Sunday, December 31, 2006

Travel: the Dead Sea, the Nile and others

Impressions of a multi-destination holiday which includes a quick visit to Egypt: "We trundled along the route of an old camel caravan trail through rocky mountains and dried river beds, known as wadis, for four hours. The green fields of the Nile flood plain then spread before us and led us to the splendour of Luxor, the world's biggest open-air museum where you step back more than 4,000 years into the land of the pharaohs.
In the Valley of the Kings we marvelled at the brightly coloured hieroglyphics covering the tomb walls. And - in an extraordinary clash of ages - I found I had a full signal on my mobile phone just outside the entrance to the incredible tomb of the boy king Tutankhamun. Nearby was the equally awesome temple of female pharaoh Queen Hatshepsut. Carved into the foot of a 300ft cliff, the shrine has a panoramic view over the lush Nile banks where farmers with hoes were bent over cabbages, carrots, sugar cane and potatoes.
After lunch at a five-star hotel (included in the day-trip price) we saw that the best had been saved for last - the jaw-dropping Karnak Temple which was once the most holy place in Egypt."
See the above for the full account of the tour.

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