My first travel to Egypt (26/12/2019 - 05/01/2020)

I dreamt about going to Egypt since my childhood, when I read about all the treasures in the books of the Slovak historian and a writer for youth Vojtech Zamarovsky. And more I learned about Egypt over the years, more I wanted to see. I remember seeing the first photo of the White Desert quite some time ago - I could not believe it can be real. And so I was postponing the big trip, almost afraid to make it happen in order not to destroy the magic of imagining it. And then I said enough - time to go. I have just about 10 days for the trip - but who said I cannot go there more times. So I just flew in and started one of the most extra-ordinary travels I did - and I did many. These days I slept only few hours per night, but the flame of the adventure and magnificent past was keeping me awake. Each day was completely different but equally emotional for me. Each day dedicated to my dreams and passions - from ancient civilisations and museums, city strolls, cultural performances, local food, and then the nature and sleeping under the stars after such a looong (too long) time. I remember falling asleep with a conscious smile of plain happiness. And then the people - I met hospitality and even the famous hassle around the main attractions was not such an issue. There is an intrinsic beauty in those people waiting to be seen - go with love, and you will be safe. I felt like that all the time. Egypt, I will come back.

Itinerary in short (More details below and under the photos ordered by the days):

Day 1 (Dec 26): Cairo arrival

Day 2 (Dec 27): Cairo - Egyptian Museum - felluca sunset ride - dinner cruise with Nile Maxim.

Day 3 (Dec 28): Gisa pleateau - pyramids of Cheops/Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, solar barque, queens’ pyramids , several tombs, and the Great Sphynx.

Day 4 (Dec 29): Black Desert - Oasis hamlet called El Haiz hatte - Crystal mountain - Wadi Agabat

Day 5 (Dec 30): White Desert

Day 6 (Dec 31) White desert and Bahariya Oasis

Day 7 (Jan 1) Bahriya Oasi - Tomb of Zed Amun Iuf Ankh, Temple of Alexander the Great, Golden MummiesMuseum

Day 8 (Jan 2) Saqqara: step pyramid of Djoser, Pyramid of Unas, Mastaba of Ti, Tomb of Mehu, Tomb of Maya, Tomb of Horemheb, Serapeum. Dahsur: Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid. Memphis

Day 9 (Jan 3) 5 Alexandria: Pompey’s pillar, Serapeum Temple , Greco-Roman Catacombs of Kombucha Ash Shuqqafa, Alexandria National Museum, Sofianopulos Coffe Store, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Fort Qaitbey, Kadoura restaurant

Day 10 (Jan 4) : Coptic Cairo: Coptic Museum, The Hanging Church, St Sergius and St Bacchus Church, Sinagoga Ben Ezra. Mosque di Amr Ibn al-As. Islamic Cairo: Ibn Tulun Mosque and Gayer-Anderson Museum, Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan and Al Rifai Mosque Citadel, Mosque of Muhammad Ali, Al Azhar Mosque. Al Tannoura Egyptian Heritage Dervish Dance Group.

Day 11 (Jan 5): Islamic Cairo - Musoleum of Islamic Art, Bab Zuweila minaret, Khan Al Khalili, Charia Al Mu'izz Li Din Allah, Madrasa-Mausoleum of Qualaun.

Day 1: Cairo - arrival

Day 1 (Dec 26): late arrival in Cairo, but Cairo never sleeps. Getting out and absorbing the atmosphere of this amazing city, tasting my first koshari in About Tarek and getting blown away in presuambly oldest caffe in Cairo, El Fishawi. Overnight in the atmospheric Pension Roma in the old city.

Day 2: Cairo

Day 2 (Dec 27): Full day explorarion of the Egyptian Museum - from the opening to its closing. You can’t get enough of it, if these objects talk to you. Getting fresh air on a felluca ride from Dok Dok, watching the Sun going down, followed by a touristy dinner cruise with Nile Maxim.

Day 3: Gisa plateau

Day 3 (Dec 28): Early morning taxi to Giza, first glimpses of the giants appeareaing above the buildings. Whole day exploration of the pyramids in Gisa (Khufu/Cheops pyramid and solar barque museum, Henutsen (Cheop’s wife) small pyramid, Chephren/Khafre pyramid, Menkaure pyramid), various tombs (Hethepheres, Qar and son Idu, Meraksankh III, Hemiunu tombs) and The Great Sphinx. Finalized by camel ride, ok, I know, touristy, but I loved it. Watching the night sound and light show from the terrace of the Gisa Pyramids Guesthouse.

Day 4: Black and White deserts

Day 4 (Dec 29): Early morning pick up from Giza and almost 4 hours drive to the Bahariya Oasis. Quick change of the car, my guide and a 4x4 car are waiting for me along the road. My two-night desert adventure, organized by The White Desert Tours and International Hot Spring Hotel, starts. Stop in a panoramic point of the Black Desert, with young vulcanic cones formed by black lava and partially covered by white sand blowen over them. Amazning lunch in a Small Oasis hamlet called El Haiz hatte, a very local place with a stream flowing across the dining area. Crystal mountain with enourmous barit and calcite crystals of hydrovolcanic origin. When the view on Wadi Agabat opened, it felt like being in a sci-fi scene. Finding the place to camp, next to a fire, under the stars and our Milky Way. Just a big-eared desert fox came over night to chew on my shoe :-)

Day 5: White desert

Day 5 (Dec 30) We drive across the White Desert, observing a drastically changing scenery. Small palm-filled oasis, rocky viewpoints, springs, tomb with human relics from the Roman period. Field of white sand sprinkled with iron-rich crystals and concretions of all kinds of shapes. And then snow-white chalk formations of all forms and sizes start to appear, going in crescendo in all senses as we drive across - they give the name to this place. The camp is set not so far from the most famous star - "mushroom and chicken” . You can’t imagine the sunset in this place, until you live it - the play of colours all around you is just magic and you are swallowed by it. And when the night falls, stars shine bright above the black silhouets of the statues carved by the sand blown by the hot desert wind

Day 6: White desert and Bahariya Oasis

Day 6 (Dec 31) Waking up before sunrise, to catch the light spectacle of the hot ball going over the horison. Then making our way through stunning white formations up to the main road and to the Spring Hotel in the Bahariya Oasis, rich with date palms. Short rest and I explore the area…. crazy drive to the Gebel El Dist, a pyramid-shaped mountain, local landmark, where fossils of dinosaurs were found. Watching the sunset from the Gebel Al Inglez, Black Mountain with the rests of a house that was a look out point of Captain William during the WWI. Back to the hotel, swim in a pool filled from a local hot spring and at hotel’s Peter’s bar the new year meets me happy dancing to the tones of local live music.

Day 7: Bahariya Oasis

Day 7 (Jan 1) Day starts exploring the local archeological treasures in Bahriya: in-rock carved and brightly painted Tomb of Zed Amun Iuf Ankh, a rich man living during the 26th dynasty, the Temple of Alexander the Great (332 BC) and then the famous Golden Mummies Museum, holding few exemplars of the gold-plated 2000 years old mummies from the Greco-Roman period, found among many others in the Valley of the Golden Mummies. Then local shopping and drive back to Gisa, to the Hayat Pyramids View Hotel with astonishing view on the pyramids, from quite a different angle then I had few nights before - directly from my room or from the roof-top terrace, enjoying pigeon-based dinner and yet another sound and light show illuminating the ancient gigants.

Day 8: Saqqara, Dahsur, and Memphis

Day 8 (Jan 2) Early start to drive to Saqqara, to see the oldest of them all - the 4600 years old step pyramid of Djoser. Under the unimpressive pile of rocks - relics of the Pyramid of Unas - lies a unique burial chamber with the ceiling full of stars and with white alabaster walls with blue inscriptions - one of the first examples of the funerary texts. A lot to see - Mastaba of Ti, Tomb of Mehu, yellow painted Tomb of Maya, New Kingdon Tomb of Horemheb, mysterious Serapeum - the burial complex is vast and I wish to have more time. But time to move to Dahsur, entering the recently opend Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid - being alone in a burial chamber in the heart of a pyramid is unforgettable experience. And then the ancient capital Memphis with a huge statue of the mighty Ramses II. Move to the Grand Nile Tower hotel to refresh, adsorb the view of the mighty Nile from the height across the huge window in my room, and then I head for a nice local dinner and shisha in the city center, mingled with locals.

Day 9: Alexandria

Day 9 (Jan 3) 5 AM bus booked online with GoBus to Alexandria. Refreshing stylish breakfast in the historical Steigenberger Cecil Hotel Alexandria and I am ready to explore the city. Stroll along the seaside, then I head to the majestic Pompey’s pillar and the Serapeum Temple with relics of an ancient library. Deep Greco-Roman Catacombs of Kombucha Ash Shuqqafa, small but exquisite Alexandria National Museum. Then pouring rain and I head to explore the famous coffee scene of Alexandria, as in Sofianopulos Coffe Store. Rain does not stop - time for another interior stop - Bibliotheca Alexandrina is all modern, but so huge and impressive that I guess might be indeed paired with its ancient predecessor. Rain no rain, Fort Qaitbey is to be seen, with a view to a bay full of colourful boats under rainy clouds. Then an obligatory seafood dinner at Kadoura restaurant and I fall asleep for few hours in my “Mohamed Ali Clay”- named room.

Day 10: Coptic and islamic Cairo

Day 10 (Jan 4) : 4:15AM bus to return to Cairo - fortunately I get a deep sleep along the road. I deposit my luggage in Abdeen Palace Hotel and I head to vist Coptic Cairo. Coptic Museum that opens already at 8AM and then exploring nearby historical churches - The Hanging Church, St Sergius and St Bacchus Church right next to the Sinagoga Ben Ezra. I pass by Mosque di Amr Ibn al-As. Then taxi to Islamic Cairo, starting at the oldest one here - the Ibn Tulun Mosque, with a nearby islamic old house Gayer-Anderson Museum - do not miss it. Then next to each other standing Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan and Al Rifai Mosque, that are truly impressive in size. Then I go up to the Citadel with magnificent sunset view and Mosque of Muhammad Ali. Far away one can also see Giza Pyramids. A glimpse of the splendid Al Azhar Mosque at prayer time and then I am blown away by the authentic performance (only once a week- book ahead) of Al Tannoura Egyptian Heritage Dervish Dance Group in a splendid medieval Wikala Al-Ghouri.

Day 11: Islamic Cairo

Day 11 (Jan 5) I start my day with the Musoleum of Islamic Art that is full of beautiful historical pieces. Then I climb the Bab Zuweila minaret from where you have astonishing view over the uncountable minarets in Cairo. I walk to Khan Al Khalili to bargain some parfumes and coffee with cardamon. Walk along the splendid street called Charia Al Mu'izz Li Din Allah, full of marveolous pieces of Islamic architecture culminating with the Madrasa-Mausoleum of Qualaun. This was a great way to end this wonderful journey that left me full of extraordinary memories.