Egypt Photos

Egypt a land steeped in history and a great place to take a camera but beware that you will have to pay for permits to take photos at most of the monuments. Videos are looked for at entry to the country and entry to the museums, you have to pay more for those too.

Whenever anyone mentions the country Egypt the first thing that must come to mind are the Pyramids. Those great feats of engineering that line the Nile river. When you drive into Cairo from the West and you suddenly see these huge monuments your heart stops for a fraction. They are so "in your face" it's unbelievable. Oh yes - you will be hassled by all and his brother.
Renee delving into the depths of the Pyramids. This is the Pyramid of Chephres (the middle one). To be honest there is not much to see. There is this narrow passage that leads into the center of the Pyramid where the body was placed. This one is not even well painted. But it is still unbelievable - suddenly all the stories about Kings and Queens, Gods and even Asterix come to mind.
A visit to the Egypt museum is something not to be missed. The artifacts simply squeeze into  every inch of the space, it's as if they don't have enough room for them all. It's fantastic, items large and small, this item comes from Tutankamens tomb near Luxor. King "Tut" has his own hall at the museum.
The Nile is truly the life blood of Egypt. As you move towards it from the West and along it to the South you can see where life begins and ends. The desert is slowly beaten and trees and palms take over. The Nile at sunset is magic with Feluccas moving slowly along.
When you move out of Cairo towards the South you may not drive down the Nile you have to go down the Gulf of Suez towards the Red Sea. In fact once you leave Hurghada you must go by convoy. This is at one of the convoy stops where you can relax before the next mad rush starts. Of course there is only one place to buy refreshments and you can imagine what the prices are like.
The Monastery of St Paul about 50km South of Ras Zafarana on the coast of the Gulf of Suez. These Christian Monasteries (there are two in the area) are still used and occupied by Coptic Christians. A word of warning though, take plenty to drink, it's hot hot hot.

King Remises was very busy in the area of Luxor. This picture shows one of his temples built on the banks of the Nile. This is his Temple of Luxor. It is very busy in the early evenings and mornings, it's just too hot to go at midday. He also built the Temple of Karnak.

 
Nothing like a quiet relax on the Nile river with a honey tobacco pipe. Waiting for the river cruise to begin these two Egyptians while away the time playing cards and smoking a water pipe.
Also at Luxor, on the other side of the Nile, is the Valley Of The Kings. This is where many tombs have been found including the famous, undisturbed tomb of the young King Tutankamen. This shows the state of the paintings within these tombs - they look as is they were painted yesterday.
Alfons giving a musical show for some local kids at the train station at High Dam in Aswan. We waited for a few hours at this station for our boat out of Egypt. We met Alfons and his son Felix the night before, little did we know we would all become great friends in the next month.