AWESOME!

My Trip Report & Photos:
www.mikemean.com/travelblogegypt.html

Go beyond the sites. Get out and experience Egypt. The people were spectacular.

Thanks for the report. Sounds like you had a great time. I lived in Cairo for a while and miss the chaos!

Fabulous report! And very timely since I'm headed to Egypt later this year. How wonderful that you are able to let your daughter experience the sights and sounds of far away places. I've been lucky enough to travel the world since I was six months old (the early years captured on fuzzy Super 8 movies that are a hoot to watch now) and can guarantee you that these experiences will serve her well. Thanks for sharing.

The trip was awesome! I hope that some are not turned off by some of the references and experiences as I see these as just a small part of a large picture. Sights, sounds, smells, we will be back on day!

I'm so glad to hear you had such a great time! Seriously, I am in awe of how much you packed in to so little time... I could never have done it! Mabrook!

I just copied your experience, it's excellent, you've done pretty much exactly what I want to do this year, and in the amount of time I want to do it...down to the choice of train and everything!

Great trip report. I have promised my 15 y.o. daughter an Egypt trip, but Mrs. Jailer is a bit dubious. I�ll forward this along to Mrs. J as P.R. flack. Thanks, Jailer

Lecter - Definately drop a line to Janet - [email protected] She will set you up with everything that you need at a price and quality that cannot be beat. She will work with what you wish to do and design an itinerary to best match your needs. She can purchase train tickets and arrange for delivery to you as well. This is key as they can sell out and the station marketing office has limited hours. Mention that Mike referred you.

Jailer - My daughter is 8. She had an awesome time and we never felt that our safety was in jeopardy. Yes, we were approached and solicited everything under the sun; but, never did we feel uncomfortable or in harms way.

as219 - Thanks! for your suggestions along the way. They played a part in how and what we did. I wished for more time and would not have complained had KLM cancelled the return. It all worked out great and are very thankful for the experience. The killer for me was leaving for Cairo less than 20 hours after I returned from Bali!

Karnak is indeed pretty amazing! I could spend hours wandering the Hypostle Hall -- with all those towering colums -- and never get bored. (Have you seen Agatha Christie's "Death on the Nile"? There's a great scene that takes place at Karnak...)

What you noticed about Luxor vs. Giza is perceptive, and is the result of many, many years of conflict between the government and local residents in both places. It's an interesting story, but it boils down to this: Years ago, there was an attempt in Luxor to relocate west bank residents to a different location, away from the tombs and temples (you no doubt noticed that lots of people live right in the middle of everything). This attempt failed badly, resulting in serious violence between locals and the police. The resulting stalemate has left everyone happy except the Egyptologists. In Giza, however, the issue has never been forced as directly, and the result, oddly, is worse: Whereas the tourist-fleecing industry in Luxor is pretty seamless but harmless, at the Pyramids there's no control at all. The real power there is vested in the townspeople of Nazlit ash-Shams (if I rememer the name correctly). The pyramids are their cash cow, and they know it. They also know that the government can't risk violent clashes right in front of the biggest tourist draw in the country. So there's no control over the hawkers.

Anyway, if you were able to appreciate the pyramids even for a moment, you get how splendid they are...

Congrats on a great trip!

Thanks!

I had no idea and the differences are shocking. This would make sense. Unfortunately, I believe they are cutting their throats.

In the future I will skip Giza and do the other sites instead. To the left of the ticket window you can walk a bit until you reach a fence, grab a snapshot and move on