Bāb al Lūq

At last we're back in Cairo after exploring the East and West Banks of the Nile River where we also rang in 2017! We saw a lot of amazing history dating back to one of the first civilizations on this planet and witnessed the magnificent temples, pyramids and tombs first hand. Unfortunately modern day Egypt didn't keep up with the progress made by the ancient people. Cairo now the capital of the country is actually pretty dirty and congested. There are many abandoned buildings, half built apartments that would have their ancient relatives rolling in their tombs, piles of trash on every street, and 9.1 million people struggling to make a decent living off of the hurting tourism industry.

Looking past all that, while in Cairo we visited the Egyptian Museum which houses thousands and thousands of artifacts that gave us an even deeper looking into this civilization. We got to explore the mummy exhibit where we stood in front of many of Egypt's past Kings and Queens. Many still had their hair, teeth, and nails! It was a cool experience that left you feeling a bit chilly! In the museum we also visited the King Tut exhibit that holds many of the gold treasures found in his tomb. The most impressive was the solid gold face mask that covered the King which is the most iconic image of ancient Egypt. It is said that if tomb raiders hadn't robbed the tombs of many kings over the years, then Egypt would have been the wealthiest nation in the world today!

Lastly, attached are a few pictures of various temples we visited along the way that we haven't posted about yet, at Edfu and Philae Temple. Overall, Egypt was a great experience and we're glad we could visit before there is even more uncertainty in this region of the world! We'd recommend it if you have an open mind about safety concerns and take a well known organized tour!Read more