Ben Gurion,(the late Prime Minster of Israel said,"If you don't believe in miracles,
you don't...
Ben Gurion,(the late Prime Minster of Israel said,"If you don't believe in miracles,
you don't live in reality!"
Member since:09.09.2002
Reviews:84
Members who trust:70
I have been to Egypt twice and this was my Husbands first trip. We flew here from Tel Aviv on El Al Airlines.
The Nile looks like a snake, as it is not as wide as I had imagined it would be. When the River reaches Khartoum it becomes one River that has two sources, (the Blue Nile from Ethiopia and the White Nile from LakeVictoria in Kenya).
I am very interest in Egyptology as well as Ancient Cultures from around the World.
~.THE SHERATON .~
Our trip was a three-day in Cairo. We stayed at the Sheraton El Gezirah Hotel. This is in the center of Cairo that is on an Island surrounded by the Nile, (I stayed here on my first trip as well).
The Sheraton Hotel is a five star Hotel on Galaa Square. At the time we stayed there it cost us $1250.00 USD for our room, (each night).
Our room was large and decorated in off white and bronze. There was a night table on one side with a lamp. On one table there was a telephone and on the other an alarm clock.
We were here in the spring and it was very hot, (about 40 Cel) and dusty). We had air-conditioned rooms and the heat out side made our room humid. It was also very dusty and a maid had to dust twice a day.
There was a TV, (with no English Chanel, lots of room to hang out cloths as well a lot of drawer space. We had a small table and two chairs and a small fridge.
The bathroom was all tiled and had a shower, tub, a large vanity table with a large mirror over it. On the table was a basket filled with a combination shampoo and conditioner and a hand cream. The towels were so large and cosy they covered my body completely.
There was no safe so we had to use the one behind the front desk.
There was a dinning room, a coffee shop as well as many very expensive shops in the lobby. One was a Money Exchange Shop.
When we went to exchange our money we saw that there were two choices: a normal bank exchange and a black market exchange. When I asked why I was told that many tourists were exchanging money on the street and the Egyptian Government was trying to stop
this so they were allowing the banks and the money exchange, (both paid taxes), to offer the black market prices.
The Nile is on one side and a large Avenue is on the other. We had to cross a bridge to see the Egyptian Museum, (it is about 2 blocks away from the Hotel.
*All Sheraton Hotels belong to the Starwood Club that we belong to. We received points for both staying at the Hotel and for the Cruise. If you would like to know more about Starwood their site is at:
Cairo is a huge City and the traffic is terrible. We were happy that we could walk to the new Opera House and a lot of the Bazaars, (Bazaars are always built in the western part of a City. I don’t know why but I remember the owners of West Edmonton Mall telling me this). Cairo is a blend of the ancient and modern world. It once was the largest City in the World, (I think it’s number 2 or 3 now), and the population is just over 18 million people.
~O WHAT WE SAW IN CAIRO O~
1) The Pyramids are in Giza, (a suburb of Cairo). To reach them we passed through people sleeping on the Streets, Buses overflowing with people, (some were laying on top of the Bus, others were handing on for dear life out side of the bus and the bus was crammed) as well as tin and modern buildings.
There are 3 Pyramids that date back 4,000 years. The tallest is about 137 meters and our Guide told us that it was made of 2.5 million blocks of stone. I know that many of you believe that during the time of Moses the Jewish people built these Pyramids but that is not true. Farmers and Slaves built them, (there may have been some Jewish Slaves at that time).
Be prepared for the vendors who will try to sell you bottled water, chocolate bars, Camel rides, post cards and plastic pyramids. We just ignored them.
Climbing the Pyramids is not allowed. We took a walk along the narrow shaft leading to the burial chamber of King Cheops that is inside the Great Pyramid. This Pharaoh’s Tomb was a great project for Farmers who were unemployed during the 3 Months when the Nile spills over and floods their land.
We went into the Shops near the Giza Hotel and bought Kartosh’s, (an oval piece of jewelry with a name in Hieroglyphics), for our Children, Grandsons and both of us. We ate at the Hotel and when we were through our Kartoshs were ready.
2) We visited the Egyptian Museum and were amazed to see that the windows are cracked, there’s no air conditioning and the exhibits are dusty.
We forgot about all of that when we reached the exhibits of the burial treasure of King Tutankhamen. His tomb in the Valley of the Kings is the most famous and the smallest.
Its importance lies in the fact that it’s the only one to have never been plundered. The debris from the excavation of the underground chamber of Ramses VI’s pyramid covered the entrance to Tut’s tomb, so it remained concealed for centuries. This was Tutankhamen only claim to fame.
At the end of the day with our shoes covered in Sahara dust and our minds full of historical fact we ate dinner at our Hotel’s Coffee Shop.
3) The next day we visited ’’Old Cairo’’. We walked through the area’s narrow winding Streets to see the 3 Religious areas, (Muslum, Coptic and Jewish).
There are many Mosques, Coptic Christian Churches and a few Synagogues.
The Synagogue we visited was very old and run down, (there are still a few Jews who live in Cairo). An old Man approached us and asked us for a donation for the ’’Building Fund’’. We gave him some money and if there is no fund we hoped he would have a nice meal with his Family.
Most Mosques are open to visitors of all Religions. You must have your arms covered, (I always carry a light shawl), your head covered, (I have a small thin scarf) and remove your shoes before entering. There are paper slip ons if you do not have socks on.
If you visit this area you will remember the mud-baked streets, the locals wearing the traditional cloths of centuries ago and donkeys carrying large bags of produce.
4) The Khan el Khalili Bazaar is a Market in ’’Old Cairo’’ and even if you aren’t planning on buying anything it’s fun to see. If you are buying something be prepared to bargain for it.
In the Market you will find Egyptian cotton Caftans, (Egyptian cotton feels like silk), beautiful hand woven Carpets, gold and silver jewelry, CD’s and T-shirts.
5) Memphis is close to Cairo, (about 30 kil.) and we went to see the ruins of the ancient City of Memphis.
We found that most of the remains were not spectacular as we thought they would be. Memphis was the earliest Capital of Egypt.
There are 2 two ’’Necropolises’’, (burial sites), of the Pharaohs. There is a large statue of Ramses and one of King Ramses.
~O OUR CRUISE 0~
After our few days in Cairo we took a Nile Cruise. We arranged it through the Sheraton Hotel because I believe they have the nice group of ships on the Nile.
There are four ships: The Anni, Aton, Hotp and the Tut. They are all the same it just depends on your day of your departure and how long your Cruise will be.
We were on the Tut. All of the ships encourage you to wear casual wear for all the meals.
I have been on the shore of both sides of the Nile before, (the eastern side when Israel took it), so I was not surpliced that in some places the Nile is no wider than a small River.
~ . OUR CABIN .~
Our Cabin had square windows, (not small port holes). It was air-conditioned, (thank goodness), because the southern part of Egypt is hot and humid.
We had two twin beds, one night table, a closet that was divided in two, (one part was long with a rod so we could hang up our cloths and the other side were bins to put our other clothing in). There was one chair, a stereo system and a telephone.
The bathroom was quite small and had a toilet, shower and a sink with a mirror over it. The mirror opened so we did have some space to put our bathroom items on the three shelves). The amenities were one small bottle of shampoo each day and some body lotion when the bottle ran out. We brought our own so we just took them home and gave them to a Homeless Shelter, (that’s what we always do).
~. THE REST OF THE SHIP . ~:
There was one pool with lounges around it, There is also a small plunge pool on the top deck, (Waiter offers cocktails and soft drinks at both pool areas.
There is a recreations deck that has shaded lounges, one dining room a discotheque and a piano bar.
You don’t have a choice of what time you want to eat as everyone eats together. The food was good but not great like the other Cruises I’ve been on.
I enjoyed the Egyptian and Middle Eastern food but the Italia food was not spice correctly and was bland. There were some other European food that were served at the buffet table, (I avoid these like the plague...pardon the pun...because the food is mostly left overs).
The Lounge has some comfortable chairs, a few cocktail tables and a pool table.
There were two theme nights that were both called ’’Nubian Night’’. The first time we had to dress up in costumes from the time of the Pharos, (I went as Queen Tut and my Husband went as Moses). The second night we had to dress up like we were Romans, (I went as Cleopatra and my Husband was my Slave).
You really didn’t need more than that because we were off the ship more than we were on it.
~. THE CREW . ~:
The Captain told us that about half the people that take these Cruises are from North America. Therefore the Staff spoke English and were polite and helpful.
~ . THE CRUISE . ~:
We left at sunset and as we departed a Waiter passed around cocktails. We took our outside and stood on a deck as we sail away from Cairo. The sun was setting and the lights radiated off the buildings and the Minarets of the Mosques.
When we were not on shore we cruised along the fertile soil and saw the Fellaheen, (Farmers), their Villages, Date Palms and a group of Bedouins on their Camels.
The eastern shore is not as fertile and was full of rolling sand dunes.
1) Our first stop was at Edfu. There are two Temples here. The Temples of Horus the Elder and Sobek the Crocodile God. These Temples were very large and it was interesting to experience effect of seeing a Temples that have not been destroyed. We saw the Shrine Houses that are a replica of the Sacred Barque that was carried through the Streets of the during the Ceremonial Parades.
2) The second stop was at Kom Ombo City. This City has had people living in it since Biblical time. Our Guide told us the name meant ’’’City of Gold’’. Our Tour Bus took us up a hill to see the Temple of Kom-Ombo. It appeared that about of it was gone and the part that was left was being held up by huge columns.
We then went to see the Roman Chapel of Hathor.It was built as a tribute to the Wife of Horus. We say some Crocodiles Mummies. I wonder why they felt that a Crocodile was important to be a Mummy!
3) We when ashore at Elephantine Island. This is the largest Island on the Nile. Most of the Artifacts we saw were in ruins. At the Elephantine Museum we saw the Mummy of the Ram of Khnum, a gold bust of Khnum, some Statues of Amenhotep III with the Goddesses and some prehistoric Schist Bowls.
The Temple of Khnum was constructed, (in the third Dynasty), for an important Egyptian god. We saw the ruins for the Temple of Satet, (a female goddess), and the Temple of the Nubian goddess called Anqet.
4) Next we spent some time at Philae Island to see the Philae Temple. This Temple used to be on Agilika Island but was taken apart and rebuilt here because it would have been lost after the Aswan Dam was finished. It was built to honor the goddess Isis. We saw the Sanctuaries, Shrines and the beautiful gardens.
We also saw the Vestibule of Nectanebos, (this used as the entrance to the Island), the Temple of the Emperor Hadrian, the Temple of Hathor, a ’’Trajan’s Kiosk’’, (a Pharaohs Bed), and a Birthing House. As our Ship was leaving we could see the lights from a Sound and Light Show that was just starting.
5) Our last stop was at Abu Simbel to visit the famous Aswan Dam. The Dam was built some time in the 1960’s and I knew it was the largest in the World.
I also knew it was built to help the Farmers by bringing fresh water to their Farms as well as to provide more electricity to Egypt. When the Dam was finished it held back the Nile and created Lake Nasser, (our Guide said it was 500 miles long).
I thought I knew what the Dam would look like but I was wrong. To described it to you this is from the notes I took while our Guide explained it to us:
’’The British and Egypt built the Dam together. They used eighteen times the amount of material that was used in the Great Pyramid of Cheops. The Dam is 11,811 feet long, 3215 feet thick at the base and 364 feet tall.’’
In the City we saw the two Temples that the Pharaoh Ramses II, (1279-13 B.C.E.), that were carved out of the rock. These Temples were built to honor the sun gods Amon-Re and Re-Horakhte.
We then boarded an Egyptian Air Flight to take us back to Cairo.
~ . PRICE . ~:
We had to pay for the Cruise in United States currency. This Cruise cost us $640.00 each. This included our accommodation, all of our meals, a welcoming drink, the tours and all of the taxes.
The water is not safe to drink so that means drink bottled water, don't have ice in your drinks or eat fresh fruit, (unless you can peel it), or salads.
There is a deadly worm that is so small if any water from the Nile splashes on you unless you get help you will get very ill. If you don't get help You'll die.
Vaccination are required so please check with your health clinic.
~O SOME OTHER THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW O~
A valid passport and a visa are required.
~. MY FINAL THOUGHTS . ~
Egypt was a wonderful place to visit and if you haven’t been there I suggest you visit in the winter when it is cooler.
We enjoyed this Cruise very much. We felt as if we were staying at a four star Hotel and not aboard a Ship.
We would not take this Cruise again because we felt that we saw the best part of Ancient Egypt.
If you can afford it I highly recommend this Sheraton Cruise of the Nile to you.
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Record Rent a Car is present in the main spanish airports and has a very wide fleet. We offer: exceptional discounts, free additional drivers,
unlimited mileage... subscribe to our Club Record and take advantage of special offers.
Advantages: Breathtaking scenery, amazing relics, good food, knowledgeable Egyptologist and friendly crew Disadvantages: Hassling from traders and local guides
Want_to_travel 28.02.2007 (28.02.2007)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Nile cruises
Advantages: Breathtaking scenery, amazing relics, good food, knowledgeable Egyptologist and friendly crew Disadvantages: Hassling from traders and local guides
Want_to_travel 28.02.2007 (28.02.2007)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Nile cruises
Sep 9th, 2002
(Sep 18th, 2002)
very helpful by (91%):
helpful by (5%):
not helpful by (5%):
