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Welcome to my travellog. Here you can read about my journeys day by day. 
May 11, 2012 08:00 PM Relief came in the afternoon
Yesterday we hoped I would be hale and hearty by this morning, but it took a bit longer until I was ready to leave the hotel. In the afternoon we took a taxi to the pyramids (27 LE). We admired their size and the bulding skills of those who prepared the construction. Entry was 30 LE (student discount). Going into a pyramid was extra, but we didn't go since the site was closing in less than an hour. We were a bit in a rush visiting the site. After leaving the area we wen't to the Pizza Hut nearby to have lunch and admire sunset over the pyramids after that. Unfortunately the sky wasn't perfect today but still we had a magnificent view.
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May 10, 2012 08:00 PM Pharoah's Revenge
Here it is. After dining in Care Riche yesterday I caught it (like reportedly 60% of foreign visitors to Egypt). Bought antinal (local drug against stomach problems). Loo visits are too unexpected and all of a sudden we need to stay at the pension.
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May 09, 2012 08:00 PM Old charm of Egypian Museum
We paid 30 LE discounted admission fee to get in. The security is on the high side and our bags were screened twice. Cameras are not allowed into the museum and you have to deposit them. At first sight the museum looks more like a warehouse. There are thousands of exhibits, and although we are not very fond of museums this one was really impressive. The most interesting pieces were beautifully painted coffins from pharoahs' tombs, sarcophagi and a collection from Tutankhamun's tomb, including his 11-kg heavy gold mask. We also visited two mummy rooms which was a rather scary experience. It's incredible how well the bodies are preserved despite the fact they are often around 3000 years old. In the afternoon we had dinner at very atmospheric Cafe Riche. The food however was less impressive than the interior but palatable.
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May 08, 2012 08:00 PM Bussing to Cairo
After breakfast we spent one hour on the beach before checking out and going to the bus station. From the hotel we took a taxi for 20LE. Before we reached the station the driver told us it will cost 30LE but I was firm and handed him the agreed amount - it works. Never pay more than agreed. The journey to Cairo took us more than 6 hours because of traffic jams in Cairo. We chose Go Bus which is said to be the best company serving Hurghada-Cairo route. In Cairo we are staying at Pensione Roma. There is a comfortable new extension at this hotel now - a double room with A/C and bathroom costs 270 LE per night. The aircondtioner is very quiet and the room isn't noisy either, at least by Cairene standards. The pension has great character of an old house and you can feel it the very moment you take a vintage lift to the 4th floor of the house where the reception is located.
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May 07, 2012 08:00 PM Red Sea marine life
We had a great time on the glassboat. We've seen lots of corals and colorful fish. However there's a lot of rubbish in the Red Sea which makes for a rather sad view. We also spent almost one hour swimming and snorkeling in a lagoon. The color of the water was amazing - will upload some pics after returning home. Tomorrow we are leaving for Cairo. Today I called GO Bus Company and they told me there's no need to buy tickets in advance, so we don't have to go to the bus station today.
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May 06, 2012 08:00 PM Relaxing on the beach
We spent the whole day resting on the beach. However we went to the shopping area to find a good local fast food restaurant called GAD. They serve tasty Egyptian fare at moderate prices. We also booked a glassboat trip with snorkeling to some of the reefs. It cost 60LE per person for two hours.
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May 05, 2012 08:00 PM Heading for Hurghada
Resort towns aren't our favorite places to relax and we prefer more laid back places, but Hurghada was the most convenient one for us during this trip. The bus ride from Luxor to Hurghada took us 6 hrs instead of advertised 4,5. We arrived at Marriott Hurghada Red Sea Resort before 2 p.m. We chose this hotel because it had good reviews on booking.com and the price was more than attractive - US $80 only for a double room in a 5* hotel. However it is more like 4* by international standards but still not much to complain about. Staff is attentive and when entering the hotel we were even offered cold refreshing towels - highly appreciated in this heat. We have a great Red Sea view from our balcony. It also turned out that the town is quite close to the hotel - only 15 minute walk. There's even a sort of a small supermarket that sells stuff for normal, not tourist-inflated prices. So right prices are: a can of soda: 2,5LE, big water: 2LE, small melon: 2,5 LE, big pringles 16LE, chocolate bars: 3-4LE. If you are fed up with the local food there are international fast food chains present in Hurghada. Water in the sea turned out to be not very warm - only 24 deg C, but crystal clear and of great color. Tomorrow we start two full-day relax before going to Cairo. We also decided to change our plans and give up the desert trip do Baharriya oasis because of the heat - it would be difficult to enjoy the Sahara in 40 deg C. Instead we will spend more time in Cairo and maybe go for a daytrip to Alexandria.
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May 04, 2012 08:00 PM More than 800 kms in one day
Abu Simbel is located around 300 kms south of Aswan and less than 50 kms from Sudanese border. To get there before it is scorching hot we had to leave early. After arrival we had over 2 hrs to admire the temples of Abu Simbel. The statues are really huge and the interior is well preserved. It's difficult to believe this temple was moved from another place. Apart from the main temple of Ramses II there is also a smaller temple of Hathor - also worth to spend some time inside. Taking photos inside is prohibited but no one cares about tourists eating inside - isn't it srange? From the temples site there's a nice view of the largest artificial lake in the world - the Nasser Lake.
We were leaving Abu Simbel just after 10 a.m. and it was already very hot. I was wondering what it is like in the afternoon. After returning to Aswan we took a train to Luxor - first class seat costs only 41 LE. Unfortunately A/C was down a couple of times which wasn't very pleasant. Finally we got to our hotel around 7 p.m.
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May 03, 2012 08:00 PM Hot-like-hell Aswan
The train from Luxor was late and we arrived after 2 p.m. The air temperature in the sunshine was like 60 deg C (slightly cooler than in a sauna). We took a taxi to Orchida St. George hotel - basic but clean twin room with A/C and bathroom cost 90 LE only. And there was a TV and a fridge in the room! Good bargain. After rest we went to one of the waterfront restaurants for lunch. We read lots of positive news about sailing the Nile in the afternoon on a felucca boat so we hired one for 40LE (90 mins). Unfortunately, what was to be the most pleasant afternoon of this trips turned out to be total disaster. The self-proclaimed captain and his friend couldn't steer the boat properly and most of the time we stood in place with hardly any movement. They blamed it on the lack of wind and current, but somehow other feluccas managed to sail normally. Finally the started rowing the boat but they couldn't even row as needed so we kept zigzaging and almost coliding with other boats on the shore. Fortunately we survived this and went ashore after 1 and a half hrs. In the evening we booked a trip to Abu Simbel by a minibus for 80 LE per person, which seemed reasonable. We have to go to bed early today since we have to wake up around 3 a.m. - the pickup is at 3:30.
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May 02, 2012 08:00 PM Luxor West Bank
In the morning we rented a taxi (70 LE) for 5 hrs to see the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut temple, tombs of the nobles and Medinat Habu. Admission charges are rather high but with a student card you can get around 50% discount. The tombs are well preserved, but I'd suggest visiting the tombs of the nobles first as they are much smaller than royal tombs, so you'll not be much impressed after visiting the Valley of the Kings first. Most impressive to both of us was however Medinat Habu temple, which we liked more than even Karnak. In the afternoon we relaxed in the garden restaurant at the hotel. They serve relatively good food at moderate prices. Tomorrow we head south for Aswan.
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