Hello Young Adventurers!

Locations Visited: Egypt- Cairo/Giza, Aswan, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Luxor

Languages Spoken: Arabic

Words Learned: hi- مرحبا (marhabaan) Goodbye- وداعا (wadaeaan) 
Thank you- شكرا لكم (shukraan lakum)

Welcome to Egypt, friends!  The land known for pharaohs, pyramids, secret tombs, deserts, and the Nile River with a history spanning thousands of years. I’ve dreamt of coming here ever since I was a little kid, studying and reading as much as I could about the ancient Egyptians.  Every time I visit a museum, my goal is to immediately head to the Egyptian section where I get lost within all of the hieroglyphics and artifacts.  This leg of the journey is also joined by one of my favorite people in the world, Danielle, who came to travel with me throughout Egypt.  So pack up your tools and let’s go explore some ancient temples and tombs!

Cairo/Giza, Egypt

Danielle and I met up at the airport late in the evening and made our way to the hotel by the Pyramids after the most insane car ride of my life.  There are no rules on the roads in Cairo from what we saw, and it was crazy!  But it was definitely fun- like a weird highway themed rollercoaster.  We spoiled ourselves with a pretty swanky hotel, but since it was so late when we arrived, we just put down our stuff and enjoyed the rest of the evening to catch up and plan out our next few days.

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Today was the day.  The day I dreamt of ever since I was a little kid.  The day I would get to finally see the Great Pyramids of Giza with my own eyes and walk among them.  Excitement was an understatement.  Danielle and I hired a private guide for the day so that we could ask a ton of questions and have someone help us navigate through the area the best way possible.  We got up early, fueled up on some breakfast at the hotel, and headed off with our guide.

***Danielle and I also invented a new Holiday called Shape Day in honor of all the amazing shapes we knew we would soon discover over our time in Egypt- Starting with the best one yet- PYRAMID!***

The Great Pyramid, completed around 2560 BCE, took only a mere 20 years to complete.  Some say the pharaohs used slave labor to build them, but there is no proof of this.  In fact, many people are starting to believe that working on the pyramid was seen as a holy mission, much like a place we’ll learn about later- the Valley of The Kings.  During the summer when farming was not possible in the dry heat of the desert, workers would work here to provide for their families.  This is only a theory, as there isn’t any proof either way, but it’s definitely interesting.  Regardless, they are made out of about 2.3 million gigantic stone blocks.  

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Mathematically, they create almost perfect shapes and dimensions. It’s pretty amazing to think about how perfect they are, considering how long ago they were built.  They were way beyond their time.  Their primary goal was to protect the pharaohs and their treasures, but they had almost the opposite effect.  Because of their size and beauty, they stood out over the Egyptian Desert, almost begging for grave robbers to come and take what was inside.  This is why the pyramids were not used for very long, and we’ll learn more about that here in a bit.

The pyramids are for Khufu (The Great Pyramid), Khafre, and Menkaure, three generations of pharaohs with smaller pyramids by each for their wives and family.  The Great Sphinx is also located here, guarding the pyramids and their treasures.  There is so much I could write about just the pyramids alone, and if you want to know more, let me know and I’ll make a separate post about them!

While here, Danielle and I got to explore the inside of the Great Pyramid itself (which was SO COOL, but unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take photos), saw the solar boat, which was a wooden boat built back during the age of the pyramids that has been almost perfectly preserved and built to aid the Pharaoh’s spirit on his way to the afterlife. We also got to ride camels through the desert!  My camel’s name was Mickey Mouse, and Danielle’s was Michael Jordan.  Easily one of the most incredible moments of my life was riding through the desert by the pyramids! 

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Unfortunately we couldn’t stay here forever, and our guide took us out of the pyramid complex to a local perfumery.  Egypt is known for it’s oils and scents, used during ancient times as sacred ingredients in ceremonies, and sold nowadays for perfumes and colognes around the world.  We got a private lesson on how oils were made, and even got to smell a bunch! It was really fun.  My favorite was the papyrus and lotus smells!

After that, we headed out to learn more about papyrus!  Papyrus is a type of plant which the Egyptians used to create the first paper.  But it’s so much more than that.  What is so amazing about paper made using papyrus is that it its extremely durable.  It’s why we have so many documents even today from the ancient Egyptians.  

The next day we spent at the Cairo Museum.  This place had everything you could imagine, but the coolest parts were King Tut’s sarcophagus and golden burial mask as well as two rooms of mummies!  Unfortunately, both of these rooms allowed no photography, so you’ll have to look online to see what they look like.  I was able to take a photo of two mummies, though, that were in a different section.  You can’t see it well here, but you could still see their hair and teeth even though they were thousands of years old!  It was incredible!  

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We spent the rest of our day climbing the Cairo Tower to see the city from up above, even though there was a dust storm coming through.  Honestly, it made the view even cooler to us, though!  We were definitely glad we weren’t exploring the pyramids today with all this sand everywhere- plus it was surprisingly cold!

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Aswan, Egypt

We woke up early the next morning to catch a flight from Cairo to Aswan where we would be boarding a 4 night cruise on the NILE RIVER!  Our cruise would stop at every major site between Aswan and Luxor, and we would get to feel a little fancy for a bit.  I love the backpacking life and living with just what I need for each day, but it is nice to get to be a little spoiled for a few days and sleep in a nice comfy bed again!

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Our cruise started off with a visit to the High Dam, followed by the large granite quarry here in Aswan.  This quarry is where the ancient Egyptians carved much of their stone used in their temples and buildings.  They carved pieces directly into the side of the mountain as a single large piece, and then moved by hand to the Nile, where boats of papyrus (remember how strong and durable it is!) would send it downstream to where they wanted it to go.  Below is an obelisk that was almost completed to be shipped downstream before it formed a large crack and had to be left.  You can see how they cut it out of the stone!  

Our next stop required us to take a boat along the Nile to the Isle of Philae where the Temple of the Goddess Isis was. The temple originally was drowned by the Nile after the dam was completed, and was then recovered and reconstructed piece by piece on the nearby island in the 1960’s so that it could be preserved. Isis, the mother of Horus and goddess of magic, wisdom, and the sky, was honored here. These ancient temples all had a similar layout- Two large towers/ gates, a giant open courtyard where the middle class could worship and pay their respects, a hall of columns where the upper class could do the same, and then the innermost holy hall where relics would reside to the god or goddess being honored at the temple. Only the high priests could go to this point. There was a straight path right down the middle so that the holy hall could be seen and respects could be paid, even from the outside. Check out the remains of the temple below- see any hieroglyphs or recognize any of the parts of the temple?

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With the sun at our backs, we headed back to the boat and set sail. We went to bed pretty early because we had a super early start the next morning to visit our next temple.

Kom Ombo- Temple of Sobek and Horus

One temple, two of everything in order to honor Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus the son of Isis and Osiris, the falcon god of the sky and of protection. We had to wake up SUPER early to get here, although it was only a 5 minute walk from where our boat docked. We arrived right as the sun was rising, and it was absolutely beautiful. It had the same layout as the Temple of Isis, except there were two of everything so that both gods had their proper area. Built around 180 BCE, this temple isn’t as old as others, and some hieroglyphs depict medical equipment and tools. Check it out below and see if you can spot the crocodile and falcon gods in the hieroglyphs.

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Edfu- Temple of Horus

After a few hours on the boat (and a LOT of food later), our ship docked in Edfu. We had a quick horse carriage ride through the city to get to the temple itself, another temple dedicated to the falcon god, Horus. Danielle managed to get a really cool time-lapse of our ride through the city- check it out below!

The temple itself was HUGE. There were statues of Horus all around, and the columns and structures were overwhelmingly large. Again, this followed the same layout as the other temples, just on a much larger scale. Horus was also the god who defeated his uncle, Set- the god of chaos, violence, disorder, and the desert. This temple had hieroglyphs depicting their final confrontation all around it as well. Check out the temple!

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We finished our exploring, took another carriage back to the boat, and rode through the night to our next destination. There was a place where there was a damn on the Nile, though, and our boat had to change water levels in a locked chamber. It was really interesting, and I got another cool time-lapse video of it!

Luxor- Hatshepsut’s Temple

Our boat arrived in Luxor in the middle of the night, and the next morning we set out across the river to explore the West Bank- starting with Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple. Now, this lady was pretty incredible. She managed to assume the role of Pharaoh after her husband died, and ran the country for years despite her step-son being the next in line to rule. She was a powerhouse leader, who stepped into battle and led strongly. She had this temple built to set her authority as queen, chosen by the gods, and also had a sanctuary for the god Anubis here as well. What I loved about this temple was that it was so unique looking (But technically still had the same core elements as the others), and it still had some of the colors preserved! Check it out!

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Luxor- Valley of the Kings

This place is amazing. From the outside it appears to be just a Valley on the other other side of the mountain from Hatshepsut’s temple, but it is so much more. Here lie the tombs of some of the most well-known pharaohs to ever be discovered. The Egyptians belief in the afterlife meant that it was important not only for the body to be preserved, but for it to remain with all that was needed for safe passage. Time proved that grand tombs like the pyramids were only acting as open invitations for tomb raiders to steal the treasures, and therefore the valley of the kings was developed, to hide and preserve the remains o the dead.

Here was where King Tut was found. I got to explore his tomb, as well as three others, and even see his mummy! What was amazing about the valley was that all of the colors inside the tombs had been perfectly preserved over time thanks to how well hidden they were. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take any pictures inside, but I do have one of the valley itself.

Luxor- Karnak Temple

We made our way back to the boat for a quick lunch, and then headed out to see Karnak Temple on the East side of the Nile. This temple takes it to an even crazier level than the last few. Dedicated to the god Amun-Ra, the ruler god of the sun, it was contributed to by over 30 pharaoh’s lifespans. This place was simply breathtaking. The Sacred Lake also lay here at the temple, it’s waters being necessary when blessing a new Pharaoh. Without that, they would not have the gods’ full blessing to rule. I’m going to let you check out some of the pictures I took, and see what you think!

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Luxor- Luxor Temple

Located near Karnak, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a particular god or deity, but rather to the idea of kingship itself. This is where many kings would be crowned throughout history. This temple again followed the same similar structure as the rest, and was really beautiful. I was shocked by how it was right in the middle of the city! Check it out!

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The rest of my time in Luxor was spent waiting out a sandstorm so that I could catch my flight to my next destination, exploring the city a bit by foot, and just enjoying some time to breathe. Traveling is amazing, and after seeing some of the sights I’ve always dreamt of, it was nice to take a few days to breathe and reflect. I got to even watch a beautiful sunset over the Nile!

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Danielle and I were sad to have to say goodbye to our new friends from our tour group on the cruise, and even sadder to have to say goodbye to each other for a while as she got back on a plane to head back to Tennessee. Traveling with friends really its the best, and I’ve been lucky to have 3 wonderful friends meet me over the past few weeks. I’m super excited about what’s next as I dive more into Africa and then onto Asia. South Africa is next on my list so I can cross my #1 off my bucket list- Cage Dive with Sharks in South Africa! SHARK WEEK HERE I COME! Unfortunately, I was supposed to also go to Kenya and Victoria Falls in Zambia, but due to unforeseen issues, those will have to wait this trip. I know I’ll see them one day, though! Anyways, I’ll see you soon in Sunny South Africa! Hope you’re ready to meet some amazing animals!

Have Courage, & Be Kind,

Mr. Weavil