King Tut, Cleopatra, Indiana Jones....now us.

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 the oven. We figured that was ok and it was safe and tasty.

We also keep hand sanitizer very handy and used it frequently at the table after we handle the menus, after tours, on the bus, etc.

Those practices work well for us; on this trip, two other couples travelling together got some degree of 'mummy tummy' by not paying attention to the basic food rules. They did not need medical care, but were ill enough for a day of two to sit out some excursions which was quite unfortunate on a trip like this.

5. Hotels: We had our hotels pre-booked as a part of our package. On this trip and not our normal practice, were in first class accommodation - a bit more expensive, but we felt the cost was justified as the hotels had better security and hygiene practices in place. Like at the airports, bags go through an x-ray scanner on entry. Most of the time, the bus or taxi is stopped at a security checkpoint before driving up to the hotel door. At most of the sites visited, even the outdoor bazaar in Cairo, visitors go through a security check with x-ray and metal detectors, although some of those monitoring the process seem less than interested.

Scenes from Temples and Tombs

Ramses the Great in the Abu Simbel temple dedicated to him

Abu Simbel temple wall carving

6. Weather: We did a good amount of research on the temperature range we could expect at different times of the year and compromised with a February trip. Some days in Jordan, the mornings were single digit Celsius and we had to layer up a bit. A few even wore light gloves, lighter down sweaters or fleece, and scarves. Afternoons were comfortable. We did have a couple days in Egypt that got quite warm by mid-afternoon (25C). Deferring to the sun, lighter colours might be the prudent choice for your own trip.

Abu Simbel

7. Clothing: Conservative attire is best both for temperature and to adhere to cultural norms. In our group, none of the men wore shorts except on the sun deck of the ship and most men we saw wore long pants when on a tour. Some women wore longer shorts or Capri pants on warmer days. A few wore light weight long skirts, but most wore pants or slacks. If visiting a working mosque, women might need to cover their shoulders with a scarf and at one, they insisted on visiting women wearing long skirts. (They provided loaners.)

As so many have advised, in the winter months, layering is best for cooler days. For February, a soft shell jacket over an insulated vest and long sleeve shirt will get one through most days and keep the clothing volume down. Light fleece gloves and a scarf might be useful for some.

A hat is a good idea; the sun can be intense in Egypt. Best protection and commonly seen are hats with a full wide brim. Aussie-style or "Tilley"-style hats were common. Wearers carry their shade with them. We even saw a group from the south west USA wearing cowboy hats, not a bad option for shade. Not very many people wore baseball style hats; they don't provide much sun protection. We did not have a lot of sunny days in Jordan, but had lots of sun up in Egypt. Our Egyptian guides wore hats much of the time.

The Sphinx overlooking the city of Giza, not very far away

For many of the ancient sites, a low cut hiking shoe is just about perfect. Good running or court shoes would work, too. Open toe shoes and light sandals are not advised, especially at sites where the locals offer camel rides. Descending and ascending the narrow sloping tunnels in the tombs might not be best with flip flops or other light sandals. Hiking boots are not needed.

Shipboard attire is fairly casual, much more so than on a cruise ship in Europe. For dinners, a few of the women sometimes wore dresses or skirts, occasionally with a scarf or shawl. A couple men had sports jackets, but I cannot recall one wearing a tie. This was an active trip with a great deal of time spent outdoors; we picked our clothes based on that.

Egyptian breakfast on board ship

In Abu Simbel temple, Ramses’ chariots on the left, in battle formation, crush his enemy’s forces (right). The enemy chariots are in disarray, horses wounded, soldiers falling from their chariots.

Ramses the warrior holding an enemy by the hair before striking him with a weapon.

8. Photos: In quite a few locations, visitors need to purchase a photo permit to take pictures with a camera. In these locations, use of a cell phone camera is allowed with no special permit. This is the case inside the pyramids, in the Egyptian museum, and in some of the temples. Akram explained that, not too long ago, in many locations (King Tut's tomb, for example), no photos at all were allowed. What was happening was that the guards inside the tombs who are there to protect the antiquities and enforce the rules, were opening their palms and, for a few pounds, they'd let visitors take cell phone photos. When the authorities learned of this small-scale corruption, they changed the rules and made the decision to allow cell phone photos while limiting camera use to those who paid for the photo permit. All my photos on this blog (indoors and outdoors) were taken with my cell phone camera.

Scenes from the Princess’ tomb at Sakkara

We did go to a few location in which no photos at all were allowed, regardless of the device. In the Egyptian museum, no photography at all is allowed in the room housing Tutankhamen's gold death, sarcophagus, and other gold items from his tomb. Very few locations allow flash photography, but they don't prevent guides from using military grade flashlights and laser pointers as they explain elements of the antiquities to their clients.

The Giza Plateau pyramids are not far from the city itself