After five days at sea, which flew by quickly with all the port talks and activities scheduled on the Pacific Princess, we had three port visits in three days. How would we be able to handle this much excitement of multiple tours?
Our first stop in Egypt was Safaga, known as the gateway to the Valley of the Kings, Luxor and Karnak, if you consider a three and one-half hour bus ride as a part of the gateway. Sara had spent 15 days in Egypt with her friend Judy in 2008 so she passed on the bus ride but sent Ken off early in the morning for a very long, long day. What impressed him the most about the ride was how the arid desolation of desert turned into lush green vegetation as the bus neared the Nile River. He was fascinated by the area's citizens who tilled the land with donkeys and old-fashioned farms tools with their children from dawn until dusk.
When the bus finally arrived in Karnak, the City of the Dead on the East Bank, the passengers had only 45 minutes to explore the wonders of the world's largest temple, which is the second most-visited site in Egypt after the Pyramids of Giza. Notre Dame could fit inside its central hall. This temple was built during the reigns of 30 Pharaohs with the work involved in its construction being mind blowing. The carvings on the 134 columns were completed after the pillars had been put into place. Ken was most impressed with the 97-foot obelisk, one of the world's tallest, of Queen Hatshepsut and the Avenue of the Ram-headed Sphinxes.
Crossing the Nile River to the Valley of the Kings on the West Bank, the visitors entered the valley through the two massive 64-foot statues of Amenhotep III, which are all that are remain of that temple in his honor. Ken chose the Temples of Rameses III, Rameses IX and Seti I to visit. The spectacular temple of Seti I has incredible drawings and reliefs on the walls and a funeral chamber with a spectacular ceiling depicting the astrological signs in black and gold. Ken did not go inside the Tomb of King Tut, because the entrance fee is now $20 and everyone told him it was not worth it. Sara remembered paying only a few dollars in 2008. In the last two years, the Egyptians must have realized the fanatical interest tourists have in anything related to the boy king and were now capitalizing on it.
The true tragedy of the Valley of the Kings is that grave robbers looted almost all the tombs except the one of Tutankhamen that was discovered by a fortunate accident in 1922. It is sad to consider all the breathtaking artifacts that have been lost to future generations. On a more fortunate note, the Egyptians had built an artists' village for those who worked on the tombs. Because most of those people could write, we know more about the daily life of that era than we do about the residents of many European villages. Ken related that the most important lesson he learned on the trip was the importance of water in the arid desert.
Meanwhile back in Safaga, certainly not one of the prettiest ports we had visited, Sara joined with Sue from Las Vegas, Vierna and Esther to tour the city. While we were eating breakfast, Frankie, our deputy cruise director, told us to go have a grand adventure. When our captain came over to the table and Sara related that they planned to enjoy a great, rather a grand, adventure, he looked at the four women in amazement, possible because he had never associated the words, great and grand, with Safaga. He was right!
The "Fabulous Four" negotiated with a van driver for a tour of the city. The driver's complete commentary during the trip was "New Town" and "Old Town." Shopping in New Town near the Holiday Inn Resort was extremely enjoyable with the vendors being very friendly and willing to provide information about their wares. While inspecting a water pipe, Sue told the shopkeeper that she would only smoke one if the flavor was Coca-Cola. Incredibly, the man produced a tin of cola-flavored tobacco. Now Sue is kicking herself that she did not purchase it!
The shops in New Town were modern and air conditioned. The opposite was true in Old Town, where the most interesting site was the huge sections of meats hanging to dry. Here the vendors had been trained in the traditional school of Egyptian harassment and became downright indignant when Esther refused to buy a typical Egyptian garment that was way too large and long for her with sleeves that covered her hands. We decided to leave before the vendors chased us out of town. The most beautiful site was the water of the Red Sea with all shades of pale aqua, turquoise and sapphire. Of course, when we arrived back at the ship, our van driver wanted us to pay him more than the negotiated price because he needed money for gas and a tip. (Judy, do you remember the 12-year-old carriage driver in Luxor who wanted us to tip him because he needed money for his younger brother and then for to feed his horse? This was after our tour guide emphasized we were not to tip the drivers because the tour company had provided generous compensation to them.) Esther, who was riding in the front of the van with the driver, told him to be a good boy and then we gave him a tip.
That night the ship hosted a Safaga Oriental Show, a celebration of traditional Egyptian folk dances. The star of the show was the belly dancer with a stunning figure who could have served as a double for Catherine Bell in the television series JAG. She certainly could make the glitter on her outfit shimmer! The men in the audience would have gladly bestowed on her the title of "Miss Universe." Fortunately for the ego of the women on board, Sue, who was sitting in the front row, noticed that the young woman did not have particularly attractive feet. Amazingly, none of the men noted that fact.
When we were eating in the Panoramic Buffet on Deck 9, we watched from the floor-to-ceiling windows as nine tour buses pulled into the dock after 9 p.m. and then went to greet our loved ones and friends from their day in the desert. Ken's first request of Sara was for her to order him a beer package from room service. It took longer than usual for the waiter to arrive with the precious cargo. It seemed as if the beer package was the most popular order of the evening!
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