By Dianna Christakos

Having just returned from a fourteen day trip to Egypt, I have had enough time to reflect on this arduous but remarkable trip. Arduous because of the 100 degree heat every day in an arid desert milieu. Egypt is pretty much ruled as a police state. therefore the police presence is ubiquitous. We had an armed guard with us the entire trip. I felt safe but a bit uncomfortable. Egypt’s GNP is 75%tourism and they are taking no chances of anything happening to tourists. Our group consisted of 16 seniors in various conditions which often proved difficult.

Arrival to Cairo is usually at midnight as well as departures. Ours left at 1:30 am. The river Nile dominates the scenery and movement in the city is difficult due to the high volume of traffic which never ceases. The Nile is the lifeline of Egypt. It is the only source of water for the area as well as a mode of transportation . Each time we crossed to the West side was in a colorful boat.

The flooding of this river was a constant problem until the building of the Aswan Dam and the creation of Lake Nasser, the largest man-made lake in the world, told to us by our guide Iman, a woman of extraordinary knowledge and charm. She made this trip possible.

One of the highlights of this trip was arranged by the Agency Egypt and Beyond. We rose at 4:30 am to drive to the Sphinx and were greeted by Doctor Mustafa Wasiri (See photo above), the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. He was a charming , friendly and accessible man who regaled us with stories of the digs and discoveries he personally witnessed and continues to do so on a daily basis. To see the sunrise over this ancient treasure in relative privacy was indeed a defining moment for me.

From here on to Giza where the Pyramids of King Khutu ( Kheops) is found, amazing for their sheer size and complexity. They are burial tombs for the Pharaohs and Kings who considered afterlife critical. Evidence of rituals, rites and scenes of life then boggles the mind. We are talking about objects and mummies 4-5 thousand years old. They believed the Kha was the physical body which will eventually decompose, and the Ba which was the unique personality of each and the Ka which required food and drink after death. All these elements and gods and symbols are richly depicted on the walls of the tombs.

The Museum of Egypt is an experience. Absolutely stuffed with priceless objects, statues etc. It was hot, crowded and did not do justice to its wealth. However all this will be fixed next year upon the completion of the new museum. In contrast, the Museum of Egyptian Civilization was one of the most fascinating museums I have ever seen. New, immaculate and filled with wonders including 22 mummies of royalty perfectly and respectfully displayed in a dark room where no talking or photos are allowed.

The trip to Abu-Simbel was another fascinating trip where 2 enormous temples built by Ramses II, one for him and one for his beloved Queen Nafritare. These temples were moved from their original location to save them from the flooding. A world wide effort actually built the two mountains from concrete then stone by stone they moved the entire structure to its present location.

A four day Nile cruise brought us to Luxor where we enjoyed a hot air balloon ride to view the entire city full of temples. This was the old capitol of Egypt. The flight back to Cairo was an adventure including a delay on the runway to cool the tires before takeoff.

An additional 3 days in the ancient city of Alexandria built by my ancestors and is splendid on the Mediterranean sea. The figures of ancient Pharaohs which guarded the harbor and were one of the Seven Wonders of the world were destroyed by an earthquake. The Library of Alexandria was also one of the wonders again destroyed by fire and only one manuscript remains displayed in the modern library. This city was a personal journey for me since my family escaped the Nazis from our island of Chios in Greece to Alexandria for four years until the end of the war when we returned to Greece.

People of Egypt are friendly, welcoming and proud of their history as well they should be.