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Egypt
In 2002 I visited Egypt and I was mazed by the historical evidence of the ancient cultures. When you see the pyramids and temples on a picture or on TV it’s one thing. To actually stand in the archway of a huge pylon that is nearly 4000 years old is an overwhleming feeling. We went to Hurghada first and ralaxed for a few days snorkeling, scuba diving or just beein really lazy on the beach. After that we went on a Nile River cruise that started in Luxor. The ship went up the Nile to Assuan and then back again to Luxor. On the way we visited a number of temples and ancient sites. Here I would like to give you a brief impression of the country.
I generally found the Egyptians a very friendly people and even off the beaten tourist tracks I never felt threatened. However, as our tour guides and the hotel staff told us, due to the 11 September events the number of tourists visiting Egypt declined by about 50%. This endagers the very existence of many Egyptians as they have become dependent on selling souvenirs, art and masonery to the visitors. Also the coach business and the boat owners feel the change in the attitiude of western people towards arabic people. This I find sad as I have come to know a number of people from various arabic countries like Morocco, Iran and Iraq during my work. I always found them very helpful and friendly, just as any other person from any other corner of the world. Therefore I learned to try not to judge people because they are from a certain country, ethnic origin or whatever else group. To me every person is unique and I judge them for what they do. Travelling through the world I found that in most cases all it takes is a little time to prepare the journey and to know the Does and Don’ts in the respective countries. When travelling one should always remember that EVERYBODY is a foreigner. Just about EVERYWHERE in the world except for his or her home country.
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Starting from Hurghada we took a trip into the desert and visited nomads that still live in the desert permanently. Only every few weeks they come to the city to buy what they need and then return to the desert.
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Our tour guide had a video camera with him and filmed almost all the time, even when the car was driving through really rough terrain and we were jumping up and down in the van like tennis balls. I wonder wether he had some kind of sucktion cups on his hand to hang on to the vehicle, because he was not riding in it but on the roof!
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A little girl in the village drinking Coca Cola. What a gift from the western civilisation.
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Waiting for the sunset in the middle of the desert. The cars took us to some remote hill in the desert from where we could watch an amazing sunset. At last it was cooling off a little bit. The sun in Egypt is quite strong, even in november!
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Of course we also went on a camel trip. Fortunately, the trip lastet just a few minutes. Now I know why these beasts are called the ships of the desert. One might really get seasick riding a camel. On TV they never lookes THAT big!
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Waiting for dinner in a nomad hut after a long day of sightseeing. The food, however, as well as the cup of tea we were offered, had been prepared especially for the visiting tourists. A local guide told us that should we try to drink the water from the well in the village, we would almost certainly get very sick.
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In Egypt I went diving for the second time and as with my first diving trip in Thailand the year before it is an unforgettable experience. Snorkeling is already amazing because as soon as you put your head under water there is a huge amount of different fishes that you did not realize they were there. Diving now you actually have the time to look at the fish you are interested in without having to go to the surface for breathing. The colors of the corals, fish and mussles are simply stunning. Therefore I hired an under water camera and the diving instructor was so nice to take a few pictures of myself in the diving gear. Yes, it’s really me bubbeling on the pictures.
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These are a few pictures of the Edfu Temple. This temple is was dedicated to Horus, the falcon god seen in the second picture. The pylons, the gate is huge and one begins wondering how exactly the ancient Egyptians were able to erect such structures.
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In the hot Egypt climate the guard takes a l little nap.
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Down the Nile River our Ship went and we visited the Temple of Komombo, dedicated to the crocodile god. This temple we reached at nightfall and everything was waiting eagerly for the sun to set. It was the Ramadan month, so the muslim people cannot eat while the sun is up.
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In Assuan, the southernmost point of our journey, we visited a botanical garden and one of the employees showed us these beautiful flowers. For a little bakshish, of course. Without a few coins as a tip nothing seems to work in Egypt. In one temple we even encountered a man standing there and reminding people to duck when they were passing through a low doorway, and guess what, he wanted bakshish for the reminder!
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The Philae Temple we reached by means of a small boat from a place near Assuan. This temple would be under the waters of the Assuan Dam had it not been removed from its original location and placed on an island that is above water level today.
Next to the main temple we saw this really neat side temple.
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This is the view from the top of the Assuan Dam down the Nile River. The dam itself is military area so it was not alloewd to video the area or take detail pictures of the structure.
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Back down the Nile by boat we arrived in Luxor. During a day trip we visited the Memnon Colossus on the way tho the Valley of the Kings.
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One of the absolute highlights of the day was the Hadschipsud Temple. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures inside the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, but these pictures of this marvellous temple more than make up for that.
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The famous Temple of Karnak was within walking distance from where the ship was marred in Luxor. After visiting the temple with a guide during daytime we returned at night for a Sound and Light Show. Thiswas an extraordinary experience in many ways. After sundown the temple is illuminated by I don’t know how many lamps and an audio visual show guides the tourist through the temple and tells a story of the builders who passed away 4000 years before I was born. It was also astonishing how many people can fit into the temple. It was absolutely crammed and therefore difficult to video the show without having the flashlights of other people on film.
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