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Good timing, or just lucky?

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Our trip to Egypt and Jordan was well worth the effort. Despite some disappointing travel arrangement issues with our tour operator that put a damper on the first couple of days in Jordan, we enjoyed the trip immensely. We were lucky that we had returned home a few days before the first positive coronavirus test turned up in Luxor - where we started and finished the Nile River cruise segment of our itinerary. (We passed our concerns on to our travel agent who forwarded them to the river cruise company which organized the trip. As of this writing, we have not received any explanation from them. Understanding that they may be busy with cancellations & rescheduling related to the pandemic, we continue to be patient.) (below) A local bakery. Akram picked up a tray of hot bread right from the oven for us - our only 'street food' on the trip. In Ramses II’s temple at Abu Simbel Cobras flanking the cartouche of Ramses II We read a great deal about different itiner

Luxor and Royal Tombs - Valley of the Kings

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Above the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens near Luxor The temple of Queen Hatshepsut is below the prominent craggy cliff face left of centre. The distinct limit of the irrigation from the Nike River is evident by the abrupt border of the farm fields. Burial chamber in a royal tomb - Valley of the Kings If the Pharaoh ruled for a long time, the workers had many years to build and decorate his tomb with intricate symbolic art. The original paint still remains. Walls were decorated floor to ceiling. Even the ceiling was painted, usually blue and yellow like the night sky. Baboons appear frequently in the tombs and temples. The boats symbolize some of what the pharaoh would need in the afterlife. Many figures are servants who would assist him with his needs. Some are images of various gods.

A few more photos from Cairo

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Some more views from Cairo View from the roof of an old mosque school. Different styles of Cairo minarets from different historic periods. El Fishawi coffee shop in the Cairo Bazaar. This cafe is supposed to be the oldest in the city. Since 1773, it has been open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Window in an old mosque school Below: Works of art from the Egyptian Museum, Cairo Interiors of burial chambers from small tombs Golden objects from Royal tombs I Statue of King Tutankhamen spear fishing
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Additional post-trip notes and photos. (Apologies for any duplicates) (Continued from last post) Karnak temple complex and scenes from other sites 4. Food, Water, Health: We stayed healthy on this trip and paid attention to basic rules and practices for food and water. Prior to leaving, we visited a travel MD, got our immunizations updated, and got prescriptions for just-in-case conditions. We have been using Dukoral for a few years when traveling to more exotic locations; it seems to have worked for us. Also, in Egypt and Jordan, we are careful to use only bottled water for drinking and brushing teeth. We avoid ice in drinks. As far as food goes. we do not eat uncooked vegetables and have only fruit that we can peel ourselves. Bananas and oranges - good; strawberries and salads, risky.  We made a point of avoiding all kinds of street food except for one instance when Akram stopped the bus one morning at a bakery to get us some fresh-baked Egyptian bread right out of t