So we missed our connecting flight and we didn’t make it in time to catch the flight through Edmonton either. So we’re on a flight to Toronto, spend two hours there, then on to Vancouver. We’ll arrive around 1am, instead of the original 4:30pm. We had time in Heathrow to have a little snack and to browse the duty free shops. Now we’re at the...
Our flight has been delayed even longer without explanation. We’re finally on board and apparently we’re waiting for “one paper” to be signed, according to the flight attendant. Unless our flight in London is delayed as well, we’re probably not going to make that flight at 3pm UK time. Our only other option after that is a 4:15pm...
Our tour of Egypt is over and we’re a little sad to be going home today. Our tour company picked us up from the hotel and 15 minutes later we were at the airport. They arranged an escort for us to help us through the check in and passport control. We’re sitting at the gate right now waiting to board. The flight is already 10 minutes late because...
We just finished our last excursion in Egypt. We went to the Cairo Museum this morning to finally see the contents of what was found in some of the tombs of Egypt that we’ve seen. The museum is 3 floors of antiquities, holding 160,000 items on the top two floors. Another 45,000 items are stored in the basement and are not available for viewing by the public...
Sadly, we’re at our final temple on the tour. Karnak Temple is the largest of all the temples. This is due to almost every ruler adding a piece while they were in power. I think one of the coolest parts of the temple is that there is a walkway from Karnak to Luxor Temple, about 3km, that is lined with a sphinx on either side of the walkway in one metre...
During the entire Egypt portion of the trip we’ve been approached by vendors at all the monuments looking to sell us little statues and carvings. Our guide told us that in most cases, the items they’re trying to sell us are likely made in China and we should try to avoid them. The little town just outside the Valley of the Kings happens to be a...
After the balloon ride, we met up with the rest of the group and proceeded to the Valley of the Kings, which was 5 minutes away. The Valley contains the tombs for 65 pharoah’s including the most famous, King Tutankhamun (King Tut). There was no photography allowed in and around the Valley so there’s nothing really visual to show from here. I did learn...
This morning we got up at 4am and we were out the door at 4:30am with box breakfasts in hand. We took a bus to a boat, crossed the river and boarded another bus. The balloons were launching very close to the Valley of the Kings. When we arrived, there were 4 balloons getting setup to take flight. Ours had a basket with 8 sections in it so I think it could hold 24...
Tonight around 6pm, we did a tour of Luxor Temple. It was really different to experience a temple at night all lit up. This temple is dedicated to Amun, his wife Mut, and their son Khonsu.
There is more to it than that but I need to go to bed now because tomorrow we’re going hot air ballooning over the city including the Valley of the Kings.
Today we checked out of the cruise ship, but not until after lunch. Because we missed our included lunch on our first day, they gave us a late check out and a four course lunch. Turns out, we were the only ones left in the boat. Everyone else had left after breakfast. So after our breakfast, we went on a 1 hour felucca cruise around the area. Felucca’s are...