After a day sightseeing in the West Bank of Luxor (I have written a blog post about the sights here), we boarded our Nile Cruise. The boat is called the Esmeralda and it is in the 5-star deluxe cruise category. I would say it is an older but well-maintained boat. There are luxury cruises that were …
Nile Cruise from Luxor to Aswan – 5 Star Deluxe Cruise – Esmeralda Read More »
On the first day of our Nile Cruise, we were picked up in a van from our Airbnb by our guide for the duration of the cruise, Omar. Before boarding the boat, we visited the major archaeological sites of Luxor’s West Bank with Omar. Central to the religion of Ancient Egyptians was the belief in …
Without knowing it, we stumbled upon an absolute gem of a restaurant that became one of our most treasured memories from our month in Egypt. I read about The Old Egyptian Village Restaurant on the internet but it wasn’t clear to me exactly what kind of place it was. The name implied that it was …
Luxor is separated by the Nile River into the East Bank and the West Bank. As the sun rises on the East Bank, it was believed by the Ancient Egyptians to be the side of the living. As the sun sets on the West Bank, it was the side of the dead. It follows that …
Exploring Luxor’s East Bank – Luxor Museum and Horse-drawn Carriage Ride Read More »
Luxor is separated by the Nile River into the East Bank and the West Bank. As the sun rises on the East Bank, it was believed by the Ancient Egyptians to be the side of the living. As the sun sets on the West Bank, it was the side of the dead. It follows that …
Exploring Luxor’s West Bank – Valley of the Queens, Howard Carter House, Medinet Habu Read More »
Over the years, Leo and I have been to many places that offered hot air balloon rides. We have always wanted to do it, but each time, we passed on the chance because it was expensive (usually around USD 200 per person) and we just weren’t willing to shell out the money. We saw hot …
After a one-hour flight from Cairo, we arrived in Luxor, known in ancient times as Thebes. Luxor was the capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom, at the height of Ancient Egypt’s power. Luxor is bifurcated by the Nile River, separating the city into the East Bank and the West Bank. The part of the …
In Faiyum, there is a fascinating paleontological site called Wadi Hitan or Whale Valley. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where fossil remains of primitive whales from 30-40 million years ago were found. The fossils that were discovered at Wadi Hitan show Archaeoceti, the early ancestor to the whale, in the stage of losing …
Wadi Hitan (Whale Valley) and the Western Desert Read More »
CNN called the Faiyum Oasis “Egypt’s best kept secret” (May 20, 2020). It is a popular weekend getaway for Cairenes who drive to the oasis to enjoy the outdoors, clean air and simple living. Every Egyptian we met told us that we would only need two or three nights in Faiyum, but we booked a …
The Faiyum Oasis is about two hours drive from Cairo and a favorite weekend getaway for Cairenes to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. After we picked up supplies from Carrefour at Festival City, we made a quick lunch stop at a local falafel joint. We couldn’t read the menu but from the …
