The Unpolished Princess

Today was another extremely early morning. Our flight left Luxor at 5:30am. We landed by 6:30 and then had the lovely pleasure of waiting for our luggage for over an hour and a half. We were all a bit cranky.

That was, of course, until we walked out the doors of the airport and was immediately greeted by Sherif and Ali, our guide and our driver we had when we were in Cairo before! It was smiles and hugs all around, then off to the van to pack us in and take us to the Muhammad Ali Mosque. He was a very important man for Egypt. He’s considered one of the most famous Muslim leaders, and was known for advocating for religious freedom and other humanitarian causes. This was a big deal at the time, and now all religions are practiced in egypt, with Christians and Muslims living as neighbors without any issues.

Sherif took us all around and inside this beautiful place, explaining the architecture and the rituals/customs. It’s pretty fascinating.. and the detail! My goodness! I think the three major religions of the world are all closely related, and they all seem to have huge gorgeous places to worship-and they deck those mosques, churches, and synagogues out with all the inlaid marble, ivory, and carved wood and stone. This mosque was just beautiful. It also has the tomb of Mohammad Ali in the corner, which isn’t traditionally done.

After seeing the inside, we got to see the panorama views of Cairo from the outside. This city is absolutely MASSIVE.. I believe Sherif said over 33 million people live in this area.. Cairo and Giza and I believe one other suburb of the city. It’s easy to see why it would look and feel a bit chaotic-there’s a lot of people living their daily lives, then you add tourists from all over the world too. It’s a busy place! The big domes of the mosque are covered in alabaster, so it’s also known as the alabaster mosque. The long spindle things, called minarets, that jut up into the sky are the highest of any mosque in Egypt, at 275 feet tall.

We left the mosque and headed to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. Y’all. Sherif is a brilliant man for bringing us to this museum last. IT. HAD. AIR. CONDITIONING!! Like-that south atlanta good air conditioning! It was awesome for that fact alone-and then you add in all the cool artifacts and treasures in there-WHEW. And then: the MUMMIES! Y’all. I was having the time of my life nerding out in there!

We saw carpets handwoven for ceremonies and weddings, intricate wooden boxes engraved with gold to hold the Quran, traditional dress of the Nubian and the Beduin people, and so many statues, jewelry, and trinkets. It’s so well preserved and the displays were magnificent. I was in awe at every head turn.

There were lots of school children there, too. The little girls in their hijabs were the absolute cutest, running up to Andrea and I asking for pictures of us and with us. Sherif got them giggling at one point, and then he must have said something like, “ok, that’s enough now,” in Arabic-because they all smiled and nodded, then left us alone for a bit. The group of tween boys were staring pretty hard, and he startled them and got them into a fit of giggles and red cheeks, too. He wouldn’t tell us what he said, but those boys seemed a little embarrassed. Ha, it was super sweet.

From the top, we went down the stairs into the rooms where they keep the Royal mummies. There were 20 of them, including Queen Hatshepsut and Queen Tiye, and 18 Kings, like Ramses II, Tutmoses III, and so many more. They still had hair and teeth, fingers and toes. One looked like he had a Charlie horse in his calf or foot-because it was wrenched sideways. Ramses II had an arm lifted, it’s so crazy. These people lived and ruled THOUSANDS of years ago.. and here they lie-for the most part intact. Absolutely insane.

I truly loved the mummies. Mom got the heebeegeebees around them, but she enjoyed looking at their sarcophaguses.. which were obviously stunning. These ancient Egyptians knew a thing or two about sustaining beauty, that’s for sure.

After the museum, Sherif took us to the markets. We were beyond grateful to have him with us. He helped corral us through the busy (and really freaking hot) streets of Cairo. I told him I wanted to find a local artist that paints to buy a painting from.. he of course knew a guy. He took us strait through the insanity right to a little shop.. Farid is the artist and he pulled out painting after painting-no two the same, all clearly made by him.

I found the one I loved, a beautiful camel in the desert with a Beduin man riding on top. Beduins are the people of the desert, apparently not just in Egypt-but any people of any desert. I need to fact check this.. anyway-I adored it. Andrea found her one, too. We happily paid the sweet man and then I got a picture of us together 🙂 it’s one of my favorite things to do! Get a piece of art hand created on my travels. I have a wall that will be slap full before I know it!

Anyway-we carried on, found some souvenirs to take home with us, and when we looked completely zonked-Sherif took us to lunch. We didn’t even realize how hungry we were until we sat down at the restaurant. The restaurant is called Abu Tarek Koshary-which is a type of pasta dish made specifically here. It was served with a little show of preparation. It was awesome-and absolutely delicious! I took our leftovers back to the hotel with us!

We checked into our hotel, another gorgeous one with city views. We showered and laid down to relax after that early morning and a jam packed day. Mom fell asleep pretty early, I ordered room service and watched tv. I was tired but not able to sleep yet. That’s fine.. I’m sure I’ll pass out here soon either way. I’m too tired to go anywhere, that’s for sure. Tomorrow we leave at 6:30am to head to the black and white deserts with the tour guide I booked this trip through. It’ll be our first time meeting him in person, so that’ll be nice.. he’s planned us a great trip so far. Goodnight.

Yep. Today is my new favorite day! Even in the heat, I absolutely LOVED everything I got to see today! It was stunning! I might be the only one considering it a favorite though.. haha!

We were at breakfast on the boat, bags packed and all, by 6:30. After breakfast, we met Osama and got immediately on a motorboat to cross the Nile River to get to the West Bank. There, our driver met us and started the drive towards the Valley of the Kings. I was giddy from the start, just knowing I was going to be a happy camper today, no matter the weather.

Our first stop was at the Colossi of Memnon.. where two massive statues of Pharoah Agamemnon III stand guarding his mortuary temple. Now, they greet us to the West Bank. When I say they’re massive, we’re talking over 60 feet tall. And as of right now, they’re standing alone, no walls or other parts of the temple close by (they’re still doing restorations in this area), so they feel even larger when you stand next to one and look up.

From there, we headed to the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. She was one of the greatest Pharohs of Egypt, and the second woman to rule the country alone. During her time as pharoh, there was mostly peacetime, and she was able to establish trade routes and treaties with neighboring nations. In her temple, her statues depict her as a king, with a false beard to show wisdom and muscles to show her strength. Her temple is a masterpiece with three terraces with staircases leading up the middle to each level. Beautiful just doesn’t seem to cut it.

After leaving Hatshepsut, we made our way to the Valley of the Kings-where many of the tombs of the pharaohs are. When I tell you that they’re incredible, I mean it. Words could never do it justice. Each tomb is down in the ground, carved out rooms with colors and carvings all the way from the entrance to the openings that held the sarcophagus and the mummified pharoh. Now, the majority of the mummies found have been moved to a temperature controlled museum in Cairo that we’ll get to visit before we leave Cairo.

The 4 tombs we got to see are those of King Ramses IX, King Ramses I, King Tutankhamen (or just King Tut lol), and King Ramses IV. Only King Tut’s tomb had his mummy in it.. and while his tomb was beautiful to see, I found the others more gorgeous and vibrant than his. His mummy was unbelievable to witness with my own eyes. I can’t believe his body is there, in a glass case, still very much intact, after thousands of years. I can’t even preserve my leftovers. It’s fascinating.

After seeing King Tut, our moms were quite over the entire thing. The heat was oppressive.. like nothing I’ve experienced before-and I was hiking in the deserts of California quite recently. I think that’s the only reason I wasn’t completely losing my mind-because the sweat that started to roll down my body never stopped.. it was a constant stream that was impressive all on its own. We could have bottled it, it was so free flowing. So, for our last tomb, our moms hung out under a fan in the shade, while Andrea and I sauntered through the heat.

I’m so glad I did. King Ramses IV was my favorite tomb. The colors were just magnificent, like they were painted yesterday. The walls were all covered in painted carvings and scenes so beautiful that if my spirit returns one day I might have to go there to find Ramses instead of myself. Ha. The golds and yellows were striking against the reds and blues. So absolutely amazing.

After the excitement and beauty there, I seriously would have went into every single tomb available to me.. even with my river of sweat-but quite literally, everyone else was actually melting. Mom looked close to passing out, Terri was zoned out, too, and Andrea was willing to put up with my shenanigans, but I didn’t want to keep our moms out there any longer or make anyone miserable, it was just too much. While our apps said it was 91 degrees, I sincerely think it was more than that-and humid.. with zero air movement. Stifling is the best way to describe it.. stifling, suffocating, oppressive.. but the skies looked gorgeous 😉

We walked back to the start of the tombs and got on a trolly-all of us trying to sneak some wind flow through our dresses for an ounce of relief. Back in the van, we thanked God for our air conditioner. It took a good 15-25 minutes for all of us to stop panting and to cool off a bit. We were driven back to our boat, the long way.. so no longer having to cross the river on the motorboats. Driving the long way around meant we got to put our luggage in this van and then be taken to our next hotel, Sonesta Luxor Hotel.

I think this may be my favorite hotel yet. We checked into our rooms, then went to lunch at the Italian restaurant on site. The food was great (mushroom risotto, can you believe it?), and Mom got Terri into a laughing fit so hard that we all ended up crying laughing for a solid 10 minutes! I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a while.. once we’d slow down, Terri would get going again causing a wave of renewed laughter. Ahhhhh, fantastic times! My face and abs are still sore!

After lunch, we made our way to the pool (after getting into our bathing suits) and swam until nightfall. Andrea and I had wine while swimming, floated and talking with two of the girls we met on the river cruise. There’s nothing like shared experiences to bring you together! Ha! They were miserable in the heat today too.

We ended up eating a light dinner on the terrace, overlooking the Nile River. It was gorgeous, and the heat had died down. Tomorrow we fly out early to Cairo for the day/night to then go to the White and Black Sand Deserts on Saturday. We’ll be with Sherif tomorrow, so we’re all pretty pumped to see him again. I know I am!

Can every day be my favorite day?

We had a very early morning, waking up at 3:30am to get ready for a 4:10 leave time to go to our hot air balloon! The boat had docked in Luxor last night and we’ll be staying here tonight as well. We were led to a motorboat to cross the Nile and get in a van on the other side to get us to the balloon launching spot.

We got to take this journey with other folks from our boat, 4 of them being American women who booked through the same tour company as we did! They’re from Tennessee and absolutely hysterical. I really enjoyed being around each of them, two sisters and their daughters. The daughters are about the same age as Andrea and I, so it was an easily made friendship. They also found out about this tour company through “word of mouth” in a Facebook group. We took pictures to post to the group at some point, it’s crazy how social media is able to bring complete strangers together.

Anyway, we all watched as the balloons were filled and the baskets were stood up. Mom and I were the last two to get in the basket and then off we went, up into the sky. We got to see the Valley of the Kings and Queens, the farmlands and the desert, the Nile River.. and then the sunrise. Something about hot air balloons and that big ball of fire appearing for the first time in the sky that brings a tear to my eye every single time. It’s just overwhelmingly beautiful. And to be with my favorite people when it happens is the icing on the cake.

As we were landing, some young boys came running to our landing spot on their donkeys. Yes, their donkeys. They galloped across fields and dirt roads to pose with their animals for tips. It’s a pretty sweet gig, because of course we took their pictures and then how on earth could you tell those sweet 7,8,12 year old faces no when they put their hands out for a dollar or two? Don’t get me wrong, their sweet faces got a little too persistent for “more” dollars, but hey-can ya blame them? Also-kudos to them for rushing out each morning before 7am. I don’t think I’d have been that money motivated at their age.

We unloaded from the baskets and then got in the shuttle van to go back to the motorboat to cross the river and get back to our cruise boat for breakfast. Talk about a mouthful and a huge run on sentence. Sorry. My English teacher would be so appalled. Ha-breakfast was great, including fried eggs, fruit and croissants. Plus all the coffee of course.

At 8:30am, we met Osama in the lobby to head out to Karnak Temple. It’s the largest temple complex in the world-a complex because it has so many different temples in it. Many different Pharohs of Egypt added their contributions to it over the years, creating a complex over 200 acres. There is a walkway lined with sphinxes on either side that spans over two miles long to connect Karnak Temples to Luxor Temple, called the Avenue of Sphinxes. The whole complex at one point was fortified with a wall surrounding it.

It was beyond gorgeous, especially some of the many many pillars that still had their vibrant colors visible towards the tops and on the ceiling. It blows my mind that something like this is even possible. We walked through and Osama told us stories about the Pharohs and their statues here. We then got to mosey around on our own, snapping pictures and soaking it all in.

It started getting super hot by 9am. When we got back to the cruise boat, we all were wiped out from the heat. We got to relax awhile, have lunch, nap, have some wine, all before Osama was back to get us at 4:30pm to take us to see Luxor Temple. It was a short car ride to the temple, and on the way we saw a McDonald’s and a bookstore. It’s sort of neat to see American things way the heck over here.

I absolutely LOVED Luxor temple. The sun setting in the background of the temple may have had a huge part in making this one of my favorites. The air was warm, but not unbearable like it gets in the heat of the day. This temple also has the world’s largest open air museum. Pretty impressive stuff. It’s always the massive columns that get me though, I think that’s why I love Greek and Roman history as well. The magnitude of these places and the details of the carved stones is just beyond anything I can imagine being created.

This temple isn’t dedicated to one God-it’s dedicated to the rebirth/rejuvenation of kings and is thought to be the site where the new pharoh had their coronation ceremony. It’s also a burial site for many Pharohs, as well. Ramses II seemed to have his name on practically every temple in Egypt, and this one is no different. There is battle scenes carved here from his victory during the Battle of Kadesh.

One area has Roman scenes painted on the walls, covering the original ancient Egypt carvings.. from when the Roman Christians took over the temple and turned it into a Coptic Church. It’s wild that the colors still show up today.. and that the restoration teams are able to preserve these pieces of history so well. There’s also a birth room, with scenes of the Devine birth of King Amenhotep III.

We walked through and got gorgeous pictures with the night sky coming though the pillars. Then we walked with Osama and took a ride through downtown Luxor in a horse drawn carriage. Andrea and I were in one, Terri and Mom were in the one behind us with Osama sitting upfront with the “driver.” We went through the city streets for over an hour, seeing the lights and the people-the cars and the chaos. It was incredible, being able to see the vehicles and animals wind and curve through each other with such ease-it seemed unorganized-and yet, everyone knew exactly what they were doing. It’s pretty impressive.

We eventually made it back to our river boat. I was completely pooped at this point. So much so that I forgot we still had to eat dinner. I, for maybe the first time since finishing the pacific crest trail, wasn’t hungry a bit. Thankfully, the boat had some pre-dinner entertainment going on as we got on board: a belly dancer and a Turkish dancer. We swayed in our cushy seats and clapped along, all the while I was thinking that I’m getting really damn old-I was sleepy and the music was loud as hell! Haha.. it really creeps in on ya sometimes. Either way, I enjoyed the show the performers put on for us, loud music and all.

By 8p, we headed down for dinner. I still wasn’t actually hungry, but you know I ate it anyway. It was set up buffet style again, and I was able to get some noodles with beef that was fantastic. They also had the great brownies like they had on the fancy dinner night. It was just perfect-and the best thing to help me fall fast asleep about an hour later, the exact moment my head touched the pillow.

Today was action packed for sure-but what better way to see the East bank of Luxor? Ah. It was incredible. Tomorrow, we meet Osama at 7am to go to the West Bank of the city, to the Valley of the Kings. I’m beyond excited! Goodnight!