Ngaire, Petra is the day I have been waiting for! I can't wait to hear about it and I bet Ken will do up the pictures in perfect Ken style!

Petra! The highlight of our CAMEL cruise!

"Mad Money" crazy man Jim Cramer was being broadcast from Petra today !!

"BOOYAH" IT'S CRAMER :banana: :banana:

Just said goodbye to everyone. The group part of the trip is officially over. Mom and Dad (Ngaire and Ken) were dropped off at the Amman airport today and are on their way home. We (Susan, Doug and I) separated from the rest of the group (David/Mary Elaine, Pat/Ray, Mark/Pam, Ray/Pat) and are at the Kempinski Dead Sea. The rest went on to Amman. Some are leaving tonight and others tomorrow. We are the last to leave. We spent a wonderful evening walking on the beach, playing in the water and covering ourselves in mud. Had a great Thai meal. Tomorrow will lie on the beach for the day. Susan will take in a tour of Bethany. Today, we had one final group tour of Wadi Rum. Great Fun! Will post more later. Jordan was a surprising delight. We couldn't believe we were sitting having drinks tonight looking over the Dead Sea at Israel and Palestine. Incredible. Just a week ago, we pinched ourselves as we landed in Cairo. What lucky people we are to have had this very wonderful trip with such wonderful friends.

Day 2: Amman to Petra

Today, we all were off to Petra, but first we were to have an all day tour, beginning with a city tour of Amman. It began at the Citadel…the one we never made it to yesterday. We expected great views, Roman ruins, and we got that and an in-depth history from our guide. Then, he mentioned we would also go into the museum--the Jordan Archeological Museum. This small museum houses an excellent collection of antiquities ranging from prehistoric times to the 15th century. In fact, it just happens to house the Dead Sea Scrolls, and four rare Iron Age sarcophagi and the Ain Ghazal sculpture dated to 6250 BC. Approximately 30 of these enigmatic and appealing statues, ranging between 2 and 3 feet in height and looking rather like kindly extraterrestrials to modern eyes, were discovered in 1983 and 1985 during road construction on the outskirts of Amman.

The statues are made of plaster applied to an interior reed armature. Some have legs, while others just have block torsos. They are most likely funeral statues, that commemorate deceased family members of important lineages. Gender is usually not indicated. Some of the statues have two heads and joined bodies; they could have represented a husband and wife, or other pairs (siblings, parent/child, etc.) depending on circumstances. When found, the statues had been deliberately buried underneath the floors of uninhabited houses, echoing the widespread neolithic practice of burying important family members (such as clan heads) under the floors of their own homes. The Jordanian statues were most likely fashioned for ancestor worship, painted and adorned, and revered in a special place by the community. The archaeological periods represented in the museum date back as far as The Paleolithic (1000,000 – 10,000 years ago) age.

Amman is a city that is rich in history and we merely touched its surface. About an hour north of the city is Jerash, which is one of the best and largest preserved cities in the world, dating back to 2nd century BC. However, we didn't have time to take it in. What we took in of Amman was that it is called the White City as it is all built in limestone and it is growing in leaps and bounds due to the number of Palestinians who have immigrated within the past 3 years…over 800K. Amman grew in stature as a capital after the rail line was built and the royal family built its palace in Amman after the 1940s. Even with the influx of immigrants, Amman appeared clean and quite upscale compared to Cairo. Gone are the tent cities, replaced by government housing and painted a uniform color by the government, to give the appearance of cleanliness. There are no clothes hanging out of windows here in Amman. For one thing, it would be considered indiscrete to hang one's personal items outside of one's homes, so people here invest in dryers. The traffic issue so apparent in Cairo is nil here in Jordan. Traffic police are everywhere and speed patrol is heavily enforced.

As opposed to our Saturday/Sunday days off, here in Jordan, folks enjoy Friday and Saturday off. We noticed folks sitting along the highway on blankets and chairs having picnics and barbecues when we left on the following Friday. Schools are compulsory through age 16. Classes are separated by gender. Classes start at 8 am and go through 3 pm. Government workers also end their day jobs at 3. The big meal of the day is held at 3:30 and folks have a late, light supper after 8pm. Those who work for multinationals, have a one hour lunch around 3 and go home between 5 and 6 pm.

Sixty percent of the population is under age 30 due to the fact that large families are supported by Islam. This is causing infrastructure problems. Public universities haven't enough room for all students and private universities are beginning to be introduced. Interestingly, Jordan has no oil and are looking into alternative oil sources. At first, they received cheap oil from their neighbors, but now it is as expensive as it is for us. Therefore, they are looking at oil shell for 2015 and nuclear power for 2020. So, where are they getting their wealth if not from oil? Phosphate is their leading industry and we saw phosphate plants everywhere along the highway. Jordan's other leading industries are: Cement, agriculture and tourism.

I found the topography interesting. It was mostly desert. It was miles and miles of desert. However, Jordan gets snow and has 4 seasons. It is for this reason, that property has become very attractive. In fact, in the past 5-6 years property values for a 1/4 lot have increased from $50K to $500K in the suburbs. Villas or mansions can easily sell into the $5-7 million range.

We made our way along the King's highway to Mt. Nebo. Now, I had forgotten much of my bible stories. Mount Nebo is where Moses was given a view of the "the promised land" that God was giving to the Israelites. According to both Jewish and Christian tradition, Moses was buried on this mountain by God Himself, and his final resting place is unknown. Scholars continue to dispute whether the mountain currently known as Nebo is the same as the mountain referred to in the Torah. There were fantastic mosaics currently being restored. The church was first constructed in the second half of the 4th century to commemorate the place of Moses' death. Six tombs have been found hollowed from the natural rock beneath the mosaic covered floor of the church. In the modern chapel built to protect the site and provide worship space, you can see remnants of mosaic floors from different periods.

The entire town now seems to be dedicated to the art of mosaics and we visited a workshop where beautiful pieces of mosaic art were being created by handicapped individuals. We stopped for lunch outside of Amman in a suburb called Madaba and went to see Madaba's chief attraction - in the Greek Orthodox church of St. George - a 6th-century Byzantine mosaic map showing the entire region from Jordan and Palestine in the north, to Egypt in the south. This map includes a fascinating plan of Jerusalem: on the left is the north gate from which two colonnaded streets run south. On the straight street through the heart of the city stands the domed Holy Sepulcher. Clearly inscribed above the north and east gates is the legend "Holy City of Jerusalem".

With our heads spinning from all we had seen and a long trip still ahead to Petra, we were ready to settle down to a nice afternoon bus siesta, but not before our guide showed us a special treat…the black iris. We were lucky enough to be around for the short season. It will only grow in the wild and it is illegal to pick it as it is endangered. The Black Iris is Jordan's national flower, only grows south of Amman, and the entire flower has a glossy luster finish. At the base of this sphere, three petals curve downwards, each showing a patch of velvet of the deepest black. The contrast of gloss with velvet is extremely beautiful, black on black, accentuating the mass of the flower, it's sharp lines and it's delicate transparent veins.

Finally, we go through the small town of Wadi Mussa ( Moses Valley) and arrive at the Movenpick Petra, right at the mouth of the Petra site. The hotel has quite an elegant lobby and we are all tired and looking forward to a nice dinner and a chair that hasn't got wheels underneath!

Day 3: Petra

We all gathered in the lobby of the Movenpick and walked to the entrance of the Petra Visitor's Center, about a 5 minute walk, about half the folks decided to take a horse drawn carriage ride to the "Treasury." Susan and I decided to take a horse to the beginning to the siq (gorge). Doug, Ken, Ray, Dave, Ralph walked to the gorge. Petra is a lost city, hidden in a valley. Petra is greek meaning rock and has just been chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and as a World Heritage Site and was selected as one the the 40 places to see before you die. It was established as a city by the Nabateans around the 6th century BC as a city. Currently, it has the beautiful treasury, which houses an empty room, many tombs, a monastery and three temples. There have been no excavated homes. Besides being extremely beautiful, it is an example of an extremely clever civilization as well as an insight into our past. Christianity found its way to Petra in the 4th century CE, nearly 500 years after the establishment of Petra as a trade center. According to Arab tradition, Petra is the spot where Moses struck a rock with his staff and water came forth, and where Moses' brother, Aaron, is buried, at Mount Hor, known today as Jabal Haroun or Mount Aaron. The Wadi Musa or "Wadi of Moses" is the Arab name for the narrow valley at the head of which Petra is sited. Petra declined rapidly under Roman rule, in large part due to the revision of sea-based trade routes. In 363 an earthquake destroyed many buildings, and crippled the vital water management system, which you can still see today.

We walked through the gorge and took many pictures and thought the treasury was just as beautiful in the morning sun as every picture we had ever seen. We continued along the way, walking in and out of canyons and tombs, stopping for tea and later, for lunch. I gave in and purchased a lantern, leaving it behind to pick up later in the day. We laughed at seeing our authentic handmade Nubian necklaces (which we knew were made in India) were now being sold as authentic handmade bedouin necklaces by the vendors. After lunch, Susan and Ken decided to climb the 995 steps up to the monastery. I chickened out and Doug and I decided to take the donkeys up. Ngaire went back to buy some more "authentic" necklaces, some were already back at the hotel, and others went for camel rides. As Doug and I passed Susan and Ken, we waved and had some good fun on our sure footed donkeys, glad we weren't climbing like Ken and Susan. Once off, we dismounted and noted that it would be awhile before we'd see them. We looked up at the monastery still many steps up and decided to just go down the 800 or so steps. As we turned, there were Ken and Susan. I don't know what pills they were taking, but they sure were fast. They went on past us to the monastery and we went on down. It seemed like forever, but was only about 35 minutes. At the base, Doug an I sat down and thought we'd be there waiting for Susan and Ken for about 15-20 minutes as they were going up much higher than we did and were taking photos as well, but about 5 minutes later, there they were. I think they must have jumped a few flights. (Ken was limping later on).

We made our way to the camels (We are the "do it all group…though Ken and Susan really won this day") and Doug, Susan and I got on our camels with Ken walking alongside taking our pictures back to the rest stop. Susan's camel fell in love with Doug and leaned in for a big kiss, but Doug didn't reciprocate "because he didn't know if it were a girl."

We picked up my lantern and made our way up hill in the heat, back to the hotel. It was a good couple mile walk. Once back, we freshened up and went down to the lobby and had drinks with Pat and Ray and Ralph. Slowly, others joined until it was time for dinner. Tomorrow, our last day together as a group, would be Wadi Rum.

Day 4: Wadi Rum and Dead Sea

We got on the bus at 8 AM and folks were all a bit tired. Today was to be a driving day and none were too pleased. First, we had one last hurrah. I was going along for the ride. I knew Wadi Rum was a pretty area in the desert, but that was about it. I began the trip as an ignorant slut, and I ended it as one as well! Little did I realize,that this was the area that was made famous by Lawrence of Arabia during the Arab Revolt (1917/18). Lawrence himself makes many references to Wadi Rum in his book 'The Seven Pillars of Wisdom', a title apparently inspired by one of Rum's imposing mountains, which is extremely beautiful.

It is a vast expanse of red sand dunes and desert (real desert, with deep sand) with craggy mountains jutting out of the dunes. Geologists think that this Wadi (the Arabic word for "valley") resulted from a great crack in the surface of the earth caused by an enormous upheaval, which shattered mammoth pieces of granite, and sandstone ridges from the mountains of the Afro-Arabian shield. Some of the ridges are a 1000 feet high and topped with domes worn smooth by the desert winds. There is prehistoric grafitti on cave walls and prehistoric finds. While we only spent an hour or so driving in open air jeeps across the area, it is possible to travel by camel, horseback or stay overnight in Wadi Rum. I really wished we had visited there during sunset. We all wanted to reach our destinations, so we grabbed some snacks in the gift store, jumped on the bus and headed out for our 4 hour plus ride back to the Amman area. Ngaire and Ken would be the first to leave us at the airport; Susan, Doug and I would separate next for the Dead Sea and the others would continue on, back to the Amman Hyatt for the night.

We will miss you all!

Andi, I just love reading about all your adventures! It is amazing what all you've seen and done since leaving NY. I will sure miss your Desert Mail! :mecry:

We are back in Cairo, under the "care" of the world's best tour company again. Completely worn out, but on the next leg of the trip home. More later.

Safe travels Pam!! I bet you can't wait to collapse in your own bed!

Andi, you either have an incredible memory, or had a tape recorder with you. Your details are phenominal!!!
Did you get a picture of the Black Iris. i would love to see it.
Lynn
Safe trip home, and tell Doug i miss him.lol

We got home last night and I am about to attack the pile on my desk. I will post some more later but really Andi does such an incredible job no need to go into the day to day details. I wanted to see if she had posted yet and there she was - I also cannot believe how she can remember all this information. There is no way I could ever do that. She has no tape recorder and I never saw her taking any notes when I was with her.

Ken is at the station today and he will see if he can get some time to work on pictures. We may put a few up here and others at the smugmug site with a link.

It was a shame we could not post as we went but it was really a busy trip and internet was expensive.

Lynn, I sent you a picture of the black iris. I don't know how to post it...so look at your email.

I remember all this information at the expense of people's names...I can never remember them. And, in order to learn something new, I have to empty out my head of a lot of old facts to remember these new facts. I guess I have a unique learning style. LOL.

We are finally home. We separated sadly from Susan this morning about 6am at JFK. She was going home to Canada through Detroit. We are all unpacked and visited with my daughter and fiancee already. It's nice to be home to celebrate Easter dinner later with family, but will have to face the grim reality of work tomorrow.

I already wrote to Ngaire about the Dead Sea, but would like to share our experiences there with you. The Dead Sea is about a 45 minute trip from the airport. Susan and I decided to end our trip with an adventure to the Dead Sea, since our Delta flight had been cancelled. It was supposedly a tourist attraction not to be missed because of the chemical composition of its water, the filtered sunrays and oxygen-rich air, the mineral-rich black mud along the shoreline, thermal mineral springs which make the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea even more special.

Since it was Friday, we passed tons of families by the roadside having picnics and barbecues on our way to our hotel. The views at certain points were breathtaking as we looked out onto the deep valleys that stretched out to Palestine and Israel. The Dead Sea is the lowest body of water on earth, the lowest point on earth, and the world's richest source of natural salts. En route a stone marker indicates "Sea Level", but the Dead Sea itself is not reached before descending another 400 meters below this sign. As its name evokes, the Dead Sea is devoid of life due to an extremely high content of salts and minerals which gives its waters the renowned curative powers, therapeutic qualities, and its buoyancy.

And because the salt content is four times that of most world's oceans, you can float in the Dead Sea without even trying, which was supposed to make swimming here a truly unique experience not to be missed: here is the only place in the world where you can recline on the water to read a newspaper. I just don't swim well and wanted to be in one body of water, that wasn't a bathtub, where I would feel somewhat safe.

Scientifically speaking, its water contains more than 35 different types of minerals that are essential for the health and care of the body skin including Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Bromine, Sulfur, and Iodine. They are well known for relieving pains and sufferings caused by arthritis, rheumatism, psoriasis, eczema, headache and foot-ache, while nourishing and softening the skin.

As the sea came into view, first we came up to the convention center, which was holding a car race (Jerash to the Dead Sea) that the prince was attending. We found out at the airport, that we could have even had a photo op with the prince if we had known that it was open to all. Then, there was a hotel road leading to a Movenpick, then a Marriott and last, our hotel, the Kempinski. Tripadvisor folks said it was the best of all the hotels and I took their word. The gentleman who drove our car told us it was the best as well. The hotel was huge and beautifully landscaped with 7 pools, ranging from two infinity pools to a meandering river. Some pools were heated and some were not. There were adult only pools, family pools and children's' pools. The hotel itself is huge and on a hill. We upgraded to the two-three story villas called the Ishtar Wing. The most basic room in this wing is equivalent to that in the hotel, but it is closer to the water. The superior king rooms on the bottom floor do not always offer sea views as they could be obstructed, but they are larger than the superior kings on the higher levels and have large patios. Susan and I changed into our bathing suits and decided to try out the mud and walk in the the Dead Sea. The salt is so thick, you can see it swirling in the water. Don't get it in your mouth...it is vile. And it really stings if you get it in your eyes. We thought we found the right mud and covered ourselves and found the salt content stung a bit. The floor of the sea is very rocky and you are issued special shoes so you can walk comfortably. There was no floating experience that night, though, because it was already getting dark and we were hungry. We had drinks looking out to Palestine and Israel, looking at the bright lights of Jericho directly across the water. If this were any other lake, it would have been a 15 minute boat ride to get to the other shore and investigate what was there, but this was a more complex area and there were borders even through the middle of the lake. It was hard to believe that this beautiful body of water is going down a meter a year and could disappear by 2050. What is making the Dead Sea die? The Jordan Basin is being sucked dry to supply the farms and cities of Israel, Jordan and Syria with water.

As we sat looking at the sunset, Doug and Susan tried the Jordan River white wine and I enjoyed a mint lemonade. We then went into dinner at 9:15 at the Thai restaurant, Codes. The food there was every bit as good as anything we ate in Thailand. The restaurant was almost empty and, given that the hotel was fully packed--not a room to be had--we wondered where everyone was. There was a corporate party outside of Susan's room, and we saw some folks at the Italian restaurant, and there was also a buffet...so perhaps they were there?

We were exhausted and went back to our rooms at about 11pm, as Susan had an early start the next morning, as she was going to Bethany. The rooms included free internet and minibar and Doug and I went back to enjoy our accommodations. The hotel had a pillow menu, Dead Sea Mineral Products and dropped off some bath salts for me to use. Pure luxury. The bed was really comfortable.

The next day, we thoroughly enjoyed the included breakfast buffet overlooking the sea and then Doug and I decided to go for a float. It is really an unusual feeling, as the strong buoyancy pushes against you as you try to change positions. I was afraid I was going to float across to Israel. It was a hoot seeing folks all covered with the black mud from head to toe, with pockadot bathing suits peeking up from underneath the mud. Overly large older women were everywhere in the teeniest of bikinis and obese men wandered the beach in their speedos. Covered in black mud, they looked liked beached whales as they walked around waiting for it to dry and cure whatever ailments they had.

Susan came back all exhilarated from her morning in Bethany. She had taken back water from the Jordan River and had been about 20 feet from the Israeli border. So close, but yet so far.

We all acted like slugs for the rest of the day...alternatively sunning, floating in the sea, swimming in the infinity pool...being fed apples, given refreshing drinks or cool towels. We ate lunch by the pool and had dinner at the Italian restaurant. All the restaurants were excellent. At 8pm, our van picked us up to go to the airport. Everything went like clockwork. We were met by the travel company rep who ushered us through security...two checkpoints (and there was another where they went through all of our luggage before we got on the plane). The lounge was very nice...there were plenty of beverages, food, private tvs, and magazines or newspapers. Susan and I made some final purchases at the duty free before boarding the plane home.

We discussed how we really hadn't allowed enough time to do everything you could do in this country. Petra could be two days instead of one if you wanted to hike. Wadi Rum could have been a whole day. Amman could fill a full day instead of a 1/2 day tour. Then there was Jerash about 30 minutes north of Amman, which is supposed to be an extremely complete, early Roman city that is even larger than Kusadasi. We never made it to the Red Sea and we could have spent several days at the Dead Sea--at least. Then, we could have tacked on Israel and Damascus. What a wealth of things to do and see in the Mid-East! We loved the people we met and never were afraid for our safety. Doug and I will certainly return and recommend this wonderful trip to all. I think it may have been the best trip I have ever taken.

I'll miss your posts Andi! :mecry: :mecry:

One more for the road, Joanna. And I miss you!

Other Facts

Airlines

Delta: I hadn't used a US carrier for transatlantic and was quite worried, especially when I found out that business class didn't even have flat beds, just the old type of business seat. Service was superb and food was excellent. Seats and storage were old school and could use improvement, but the Delta experience was excellent.

Egypt Air: Short flights, old aircraft. Thank goodness

Jordan AIr: Modern, comfortable economy. Enjoyed the flight

I always felt secure. Security was not oppressive, but enough to make me comfortable.

Hotels

Cairo:

Four Seasons Residence (Giza): Large, nicely appointed rooms, wonderful, extensive breakfast, strong security, elegant hotel. Internet not included. Good hotel restaurants and lobby bar and tea room. Connected to expensive mall. Rooms overlooking pyramid and zoo were noisy. Other rooms overlooking Nile were quieter. Luxury, 5 star

Fairmont: Large, nicely appointed rooms, very good breakfast. Internet included. Good restaurants. Near a US like mall, but this is a 5 star airport hotel. Luxury, 5 star

Aswan: Movenpick: Lovely setting on island; rooms have lovely views from balconies; some rooms have showers and some bath/shower combos. Reminded me of Disney hotel rooms like Caribbean Beach Resort…clean, neat, well located, decent size….comparable to Marriott Courtyard, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, etc. Nothing wrong, but not luxury. You aren't going to find better in Aswan at present.

Petra: Movenpick: Great location right at visitor center entrance, so you can walk right into the site. Elegant lobby and tea room, bar area. Rooms were fine. Make sure you get king size bedded room and not twin bedded rooms as they are bigger and nicer. Some rooms have balconies, which is nice. Internet and mini bar are included free. Room is like that in Aswan. You aren't going to find anything better.

Amman: Hyatt. Nice Hyatt Room. Internet included. Nice breakfast. Very nice, but not as nice as Fairmont or Four Seasons.

Food

Not a foodie trip.

Movenpick buffets were for the masses. Edible and lots to choose from.
Four Seasons breakfasts were the best I have ever had
Fairmont was very good.

Look at my reviews for restaurant recommendations: At Four Seasons, Lebanese recommendation was excellent. When we stayed at Fairmont, we went to the mall and went to the Egyptian restaurant on the 6th floor. It was really good and very reasonable. In Amman, we had a nice lunch at Hyatt. Loved our dinner at the Lebanese restaurant I reviewed. It was one of the best meals of the trip.


Shopping

Egypt: Really just souvenirs…Cartouches in either silver or gold. Some ankhs or other silver charms. Hawkers sell necklaces and bracelets as Nubian. They aren't. They are from India. Pay about $3-5 max for them if you like them and don't buy as local handicraft, but because you like it. Mother of pearl set into wood items…for a 5 by 8 box that is well made, it should be $15-25. Luxor had the best prices. Cotton wasn't such a great deal, but you could get decent deals on t-shirts, golf shirts with your name in cartouche for $15. Casual cotton shirts for women well priced ($5-15); alabaster is nice…small tea lamp size should be $10-15.

Jordan: Really nice souvenirs…VERY expensive. Mosaics, mosaic covered ostrich eggs, hand painted metal vases, brass items…all will be over $200 to start. Dead sea salts, mud, soap, cosmetics good prices. Bedouin jewelry is same Indian jewelry sold in Egypt as Nubian jewelry.

This has been some of the best "mail" I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Thank you so much, Everyone! (especially Andi - still laughing about the WC!)

Kathy

Here are a couple of Andi's photos:

the elusive black iris:



a peek at Petra's Treasury:

We are sitting in the KLM/Skyteam Lounge at AMS, on our way home; as usual, we are the tagalong duo. 3:30 am flights are killers, with having to be at the airport so long before the flight! The flight was between 4 & 5 hours long; they served dinner, turned off the lights for an hour or so, then served breakfast. The lady across the aisle from us ate both meals. We tried at breakfast, but crepes don't stand up well in an airplane oven. We have a long layover here, thank goodess for lounges!

The caring ways of South Sinai Tours continued right up to the very last moment; Hossam stood at Immigration until we were completely out of sight. Amazing people.

We are happy to hear everyone made it home safely. Traveling to Egypt was a wonderful group experience with fun loving companions and an excellent tour company (thank you Antoine, Hossam, Henry, and Hany!!!). Over the weekend we were sharing our pictures with family and friends. We have gained so much knowledge about Egypt and have very fond memories. We went to Egypt because of a desire to see the pyramids but ended up seeing so much more than we could ever imagine. The hospitality of the Egyptian people was unbelievable and we always felt safe.

This was a trip of a lifetime. If anyone is interested in traveling to Egypt definitely use South Sinai and their excellent guides.

Now I want to see a pix of Andi taking her mud bath :D :app:

That's the pix that I want to see, too!

I usually don't post pics of beached whales or allow others to do so. Doug has been put on notice, but I have a couple I will post when they are downloaded.

Yah, right, Andi! You must be talking about someone else other than yourself!

A Few More Photos From NILE, more to come later:


Dinner At Antoine's Home. Pat, Antoine, Ngaire, & Ray.


Antoine's Beautiful Home.


Buffet Lunch on Antoine's Private Island on the Nile River in Aswan. Jeryl, Andrea, Frank, & Carla.


Taking a Boat to Philae Temple, its Quite an Experience.


Philae Temple.


Boarding the Salacia in Aswan.


Kom Ombo Temple. Jim, Ray, Susan, Andi, and our Guide Hany.


Ray, Henry (our other guide), and Mark Dancing on Dress Up Egyptian Night.

Susan, Carla, & Andi on Egyptian Night.


Cruising Down the Nile - The Boat was all Ours.


Ed Fu Temple - We Had a Private Showing for the NILE Group - The Temple was all Ours.


Ed Fu Temple as we were leaving.


Luxor Temple.


Karnak Temple.


Check Out the Colors on the Roof at Karnak.


The Best Guides we have Ever had on a Tour - Hossam, Henry, Ngaire, Hany, & Ken.

Wow, Ken you outdid yourself. Great photos.

Ken, your pictures are magnificent. I could look at them all day. My favorites are the ones from Egyptian Night. It sure looks like a fun night.

Thanks for the photos, Ken! Been waiting for 'em!!

Doug

Doug that is a wonderful shot of my favorite site in Egypt.

Thanks.... one of my favorites, too.

Thanks Ken and Doug for the terrific pix. Are there more??

I'm working on some photos, but in the meantime here's a video of our felucca ride.

Disclaimer - probably needs edited, I'm not really a videographer. This is the first video I've taken with my 5D Mark II.

That's a great video Andrea...I wanted to get up and dance! :banana:

I loved it! Thanks Andrea for bringing back a fun day!

Have so enjoyed the trip logs and photos - thanks for taking the time to share. This is definitely on my "bucket list".

We are finally home, just brought bags in and dumped them. I'll deal with them tomorrow.

What an experience!

Thanks Andrea that was great, please let us know when you post the rest of the pictures.

Loaded 5 albums onto facebook tonight.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1295365946

thanks Andrea for the video.
Andi, it is too late tonight. I will enjoy your pictures tomorrow. thanks for the one i requested. It is beautiful.
Lynn

Thanks Andrea for the fun video, and Andi for your great photos. Enjoyed them!