In keeping with such vast edifices as the Louvre, British Museum, and Smithsonian Institute, the salmon pink Egyptian Museum (located in Tahrir Square) is a monstrous building. It is however beginning to show its age and is definitely a bit tatty around the edges. Despite its impressive size, there is insufficient space at the current site to showcase the plethora of historical artefacts collected … [Read more...]
Coptic Cairo, Day 281
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Today is a big day. It will define the rest of our Year of Wonder. Over the last few days I have been e-mailing Midhat Mahir, our possible Sudanese fixer. Amazingly he is currently in Cairo and wants to meet tonight to discuss our 'case'. I have no idea whether he will be able to get visas for us or quite how he will do this. One thing is for damn sure, though, Christi and I are not sending our … [Read more...]
Bahariya Oasis, Western desert, Day 282
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Hamada the co-owner of the Canadian hostel in Cairo is desperate to organize our Egyptian adventures beyond the capital. Trouble is his prices are too high, especially considering he is catering to a backpacker clientele. Christi and I are toying with the idea of cruising down the Nile from Luxor to Aswan if we can find a bargain. And of course the rule of thumb is that the best deals are always … [Read more...]
Black Desert and Crystal Mountain, Day 283
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The accommodation and food at our hotel in Bawiti, the largest town in the Bahariya Oasis, are quite wonderful. The people in this part of the world, including the staff at the hotel (when you can find anyone, that is. Most of the time the place is a ghost town) and our tour organizers are...challenging. It is extremely hard to get them to do what Christi and I want even though we are paying them. … [Read more...]
White Desert National Park, Day 284
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Christi and I are awake and moving at dawn today to explore as much of the stunning rock formations of the White Desert National Park as possible before we return to Cairo. There is no one else around - even our guide Mohammed is still fast asleep. It is quite amazing that these formations exist at all and we get to experience them in complete solitude. There is a mystical, other-worldly … [Read more...]
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