Upper
Egypt is really the south of Cairo and Lower Egypt is the northern part. The
Nile is the only river on earth that flows south to north, or so I am told. I
need to check that out because I thought that was the case of all rivers south
of the equator! Our pick up time was 10:30a, which was nice because we got in
late (for us) last night. This hotel is quite nice! We noticed that we had a
balcony this morning and we can see the Nile River from here. We got ready, had
breakfast, and I got the free Wi-Fi in the lobby. Unfortunately, I could not
upload photos because it took so long. I will add, this is the nicest hotel we
have stayed in. We even had a balcony to see the Nile River. Too bad we aren't
here longer. The breakfast was quite nice. There was a omelet bar and we each
had a small omelet. No bacon again but there were "mini burgers" as
in a huge pan with tiny patties and I had one of those. The beef was very good.
No Pomegranate - I am getting spoiled! They did have Hibiscus and Tamarind
juices though.
Our Ya’lla
tour guide George arrived. He is a nice man who is 33 years old. He asked me
how old I thought he was. I guessed 28 - I thought 30, so I wanted to be safe!
He was very happy that I guessed younger! His birthday was Nov. 12, like
Saira's. He is a cheerful man with a friendly smile. He is a Christian, we
think this will make our trip even better due to the like minded thinking. He
asked if we were Catholic, I said no, Protestant. He said he really didn't know
the difference. I simply told him we believe the basics - Jesus is the Son of
God, born of the Virgin Mary, died on the cross for our sins to give us eternal
life. He smiled and said, YES, everything but that really doesn't matter! He also brought up our election. Again, this
man tells me everyone in Egypt is so happy there is no Clinton! They basically
blame her for all the trouble in the middle east beginning with 2011, and the Arab Spring troubles here in Egypt. Anyway, just a short 20-25 minute drive to the boat. George
poses by the gang plank - We are not in the USA as you can see! So we are on
the Radamis II and ready for our cruise! George got us all checked in and we
went to our cabin #409. He returned to the Luxor airport to pick up the other
2 people who will be with us.
Boarding
Our Cabin
We went to
lunch at 1p meeting David and Brenda from OR, somewhere not too far from
Portland. I would say they are in their 40's. He is a Physician Assistant and
Brenda works for Intel software. They have no children but a cat they adore,
well I can't hold that against them! They seem nice enough. Lunch was more
American than anything we have had so far, only the salad bar was more middle
eastern with pickled things. Chicken and fish were the proteins and both were
very good. Unlike a "regular" cruise ship, this is all served buffet
style, other than the fish which the chef was frying in the dining area.
After
lunch we took a short drive to visit Karnak Temple, called by some “the Temple
of Temples.” It is the largest place of worship ever built. Its ancient name
Ipet-isut means “the most sacred of places.” The temple, or, more correctly,
the complex of temples, was built over more than two thousand years by
generation after generation of pharaohs. Within the complex, the great
“Hypostyle Hall” is an incredible forest of giant pillars covering an area
larger than the whole of Notre Dame Cathedral. It was an astonishing site
considering this place began to be built in 3000 BC and work was stopped in 450
BC! Some of the colors are still pretty vibrant. I will add, the way they made
their colors to paint in these temples is different that I thought. They finely
ground stones of different colors, then mixed it with egg yolk! They used Lapis, Malachite, amber, and others I cannot recall right now. It's quite warm
in the sun but thankfully there is plenty of shade.
Karnak
Temple
We then
visited the graceful Temple of Luxor built by Amenhotep III and Ramses II for
ritual and festivals and dedicated to the god Amun. The sun is going down and I
wish I had a shot of that sunset, it was brilliant! Traveling in a van is not
the best way to take a photo! Most off this temple has strategic lighting so
the pictures look pretty nice even after dark. Fascinating is the Avenue of the
Sphinx. It went from Karnak to Luxor with Sphinx along the entire way. Only
part of this is excavated. Just seeing the parts exposed is astounding.
Luxor
Temple
We
returned to our boat and had 1.5 hours before our 7:30p dinner time. We ate
light and had a nice visit with David and Brenda. They are getting up at 3:15A
to take a hot air balloon ride. Good for them! We think 6:15a is very early to
start out for us, but at least it will be cooler and we don't really mind! I
was really sorry the other day to realize I left my little ice pack in Israel.
My knee could use some icing tonight but it has been worse. At least we don't
have to move to the next hotel anytime soon. After this cruise we will fly to
Cairo and then from there home.
Our Nile Cruise on the RADAMIS II: One of the most luxurious Nile Cruises. It
has 60 deluxe cabins and 6 presidential suites all with TV, minibar, hairdryer
and safe. Facilities and amenities include pool and Jacuzzi, lounge, nightclub,
boutique, gift shop, sun deck, 4 bars, and laundry facilities. www.radamis.com/Cruises
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