Egypt

Egypt was the only port where we actually arranged a private tour upon arrival.

Our ship sailed into Alexandria and the famous pyramids were a few hours away in Cairo. All of our tour books recommended that we higher a guide so, thanks to the internet we found a great tour group and signed up.

we were excited to have an official tour guide

Egypt reminded me a lot of South Asia but with a Muslim twist. The traffic, buildings, smells, and sounds all reminded me of the part of the world I live in..the women however, were in burkas or fashionably covered from head to toe.

The pyramids were pretty much the only thing on our tour so first stop…The Pyramids!

I’m not sure how to explain or describe what I saw. They are as amazing just as you think they would be. Standing next them makes one feel small. I was in constant awe as to how they were built.

 I look big but felt small

Our tour guide was great and although he gave us lots of information he also gave us space to take out time and look around without him talking in our ears.

At the Sphinx we met some girls who helped us take interesting pictures. My friends and I were all in agreement that these girls reminded us of Slum dog Millionaire.

At our special “Egyptian Buffet” lunch we were a little disappointed with the lack of “local” food. This place obviously catered to foreigners such as myself but this was made most evident when I received my “Egyptian tea” at the end of the meal. Placed before me was a teacup full of hot water and a Lipton tea bag inside. I quickly looked up and asked the waiter “is this Egyptian tea?” He replied with a firm and unwavering “Yes”

I then felt the need to inform him “this is not Egyptian tea. This is Lipton tea. I can get this anywhere…ie. I can get this in Nepal” The waiter's fix for this little mix up was to say “put lots and lots of sugar in it…then it will be just like Egyptian tea”

falafel are the round brown things

After lunch our guide asked what we thought of the buffet. We told him that it was nice and that the food was good BUT that it did not seem like local fair. This discussion lead to the fact that Egyptians love falafel. Now, you should know that our cruise specifically expressed NOT eating local food or purchasing local water. In fact if you signed up for the cruise’s tour they provided you with a sack lunch. Well, it just so happens that my friends and I laugh in the face of such rules. So, we got our tour guide to take us to a local spot where we ate some of the best falafel that I have ever had in my life! I am happy to say that no one became sick from this little adventure.

Our first day in Cairo was long yet fulfilling. We saw so much, experiences some local culture, and had a good time with our tour guide and driver. Before we knew it the sun had set and we were walking back onto our ship for a good nights sleep.

The next morning we took our time getting ready and decided to head out to the Alexandria library. As you may or may not know Alexandria's library was a great library in the ancient world. I’ve been to some pretty large libraries in my time but I would have to say that not only is Alexandria’s  one of the largest but is has the most displays and security that I have ever seen. 

for it being "ancient" the architecture sure is modern

When we made it back to the boat our cabin attendant gave a sigh of relief as he did not like the idea that we were going out into the city "alone". Not very many "cruisers" go out alone thus making every one around us think we were a bit of an oddity. 

people kept asking if we worked on the cruise 

I am happy to mark Africa off my list of continents visited. I am also very happy to mark the pyramids off of the list of things to see. I would highly recommend that if given the chance you see this "wonder of the world." If you want maybe we could plan your trip together over some falafel.