Our last Egyptian Temple, located in Edfu, was also the most complete, after being buried for centuries under the sand. It honors Horus with several giant statues of falcons at the entrance. In ancient Egypt, “the god Horus appeared as a hawk, and was variously the avenger, son of truth, lord of two lands, and god of war.” He was the son of Isis, goddess of marriage, fertility, and magic and Osiris, god of peace and prosperity. As legend has it, Osiris’s brother Seth was jealous of the two, so he tricked Osiris to lie in a coffin that he unexpectedly nailed shut, attempted to drown him and ultimately dismembered him, distributing the body parts all over the world. Isis gathered all the pieces of Osiris together and had him embalmed in preparation for the afterlife. She was magically able to restore his life briefly, during which she became pregnant with Horus. Horus eventually fought Seth to the death in an effort to avenge his father but lost his eye in the process, now a powerful talisman in Egyptian mythology.
We continued to sail our Nile River pathway back towards Cairo, passing through the Esna ship locks shortly after lunch aboard the Ra. As we pack our bags for tomorrow’s disembarkation, my wife continues to negotiate with a vendor tied to the side of our boat. He has thrown several scarves on our top-floor balcony in a last-ditch effort to sell his wares. Unfortunately, one of them fell in the water – the cost of doing business – despite her lack of interest. I told you these vendors were like the hawk, relentless.
For a little variety today, we commuted by boat rather than bus and navigated an Aswan, Nile River inlet to dock near a Nubian Village. School was in session, so my wife distributed our gift of writing supplies. These kids apparently by law have to study in Egyptian schools but preserve their own language and customs through classes in their village. I also got to hold a tiny Nile crocodile and sampled more dry bread. As is the case at each site, we then walk the gauntlet of aggressive vendors, the most unpleasant experience in visiting Egypt.
We next boarded a Viking bus to another small watercraft, once again pestered by persistent vendors along the way. This one carried us to the Agilkia Island Temples of Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis, built around 370 BC. It was another group of structures relocated through UNESCO funding because of flooding due to the Aswan Dam project. We concluded the morning with a visit to the Papyrus Institute and purchasing a piece of custom artwork depicting an Egyptian wedding scene. On and off and on the bus, we went before drifting off for an unexpected afternoon nap while the Viking Ra took us up-river for yet another Temple.
In this case, it was a short walk to the Kom Ombo Temple, dedicated to two triads of deities: Sobek, his wife Hathor and their child Knonsu; and Horus, his wife Tasenetnofret, and their child Panebtawy. Both Sobek, the Crocodile, and Horus, the Falcon, are two of ancient Egypt’s primary gods. The highlight of this Temple, in my opinion, was the Crocodile Museum, with their mummified remains. It was time to move on to Edfu on this incredible journey.
My wife and I celebrate 9000 days together today, as we cruise down the Nile River. She’s a planner and I’m a counter. In this spirit, it’s also the 5,267th day of my running streak, our 23rd Mother’s Day tomorrow as a couple, and only 37 days until her birthday. Twelve days of this fabulous adventure remain, perhaps the trip of my lifetime. Planning wise, I’ve already taken care of her birthday request, but the landscaper planted the wrong palm tree – not a foxtail. I hope I can get this straightened out but unfortunately, he doesn’t speak English. It was supposed to match the one he installed next door – but doesn’t! I should have left it to the planner because she can’t count on me.
Ramses II, whose tomb we walked through yesterday in the Valley of the Kings and his beloved queen Nefertari, mummified in her elaborate resting place in the other Royal Valley, are once again presented larger than life in the giant structures outside Abul Simba Temple. It was at least 100-degrees as we walked down the unshaded pathway to their separate entrances. These remarkable structures would not exist today without funding from UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). They now look over Lake Nasser rather than forever submerged and out-of-sight, its intricate carvings washed away by the underwater currents. They might never have been found in their original location if not for the young boy, Abu Simbel. His sharp eyes and youthful curiosity spotted the top of their heads, buried under the sand, and reported it to archaeologists. The popular tourist site is therefore named after him. The monuments were eventually uncovered and moved to the present higher elevation location.
It was a lot of money, work, and hassle to see these magnificent religious, works of art. Two bus rides, roundtrip Egyptair flights, along with numerous security screenings, a long walk in the brutal heat, admission tickets, and fighting off the vicious vendors, much worse than attack of wild dogs, were required to visually admire them. I was forced to buy a belt to keep my shorts from falling down. The belt I brought with me on the trip fell apart when the screws fell out this morning. Negotiations lingered on far too long for my liking. My wife bought an alabaster camel, miniature pyramid, zebra mask (her high school mascot), and a Terracotta baking dish.
The long, hot day ended with more tips and another bus ride back to the Ra. We have a spacious suite on the top level with a short walk to the restaurant. This was fortunate on a night when we were dragging, with another early start looming and more temples, tombs, and pillars to explore after another morning run. Farewell, Abu Simbel.
I’ve yet to board a true train on this adventure with the exception of perhaps the Tampa Airport terminal loop, but I’ve been in cars, taxis, busses, river boats, motorboats, planes, golf carts (tuf-tufs), and even on a camel. In the case of the last, I’d rather walk a mile. My wife was comfortable on its back while I held on for dear life. It was an actual Hump Day – Mike, Mike, Mike!
It’s now been over a week since we left home, while a palm tree was planted in our backyard and the ceiling trays are being painted. The cleaning crew will be in next, a friend is watering our plants, and the pool people have done their job -a lot of activity for an empty house, as the electric meter keeps spinning. Tally, of course, is at Schnauzerville, wondering why she isn’t getting Ham Time.
Two more weeks to go before our return. We’ve spent one night in Lufthansa Business Class, two-nights in Cairo at the Sheraton Casino, and 4-nights on the Viking Ra riverboat cruising the Nile, with three more to go. Then, we’ll pack our bags and fly to Amman, Jordan for a couple of days on the Dead Sea at the Movenpick Resort and a visit to Petra. A last night in Cairo will be at the Airport Intercontinental before the flight to London for our final six days of exploration from the Marriott Vacation Club.
The food is very spicy with lots of dry bread and soups. Aswan is the spice capital of Egypt. Fava and Garbanzo beans are key ingredients. I’m not a fan because of the flavors, even with bread that has always been a favorite of mine. Fortunately, the Viking chef provides us with options like burgers, omelets, steak, and pasta. My wife, of course, did buy an Egyptian cookbook at the airport gift shop.
So far, things have run smoothly except for the two-hour delay at the airport that pushed back our tour of the famous Abul Simbel Temple and eliminated any time for lunch. There’s a 31-to-1 conversion rate from U.S. dollars to Egyptian Pounds and a need for more ATMs. We do have an excellent tour guide that will continue with us into Jordan. Once she gets us on the plane to London, we’re on our own. The biggest hassles have been the persistent vendors and having to pay for toilet paper or to pee.
I deserved a power nap rather than sitting through a falafel cooking lesson, but I did learn to write my name in hieroglyphics before nodding off. It was dress-like-an-Egyptian night for dinner and a Nubian dance performance once we stopped for the night in Aswan, the Land of Gold. My wife had bought an appropriate pink-beaded dress at the market. She was once again the Belle of the Boat. Other souvenirs purchased include several scarves, an embroidered pillow cover, cookbook, magnets, scarabs, and a Bes figurine, the god of laughter. The vendors were very aggressive!
We needed to get to sleep promptly for an early flight to Abu Simbel. At least the boat was docked by an area where I could get in a 2-mile run. As was the case every day, I had to grab a pass to leave the Viking Ra, but at least today there were smooth surfaces to navigate and I could actually enjoy my surroundings rather than focusing on my feet. I haven’t had time for a full 5k since Luxor, so only 25-miles so far this month in 12-days applied to “The Streak.”
On the way to the airport, the Viking bus made a quick photo stop at the top of The Aswan High Dam. It was Damn fine, but certainly not as impressive as the Hoover Dam, however it is actually a combination of two – High and Low. We’ll be flying round-trip this afternoon just to see the ancient monuments that were moved to rescue them from the flooding that occurred during dam construction. It was a monumental task!
I’m not doing a good job of keeping up on these posts, but the Viking schedule is quite demanding. We barely had time to unpack following the charter flight to Luxor, and several bus or shuttle rides before making our way to the Karnak Temple, Luxor Library, and a Heritage Center tour. These were my first encounters with hieroglyphics, obelisks, and ancient carvings. We were on the go until finally settling down for a late dinner, our first on the boat before finally succumbing to exhaustion.
I have to get up at 6a every morning to squeeze in a run. It was easy the first day aboard, knowing that I had to be back at the Ra by 8a for departure with plenty of time to cover a full 5k. Each day the window of opportunity would get more and more difficult, settling for the minimum mileage or finding a safe course to maintain “The Streak.” Day 2, I followed the a similar outdoor path along the Nile, but found myself a bit unsettled after being chased by a pack of wild dogs. Day 3, we were docked in Esna, while the security folks would not let me leave the compound, so I was forced to jog over uneven pavers. I’ve been assured that when we get to Aswan tomorrow, I will once again be on the streets for my daily workout.
In this 3-day time frame, we saw Luxor’s Goornah, the Valley of the Kings, the Rameses family tombs, and King Tut’s mummy, along with Howard Carter’s home during its discovery, the Valley of the Queens, Nefertari’s elaborate resting place, Colossi of Memnon, and the Temple of Khnum. It was a whirlwind of tourist activity, much like the Whirling Dervish performance onboard the Ra. As we cruise along the lush Nile Riverbanks, we’ve taken classes in the ancient Egyptian game of backgammon, language lessons in Arabic, and how to create our own Cartouche. It’s now time to relax for a day of sailing after seeing our fill of Tombs and Temples.
The force on the fourth was with us, as we started our journey to Egypt. After a quick run and dog duty, a driver took us to Tampa International Airport for the first of three long flights. The movie, The Whale, held my attention but I did not quite get to the end before touchdown. Newark was the first landing spot, with thoughts of a future boat ride on the Hudson River with our friends from nearby White Plains. We could see the distinct towers of the Big Apple in the distance as we shuttled by bus from one terminal to the next. Not knowing that we would be so well fed on the next flight, we had some meatballs at Piattino’s.
Our seats for the next leg were in a spacious Business Class pod with adjustments for a lounger and bed. Dinner was served on a white tablecloth with champaign. I then finished The Whale and Marry Me, struggling to get any sleep. We landed in Frankfurt with enough time for a run and exercise in a small, secluded landing just outside the Lufthansa First Class Lounge – it was probably a hundred tedious laps to cover the required mile in sixteen minutes.
The two-hour layover at the airport may turn out to be my only time in Germany after studying the language in high school. I also briefly saw the beautiful Swiss/ Austrian Alps sticking out over the clouds. We landed in Cairo surrounded by nothing but brown sand as far as the eye could see. Welcome to the desert and Cinco de Maya.
Two near tragedies were avoided along the way after security located my passport that I somehow misplaced during the security scanning steps. Also, when we arrived by taxi at the Sheraton Casino Hotel, my left hearing aid fell out and after frantically searching the ground and all but giving up finally found it stuck on my shoulder. Good fortune was with me in both cases. Dinner was on our own at Sapporo for sushi in the hotel before collapsing from exhaustion in our comfortable bed of Egyptian cotton.
In that first early morning, I chose to run a couple of miles through the chaotic streets of Cairo while my wife had breakfast. We were both soon touring the city by Viking bus and fascinated with the visit to the Egyptian Museum and Salah El-Din Citadel where we got our first glimpse of the Giza Pyramids through the haze. King Tut tomb treasures, of course, was the highlight. A late afternoon nap further confused the time difference from home, and it was back on the bus for the crowded marketplace and dinner at Zeeyara. My wife and I successfully bargained for scarves, an inlaid jewelry box and hand-tooled brass dish.
Sunrise came quickly. I completed my daily run on the treadmill instead of joining the group for the breakfast buffet. We were soon back on the bus for Giza and stops at the largest, oldest, and newest pyramids in the world, including a rare but claustrophobic, hunched-over descent into the actual burial chamber. Afterwards, I then narrowly avoided buying fancy rugs while observing the weaving process at a nearby carpet school. Lunch was at the Steigenberger Pyramids hotel directly across from the construction site of the new Grand Egyptian Museum. A camel ride and the Sphinx concluded an amazing afternoon in the Sahara Desert. Another short nap, then dinner at our hotel before setting another early alarm.
At 3:30a, I was ready to go to the fitness center, but it was closed so I did laps around the outdoor pool area. After packing our bags for the valets, I also had time for breakfast before the bus to the airport. We were then off to Luxor by charter plane to board the Viking riverboat Ra and the next leg of this incredible Nile River adventure.
I’m picking up my granddaughter from Pre-K at noon and will keep her until we drive to Punta Gorda for our 7p anniversary dinner at The Perfect Caper. She’ll enjoy a ride on the golf cart, that she calls her “go cart.” We’ll go to the playground and hunt for alligators on the elevated boardwalk through the Islandwalk nature preserve. She’ll be five next month when we’re in Egypt.
We’ve done a lot of dining out and entertaining this week, more than our retirement budget can probably handle. My wife prepared dinner three nights for guests, while I went out to eat twice. Tomorrow night is the neighborhood pitch-in, Saturday evening the bridge club meets with spouses for dinner, and Sunday we’re invited to a neighbor’s home. I will just be getting back from St. Pete and the White Sox game against the Rays. Monday is another lunch for me with a friend down the street.
Once these next few weeks are over, the neighborhood population will shrink in size as folks head north for the summer. We’ll leave for our Egyptian tour, and when we get back in late May things should be quiet on our street, except for our Indy 500 party for those still around. We’ll have my wife’s June birthday to celebrate after she flies to Indy for a bridal event. Tally and I get to stay home until Portland in mid-July and the actual Indianapolis wedding in late August.
We’re trying to decide on a travel plan to Indiana and the stops we’ll make there and back in August. It will be about the same cost to drive there instead of airline and rental car expenses. The Louisville Slugger museum is a possibility and maybe Hilton Head on the way home. We’ll soon get out the map and plot a course.
Blood and bladder tests today to determine the next step in prostrate treatment. I’m currently fasting in preparation. Later this afternoon, I will read a couple of poems via Facetime to my retiring friend in Indianapolis. It reminds me that I’m into my 7th year of retirement but considering something part-time to supplement our travel funds. We just made arrangements for 5 nights in Mallorca, Spain at the Marriott Vacation Club, Son Antem, to end our 2024 Southern Atlantic Crossing cruise. We also have stops in Granada (Malaga) and Barcelona after visiting Casablanca. As a result of this adventure, I will have been to five of the seven world continents, missing Australia and Europe. Adding 49 of the 50 states, many European adventures, and extensive travel in the Caribbean, I’m pretty satisfied with the extent of our travel, so far.
Money will be the biggest issue in expanding this footprint that we have made. I’ve done a bad job of managing our retirement funds with extensive travel and home improvements. I certainly don’t regret any of these expenses, while hopefully our home will provide future financial benefits. Travel, on the other hand, is only an investment in making memories. I’ve already logged over 300,000 miles on what was originally a million-mile retirement quest. At an average of about 30,000 miles a year, it will take 23 more years to get there, if the funds are available. I think I was a bit overaggressive in establishing this particular retirement goal.
I’ll be happy if I can at least get to Maine, that elusive 50th state in the next few years. The plan is to drive up the Eastern coast, with stops in Hilton Head, Williamsburg, Washington D.C., New York City, Atlantic City, and Boston, taking advantage of Marriott Vacation Club properties and hotels along the way. The thought of the drive exhausts me. Maybe, I’ll just fly to Maine and back.
‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles’ is one of my favorite movies. However, which do I prefer when traveling? I do like to have my feet on the ground, so any form of transportation that brings out my fear of heights is the least desirable. This extends to precarious mountain paths, hanging bridges, hot air balloons, jet packs, see-through platforms, skydiving, bungy jumping, zip lines, parasailing, and repelling, I do not seem to have a problem as long as I can’t feel the wind. As a result, I can handle a helicopter as long as the doors aren’t open, most airplanes, being inside a car over a bridge, or looking down from an enclosed observation deck. When I’m exposed to the air, I’m suddenly overcome with anxiety.
I’ve traveled on planes of all sizes, helicopters, boats, canoes, rafts, surfboard, golf carts, by snowshoe, dune buggy, carriage, kayak, ferries, dinghy, rafts, race cars, trucks, ski lifts, jet skis, motorcycles, stagecoach, toboggan, snowmobile, rollercoasters, dog sled, chariot, bullet trains, carnival rides, e-bikes, scooters, Segways, skates and skis, a zip line, by parasail (that turned into para-snorkeling), and even once reluctantly in a hot air balloon. On some of these adventures, I felt life-threatened and many I would avoid doing again. By the same token, I certainly wouldn’t want to be shot out of a cannon. I tend to stay far from the edge when it comes to heights and even watching others in danger of falling makes my palms sweat. Speed in general can be terrorizing, and now even changing lanes on the expressways is breath-taking. I used to love to drive but that has drastically changed, as I’ve grown older and seen my share of bad accidents.
I can tolerate airplanes because they get me there faster. Having access to a car is convenient but finding parking, arranging for valet service, refueling, detours, traffic delays, bad weather, and mechanical problems keep me on the edge of my seat. On our last trip to Italy, I refused to drive anywhere and chose to use the ferries to get us from village to village on the Amalfi Coast. This turned out to be a very pleasant, hassle-free experience. Similarly, a hydrofoil to the Florida Keys saved a lot of driving and made our trip special. Cruise ships and river boats also make travel exceptionally easy, without the issues of changing hotels, getting lost, finding good restaurants, and repacking. Most of our water travel experiences have been stress free, but there’s always the story of the Titanic.
Boats do seem to be my favorite, as long as I don’t have to drive or maintain it. However, in most cases, you also have to have a way to get to the boat, so it’s not that simple. Most modern vacation travel involves planes, trains, automobiles, Ubers, taxis, boats, shuttles, bikes, and walking at the very minimum. Personally, anymore, I like the concept of time travel where you don’t have to make reservations, enlist a tour guide, go through security, secure a passport, buy tickets, show up on time, or follow a map. Seeing the world these days takes a lot out of me, so maybe settling into our not-so-shabby resort community and not going anywhere while pretending we’re someplace exotic is the answer.
