Nancy and Doug Trips | FindPenguins

Middle East 2022 Traveler
Karnak
November 2, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
On the other side I was met as we docked by Mahmoud who took me to his car and we headed up to Karnak.

Karnak is a huge complex of huge structures and like every other site over here, it is just amazing to see the scale the Egyptians built at. They were building this a couple thousand years before Rome. The Great Hypostyle Hall has to be seen to be believed.Read more
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Crossing the Nile
November 2, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
After lunch. Ashraf had arranged a boat for me which took me across the Nile to the east bank. The Nile is an impressively large river with a buzz of those little power boats that seat 20 or so, felucca sailing boats and large river cruise boats.

Had four trips across the Nile at various times and enjoyed the water sceneryRead more
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Colossi of Memnon
November 2, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Last quick stop on the way back to the hotel for a break.

The Colossi of Memnon are two massive sandstone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, which are just standing by the side of the road in a field. They were constructed as guardians for Amenhotep III's mortuary complex and have stood since 1350 BC but the statues are all that is left. They are 60 ft (18 meters) high and weigh 720 tons each; both carved from single blocks of sandstone.Read more
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Medinet Habu
November 2, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
We were doing well for time, so decided on the fly to add on this stop, and spent an hour and a bit there, which was just enough for a quick walk to the rear of the complex and back out. This is the second largest and second most important site of the New Kingdom after Karnak.

It was started in the early days of the New Kingdom by Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. as a temple for the god Amun who was believed to have first appeared at this site. Ramses III massively enlarged the site as his memorial and built a wall around the temples which actually served as defenses and at one point during wars with the Libyans, the entire population of Thebes was able live in this massive site.

Entrance is through the huge 'Syrian Gate'. Throughout the temple are very well preserved hieroglyphics carvings and paintings which still have incredible relief and rich colours considering the age of these outdoor buildings. It also has the only still-standing royal palaces with the throne rooms and living quarters.Read more
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Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
November 2, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
My driver was waiting as I came out of the Valley of Kings. Doesn't that sound so decadent,: "my driver "?

A short drive took us to this lovely building. It was built for a female Pharaoh. She was a very interesting figure in Egyptian history. Hatshepsut was the daughter of Thutmose I. She married her half brother Thutmose II and became regent when he died while his son who would become Thutmose III was young, so she became Regent, but then declared herself Pharoah. Her descendent Thutmose III eventually took over and tried to erase her memory, possibly because any history of a female as ruler was deemed ideologically wrong.

The temple's was started in 1479 BC and the design and architecture is the most impressive aspect of this site. It is partly carved out of the rock face with a facade of limestone, sandstone and granite. Classic and elegant proportions as the three levels of terraces rise up the face of the mountain

The inside decorations are faded or destroyed and it is a bit hard to make out some of the features that are said to be there. The paintings tell the story of her life including a famous expedition to the land of Punt and the legend of her divine birth.

At the top level are the various shrines to the gods. This is called one of the 'top sights' and I would agree.Read more
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Valley of the Kings
November 2, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
As agreed with Ashraf last night, my driver picked me up at 530 after a nice and quick breakfast and I was the first customer to arrive a minute or so after 6. Paid the entry fee which includes 3 tombs. plus the extra for Seti I.

So, the Pharaohs and other notables of the 18th to 30th dynasties of the New Kingdom were buried in tombs cut into the rock in the years from 1600 to 1100 BC. Most of the tombs had been robbed centuries ago, with the notable exception of Tut's tomb which was found intact.

Around 60 tombs are known and the access to visits rotates among them and an admission ticket allows you to pick three from the current list of openings plus you can buy additional tickets to one of the more special or popular tombs. , I visited 2, 14, 11 and 17Read more
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Arrival Luxor
November 1, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
Flight delayed a half hour but had sent hotel my local number so we were in contact as I had booked and paid for them to arrange a transfer to the hotel.. Driver met me outside the airport. The Spring Hotel on the West Bank seems perfectly lovely and these are the nicest family you can imagine. My faith in people is restored. Welcomed by Momid the son of the owner and I requested a glass of tea with fresh mint. and then the manager Ashraf who is the owner's nephew and runs the place came along.

I sat down with Ashraf at 9pm and discussed the sights I really wanted to see. He got on his phone and within a few minutes he arranged a custom private tour. He hired a taxi driver to take me around all the West Bank sights and bring me home. Then a rest and a wonderful buffet lunch at the Crocodile Restaurant next door (also owned by the family) before a ride across the Nile with a private boat which was for my exclusive use for the rest of the day. In the afternoon, as mentioned later, another driver was mine for the afternoon on the East Bank. Dinner was a la carte at the Spring Hotel's own restaurant for an extra charge.

The hotel was in very good repair in the public areas and only a few defects in the room, but it was all in good working order. The best thing was the genuine care they took of their guests without ever getting the sense you were nothing but a source of money to be extorted. At one point he said The East Bank is full of homeless people in the streets and scammers at the sights and he wants to protect his West Bank guests and allow them to enjoy the more peaceful life on his side of the river. He was especially caustic about Cairo, considering it a blemish on his whole country's reputation.Read more
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Cairo
November 1, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Well it is a bit hard to write about Cairo in a totally positive way, to be honest.

It has those 'bucket list' attractions that are totally worth it, but this is not a place you visit for any other reason. You get more enjoyable exposure to the people, food and culture of the Middle East in Jordan, Turkey and Luxor.

Filthy due to the constant blowing in of sand of course, plus the literal crumbling of the buildings into gravel, but garbage everywhere. Because there isn't municipal collection, they just throw their household garbage in ditches and the shoulders of the road where it decays and is scavenged by packs of dogs and cats. And of course, in a city this size, smog is quite bad.

The difficult thing as a traveler is getting around the city. Cairo is vast and the places you want to visit spread out. People get around using this wild system of casual services. Absolute SWARMS of buses, vans, micro vans and Tuk tuks roam the streets. These do not follow any routes or schedule. You just stand at unmarked spots on the street and as the vans go by you make hand signals. For example if you are going to the ring road, make a circle motion with your finger. The driver will decide if he will be passing that way and pick you up. Tuk tuks you can flag down and as long as your life insurance is paid up and you sign a waiver of liability, you're good to go but it really is terrifying in that traffic. These people have taken Jordanian crazy to a whole new level. Take coaches, trucks, the aforementioned mini buses, cars, motorcycles, these weird tricycle pickup things, tuk tuks going in all directions and I kid you not - donkey carts all mixed together on all roads of every size and speed limit. Too stressful.

Finally, as a tourist you are just a mark. I don't like, but can tolerate the pushy vendors absolutely everywhere near the attractions. However it's not nice being scammed at every turn. They tried to shortchange me in the first and every store and restaurant I went from. And scams at every turn. One guy with a horse stops me at the top of the hill and says the site is closed to pedestrians and you are only allowed to go further on horse or camel! The most disturbing is the police. They are just corrupt. First time was at a remote corner of the Pyramid (I was actually the only tourist in sight) where a cop is stationed to prevent climbing. I had stopped to take a pic and he asks if I would like to climb up to get a better shot. I had heard of this scam where he would then "fine" you. I declined and he then offered a cigarette while standing under a "No Smoking" sign. At the Djoser site, a cop with a machine gun suddenly starts waving me over. I went to him and he then showed me some cartouche carvings. I said nice, took a picture and when I went to leave he holds out his hand and says 'baksheesh". I liked the find so gave him 5 LE. Next time near the Coptic district this cop is randomly stopping tourists on a side street and scanning them with a wand. I move on after and he calls me back. He points to a side alley and goes in. I tend to obey cops with machine guns so I follow. He points a a small wall and says Old Fortress. As if I didn't know. I said yes nice to know and start to walk away. He stops me with a hand on my chest and says 100 pounds. I said "I don't think so" and walked around him. He just let me go. Finally today at the airport, the guard at the x-ray screening stops me and goes through my carryon and confiscated my nail clipper because of the tiny fold out nail file. Huh? He then points at my camera bag and asks "camera?" I said yes and he says "no camera " He was going to shake me down so I picked up my bag and walked away. He shouted but I ignored him and got away.

PS. Connection through Cairo coming home. Don't need to get into details but they mess this place up with a "you can't get there from here" setup. For example there are no stairs from departures to arrivals you have to go outdoors. Then you are not allowed in anyway. The icing on the cake is extreme 'baksheesh'. So going through the security X-ray, there is a shortage of bins. I finally see one. I reach for it but a guy grabs it and puts it on the conveyor and gestures me to put my stuff in. I do so and he then holds out his hand and asks for baksheesh. I literally said "No way you provided me no service" .He starts to take my bin off the line and I had to wrestle it from his grip. All this in sight of the uniformed police. This is the International terminal. What a great image to the visitors of this country.

Oct 29 was a travel day, seeing the city from a car and just a walk up the block for a meal came to 7,410 steps
Oct 30 was the "Day of the Pyramids" at Giza then Djoser was walking around in the desert landscape for a total of 19,054 steps
Oct 31 was all museums that still came to 14,402 steps
Nov 1 I just did the one museum and walked around Cairo airport as my Uber took me to the wrong terminal in order to eke out 9,619 steps.Read more
TravelerPretty crazy about the garbage…
11/2/22Reply
TravelerAnd they say Mexico is bad for scammers and corrupt cops
11/3/22Reply
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National Museum of Civilization
November 1, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Flying out this evening, so time for a visit to Egypt's newest museum. They have a cloak room and it is on the way to the airport so will take my suitcase.
This was opened just July of last year and is only partly opened. The main hall and one other. It will be dedicated to the full sweep of Egyptian history from the Paleolithic to modern era.

The building itself is stunning.

Started in the Royal Mummy exhibit which is down under and dark. It has the actual mummies and the coffins from each king and queen in chronological order. Interesting to see each mummy but also get short biographies and follow the Royal family through the generations.

Upstairs in the main hall were some very nicely presented relics. It was very unusual with a rather open free flow layout that was quite a pleasant walk about some impressive items.Read more
TravelerNow aren't you glad your trip was delayed by Covid until this year!
11/3/22Reply
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St George's Church
October 31, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Next door to the Museum is another church, St George's Greek Orthodox. It was originally constructed during the tenth century AD, at which time it was dedicated to Saint George who is said to have once killed a dragon as seen over the door.

The church was destroyed by a major fire, but was later rebuilt. In actual fact, the church which you see today is built on top of an ancient Roman tower which connects to the monastery below, and construction was only completed just over 100 years ago in 1904. It is also one of the few round churches ever built in Egypt.

The Church of St. George is an active church. That is, it is still used as a church. It is the country’s principle Greek Orthodox Church. The monastery is also the official seat of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria

The interior of the church has beautiful stained glass and rich darkly stained wood.Read more
TravelerWow! Incredible! What’s the history?
10/31/22Reply
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Hanging Church
October 31, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Officially called the Church of the Virgin Mary, the Hanging Church is built atop the southern gatehouse of the Roman-built Babylon Fortress and gets its name from the fact that its nave is suspended over a passageway. This unique location gives the church the impression of hanging in mid-air, but this is hard to see until you get in and see through slits the old passageway far below.

The current church was built in the 7th century, and has had a number of renovations. The ceiling is built of vaulted timber and intended to resemble the interior of Noah’s Ark. The church is famous for its religious icons, however, of which 110 remain on display within its walls.

Many of these decorate the sanctuary screens and were painted by a single artist during the 18th century. The oldest and most famous icon is known as the Coptic Mona Lisa. It depicts the Virgin Mary and dates back to the 8th century.Read more
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Coptic Museum
October 31, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
From Tahrir Square subway station, it was a short 5 LE (28 cents) subway ride four stops to the Mar Girgis station literally across the street from the Coptic Museum which is in the centre of a religious complex of many churches and a synagogue.

The Copts are an ethnic group with their own language and go back to the time of the Pharaohs themselves. They became Christian, although one interesting note from the museum is how this happened over a couple of hundred years where you see some of the pagan gods remaining part of the tradition, gradually becoming adapted to have Christian meanings. The Copts have remained in Egypt after Islam defeated the Byzantines despite waves of persecution. The Copts started the concept of monasticism that spread to Europe, and were themselves influential in the early days of the church. They mainly practice an Eastern Orthodox branch, but some adhere to Catholic rites. They are now a significant minority in Egypt of perhaps 10 to 20%

This museum shows some of the art which is quite nice from several centuries.Read more
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Tahrir Square
October 31, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
The museum is located at the north side of the Square which is the heart of Cairo and famous for demonstrations, especially the Arab Spring of 2011 that toppled Mubarak.

It is not an easy place to see, divided up with multiple arterial roads, no pedestrian crossings, but is very large. Surrounded by 5 star hotels and office buildings, is certainly a more upscale area than the other 99% of the city.Read more
TravelerThose trees look hilarious haha
10/31/22Reply
TravelerMy thought exactly
11/3/22Reply
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The Egyptian Museum
October 31, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
The Uber took a it longer than expected, (although still only 110 LE) and got to the museum 20 minutes after it opened and the tours were already there. The crowding was worst going through security, then it was in OK. At times some of the exhibits were blocked by a group, but it always cleared.

The museum was established in 1835 and the current building opened in 1901 and is the oldest museum in the Middle East, It exclusively focuses on the predynastic to Roman eras of Egypt, and is there ever a LOT of that!

Two hours only covered the "guidebook highlights".Read more
TravelerImpressive museum! After seeing those shoes I think I don't want to walk like an Egyptian.
11/3/22Reply
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Pyramid of Djoser
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
This is the star attraction within the Saqqara site. Also known as the Step Pyramid, it was the first of the pyramids and is the oldest stone structure in the world and was built 2670 BC. Originally the tomb had just the first level as the entry to a network of underground burial chambers. The other 5 levels were added in stages. The completed structure represents a staircase by which King Djoser could ascend to join the god Ra.

I walked up to the base to appreciate the size again. Even the first level is so tall, I think over 8m. The entire complex consists of the colonnaded entrance with columns in the shape of bundles of papyrus reeds, a huge front courtyard and a variety of tomb structures around it.Read more
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Saqqara
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
So now it's time to see the old stuff. Got an Uber from Memphis over here. Was let out at the ticket booth, then realized it was a couple of k's up to the actual ruins, an my driver noticed it before I did and drove in to get me. Good to have the ride up, and I walked down to be able to appreciate the views over the palm trees and Cairo.

This was the burial ground for royals going back to the First Dynasty in 3100BC and was used as such for 3,000 years. The full site is vast and you have to drive to see it all.

Tomb of Princess Idut, daughter of King Teti who ruled 2345 to 2323BC had some especially good wall paintings.Read more
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Museum of Mit-Rahineh (Memphis)
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
After leaving Giza, and a takeaway lunch on my balcony, I took Uber the hour-long ride (only $6.18 CAD) to the Museum of Memphis.

Memphis was founded in 3150 BC by King Meni as the first capital of the united Upper and Lower Egypt, and thus of the First Dynasty. The main god at the time was Ptah and the Latin name for the temple of Ptah (Hut-Ka-Ptah) was Aegyptus, thus giving us the name Egypt. This is where it all started.

The most famous relic here is the statue of Ramses II, who ruled for 66 years and was a hugely prolific builder.

The outdoor museum has a lot of surviving stone relics. There is a nice sphinx carved out of a single block of alabaster, a triad of gods, and some other works, all nicely laid out in a park.Read more
Traveler$6 for an hour?!
10/31/22Reply
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Pyramid of Menkaure
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Smallest of the great pyramids at 66 m. Kinda cute, I think it would suit me, if I start building now, how long would it take? Built 2490 BC.

Next to it are the three Queen's Pyramids.
So that completed the complete circuit of the Pyramids of Giza, and I was back down to the road at 10:30, or 2.5 hours, and at a relaxed pace. There is not much in the way of interpretive plaques, so unless you are a keen archaeology buff and brought maps, it is a half day job, and there is no need to hire a camel. That is a good thing, as I would feel guilty encouraging these sellers. They are very abusive to their beasts, whipping them for no reason, and many seem to be skinny and ill-kept.Read more
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Pyramid of Khafre
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
It was only 10 minutes from the corner of Khufu to the next pyramid. This is the middle one and the second tallest at 'only' 136 m. It had the rough limestone core, and was cased in pink granite which was much thicker than the dressed stone on the Great Pyramid. Some of the point still remains, so it is quite easy to recognize.Read more
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Great Pyramid of Khufu
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Brief uphill walk from the Sphinx brought me to the Great Pyramid of Khufu (aka Cheops). One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and at 147 m, the tallest structure in the world for 3,800 years. I have seen pictures and TV shows about this all my life, but when you walk up to the base, the size finally strikes you. What we see today is the rough core -- it was dressed with smooth limestone casing, just a bit of which is still there. It is made of 2.3 Million blocks.

I walked all around it, and on three of the sides, I was often all alone, but on the north side, the tour bus hordes had arrived already.Read more
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Sphinx
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Woke up to check -- yep the pyramids are still there! Breakfast was served at 7 on the rooftop terrace so I got to the ticket booth at 08:02. In to see the site without crowds.

The Great Sphinx of Giza is from the reign of King Khafre (2575–2465 BCE) and depicts his face. It is 73 metres long and 20 metres high. It features a lion’s body and a human head adorned with a royal headdress. The statue was carved from a single piece of limestone, and the entire Great Sphinx was originally painted. It would have taken about three years for 100 workers, using stone hammers and copper chisels, to finish the statue.Read more
TravelerHard to even imagine the concept let alone the carrying out of the project.!
10/31/22Reply
TravelerIncredible
10/31/22Reply
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Arrived Cairo
October 29, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Just walked into my room and opened the drapes! OMG. This can't be real.

Left Haifa at 6am to return the rental car back to Ben Gurion airport and catch the only direct flight from Israel to Cairo on Egyptair. I had arranged a pickup through the hotel and had no trouble finding him after first picking up a SIM card at the Orange storeRead more
TravelerWow!!!!! Amazing!!!!
10/30/22Reply
Traveler JEALOUS!!!
10/30/22Reply
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Middle East 2022 Traveler
Farewell to Israel
October 29, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
It has been a great trip to see this remarkable country. So much history providing a deeper understanding of some of the foundations of our entire civilization.
It was also so interesting to learn about the modern country and marvel at what has been created with this vibrant and progressive culture in the middle of the desert. You can see how much high tech and entrepreneurship there is everywhere. It is also an eye-opener how precarious their very existence is and this is visible on every street when you see all the young people doing their 3 or 4 years of mandatory service in army uniforms going about life.Read more
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Haifa Summary
October 28, 2022 in Israel ⋅ 🌙 24 °C
Explored Haifa mainly on Wednesday when I did 15,874 steps, with shorter walks in the evenings

I did not explore the outskirts of the city, which sprawls all over all sides of the mountain. It is a spectacular setting with the housing of apartments seemingly glued to the hillside, beaches all along the coast and the harbour. Haifa is a major port with all kinds of ships. It is the home port of the Israeli Navy, has multiple container terminals, grain ship terminal, oil tanker terminal and refineries and finally a large cruise ship port.

My Bat Galim neighborhood is quite peaceful with the beach area and well connected and near to the central area.

Haifa is a good base to explore Acre which is super worth visiting and to access other areas in the north.Read more
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Mount of Beatitudes
October 28, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Up the hill five minutes is this site which may have been where the Sermon on the Mount was given, if it was actually a sermon rather than a collection put together by the writers of the New Testament. "Blessed are the meek ..." is still a nice sermon.

Planned to drive up to Safed but us a hilly, crowded town and would have been headed home after dark. Since I was a bit tired and had laundry to do, so just drove back to Haifa. Again, the scenery in northern Israel is really nice with green valleys, forests, tall mountains.Read more
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Capernaum
October 28, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Drove just 20 minutes from Tiberias to the next stop in "The Pilgrim's Tour"

After returning from the desert, Jesus set up his base in Capernaum as it was on a main Roman highway from Egypt to Syria, and a border customs office, so he would be reaching lots of travelers with his message. He recruited several Apostles here and it is here that the famous miracles like walking on water and feeding the multitudes were performed.

Simon"s (Peter's) house foundations were discovered here and a church built over it. There are excavations of the village, including the Synagogue. It is also a nice viewpoint of the lake where among the shade trees are benches where visitors can sit for a time.Read more
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