5,000 Years of Civilisation

In February this year I went on a 2-week backpack trip to Egypt alone. Most people told me I'm crazy to do that, especially being a solo female traveller in the Middle East.

But sometimes in life I've gotta do crazy stuffs so that when I look back I won't regret not doing the things I really wanted to do.

This entry chronicles highlights of my journey in Egypt. If I attempt to put in every single place I visited, there won't be enough MBs. So here goes ...

My journey in the Land of the Pharaohs began in Luxor, home to Tutankhamen's tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

After having a jolly good time visiting tombs, temples, museums and listening to the amazing stories of the pharaohs and queens, I took the train down south to Aswan, where the majestic Temple of Abu Simbel stands.

I was lucky to be at Abu Simbel for the Coronation of Ramses II which happens only twice a year - 22 Feb and 22 Oct. On these two dates, the sunrays will illuminate the honoured deities of the temple: Ptah, Re-Harakhty, Amun-Re and Ramses II himself.

After that unforgetable visit, I hopped onto the train heading north to Cairo to visit the Pyramids and the famous Egyptian Museum which houses the treasures of Tutankhamen.

The Egyptian Museum

In Cairo I also experienced a deep presence of Christ in Old Cairo ...

... watched sufi dancing in Islamic Cairo ...

... and went for a bout of shopping at Khan Al-Khalili.

From Cairo, I managed to squeeze in a day-trip to breezy Alexandria, before heading back to Luxor for my flight to KL.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria

Egypt is an easy country to navigate - all its famous places are situated along the Nile, and easily reachable by train or bus. My only regret is that I did not climb Mount Sinai due to time constraints. Mount Sinai is where Moses received the 10 Commandments. Should have been an awesome adventure but obviously I cannot cover an entire country in 2-weeks!

My word of advice for those planning to visit this marvellous country:

Don't visit Egypt for its luscious landscape or good food, because there ain't any. Instead, visit Egypt for its friendly people, rich culture and mystical wonders of its amazing history!