Egypt........ I will be back

1st February 2019
Michelle Doody
New Zealand

Since I have come back from Egypt, I am sitting here reminiscing over the last 14 wonderful days we have travelling around Egypt. From the moment I landed in Cairo I was met at the airport by the always smiling Mahomed, he organised my visa, helped me with my luggage and another nice surprise was Leisa waiting to greet me once I had got through customs.
 

As I arrived a day early, Leisa and another of the ladies on the tour visited the pyramids, it's only  short walk from the hotel and we spent around 4 hours exploring the whole area and finding ourselves in quiet areas with no tourist where we can have some quiet time.  
Our first day started by meeting Haytham, our Egyptologist guide for our trip. Haytham is an amazingly gifted guide with a huge knowledge of all things Egyptian and is always more than happy to answer any questions you may have. Our first visit was to Saqqara to visit Djoser's Step Pyramid. This particular area also has some remnants of temples. One of the alcoves within the temple has a really amazing energy space if you put your head in the opening, you can hear almost like the heart beat of the temple and feel the energy swirling around. After the visit we then went on to a locally owned restaurant for some traditional Egyptian food, Egyptian food as you will find out is delicious!
After lunch we went to the Giza pyramids, this time with Haytham explaining all we needed to know about the pyramids and finally to see the famous sphinx.  
After a late night flight to Aswan, we welcomed Christmas Day at Aswan Christmas Day was spent visiting Philae Temple, the temple of Isis (and cats) Philae is a beautiful a calm place to reflect and feel the feminine energy of Isis. Later we had a nice relaxing afternoon watching the feluccas on the Nile until sunset before we went to dinner.     

                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                               Philae Temple                                                                                                                              
 
An early start greeted us on Boxing day, we drove Abu Simbel through the desert, the desert sunrises are amazing as was Abu Simbel. Abu Simbel was built during the reign of Ramesses II and even though it has been moved up the cliff and reassembled, it doesn't lessen the powerful energies you can feel in the temple, also Ramesses II had a temple built for his beloved wife, Nefertari which is just as powerful as her husbands temple. Later in the afternoon we joined the Nile Cruise boat, which is a must if you come to Egypt!  
One of the best experiences of cruising down the Nile is sitting up on the top deck watching the river go by, seeing the farmers with their donkeys at work on the banks of the Nile and feeling the calmness that this gentle sailing brings. Later on in the evening we stopped at Kom Ombo Temple. The temples, if you visit at night, are wonderfully lit up and Kom Ombo Temple is no exception. The only duel temple dedicated to Sobek and Horus really brought out some feelings and energies in me that I wasn't expecting, the old and the new, the good and the bad. It really makes you think about both sides of yourself. Also one of the most famous healing centres in ancient Egypt at the time, it has some remarkable hieroglyphs of ancient medical instrument that can still be recognised today! A wonderful way to finish the evening.
 
Today we reached Luxor. Luxor is a special favourite place of mine, all because of the magnificent temples there. First up we visited a local jewellery store where you indulge your passion sparkly things, this store has some beautiful jewellery that I wish I could buy many pieces, plus they always offer you coffee or tea as you shop. Tonight we visited Luxor temple with it's huge granite statues and many columns, quite a sight under lights. Luxor Temple is also linked to Karnak Temples by the avenue of sphinxes.
 
The next day we visited my favourite temple in Egypt - Hatshepsuts mortuary temple on the West Bank. It is an amazing and beautiful three terraced temple, with many beautiful statues and paintings. There are also many quiet small temples and areas you can go into for some meditation. For me, Hatshepsut's energy is very present here and a very powerful, yet feminine energy. I just love it here and could spend many happy hours wandering around just absorbing the energies and ancient history.
After a few hours visiting with Hatshepsut we went on to the Valley of the Kings. A totally different energy altogether but in saying that, it is a cemetery. There are many tombs to visit and this time I chose Tutankhamun as one of the three to venture inside.  It's a small tomb but when I went in I was the only one in there! (just what I had asked for) His mummy is still in residence within the tomb, which  almost gives it a sad feel as he's on display, I do think he would rather be back in his sarcophagus to enjoy his afterlife in peace. Whenever I go into the tombs I always take the time to really look at the paintings on the walls, unlike other tourists who seem to rush down to the sarcophagus and then back out again and not even stopping to feel the energy of the place. Each tomb has a very different energy and feel to it and I like to take my time see what I feel in each one.  
On the way to the hotel we stopped by an alabaster factory where they make the most beautiful pieces of sculpture, I always make sure to ask to see the really old pieces that have been passed down through the generations and to pick them up and feel them is a treat in itself.
 
An early start the next day for those going on the hot air balloon ride, I haven't done this myself but everyone who goes up in the balloon has an amazing time and comes back with some fantastic photos of the sunrise.
Then we went on to Karnak Temples, another favourite place that I could literary spend many hours at. The most special places at Karnak for me, is the statue of Sekmet, the energy in her small temple is phenomenal, the most amazing experiences can happen there! Wandering around the rest of Karnak takes time, it is a huge complex with many temples halls and statues to visit, the hypostyle hall alone is a remarkable piece of building and to imagine what it looked like when is was first built must of been incredible, even now it still takes your breath away. 
After few reflective hours walking where many pharaohs have been, we then drove on to Hurghada for some quiet time and  relaxation by the Red Sea.
 
After a few days R & R, we were back in Cairo at my favourite hotel and the energy of the pyramids.
You can't leave Cairo without visiting the Egyptian Museum, even as they are building the magnificent new Grand Egyptian Museum which will be opening soon I hope, the Egyptian museum is still a lovely piece of architecture dating back to 1901. Here you can see Tutankhamun's treasures and gold mask, a must see and all sorts of ancient egyptian artifacts.
Haytham gave us a guided tour of the most famous and interesting treasures and then we had free time to look around and find more impressive antiquities.
For lunch we went to a local restaurant by the markets, which are so interesting to shop at and practice the bargaining skills, I just love wandering the stalls and seeing the interesting and colourful local crafts for sale.
Lastly we went to the perfumery, where the very knowledgeable Gamal talks about the egyptian oils. I love these oils and use them all the time at home, especially when mediating with them. 
 
Unfortunately the next day we were leaving.

I had the most amazing time and a lot of that credit goes to Leisa and Haytham for their wonderful organisation and care, you are both wonderful caring souls.
 
 I get very emotional leaving Egypt now, it is like a second and familiar home for me and it makes me very sad to go, but I know I will return soon and who knows, even stay!