The last two weeks we have been exploring Egypt. After an "adventurous" ferry trip across from Jordan we spent a few nights in Dahab in the Sinai Peninsula. Our highlight here was a day spent climbing to the top of Mt Sinai and watching the sunset before walking back down in the moonlight. The remainder of Egypt has been on a tour which is really the only way to get around to many of the places. We flew from the Sinai to Luxor and explored the temples as we sailed up the Nile to Aswan. After an overnight train back to Cairo we spent the last few days discovering this city of 25 million people and some of the amazing sites it contains. Next stop - Paris.
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| The ferry from Jordan to Egypt was supposed to leave at midnight, finally left at 3:00am. It's not really set up for tourists and made for an interesting experience to say the least. |
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| Relaxing walk on the beach in Dahab in the Sinai Peninsula |
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| Setting off at midday for the climb up Mt Sinai (2285m high) |
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| Looking back down at St Catherine's Monastery |
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| Saw a couple of these amazing blue Sinai Agama lizards |
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| Trying out the well at Elijah's Basin - fresh clean water near the top of Mt Sinai |
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| Moses may not have been on this exact mountain but the view would have been pretty much this |
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| Reading about Moses on Mt Sinai |
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| After the sunset walking back down the mountain, didn't need torches with a full moon out that night |
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| The town of Dahab - pretty much a ghost town with very few tourists (same all over Egypt) |
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| Cheap Egyptian food - so good!!! |
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| Karnak Temple in Luxor - forest of pillars |
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| Amazing statues in the Karnak Temple |
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| Row of Spinxes at the entrance to the Karnak Temple |
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| Another forest of pillars in the Luxor Temple |
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| Ramses II statues everywhere |
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| Avenue of Spinxes at Luxor Temple |
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| Luxor Temple at sunset |
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| Temple of Hatshepsut - Hieroglyphics at every turn |
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| Temple of Hatshepsut |
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| Temple of Hatshepsut |
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| Temple of Hatshepsut |
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| Temple of Hatshepsut |
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| Colossi of Memnon on the West Bank |
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| Normally there are 300 Nile cruise boats like this operating, but down to 10 in operation with limited tourists |
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| Pulling out of Luxor for our Nile cruise with our identical sister ship left behind |
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| Cruising the Nile |
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| Cruising the Nile, looking out to the desert beyond the green Nile valley |
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| Cruising the Nile, looking out to the desert beyond the green Nile valley |
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| All sorts of vessels on the Nile |
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| Amazing sunsets on the boat |
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| You can never get away from salesman in Egypt |
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| Going through the locks along the Nile with a 5 m increase in water depth |
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| Horse cart to the Edfu Temple |
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| Front entrance to the Edfu Temple |
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| Edfu Temple - hieroglyphics as far as the eye can see and they all tell strange stories |
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| Edfu Temple |
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| Edfu Temple |
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| Edfu Temple - security never far away with the tourist police |
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| Pulling into Kom Ombo Temple at sunset |
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| Kom Ombo Temple |
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| Mummified Crocs found near the Kom Ombo Temple |
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| Mummified Crocs |
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| House keeping having some fun with the towels |
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| Abu Simbel on Lake Nassar - walk like an Egyptian |
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| Abu Simbel and massive statues of Ramses II |
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| Heat stroke setting in at Abu Simbel |
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| Did he really do that? |
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| The High Dam at Aswan looking down the Nile |
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| Sunset on the Nile |
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| Combining Egyptian figures (Lotus and Papyrus) with Greco-Roman capitals |
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| Temple of Philae |
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| Returning from the Temple of Philae. Moved to its own island after the High Dam built. |
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| Sleeper train for overnight back to Cairo from Aswan |
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| View of the pyramids from hotel window in Cairo |
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| Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) also know as the Great Pyramid |
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| Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) also know as the Great Pyramid |
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| Looking back over the pyramids on a cold and windy day |
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| Camel ride was included with the tour |
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| The Sphinx |
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| The Bent Pyramid at Dahshur |
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| Climbing down the long passage into the tomb in the middle of the Red Pyramid |
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| Massive statue of Ramses II at Memphis |
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| Sphinx at Memphis |
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| Temple at Saqqara |
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| Stepped Pyramid at Saqqara |
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| Day trip to Alexandria - we ended up being the tourist attraction with everyone wanting photos with us |
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| Alexandria - Qaytbay Citadel where the lighthouse once stood |
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| The Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo with our fantastic tour guide Waleed and those trendy shoe covers |
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| Mohamed Ali Alabaster Mosque in Cairo |
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