Nile Cruise. Check. Pyramids. Check. Cops on Camels. Check??? It’s easy to imagine coming to Egypt simply to “Check the box” on all of those famous sights we learned about as children, but the real Egypt is so much more amazing and beguiling than any school bock or Discovery channel program can convey. The Egyptians were building pyramids, performing surgery and creating beautiful art 4,500 years ago... when our European ancestors were still hunting with spears and long before the Greeks or Romans came of age (Sorry Steph). Visiting the temples and learning about the Egyptian gods and the meaning of the hieroglyphics, ancient Egypt comes alive and is so much more impressive than we had imagined. One of the highlights of our trip was watching the sunrise over Abu Simbel, a huge temple built into a rock mountain by Ramses II. (The 2:30AM wake-up for the 4AM flight was arguably the “lowlight” of the trip ☺).
After our Nile Cruise, Sylvie and I spent 3 days in Hurghada on the Red Sea scuba diving, swimming and just lazing on the beach. We were the only Americans in a sea of Russians and Germans. Of course, when asked, we would just say we’re from Canada, eh? It sucks that we can’t feel safe saying we’re American anymore. (Reason #137 why we hate Bush) Oddest moment of the trip was when I realized I was playing volleyball with 11 Russians. Good news is now I know how to say mine, yours, hit and “roof” in Russian.
Cairo is crazy cacophony of horns, hawkers and calls to prayer with over 17 million people and 5 million cars. The streets are pure anarchy where the drivers ignore the lane lines and the pedestrians cross en masse into oncoming traffic. That said, there are oases of beauty and calm here (including the former Palace that is our hotel) and the people have been warm and welcoming. Especially, our guide “Magic Maged” (cousin of my friend from work Emil) who has planned our whole trip and taken care of us since the moment we arrived.
I’ve uploaded a whole raft of new photos from the Safari, Nile Cruise and Cairo. You can either see the “best” of each of just do the “mini” sites if you’re pressed for time. We leave tonight for our flight to Delhi and the next leg of our adventure. Thanks to everyone for your warm emails and posts of support. It’s been fun for us to have you along with us on our trip.
Love
John & Sylvie
All the photo albums are here: Flickr.
Each of the photos albums are below:
Cairo Mini
Cairo Best
Nile Mini
Nile Best
Safari Best
Safari Mini
Ah Spring time in Africa. We’re here at the perfect time to see the grasses turn green, the flowers bloom, the animals give birth to cute cuddly babies… and then watch predators DEVOUR them! It’s been a gruesome and awe-inspiring experience. Over just two days during our trip, we witnessed 6 kills by cheetahs, lions and a pack of endangered wild dogs. The impala (the “Big Mac of the Kalahari” according to our guide) is the preferred dinner “guest” but no one is safe: warthogs, zebras and even . . . us. There are no fences around any of the camps and the animals wander freely. There have been persistent rumors of staff members being eaten around nearby camps so you take it seriously when your guide requires you to be walked to your room after dark.
While we came for the animals, one of the best parts of the trip has been the people. The local African guides are, without exception, some of the most friendly and warmest people we’ve met. Despite hard work and long hours (up at 4AM and to bed at 10PM), they love the wilderness, are quite happy and laugh more easily than most people with far more material wealth. A good message as Thanksgiving approaches.
We’ve created a slide show movie featuring the best photos from the safari accompanied by some African music by artists we saw in Johannesburg. We’re off to Egypt now and will be spending Thanksgiving cruising the Nile. We love you and hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends.
Love,
John & Sylvie
PS: Check out Flickr for more Safari Photos in addition to the ones below:
Hope all of you are well and happy. We've been having a spectacular time in Cape Town. South Africa has far exceeded our expectations. When we first arrived, we were fearful because of all the stories of crime here, but it's not at all like that. South Africans have been absolutely lovely people. And the place itself is a natural wonderland. Our adventure has included wine tasting in the "Winelands" (makes Napa look shabby), hiking the botanical gardens of Table Mountain and a trip to the Cape of Good Hope where we saw whales playing in the water just 20 meters off the coast. If you look closely at the video, you can see the whale's eyes and mouth clearly.
Our trip to Robben Island was perhaps the most moving experience. It's only been 12 years since Apartheid ended so the experience is still fresh in their collective experience. During the tour, we met Benjamin (pictured below) who was imprisoned on Robben Island for 11 years. He had taken up arms against the regime when he witnessed his pregnant girlfriend get shot during a student revolution. He's proud of his participation in the movement brought true democracy to his country, but worries that the children today are not following in their footsteps. There was a very touching moment we witnessed where an Afrikaaner (a descendent of the Dutch settlers) gave Benjamin a warm handshake and said that he sees a bright future for "our children in South Africa".
Sylvie and I are off for our Safari starting today. More pictures and videos coming when we return in about 10 days. More photos from capetown can be found on our Flickr site here: Capetown Photos
Much love
