Egypt

 I started this blog mainly to organize all my photos and travels in one place. I wanted to reminesce on my travels and my past but if anyone drops by, I hope this helps to encourage you to travel across the world as well as the states in The U.S.A.!

I went to Egypt for ~3 days in 2019. I picked a 2 day private tour with a guide. If you have longer than that, I highly recommend it because Egypt is a huge country and I would have loved to visit the White Desert as well. If you only have a few days, I recommend getting a guide to make the most use of your time. I will highlight some must-see sights. I hope all the information is correct but since it has been several years, I cannot guarantee the complete accuracy of everything I write. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

You need a Visa for Egypt which is relatively easy and cheap to get at the airport:

The Step Pyramid of Djoser

This is the first pyramid and the oldest stone building in Egypt dating back to  ~2670 B.C.E. imagined by the great architect Imhotep. It's not as grand as the Great Pyramid of Giza, but is open for the public to view as of 2020. 

 

 

One thing I really enjoy about traveling to see the history of other cultures is realizing just how much human beings are capable of imagining and building without the help of machines. This was one of the coolest things I saw on my trip to Egypt--a wall of hieroglyphics from 3000 B.C.E with the lights off and lights on at a nearby tomb:

The minute details and colors used in the hieroglyphics and art depicted in the pyramids and tombs are simply astounding. As someone who really appreciates art that is done by hand instead of machines, this was quite a sight to see for me:

 

The Sphynx/Statue of King Ramesses II

King Ramesses II was the most famous king of Ancient Egypt. He was rumored to be the pharaoh who chased Moses and his people to the Red Sea. There is a statue of him laid on his back weighing around 1000 tons!

The Pyramids of Giza

Next, the most (is it the most? Egypt is such a big country full of exotic mysteries) exciting part of the trip: riding around the Great Pyramids of Giza on a camel! Moses is 5 years old and he is my camel for the day!

The Great Pyramids of Giza (there are 3 for Pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure) were constructed in 2570 B.C.E. and are the oldest and the most intact of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World (4,600 years old). The Egyptian Pharaohs believed they would become gods in the afterlife and to prepare, they had these pyramids made for them to store all their valuables to take with them. IDK if there is an afterlife, but these pyramids sure stood the test of time! You can even go inside the pyramid but my guide told me it's not worth it. 

1 thing that did really bother me were the tourists climbing the Pyramids--and my guide told me some tourists even write graffiti on the Pyramids. This is not allowed but the guards around the Pyramids didn't really do much to stop them. In the words of my guide, "This is illegal but this is Egypt, so nobody really cares."

The Sphynx

There are many folklores trying to explain why The Great Sphynx of Giza, built for Pharaoh Khaofre, is missing his nose. Nobody knows for sure, however. I had to get the obligatory "kissy photo":

 

The Egyptian Museum

This is a must-stop to see relics of some of the most famous and historical figures in the world. 

Hatshepsut was the 5th pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt and considered one of the greatest pharaohs ever who brought great wealth and artistry to her land. She was a pharaoh back in the ages when women couldn't be pharaohs. Hence she requested that all depictions of her have a fake beard.

King Tutankhamen is famous not because of his legacy but because we know about his life more than any other pharaoh's lives; his tomb was the most intact when archaeologists discovered it.

These "vases" made of marble contained each of the 4 major organs of King Tut. During the mummifying process, organs are always removed. This streak of dried blood on one of the vase is actually King Tut's blood!

King Tut's sandals & his throne:

The mummy of King Tut's great grandfather still has intact hair after 3000 years!

 

In Old Cairo, the biggest mosque, church, and synagogue are located within walking distance.

This is the Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali, where his body is located:

The majority of Egyptians are Muslim and prayer happens three times per day. Shahadah is the first pillar of Islam:

Muhammad Ali's tomb is located within this mosque:

The St Sergius and Bacchus Church is built around the site where it was believed that the Holy Family stayed for 3 months in hiding from the pharaoh who wanted to kill baby Jesus. This is the well from which the Holy Family is believed to have drank from:

The "Mona Lisa" of Egypt is located within this church as well:

Ben-Ezra Synogogue was built where baby Moses was found to be drifting down the Nile River. There are only 25 Jewish people left in Egypt (at the time when I visited). So most synagogues are non-functional. 

The 10 Commandments:

This is the central city of Cairo, nicknamed "The Piccadilly of Egypt":

Tea is very big in Egypt. One of the most famous cafes is the Naguib Mahfouz Coffee Shop, named after the Nobel Prize winning Egyptian writer who loved to come here:

There are also many cruises along the Nile River with belly dancing and a buffet:

I had to get a souvenir of the famous papyrus with my name in hieroglyphics:

Glow-in-the-dark is also available!

Wherever I went, Egyptian kids asked for selfies. My guide said he had never seen anything like this. I guess because I was a young Asian woman traveling alone? He joked I should charge a dollar per selfie, and I would get very rich off of that, LOLOL!

My guide Ibrahim & me! He was absolutely a pleasure, and we became fast friends. He is incredibly knowledgeable and kind. Egypt was one of the best countries I had been to (although I feel this way about every country I go to haha).

I found him through here:

https://www.viator.com/tours/Cairo/Cairo-and-Giza-best-high-lights-in-two-days/d782-18966P40