September 28 - October 5, 2023
The last two days of our Nile cruise were the best of our Egyptian adventure. Drifting down the scenic river with stops at a few temples was quite civilized and relaxing.
Pastries near the window and nightly entertainment on our cruise
After leaving Aswan, our first stop was an evening to visit Esna, a small but beautiful temple. After our long day of driving to and from Abu Simbel, I must confess that we skipped this excursion. We were starting to feel a little temple fatigue - and we weren’t the only ones who decided to hang back for some pool time.
Overnight, we reached Edfu to explore the Temple of Horace. We rafted next to two other cruise ships, which meant to get to shore, you had to pass through the other boats. You could get boat envy doing this. One of them was particularly lovely - but we were happy aboard the M.S. Nile Majestic, so we chose not to second-guess our decision.
We left at 5:00 am to be first in line to get tickets before the temple gates opened at 6:00 am. We beat the heat and the crowds, which made for a more relaxed experience, and this turned out to be one of our favorite stops.
Our transport to and from the Temple was by horse-drawn buggy, known as a Calache. It was not an original idea since all the passengers on the flotilla used them. That meant there was at least a hundred buggies jostling down the narrow road that led to the Temple. And they all looked very much alike, so finding your same driver for the ride back to the boat seemed impossible. But that's what guides are for - it seems he had a magic "horse whistle" that conjured up our drivers and we were back on the boat for breakfast.
As for Edfu Temple - it was splendid. It is one of the most intact and intricate monuments along the Nile. One of the highlights is the giant statues of Horus as a Falcon that flank the entryway and the massive mirror-imaged towers - unusual for the period. But the most exciting fact was that almost the entire Temple was buried in sand until the mid-19th century. In fact, a whole village was built on its rooftops. The Temple was excavated in the 1860s, and the village was restored and moved a short distance away.
While in line for our tickets, we learned about the website egymonuments.com from another traveler. Why our guide didn't tell us about this, I don't know, but we could purchase admission tickets to the monuments before arriving and skip the lines! I wish we'd known about this site all the way back in Cairo. It made things much easier going forward. No lines. No scalpers. No hassle.
We pushed off and headed to Luxor for our final night. Along the way, we had to clear a massive lock. That meant boats had to idle near the river bank for a few hours until it was their turn to enter. This made us “sitting ducks” for the intrepid vendors who sold beach towels, tablecloths, and pashminas from small row boats. They swept alongside, waving their wares and trying to outdo each other on pricing - and in fact, they had a lot of successful sales.
On our boat, one group of tourists couldn't get enough of having towels in weighted plastic bags tossed to the highest deck. They chose their favorites and then tossed US dollars back in the empty bags along with the towels they didn't want to keep (not many). It was fun to watch.
When it was our turn to pass through the locks, another cluster of vendors was waiting to sell wares dockside. Sadly, from our cabin, I watched a vendor toss several very nice items to a customer on our upper deck and negotiate a price. Unfortunately, the customer threw back less than half that amount. As the boat slowly moved, the vendor pleaded for the rest of his money until we passed the end of the dock, and it was too late. I felt terrible for him. And disappointed by our fellow passenger. I doubt the whole transaction cost more than twenty dollars - it was the perfect example of why tourists are also part of the vendor aggression problem in Egypt.
We spent the rest of that day on the water, reaching Luxor by late afternoon. We quickly departed for Luxor Temple, another must-see monument. Our van took us through the center of town - a refreshingly clean and welcoming place. It basically exists to accommodate the millions of visitors that descend each year, so the city Pharaohs invested in park-like settings along the river, modern hotels, interesting shops, and almost pristine streets! The Temple itself sits in the city center.
We arrived at dusk, and it was spectacular. The setting sun blazed through the pillars and lit up the Avenue of Sphinxes - a portion of a 2-mile stretch of road lined with statues that ran to the Temple at Karnak. It was a cool evening for a change, and there weren't hordes of tourists, so we lingered amongst the ruins and truly appreciated the ancient history we were witnessing.
Back to reality! Up at 5:00 am for a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings. We left our boat and drove to a dock where we would catch one of a hundred small ferry boats that cross the river. On the other side, we took a van to the launch site. Once there, we were awed by the spectacle of more than a dozen balloons in various stages of inflation - from laying flat on the ground to lift-off. Our group milled around until we were pointed to a mostly inflated balloon that would be our "Airship."
Not the best picture, but I wanted to show just how many balloons were already in the air at 6:00 am.
This was a great experience! Once we were loaded into the basket (not easy), we drifted gently over patches of farmland and villages along the Nile and then over low mountains and a vast and desolate desert. We passed over the Valley of the Kings and Queens - a collection of underground tombs we would visit later in the day, and after about 45 minutes, we landed on a smooth stretch of sand. From the air, we could see pickup trucks tracking us, and they came racing toward our balloon as we descended. Several men jumped out to pull us down safely and help us disembark.
We headed straight to Hatshepsut Temple and the Valley of the Kings after the balloon ride. The first temple was interesting - but we were anxious to get to the hidden tombs in the valley, including Tutankhamun’s final resting place. The Valley was a fantastic experience. Here, we could truly appreciate the grandeur of the tombs, the colorful depictions of sacred ceremonies that could have been painted yesterday, and thousands of intricate hieroglyphics. However, it was 110° outside and several degrees warmer deep inside the tombs, so we couldn’t linger.
We packed up and said goodbye to our cruise staff (with a tip of course) and headed to a resort hotel we had booked ourselves. A three-night respite in Luxor was just what we needed before pushing on to Alexandria for a few days to wrap up our Egyptian adventure.
But there was one more Temple to go before there could be rest-for-these-weary-travelers. Our guide picked us up at the hotel in the early morning to take us to The Temple at Karnak - one of the most important and impressive monuments of all. This is one you should read about yourself and make sure you add it to your itinerary. The columns alone are worth the visit!
We spent three more days in Luxor at The Jolie Ville Hotel and Spa on Kings Island. It was the perfect place to unwind after our jam-packed cruise. The resort was established in the 70s and gradually spread over 150 acres. Now, it features several pools, including a small aqua park, lush green spaces with mature trees, and riverfront beaches. You can choose between quaint bungalows, two-story hotel blocks, stand-alone villas for your accommodations, and various clubhouses and restaurants for delicious meals and entertainment.
We weren't sure we needed this respite when planning this trip, but it was a wise decision. We enjoyed three restful days lounging by the pool(s), getting manicures and pedicures, and eating well. It was indulgent, but the good life in Egypt can be affordable, so we allowed ourselves to enjoy the moment. It was a good thing we did because we were about to jump back into Egyptian chaos.
There was much debate around whether to travel on Egyptian trains. We had heard several horror stories - especially about the overnight experiences. But we were curious because we've always enjoyed train journeys. Besides, an overnight train to Alexandria, our last destination, was the most affordable way to get there. We steered clear of the national train service and chose a new, high-speed Spanish Talgo line instead. It was more expensive, but we knew we would be safe and not jostled around in a rattle-trap, potentially dirty train. It didn't come with sleeping berths, but we'd read the seats were comfortable enough to sleep in. But we were surprised they didn’t recline, and the carriage lights would stay on full-bright all night!
A fellow passenger helped us recreate our sleeping experience on our train from Luxor to Cairo.
In Alexandria, we would be staying in our second Airbnb of the trip. The listing pictures were very enticing - expansive sea view, elegant decor, a nice kitchen, tasteful amenities, and many excellent reviews of the apartment and the host. And fortunately, that all turned out to be true!
We enjoyed a delicious Egyptian breakfast prepared by our very Super Host Mawra (far right) and her friend.
Let me start with our host, Marwa. She was amazing and worthy of all of her five-star reviews. She was very concerned that we would arrive in Cairo by overnight train with a layover until we could take a second, three-hour train to Alexandria. So she went above and beyond to make sure that didn't happen. She lives in Cairo, so she had a driver pick us up at the train station and bring us to her home for breakfast and a chance to recover from our lack of sleep. But that was not enough - after a delicious homemade breakfast with one of her good friends, she paid for a second driver to take us all the way to Alexandria - more than a two hour drive!
The view of the beach from our balcony. We found the beaches to be pretty dirty where we were, so we didn’t visit them.
The Airbnb itself was very nice. However, the building it was in was grim. But remember, dear readers, we often counsel that the beautiful Airbnb you've booked does exist. Be brave, and enter buildings you might not consider pushing past the front door.
Hosts often can't control their buildings' exterior or public spaces, but they can provide a warm and welcoming Airbnb in their own space. That was the case in Alexandria. The building staff were eager to please, and Marwa made sure we were treated to coffee and ice cream at the cafe next door while our apartment was prepared for our arrival. Our apartment was beautiful!
We were in a part of the city far from the center but had access to the seafront and a beautiful park. We visited the famous Alexandria Library (a story worth reading about), which was impressive.
Not only is it an architectural wonder, but it holds the largest digital library in the world. And you can access it here! But we were back in a big Egyptian city with the same challenges as Cairo.
After two weeks of mixed experiences - both fascinating and frustrating, we are glad we finally decided to visit Egypt. You can only appreciate the magnitude of what those ancient architects and visionary citizens created by seeing it with your own eyes. We just encourage you to keep those eyes wide open.
Thanks for following along,
Debbie and Michael Campbell
WHEN I WRITE A NEW BLOG IT WILL POST ON OUR @THESENIORNOMADS INSTAGRAM OR THE SENIOR NOMADS FACEBOOK PAGE. YOU CAN ALSO JOIN OUR SENIOR NOMAD’S FACEBOOK COMMUNITY! THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING OUR TRAVELS AND PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS.