Autumn in Door County

Few things in life are better than experiencing a cool, crisp, colorful autumn day in Door County. This weekend was no exception. The leaves have not quite hit their peak colors but there were plenty of fiery red, orange and yellow colors to see.

I arrived late Friday, just in time for dinner at the C&C Club in Fish Creek. Then it was home to bed. I was so tired.

Then yesterday, Saturday, after a picturesque 21-mile roundtrip jog along the country roads between Fish Creek, Bailey's Harbor and Egg Harbor, I attended the annual Fall Festival in Sister Bay (or Fall Down Festival as the locals call this once-a-year party in the streets). I got there around 2 pm, which was well after the event started and an hour after the parade ended. I was the only sober one there. But people were having fun as only Wisconsinites can.

Just about everyone I know up there was out and about. During the summer I seldom see anyone I know because they're all working. So I had plenty of time to fraternize and catch up with everyone. Then it was off to JJ's in Sister Bay for some Mexican fare and some Margueritas. After too many of those, we continued on the circuit to AC Tap, which was pretty dead. Just the locals sitting around tossing back a few beers.



Then I went home again by 10:30 pm since I was tired again. I fell right to sleep and woke up this morning at 6:30 am as the sun was coming up. The birch trees outside my condo window are so beautiful with their yellow leaves, and the maple tree behind them with its red leaves. Made me want to stay a few more days. But, I have work to do and memos to write before I sleep, and memos to write before I sleep.

Day 4 - New York City

The temps have cooled down finally. Last day here in the Big Apple. Meetings are going well. Had a nice dinner at the BLT Steak House on 57th and Park Av last night. Have a half day of meetings today. I have a presentation to prepare for meeting tomorrow and an agenda for another on Friday. Should keep me busy. So, it's off to work. Going home to Milwaukee tonight.

Day 3 - New York City

It's another scorcher in the City. I got up early and walked over to the 7th Ave subway. I learned my lesson yesterday that it's better to walk a block above ground than below. The A/C on the subway was working great so didn't sweat too much. I arrived early at 7:30 am and there was hardly anyone in the office. The #2 man here had to let me in the front door of the office when I rang the door bell. Have lots of meetings today and memos to type, so time to get to work!

Day 2 - New York City - My It's Hot Here

I forgot how God-aweful commuting by subway during the summer in New York City can be. I walked a few looooong blocks over to the subway from the hotel and then stood on the 100 degree + platform waiting for the next subway train--and waiting and waiting. By the time it arrived, I was sweating bullets. Then I had to make the big underground transfer at Times Square in a tunnel stretching between 8th Ave and 7th Ave. Then even more stairs and heat and sweat. By the time I emerged from the subway at Canal Street down in SoHo, I could have used another shower. After my morning meeting in SoHo, I subwayed down to the office down near Wall St. I'm now sitting in the same office I once occupied when I worked here. The view of the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge below is great, as is the uptown view towards the Empire State Building. It's deja vu all over again.

Well, back to work.

Day 1 - New York City - Enjoying New York City

I'm here on business for a few days. I got here this morning, went to my hotel (Skyline at 49th & 10th Avenue), and then went for a run in Central Park like in the old days. It was hot--in the 80s--and the hills I used to run on every day were a little more difficult than I was expecting. I am getting old. On the way home from the run, I stopped by my old condo. The doorman recognized me before I saw him--and it's been 6 years since I saw him the last time.

After a shower, I hiked back up to Columbus Avenue and walked through a street festival that stretched from 63rd St to 84th. Same old stuff as a Wisconsin street fair. Then I hiked a block over to 83rd and Amsterdam Ave (10 Ave) to have a cooler at the Raccoon Lodge--one of my old hangouts. Unfortunately, it was sold 3 months ago and is now called Crossroad. I called up Doug back in Wisconsin and talked to him for a half hour. Then I stopped at McDonald's for a quick bite. Then I got tired and went back to the hotel to take a nap. I slept a few hours. Then Vicky called from Arkansas to say she and Vicki booked our trip to Eastern Europe already. I have to do it tommorrow. We're leaving April 27 to May 13.

After the nap, I took a walk around the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood I'm staying in. It was dark so Times Square was all lit up. I then walked up to the Letterman Show theater on 53rd and Broadway. Even saw Rupert Jee's Hello Deli, but it was closed. Guess he makes so much money from his cameo appearances on Letterman that he doesn't have to work Sundays. Then I went over to West Side Cottage II restaurant on 47th and 9th Ave for some excellent Chinese food. I had lemon chicken. The bill came to a mere $11. Then I hiked a few blocks over to the hotel to watch the Prime Time Emmy's (most TV I've watched in a long time).

Well, it's time for bed. Got to meet some outside consultants I'm going to be working with for the next six months at their offices in Soho, then down to the Financial District to the office for a bunch of meetings. Oh joy.

Got to go.

Hurricane Katrina Pictures from Key West, FL

My dad rode out yet another hurricane. Here are some pictures.

A Weekend in Upper Michigan

This weekend, I went up to Doug's place at Lake Gogebic in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It had already been a few years since I was up there because it's so far away and I have my own summer place in Door County that I don't use as much as I should. All in all, it was a pleasant weekend with plenty of stories to tell.

I left at 6:00 am Friday (August 5) for the 5 hour drive from Milwaukee to Lake Gogebic. I took Hwy 41 N to Hwy 110 W in Oshkosh. I stayed on 110 W to US 39/Hwy 51 N in Stevens Point all the way up to Woodruff, Minocqua and Manitowish Waters. I then caught Cty W north to County B in Presque Isle. County B becomes Michigan Hwy 64 at the Wisconsin-Michigan border. I followed 64 all the way to Marenisco, crossed US 2 a short distance later and followed the roller-coaster Hwy 64 up the west side of Lake Gogebic.

On the way up, I was on conference calls for at least 2 hours so the trip seemed to go much faster than it really took. I arrived to picture perfect weather around 11 am, made a few phone calls and then popped a beer and relaxed. Doug and Jenny had already been up for a few days so were all settled in the routine up there. Jenny's 21-year-old daughter Heather was also up for a few days of R&R from Osh-Vegas.

After a half-hour, Doug broke out the Waverunner. We took turns riding it. No one wanted to go tubing though. Heather didn't want to ride alone so she and I took the Waverunner out for spin on the lake. When we came in, I tried to dump her off the back but she hung on an pulled me off with her. We also capsized the thing. For some unexplained reason, there was no cap on the oil tank so when we righted the thing, oil was oozing out from under the engine cover. When we got to shore and opened up the engine cover, it looked like someone had taken a jug of laundry detergent and poured it out inside the engine compartment. We pulled the drain plug and poured buckets of water into the bottom of the engine compartment to flush it out, then sopped up the excess with rags. Doug swore he put the broken oil cap on the oil tank, but it mysteriously disappeared somewhere in the engine compartment never to be found.

After the Waverunner fiasco, we went down to Gogebic Lodge for the dinner fiasco. The all-you-can-eat fish fry wasn't the quite the bargain it appeared to be since there was so much breading you couldn't find the fish. The salad bar was the saving grace. The service was exceptionally bad. It took forever to get drinks and seconds on the breading--and it wasn't even busy. However, the waitress gave us a free round of drinks. After dinner, we fraternized in the bar with the locals, whom Doug is trying his hardest to get chummy with. Tina with the large breasts is the only one I can remember. After a few drinks, we called it a night and headed back to Doug's (10 pm only).

On Saturday, I got up and went for a 10-mile jog down to Ontonagen State Park and back. On the way, you cross into the eastern time zone and back. I saw quite a few people out getting their morning exercise. Heather had to leave so we went over to the Hoop N' Holler for breakfast/lunch of chicken wings--not the little ones, but big normal-sized chicken wings. This was a rather unexpected twist on the traditional recipe. Around noon, Heather split for Osh-Vegas and we headed north to Bergland to gas up the chariot and then to Lake of the Clouds. After that we drove east to the Goodwill Store in Ontonagon.We discovered this gem a few years ago when we were in town. Jenny found some books and Doug bought some old beer glasses. I almost bought a shirt but then started thinking about who might have worn it and just hung it back up. I asked the lady at the counter if she ever found money in the pockets of donated clothes. Sometimes she does, but more often she finds used Kleenex. So wash anything you buy at Goodwill several times before you wear it. After that we drove down to Bond Falls in Paulding (South of Bruce Crossing) to see an amazing waterfall. On the way we stopped in Rockland at a quaint country general store for ice cream. I liked the tin ceiling and the old vault. The building was once a bank. It also had an interesting collection of items for sale. It obviously catered to campers. The ice cream hit the spot but the town wasn't much. Jenny said if she had to grown up there, she would have died. It was pretty desolate. When we got to Bond Falls, we parked the car and went walking down the steep path along the falls. Despite the warnings, some teenage boys were scaling the face of the waterfall, which was a steep pile of rocks with water rushing over it. One slip and they would have been toast. Signs were posted telling people to stay off, but you can't tell a young man anything. On their way down, one of the boys slipped and fell down two ledges before stopping. But he wasn't hurt. After the Falls, we drove back to Lake Gogebic and fired up the Waverunner and did some tubing before the sun went down.

For dinner, we drove 20 miles south to Presque Isle, Wisconsin to eat at Carlin Lake Lodge. They were having Oktoberfest out in the tent in the backyard but we opted for a table in the bar and had real food in there. We had a drink at the bar before sitting at our table. Dinner was good, but the waitress screwed up Jenny's order for Roulaten and brought her Wienerschnitzel instead. But it didn't matter because the waitress just gave us that dinner free and brought Jenny her Roulaten. But the bus boy couldn't find our table so we never got Jenny's Wienerschnitzel to take home. While eating in the bar, some kids were hanging out playing games and watching XGames on the big screen TV. There were the little brats playing darts and video games while their parents ignored them. One kid says "sweet" while holding onto the handles of the motorcycle daredevil game and then says "what is this." I heard the kid utter "sweet" more than I cared to. Meanwhile, the teenage boy with the fake bleach-blond hair at the next table must have been in some sort of waterskiing competition because the mother of the brats who was much older than the young man kept saying "you are sooooooo good, you should just keep on competing, yada yada yada." Sickening. Reminds me of that 40-year-old teacher who slept with her student. Anywho, the waitress screwed up the check and we ended up not paying for the drinks we had at the bar before dinner. So that was two free rounds of drinks in two days. After dinner, we got our hands stamped for free entry to the Oktoberfest tent, so went out back and watched the people dancing and singing like at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich. It was kind of cheesy so we left after a few songs and drove Jenny back to the Lake. Then Doug and I went to the Gogebic Lodge for a few drinks before heading back and going to bed. We ran into Tina again at the bar but she took off with some friends for a party someplace else.

I had several nightmares last night. I dreamt that a black bear broke into the trailer and hauled me out screaming in my sleeping bag. Then I dreamt that a bunch of hooligans in pick-up trucks drove around in circles around the trailer. Fortunately, these were just dreams. But when I woke up at 7:15 am, I discovered no less than 10 mosquito bites on my legs. They itch like crazy now. After getting up, I did another run down to Ontonagon State Park and back. The Marenisco Township Fire Department across the road from The Fisherman next door is having a Firemen's Festival at noon today. I left at 10 am for Milwaukee, so missed the fun. Before I left, Doug and I moved a sleeper-sofa out of his uncle's trailer over to "The Building" and threw the other rancid one from "The Building" onto the burn pile. No sooner had I pulled out of the driveway and drove 1/4 mile down Highway 64, a giant doe ran from the roadside right into my path 30 feet ahead. I just missed that sucker. Also, we noticed an unusual police presence in various spots during our driving yesterday. And I noticed the fuzz in the same place as yesterday near the Ojibwa Correctional Facilities on the way home today. Turns out some guy serving a life sentence for trying to kill a policeman escaped from a UP prison with the help of a food service worker and is on his way to Wisconsin. The drive home was long and boring. Even though I stopped for gas outside Stevens Point, I still made it home in 4 hr 45 minutes. I was really flying.

Well, I have to wait for Doug to e-mail me some pictures of Lake of the Clouds and Bond Falls (hint, hint) so I can post them.

My laundry is done now so have to go. Till tomorrow.

I'm Not Worthy ...

My colleague Tom and I ran the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 18, 2005. This was his first time and my sixth. Tom's wife and kids also made the journey to Boston and they had a great time sightseeing.

Tom is, and always has been, an excellent and dedicated distance runner. He is also as old as me (45). Were it not for our friendly rivalry, I probably would have given up marathoning a long time ago. And had he not been there on Monday, I would not have done as well as I did.

We started the race side by side, way up front in the first corral amongst the world's elite marathon runners. That in and of itself is a huge accomplishment for people our age. Although our results differed by a mere 16 minutes, the accomplishment was the same. After the race, he sent me the following message. I think I owe him the graditude, not the other way around. Tom, thanks for the inspiration.

From: XXXXX, Tom
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 8:25 AM
To: Trost, Chris
Subject: RE: Boston Splits

Thanks Chris. We all had a blast. As humbling as the run was, it was great. You are my hero. I cannot see how you could maintain your pace the entire race. Very gutsy performance. Thanks for the magnet too.

Boston Over ...

The Boston Marathon is over. I managed a 2:53:50 time. It was hot. It's a cruel course. But all is fogotten today and I nurse the blisters and the minor aches. Now I can relax for a few days. Life is good.

One day to go ....

Tomorrow at this time I will be running the Boston Marathon. Nerves are not too jittery. It's another beautiful day here. Looks like it will be a nice day tomorrow as well. A bunch of people from Milwaukee are at the same hotel I'm at. We were also on the same flight. I haven't hooked up with my colleague yet. Probably later today though. Marilyn from my Egypt trip (had dinner with her and husband Jim last night) are dropping off an underwater camera case that I will use on my dive of the Great Barrier Reef next week while in Australia. People are hovering to use Internet while the guy on the other terminal hogs it, so will sign off here.

So here I am in Boston ...

It's a beautiful day. My flight arrived on time. I took a cab to my hotel instead of the subway. I was in a hurry to get to the Marathon Expo and my race number and just walk around town. This city rivals Milwaukee in terms of hard core drinkers. But Bostonians are much dumber. Add a little east coast arrogance and you have a really ugly scene. The Expo was a madhouse. I have never seen so many people. I saw a lot of people pushing stollers through the crowd. What gluttons for punishment. I bought my usual installment of PowerGel and a new running tank top. Also picked up one of the marathon posters, which has my name etched in it along with the other 20,000 runners. For dinner, I'm going to Legal Seafood over at Long Wharf with friends I met on my Egypt vacation back in November 2003 (they live in the burbs here). I'm not psyched up for the marathon yet. Maybe anther day to ruminate will do the trick. There are people waiting to use this free terminal at my hotel, so I will be courteous, unlike some people, and sign off here.

Boston Marathon Malais

Well, it's off to Boston tomorrow. My ankle still hurts even after a few days off. Hopefully a heavy coating of Ben-Gay and the usual competitive adrenalin rush will mask the dull ache. Otherwise I'll just put my head down and shuffle through the motions on Monday. The weather promises to be nice--not the 85 degrees we had last year. My colleague from Milwaukee is also running. He and I are about the same speed, so I'll have someone to run with in case I need some inspiration. I have to pick up my race number and meet friends for dinner on Saturday. Then there's Sunday to do with as I please, and the carb load dinner in the evening. Then the big race on Monday, starting at noon eastern time. I come home Monday night, followed by four chaotic days at work. Then I leave for three weeks of vacation (Australia, New Zealand and Fiji) from April 23-may 15. Can't wait for the marathon and work to be over so I can enjoy some needed R&R.

John Paul the Great proved a study in contrasts and a man of contagious courage

KAROL Wojtyla's position as the world's leading statesman in the last quarter of the 20th century is unchallenged. He has been the leader of one billion Catholics and Christianity's best-known spokesman. His story is extraordinary, his gifts many and various. While he is above all a man of faith whose ambitions have been overwhelmingly religious, the political consequences of his leadership have been greater than those of any other religious leader since Mohammed.

His life has been a study in contrasts and the verdicts inside and outside the church on his achievements will continue to conflict.

Elected at age 58 in 1978, John Paul II was young by papal standards, energetic, virile, a striking figure who used his theatrical gifts to startling effect in his public appearances. Listening in Ballarat to the sermon at his inaugural Mass in St Peter's Square, I was so heartened, indeed thrilled, by his message and style that I turned off the radio and went to sleep. I needed to hear no more. We were in good hands. In Rome they sold more pictures of him in six months than they sold in the entire pontificate of Paul VI.

Later in his life the images were different. The rich baritone voice was replaced by an often unintelligible slur, the fine features by an expressionless, podgy mask of a face. He found it increasingly difficult to breathe; finally he could not walk, even if the hand tremors subsided. He dribbled. He has not been afraid to let the world see him suffering to exemplify the constant Christian teaching that all humans have an intrinsic dignity. But the love and devotion of young Catholics for this old, sick man has been greater in the past few months than in the days of his prime more than 20 years earlier.

Wojtyla was not born with any silver spoon in his mouth. His father was a soldier, his mother died when he was eight and his only brother when was 12. He was 19 when the Nazis invaded Poland, and was condemned to forced labour in a chemical factory and a quarry during the war years. He was knocked down by a German truck in 1944. Nazi tyranny was replaced by communist oppression. As Pope he was shot in 1981 and had an intestinal tumour removed in 1992. All of this before Parkinson's disease took hold.

Many would have been destroyed by such a set of misfortunes.

Because of the miracles of contemporary travel and communications, the Pope has been seen by more people than any other person in history. No pope has enjoyed such a mass following with many enthusiasts outside the Catholic flock. But he has had many critics within the church, too. Unlike the false prophets, he has not worked to universal acclaim.

He wrote of Christ as a sign of contradiction and on many occasions the pope has had to sail into the wind. He is hated by the hardline liberal secularists. Some of his critics claim that his pontificate has been a failure, at least in the Western world, because he hasn't been able to halt the decline of religious practice. They never add the fact that where his directions have been followed Catholic life has fared much better. Whenever militant liberalism took over the church, Catholic life was devastated, as in the Netherlands and Quebec. In Australian dioceses, where most clergy admire John Paul II, Catholic life is stronger. In fact, there are no militant liberals among young Australian Catholics.

For the Pope, the person of Christ has been central to his life and to his teaching. He has echoed Christ's call to repent and believe, called again and again for prayer and sacrifice. He might be a mystic. This primary interest in following Christ explains why he canonised 500 saints to emphasise the importance of holiness today among many local traditions. Saints do not belong only in ancient, distant cultures.

Yet this religious figure played a pivotal role in the collapse of European and Russian communism, an achievement recognised more by the communists than by many of their secular Western opponents. Leonid Brezhnev objected to General Wojciech Jaruzelski when the Polish government was issuing permits for new churches. The church was the enemy. "Sooner or later it would gag in our throats, it would suffocate us" he warned. He was right.

As a priest, bishop and Pope, John Paul II has lived his life unmarried and childless, following the example of Christ. He has also been the most effective spokesman in the world for the causes of life and love; certainly the most formidable opponent of the culture of death (a phrase he coined) exemplified by the collapse of the birthrate in the Western world below replacement levels, the pandemic of abortions and the push to legalise euthanasia.

He was right to continue mandatory celibacy for the clergy. It was the enforcement of celibacy of the parish clergy under a reinvigorated papacy, the Cluniac reform of the Benedictine monks and the new orders of Franciscans and Dominicans (all unmarried) that brought western Europe out of the Dark Ages. Just as it was the celibate priests, nuns and brothers who transformed civically and religiously the Irish-Australians during the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.

But no pope has written so eloquently in defence of marriage and the family, while his theology of the body, probably his most important theological contribution, has provided spiritual sustenance for tens of thousands of young Catholics struggling to follow Christian sexual ideals in an age that regards them as foolish and anachronistic.

The Second Vatican Council document on the church in the modern world urged Catholics to engage in a dialogue with the surrounding cultures. No bishop has been more assiduous on this score than this Pope. He has been in constant dialogue with modernity, even as he never compromised essential elements of faith and morals. He has continued to defend moral truths rather than a fashionable relativism, repeated that the ordination of women is impossible, insisted that sexual activity is legitimate only within the institution of heterosexual marriage. Both abortion and euthanasia have been constantly rejected. He has defended reason as well as faith.

While he is acknowledged as the champion of the Judaeo-Christian tradition in the Western culture wars, he has always expounded his case with courtesy and restraint, and refused the role of crusader-in-chief. Unlike some of his medieval predecessors, he has refused to call the West to arms against Islamic terrorists and extremists. He has opposed the use of force and refused to commend not only the second Iraq war but the first as well.

While dialogue between the Vatican and communist intellectuals continued until after the fall of the Berlin Wall (with the communists increasingly open about their disbelief in basic Marxism), the Pope consistently opposed communism in Europe and Asia, and in Latin America, where it had infiltrated the church as liberation theology.

As a central European, the Pope has been typically clear-headed about the beguiling charms of Western life. He dislikes our philistine materialism and individualism, as well as what he has called consumerism and pervasive sexual irresponsibility, which we Westerners tend to take as givens, unchangeables, even when regretted.

He has been outspoken for social justice, explicitly condemnatory of capitalist excess, but no previous pope so explicitly recognised the capacity of free markets to increase prosperity or praised democratic governments for their fostering of the good life. He has resisted enculturation, or accommodation with the prevailing secularism that would have eased the Catholic Church's disappearance into the liberal consensus. But he has been truly a great bridge builder (the literal meaning of pontifex maximus) to all Christian denominations and to the great non-Christian religious traditions. His work with the Jewish people was groundbreaking, while the lack of progress in Catholic-Orthodox dialogue and negotiations has been a sadness and disappointment. He has not been able to visit Russia or China.

John Paul II has brought courage to all those who are oppressed and compassion to those who are suffering. He has defended human rights. After the liberation, Czech president and poet Vaclav Havel welcomed him as a messenger of love "in a country devastated by the ideology of hatred".

He has been a genuine man of the spirit, a true priest. His example and teaching have encouraged orthodox Catholics everywhere to persevere. I personally can vouch for that. He has inspired thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, into the priesthood and religious life.

Even in the West he has steadied the ship. If many were still resolved to be irresolute, solid only for drift, there has been no doubt about where he is heading. He has never lacked courage and courage is contagious.

History will know him as John Paul the Great. He has earned that distinction.

Chris to be Published

A photo researcher wants to publish one of my pictures from Nepal in an upcoming book. The picture is of a traditional Hindu cremation that I took in Pashupatinath, near Kathmandu, on October 16, 2004.

From: John xxxxxxxxxx johnxxxxxxxxxx.1@netzero.net
Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2005 20:54:21 -0500
To: ctrost@wi.rr.com
Subject: Use of Photo



Dear Mr. Trost --

I am a photo researcher under contract to Artesian Press, a small California publisher of educational materials for "at risk" students. Artesian Press would like permission to use your attached photo of Pashupatinath Temple for one of its upcoming books.

The book for which the company would like to use the photo would be a single edition, but there might be multiple printings. Thus, the permission would have to be for an indeterminate number of copies. Artesian Press would need a copy of the photo in the form of either a print or a high-resolution digital file (1600 x 1200 pixels, say, preferably in TIFF format).

Please let me know whether permission for use of the photo, as well as a copy of the photo in the necessary form, are available. Please let me know, too, what fees, if any, would be involved.

Sincerely,
John xxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxx, PA

First Post

This is my first post. Nothing more, nothing less. I will post random thoughts here from time to time, but this isn't one of them, or is it?

Chris Trost's 2003 Egypt Adventure

Cairo - Alexandria - Aswan - Abu Simbel - Esna - Edfu - Dendera - Luxor - Valley of the Kings & Queens  

November 8 - 22,  2003

Abu Simbel Near Aswan

Flag of Egypt

Table of Contents

Post-Trip Summary

Day  1 - Saturday, 11/8/03 - USA to Egypt

Day  2 - Sunday, 11/9/03 - Cairo

Day  3 - Monday, 11/10/03 - Cairo

Day  4 - Tuesday, 11/11/03 - Cairo

Day  5 - Wednesday, 11/12/03 - Alexandria Day Trip

Day  6 - Thursday, 11/13/03 - Cairo to Aswan by Plane

Day  7 - Friday, 11/14/03 - Aswan and Abu Simbel

Day  8 - Saturday, 11/15/03 - Sail from Aswan to Edfu

Day  9 - Sunday, 11/16/03 - Edfu, Esna, Luxor

Day 10 - Monday, 11/17/03 - Sail from Luxor to Dendera

Day 11 - Tuesday, 11/18/03 - Dendera, Sail back to Luxor

Day 12 - Wednesday, 11/19/03 -Luxor

Day 13 - Thursday, 11/20/03 - Fly Luxor to Cairo

Day 14 - Friday, 11/21/03 - Cairo

Day 15 - Saturday, 11/22/03 - Egypt to USA

Go to Top

Post-Trip Summary

This travel blog is from a trip I took to Egypt in November 2003.  I didn't get around to publishing it till now.  A lot has changed in the world since the trip so I have stripped this journal down to just the sites I visited and dispensed with a lot of details that characterize my later blogs. 

Timing.  It was an interesting time to be in Egypt.  It was only 8 months after "shock & awe," the US military invasion of Iraq following 9/11/2001.  The atmosphere was tense and attacks on foreign tourists were on the rise, as was security.

Overall Impressions.  Because of heavy security, the sites were still open and the people very welcoming.  I received a good dose of history and culture that left me with a great appreciation for the Egyptian people. 

The Tour.  This was my first organized tour after having lived and traveled throughout Europe on my own over the previous 10 years.  I booked it with Grand Circle Travel.  The tour was nicely paced and hit all the major and amazing sites.  The guides, food and accommodations were excellent.  My Christmas card list grew longer and I ended up meeting people that I have kept in contact and traveled with extensively since then.  Like most tours, you get a few wacky people who simply make the trip more memorable.  The group had roughly 80 people who were split into four groups.  When not on the ship, we got around on deluxe motor coaches.  Traveling this way certainly beats trying to navigate a strange country on your own and takes a lot of stress out of travel.

Grand Circle Travel (GCT) Tour Guides (Raed second from left)

My GCT Travel Group

Highlights.  The tour lasted 15 days during the month of Ramadan in November 2003.  We spent several days touring the Cairo area, then jetted south to Aswan where we boarded our cruise ship for a 150-mile journey up the Nile River to Dendera and Luxor.  The highlights were definitely Giza outside Cairo, Abu Simbel near Aswan, and the Valley of the Kings & Queens near Luxor.  That is not to say the rest of the tour was unremarkable.  There was just so much to take in over such a short period of time that, at times, it all began to run together in my mind.  

Cost.  The cost of the tour package was roughly $3,500.  The price included roundtrip air from New York City to Egypt, and all internal flights, accommodations and touring while on the ground in Egypt.  Almost all meals were included and I certainly gained some weight on the trip.  The tour featured the kind of food you are accustomed to in the US, but there are several opportunities to sample local fare. Except for a generous tip at the end, my expert guide Raed was also included in the tour package.  All in all, it was good value for the money.  Otherwise, the cost of just about everything you bought on your own was a fraction of what it would cost in the US.  

GCT Marriott Hotel in Cairo - Decent Place

GCT Cruise Ship - River Anuket - Deluxe

People.  As I said earlier, the people we met were gracious to say the least.  Despite the political environment, it was business as usual for them.  The Ramadan festivities added some extra spice to the journey.

Weather.  Despite being November, the days were hot and dry and cool at night. You will definitely need a jacket, sweater, pants and comfortable walking shoes even with the warm weather. 

Warnings.   A good hat, sunscreen and sunglasses are also a must.  If you are prone to stomach problems, bring some Immodium.  You will also need mosquito repellant.

Parting Comments?  Yes. Travel is an adventure. It’s an opportunity to experience, learn and appreciate how people around the world live. While I’m always happy to come home, I never come back as the same person.

Following is a day-by-day account of my trip. Each day starts with an overview of what we did, followed by my daily journal. You can just read on or go back to the Table of Contents above and jump to a specific day or topic of interest.  Enjoy!

Go to Table of Contents

Day  1 - Saturday, 11/8/03 - USA to Egypt

Activities:  Arrive in Cairo, Welcome Drink in Evening

Daily Journal

3:00 p.m.      It was an uneventful trip from my home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to JFK Airport in New York.   I met several other people from the tour at JFK.  They were easy to spot with their bright orange GCT luggage tags.

6:45 p.m.      We're on our way to Cairo from JFK on an Egypt Air Boeing 777.

Go to Table of Contents

Day  2 - Sunday, 11/9/03 - Cairo

Activities:  Arrive in Cairo, Rest and Welcome Drinks in Evening

Daily Journal

12:00 p.m.      Arrived on time in Cairo.  The plane had a camera on the bottom so you could see the desert below.  Nothing but sand down there.

Arriving in Cairo

2:00 p.m.      Staying at Marriott.  Former palace built to celebrate building of Suez Canal in 1869.

GCT Marriott Hotel in Cairo - Decent Place

Cairo and the Nile River

5:00 p.m.      We have crazy ladies in our group.  Fortunately, they are roommates.  One complained about having to tote her luggage.  She said she needed a husband to help her.

7:00 p.m.      Had welcome cocktail with group at hotel.

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Day  3 - Monday, 11/10/03 - Cairo

Activities:  Orientation About Egypt, Egyptian Museum, Walk Around Town

Daily Journal

8:22 a.m.      Orientation.  Getting lesson on history and culture of Egypt.  Also tips on bartering with shopkeepers and vendors and how to avoid credit card fraud.

8:48 a.m.      Signed up for Alexandria day trip, which involves getting up at 5:00 a.m. for the 2-1/2 hour train trip leaving at 7:00 a.m.  Next day we get 3:00 a.m. wakeup call to leave for airport at 4:15 a.m. for an early departure to Aswan.

10:09 a.m.    Lecture on history of Egypt.  Ancient Egypt flourished due to geography (between deserts) and Nile.  Ancient Egypt mix of African and Arabic peninsula people 5000 BC.  Developed society started in 3500 BC.

All rivers go north-south except Nile, which goes other since sourced from Ethiopia in the south.

10:15 a.m.     Ancient Egypt had 2 kingdoms.  The Upper Kingdom in south poorer since between 2 deserts.  North had fertile Nile Valley.  Kingdom united in 3200 BC after war in which the North won.

Culture evolved from 3200-2900 BC.  Started using stone then and kings built pyramids. Step Pyramid of Zoser first.  Subsequent dynasties not as great (2200 BC-2000 BC).  2000 BC was renaissance.  Middle Kingdom leveraged resources.  Then country invaded by outsiders.  This is dark period.  No history.  This is when Biblical history began (Moses, Joseph, and Abraham).  No way to confirm these Bible stories by archeology.  Can't find any proof.

10:27 a.m.    590 BC is renaissance 25th dynasty.  332 BC Alexander the Great conquered Egypt.  Died of syphilis at 32 in Babylon.  His goal was to merge the civilized cultures.  30 BC Cleopatra ruled but conquered by Romans (Caesar).

10:33 a.m.    Ancient Egypt language still alive in church (Coptic) but written in Greek not hieroglyphics.

10:46 a.m.    Prophet Moses left nothing to document existence.  Is Bible true?

11:49 a.m.     At Egyptian Museum.  Tut, Royal Mummies (Ramses II), Nefertari, hieroglyphics, sculptures.  Fascinating place.

Egyptian Museum - Cairo

Egyptian Museum - Cairo

Egyptian Museum - Cairo

Egyptian Museum - Cairo

Egyptian Museum - Cairo

Egyptian Museum - Cairo

Egyptian Museum - Cairo

Egyptian Museum - King Tut Tomb Artifacts 

Egyptian Museum - King Tut Tomb Artifacts 

Egyptian Museum - King Tut Tomb Artifacts 

Egyptian Museum - King Tut Tomb Artifacts 

Egyptian Museum - King Tut Tomb Artifacts 

Egyptian Museum - King Tut Tomb Artifacts 

Egyptian Museum - King Tut Tomb Artifacts 

Egyptian Museum - King Tut Tomb Artifacts 

Egyptian Museum - King Tut Tomb Artifacts 

Egyptian Museum - Royal Mummies

Egyptian Museum - Royal Mummies

Egyptian Museum - Cairo

6:30 p.m.      Dinner at Egyptian Garden restaurant at hotel.

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Day  4 - Tuesday, 11/11/03 - Cairo

Activities:  Temples at Saqqara, Pyramids and Sphinx in Giza, Dinner at Home of Egyptian Family

Daily Journal

7:55 a.m.      Saqqara & Giza today.  Aqueduct on way.  Egyptians pay cash for all.  5% have credit cards.  Unfinished houses and apartments.  Don't finish due to taxes. 

8:15 a.m.      Saw Mumarbek's house.

8:16 a.m.      Before 1952 revolution that brought Nassar to power, there was no education allowed.  British did not want since easier to control uneducated populace.  After the revolution, education allowed and it is free all the way through college and is compulsory, but not all appreciate an education.

8:21 a.m.      Population:  95% live on 5% of land.  70 mm people now in Egypt.  17 million people in Cairo.  Average family has 3 kids.

8:23 a.m.      At Saqqara.  Saqqara is a temple complex built around 2600 BC.  It is the oldest major stone structure in ancient Egyptian.  Located on a desert plateau south-west of Cairo, it consists of a the Step Pyramid of Zoser with six levels and a mortuary compound.

Step Pyramid of Zoser

Step Pyramid of Zoser

Step Pyramid of Zoser

Step Pyramid of Zoser

Step Pyramid of Zoser

9:52 a.m.      Step Pyramid of Zoser cool.  Oldest in Egypt built 4800 BC.  Lots of street vendors selling souvenirs.  Could see Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid in Dashur to the south.

Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid in Dashur

10:16 a.m.     At Carpet School.  Children make all of them.  Work 4 hours/day then go to school.  Takes 3 months to make a 2x3 rug.  Kids very fast. 

Carpet Factory Near Cairo

11:06 a.m.     Lots of sand.  Sahara means "desert" in Egyptian.  So they find it humorous when people say Sahara desert because it means "desert desert."

11:09 a.m.     On way to Giza to see the Great Pyramids and Sphinx.  The Great Pyramids, built around  2000 BC, are the last remaining Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing.  The largest of the three is the Pyramid of Cheops.

Giza Plateau - Cairo in Background

Giza Plateau - Cairo in Background

Giza Plateau - Cairo in Background

Giza Plateau - Great Pyramid

Giza Plateau - Great Pyramid

At the base the Great Pyramids are five boat pits found in 1982.  The boat (Solar Barque) is a well-preserved funerary boat intended to ferry the pharaoh's mummy across the Nile and then buried at the foot of the pyramid for use in his afterlife.  It is held together with ropes and pegs, but no nails.

The nearby Sphinx is carved almost entirely from one piece of limestone.  Little is known about its purpose.  The entire monument was covered in sand for millennia.  When Napoleon first saw it in the late 1700s, it was still covered in sand up to its neck.  It has been excavated today to reveal the paws of a resting lion with the head of a god or king and chambers at its base.  It is believed to have been commissioned by the 4th Dynasty king Khafre (Cheops).  It is 150' long.  The head is 30' feet long and 14' feet wide.

11:18 a.m.     Country is 95% Muslim.

12:15 p.m.     Went down third pyramid at Giza to see burial chamber.  Had a long ramp down.  Had to crouch low to make down passageway.  Was real hot, dark and smelly.  Not for the claustrophobic.

1:02 p.m.      Visited Solar Boat Museum next to Cheops pyramid.  It's a 40 m long boat found buried in a pit next to pyramid.  Made of Lebanese cedar.  Egyptians routinely invaded Lebanon for the wood.  Boat found in pieces in 1954 next to pyramid and was assembled for museum.  There is another similar boat buried under the sand.  In worse condition, so left buried.

Giza Plateau - Solar Barque

1:45 p.m.      Here are some Egyptian phrases to deal with persistent vendors:  La= no  Em-shee= Leave me alone. Ma-Shee=OK, no problem.

2:00 p.m.      Finished Giza.  Saw pyramids of Cheops (Khufu), his son Khafre.  Went under the third pyramid deep underground (pyramid of Menkaure).  Then went over to Sphinx.  Not sure if face damaged in an ancient war, by weather, or in target practice by Napoleon’s soldiers in 1700s.  Beard of Sphinx is in British Museum. 

Giza Plateau - Great Sphinx

Giza Plateau - Great Sphinx

Giza Plateau - Great Sphinx

2:30 p.m.      Some people went on camel ride.  Now they smell like camels.  Some were hissing and gnashing teeth at us.  Temperamental creatures, but I'd roar too if a 300 pound person sat on my back.

Giza Plateau - Camel Rides

3:20 p.m.      Had buffet lunch at Meridian Hotel.  

4:00 p.m.      That annoying lady in my group Sue wants to tag along with me if I venture out on own.  Not too keen on that idea.

9:50 p.m.      Had dinner at the home of an Egyptian family tonight as part of tour.  Had a traditional Egyptian meal.  Lots of vegetable, meat and chicken dishes.  No pork since Muslims don't eat it. 

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Day  5 - Wednesday, 11/12/03 - Alexandria Day Trip

Activities:  Day Trip to Alexandria - New Alexandria Library & Museum, National Museum of Alexandria, Fort Qaitbey and El Salamlek Palace

Daily Journal

7:56 a.m.      On train to Alexandria.  Will take 2 hours to get there.  It is on the northern Mediterranean coast a few hours northwest of Cairo.  It was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC and was the capital of Greco-Roman Egypt.   Most of ancient Alexandria lies beneath modern buildings or the sea.  It was once ruled by Cleopatra.  Mark Anthony and Cleopatra's tombs are underwater somewhere in the bay. 

8:08 a.m.      We've had police escorts so far everywhere we went.  Today on the train there are several more accompanying us.

10:00 a.m.    At the new Alexandria Library.  It opened in 2002 and is a tribute to Alexandria's ancient library which was destroyed by fire resulting in the loss of a vast collection of ancient scrolls.  It was here that Euclid discovered geometry and Eratosthenes measured the earth's circumference.

New Library of Alexandria

12:00 p.m.    Went to National Museum of Alexandria (open for one month now) and now going to a restaurant for lunch along the Mediterranean coast.

National Museum of Alexandria

National Museum of Alexandria

National Museum of Alexandria

National Museum of Alexandria

2:00 p.m.      At Fort Quaitby, which was built in 1480 on the site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  Debris from the lighthouse is incorporated into the fort.

Fort Qaitbey - Alexandria

Fort Qaitbey - Alexandria

Fort Qaitbey - Alexandria

6:00 p.m.      Stopped at Abu Abbas al-Mursi mosque for pictures.  Then had coffee at El Salamlek Palace.

Abu Abbas al-Mursi Mosque - Alexandria

Near Abu Abbas al-Mursi Mosque - Alexandria

El Salamlek Palace - Alexandria

El Salamlek Palace - Alexandria

El Salamlek Palace - Alexandria

9:30 p.m.  Back in Cairo.  Nice day.  We had police escorts everywhere we went.  And police flanking us while we walked to and from train.  We had not less than 8 guards as we walked to bus from train.

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Day  6 - Thursday, 11/13/03 - Cairo to Aswan by Plane

Activities:  Old and High Dams, Lake Nasser, Felucca sailboat ride.  Get on River Anuket for Cruise

Daily Journal

2:30 a.m.      Wake-up call for Aswan.  We fly out at 7:30 a.m.

4:48 a.m.      Stopped at tomb of Sadat on way to airport.  Viewing stand where he was assassinated is part of pyramid tomb.  Very interesting. 

7:10 a.m.      We're off to Aswan.  It's 1 hour and 5 minutes south of Cairo north of Sudan border.

9:19 a.m.      On bus going to Lake Nasser and the Aswan High Dam.  Lake is 500 miles long and perhaps the largest artificial lake in world.  Created when the High Dam was built in 1960.  There are gold mines underwater.  Dendera Temple at Metropolitan Museum in New York from here.  The Dam provides irrigation and electricity to all of Egypt.  The Dam took 11 years to build.  It is 11,811 feet long, 3,215 feet thick and 364 feet high.  It doubled the amount of land that was cultivatable and raised the water tables as far away as Algeria.  If dam broke, would wash all of Egypt into the Mediterranean Sea.

9:24 a.m.      Aswan has 5 million + tourists a year.  Name means "the market."  There's a huge camel market here.

Aswan Dam

Aswan Dam

10:00 a.m.    The cruise boat is great.  2 stories tall.  Beautiful sun deck, bar, pool, lounge and dance floor, exercise facility, Internet access, comfortable cabins, great food.  Better than I expected.

GCT's Cruise Ship - River Anuket

GCT's Cruise Ship - River Anuket

GCT's Cruise Ship - River Anuket

GCT's Cruise Ship - River Anuket

GCT's Cruise Ship - River Anuket

GCT's Cruise Ship - River Anuket

GCT's Cruise Ship - River Anuket

3:00 a.m.      Going on felucca ride.  It's a sailboat with a canopy and pivoting sail.

3:30 a.m.      Felucca run by Nubian man and 2 sons.  Younger son Mohammad is posing for pictures.  That annoying lady on my tour brought squirt guns for boys who come out to greet you in floating suitcases and sing to you.  She squirted two of my travel mates with dirty water.  They were not happy. 

Felucca Ride - Aswan

Felucca Ride - Aswan

Felucca Ride - Aswan

Felucca Ride - Aswan

5:00 p.m.      Drove back over to the ship.  We passed Elephantine Island which holds the mausoleum of Aga Khan, the great Ismaili Moslem leader.  Island name derived from rocky appearance that resembles elephants.

Felucca Ride - Aswan - Elephantine Island

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Day  7 - Friday, 11/14/03 - Aswan and Abu Simbel

Activities:  Abu Simbel, Spice Market in Aswan

Daily Journal

6:30 a.m.      Breakfast was great.  I hear Vicki was quite the dancer last night at the Nubian Dance show in the ship’s lounge.

9:05 a.m.      At airport waiting for flight to Abu Simbel.  Abu Simbel is 40 minutes south of Aswan by plane.  The magnificent monuments were carved into solid rock 3,000 years ago.  It was built by Pharaoh Ramses II as a tribute to deities and his favorite wife Nefertari.  Four colossal statues 60 feet high are all Ramses.  Inside sits statues of Ramses flanked by gods to whom construction is dedicated.  The temple was threatened by rising water levels caused by the 1960 construction of the Aswan High Dam and has been moved several hundred feet up and back from its original location.

9:30 a.m.      The two crazy ladies in group got wallets picked on hantour by driver.  One has bug bites all over ankles from carriage.

Short Flight Aswan to Abu Simbel

10:28 a.m.    We've landed in Abu Simbel.

11:21 a.m.     At Abu Simbel.  Ramses II Colossi amazing.  It's the facade of his tomb.  The broken colossus lost its head in an earthquake in 27 BC.  To the right is the Temple of Hathor with the statues of Nefertari. Both have various scenes carved into the stones inside.

Abu Simbel - Southern Border Near Sudan

Abu Simbel - Southern Border Near Sudan

Abu Simbel - Southern Border Near Sudan

Abu Simbel - Southern Border Near Sudan

Abu Simbel - Southern Border Near Sudan

Abu Simbel - Southern Border Near Sudan

Abu Simbel - Southern Border Near Sudan

Abu Simbel - Southern Border Near Sudan

1:55 p.m.      On plane back to Aswan.  Waiting.

2:00 p.m.      Just took off.

2:23 p.m.      We're back in Aswan.

2:43 p.m.      On bus back to ship.  Nice day.

8:00 p.m.      The group is going to the Friday night Spice Market in town to play the "One Pound Game" where we buy as much as we can for as little money as possible.  We each get an Egyptian pound (16 cents) to spend individually or in groups.  There are no fixed prices so you have to bargain for everything.  We also have to buy some costumes for the Saturday night show on the boat.

10:00 p.m.    Going back to ship.  I bought an all-cotton, 2-piece traditional Nubian mens frock known as a galabeya.  It's a long robe-like article of clothing.  Vicky gave me a head wrap that looks like a turban, so I look like a real native now.

Aswan Market - Bread Making

Aswan Market - Hookah

Aswan Market - Vegetables

Aswan Market - String Shave

Aswan Market - Bread Making

Aswan Market - Spices

Aswan Market - My Costume for Fashion Night

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Day  8 - Saturday, 11/15/03 - Sail from Aswan to Edfu

Activities:  Temple of Philae, Papyrus Institute and Temple of Kom Ombo

Daily Journal

7:45 a.m.      Going to Philae Temple and Papyrus Institute in Aswan, then stop at Kom Ombo Temple on way to Edfu.

8:50 a.m.      The sand mountain across from boat is 4000-year-old Nubian cemetery dating back to the Middle Kingdom.

10:43 a.m.    Philae Temple complex of Isis was awesome.  Was moved here from another island that was flooded when Aswan Dam built.  Took a ferry boat to and from island.  We had a riot at the market afterward.  Bought a blue and white skull cap to go with galabeya and shirt for $7.

Philae Temple Complex of Isis - Aswan

Philae Temple Complex of Isis - Aswan

Philae Temple Complex of Isis - Aswan

Philae Temple Complex of Isis - Aswan

Philae Temple Complex of Isis - Aswan

Philae Temple Complex of Isis - Aswan

Philae Temple Complex of Isis - Aswan

Philae Temple Complex of Isis - Aswan

Philae Temple Complex of Isis - Aswan

Philae Temple Complex of Isis - Aswan

Philae Temple Complex of Isis - Aswan

12:30 p.m.    Stopped at Papyrus Institue to see how paper made.

Papyrus Institute - Aswan

Papyrus Institute - Aswan

12:48 p.m.    Stopped at pharmacy with busses.  Prices really low.  People stocking up.  Can also get prescription drugs without prescription.

12:52 p.m.    Boat leaves port at 1:00 p.m.

2:40 p.m.      We are en route to Kom Ombo Temple with overnight in Edfu.  The weather is superb and we are cruising up the Nile going north. 

Nile River En Route from Aswan to Edfu

Nile River En Route from Aswan to Edfu

Nile River En Route from Aswan to Edfu

Nile River En Route from Aswan to Edfu

Nile River En Route from Aswan to Edfu

Nile River En Route from Aswan to Edfu

4:00 p.m.      Arrived at the Temple of Kom Ombo.  Temple of Kom Ombo is a Greco-Roman temple overlooking the Nile north of Aswan.  Building began in the second century BC.   It is Egypt's only double temple dedicated to Sobek (crocodile god) and Haroeris (great winged solar disk).  Everything here is doubled and perfectly symmetrical along the main axis (entrances, courts and colonnades).  Amazing hieroglyphics.

Kom Ombo Temple En Route to Edfu

Kom Ombo Temple En Route to Edfu

Kom Ombo Temple En Route to Edfu

5:00 p.m.      We're on way up Nile to Edfu for night.

6:30 p.m.      We've docked in Edfu.  Time to get dressed for the galabeya party tonight.

9:30 p.m.      Nice party.  People had to show what they bought with their Egyptian pounds.  The funniest were the two guys who bought the condoms.  Also had a team competition where one person wrapped their teammate in toilet paper to create a mummy.  We lost, but was fun.

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Day  9 - Sunday, 11/16/03 - Edfu, Esna, Luxor

 Activities:  Temple of Horus in Edfu, Sail to Luxor

 Daily Journal

8:21 a.m.      Edfu is a small town with a dusty dirt road, horse & buggy taxis and tourist shops.  Leave for temples in Esna in a few moments.

Nile River En Route to Edfu

Nile River En Route to Edfu

Nile River En Route to Edfu

Nile River En Route to Edfu

Downtown Edfu

10:32 a.m.    Visited Temple of Horus, the god of sun and planets symbolized by the hawk.  Construction began in 237 BC.  It is the best-preserved of the temples.  Beautiful columns and hieroglyphics.  Relentless group of vendors in this town.  Whew!

Temple of Horus - Edfu

Temple of Horus - Edfu

Temple of Horus - Edfu

Temple of Horus - Edfu

Temple of Horus - Edfu

Temple of Horus - Edfu

Temple of Horus - Edfu

Temple of Horus - Edfu

Temple of Horus - Edfu

Temple of Horus - Edfu

Temple of Horus - Edfu

1:51 p.m.       We have been cruising up the Nile for 1-1/2 hours to Luxor.  So pleasant.  Just watching the greenery and palm trees, and the occasional fishing boat, go by.  So peaceful. 

1:55 p.m.      I was volunteered for the "fashion show" tonight by Vicki and Vicky since I did not attend the organization meeting (nor had I intended to).  I apparently will be one of 5 belly-dancers since costumes are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Sounds interesting.

3:06 p.m.      We've reached the locks in Esna and are behind several boats awaiting our turn to go through.

3:30 p.m.      Waiting, waiting.  They're letting 8 boats go through the locks at 4 p.m. and 8 more at 8 p.m.  We're due to arrive in Luxor at 8:30 p.m.

3:33 p.m.      Apparently the boat we're on is the largest passenger ship on the Nile (M/S River Anuket).  M/S means Mother Ship.

3:43 p.m.      They've lowered the gang plank but not letting people off.  Vendors want us to come ashore.

9:00 p.m.      The Egyptian fashion show in the lounge was a huge hit.  I wore a two-piece outfit with a dread-lock wig and veil.  Lots of compliments.  I was offered up for parties, weddings, etc. and was the only one who would dance topless.  Nazir came out with 4 wives and had a spare 5th one.  There was a camel fashioned with 2 people out of sheets, pillows and scarves.  Also several women dressed in local garb who could pass for the real thing if they wouldn't smile.  Vicki did not succeed in escaping the belly-dancer portion of the program.

Fashion Show on Ship

Fashion Show on Ship

Fashion Show on Ship

Fashion Show on Ship

Fashion Show on Ship

10:00 p.m.    We're still going through the lock.  It doesn't drop very far.

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Day 10 - Monday, 11/17/03 - Sail from Luxor to Dendera

 Activities:  Luxor, Temple of Karnak, Brookes Animal Hospital

 Daily Journal

 7:30 a.m.      Going to Temple of Karnak today until noon, then set sail for rest of day for Dendera.

Nile River Near Luxor

Nile River Near Luxor

Nile River Near Luxor - Valley of the Kings

8:10 a.m.      Off to Karnak.  Temple of Karnak has a huge Hypostyle Hall and Hall of Pillars large enough to house the Cathedral of Notre Dam.  It also has the tallest obelisk in Egypt in honor of Amun, god of fertility and growth.  Construction began sometime during the Middle Kingdom (1991-1783 BC).  Major additions were added by the pharaohs between 1570 and 1090 BC.  It's the largest temple complex at 1 mile long and a half mile wide.

10:55 a.m.    Temple of Karnak is amazing.  All the columns and statues!  

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Luxor

11:00 a.m.     Going to Brookes Animal Hospital now.  It's been around 30 years and provides minimum care to animals, particularly the horses that pull the hantours (carriage taxis).  All services are free. 

Brookes Animal Hospital - Luxor

Brookes Animal Hospital - Luxor

Brookes Animal Hospital - Luxor

11:54 a.m.     Hospital very interesting.  Several sick and mistreated horses and donkeys.  Grand Circle group donated 350 Egyptian Pounds, or $57 dollars.

2:35 p.m.      On way to Dendera.  Area is not secure.  So we have police in zodiacs on both sides.  They also mounted a machine gun on the front and back and we have several military and policemen on board.

9:30 p.m.      Tonight's entertainment was a treasure hunt.  Groups of 7 had to collect 15 items.  I thought the worst team won.  2 members of their group were selected as judges when they had too many items.  We had to collect an Egyptian flag, obelisk, 3 pyramids, a Rolex watch, black and white costume, man dressed as women and woman dressed as man, a silly joke, chefs hat, name tag from ship staff, Marilyn Monroe impersonation, Elvis Presley impersonation, group of tourists visiting a temple, a belly dancer, a water pipe.  Our belly dancer was a guy who drew a dancer on his stomach.  Prizes were a choice of polo shirt, t-shirt or hat with ship's name.

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Day 11 - Tuesday, 11/18/03 - Dendera, Sail back to Luxor

 Activities:  Temple of Dendera

Daily Journal

7:30 a.m.   Still sailing up the Nile to Dendera.  The government tourist police mounted cannons on the ship's railings and soldiers in zodiac boats are flanking us.  

Sailing Luxor to Dendera

Sailing Luxor to Dendera

Sailing Luxor to Dendera

10:30 a.m.    Temple of Dendera was great.  It was built by Romans and Greeks in honor of Hathor, goddess of maternal and family love.  The complex has birth houses, a Coptic church, the Hathor temple and Hypostyle Hall.  It is very well preserved.  I went into the underground crypt and secret rooms.  It has an amazing stairway passage to the roof. 

Temple of Dendera

Temple of TeDendera

Temple of Dendera

Temple of Dendera

Temple of Dendera

Temple of Dendera

10:00 p.m.    Entertainment was great.  Had a dance troupe in native costumes.  One guy spun around for what seemed like 20 minutes.  The camel costume was funny too.  Went around kissing people.

10:30 p.m.    Every night the staff on the boat folds towels into animals.  Tonight was the best--monkey hanging from the ceiling in the entryway to our room.

Towel Monkey on Ship

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Day 12 - Wednesday, 11/19/03 - Luxor

Activities:  Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Temple of Luxor.

Daily Journal

7:55 a.m.      On way to Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens.  Valley of the Kings and Queens on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor contains tombs of countless great and unimportant rulers.

8:02 a.m.      Check this site:  KV5.  Can't go in this tomb but can see it in a virtual tour. 

10:10 a.m.     At Valley of the Kings saw tombs of King Tut's, Ramses III, Ramses IX and Menenptah.  Can only see 3 tombs with admission.  Had to pay 40 Egyptian pounds ($6.50) for Tut.  Not really worth it.  Most of the artifacts are at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

10:14 a.m.     Ramses III from 1150 BC.  Menenptah from 1200 BC.  It is believed that Menenptah was the pharaoh when Moses lived. 

Valley of the Kings near Luxor

Valley of the Kings near Luxor

Valley of the Kings near Luxor

Valley of the Kings near Luxor

Valley of the Kings near Luxor

Valley of the Kings near Luxor

Valley of the Kings near Luxor

Valley of the Kings near Luxor from my Cabin

11:00 a.m.     Drove by mortuary temple of Ramses II, the Workers Village and Valley of the Nobles on way over to Valley of the Queens.

 11:23 a.m.     Valley of the Queens has Nefertari, Titi and Amunherkhepshep.  Nefetari was closed. 

Valley of the Kings - Workers Village

Valley of the Queens near Luxor

Valley of the Queens near Luxor

Valley of the Queens near Luxor

11:36 a.m.     Going to mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, most powerful queen who ever ruled Egypt.  This was site where 58 tourists were killed by terrorists in 1997. 

Temple of Hatshepsut

12:12 p.m.     Saw Colossi statues of Memnon on the way out of the Valley of the Kings.  They are the only remnants of a temple dedicated to pharaoh Amenhotep III.  The temple was probably destroyed by an earthquake and the resulting cracks in the statues caused them to "sing" when the wind blew.  They were repaired in 199 AD so there is no more singing. 

Colossi of Memnon

6:26 p.m.      Went to Temple of Luxor.  It was built by pharaohs Amenhotep III and Ramses II for festivals.  The most important was Opet, which was designed to merge the ruler's human and divine aspects.  The temple honors the god Amun-Re, his wife Mut and their son Amun.  It was built in the 14th century BC.  Very nice at night. 

Temple of Luxor

Temple of Luxor

Temple of Luxor

Temple of Luxor

Temple of Luxor

Temple of Luxor

Temple of Luxor

Temple of Luxor

Temple of Luxor

Temple of Luxor

8:00 p.m.      Nice farewell dinner on boat.

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Day 13 - Thursday, 11/20/03 - Fly Luxor to Cairo

Activities:  Lecture from US Expatriate Living in Cairo

Daily Journal

We're on own for dinner.  Will skip sound and light show at Giza tonight.

Chaos at the Cairo Train Station

2:56 p.m.      Almost all businesses home deliver, even McDonald's.

6:00 p.m.      Got a lecture from an American woman married to an Egyptian man and living in Cairo for 10 years now.  Will skip sound and light show at Giza tonight. 

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Day 14 - Friday, 11/21/03 - Cairo

Activities:  Citadel and Mosque of Mohammed Ali, Market at Khan Al-Khalili, Churches & Synagogues in Old Cairo (Hanging Church, San Sergius, Ben Ezra)

Daily Journal

7:30 a.m.      Going to the Citadel and Old Cairo today.

8:03 a.m.      One of the crazy ladies in my group brought her deceased father's false teeth to give to someone here.  Unbelievable.  Raed said people can get new teeth here whenever they want just by asking. 

Cairo from The Citadel

Cairo from The Citadel

10:00 a.m.    The Citadel in west Cairo was built in 1183 and contains the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali with its beautiful domes and minarets.

The Citadel - Cairo

Mosque of Mohammed Ali - Cairo

Mosque of Mohammed Ali - Cairo

Mosque of Mohammed Ali - Cairo

Mosque of Mohammed Ali - Cairo

 10:39 a.m.    Driving through City of the Dead, which is a mausoleum.  Some people moved into some of them and have installed phones, running water and satellite dishes.  There's a room upstairs and 2 downstairs with crypts.  People are not afraid of death here, so have no problems living on top of the dead.  Creepy.

11:32 a.m.     Friday is like Saturday here.  So we went shopping in a huge bazaar in the Islamic neighborhood of Khan Al-Khalili.  It is a maze of small streets, narrow alleys, and passages filled with scores of vendors hawking their wares and attempting to draw customers into their small shops.  It was utter chaos.  Lots of foot traffic and yelling.  Also chanting coming out loudly from speakers.  Tons of military and policemen too.

11:53 a.m.     The markets are jammed with people doing the equivalent of Christmas shopping.  It's the last Friday of Ramadan, so everyone is out shopping before a day of celebration at the end. 

Khan Al-Khalili Market - Cairo

Khan Al-Khalili Market - Cairo

Perfume Store - Khan Al-Khalili Market - Cairo 

Khan Al-Khalili Market - Cairo

11:00 a.m.     Visited 2 churches and a synagogue in Old Cairo.  First was the Hanging Church.  Known in Arabic as al-Muallaqah ("the suspended"), the church is consecrated to the Blessed Virgin.  Originally built in the 9th century on top of a gatehouse of the Roman fortress, the Hanging Church has been rebuilt several times, like most of Cairo's churches.  It is one of the most impressive churches in the city, remarkable for its marble pulpit, inlaid screens, and paintings.

Hanging Church - Cairo

Hanging Church - Cairo

Hanging Church - Cairo

11:45 a.m.     Went to San Sergius church where it is said the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus stopped on way through Egypt.  Also a miracle occurred here in the 1960s when a pillar bled.

12:30 p.m.    Went to the  Ben Ezra synagogue where it is said that Moses was fished out of the Nile River, which once flowed where the synagogue now stands.

6:30 p.m.      Farewell dinner at La Peche.  It's on a ship just south of the hotel.  So so.  Wake-up call tomorrow at 4:00 a.m.   

Dinner Ship  "La Peche" - Cairo

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Day 15 - Saturday, 11/22/03 - Egypt to USA

Activities:  Fly home to Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA

Daily Journal

4:00 a.m.      Wake-up call.  Got only 4 hours of sleep.  Tired.  Zzzzzz.

6:30 a.m.      At airport.  The usual chaos with security and check-in.

8:46 a.m.      Finally through check-in.  Those Japanese people are rude.  They just cut in line wherever and whenever they want.  One Japanese lady told a member of our group that Japanese were not rude, but smarter.

11:11 p.m.      We've landed.  I've been on the go for 27 hours. 

11:42 p.m.     Nice to be home.

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