Right so I now have just a few hours before I fly to Nairobi.
Egypt has been amazing. We got here on the 15th after no sleep because we went to the airport at 3am and I stupidly went out with Emma the night before so didn't get to bed. Snooze, Em and I met Becks at the airport.
On arriving in Egypt, we were xhausted. Em and Becks were on a separate flight and arrived about an hour after Snooze and I did. They had a fabulous flight because the flirty Italian pilots had them sit in the cockpit for the landing so they were buzzing. Snooze and I had an ok flight but arriving at Egypt was a bit scary because apparently someone with my name is blacklisted from Egypt!! So they took my passport and after what seemed like and eternity they let me into the country.
So we collapsed next to the pool at out hotel with view of the pyramids in the background. The next morning we left for Saqarra where there is the most ancient step pyramid. So within 5 minutes of our tour Em and Becks and Snooze and I had already lost our group! Luckily found quickly and got a tour of the area before heading for the great pyramids and the sphinx. I had my first ride on a camel there. It was cool. Also went into the great pyramid. The tomb has been totally radied but it was interesting to go in it albeit hot and humid from all the other tourists that had been through. We were all glad to get out into the cool of the blazing Saharan midday sun. We then went to the sphinx. Amazing detail but we view it from aboe so it actually looks smaller than it is when you look a it from that vantagepoint.
That evening we were to catch a train to Aswan which was to be an overnight train journey. We were meant to ge there about 10:30am but the train broke down which wa interesting. Imagine train toilets after 15 hours. Really you don't want to think of it. Interesting to see the police arrive when it was realised we were in for a wait. Big guns eveywhere. Finally got to Aswan and went straight to the Temple of Philae which is devoted to the goddess Isis (of beauty and magic). The Egyptian government saved it from being flooded by the Nile (it was two thirds flooded when they started to move it) by damming around it and moving it block by block to another island. Pretty amazing work. I think I was ready for Dahab because I just kept think they should have left it as a dive site but the Nile may have had a bit too much flow to make it good.
We stayed in another 5 star hotel in Aswan which was lovely since we were needing a good rest after the train journey. Then next day my friends and I rested by the pool all morning then we borded our felucca (traditional boat) at lunchtime for a 2 day Nile cruise. So for two day we did nothing but sleep and enjoy views and play cards and read on the big cushion which was the deck of the felucca. On the first night we stopped at a traditional Nubian house (the Nubian peopl are indigenous to te area ofsouthern Egypt) and got tattooed with henna and smoked Shishah (don't know how to spell it) which I amazingly was able to inhale and tasted nice (I had a bit of apple flavoured one from a guy on our tour called Reza).
Although allowing my henna to dry, I woke the next day with my hand's henna tattoo on my chin. So everyone got a bit of a laugh over that. More Nile cruising and swam in the Nile at lunchtime in a fast flowing section. At night we listened and danced to Egyption music around a campfire then after a bit 6 people that made up another group from another tour joined us since their felucca was also parked there. One guy from that tour buy the name of Cam got out his guitar and so i was a bit of a singalong but not just any. Most of the paople on my tour and the other were Aussies, as was Cam, so it was Aussie music. I hadn't realised in the past 6 months how much I'd missed other Australians. I love my Brit friends but it was ace to have a bit of Aussie time.
We finished our Felucca cruise near Kom Ombo and went to the temple there (devoted to two gods which is unusual - the crocodile god and the falcon god Horus) and it is the site of the largest Nile-o-meter which is a big hole in th ground and the ancient Egyptians would take the steps down to measure the depth of the Nile.
Onto Edfu temple. Beautiful big temple and by now I had the whole tour conspiring with me to Make Susie believe that the whole tour was getting up at 4am when it was just us two for her birthday present, more on that later but it wa fun conspiring with all on the tour and our tour guide Big Mo!
We went to Luxor after Edfu temple and that night caught and horse and carriage to Luxor temple. Our horse was Red Rum and we raced and passed everyone on the way (except big Mo but only because we weren't allowed). Luxor temple by night wa amazing. The huge statues and the avenue of the sphinx and all the columns were lit up and looked so majestic. The first heiroglyphics of belly dancers were found here.
The next morning Susie and I got up at 4am for her birthday present and had a hot air balloon ride ove the Valley of Kings and Queens. It was absolutely stunning to see the ribbon of th Nile lite up by the sun rising. To see the first glow of the sun's rays over the horizon with the reflective Nile and the oasis of green that follows it and the sharp demarcation of desert surrounding that was something that beat any temple or boat trip.
We landed near the huge statues which were the Colossi of Memnon and the tour bus met us and we went to the Valley of Queens and the Valley of Kings and the to th temple of Queen Hetshepshut (whose mummified remains were only discovered to be hers a month ago). The heiroglyphics were o detailed and amazing and with all of Big Mo's instruction, we could actually recognise some things!
We stopped at Karnak temple and an alabaster factory before saying out farewells to the people on the nine day tour and we all trundled onto our overnight bus to Dahab on the Red Sea.
Finlly got to Dahab at 11am the next day so I could go diving. Susie was unfortunately sick so couldn't join us for all the dives she planned and Em didn't want to dive every day and Becks didn't want to dive (but finally talked her into a DSD nd I think we got her hooked) so basically I splite from the group and my friends a bit for 3.5 days of diving. It was absolutely amazing. There is so much I could write here and might at another time but I actually have to go lnow and most of the people reading this aren't divers so won't appreciated it. Suffice to say no currents, 25-30m visibility, unbelievable amounts and different types of corals (even to well deeper than 40m). Heaps and heaps of fish and other stuff and also a turtle. Just the feeling of being there more than anything was what I loved. And my instructor was really good (I did my deep and night specialties) and a few of the dives were just him and me and it was heaps of fun and we were similar on air and we had long dives. I had my deepest and longest dive on my last day. It was awesome. Got severely narked on my last dive there at 36m and I now no that diving can be even more euphoric than I thought!! The dive centrer thre had apparently been laughing at my emails wondering if I was for real since I really was so looking forward to it. Thy found out I was for real and I found out that I was right to look forward to it so much!!
Got up at 3am yesterday and had a bus back to Cairo.
Heading to Nairobi tonight.
Don'w know when I'll be on next. On a 6 day safari of Masai Mara in Kenya in 2 days before starting volunteer work with the colobus trust.
