A view of where the desert meets the greens of the Nile basin.
Last Sunday, I was on the Nile with the Smithsonian Journeys “Egyptian Odyssey” tour group. It had already been an exciting day since five of us started the morning with a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings. Delightful. Then the whole group toured Karnak Temple together, led by our guide Jihan Hussein. Magnificent! This was my fourth time through Karnak and I never cease to be dazzled by it. Then we spent the afternoon cruising upstream on the Nile on the M/S Tamr Henna toward the Esna lock.
The tour is over now and I am relaxing with friends in Cairo. This latest Egyptian Odyssey group was, I have to say, quite wonderful. Despite being focused on Pharaonic Egypt, they were very curious about contemporary culture. In the short couple weeks in this country, they started to really “get” modern Egypt. During the
Aloft over the Valley of the Kings
last few days of the tour, many of them expressed surprise, satisfaction, even joy at realizing how rich and varied is the culture of this crazy, gritty, delightful place.
When you first get under the surface a new culture, there is always a little bit of that feeling Howard Carter must have had when he first looked into the tomb of Tutankhamun. “Yes,” he is reported to have replied to Lord Carnavon’s eager queries, “I see wonderful things.”
Andrew Simon
Tour Manager
Smithsonian Journeys Egyptian Odyssey
Wow how beautiful, this is something that I would love to do (one day).
Egypt and its Nile valley are absolutely stunning and fascinating in every way – a definite must see!