Amazing Egypt !

So few years ago, I finally got around to seeing the amazing Great Pyramids and Sphynx, after 2 weeks in Egypt. , I mean i've seen these things on TV but being here was just unreal, and we were almost humbled by The Pyramids-their over whelming size and age. Hand made... just crazy To get to Giza, I grabbed a taxi and sat for an hour or so in bumper to bumper traffic. "No A/C," the driver explained, "but OK, I roll window down, fresh air come in." Fresh air indeed, the exhaust fumes were wonderful. As I approached the pyramids through Giza (which is a rather modern, Westernized neighborhood), I spotted the Pyramid of Khufu first, rising majestically above the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise attached to the Giza Mall. And let me tell you, the urban sprawl has really pushed its limits here.
The pyramids are situated on the Giza Plateau, around which shops and high-rise apartments have invaded like an urban fungus. Once I finally got through security and entered the complex, I got my first good unimpeded look at the pyramids. I'm sure you've heard that pictures do not do the Giza Pyramids justice. Well, they don't. But I took plenty of pictures anyway. It was actually quite a pleasant visit; the temperature dipped down to a high of about 43 deg C today (heat index 49), which is rather balmy to say the least for late summer in the Sahara. Plus there was really no one there, so the normally-ubiquitous beggars and vendors and all-purpose hasslers had retreated a bit.
I walked around the complex a bit and watched people climb up the pyramids past the well-armed yet indifferent security guards and the signs that said 'NO CLIMBING' in at least six languages. However, the problem with the photos I took was that it's hard enough to get a frame of reference when you're seeing these massive edifices with your own eyes, let alone when you're looking at a two-dimensional photo. Nonetheless, the pictures taken from the base of the pyramids show a slightly better angle. I thought the Sphinx was cooler simply for aesthetic reasons. Even though the pyramids at Giza are astonishing to see and the only remaining ancient wonder of the world, they're essentially piles of rocks. From an engineering and logistical standpoint, the pyramids are far more incredible. But something about the Sphinx was more intriguing, more pleasing to the eyes. Especially the view of the front of the Sphinx with the pyramids in the background indeed awesome! I got a taxi back to Zamalek from a very nice man named Ali who keeps a book that he asks his passengers to sign. He had signatures from tourists from America, all over Europe, Korea, China, Japan, Australia, and one from Iceland. He gave me a pretty sharp-looking business card and said I could hire him privately any day I wanted to drive a little farther down to Memphis and Saqqara. Up at the crack of dawn today at 3.00 am for the drive down to Abu Simbel in the little bus that could. I had another armed escort however this time there were heaps of buses heading out. I started in the middle of the convey but were soon passed by almost everyone. Another breakfast box broke the drive and we arrived at the new resting place of Ramses II and his favorite wife Nefertari. The guide here was good but after while I were longing to have Adel back. The temple structure of Ramses II was absolutely incredible and it was hard to believe that it had been moved as it looked as if it had been resting there for centuries. It is hard to get an appreciation for the size of the statues both the four colossi that guard the entrance and the 8 “smaller” ones inside until you are standing underneath them. The colours and scenes inside the temple are quite remarkable.It is hard to imagine the impact that temples like this would have had on the general populace when they were constructed. Now it is easy to see how these monuments that can still awe me in their weathered state who today are surrounded by modern marvels and access to information must have convinced ancient Egyptians that their kings were indeed gods. The smaller of the two temples that Ramses II dedicated to his favorite wife show not only how much he loved her but also how much he loved himself as there are more statues and hieroglyphs of him than her. After walking around the two temples for a couple of hours I made it to the visitor center where you can read about the huge task of relocating the temple from its original position whilst battling the rising waters of lake Nasser. On the bus ride back to Aswan I saw a massive mirage where it looked like the whole dessert had turned into a lake with the mountains being small islands. We had just time to have a quick shower and then it was off for my felucca trip down the Nile. I had forgotten how nice it is to be on the water in a traditional felluca sailing boat. We sailed for about 2 hours before pulling up to the bank so that I could have a swim. I were a bit skeptical but captain of traditional felluca sailing boat assured that the Nile was flowing too fast where I had stopped for there to be any problems swimming so in I jumped. Hehehe!
After my swim we sailed down river a bit more until I got to my mooring place for the night. After the gang plank was rolled out and my toilet rocks were pointed out I headed into an Nubian village to the Chief's house for dinner. I had a lovely dinner on the roof of the Chief's house whilst I were entertained by his youngest son and other members of the family
Huraghada on the Red Sea was my next stop, nice to be finally near water of some type. Although the 'Friendship Village' Hotel is something I would prefer to forget, it's good to remember 'you get what you pay for' and I had paid for! All in all, Egypt comes recommended. Do this once in your lifetime. And I believe this country has to be done through any local good friends.Expect everything to be totally different to how it is at home, standards/ service/ food/ religion/ climate. Another one of my top 5 favorite things I have experienced in Egypt.