Good timing, or just lucky?
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 itineraries offered by various tour companies and we picked one that would allow us to see the most. Yes, at some sites, we would have liked to have spent more time or return for a second visit, but with a busy travel schedule, compromises are made.
(below) Burial chamber in the second tallest of the Giza pyramids, the Pyramid of Khafre. This is the pyramid that is still covered by some of the original facing stones near the top. Only a few of our group crouched through the long, low, narrow passageway to this deepest interior room.
One potential challenge we learned about before our trip was the varied daily schedule with little down time. In Egypt, most days began very early. For example, we left the ship at 05:15 on the day we took the hot air balloon over the Valley of the Kings. We also had early starts the days we flew to from Cairo to Luxor, from Aswan to Abu Simbel, from Luxor back to Cairo, and when departing Cairo for home (the start of a 21 hour travel day for us).
Esna produce market
Knowing about this schedule before we departed probably made it a bit easier for us. The guides usually gave us the schedule only for the next day, so some people were unpleasantly surprised by the early starts. Of course, early starts can be beneficial. Getting to sites before the morning gets too old most often put us ahead of the larger crowds. In addition, we were able, most of the time, to avoid the hottest part of the day because we started early.
(below) The Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan, built in 1899. Agatha Christie’s writing desk is in the main lobby. We enjoyed afternoon tea on the terrace overlooking the Nile River.
The crew on the ship adjusted meal times for us based on our daily itineraries. Even when we left dark and early for the balloon flight, they set out an excellent continental breakfast for us, then packed food bags for us which we got when we joined our group after landing.
Probably, late January or early February (or perhaps the fall) is the optimal time to go to Egypt. Since we were visiting Jordan first, and wanted to avoid the coldest temperatures there, we planned our trip to start a little later in February missing the coldest days in Jordan and the very hot days in Egypt.
(below) The Great Sphinx and the Pyramid of Khufu (aka Cheops)
Absent any requests by blog visitors for more information, this will be the last entry. We hope the posts provided interesting and useful information for your entertainment or in case you are planning to visit this part of the world. We decided to use this blog to keep friends and family informed of our exploits while on this trip thinking that maybe it would get a couple hundred views. As of this writing, the number of blog views is surprisingly closing in on 2000. Hope you enjoyed it.
Don’t forget to to keep washing your hands.
Salaam
(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 itineraries offered by various tour companies and we picked one that would allow us to see the most. Yes, at some sites, we would have liked to have spent more time or return for a second visit, but with a busy travel schedule, compromises are made.
(below) Burial chamber in the second tallest of the Giza pyramids, the Pyramid of Khafre. This is the pyramid that is still covered by some of the original facing stones near the top. Only a few of our group crouched through the long, low, narrow passageway to this deepest interior room.
Esna produce market
Knowing about this schedule before we departed probably made it a bit easier for us. The guides usually gave us the schedule only for the next day, so some people were unpleasantly surprised by the early starts. Of course, early starts can be beneficial. Getting to sites before the morning gets too old most often put us ahead of the larger crowds. In addition, we were able, most of the time, to avoid the hottest part of the day because we started early.
The crew on the ship adjusted meal times for us based on our daily itineraries. Even when we left dark and early for the balloon flight, they set out an excellent continental breakfast for us, then packed food bags for us which we got when we joined our group after landing.
Probably, late January or early February (or perhaps the fall) is the optimal time to go to Egypt. Since we were visiting Jordan first, and wanted to avoid the coldest temperatures there, we planned our trip to start a little later in February missing the coldest days in Jordan and the very hot days in Egypt.
(below) The Great Sphinx and the Pyramid of Khufu (aka Cheops)
Absent any requests by blog visitors for more information, this will be the last entry. We hope the posts provided interesting and useful information for your entertainment or in case you are planning to visit this part of the world. We decided to use this blog to keep friends and family informed of our exploits while on this trip thinking that maybe it would get a couple hundred views. As of this writing, the number of blog views is surprisingly closing in on 2000. Hope you enjoyed it.
Don’t forget to to keep washing your hands.
Salaam
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