Abu Simbel

Wake up call - 2:50AM to join to convoy of vehicles heading across the desert to the famous Abu Simbel. At the front of the convoy there is a police escort and checkpoints throughout the journey, keeping an eye on who is travelling and whether or not they have a permit.

The journey to Abu Simbel is 280k along a road boardered by desert only. Very funny (and frightening at times) as each bus competes for its place in the convoy. Every couple of minutes we would be passing someone and then that very same bus would be passing us again. They are very competitive drivers - suppose it passes the time! I decided that it was best not to look, so took the chance to grab a bit of catch up sleep, until I needed to go to the toilet that is - no toilets enroute, so the bus had to stop whilst I found a rock to hide behind. The girls had a good laugh at my expense - I've never had a very strong bladder!

Abu Simbel is something that should not be missed. We rounded the corner and there it was in all its glory..... The Great Temple is dedicated to Ramesses II and a statue of him is seated with three other gods within the innermost part of the rock-cut temple. The temple's facade is dominated by four enormous seated statues of the Pharaoh (each over 20 metres or 67 feet high), although one has been damaged since ancient times. Alongside his temple is a small temple Ramesses had built, which he then dedicated to his favourite wife, Nefertari.

On return to Aswan later that afternoon we decided that it was high time to kick back on the sundeck next to the pool overlooking the nile with a bottle of champagne.....so that's just what we did.

Aswan

The overnight train to Aswan was fantastic and we even managed to get a bit of shut eye! On arriving in Aswan we were met by another local guide who was also called Mohammad (very popular name in Egypt lol). This Mohammad was to become THE NUMBER 1 MOHAMMAD, for he was the perfect gentleman and made every one of us feel special in some way. Nothing was too much trouble for him, he was always available when needed and was a very kind & genuine person. He will be our friend for life! When taking my next group to Egypt I will be calling on Mohammad for sure!!!

Aswan - beautiful, mediterranean feel and our hotel was perched right on the Nile. We spent our first afternoon familiarising ourselves with the local souq, then boarding a felucca for a sunset sail on the Nile exploring Kitchener & Elephantine Islands, whilst stopping at a Nubian Village enroute. The Nubian Village was an eye opener....after enjoying a cup of Hibiscus Tea with a local family, we proceeded to give out some of the textiles, buttons & scraps we had bought along for poor families struggling to make a living. Boy what a mistake, we were mobbed!!! On returning to our felucca we set sail as the sun was disappearing beyond the desert whilst singing along with our Nubian Captain "she'll be coming around the mountain" - madness - Just another challenge in the day of an Adventurous Woman!

Cairo - Aswan

Big day today - We were met by our guide who took us to the Egyptian Museum for a couple of hours. On reflection I think you need a lot longer than that, as there is just so much to see. We managed to see all the major's, including Tutankhamen's finery & the mummy room which was kind of eery, but well worth the visit. Then it was off for a cheap takeaway lunch - yummy felafel burger and onto the Papyrus Factory to witness the making of the papyrus paper. Next on our itinerary we were to visit "rubbish city" - one of the poorest communities in Cairo, but according to our guide, the government officials had advised that it was too dangerous to go there. We opted for a drive through the "City of the Dead" instead, which I'm sure was equally as poor. Here families live amongst the Tombs and it is a sight that would not be seen to often by the average tourist.

Next stop - The famous Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, which had recently been bombed only 2 weeks prior, needless to say there was plenty of security around the place! This place is awesome - shoppers paradise. We had a great time shopping for bargains and some of us tried the Sheesha too! Once we'd finished shopping (for now!!!), we boarded our overnight sleeper train for Aswan.

Pyramids,Sphynx & Camels

Great day - started at 9.00am where we were met by our guide who took us out to the Pyramids. They are so close by the city, its amazing. We had a great time at the pyramids, where a few of us decided to have a camel ride. My mum hopped on one and started talking friendly to him and he turned around, hissed and bared his teeth at her. After that she decided she wasn't so adventurous after all and gave the Camel ride a miss. One of the other ladies in our group Marianne actually fell off the camel close to the ground whilst trying to hop on, but had another go and ended up joining the rest of us in our Camel ride. I found the camel ride to be very relaxing and wouldn't mind doing it again. In the end there was six of us who had camel rides. After that it was off to see the Sphynx - also a great site. Took some great pics and then moved onto the Perfume factory and brought up big. Couldn't resist the essences- some of them can only be brought from Egypt so that's what we did.......then it was off to lunch at a local restaurant then off to the rug factory. Will have to check in tomorrow as the smoke is getting waaay to thick in this pokey internet cafe - everyone smokes in Egypt. ciao for now.

Our First Day In Egypt

Well what can I say......after our 14 hour flight to Cairo we were all a little delirious, most of us having had very little sleep! We were all running on adrenilin and emotions. On our arrival we went straight to the "bank" where we paid our US$15 and received our visa stamps, changed some money, went through immigration and were met by our Kumuka Representative Mohammed. Everything went as smooth as silk through at the Airport which was great and on arrival at the Pyramisa Hotel we were pleasantly suprised. None of the buildings look to flash from the outside in Cairo, but when we stepped inside the Pyramisa we were suitably impressed. This five star hotel was great! A few of us went for a stroll around the local streets near the hotel then we hopped in a taxi (boy that was exciting!!!!!! whoa) and went downtown for a shopping experience followed by some local cuisine at the Felfela takeaway. Kebabs - awesome and cheap. The place was full of locals - good sign. On our way back we had a driver who had no idea where he was taking us...he had to ask several locals and all the while Cathy one of our girls was telling him the directions, but he just wouldn't listen. Pyramids tomorrow.

10 Adventurous Women about to Embark on Egypt!

Well it's almost here.....only 4 more days until 10 Adventurous Women take off for our next adventure...and it's destination "Egypt"....I must say the excitement is building and we have a great group of women on board.

We should be easy to pick out at the Perth International Airport, as each girl will be sporting her new bright orange Adventurous Women T Shirt with the slogan "Life is an Adventure - Are you living Yours" on it - look out here we come!!!

Speaking of Egypt - today by chance, I met a lovely Egyptian couple at a quaint little coffee & gift shop they own in Hillarys. (Dunesliving) They have just returned from their home country and were happy to share their travels & tips with me. As I was in a mad rush, I said that I will return on Friday and have a chat whilst practicing my Arabic language skills with them. I spotted a Sheesha in their shop and made comment that I would be trying this for sure whilst in Egypt, so Rania said she'll bring some tobacco in for me on Friday whooooooo - hope I don't choke!

I'll be blogging whilst away to keep everyone up to date with our adventures, so please tune in for the latest.