è Report #13 - March 21 – 27, 2008  (Sea days, followed by Egypt and the Suez Canal)

After leaving Salalah, Oman, we sailed west in the Arabian Sea along the southern coast of Yemen and then north into the Red Sea.  After 3-days of sailing, we arrived in the city of Safaga, half way up the east coast of Egypt, on Monday, March 24.  Safaga was the gateway for our visit to the Valley of the Kings (on the West Bank of the Nile River) and Luxor and Karnak Temples (on the East Bank of the Nile).

Our all-day tour from Safaga started at 6am with a 4-hour ride over the Red Sea Mountains and through the Eastern (Arabian) Desert to Luxor.  Our 17 bus caravan (about 600 passengers) was led and followed by security vehicles with lots of men and guns and on every bus was at least one armed guard.  The Egyptian government, since the attacks on tourist in 1997 in Cairo and Luxor, thinks the armed guards will make tourists feel safer.  We weren’t too sure about that, but our trip was uneventful and we did arrive on schedule at the Valley of the Kings.

As we stepped off the bus, we were greeted by a blast of dry, hot air and a temperature of about 110°.  All 600 passengers, cameras in hand, tramped up the dusty hill to take a look inside two of the 62 tombs that have been excavated.  Pharaohs from the 18^th - 20^th dynasties (1504 – 1070 BC) planned their burial sites in this spot, as these mountain valleys are beyond the floodplain of the Nile.  We had a quick look inside Ramses IV and Ramses IX, as that’s all the time we had given the distance apart and the long lines.  In both, the walls leading into the burial chambers are adorned with Egyptian writing and art, but otherwise there’s not much to see.  The treasures buried with the dead (for use in their next life) were gone, either to museums or stolen by early grave robbers.  Our guide told us about tomb #62, the Tomb of Tatankhamun (King Tut), uncovered in 1922 with most of its treasures (now in museums), but the tomb is not open for viewing.  Hot and sweaty we loaded on our buses and caravanned off for short stops at the Colossi of Memmon (c.1390 BC) and the Temple of Hatshepsut (the female Pharaoh, c.1500 BC) before crossing over to the East Bank of the Nile to visit Luxor and the Karnak Temples.

The Temple of Luxor was largely built by Amenhotep III (c. 1390 BC), but the structure was added on over centuries and was once connected to Karnak via the Avenue of human-headed sphinxes for over a mile in length.  While Luxor Temple is interesting, the Temples of Karnak complex was beyond comprehension.  The oldest parts of the complex date back to Sesostris I (1965-1920 BC), but it was built, added to, restored, enlarged and decorated for nearly 1500 years and was the most important place of worship in Egypt.  It is a vast conglomeration of ruined temples, chapels, obelisks and pylons, on an area large enough to contain 10 cathedrals. Its dozens of columns are 8-10 feet in diameter standing 100 feet or more high.  Walking in and around them gives a feeling of what the entire temple must have been and statues and inscriptions give a human touch to the massive stone structures.  In the evening we watched a “Sound and Light” show as darkness added another dimension to the grandeur of this temple complex.  Following the show, the caravan streaked back across the desert in a serpentine of red and white lights, arriving back to the ship at midnight, in time to set sail for the Suez Canal.

Heading north, the ship arrived at the south end of the Suez Canal mid-day on March 25.  We set anchor along with 36 other ships gathered near the entrance to form what would be a northbound convoy.  At the same time, 23 ships were gathering at the north end of the canal to begin their transit south.  Our transit northbound was scheduled to begin early morning March 26, the same time for the southbound traffic, even though the canal proper is not wide enough for ships to pass side by side.  The conflict is resolved at the Great Bitter Lake, the halfway point, where the smaller convoy anchors as the opposing convoy passes.  All then proceed to their completion of the transit.

The sights along the Suez Canal vary from desolate views of desert to small cities and local villagers working, playing and fishing.  Interestingly, almost all activity is on the west bank, as the eastern side is the Sinai Peninsula and has been reserved for possible future expansion of the canal.  All along the way are checkpoints with armed military personnel, many from the United Nations (flying orange flags and wearing blue helmets).  Unlike the lock system in the Panama Canal, there are no locks in the Suez, due to the sea levels in the Red Sea and Mediterranean being equal. Water does flow into the canal from both ends, because of the tremendous evaporation in the desert heat.   The transit of the canal took about eight hours and we sailed overnight without a stop in order to reach Alexandria on March 27, the next morning.

Once we departed the ship bright and early on March 27, a fleet of buses and security men were ready to take us to see the Step Pyramid of Sakkara, the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, about 3-hours away.  Sakkara is the oldest of the pyramids, dating back to 2686 BC (it’s hard to calculate), and it’s believed to be the oldest stone structure on earth.  The Great Pyramids are practically in the center of Giza, at first glance, as the city is inching closer than seems reasonable.  After all, they are the sole survivor of the Seven Ancient Worlds of the World.  Although the city is encroaching closer and closer, the three main pyramids do stand incredibly tall in the desert and everything seems dwarfed by their massive size.  It was a little hard to take in the significance of the structures as dozens of camel riders and vendors approached from every side.  Our tour guide had warned about taking a ride on one of the camels, as the price to get on is small, but once up, the price to get down could be ten times more.  Taking a picture beside a camel was enough for us – charge, $2US.  To complete the picture, the Sphinx is about a quarter of a mile from the main pyramid, but unfortunately the area adjacent was being worked on so we couldn’t get very close.  We’re hoping Nick’s photos of the Sphinx with the Great Pyramids in the background will be good-quality. On our way back to the ship, we drove past the recently opened library in Alexandria, a truly beautiful and modern elliptical structure, definitely worth reading about on the internet.

Three days in Egypt just gave us a tiny taste of what there is to learn about and see and it’s on our list for another longer visit in the future.

Next, we’re off to sail the Mediterranean, enroute to Istanbul, Turkey.

Check out Nick’s website - www.nide.smugmug.com - for some pictures from Egypt