Christian is in love with the mystic light surrounding the river Nile. For him it is a pure pleasure to return as he has been living and working here for 4 years. That was quite a while ago. Now he found Egypt had changed to the better. New infrastructure, better roads and a clean city made this visit more enjoyable, he said. The warm Egyptian hospitality and genuine kindness had not changed.
For Aivi it was a new discovery. A longtime dream to visit the pyramids turned into reality. The words "Pharaonic Egypt" immediately brought up images of mummies, pyramids and the treasures of Tutankhamon. We were eager to see the legacy in the ruined temples, pyramids and buried tombs. Although these monuments have stirred admiration and awe for a long time we felt there was more to it. We turned to this ancient culture for wisdom and insight and also hoped to reveal some of it's secrets.
Cairo - Mother of the world
5000 years of culture are concentrated here at the center of three continents. A city with even more habitants than Shanghai. Our journey started from this vibrant place. But we needed a knowledgeable person to guide us into the symbols of ancient Egyptian mysticism. Through contacts we found "Guardian Travel" who helped to plan our visit here. Their excellent tour manager took the best care of us and successfully fulfilled our needs.
We started off by visiting the Giza plateau with it´s three Great pyramids and the mysterious Sphinx. While wandering around the area we realized (as Napoleon already had said) that centuries of history looked down on us from these pyramids. Though nowadays the number of people allowed inside the Cheops pyramid was limited to 300 per day, we managed to get a visit inside. The experience of climbing 90m into this ancient structure was unforgettable. Even if the marvels of Giza have been degraded into commodities for an enormous tourist trade the place still captured our spirits.
Our muscles were aching after climbing in and out of tombs and pyramids for several days but we were taken by the wisdom of the mystical significances of the scenes on the walls. The scenes are generally interpreted on a simplistic level but are far more complex than it first appears. They contain hidden messages about the second life, accessible for those who are initiated.
We learned about sacred oils used by the Pharaohs from a healer initiated by the Bedouins. Plant and flower oils have been used for centuries as healing remedies. The evidence can be found on the walls in these ancient temples.
Then we spent 3 days visiting Saccara, Dasheur, Memphis and the beautiful house of treasures; Cairo Museum, where we stared into the rock-crystal eyes of the Pharaohs and marveled over all the beautiful artifacts.
Relaxing from all the visits we also spent an afternoon soaking up the atmosphere in the oriental bazaar called Khan El Khalili where craftsmen practiced skills passed down along generations.
Then we left this buzz ling city and took a flight to the south as we wanted to travel up along the Nile.
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