I just got back to Rwanda after two incredible weeks in Egypt. To say that I had a good time is a huge understatement. I am obsessed with talking about my trip, looking at pictures and reminiscing about all the fun we had there. I feel so blessed to have had two consecutive weeks off from work to travel, a first since my career began in 2006!
The trip was off to a rocky start after missing my connection in Nairobi to Cairo because of a 4 hour delay from Kigali to Nairobi on December 20. I met a very interesting guy named Rahul in Nairobi, who kept me sane as we searched the Nairobi airport for three hours for my bag, which was nowhere to be found. Although I slept like a rock in the comfortably nice hotel I was put up in by Kenya Airways, a part of me was dreading arriving in Cairo only to find my bag was gone forever.
My first day of vacation was solid: slept in until 10 am, had a lazy late breakfast, went shopping, got a very good albeit inexpensive massage and headed to the airport to catch the next Cairo flight (only one per day on Kenya Airways). The flight stopped for about 45 minutes in Khartoum, Sudan, something I conveniently forgot to tell my parents, and I landed in Cairo safely around 10:30 pm bag and all! My pre-arranged driver taught me my first Arabic as he smoked, coughed and drove us to the King Hotel. I was so happy to finally be in Egypt and to see a familiar face upon check-in. A dear friend and Ropes & Gray colleague, Sanjeev Mehta, met me in Cairo on his way to India and we were able to travel all over Egypt together. I cannot tell you how good it was to see someone who has known me for more than two months and with whom I can talk about how crazy it is that I am living in Rwanda (for whatever reason, people here think this is “normal” – it’s not!).
The next day, we caught up as we went on a walking tour of Cairo, stopping at the Intercontinental Hotel for a cup of coffee. Stepping foot into a Western high-end hotel felt so invigorating, I am almost embarrassed to admit. The bathrooms were so clean, the staff so welcoming and the Christmas decorations exquisite!
We spent the afternoon at Khan al Khalili where we shopped, had a lazy lunch and visited a mosque, where I actually had to wear a robe because I am a female. Now, I have never visited a predominately Muslim country, but come on – this is clearly sexist and discrimination against women!
Al-Hussein Mosque
Khan al Khalili bazaar
That evening, after securing our trip to the White Desert for the following two days, we had drinks at our hotel rooftop bar and then dinner at a fantastic Lebanese restaurant along the Nile. We thought based on the menu prices that it was a tapas-style restaurant and were surprised when an order of tabouleh was next to impossible to finish.
King Hotel in Dokki neighborhood of Cairo
The next day, after waiting an hour and a half for our driver, we headed to the White Desert, about 4 hours southwest of Cairo. We met up with the rest of our group in the Bahariya Oasis, where we had lunch. After lunch, we visited Crystal Mountain, some rocks that looked like mushrooms and then two resembling a chicken and a tree, just before dark. I killed Sanjeev in cards while our tour guides prepared a wonderful Bedouin dinner for our party of seven. For some reason, it did not register to me that camping in the desert would be incredibly cold and so I had to put on all of the long shirts I brought just to keep from freezing!
Lunch in Bahariya Oasis with Canadian friends Jean-Philippe and Marie-Julie
The Beautiful White Desert
Mushroom Mountain
Tree and Chicken
Our campsite in the White Desert
We spent the night under the stars, after encountering a desert fox just near our campsite, and woke up on Christmas Eve to the most amazing sunrise I have ever seen. Our Canadian friends, Jean Phillippe and Marie Julie, inspired us to take a Christmas photo to send home to family and friends.
White Desert Sunrise on Christmas Eve
So beautiful....
Merry Christmas Eve!
On our way back to Bahariya Oasis, we visited the Black Desert. Very impressive, but nothing like the White Desert where I felt like I was on a different planet!
Sanjeev and I with our guides Mohomed and Usama
Black Desert
Mountain we hiked up a bit in Black Desert
We raced back to Cairo, facing bumper to bumper traffic, in order to make Christmas Eve dinner at a friend’s home in the neighborhood of Muqattam, a plateau overlooking downtown on Cairo’s East Bank. A good friend in New York, Eirini, is Egyptian and her sister, Eman, lives in Cairo. I met Eman in NYC last summer when she was in the US visiting her family. Eman is so lovely and has two adorable little girls, Jessica and Amanda, and a wonderful husband, Philip, all of whom showed me such wonderful hospitality this Christmas. After showering off all the sand from our desert adventure, we had a Christmas Eve family dinner and then headed through Garbage City to the Cave Church. Garbage City is composed of Cairo residents who collect and sort through the city’s trash in order to earn a living. I have never seen – or smelled – anything like it in my life. Very sobering, indeed. The Cave Church was Christianity in Arabic, a first for me, but the church – set in a rock – was probably the most unique I have ever visited.
Cave Church near Muqattam, Cairo on Christmas Eve
I was woken up on Christmas morning by Amanda who told me it is time for breakfast so we can open presents. We had a lovely Egyptian breakfast and I even got presents from Eman and family, so unexpected! Then we took the metro to Coptic Cairo where we visited the Coptic Museum, Hanging Church and underground churches. At first, we got on an all-female metro car with Sanjeev and were quickly told to find the coed car.
Me with Eman and her youngest, Amanda, outside the Coptic Museum
Hanging Church in Coptic Cairo
Mosaic at Hanging Church
That evening, Eman and Philip hosted a lovely Christmas dinner with two other families. I got to speak to some family and friends and quickly went into severe culture shock about the fact that I live in Rwanda. All in all a wonderful Christmas, despite being away from family; one I will never forget!
The next day we visited the Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza, by camel. The camel ride was not the most comfortable but was a less touristy way to approach the famous site. Our tour guide, Mohamed, took about 1000 pictures of us…here are a few..
Giza Pyramids
Chillin out on Pyramid number 2
Great Pyramid in the distance
Sphinx and Great Pyramid
Erin on her camel, Michael Jackson
After the Pyramids, we went to the Egyptian Museum, which was full of so much history we didn’t know exactly where to begin. That evening, Sanjeev and I tried to go to the whirling dervish show but got denied due to the show’s popularity so instead headed for a drink followed by more sheesha and Sanjeev losing at cards.
Eman, Amanda, me and Jessica at the Egpytian Museum
Smoking sheesha in downtown Cairo
Our final day in Cairo, we went to the Citadel and then headed to the airport where we flew business class to Aswan, in the south of Egypt. Don’t be jealous, turns out business class is exactly like coach, except there’s a curtain. Serious. J We got into Aswan fairly late and only spent about an hour walking around the town in the dark, before leaving bright and early the next morning for Abu Simbel.
Citadel
Mosque at the Citadel, no robe required this time
Spice market in Aswan
At 2:45 am, the wake up call came for the Abu Simbel tour. All tourists must visit the temple, located along Lake Nasser, via military convoy of which there are two each day. The morning convoy leaves at 4 am. Excellent. Although the temple itself was incredible, I am not sure if either of us ever recovered from the early start.
Abu Simbel
Hanging out with Ramses II
Six hours round trip to Abu Simbel and back to Aswan, we were ready for some rest. Fortunately, Sanjeev did his homework and hooked us up with a really great deal on a Nile River boat cruise to Luxor. The next two days we ate well, relaxed in the sun and visited the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu. Once in Luxor, we also visited the East Bank temples of Luxor and Karnak as well as the West Bank's Valley of Kings, Valley of the Queens, Colossi of Memnon and Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Our tour guide thought we were hilarious as we spiced up our pictures with acrobatics. How many solitary pictures in front of ancient monuments does one need?
Views from the Nile boat cruise
More Nile River views
Sunset on Nile from boat
Kom Ombo Temple, near Aswan
Kom Ombo Temple was dedicated to a crocodile god
Edfu Temple between Aswan and Luxor
Edfu Temple was dedicated to Horace, the falcon god
Karnak Temple in Luxor (ancient Thebes)
Sanjeev with our tour guide, Nasser
Obelisk at Karnak Temple
We love Egypt!
Sphinx Avenue at Luxor Temple in Luxor
There used to be two obelisks in front of Luxor Temple, the one formerly on the right is now in Paris
More Ramses II, this guy loves himself
Ancient Hieroglyphs, the oval is a "kartush" which contains the name of a pharoah
Some ancient Egyptian, he looks a bit like Ramses II, no?
Colossi of Memnon in Luxor
Warming up for more photo aerobics
Handstands in the heat
Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
On the boat, we met a really fun Indian couple – Karktick and Garima – with whom we shared a hot air balloon ride over the West Bank of Luxor (requiring yet another early morning start, this time at 5:45 am). Seeing the Valley of the Kings, the Nile River and surrounding temples from such great heights was an amazing way to start New Years’ Eve!
Balloon Ride over Nile and Luxor's West Bank
Garima, Kartick, me and Sanjeev pre-flight
Temple of Queen Hatshepsut from the balloon, just beyond is Valley of the Kings
Saying goodbye to 2009!
We spent NYE at the amazing Luxor Hilton, where we quickly made friends with Nasser the bartender and welcomed in 2010 with more acrobatic pics!
[Will post pics from Hilton/NYE later, left them on Sanjeev's computer. Sanjeev if you are reading, please email!]
On New Years’ Day, we had brunch at the Hilton and laid by the Nile where the sun set painted the sky with brilliant pinks and purples. We took the night train, which we nearly missed, back to Cairo on the night of January 1 and spent the day in the neighborhood of Zamalek on an island in the middle of the Nile. I spent my last day alone in Cairo at a coffee shop and met up for a final time with Eman and the girls at a very upscale Western mall for a cup of Starbucks before heading to the airport and back to the remoteness of East Africa. Hard to believe I am back, but so thankful for such an amazing trip!!
Me and the girls on my last day in Cairo!
