Author: Helena Feldstein

For the third day in a row, we had to awaken very early, this time to go on a hot air balloon ride and experience the sunrise from high over Luxor. The launch area was on the west side of the Nile, so we took the van to the river, where we boarded a small boat to go from the east side to the west side, then another van to get us to the field.

There were dozens of vans arriving at the same time, filled with people preparing to go out in the balloons. It is always spectacular to watch the balloons go from flat shapes, to being puffed with air from giant fans, and ultimately filled with hot air to allow them rise. We were two of sixteen people in the basket that was attached to the balloon. My first experience with hot air balloons was in Cappadocia, Turkey and I was feeling very insecure. This time, I was anticipating how slow and calm the climb would be, and I was correct.

We flew over the Valley of the Kings, lots of farmland (which is only near the Nile), and homes with no roofs. This was on the upper floors and sometimes they had straw covering part of the roof, sometimes nothing. So, what did they do with those exposed upper floors? They housed chickens, goats, and even the occasional cow. It seems that the houses don’t have a lot of land near their homes, so the roof becomes the logical alternative.

You would never know that these areas existed from below. What I couldn’t understand was why they left all the rubble on the roof instead of making the space totally usable. Most houses have rebar sticking up, probably with plans to add another floor one day. This is very common in Mexico, as well. When they get the funds to complete the construction, they have the infrastructure to add more floors.

I took a lot of videos from the balloon, which I can’t upload, or some reason. I will include some of the still photos when I am able.

It was still early so we went to the Dendara Temple to avoid the normal crowds at this magnificent temple. Stretching out over 40,000 square meters, it is one of the best preserved complexes in Egypt. The remains date back to 330 BC and has many buildings. The epicenter is the Hathor Temple. It is considered to be the most impressive and important temple. Hathor was the wife of Horas, the god of the sky. Every column has the head of Hathor, although many of the faces have been damaged over the years. She was the goddess of motherhood and depicted as a cow in many of the wall paintings. Or, as is the case here, her face is carved with cow’s ears. An amazing fact is that many years ago, an Italian anthropologist measured each of Hothar’s heads that tops each column and found that they have the exact dimensions. Those calculations and how they were carved, most likely by many different stone carvers, were identical in size and shape.

As it turned out, there were no crowds today. Our guide said that in over 20 years of giving tours of Dendera Temple, this is the first time that it was not overrun with tourists. We were very fortunate, that’s for sure.

It was now time to head out from this part of Egypt to Hurghada, a resort area on the Red Sea. We drove the three hours through mountainous areas until we arrived to one of the many resorts along the shores of the sea. You can see many housing projects and resorts in the making, so it seems that this area will become very popular for city residents from all over the UK, Europe and the Middle East to purchase a getaway. Because Hurghada has its own airport, it is very accessible.

The Jasmine Palace Resort is a huge facility where we will be staying for the next three nights. Located on the Red Sea, it is cooler than other cities we visited (maybe by about 10 degrees), blessed with clear blue skies and lovely breezes. Hurghada only gets about 2″ of rain per year. Yet, it is gloriously green and lush with foliage

There are at least seven swimming pools, lots of restaurants and bars throughout the facility, and entertainment, which we avoided. We arrived, got settled and decided to visit the Dive Center to arrange a day of snorkeling, hopefully for the day after tomorrow. After the long drive, we relaxed, had dinner at the main restaurant (all-inclusive dining opportunities throughout).

The restaurant has a number of buffets, all seemingly on steroids. There are many options but sadly, the food is just so-so. Interestingly, almost all of the restaurants we visited in Egypt do not sell alcoholic beverages. They have lots of different juices, but they are rarely fresh. Instead, they are bottled or canned instead. We found this to be so strange since many fruits are grown here. There is plenty of hibiscus or jamaica water available, but adding a little vodka would have made it perfect.

In the main restaurant, you can get beer and wine, a few mixed drinks, along with tea and coffee. This restaurant is also unique in that it has sparkling water (agua mineral or con gas). By the way, coffee, the national drink all over Egypt, is almost always instant Nescafe. We were surprised that brewed coffee was never available. Fortunately for me, being a tea drinker, tea bags were always available.

It has been a long day. We arranged to go snorkeling and enjoy tomorrow as a day to explore the facility and finally get a good night’s sleep.

Just as we suspected, waking at 3:45 AM and leaving the boat at 4:30 was just as we imagined… a little slice of heaven! In the darkness, we maneuvered through the desert, hitting several police checkpoints along the way, slowing down for dozens and dozens of speed bumps (topes in Mexico). We are used to them but not in the quantity we experienced. Some of us (I won’t say who) just flies over them in Mexico but the van slows down to a crawl to go over each one of them.

The van held us, another couple, our guide and two drivers, who would be alternating the driving responsibilities. There was little to see, other than construction equipment to add two more lanes so the two-lane road would eventually become four lanes. The view is almost totally sand and a few buildings, probably housing the construction workers. Otherwise, it is a sea of beige.

We finally made it to our destination and it was quite amazing. Abu Simbel was named in a funny way. A young boy, named Simbel, found the original statues and asked his father (abu in Arabic) about them. Ultimately, that became the name of this incredible carving.

Originally located at the bottom of the mountain, it was moved once the Aswan Dam was built or else it would have been under water. By cutting the statues into smaller sections, they were moved and resurrected higher up, with a man-made cap to the mountain. Outside, as well as inside, there are many statues of Ramses II and his wife, Nefertiti, depicted in various sizes. The one on the outside of the temple dwarfs humanity. Although he didn’t think of himself as a king, he considered himself a god. I guess that is an elevation in status. Hence, he is everywhere, both outside and inside!

We returned to the van and drove another three hours back to Cairo. With not much to see, we couldn’t keep awake, but the uncomfortable seats didn’t make it easy to sleep. Bleary eyed, we returned to the boat in time for another uninspiring lunch.

We thought we possibly could take a nap and definitely tried. However, at 5:00 PM, our new guide met us for our tour of Om Kumbo, a short walk from where our boat was docked. It was built around 2,500 years BC. As an Egyptian temple, not one built by the Greeks or Romans, it depicts an interesting mix of myth, legend and modernity. For example, there are carvings of medical instruments for surgeries, childbirth, dental, and a variety of ailments. They were quite advanced for their time. Afterwards, we went next door to the Crocodile Museum, where there are at least a dozen mummified crocs. Considered to be dangerous and evil, they were caught, embalmed, wrapped, and placed in caskets. Strange, but true.

Back to the boat for dinner, this time with an Oriental theme. Actually, It more middle Eastern and finally more edible. I found dishes that were actually tasty and edible. Time for an early sleep because we have an early morning call to visit Edfu, the oldest Egyptian temple and the home of our guide. If we thought we would be relaxing and sleeping in, we were sorely mistaken!

This morning’s visit to Edfu was interesting. It is the most preserved temple in Egypt and daily they are finding more ruins buried under existing buildings. The government has had to move people out of those buildings so they can be demolished and continue the digging. I can’t imagine how disruptive this must be for the residents.

Peter, our guide, was born and raised in Edfu. He knows his stuff, that’s for sure. The carvings are mainly dedicated to King Horas, son of Isis and Osiris. The heiroglyphics are everywhere and explain about the fight for good and evil in those times.

At 5:30 AM, we took a horse-drawn carriage through the town to get to the site, which was not too far away. Our driver, Mohammed (who would have guessed), was happy to have us but I am not so sure how happy his horse was. We arrived at the parking lot of carriages and saw the splendor of Edfu. I will shed some light about the state of living in Egypt by the time we leave this country, but suffice it to say that how people live here (and Edfu is a town of over 400,000 – not small) is appalling. India, with its billions of people, seems to be cleaner (and that is saying a lot), less chaotic, and more organized that what we have experienced in Egypt. More about this later…

We finished seeing the temple and then returned to the boat for breakfast. Other than eggs, the offerings were a sea of carbs (pun intended). Jim decided to have some laundry done and dropped a bag of clothes at the reception desk. The bag was full and the cost was about $2 USD. When we went to our room, we both crashed and took a nice nap.

In the afternoon, we went to Karnak and Luxor Temple. Both were amazing, filled with heiroglyphics and many of the same stories of past kings that we will see in many of the temples during this visit. The Karnak Temple Complex consists of a number of temples, chapels and other buildings in the form of a village.. It is for this reason that the Arabian name Karnak means fortified village.

In the middle of modern Luxor is the Luxor Temple, called the world’s largest outdoor museum. It is among the most beautiful of the temples, located right on the east bank of the Nile.

When we returned, we went to the Lounge/Bar where tea and coffee are served with cookies and cake at 4:00 daily. It is also one of two places where there is WiFi available. I was able to update our activities. Eventually, I will add the pictures, hopefully the day after tomorrow when we depart from the boat and head to Hurghada for a few days at the beach. More about that later.

After dinner, there was music and drums going throughout the boat. We weren’t sure about what was being celebrated but we fell asleep pretty quickly.

We woke up tired after our late night arrival, mainly because we couldn’t fall asleep. It was very frustrating but whether the bed or pillow wasn’t very comfortable or we were just over-tired, we knew that this day would be difficult.

After breakfast in the dining room, we met Hannon, our guide for the day. Although we could see the pyramids from our hotel rooftop, you aren’t quite prepared to see them up close as we would today. Their massive size is very intimidating and you can’t help but wonder how they were built and who built them. Our guide said that they were not built by slaves but by workers who had the skill to do the work. So much for the biblical references about slaves and Moses!

Although this is the slow time for travel in Egypt, there were plenty of visitors having pictures taken to pretend they were touching the peak of the pyramid. This is like putting your palm up as if you were pushing the Leaning Tower in Italy. There always are folks who think this is a hoot! Also, there were tons of selfies taken and men taking pictures of females in seductive poses on huge stones, stairs, or against anything vertical. It seems to be the case worldwide…

We walked among the tourists to get closer, walk past the tiny opening that you can pay to enter to get a glimpse of the interior of the pyramid but with soaring temps outside, we were warned that it would be even hotter inside. No thanks.

After seeing all three pyramids and the many small ones (for the kings’ mistresses), we saw the Sphinx, the guardian of the pyramids. It was most impressive. Pictures will be posted separately…

Our next stop was the old market, or bazaar. Many shops were closed because it was Sunday but enough of them were open together a flavor of the wares to be sold. If you didn’t know you were in Egypt, you could be in Morocco, Israel, or India. Everyone wants your attention. Making eye contact or showing a mild interest will have the vendors chasing you down to get you to buy something. The Egyptian vendors are particularly aggressive.

We were then off to lunch. Our guide and driver took us to a restaurant on the Nile in an area packed with upscale hotels. Across the river were huge homes behind high walls, most seemingly not inhabited, at least not now. By the way, the big tourist season is December through March or early April. By May, into June, tourism falls off. The summer is unbearably hot, 115F or more. There were beautiful palm trees lining the river but it seems that some think that the river bank is the place to recycle your water bottles. So sad…

After lunch, we went to the Egyptian Museum. The building houses many statues and artifacts, some as old as 3,000 years. Most of the crypts were looted over the years, with looters taking gold, jewelry, or other important relics that portrayed how people lived over the centuries. Of course, these items were owned by kings and those who could afford coffins of gold (think Tutenkamen). Many displays and mummies have since been moved to the new, yet unfinished Egyptian Museum. However, there was still a lot to see.

Our final destination of the day was our boat, where we will be staying for the next three nights as we cruise up the Nile. It is four stories tall, with a restaurant on the first level, reception and staterooms on the second level, gift shops and more rooms on the third level, and finally, a spa and lounge/bar on the fourth level. From this level, there is a stairway that takes you to the roof deck where the swimming pool and a not so hot tub is located. There are dozens of lounge chairs and a large covered area with tables and chairs. Even in the shade, the heat was uncomfortable. Maybe the hot tub was the way to go.

I did not mention that before going to the boat, we stopped at a shop that makes (and sells) pure essential oils? We had a choice of visiting a spice store or a jewelry store but the oils intrigued me. I have been using essential oils to make almost all of my cleaning and facial products for many years. We got quite a lesson on the different oils and what they do. Jim says that they can see me coming a mile away! In the end, I purchased three oils and will look forward to trying them out. However, I realized that the size I purchased might be too much to take onboard. I may have to become creative to get them down to 30 ml each. Poor planning on my part.

Back to the boat… While checking out the upper deck, we were approached by the onboard massage therapist, who offered us a deal for a massage because the boat was not full. and he was willing to give me a break. Jim said no to a massage, but Helena, the mark, said yes. The massage was good, I think… I fell asleep while he was working on me, so I hope that I got what I paid for!

Time for our first dinner. Buffets are not our favorite but you do have options. In general, the offerings were pretty tasteless and sometimes so tough that even a knife struggled, especially with the beef. The fish was okay, the chicken marginal, and some vegetable dishes could only be described as a “mystery.” We aren’t very picky generally so we will see what other meals offer in the next few days.

We went to bed early because we had a 4:30 AM call to take a van to Abu Simbel, a three hour ride to the south on the Lake Nassar, the lake formed by the Aswan Dam. Other than Lake Victoria, it is the second largest lake in all of Africa. A take-away breakfast would be waiting for us upon our departure. These early morning adventures are not easy. Time for bed…

Today was a travel day. We walked to our favorite breakfast place but being Saturday, it was closed. Odd… We had a little time to kill before going to the Madrid airport for our flight to Cairo.

Even with a carry-on bag and no counter check-in, you need the full two hours to get to the gate area. It is a 23 minute walk after being on the airport train.

We were on Iberia Express, which makes Volaris look like the Queen Mary of airlines. Hard seats that do not recline, and the only beverages available you had to purchase. But, the flight attendants were helpful for the four hour flight and I had a very nice couple from Portugal as seat companions.

Upon arriving, we were met by a representative of the tour company. He got us the visa we needed while we waited to go through passport control. While waiting in line, four other flights came in, making the area total chaos. Hundreds of people were waiting to present their documents, along with screaming babies, impatient mothers, and people who just crashed the line to get in before us. So, what do you do? Not much…

Once outside the terminal, we were transferred to another guide, who drove us to our hotel in Giza, an hour away. As we were approaching midnight, the highway was full with cars and trucks as if it was rush hour. The highway was also plastered with lighted signs advertising new developments in New Cairo, an area that will eventually house government buildings and beautiful homes. Started almost 20 years ago, you could buy a house for about $200k. Now, those homes are selling for over $1 million US equivalent.

As we were barreling down the highway, we noticed that no one drives in the traffic lanes. It is almost a bumper car mentality, where the cars and trucks come within inches of another before passing to get ahead. The lines are only suggestions! We wondered whether there were many accidents but was told no. Hard to believe.

We made it to the hotel in Giza around midnight, ready to fall into bed. We couldn’t tell at night, but the view of the pyramids is amazing. We’ll check it out in the morning.

By the way, Egypt won their football match against Tunisia. The team from Tunis was staying at our hotel and the loss must not have affected them much because they were all set to party at midnight!

After walking over 8,000 steps this morning, we returned to the hotel to rest a bit. Our big breakfast meant that we didn’t need to eat lunch. I caught up writing my blog and added many of the pictures from our activities during our first two days here.

By 6:00, we ventured out to decide about a dinner venue and find a hat for Jim. Unfortunately, he left his Panama hat in the overhead bin on the plane here. It was an older one but…

We looked at several restaurants but most were empty. The busy places hosted folks having a beer (very popular) or wine as a late afternoon break or sometimes for breakfast!. Madrid is definitely a late night town, unlike Ajijic. We walked up Gran Via to a little corner outdoor cafe for a tinto verano for me and a beer for Jim. It was the perfect place to people watch and relax.

Finally, it was dinner time, around 8:00. We opted for a light dinner of garlic shrimp and a Spanish omelet (potatoes and eggs) that we shared. It was tasty and just the right amount of food. Afterward, we walked a few blocks more to Preciado, an area filled with great shops, buskers, and a gelato shop or two. No hat stores to be found.

We went into the local department store, Corte Ingles and there were beautiful Panama hats, not unlike the one Jim left behind. In Mexico, they are about the equivalent of $30 US. Here, they were $170-220 Euros! Yikes! Looks like he will be hatless for the trip, unless he finds something in Egypt. Unlikely…

By 9:30, we were ready to walk back to our hotel. The crowds on the route back were still animated and ready to continue having fun. It is past our normal bedtime but we can still hear people out and about, having a late meal.

After walking ove 15,000 steps today, we were ready for bed. Tomorrow, we have a free morning before we leave for our flight to Cairo. The weather here has been so enjoyable. Egypt will be much warmer, in the mid to high 90’s. Can’t wait!

After a shower and lots of enthusiasm, we woke up around 3:00 PM. We walked (really only a 20 minute walk) toward Plaza España with its incredible architecture, where we saw the Royal Palace, beautiful parks, and finally the Mercado San Miguel. We visited this amazing place on our last visit and it is definitely NOT TO BE MISSED. There are a myriad of pictures of our walk today and the spectacular food offerings in the Mercado.

The first thing is to walk all the aisles and peruse what excites you in food and beverages, then seek out a place to sit where, once found, required taking turns to get wonderful food and not lose your seat. Jim found some tasty beers and I had my favorite, a tinto verano. This is basically a beverage of lemonade with a little red wine. Since our first visit here in 2017, it has been my go-to drink.

While Jim was selecting his lunch, I became acquainted with the couple sitting next to us. Both are physicians from Colombia, who now live in Barcelona and were visiting Madrid on a holiday. They were darling. While I was finding something wonderful to eat, Jim began a conversation with another couple sitting across from us. They were a charming couple who met in Venezuela (she is from Germany with the bulk of her family there, and he is from Venezuela) but live in Malaga, Spain. His mother and sister live in Dallas, TX and while in their early 50’s, they are semi-retired and love to travel. She wants to go to Mexico to check out retirement in our beautiful country and we encouraged them to visit us in the near future.

The lovely walk back to our hotel, seeing so many others enjoying the end of the day, was a perfect end of another day in Madrid. We are looking forward to enjoying tomorrow.

What is the start of a vacation without a minor glitch or two? No boarding pass available online or at the kiosk, so we had to wait in a long line to check in at the counter. We arrived at the airport three hours before departure so no big deal.

We spent a lot of time yesterday organizing our carry-on and under seat bag so we wouldn’t be over weight. It is amazing how quickly you can accumulate 10 kilos! You never know whether it will be weighed  but the counter agent never checked and the small amount that we were over didn’t become an issue. One glitch averted!

When we checked in, the seats we selected and paid for, on the aisle nearer the front of the plane, disappeared. The plane was full (a 787 Dreamliner) and the new seats we were given weren’t too bad but only one was an aisle seat. Once boarding began, the gate agent was able to secure a second aisle seat and we were both happy. Second glitch averted!

The ten-hour flight was easy. As I write this, we are almost half way to Madrid. It looks like we will be landing earlier than expected, 4:20 AM instead of 5:00. It will be challenging to figure out what to do until we can check in at our hotel.

We arrived in Madrid and could both go through immigration in the EU line because I have my Czech passport. They didn’t give Jim a hard time using his US passport, so it was very quick and easy. Forget about getting a bus into town. They don’t run early enough. A taxi ride was much easier and we were taken directly to the hotel.

For those of you suffering with the heat in Ajijic, the high in Madrid will be 76F and currently, at 6:40 AM, it is only 50F. Brrr!

The hotel is nice, well-located, and the staff was very pleasant about checking us in and arranging a clean room earlier than the normal afternoon check-in. The desk was just waiting for guests to depart to help us out.

By 9:30, we were in the room, charging all the devices (thank goodness for lots of plugs) and hopping into bed for a few hours of sleep. It came quickly…