Whatever. We are going as long as the State Department says we can and and right now they are giving the go-ahead...with the caveat to be careful and watchful. Of course, the first stage of elections in November may have significant impact and things could change in an instant. We shall see. In 1986 we were in Berlin shortly after Libya bombed the night club there. We were scheduled to fly to Italy September 12, 2001 and left on one of the first flights out on September 18. We seem to travel at strange times.
Gone are the days when we could just pull Casey out of school and provide basic instruction while we hit the world scene.
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| San Gimignano 2003--1st Grade |
In the 8th grade, he has advanced geometry, Spanish, high level English and history courses--along with pe and science. At this point he has outstripped our ability to provide home schooling. Content and expectations have changed significantly since we were in school when geometry didn't happen until 10th grade. It is harder now--contrary to what the common perception may be.
So, because we are restricted in our travels by his schooling, last January we decided to go some place this Christmas season. We wanted a place significantly different from our previous travels, a place that would open new vistas, allowing us to experience cultures and places holding a fascination for all three of us. Pyramids, magnificent Pharaonic tombs in the Valley of Kings, the great Karnac complex, Ptolemaic temples along the Nile and rose colored Petra seemed perfect. Casey had been fascinated with all things Egyptian since studying ancient cultures in 6th grade and the area had been on Ken and my list for years. Yep, this would be perfect.
After a quick check with a friend whom I knew had a wonderful experience in Egypt arranged by a respected private tour planner in Cairo, contacting a few others who had used this man's services and a series of e-mails with him, on January 20 we sent an initial deposit. Days later, January 25, Cairo erupted with the beginning of the Egyptian revolution. At that point we had the option of rescinding our deposit; it was a bank transfer that could have been reversed. Rightly or wrongly, we decided against doing this. As we don't need to provide the rest of the money, which is the bulk of the cost, until right before going, we decided to risk losing the amount we had wired. Our flights are with miles so they can be redeposited (with a small fee, of course.) At this point, we are on our way.
We fly to Cairo where we will spend 3 nights, visiting the Pyramids which are not out in the sands and desert as we tend to believe but are easily viewed from hotel windows right in Cairo. We will recoup from the long air jaunt, visit the famous Khan el-Khalili souk, take a short excursion to the Step Pyramid which predates the big pyramids and of course visit THE pyramids.
The next two weeks we will go to and see:
Aswan and take a Felucca sail on the Nile
Board the Moon Goddess for the cruise up the Nile where we will see:
- Temple of Philae
- Temple of Kom Ombo
- Temple of Edfu
- Karnak Temple
- Luxor Temple
- Valley of the Kings
- Temple of Hatshepsut
At the end of the cruise, we will arrive in Luxor where we will spend two nights and where we will spend Christmas. It will be interesting to see if the hotel recognizes Christmas in any way. Since it is a Sheraton, it may.
From Luxor we will fly back to Cairo and from there fly to Amman, Jordan and drive to Petra. From Petra we will return to Amman via the King's Highway, stopping at Mt. Nebo where Moses looked into the Promised Land, Kerak and Madaba.
And...that is it except for an excruciating trip home involving two long layovers--a down part of travel by award miles. I keep calling United to see about an improved routing--as I can clearly see on their site that there are many options with lots of seats open. But...the answer continues to be "nothing available." I am hoping that a few days before we leave, more seats will open up--7 hours in Frankfurt and 5 hours in Denver is ugly!
Perhaps I will post some pictures and write a little while we travel, but if not, there will be time to catch up once we are home. You can either travel with us in real time or in retrospect. Either way will be just fine.
And...this looks to be a Christmas vacation that Casey will remember--unless Egypt erupts and we stay home. I hope not.
11 comments:
Your are amazing and marvelous and the trip sounds so fantastic. It's true it will be a Christmas that Casey will long remember. Too early for wine here but I'd toast to you Jane. What a nice travel plan you have made.
It sounds wonderful Jane and I have been following your planning on ST. I really admire the thought you have put into planning this trip.
Did Casey survive his restriction period?
Thanks, Susie and Barb. And, yes, Casey survived his grounding..a lesson that I hope will hold for a while
Wow! Jane, this sounds like a fantastic trip (and isn't the Moon Goddess a marvellous name for a cruise ship on the Nile?!) I hope no trouble erupts and you're able to pull it off; this would be the trip of a lifetime!
Your itinerary sounds wonderful! I hope everything goes according to plan.
I certainly hope you are able to post while you are enjoying this magnificent experience. Your trip's itinerary sounds delicious. An adventure for sure!
I look forward to hearing all about your trip. Egypt and Jordan are both places I would love to visit some day but for now I will enjoy them through your eyes!
Your trip sounds fabulous! -and an awesome way to spend the Christmas break. If you haven't already chosen/booked your hotel for Cairo, I'd highly recommend the Mena House http://www.oberoihotels.com/oberoi_menahouse/index.asp
We splurged on our stay there - it is the fanciest hotel that I've ever stayed in. We had a pyramid view room that was amazing! The pyramids are lit up after dark so you can see them from your balcony in the evening and again in the morning. I had to pinch myself to believe it! The included breakfast buffet is quite fancy as well.
I can't wait to read about your trip and see your pics!
If you want to read about or see pics of our trip to Cairo, here are a couple of links.
http://thaneandmelissa.blogspot.com/2010/09/intro-to-cairo.html
http://thaneandmelissa.blogspot.com/2010/09/exploring-pyramids.html
Melissa, just read your blog entries and loved them--really set the scene for us well. As I said on your blog, we are not staying at the Mena House as they don't have triple rooms. But we are at the new Kempinski which looks to be quite nice. No pyramid views I think but reviews are great. Tell me, how hard is it to climb up, down, around and in the pyramids? I'm not as agile as I used to be. I'm putting my e-mail in my profile for a short while so you can write me if you see this.
It sounds like a great trip - an adventure that you will al remember for years to come.
One of my friends was travelling in Egypt last year during the 'troubles' - even in Cairo unless you went close by where the riots and protests were happening you had little sense of what was going on. You're smart enough to know that if you see a riot you go in the opposite direction. :-)
Hi Jane, it sounds like a wonderful trip. I'm looking forward to reading about your experiences. I'm glad that so far the State Department is not discouraging travelers from visiting.
Have a wonderful trip and safe travels to you, Ken and Casey.
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