For the second year in a row, we decided to use the Thanksgiving holiday to travel internationally. We upped the destination (as well as the distance) and decided to go to Egypt. As evidenced by our blog, we hadn't traveled much since our last big trip (Peru) so we were all rested up for something big. This constituted the 3rd continent visited this year and by far topped the furthest we'd traveled. The further you go the more likely something is to go wrong in the stand-by world and true to form, an aircraft breakdown nearly derailed us to a random European vacation. Lufthansa came through though and we arrived into Cairo late on Friday, nearly 20 hours after embarking.

Cairo is a sprawling metropolis and is without a doubt, the dirtiest, grimiest city we've ever been in. The struggle between the past and modernity is evident in the back alleys filled with trash and the jam-packed modern city streets that didn't even have lines painted on them. Old VW bugs shared the roads with rickety carts pulled by malnourished donkeys.

The main draw for the Cairo area is of course the pyramids of Giza. The only thing more overwhelming than their size is their age. 4,500 years separate us from the reign of Pharaoh Cheops for whom the oldest and largest pyramid was constructed. The fact that the ancient Greeks used to visit the site and considered them ancient then is mind-boggling. Although it was quite an experience riding our camels over some sand dunes and up to the pyramids, the overall impression that we came away with was less than ideal. Situated in an area of extreme poverty, virtually no care is taken of the immediate vicinity. Trash is everywhere and the amount of people climbing around on the lower blocks really made the up-close portion of our journey forgettable. A new museum is being built on site however and hopefully the changes they are trying to institute will help protect and preserve these ancient wonders.

The second day in Cairo, we were shuttled around in typical tourist fashion to sites such as the Egyptian Museum and parts of Islamic Cairo. The museum was simply too much to take in during our short time there. Even more unfortunate is we don't have any pictures as camera are not allowed. As our guide book said, it is one of the most poorly lit, labeled, and laid-out museums in all the world and it is one of the most amazing. The exhibit on King Tut is enough to occupy your time for an entire visit and we barely had enough time to scratch the surface. The room filled with the prized pieces of the tomb is simply unreal. One of the masterpieces is the gold mask found on the mummy. He was also buried with a solid gold coffin but it was on display in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Next up was the Citadel, a sprawling complex of mosques and buildings that were once used as a fortress. We also had a chance to walk around the bazaars in the area. This was one part of the trip that we disliked so much, I would recommend NOT doing it. We walked down the middle of the narrow streets just hoping to browse the wares and we were literally assaulted at almost every step. They would shove merchandise in our face and would not let us pass. Arms were grabbed to try to drag us over to tables to look at what they were selling. The whole experience was pretty much summed up by a shopkeeper who was maybe unknowingly honest. "How can I take your money?," he asked.

The overnight sleeper train to Aswan was surprisingly comfortable and we arrived well-rested for the next part of our trip. This was the one place where the travel agency screwed up and instead of a nice leisurely afternoon of sightseeing in Aswan, we pretty much took in the highlights in a 1.5 hour NASCAR style tour because they mixed up when the ship sailed. The boat we sailed on was quite nice and we ate and slept well for the 3 nights we were onboard. We made several stops along the way to visit various temples and ruins like the Temple of Haroeris and Sobek at Kom Ombo. The thing that stuck out the most to me about Egypt was the fact that the Pyramids were just a small part of an ancient culture that had built hundreds of temples and sites along the entire stretch of the Egyptian Nile.

The city of Luxor is built on the site of Thebes, Ancient Egypt's New Kingdom capital. Our first excursion in the area was to the Valley of the Kings. Over 62 tombs have been discovered with most being open to the touring public. As I mentioned before, tourism is not a modern invention. Ancient Greek graffiti covered several of the tomb entrances and walls. We got to go into three different tombs, each one created specifically to help its occupant in the afterlife. Intricate relief style carvings of the hieroglyphics explained spells and scenes from Egyptian mythology that were needed to ensure a safe passage to the afterlife.

On the East bank of the Nile, the two main attractions are the temples of Luxor and Karnak. Karnak is a mammoth complex covering over 100 acres and 1,300 years of construction. It is actually comprised of 3 separate temples. One interesting story that came out of all of this construction deals with the Obelisks of Queen Hatshepsut. The only woman to rule as Pharaoh, she built a monument to the gods. After she died, a vengeful Tuthmosis III tried to erase her from the records. Obelisks were considered sacred and couldn't be torn down however. He did the next best thing and built a wall up around almost the entire structure. This petty act actually protected the lower part from vandalism and is the reason it is in such good shape today.

There is more to see in Egypt than can be crammed into a week, probably even a month. It probably isn't a destination for the typical traveler. A little adventure and the willingness to put up with some less than stellar conditions is required. The payoff is pretty amazing I must say. We caught our flight from Luxor to Cairo and as we climbed, you could see how much the Nile River was the lifeblood of this land, even today. After a long week, we got seats on a flight to Zurich (where we spent the night but didn't have energy for much else) and then hopped on the 11.5 hour flight home to Dallas. This trip ranks right at the top of the most memorable list for sure.