Egypt

A 29-day adventure by 4strangebyrds & 4 Strange Byrds Read more

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Trip start
January 29, 2025
Egypt
Egypt
January 29, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ 🌙 63 °F
Out of England and into Egypt. Another country to explore!!!
We landed in Hurghada late in the evening and let the scamming begin. Our Uber driver wanted 15 euros to drive our already set price on the app of about 3. We settled on 8. It turns out this drier isn't the only Uber scammer in town.
The hotel was closed up tight and it took about 15 minutes to get someone there to open. All part of the adventure.Read more
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Egypt
Hurghada and Red Sea Dive Trip
January 30, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
The main reason we even considered coming to this part if Egypt was to do a dive trip in the Red Sea. It was not the best diving we've ever done, but we're still glad we did it.
It was cold!! We were provided wet suits, but this is the first time I've dove where the suits were completely inadequate. By the end of the first dive, we were both suffering from hypothermia. Anna even worse than me. By the time the uncontrollable shaking subsided, it was time to dive again. Back into our gear and into the water. Fortunately, we didn't dive as long, so we didn't get as cold.
The rest of the boat except one other family, got an island escape. We didn't know it was an option.
Our first breakfast out, we got to meet one of the thousands of local cats. We had a language barrier trying to explain vegan, but when he understood, we were brought a delicious meal.Read more
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Egypt
Luxor Balloons 🎈
February 2, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ 🌙 48 °F
A must-see attraction in Luxor is a hot air balloon ride over some of the areas archeological highlights. On the bus ride down, we booked a ride for the next day. Out the door at 5 am so we could get there in time to see the sunrise. It was a fun trip, then back to the hotel to rest.
Later that day, we found our goto restaurant for the next few days and enjoyed the tortises and view from our rooftop.Read more
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Egypt
Luxor West bank
February 3, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
Since we were already staying on that side of the river, we started on that side to see all the sights in Luxor. first stop was the Valley of the Kings. We had to go there first because that is where you can buy the Luxor pass. What we didn't realize is that you can't buy it with your credit card. So we had to go back to our tuk-tuk, get a ride to an ATM, and then go return. You also can't pay with egyptian pounds either, but the man selling the passes was willing to make an exception for a small fee.
After all that fiasco, we finally got started visiting all the tombs. Of course, by that time, it was getting crowded. So much for an early start.
That day, we also visited the Valley of The Queens, Madinat Habu, and Temple of Hatshesput.Read more
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Carnack Temple, Luxor
February 4, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F
On the way to the ferry, we got talked into hiring a private boat to cross the Nile. It was a good deal, but we couldn't enjoy it because we had to listen to a high-pressure sales pitch the whole way. On the other side, we caught a taxi to Carnack Temple. It was one of the few places we hired a guide to show us around. We circled counterclockwise 7 times for luck, the ... statue. We found an open door hiding a staircase in the Temple of Khonsu, so we took it and speed a couple pictures.
After a couple of hours there, we ended up walking back to Luxor Temple. Along the way, we stopped to rest, and the shop owner came out and offered us some juice just to be nice. Wanting nothing in return. A very rare occurrence in the area.
Constantly being bombarded with offers of carriage rides, falluca rides, taxis, kids selling stuff, and sunset cruises is exhausting. And then when you think you've had enough, someone like the shop owner comes along and reminds you, not everyone wants something.
It was a hot day, so we headed back to the west early.Read more
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Luxor east bank
February 5, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
A little more determined to see some sights, we got an early start and headed straight for the Luxor museum. After that, we visited the Mummy Museum and then into the Luxor Temple. We met an Egyptian family on vacation who really wanted a photo with some foreigners.
Next, we walked into town to check on bus tickets to Aswan. No big busses, we were told, but we ended up wandering into a locals souk (market). It was amazing how many shops selling Muslim dresses there were. Fruits, vegetables, clothes, kitchen supplies, and a variety of other stuff lined the crowded st. Motorcycles weaved in and out of the crowds. We found a tailor who could fix a zipper for us, so we tried to mark the spot on the map to come back to with the bag.
We fought the crowds and made it back to the ferry and to the more peaceful west bank.Read more
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Egypt
West bank 2nd time
February 6, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
We spent another full day on the west bank visiting Temple of Seti I, Carter house, Rammuseum, Tombs of the Nobles (very well preserved), Dier el Medina, Dier el shelwit, and the Colossi of Memnon. It was about all we could do in a day.Read more
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Luxor pass last day
February 7, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F
Making sure we got our money's worth out of our passes, we headed back to Carnack Temple, but not before a visit to a tailor to fix the zipper on Anna's Hawaiian bag. It was a little pricey. 50 egp ($1), and we had to take photos of the workers.
From the Temple, we walked the Ave of the Sphinxs to Luxor Temple just to say we did. From Luxor Temple, we walked back to the ferry where we met up with Mr. Socks. So named because of all the socks he sells.
We went to one last dinner at our favorite spot before enjoying the views from our window and packing for travel.Read more
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Luxor to Aswan
February 8, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F
We were told there were no big buses from Luxor to Aswan (turns out there is), so we hired a private car to take us with stops at a couple of temples on the way. Edfu and Kom Ombo temples. Usually visited via a Nile cruise. We opted for the hard way. Something we hadn't seen before we're the birthing temples located right outside the main temple.
Kom Ombo also had the crocodile museum. The crocodile played a big part in Egyptian history, so there were many crocodiles that got mummified.
It was a long day, but we did finally make it to Aswan and our homestay on Elefantine Island.Read more
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Elefantine Island
February 9, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F
Thinking we were going to do sightseeing in Aswan, we booked a room there. It turns out we were a little exhausted from Luxor, so we didn't do much. Our room was on an Island in the Nile, so to get there from Aswan required a ferry ride back and forth.
The island itself is mostly inhabited by Nubian people. The Nubians were all relocated to various places when the two dams on the Nile were built. They are very friendly and much more relaxed than many other Egyptians we've met.
So we just chilled ourselves for three days exploring the island and a bit of Aswan.
Aswan did have a really nice souk (market area).Read more
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Egypt
Abu Simbel
February 11, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
The pictures of this temple looked truly amazing, so we had to go. The trip, however, can be challenging. You can hire a private car for $80-$100 to take you down and back the same day and miss the light show or a big bus for about $5 or a mini van for $12 rt. The last two you have the option to spend the night.
We tried to take the big bus, but for whatever reason, it wasn't running this day. So we got packed tight into a mini van with 12 others for a nail biter of a trip.
There are actually two temples located here, but they are quite small compared to all the others we've visited.Read more
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Abu Simbel sound and light show
February 11, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ 🌙 66 °F
You don't come all the way to Abu Simbel and not go to the show. So that's what we did. However, in hindsight, I wouldn't make the trip again. Either to Abu Simbel, or spend the night for the light show. 🤔 It's a lot of effort to get here, and I was underwhelmed.Read more
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Train ride
February 12, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F
Leaving Abu Simbel, we caught a mini-bus to Aswan and got dropped off at the train station. We arrived about two hours before the sleeper train to Cairo departs, so what the heck? Some of the trains here in Egypt look really nice. This was not the case with ours. Run down and dirty, but it had beds. One thing that even shocked me was that the toilets were not available in the stations. Then i found out why. They flush directly out the bottom of the train. 🫨 No holding tanks.
They did serve us dinner and breakfast, and we arrived in Giza about 6 am.Read more
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Dashur Necropolis
February 14, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F
Today's we went to visit some of the not as famous pyramids. We started with the Dashur pyramids of the Red and then the Bent pyramid.
At one point on the drive down, I counted 8 pyramids visible from the car.
We were able to go inside these pyramids and see some of the various chambers.
The bent pyramid has some interesting history, and you can clearly see how it got its name. You climb a bunch of stairs on the outside before descending deep into the inside. Then at some point you enter a grand room easily three stories high. So you climb some more stairs to reach a doorway near the top of the chamber which leads to passageway and more chambers.Read more
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Saqarra Necropolis
February 14, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
Next, there were more pyramids. None that we could go inside, but we walked around the step pyramid. Aptly named because it was built using six different mastabas. Each a little smaller than the one underneath. Hence the name "step" the whole complex is like a temple and a tomb combined. With a beautiful columned entrance into a walled grounds. There were many tombs not in the pyramid, and we visited many.Read more
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Memphis Egypt
February 14, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
Originally the capital city of all Egypt. It's now famous for a small open air museum that holds a statue of Ramses II and a few other statues.
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Al-Muizz Muslim Heritage area
February 15, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
We checked out of our hotel in Giza and moved to Cairo. It's closer to most of the rest of the sites we want to visit.
We went to the Al-Muizz St are where there are numerous Muslim heritage sites.
The first stop by accident was a mosque with the oldest towers in Egypt. Not minarets, we were told.
We passed it at first, but our first stop was supposed to be Bab Al Futah, which turns out to be a gate/entry to the old city.
We got to climb around unescorted in the walls and to the top over the gate.
Then we headed down the street, which was crowded dodging scooters. We stopped at Bayt al-Suhaymi, Sabil-Kuttab Ismail Pasha, Madrasa, Dome of Sultan Al-Nassir Mohammed, and Qalawun Complex.
After we had to find an ATM so we could by some food. There are tons of tiny little alleyways throughout the area that are packed with shops selling all kinds of Egyptian wares. After we found some roasted sweet potatoes, we found our way to the road with cars on it only to find it so jam-packed with cars and people we figured there was no point in trying to get an Uber there. We decided to walk a ways in hopes to find fewer crowds. We ended up walking back to the hotel. It turns out we (Anna) was quite popular due to the lack of foreigners in the area.Read more
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Baron Empain Palace
February 16, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F
Today was a fun day. We first ubered to Baron Empain Palace, which wasn't really a palace. It was, however, a huge elaborately decorated home with three floors and a rooftop patio also quite elaborate. But we wanted to see a real palace. (we didn't know the first palace was a palace by name only) so continuing on...Read more
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Prince Muhammed Ally Palace
February 16, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
We again ubered across town to Prince Muhammed Ally Palace. Now, this was a real palace. There were beautiful tiles inlaid in the walls. The ceilings were made of wood and decorated in intricate carvings. Stained glass, Italian, Morrocan, Syrian, and Turkish styles throughout the palace. The grounds were closed off as were a couple of the places we were supposed to have access to, but you could see the meticulous care of the land. Within the walled property, there were multiple buildings. A clock tower, mosque, reception area, residence, and others.Read more
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Coptic Museum & Metro
February 16, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
Back in another uber (btw; all trips under $3). This time, we were off to the Coptic Museum. This area of Cairo has a rich Christian/ Catholic history. There are many Catholic churches. We stopped at St George, and the most famous, The Hanging Church. So named because part of it is built over the southern gate of a Roman fortress. I believe it was called The Fortress of Babylon. Unfortunately, the fortress was closed, but the museum was not. The museum is full of artifacts from ancient Christianity, including the oldest known book of Psalms.
Instead of ubering home, we noticed a Metro station next door. We didn't even know there was a metro in Cairo. Always looking for adventure, we said, "Why not. It turns out it's a regular modern metro system, and the stops are listed in both Arabic and English. The metro dropped us off about a 15-minute walk back to the hotel. We had to traverse a busy crowded market, but we stopped and bought some bread and snacked on the way home.Read more
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Egypt
Cairo Pass Finale
February 17, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F
On the last day of our Cairo Pass, we went back to where it all began. The Giza Necropolis. We first braved the crowds and entered the Great Pyramid. Squeezing our way past many people on there way out, we went to the last chamber where it was very warm. It was kind of fun to watch all the people along the way acting like they were coming out of a sauna.
Upon exiting, we were given postcards and head scarves. I dont think the vendor thought we would take him at his word when he said it was a gift. Soon after, we booked a camel ride for the two of us around a few pyramids and down to the Great Sphinx. After spending a few more hours walking around the necropolis, entering another pyramid and visiting some of the other tombs. We left, got some lunch, and ubered back to the Cairo bus station to secure tickets to Siwa. Since we still had a few hours before our passes expired, we headed to the Egyptian Museum so we could see the ground floor that we missed the first time around.
Pretty worn out from the day, and with Cairo in general, we decided to call it quits for the day. A koshary restaurant that had been recommended to us was within walking distance, so we headed that direction. Braving Cairo rush hour traffic, we walked to the restaurant only to pass a less famous place about a block earlier. We doubled back to the first place and ordered some food to go.
The traffic was barely moving on the street we were on, so we walked a few blocks and ordered an uber. It took two drivers to connect with one, but we did and headed home for the night.Read more
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Last day in Cairo
February 18, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
Today was a chill day. Our bus didn't leave till 10 pm, so we paid for a very late check out and mostly hung out in the room all day. Anna was feeling sick. We did venture out for a walk in the neighborhood trying to find a koshary place for lunch. In the process, we stopped at a juice place and got a couple of fresh squeezed orange juices. The owner didn't speak any English, but with translate, we found out about how the actions of our government were affecting his life.
It took some effort and asked directions many times, but we found some koshary.
On the way back through some small streets, we came across some men stuffing mattresses with Egyptian cotton. They were quite happy we wanted to take some pictures.
We made it to the bus stop on time, but the bus was late. Off to Siwa we go....maybe. I especially enjoyed the part where we were driving down the wrong side of the freeway. 😬 But it's not like I've felt incredibly safe on any of the roads.Read more
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Siwa
February 19, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F
After all night on the bus and not feeling well, we checked into our hotel and chilled for the day. This is a beautiful hotel, but it is located with nothing around it. The rooms have domed ceilings.
Anna crashed in the lawn chair and I in a hammock. This place has a small heated pool and a rooftop with 360° views. They build a fire to sit and enjoy in the evening. The fire keeps the many mosquitoes away.Read more
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Salt ponds & hot springs
February 21, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F
The pictures of Siwa show these beautiful pools of amazingly acqua water surrounded by white salt. That is what brought us here. It is true if you don't zoom out and see the surrounding area. The pools are beautiful, but they are located in an industrial working salt mind. There is trash lying around, and the dirt hills take a lot away from the beauty. But focus.
We coincedently ran into a couple we had met in Giza. They talked us into getting to the water. It was very cold, but surprisingly, we were able to get used to it. Because of the high salt content, we were incredibly buoyant.
After the salt pond, we followed our friends to a hot spring. The water was much more comfortable, but nowhere near as buoyant.
After a while there, we said goodbye and had the driver drop us off in town where we had some lunch and then visited the Shali Fortress. An old village at the top of the hill built out of mud. It's mostly collapsed, but you can wander through what is left of the buildings.
We enjoyed the sunset there before heading back into town to buy some fruit, falafels, and dessert.Read more
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Hot springs 2
February 21, 2025 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F
It was a very chill day. We tried to go to the date factory, but it was closed. Later, we hitched a ride into town with the neighbors. We grabbed a nice lunch and then found a tuk-tuk to take us to a different hot springs than yesterday. It was still slimy like before, but it felt good.Read more
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