Where to start. I warn you that some of what I write below may offend. I normally complete an entry for each day, but I got a little behind in my blog as the cruise I did before Egypt had limited wifi as did Egypt. I left Egypt feeling very happy to leave. Sadly my anger at how women are treated and repressed here made me not enjoy this country as I was hoping I would. My knowledge of how women are treated in this part of the world, did not prepare me for how I would feel and react. I enjoyed the River Nile cruise on the MS Emilio. It was a fascinating way to travel to the historical areas of this country. The cruise was for 7 nights. There were around 80 people on board, mostly from Germany, a handful of Brits and me the only Aussie.
We started in Edfu with horse and carts ready to take tourists into town. I found it hard to reconcile the intelligence of the historical Egyptian people to the way they currently live. They have rich history of buildings which cannot be built the same way today with all our technological advancements, and yet this country has not advanced. Then there is the contrast of the arid desert of the West bank to the green oasis of the East bank.
Our first historical stop was Kom Ombo.
My favourite was the Philae Temple. We took a bus and then a boat ride out to the island where this temple was moved to. It was on another island which had flooded and the temple was moved out of flood area. I had a scary moment when I asked a police officer to have a photo with me. (I do this in every country in the world I travel to and only had China and Belgium police decline). The Egyptian officer and his colleague took me to a spot on the island which I figured he chose as it would not be identified in photos. It was my first lesson that if you ask for a photo with someone or ask them to take a photo in Egypt that you have to pay them. I paid the fellow in the photo and his colleague got angry that I didn’t give him money. I quickly got out of the way and let them sort it out between them. I didn’t think I needed to pay someone who wasn’t in the photo. This was one of many instances where my Western ways did not understand the ways of this country.
An additional part of the trip which cost extra was the trip to Abu Simbel. Many people recommended I do this 7 hour bus trip even though you only spend one hour on site. I highly recommend this trip. On the way we had a bit of excitement as the bus broke down in the middle of the desert. It was amusing to see all the German engineers and mechanics providing advice on how to get the bus going again. It was obvious this happens often as the bus driver put some sort of patch on the radiator and we were on our way. While we all off the bus waiting for the radiator to cool, someone pointed out that we had a “tourist police” on board. The man with the blue suit, you will see is carrying an uzi. This reinforced the dangers of travelling in this country. Within 20 minutes of us breaking down, the police were on site to see what was going on. They know where everyone is. Every vehicle goes through checkpoints at each tourist destination. There are dog squads, police check under vehicles for bombs, passports are checked.
Abu Simbel is somewhere to be experienced. Photos do not do it justice.
My small contribution to making women more prominant is to include the womens as the larger photo.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Nubian Village. As in most societies, the indigenous in Egypt, the Nubians, have long been marginalised. In recent times they have been moved from their lands twice. We were invited into a Nubian House and introduced to their pets.
The homes are in a beautiful part of the River Nile. We had a lovely cup of hibiscus tea and were shown around their home.
The highlight of my trip was a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon and Luxor. I wasn’t worried unti I got in the basket with 23 other people from USA and Spain. Then thought “what the hell am I doing”. It wasn’t long before I was mesmerised by the view and the silence in between the burner activating. The pilot was wonderful.
Colossis of Menmon
Valley of the Kings has several tombs and I got to look into KV 6, KV 8 and KV11.
In KV8 I bumped into an Aussie who lives 10 minutes from me in Sydney and then I bumped into him in Luxor airport.
The temples of Esna were under mud for 3000 years. Fascinating how a city was built on top of this historical ruins. They were discovered 200 years ago and archaeologists are still uncovering treasures. Houses built on top of the ruins are slowly being acquired and people are being relocated. A bit like how people in Sydney have had their homes purchased by the government to build roads or airports. It is amazing how this workmanship has lasted 3 millenia and the colours, although faded, are still very visible. How have the colours of the work lasted so long!
Civilisation Museum in Cairo
What a magnificent museum. One floor holds most of the mummified kings and Queens of Egypt. They were very tall. Unfortunately you aren’t permitted to take photos of the mummies but the top floor has some beautiful artifacts. Highly recommend attending.
Hanging Church in Old Cairo
Built by the Romans in the Old Cairo district, this church is constructed on top of columns and is a Coptic church.
The finale of Cairo, the Giza Pyramids and Sphinx
In summary of this once in a lifetime trip, I wanted to capture exactly how I feel immediately after this trip, not some time down the track when I can romanticise the trip.
This trip to Egypt has been a mix of emotions for me. I do not wish to offend anyone, this is what I feel and think. Perhaps some of it is due to some historical events in my life but it is how I felt here. I have travelled the world extensively. I have been to some very dangerous cities and villages. I have lived in the midst of poverty and corruption. I have never felt the fear, discomfort, anger, frustration and other emotions in one place as I experienced in Egypt. I think it is mostly due to the repression of women. The boat on the Nile doesn’t have any women working on the boat. I saw women in Cairo but in Luxor, Esna and the other areas it is rare to see women. I was travelling as a solo female with other tourists who were couples and I was treated differently to the other females who had male partners. When I travel I prefer to stay in the areas of the locals, not in 5 star hotel resorts. The hotel I stayed in Giza had police presence outside, armed guards inside with metal detector and bag check at entry. The town looks like it has been bombed. The pollution is so thick that it was worse than a bad fire smoke day during bushfires in Sydney. I always go with my gut feeling and this part of Egypt was not one I felt comfortable to walk around. In Luxor, Cairo and all along the River Nile, I found the loud speaker call to prayer five times a day at around midnight, 3:30am, 6:00am, 3:30pm and 6:00pm very discomforting. There is nowhere you cannot hear it. Interestingly I tried to compare it to monks chanting but their prayer feels calming to me.
In summary, I am so glad I did this trip. I loved the Civilisation Museum, the River Nile cruise, all the history, the hot air balloon over Luxor but unfortunately the fear and anger I felt about how women are treated, is enough for me not to want to return. Many people speak to me about how safe they feel on this trip, but I think it is because they stay in 5 star accommodation which is far from seeing what the real Egypt is.
I would recommend any solo females to do the trip with a reputable company, stay in 5 star accommodation. This is the most expensive and over priced trip I have ever done. An example, the hotel I stayed in costs £80 per night, the travel agent charged £480 for 2 nights. This is what all agents charge. You will pay quite a lot of money for the trip and an exorbitant amount during the trip paying tips for everyone from the driver you have already paid for in your “all inclusive trip” to paying for 5 sheets of toilet paper you are given if you use a toilet in museums you have already paid to enter. As I said earlier, I do not wish to offend anyone, this is my experience and how I feel. I hope this can prepare others.
Over 50 Aussie female solo traveller USA road trip and beyond 