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Egypt started to capture my imagination when I was about six years old. It was in Sunday school, that I learned about the 'Flight to Egypt' of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. Then came the great movies "The Ten Commandments" and "Cleopatra," along with so many documentaries on the television by National Geographic, Discovery Channel and others. I always knew that I would visit Egypt, but I hadn't put a date to it until mid-December of 2002. Linda and I decided to take a vacation during the Christmas season, and it was me who suggested Egypt. She bought into the idea without hesitation.

We arrived on 31 December - the morning of New Years Eve - after a domestic flight from Delhi to Mumbai, a connecting flight to Addis Ababa and then a convenient connection on to Cairo . We booked into Shepherds an old British heritage hotel overlooking the Nile and got a river view suite with breakfast included for a reasonable hundred dollars per night. The hotel is steeped in history and reminded us of the Imperial in New Delhi . Enough of the free advertising!

After a few hours of sleep, we got up and did some downtown exploring. Cairo is a city with an estimated 15 million population. There are wide boulevards, lots of traffic, plenty of exciting shops for all budgets, international fast food outlets and rifle-totting policemen at just about every intersection, which made us feel very safe. Many times as we walked the streets, people standing at bus stops, or sitting at sidewalk cafés greeted us with a friendly "Welcome to Egypt". Back at the hotel we checked out our New Year's Eve options and decided to take in the Sound and Light Show at the pyramids and later a candlelight meal, with dancing at one of the hotels restaurants.

The pyramids are situated within a half-hour drive from downtown Cairo in the city of Giza. The Sound and Light show was magnificent with intermittent soft lights illuminating the pyramids and sphinx and lazar images projected on the sides of the pyramids - sometimes these were animated. The history of the pyramids was told in the words of the sphinx, who expressed anger at the invaders (thought to be the Ottomans) who used artillery to blast off his nose. 

The next day we visited the Egyptian Museum - only a five-minute walk from the banks of the Nile, and our hotel. Once inside, we were simply overwhelmed by the magnificence. We purchased a guidebook to help us to identify the treasures, but soon realised that to get the best out of our day, we'd need a professional guide at a cost of about ten dollars for an hour and a half. This proved to be a wise decision. He navigated us through the various chambers, ending with the main attraction (in our opinion) - the room dedicated to King Tutankhamen (King Tut). The religious beliefs of Egyptians prescribed that the dead were to be buried with a set of personal and ritual objects that they would need in the world beyond the tomb. King Tutankhamen's tomb was found virtually untouched, because it was hidden under the tomb of Rameses VI. Of the hundreds of objects found in the tomb, the solid gold mask (height 54 cm, width 39.3 cm, weight 11 kg) that protected the head, shoulders and upper chest of King Tutankhamen's mummy is the most precious and indeed impressive. It is displayed in a well-guarded glass case. We said goodbye to our guide when our time had expired and spent the remainder of the day wandering at random, and upon seeing something of great interest (everything was interesting), we'd look it up on our guidebook.

The next day we took a guided tour of Old Cairo - the seat of the Coptic Christian community, which outdates the coming of Islam. The tightly walled compound once housed twenty churches in its less than one square kilometre area, but only five remain, including the Al-Mullaga (Hanging Church) and St Sergius, which is built over the site where the Holy Family once sought refuge from the Romans during their Flight into Egypt. The Hanging Church is so named because it is constructed on pillars rising from Roman ruins below, making it appear to be hanging. Another attraction is Ben Ezra Synagogue - Egypt's oldest - where it is said that the Prophet Jeremiah gathered the Jews after they fled from the destroyer of the Jerusalem Temple. There is also a spring, said to be the location where the pharaoh's daughter found the baby Moses, and where Mary drew water to bathe the baby Jesus. After the visit to Old Cairo, we were taken to the Citadel, which overlooks the city and houses an architectural masterpiece, the mosque of Mohamed Ali, which is a sight worth seeing. We passed on the opportunity to visit the Police and Military Museums, also housed in the Citadel. 

We still hadn't seen the pyramids and sphinx by daylight. While in Cairo, we also read about the camel market, located at a town called Birqash, about 45 kilometres outside of the city in the other direction from the pyramids. We hired a taxi for the day and clubbed both attractions together. Well, I must say the following - the camel market is not an attraction for the faint-of-heart or the animal-lover. Inside the compound there are hundreds of defenceless, once proud camels, reduced to stinking and screaming creatures as they hobble around on three legs (one leg is tied back so they can't run away), while being beaten mercilessly with long sticks by their owners. As tourists walk by they seem to recognise the difference in dress and sense the feeling of compassion. The look in their eyes seems to say, "Won't somebody do something?" The scene that unfolds after a camel is purchased is heart rending. Upon being separated from the group the beast literally screams its heart out as it is beaten and dragged into a pickup truck, sometimes falling out headfirst in the process. Camel commerce is an element of the Egyptian economy that has existed for hundreds of years. Perhaps when a compassionate animal rights activist experiences 'the look' in the eyes, the end to the cruelty will commence. The camel market is indeed interesting, but (I say again) is no place for the faint-of-heart. 

The next stop was at the world's oldest tourist attraction - the Pyramids of Giza, constructed 2500 years before the birth of Christ and the only remaining structure of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Giza site hosts the tombs of three pharaohs of the fourth Dynasty - that of Cheops, Khafra and Menkaure (in order of size), and the Sphinx - the Father of Terror. The great pyramid of Cheops is the largest and now stands 455.2 feet or 138.75 metres in height. The sphinx, the gigantic crouching lion with human countenance that many believe reproduces the facial features of Khafra is an integral part of the pharaoh's funeral complex. A foreigner ticket for entry to the complex is quite reasonable at four dollars, compared to the ten dollars for the Taj Mahal in India. Inside, one can get real close to the ancient treasures, and for an added fee, enter into the passageways and chambers. With the tombs at the Valley of the Kings on our itinerary we declined that option. I'll close this section by saying that the pyramid complex is simply amazing and I'm so happy that I finally saw them with my own eyes. We ended the day with a trip to Sakhara (about 10 kilometres from Giza), and the Step Pyramid and temple complex. The pyramid was not as spectacular or as large as those at Giza, but the trip was significant because we were viewing the world's longest-standing building. We'll never forget our day at the pyramids.

We got up at 4AM the next morning in order to catch a 05:30 flight to Luxor (650 km up the Nile), where we boarded a ship for a cruise to Aswan (an 230 km up river). The ship called the Shehrayar is owned by the Oberoi Group from India and is everything that one would imagine a cruise ship to be. The boat (actually a ship) consists of four decks for the paying travellers and one, half below the waterline for the crew and machinery. The first two are for cabins; then there is the ballroom and dinning room deck; and finally there is the open-air leisure deck up top, with swimming pool, deck chairs and a few games. Our cabin was situated at mid-ships and had two large windows.

After getting settled in, we had a buffet lunch where we met the other passengers and at 1PM the whole group was off on a tour to the Valley of the Kings on the west side of the Nile. Now this was definitely impressive. On the way, we stopped briefly at the Colossi of Memnon - two huge statues that once stood at the entrance to the burial temple of Amen-Ofis III. Nothing can be seen of the ruins of the temple, but the statues are very photogenic. After that, we stopped at the Valley of the Queens and their Children where we entered the tomb of Amenhikhopeshef - a son of Rameses III. He is believed to have been about nine years old when he died. Scenes show him being presented to various gods, including Anubis, the Jackal-headed god of the dead, by his father. A premature baby was also found in to tomb and is on display. We were impressed by the clarity of the scenes on the walls - all of which still were is full colour. 

Moving on to the Valley of the Kings, we visited the tombs of Ramses III, IV, IX and Tutankhamun. All consisted of passageways and chambers with stories told in hieroglyphics and frescoes of the various occupants and the Gods. All artistry was in its original condition and it's amazing how they have survived for thousands of years without fading. Boardwalks have been installed and glass shields protect the walls from the fingers of inquisitive tourists. Photography is allowed but not with flash. There are sixty-two tombs in the Valley of the Kings; all are not open to the public and with some, the former occupant is still unknown.

We then moved on to the Temple of Deir El-Bahari, built by Queen Hatsshepsut as a monument to her father Thot-Mosis I and to herself. It is located in a previously inaccessible valley. The temple, which is unique to Egyptian architecture of the period, has a series of vast terraces, which by means of flights of stairs, ascend to the sanctuary. It was well worth the visit.

With the sun setting, we departed from the Valley of the Kings. Our guide informed us that we'd now visit the Temple of Amon-Ra back in the town of Luxor. I personally thought that it would be futile, because it would be dark by the time we got there, but that was the idea, because the whole place was illuminated with amber lighting, which gave it a special effect. In the simplest of terms, we were awestruck by its magnificence. Two huge statutes of Rameses II dominate the entrance to the complex, which consists of a chapel, two courtyards, a colonnade and the Sacrarium of Amon-Ofis III. The complex is connected to the Temple of Karnak (three kilometres away) by an avenue lined with sphinx with rams heads. 

This concluded the day of sightseeing. We returned to the ship, had a splendid meal and retired early. The next morning, we visited the Temple of Karnak - another amazing attraction similar to the night before (except that it also contained two huge obelisks,) and set sail at around ten o'clock. The voyage on the Nile was quite interesting as we viewed the everyday activities of the people on the banks - people washing their clothes and utensils, people watering their livestock (herds of camel), and fishermen casting their nets. We berthed that night at the town of Edfu, where we spent the night. 

The next morning we were picked up by horse drawn carriages and transported to the Temple of Horus, which has a massive pylon covered with sunken relief carvings depicting religious and mythological events. After this, we set sail again, stopping briefly at midday at a small town called Kom Ombo, where we visited yet another interesting temple dedicated to Sobek - the crocodile god. Besides the architecture, another interesting feature was a mummified crocodile enclosed in a glass display case. Again we set sail, and made it to our destination - Aswan - by about eight in the evening. Our boat cruise was over, but we spent the night on the ship, and the next morning were taken on another excursion, this time to a quarry containing an unfinished obelisk that broke while it was being hued out of solid granite. Our tour, and association with the ship ended after a trip to the great hydroelectric dam, the second largest in the world (111 metres long, 42 metres wide at the top, and 990 metres wide at the bottom), which was constructed with Russian assistance in the 1960s. The Aswan Dam created a large lake in the Nile that threatened to submerge one of Egypt's most treasured archaeological sites after the pyramids - Abu Simbel - some 260 kilometres upstream.

During our leisure time while on the cruise, we read about Abu Simbel, and quite frankly wondered why our tour operator hadn't included it in our itinerary. Knowing that our activities with the ship would end at 10 AM and that our flight back to Cairo was not until 17:30 we were perplexed - how would we spend the remainder of the day? So, the night before arrival in Aswan, we called Egypt Air from the ship and asked about flights to Abu Simbel. We discovered that we could purchase tickets in Aswan, fly to the ancient town of Nubia near the site, and return on the same flight that we were originally scheduled to return to Cairo - all for seventy-six dollars each. Besides that, an airline bus would take us to the Abu Simbel temples, wait for us, and deliver us back to the airplane. The cost of entry to the site was only four dollars each - what a deal!

Upon arrival at the visitors' centre, we commenced a counter-clockwise walk around a huge mound of solid rock, and upon reaching the other side were completely spellbound by the site before our eyes - four colossal (65 feet/20 metre high) statues of Rameses II flanking the entrance to the temple. The head and torso of the statue to the left of the entrance fell during ancient times, but the other three were totally intact. What a magnificent scene! We just sat down and admired for a good fifteen minutes before venturing into the temple. 

From the light of the day we entered the interior, where the half-light created a mysterious atmosphere. We first encountered a large hall with eight ten metre high statues of the god Osiris (four on each side) bearing the features of Rameses I, who built the temple to demonstrate his power and divine nature. There were several chambers, all with the clearest frescoes that we had yet encountered in our few days of Egyptology. And then there was the inner sacrarium - the most sacred place - where there were four smaller statues, those of Ramses, Ptah, Amon Ra and Hamarkhis. Looking back from the sacrarium, the open air beyond the entrance can be seen, and an amazing phenomenon occurs twice a year, called the Miracle of the Sun. Twice a year at the solstices, the sun penetrates the entire length of the temple and floods the statues of Amon, Hamarkhis and the pharaoh with light for five minutes, but the sunlight doesn't fall on Ptah, because Phah is the god of darkness. Imagine that! 

Ramses was truly in love with his wife, for just to the left of his own temple, he built a smaller temple dedicated to Nefertari, called the Temple of Hathor. This is another architectural miracle. The entrance consists of six statues, ten metres tall, with their left legs set forward, seemingly breaking out of the living rock as they move forward. The interior is less elaborate than the great temple, but there are six pillars with the head of the goddess Hathor, and many interesting scenes. There are also hieroglyphics recounting the history of the king and queen. It has been said that a trip to Egypt is not complete unless one visits the temples of Abu Simbel. After seeing them with our own eyes, we totally agree.

As mentioned earlier, when the great dam was built as Aswan in 1964, the temples at Abu Simbel were in jeopardy of being submerged. In a hectic race against time, UNESCO launched a $40 million rescue project. To make a long and heroic story short, the monuments were cut up into smaller more manageable blocks and reconstructed 65 metres higher, thus saving them for future generations to admire. 

We arrived back in Cairo the same evening. The next day we hired a car and driver for a day at Alexandria at the mouth of the Nile on the Mediterranean - three hours north of Cairo. Alexander the Great came to Egypt in 331 BC after conquering Greece and selected a small fishing village on the Mediterranean coast to establish his new capital. Archaeologists are still searching for his tomb. Our day was well spent with a wonderful seafood lunch and walk on the seawall, and visits to Kait Bey Fort Museum, the newly constructed Alexandria Library, Pompey's Pillar, and the old Roman Theatre. Alexandria is a nice city with a warm Mediterranean breeze, and well worth a day or two on a travel itinerary if time can be afforded.

Finally, on our last full day in Cairo we visited Islamic (of Medieval) Cairo, where narrow congested streets are filled with donkey carts and a multitude of people including tourists. The famous Khan-el Khalili Bazaar is one of the world's largest and is crammed with shops selling spices, coppersmiths, trinkets, coffee houses, garments, perfume and trinkets, and several coffee houses. Knowing that bargaining is a way of life in such places we were able to obtain items at about one-third of the asking price. Of course I had Linda - India's Bargain Queen - at my side! I don't think the tourists from Europe or America did as well. We sat outside Fishawi's Tea House, that proudly displays the fact that they have been in business for over 200 years, and indulged in people-watching, which included men in typical Arab dress that hasn't changed much since Biblical times. Later we visited the nearby Al-Azhar Mosque, containing the oldest university in the world (AD 970) - quite interesting. One should not miss the Islamic sector on a visit to Cairo. In many ways it reminded us of Old Delhi in the vicinity of Chandi Chowk. 

Our trip to Egypt lasted a full ten days. Each was filled with amazing sites. Looking back, we realise that we probably could have done everything in about a week, but we are certainly happy to have experienced wonders of Egypt, which truly exceeded our expectations.