On the 10th of September, we flew from Manchester airport to Hurghada, Egypt. I say we I mean my best friend and I. My sister and her fiancé. For an 11 day all inclusive holiday. We did not stay in the hotel for the entire 11 days, we went out on excursions and saw a lot of cool things. I hope to post three blog posts, due to very poor WiFi I have had to wait until I have arrived back home. I could have done one massive one, but I figure long posts can be annoying and different things happened on the trips and many photos were captured. In this post, I will be sharing pictures and anecdotes from our first trip. Also, the title is NOT clickbait. Let's get started...
We spent the first two days adjusting to the hotel and the climate, during this time I got heat stroke and badly burnt despite being the person who had least contact with the sun and the most lathered in sun cream. Our first excursion was to Luxor. We visited the Valley of Kings, Karnak Temple and the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. As well a lovely boat trip along the Nile to a plantation where we eat freshly picked fruit. 
The journey was a couple hours, and we made a stop at a little market/cafe place. Here I had a panic attack due to a man hassling me in a shop, and he and the owner started fighting. So the day did not start off well. I did learn that you have to be stern with the men in the markets, they will hassle you and you just need to say no. Don’t be sucked in, I made that mistake. During a vulnerable moment after having a panic attack I was persuaded into buying stuff I didn't want. I just wanted to leave and it was the only way the man would leave me alone. Despite the journey ahead I was eager to get on the bus.
After this we started travelling again, the roads in Egypt are something else. The speed bumps and pot holes, the lack of (none that I saw) traffic lights. It was a bumpy ride... which made me sick. Twice. I haven’t been travel sick since I was a young child, but this rough journey sure brought it back. Naturally, after this journey I bought travel tablets for the next Excursion. I also discovered that you don’t really need a driver’s licensee in Egypt, which is terrifying. Thankfully, our driver did.
We first visited the Valley of Kings, an impressive sight. Our guide Ash was more than informative, he shared Egyptian stories with us and the myths keeping us entertained the whole time. We went into three temples, the insides of were stunning.
You aren’t supposed to take pictures inside the tombs but my sister’s fiancé did. He foolishly got caught and had to pay a bribe to a guard. In English money, it was only £2.50. Turns out Egypt you can get away with pretty much most things if you bribe. That’s norm which I found a little shocking. The tombs were so impressive, I had never seen anything like it before.
Karnak Temple was next on the list, this is the place I probably took the best pictures. It was big and beautiful. I loved exploring the temple of my own accord. Also, whilst talking to the tour guide we discovered that our favourite Mummy films were not actually filmed in Egypt. It was in fact filmed in Morrocco. The Egyptian government doesn't really allow filming in the country (with the exception of geographical), mainly because there is rarely an accurate portrayal of the history being shown. They would not allow the producers of the Mummy film in Egypt because of the amount of inaccuracy the films portrayed... plus it is very expensive to film if you're allowed to.
Before our next stop, we visited an Alabaster factory, men who worked there chiseling stone, gems, and statues as such by hand. It was a beautiful shop. Here was where I met a man named Ramon II (yes like the king) he had taken a liken to me. First, he followed around the shop and then insisted on getting a photograph with me on both our phones.  |
| Quality is awful- I do apologise! |
Olivia was present through this, he didn’t really bother with her. Not until he asked her if we looked good together, which then he told me he was single... and then he asked her how many camels she would sell me for... All and all I was almost sold for a camel or two, she even contemplated taking him up on the offer.
I ended up getting discount on a cool marble swan and we left. Not all bad then. Never to see my potential husband again... he was lovely but I just don’t think marriage is my thing.
I ended up getting discount on a cool marble swan and we left. Not all bad then. Never to see my potential husband again... he was lovely but I just don’t think marriage is my thing.
Last but not least we visited the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. Here, I befriended a cat and saw the ancient ruins of the temple. The cat made me miss my own little Willow back home... This site was very picturesque. One woman stopped me to take a photo of her, and then continued to make me do it whilst almost lying on the floor so she could be captured from a low angle... I suppose it's for the gram so I completely understand.
I had learned briefly about the Egyptian period back in GCSE history when we did Medicine Through Time. I was intrigued then and more so now actually being in the city and seeing history before me. It was crazy seeing how perfectly things were made, and yet we still have no fixed explanation on how they were made or how they were moved. The Egyptians were definitely ahead of their time. This lead up to the end of the day, thankfully I was fine on the way home. Eager to sleep and spend the following day near the pool with a book!
If you wish to see more photographs from my Egyptian holiday follow my Instagram WritingMyHeart. You’ll see them first there before I post them here. As there is a delay with the blog posts. I'll try not to post them too close together or too far apart! Keep an eye out for my next post about visiting Cairo.
