Egypt is an amazing country. The monuments and archeological sites were a marvel and certainly very impressive. There are such contrasts in the country that even the less “welcome” experiences were amazing (if in a flabbergasted sort of way) in themselves. On the whole, I had a fabulous time and I would most certainly recommend the holiday to just about everyone.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why I had such a good time, or why, if given the opportunity, I would return. The pyramids - and that’s the first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think of Egypt - were interesting to see in person but I was not exactly “impressed” or overwhelmed. Perhaps I had high expectations thanks to years of conditioning by the media and other sources. Perhaps despite their gradiose size, they’re not exactly very ornate “buildings”. Perhaps I just don’t understand the architectural and technical challenges of their construction. They were big, yes. But they were not “wow”. No, the pyramids were not the highlight of my holiday.

What I did appreciate were the many temples that we visited. From the monumental Temple of Rameses II at Abu Simble, the lyrical beauty of the Temple of Philae, the ruins of the Temple of Kom Ombo (seen at sunset), the over-the-top Temple of Karnak and the simple but majestic Temple of Luxor, they were all not just amazing to see but also very interesting and impressive. To think that so many people slaved away carving intricate reliefs on hard stones into such huge structures was just mind boggling. This, to me, was overwhelming.

But the true highlight of the holiday was not any of the structures or monuments, it was the 4-day/3-night cruise on the Nile aboard a small and cosy river boat. To watch the world go by, sitting on the roof-deck of a river boat in warm but comfortable weather was just… fabulous. Absolutely fabulous. It was an extremely pleasant and peaceful experience to watch the scenery of the banks of the Nile River change while we travelled down-river from Aswan to Luxor.

The immediate areas near the banks are green with reeds, small plots of agricultural cultivation and other plants of sorts. Immediately behind that you’d see hills of desert at places. The whole landscape is punctuated by small towns built mostly from mud-bricks - all very quaint. In fact, many parts of the country are very quaint. However, a lot of its quaintness is defined by its poverty. But that is a story for another blog post.

Aswan, Luxor and Cairo were very interesting city and towns to explore (on foot) - and that really was the best way see and get a feel of the place, not go on an organised tour. The cities and towns are so old that there will always be a small side street with some quirky feature that would divert your attention and take you off your intended route. And there’s nothing like unexpected and unplanned encounters and experiences to make your holiday truly unique and memorable.

The people are generally alright, some might say friendly but to be honest I found most of them to be more annoying, and in some cases aggravating, than pleasant. I wouldn’t return to Egypt if people-hospitality alone was the consideration. But that, too, is a story for another blog post.

But would I return to Egypt? Yes, definitely. There is generally far too much to do in the country for one holiday. But then again, you could also do absolutely nothing if you so choose. Provided you stay in a “nice” hotel, Luxor would make a great resort holiday: there’s the beautiful views of the Nile, the great historical/archeological monuments and sites to visit, a small quaint town to explore and a lively but manageable souq (bazaar) where you can shop your time away. And all at very affordable prices, in my view at least!

On my next trip, God willing, I would like to visit Alexandria, Sharm el-Sheikh, the oasis of El Fayoum, climb Mount Sinai and of course, to return to Luxor for three or four nights of peaceful relaxation in one of the nicest resort hotels I have yet encountered!

Pictures (from top to bottom): Pyramid of Cheops at Giza, Temple of Philae in Aswan, Feluccas on the Nile in Aswan, Cairo at dawn, shoes on sale at the Khan Al-Khalili market.

Posted on April 24th, 2004 by jl
Filed under: The Egypt Holiday