Map borrowed and modified
My previous journey to Egypt during February-March this year was during peak tourist season as I had described in Egypt, the Land of Ancient Wonders. Then I journeyed through major cities and tourist spots of Egypt (marked in blue above) including Cairo, Giza, Aswan, Alexandria, Luxor, Karnak, Abu-Simbel, Sharm-El-Sheikh and St. Catherine.When I got a chance at short notice to make another trip to Egypt in the peak of summer, I heard voices of surprise and as well as shock like: “Egypt in July? You must be mad.” I was not mad. For me, it was a case of not wanting to lose an opportunity to travel and as usual, I set off enthusiastically, the extreme heat that can reach up to 50 deg C (over 120 deg F) not deterring me.
This time I went to a not-so-famous region called Marsa Alam, at Port Ghalib, a resort in the Red Sea, to be followed by a road journey to the old fishing town of Marsa Alam and thereafter a safari through the deserts and beyond Edfu and Esna to reach Luxor once again, up to the Karnak Temple area (as marked in red line in the map above).
A roadside gate of entry into Port Ghalib near the recently opened airport of Marsa Alam:
Azure waters near the Marina at Port Ghalib, one of the popular boating and yachting gateways:
Marsa Alam beyond the Resort, a place where the sun always shines and blue waters of the Red Sea lap up against golden sands:
From the jagged brown mountains of the Sinai to the wide stretches of desert and the greenery around the banks of the River Nile, Egyptian landscape has a variety just waiting to be explored and here's a little bit of wildlife:
Under Ptolemy II, a road was built through endless sandscapes linking Marsa Alam and Edfu and is still in use and here is sunset time on that road:
Cruises sailing through as seen from the fertile banks of the River Nile between Edfu and Esna:
A part of the Luxor Temple as seen from Nile Street one late evening:
Plenty of opportunity for interesting sights, and here at dusk is a row of caliche, or horse drawn carriages in Luxor used as a means of transport, by tourists as well as locals:
~~~
35 comments:
I am simply jealous, you have been to Egypt twice! :D
Mridula,
I ought to be jealous of you who has the Himalayas almost at your doorsteps...hehehe!
Celine,
That's called 'adding fuel to fire'. :P
Your photos are very picturesque, a professional photographer's touch.
The horse drawn carriages look very much like our tonga with little change in overhead shade or roof.
Cuckoo,
Hehe..You too go sweet girl..go to Egypt, and ride on the Egyptian 'tonga'.:D
Thank you for the kind words on my photography. I am experimenting more whenever possible, and pleased with your appreciation.
Ah.. you are having a good time. The deep blue colors of red sea are appealing. :)
Arun,
Yes, even though I expected blue waters, such deep blue shades took me by surprise.
Celine,
This is not fair!! You travel in both my part of the world and another part of the world that I have not stepped in so far!! How very lucky!!
So...was it really 50? The red sea looks very beautiful. Did you snorkel there?
Sorry I have been MIA for a while. Work+vacation+house guests kept me busy. I hope to be back and will catch up with all your recent posts.
Vamsee,
It is fair because you see, I haven't seen as much of Europe as you have...haha..jk!
I did not snorkel in the Red Sea for lack of time because this group of 4 that we were, unanimously decided to go to Luxor instead to check out ancient Thebes and to end the trip with a hot air balloon ride (as I had done in February this year while in Luxor.)
Unfortunately, the last part of our plan remained an unfulfilled dream as there was an accident a few months back when tourists were hurt, and so the balloon rides have been stopped for now pending investigation by the Egyptian authorities. In Egypt tourists, you see, are well taken care of!
Truly, the temperatures were nearing 50 in the hot desert regions. But I was comfortable in an air conditioned luxury car!
Incidentally, it is around 50 deg C in Kuwait these days...right now, it is 46 deg C, and here I am shivering with the cold in my super cooled air-conditioned office!!
Hi Celine!
Nice post and lovely pics, especially the Red Sea, the colour is so very natural and the rest of the pics make us believe for sure that you are a pretty good photographer! (Which camera do you use, by the way? As I am thinking of buying one good one.)
Your travelogue reminded me of my recent visit (20-28 July 2009 to the Valley of Flowers, Auli, Hemkund Sahib, Ghangharia, Badrinath, Mana and Vasudhara Fall (I visited thru' YHAI and remembered you when was there...!!
Anyway, keep writing, its real pleasure to read your blogs!!
Best of luck for your future travels!!
Urvashi.
Urvashi,
I'm only trying my hand at photography and yet to learn a lot. Thank you for the kind words. For this trip, I travelled very light and carried in my pocket only my ordinary Sony Cybershot. I also have a Panasonic FZ18 and that, I think, is a good one to start with.
Delighted about your trip to the Garhwal. That's a neat list, and wow...Vasudhara Falls too! How nice of you to remember me..haha, thank you. Happy travelling Urvashi, and all the best to you too.
thanks for stopping by my place earlier. what gorgeous pictures of such an intriguing place. someday i hope to see it in person but for now your photos will encourage a bit of day dreaming.
Hi Celine, it seems this year you're breaking a record of nights slept away from home...
It looks wonderful, but I wouldn't accept your invitation neither to Egypt nor to Kuweit in July/August... ;))
To cool it down, I've Iceland at 11ยบ centigrade... OK?
All the best!!
That has been a wish to visit Eygypt, thanks for your photos.
Michelle,
Thank you for dropping by and your kind words.
Gil,
Haha...No, I do not need to break any records.
You wouldn't know the tricks of staying alive in a desert in the peak of summer so..no, I'll not invite you now.;)
Iceland has been real cool and I enjoyed it virtually, thanks.
Tom,
You are welcome and thanks for dropping by.
oovie doovie!
How much should I ramble about how fascinated I am with the beautiful pictures, and wonderful things you saw! :) Thanks Celine. I hope you write details of the place, as and when possible...!
hey friend...simply great photos ya..even some of colleagues who are egyptians were amazed...congratd dear friend..all the best for your future too..
Priyank,
Don't ramble at all..haha!
I wish to write about these places Puku, but when is the question? This office and upcoming exams are keeping me busy..not to mention the travels I squeeze in between.;)
Ramesh,
Thank you for your kind words and good wishes. There are some Egyptians in our office who have not seen as much of Egypt as I have..lol
Beautiful shots. When one says Egypt, the first thing that comes to mind is Pyramids. You have shown us different world from this.
Rajesh,
Thank you. Oh, Egypt is certainly much more than Pyramids!
A brief, yet a conveying post on such a fantastic trip to the Land of Wonders !
Mad? Have pleasure to be counted in; the greatest leaps in history of human progression have had seeds in their souls only !
While an immediate impression of ancient Egypt relates to its wonders, I still remain amazed by silent witness of two bands of colours flowing through it for years--the blue river by the red sea !!
Thanks for sharing beams of its glory !!
Saibal,
Thank you.
Hehe...''mad'' word was used because it is unthinkable for those (and many other delicate ones in fact) to think of a trip to Egypt in the peak of summer when the temperatures can reach fatal levels.
Yes, in addition to the waters of the Nile, there is the "Red" Sea that has various shades of "Blue" waters.
I really enjoyed your fascinating pictures and information. Interesting to see the horse drawn carriages.
Wow! Great photos! You have a wonderful blog and I am glad I found you!
hey thanks ya..and best wishes..
Oh my! The sunset is amazing!!!!
Hi Celine!
Came back to see that cruise boat; probably the only way to travel in Egypt in summer would be inside the pool of the cruise ship... ;))
Blogtrotter is now showing that Reykjavik is not entirely grey... ;)). Enjoy and have a fabulous weekend!
it looks like a very beautiful place :)
hot or not, july or any other month, if you got an opportunity, why to waste it? Timing might not be perfect but the place isnt less beautiful because of this.
Hi Celine, thanks for sharing these photos of Egypt. I love especially your daylight shots. The sky so blue.
Thank you for visiting my skywatch. :)
Till next week!
Great shots of Egypt!
(Slightly envious.;))
What a wonderful set of images, indeed I enjoyed your post! Interesting reading :)
Hi Celine!
Tell me; first week in september will still be too hot for an incursion in Egypt, wouldn't it? And now with that flu everywhere, airports and planes are becoming a tricky place to be...
Blogtrotter has some more Rural Iceland before the Blue Lagoon. Enjoy and have a fabulous week!
Beautiful shots !! Hope you had a good time..Unseen Rajasthan
Diane,
Thank you for dropping by. Glad you enjoyed these.
Sonia,
Thank you.
Wonderful to have you here, and hope you return.
Ramesh,
Best wishes to you too.
Dewdrop,
I agree.
So do you think I could use that picture for a Toyota ad? Haha..
Gil,
Yes. Cruising all the way while in the pool.;) Enjoy your weekend.
Lena,
A pleasure to see you here. I agree to what you say.
Arlene,
Thank you for your visit. I hope you drop by sometimes, and happy SWF.
Indrani,
Thank you, and delighted that you enjoyed these shots.
Melusine,
Thank you very much for dropping by and leaving behind a nice comment.
UR,
Thank you. I had a lovely time.
I had an amazing time in Luxor - these are great photos!
What a lovely place...
You have an amazing blog. one reason i like it is because i love to travel..
will definitely return..
please do keep travelling ..:)
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