I returned a few days ago from a truly remarkable vacation. I just loved it. My experiences are as follows:

Day 1

My flight on Egypt Air seemed endless. This was yet another plane I did not sleep on, even though the free sleep mask seemed to be an optimistic sign. Oh well

Day 2

My arrival in Egypt was handled well by Grand Circle, although you have to wait around awhile for all your fellow tour members to arrive. It was nice not to have to handle my luggage.
Once we were broken up into groups we headed to the Cairo Marriott. What a beautiful hotel it is! My son and I were assigned a room overlooking the Nile. After a tasty dinner in the hotel's Egyptian Nights restaurant I got a desparately needed night of sleep.

Day 3

The Cairo Egyptian Museum was great.
I was especially thrilled by the rooms devoted to King Tut. I realized that I was going to be very happy with my program director, Maged Shenouda, as he seemed to be a wealth of information. We paid extra to enter the "mummy room" where we were very impressed by the their preservation.

Later that afternoon we attended a very interesting lecture given by a native American woman living in Cairo. Her perspective and experiences were presented in a light hearted manner.

Our tour was broken up into smaller groups to enable us to have dinner in the home of a local family. The apartment we dined in was beautiful, which you would never have guessed from the appearance of the outside of the building. We had quite an interesting conversation with the family hosting the meal. They were willing to answer all of our questions. The meal we were given was excellent, although my group was unable to finish this feast. Our host family kept encourage us to eat more, more, more.

This was also my first day of Cairo traffic - insane! Also seeing double, no triple parked cars and passengers being picked up in the middle of the road. Let alone the livestock ambling along the side of the road.

To be continued...

Suggestion: Most readers find it easier to follow a TR if all parts are on one thread.

Part Two

Day 4

What can one say about their first visit to the Pyramids and Sphinx that doesn't sound trite? It was awesome - I was so impressed. The magnitude of the accomplishment, it is truly amazing. We visited the Solar Barque Museum at the base of the Great Pyramid which house a huge reconstructed wooden boat.

This was the first time we encountered the truly annoying vendors. I have never been a good bargainer but I guess I will have to learn quick.

Next my son and I went on a camel ride which is something I wasn't really enthused about but did anyway. It seemed a good time to do it as our tour guide organized it - I read about the camel owners who take you for a ride and don't return you until you pay more. I was not happy to see that the camel I was to rided didn't seem too happy to be mounted, but I did it anyway. I think what I enjoyed most about the ride was when I knew I could get off soon. I kept thinking I would fall off.

Lunch was an excellent buffet at the nearby Le Meridien Hotel. All the salads we were offered were delicious as were the main courses.

We next drove to Sakkara in the ever present traffic. I enjoyed learning about the design process Imhotep went through and of course the Step Pyramid is impressive.

Our next stop was a visit to a carpet school. I was impressed by the skill of the children that were there but not interested in buying a carpet.

Back in Cairo we had a delicious dinner in Abul El Sid.Of course we had to first get there which meant crossing a few streets. This wasn't bad at all as I think the drivers took pity on us. We stared at the door of the restaurant several times before we realized we were at the correct building as the sign was so small. The food was excellent and the cost wasn't bad at all.

to be continued...

Part Three

Day 5

We took the train to Alexandria. The security I encoutered was way beyond what I expected, I was accustomed to the one armed guard on our bus. When we arrived at the train terminal our bus was surrounded by guards who then surrounded us and walked with us to our train. We were guarded until we got on the train. We received the same treatment when we arrived at Alexandria.

We visited the Roman Amphitheatre and the National Museum which was a substitute for the library as it was closed for Coptic Christmas. I was actually glad we got to visit the beautiful Museum. We saw the library from the outside.

After driving along the Mediterranean we ate lunch in the upscale Helnan Palestine. We enjoyed our meal and the great views of the Sea.

After lunch we visited Montazah, a palace once owned by the former king, to stroll in the gardens. We were allowed onto the beach where my son walked into the surf. Even he had to admit that it was cold.

Next stop was the Citadel of Qait Bay where there were tons of persistent vendors along the pier. My bargaining skills are improving.

We took the bus back to Cairo. Along the way we had a short stop. My son and I tried the "pizza which was not bad. Kind of like a flattened calzone.

to be continued..

Part Four

Day 6

The first place we visited today was the Citadel and Mohamed Ali Mosque which was impressively large. The chandeliers, stained glass and dome were all beautiful as was all the alabaster on the outside of the building.

We next went to Old Cairo and wandered through several lovely churches and Ben Ezer's Temple.

Kahn El Kalilli Bazaar was quite exciting. I started to enjoy bargaining more as I got a little better at it. I still didn't enjoy being hassled by the shop owners. However several items caught my eye and I made some purchases. Of course no matter how low you get the price down it is certain that the seller is still making a huge profit. My son was amused by the fact that his interests were communicated to vendors he hadn't visited yet They apparently tell each other what you might want to buy.

In the evening we went to the Sound and Light show at Giza. After reading opinions on this board I went with low expectations. Happily I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Our security guard befriended my son and guided us to what he considered to be great seats, they did seem to have more padding on them which is always a plus.

to be continued...

Part Five

Day 7

We had to get up really really early to catch a flight to Aswan. Actually my part of the group had to make a stop in Luxor. The boarding process went so slowly as all rows boarded together. As it was a small plane it seemed to take extra long for people to find room for their carry ons. I also think we sat in Luxor longer than it took to fly - thank you Egypt Air.

We saw the High Dam which was not a thriil. On our way to our boat we also passed the Old Dam.

I was happy with our cabin on the River Ankulet. I particularly enjoyed the huge window. I was shocked to see a phone in the cabin as I was repeatedly told by GCT that there would not be one. I travelled to Egypt with a cell phone because of this. Anyway my husband was very happy that he could call the boat.

After lunch we went for a sail around Elephantine Island in a felucca which was great fun. The weather was great and the scenery was beautiful. The boat owners son sang for us, what a charmer. Naturally he pulled out all kinds of souvenirs for sale. I see lots of profits in this kid's future. Our security guard was on board and helped the crew sail. At one point the breeze blew up the back of his suit jacket, giving us a clear view of his huge gun. That was bizarre.

Back on board which sat on deck and watched the sunset, which was gorgeous. A gal can get spoiled doing this.

After a delicious dinner on board the ship (I was very pleased with the food on the boat) we watched a Nubian show the highlight of which was the beautifully costumed whirling dervish.

Day 8

We took a boat to visit the Philae which was just spectacular. This was the first time I saw something of this size covered in hieroglyphs. The reliefs were fantastic.

Our next stop was a papyrus institute. I enjoyed the little demonstration and loved browsing through the showroom. We purchased some beautiful items. My son was so happy that you could have your name printed in a cartouche on the papyrus.

After lunch a small group of us rented a motorboat and visited the Botanical Gardens of Aswan. It is beautifully landscaped in a very peaceful setting. I thought the vendors were persistant in Cairo. Little did I now they would serve as training for those in Aswan. They were at the boat landing and followed us for a while in the garden - same treatment when we reboarded our boat at the end.

Afted dinner we went to the Spice Market. It was fascinating the see so many loose spices for sale. As I love to cook I felt like that kid in a candy shop. Many items were familiar to me but there were those that weren't - dried lemons for example.

to be continued ...

Enjoying your report. I had to laugh about two things on Day 5:

1. <i>We had to get up really really early to catch a flight to Aswan</i> Which is why we took the sleeper train!! I knew that at least someone in our group of six wouldn't make it to the airport in time....

2. <i>My son was so happy that you could have your name printed in a cartouche on the papyrus</i> We ended up buying six lovely paypyruses (pl?), which we just framed. But while we were at the &quot;museum&quot;, the salesmen was trying to sell one to my son's friend for her parents and they were discussing the ones that you could put names in -- no matter how many times she said no, her parents would hate having their names in the cartouche,the salesmen just pressed on -- of course, they'd love it, etc., etc. We won out in the end!! (He was very friendly, just a little clueless)

jerseysusan

I am enjoying your reading about your adventure. Please continue.

Hi sf7307 and teacherCanada - glad you are enjoying my report

Part Six

Day 9

Another very early wake up to take the bus to visit Abu Simbel. Some people on our tour chose not to go on this trip because they did not want to get up so early and didn't want to take a 3 1/2 hour drive (GCT is no longer flying to this destination). However I was so impressed with this awe inspiring sight. The majestic statues alone are worth seeing. All the drawings in the rooms inside, the reliefs, the amount of beautiful color that still remains, the columns are all well worth seeing. Unfortunately the drive itself was so boring, unless you enjoy seeing sand, sand and more sand.

When we returned to the boat we started the cruise to Kom Ombo. I just loved sitting on deck and watching life along the river. We arrived in the late afternoon. It was a nice contrast to visit a temple in the dart as it is so dramatic with the flood lighting..

Back on board we had an excellent Egyptian buffet followed by a Galabeya party. I must admit I didn't buy a galabeya but I did buy a beautifully decorated cotton shirt. However lots of people really dressed up in full Egyptian mode. During the party we played lots of games. My son and I were mortified to discover that I was absolutely incapable of wrapping him up in toilet paper to make him a mummy.

Day 10

In the early morning the boat set sail for Edfu. I woke up and watched the sights from our window. As we were on the lower deck our window looked out on an eye level. I really enjoyed seeing the animals and watching people go about their lives - fishing or calling out hello to our boat.

At Edfu we docked and visited the Temple of Horus, which is very well preserved. Sadly it has some fire damage and there is lots of soot on the ceilings. The vendors here were super aggressive. I didn't even want to glance at their merchandise - their loss.

Back on board, after lunch, we attended a very interesting lecture about hieroglphs. Once again I was so impressed by our program director's knowledge.

Shortly after the lecture we passed through the Esna lock. I enjoyed watching this as I haven't had this experience before. Lucky for us there weren't any other boats waiting. We continued on to Luxor which is where we docked for the night.

After another yummy dinner we watched some entertainment presented by some crew members. There was a very funny pantomined skit. Who knew that our waiter was so funny.

to be continued...

Part Seven

Day 11

I haven't commented on this before but you hear prayer broadcasted several times a day as you are usually near a mosque. I enjoyed it finding it peaceful and melodic. It was an interesting contrast to hear this while touring Egyptian temples that were often defaced by Coptic Christians. However this morning I realized that being docked opposite a mosque in Luxor was not a great thing. Around 5 am I was awaken by very loud prayer. I decided to go on deck and watch the city wake up. The silver lining around the cloud was seeing several colorful hot air balloons rise over the bank of the Nile.

After breakfast we left for the west bank of the Nile. We passed lots of farmland which was so lush.
The main crop appeared to be sugar cane which we saw loaded onto carts for transport. I was interested to learn that farmers build their homes in town instead of on their plots of land. There are no fences dividing these plots, everyone just knows what's theirs. Of course we saw lots of animals both on the farmland and milling about the towns.

Our visit to the Valley of the Kings was great. I saw the tombs of Seti II, Ramses I(very steep staircase, also paid extra) Ramses VI &amp; Ramses IV. I just loves going into these plain holes in the groung and discovering the splendor below. It's fascinating to contemplate their discovery. I was only sorry I skipped paying extra to see King Tut's tomb. The GCT guides pretty much talked it down but my son went and thought it was great.

After this we visited an alabaster workshop/store. I bought a beautiful vase after a great deal of haggling. It's a good thing we brought a lot of bubble wrap with us.

We next went to the Valley of the Queens which is much less impressive but still worth seeing. This was followed by a visit to the Colossus of Memnon.

In the afternoon we had an Egyptian cooking lesson on board the boat. This is the one activity I didn't enjoy as it was not much of a lesson, more prepping vegetables. The cook in me was disappointed. Howver the tour of the kitchen was interesting.

After dinner we went on a horse and buggy ride which was so interesting. As the drivers were instructed to go very slowly, we got to really see night life in Luxor. Lots of the city is beautifully lit up including of course Luxor Temple. Naturally several blocks before we got back to our boat our driver started making his case for a big tip.

to be continued..

Part Eight

Day 12

We went by bus to Dendera as the water level in the Nile was too low for our ship to make it. However this allowed us to drive past lots of farmland which seems to fascinate me. Something about farmers wearing galabeyas and using implements and techniques that have been round for generations.

In Dendera we visited the Temple of Hathos. There is a restoration project going on. They are removing lots of soot uncovering beautifully painted scenes. There are fabulous ceilings in the temples, just so interesting.

My son and on went down to the crypt which is not easy. You have to go down a ladder with a really low first step, and kind of slither your way down a passageway with a pretty low ceiling. It made my son feel like Indiana Jones on an adventure.

In the afternoon some of us walked over to the Luxor Museum which had a lot of great exibits. I was really glad we had time to see it.

After this my son and walked over to a &quot;no hassle&quot; shopping bazaar. You could sense it was killing the vendors not to bother you too much. Of couse they all invited you to look at their merchandise.

Walking back to the ship along the river should have been a better experience than it was. We were constantly pestered by horse and buggy owners to take a ride - oh well.

Day 13

In the morning we visited the very huge Karnak Temple. It was so impressive, I always love looking at the hieroglyphs. For yet another small tip(to a guard) my son and I walked up a hill to get a fabulous overview of the temple.

In the late afternoon we visted our last temple, the Temple of Luxor which was a bittersweet experience. Of course it was great to see, but my brain was a little on overload. I had learned so much on this trip, saw so many fabulous sights.

Day 14

Flying back to Cairo was not a pleasure. My carry on was overstuffed, mostly with my son's purchases - most of mine somehow fit in my hard to close suitcase. We were worried if our carry ons would fit in the overhead storage but they did. The good part of the flight was seeing the pyramids in Giza.

We checked back into the Cairo Marriott and waited forever for our luggage to be delivered to our room.
After this we walked around for awhile and bought a few more gifts.

Dinner was lots of fun. My son and I and my inlaws ate at Le Pascha 1901 which is a riverboat docked on the Nile conaining several restaurants. We ate at the beautiful Egyptian restaurant where we had a delicious meal. The restaurant has lots of big windows so we had a great view. There were several small boats all lit up with colorful blinking lights. This made for a festive last night in Egypt.

Well I had a fabulous time in Egypt. I just loved it. Thanks again to all the fodorites who gave me such great advice. I hope my report does the same for future travelers.

Thank you for your wonderful trip report. It's so nice to re-live the moments. Egypt was a magical place for me &amp; I dream of returning some day.

Sounds like you all had no problems with anything you ate (or you just left out those gory details!). That was the one downside of my trip but only lasted a day and a half.

I agree that the vendors were a bit wearing on the nerves but they did seem to take no for an answer if you gave them a nice &quot;lo shokran&quot; and then stopped making eye contact. It was a relief when we got to Jordan at the end of our trip - there was none of that.

Thanks again for posting!

Hi Leslie S - thanks for your kind comments. We didn't really have any stomach proplems, which I am so grateful for. Of course most of our meals were provided by GCT. As far as the vendors went I got very good at saying no and walking away but this curtailed a lot of the browsing I would have done. DH would say this was a good thing as I am sure I would have spent more money if I was not hassled. Anyway I rate this as one of my favorite vacations, it really was a thrilling experience.

One other thing I forgot to mention -- you talked about hearing the call to prayer from the mosques. I think that was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Especially when floating down the Nile and you could hear it softly in the distance. So beautifully haunting and exotic.
(As you said, it wouldn't have been so great at 5 am right outside the window!)
I'll be in Istanbul in May &amp; look forward to hearing the call again.

You're so right about the aggressive sales pitch hurting sales. I would've liked to browse more but couldn't stand the pressure.

Thanks again for your trip report.

great report, thank you! will we be seeing photos...?

aknards - glad you enjoyed my report. As far as photos go, at the moment I have no idea how to do that. If you can believe it I don't even own a digital camera. I'm still using my old fashioned Cannon Rebel. However my son took scads of photos with his digital camera. Maybe he can help me.

Leslie - I would totally agree with you about the call to prayer if I didn't hear it at 5 am. I enjoyed it the rest of the trip.

We also took this trip with GCT a couple of years ago and it remains one of my favorite trips. We were able to fly to Abu Simbel which I think was much better than the drive you described.

Thank you for bringing back the memories.

Jerseysusan, if you have not yet had your photos developed, you can have a digital CD made at the same time you get your prints. You can then post your photos online, if you wish. You can also have the CDs made after the fact, but it's more expensive.

1nancy1 - I knew we weren't going to fly to Abu Simbel so I tried not to let it bother me. However several people in my tour didn't go because of this - more than I expected. I was surprised people would miss such a great destination for this reason.

ShayTay - thanks for the suggestion but I have already developed my film.

jerseysusan - I'm not sure how I missed your report initially, but i'm so glad I found it! It was fun reading about your experiences/impressions. Great report.
I'll be writing about many similar things because our itinerary was so similar. Would love to see photos from your trip if you can get the ones your son took or have a CD made of yours!