After spending all day and night Wednesday on a felucca (sailboat), which was very relaxing, we arrived in Luxor on Thursday. After a rest we went to Karnak temple, which is one of the largest remaining temples in Egypt. Then this morning I was able to go on a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the west bank and Valley of the Kings. This afternoon we visited several of the Pharoahs’ tombs in the valley and had lunch with a local family. It’s been a nice few days all around.

Tonight we take the overnight train back to Cairo, then I’m heading to Alexandria for a bit before flying home very late tomorrow night. After stopping in Addis, Nairobi, Istanbul and NYC I’ll finally get to LAX late Monday night.

I may not have internet access until I reach the states, so this may be my last post. In that case, thanks for following this blog!

Made it safely to Aswan… yesterday went to the Philae temple, which is unique because it is on an island in the middle of the Nile. It is dedicated to the god Isis, whose husband was apparently living under some rocks in the next island over. Or something. I have a short attention span.

Then in the afternoon we went to a Nubian village and had dinner with a local family, which was great. The Nubians are a formerly nomadic people who used to roam between southern Egypt and Sudan (which is to the south). They are a mix of African and Arab and have their own language, culture, etc. When Egypt constructed their giant dam the Nubian land was flooded, which led to them settling in this area. The dam also caused the Philae and Abu Simbel temples to have to be moved. Costly all around.

Today I hopped a quick flight to the aforementioned Abu Simbel. It is famous for the entrance having four giant statues of Ramses II (the Pharoah often thought to be the one known to Joseph and his probably-not-technicolor dreamcoat). The statues were intended to impress visitors coming to Egypt from the south and it definitely lives up to its purpose (although I actually came from the north). They are massive. Next to Ramses’ temple is one for the Queen, Nefertari, which has its own four statues that are not quite as big as the king’s. Pharoahs have to protect their egos afterall.

We weren’t allowed to take photos inside the temple because it degrades the remaining painted bits– all of the temples in Egypt were originally brightly painted throughout, but the paint has mostly worn off over time, leaving just the carved stone that we now think of as being Egyptian.

Tomorrow we are taking a felucca (sailboat) all day and night, and I somehow doubt there will be WI-FI (although we just found out there will be toilets, which had been questionable, so, yay) so I will catch up in Luxor.

Still in Cairo… last night went to the Khan el-Khalili bazaar and then today saw the Pyramids, Sphinx, and a pharonic boat (which was actually surprisingly interesting), rode a camel and… went to the Egyptian Museum. The museum is where all of King Tut’s treasures, the royal mummies and many (MANY) statues are stored, so it’s a key part of an Egypt visit. But there was some question about whether we would make it there, because it is a stone’s throw from Tahrir Square, where the protests are going on. It was checked out before our visit and since all was calm, we were able to go. Still, it was a little daunting that hovering over the museum’s courtyard are the remains of the former Democratic party’s building that burned for several days during the revolution, like a little charred reminder of what has been going on.

I should mention that I am here on a tour, which I never, ever do, but with all the turmoil I thought it wise (and comforting) to have someone else be responsible for my safety.

The pyramids were great, and it was nice to go at a time when I could actually enjoy them (last time I was here in August when it was insanely and oppressively hot). Plus the cloudy weather made for some great photos.

Tonight we take an overnight train down to Aswan (good timing since the elections start in Cairo tomorrow and things may get testy), so despite whatever risks there may have been in coming here, I am leaving unscathed. So, yay.

Pictures follow…

Since I had a long layover in Nairobi I decided to interrupt my tour of airports and took a cab out and about. I was able to go to the Nairobi National Park on a little mini safari. The park doesn’t have nearly the wildlife of the Serengeti or Maasai Mara, but for being located in Nairobi itself it wasn’t bad. Actually, the sporadic sightings worked out well for me– I had been hopping from city to city and hadn’t been able to sleep since Wednesday night. So I napped while the cab driver watched for animals, then every 20 minutes or so he would tap my shoulder to wake me up and point one out. Tap, tap, tap– giraffe! Tap, tap, tap– zebra! Thus I managed to finally get a little sleep AND have a safari, all at the same time.

Afterward, we went to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which is an elephant orphanage on the outskirts of the park. They take in baby elephants who have been left behind, or whose mothers have been poached, then nurse them until they’re three years old before returning them to the wild. We got there right as feeding time started, and it was hilarious to watch them be fed with gigantic baby bottles of milk. The older ones were even able to use their trunks to hold the bottles themselves. After eating the elephants rolled around and played in the mud and basically acted like (big) little kids.

The elephants were roped off for “safety”, but the flimsy bit of string didn’t stop a few of the more curious elephants from pushing forward– to the horror of some Kenyan kids apparently on a field trip, who backed away as quick as quickly as they could. One elephant even grabbed my hand with its trunk. It was fantastic. And muddy.

After that it was time to head back to the airport, then to Addis, before finally landing in Cairo in the middle of the night. After sleeping as late as I possibly could this morning (sadly, it was only 8am) I headed out to the Citadel, Muhammed Ali mosque and the Coptic Christian area of the city. No signs of trouble or protests, so I think as long as I don’t go to the main square where they are centralized then all will be well.

Pictures from Nairobi below… I’ll get to the Cairo pictures tomorrow.

I’m in Kigali now and in a few hours will be off to Egypt (by way of Nairobi and Addis– I don’t get there until Saturday!)

Rwanda has been fantastic. It is definitely in my top 5 of places I’ve been, and I’ve been to some amazing places so that’s saying something. The people have been fantastic, the scenery is incredible, and it has just been a great trip all around.

It was sad to say goodbye to the kids of course, particularly John, and to the other volunteers– always the Catch-22 of these type of trips. But I will definitely make it a point to return to Noel again. Like most things in Africa (or anywhere really) it isn’t perfect, but the orphanage accomplishes a ton for these kids with very few resources. Unlike most of the kids in this part of the world, the 600 kids Noel cares for are guaranteed shelter, 3 meals a day, and an education. It is pretty amazing.

They can always use help, however, and if you’re interested you can contribute through the Point Foundation, a UK charity.

And now off to Cairo… I’ve been reading about the protests but from what I’m hearing they are confined to Tahrir Square, and the rest of the city is business as usual. So as long as I avoid that area, things should be fine. Cross your fingers for me!

More pictures from the orphanage below…