert Convoy

Colourful Hotels? in the Desert

For safety reasons, our bus and several others, met early to travel together to Hurghada in convoy.  We also had policemen assigned to individual buses.  Reassuring?  Not!  Thankfully, our trip across the desert to the Red Sea passed without incident and we soon took to the streets, exploring the local area.  The weather was not great and we eyed rising waves unsure how exciting our hydrofoil ride to Sharm el-Sheikh would be.  Still, Mr DIY dipped his toes in the Red Sea.  He was looking forward to the after-tour tour.  We were spending a few extra days in Dahab so that he could dive the Gulf of Aqaba.

Boats on tempting blue waters of the Red Sea

Having safely negotiated our way to Shem el-Sheikh, we moved on across the Sinai heading for St Catherine. Luckily we had an early taster of Dahab as our group stopped to take lunch there.  This town, once a small Bedouin village, has now grown to cope with a ready tourist market.  Dahab is mostly about water sports; its waters are pristine and many dive spots are within walking distance of the shoreline.  Over lunch we met interesting locals and a few more attentive cats.  Actually we were all thinking about our stroll next morning up the Steps of Repentance.

Typical Sinai Scenery - through a dirty window

Who would argue with those yellow, oh so knowing eyes...Lunch Stop at Dahab

Life About Town

There's more to Luxor than just really old monuments. Here's a few examples: 

Surprising Gems of another heritage

Inspiring Floor Tiles

Chinwag to Locals on the Corniche

Having a few friends over to dinner (no, they did not get up on the tables)

Changing Gears

All of us regretted departing our cruise on Miss Melodie, but on the promise of a donkey ride, we de-camped to Luxor and the New Emelio Hotel.  Luxor has an amazing collection of tombs and monuments and we knew this was to be our last hurrah as far as Nile based heritage sites went.  We had covered the East Bank quite well, so now prepared ourselves for a harsh desert necropolis, The Valley of the Kings.  Needless to say we were up and away early (4.30am) to ensure we were on our donkeys and first in line for these enormously popular “attractions”. 

Remember who's in charge now!

Let me tell you, despite the promise of a quiet road, lovely views and green fields, someone forgot to tell the donkeys that!  We learned how to drive, shout commandingly the necessary orders and hold on if the going got rough.  These sturdy little fellows almost bowed under the weight of the bigger lads, but shuffled along having committed the route to memory some years ago.  My being one of the least confident riders did not go unnoticed.  The boys who accompanied us made sure my quiet little fellow was occasionally nudged into action (moving not standing!) much to the delight of my fellow travellers.

Waiting to go in...

We had learned the torrid details of mummification at the Egypt Museum so prepared ourselves for the horrors of rock-cut tombs.  By the New Kingdom however, pharaohs had learned to hide their royal stash rather better than having a pyramid “signpost” to wealth and fame.  Still that didn’t stop grave robbers so by the time European travellers (our Grand Tour frontrunners) visited, only one tomb remained untouched.

Still waiting...

Now there are 21 highly decorated tombs to choose to visit.  Some are closed for resting (too many visitors), some cost a bit more (Tutankhamun) and others were still undergoing archaeological excavations.  So in the end, we visited Ramesses IV and one other that I forgot to note.  Spaces were cramped, decorations inspiring and we were certainly aware of the massive scale.  Yes, it was spooky too, despite large numbers coming and going.  Tombs and tourism on a grand scale! Photos were not allowed to be taken inside much to the delight of local postcard sellers, so I only have a few outside snaps of this desolate necropolis. 

Ancient trail of the workers

We then walked along the ancient workers trail for a fabulous view over the Nile valley and the Necropolis sites.  The Valley of the Queens was closed, so we kept moving on to Deir al-Medina, workers village.  The artists and craftsman certainly used their time well and there are some colourful and very vital works on their own tombs.  Whenever did they find the time?  We visited tombs of Sennedjem and Inerkhau.  I was rather fond of a small pyramid tomb we saw and wondered what the worker's king would have thought had he seen it. 

Deir al-Medina worker's tomb

We were met by our donkeys and saved a rather long stroll back to the bus.  Had I room, I would have stuffed mine into a suitcase to take him with me to Mt Sinai.  (We were all preparing ourselves mentally for our big ordeal - a long climb in the early morning darkness.)  Our tour stopped briefly at the Colossi on Memnon (New Kingdom) and although they don’t sing anymore, they are still a reminder of how magnificent Luxor, or ancient Thebes, must have been in the time of the Pharaohs.  Some of us made a beeline back to El Safa Bazar.  Nice silver and turquoise treasures awaited us there.  Not too far away, Aboudi Gallery offered enticing pieces too.

Remains of Temple of Amenophis III
The Colossi of Memnon are made of mud brick

Roll 'em out, its time to to go

Pomp & Splendour: Ancient Thebes

We arrived in Esna to take the lock through to Luxor only to find that it was closed for cleaning and that probably meant “lack of water” too.  So we bussed down to Luxor to visit the huge Karnak temple complex, including the Temple of Amun-Re.  Amun was the chief Theban deity of the New Kingdom and the site of Karnak was the great capital of Thebes. 

Amazing detail in the carving

This is an amazing complex loaded with additions and changes over time – meaning 2000 years.  Although we had guide & Egyptologist, Nagwa, somehow the dynastic pharaohs lost us all in a seeming jumble of (jaw-dropping) temples, sphinxes, obelisks, statues and ruins.  Hatshepsut, the first woman pharaoh, had a Red Chapel built to house sacred barks and Ramesses II built the Temple of the Hearing Ear.  We wondered how you could possibly worship the scarab beetle, loved the idea of a hippopotamus goddess and noted that even sacred geese had a sacred lake to play on. 

Scarab Beetle - Khepri, the dawn form of the Sun God Ra

A feeling of monument fatigue overtook us - we were slipping into dangerous overload, so a carriage ride around town was just the ticket.  Needless to say we bypassed an interesting silver shop and made a mental note for later.  We walked back to our bus parked near the Temple of Luxor (thankfully closed – our heads were spinning), so it was back to Miss Melodie for our last night aboard. 

Carving on Hatshepsut's second obelisk

Luckily we had been purchasing a great little guide book series, Egypt Pocket Guides written by Alberto Siliotti (2002, published by the American University in Cairo Press) over the course of the tour.  They are very informative, don’t waffle and have helpful illustrations, maps and photographs.  They also fit neatly into a handbag/day pack and are a handy reference before, during and after monument visits.  So when our little eyes started to glaze over with the incredible amount of information our wonderful guides bestowed upon us, we could fill in all those missing bits…. without appearing to be academics gone mad!

Ram-headed sphinxes

Our friendly driver

Everyday Life along the Nile

A colourful mix of traditional country life and opportunistic hawkers (mostly of bits and pieces for tourists) brings life to a landscape of dry desert, thin green strips of fertile river lands and massive, ancient monuments. 

Traditional Transport

Life must go on, in and around, in spite of and in partnership with these relics of bygone glory.

A Few Photo Ops with Friends...

Local Market

Old & New Side by Side

The Humble Donkey Too

Birds in the Air

And over time, life changes only a little.