We arrived in Safaga, Egypt as scheduled at 4pm – unfortunately, our berth was still occupied by a cargo ship unloading wheat, so we had to drop anchor in the bay. As the first few pictures below capture, sailing into Egypt was somewhat of a surprise for me. I expected totally flat terrain & barren desert. Instead, the coastline here is lined with tall, beautiful mountains – and the water colors unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my life. The first few photos don’t begin to capture the beauty – EVERY possible shade of blue & green can be found in this port – just breathtaking! The other observation – hundreds of large jellyfish surrounding the ship after we dropped anchor – HUNDREDS of them – huge jellyfish! I don’t know yet if this is seasonal or occurs all year – I assume seasonal because of the water sports they advertise here – but I’ll see what I can find out.
We had dinner in the main dining room, and then went up to a deck party at the outside pool. We didn’t stay long because it was quite chilly (like a typical Arizona evening in the Spring after the sun sets) and just as we were leaving, the cargo ship who was occupying our berth set sail so we were able to dock at approximately 7:30pm. We were in bed by 8pm even though we had the option of leaving the ship at that point – very long day ahead of us. So I’m up at 3:30am expecting to catch our satellite again, but for some reason I can’t even get a connection. I decided to begin writing off-line, because I know I won’t have time for it later today – we leave here at 6:30am and won’t be back until almost 11:00pm – a long 16 hour day.
When I woke, I went outside to take a look at the port because I fell asleep as soon as we hit the cabin last night. I hear a crowd – a large crowd – I look to my left and there on the pier just behind our ship is a gathering of residents, ALL wearing long robes & turbans – exactly what you would expect to see in Egypt. For a few moments, I actually thought I was dreaming – there was also some type of religious music or chant playing – a very eerie sort of music. I immediately woke Cheryl – I apologized for the wakeup at 3:30am, but felt she would want to see this gathering – and it’s probably between two & three thousand people!
As I write this, I still have NO IDEA what all these people are doing at the pier this time of day – some have suitcases in wheelbarrows, some are carrying large white sacks suspended over their backs – it’s an orderly gathering, but unlike anything I’ve ever seen – more to come as I learn more! Maybe they’re waiting for a small ship going to a nearby island to work for the day?? That’s the only logical conclusion I can reach – UNLESS they plan to takeover the Amsterdam (our ship) later this morning!
Safaga is a small city in Egypt on the coast of the Red Sea. We learned it has several phosphate mines, and is regarded as one of the top phosphate export centers & marine ports connected by a regular cruise shuttle between Jordan & Saudi Arabia – that’s what the large crowd was all about on the pier. Surprisingly, Safaga is considered one of the most important therapeutic tourist centers, as special medical researchers have proven the potential of attracting international tourism to Safaga. The resort is reputable for its unpolluted atmosphere, black sand dunes and mineral springs which are purported to ease rheumatoid arthritis & psoriasis. Safaga has a small, but thriving tourism industry – beyond the pharaohs & tombs, they specialize in scuba diving here – many diving shops along the waterfront. Apparently & for many years, this was nothing but a merchant port – now it has long sandy beaches, but not very well kept. We’re told it’s a favorite sports destination, particularly windsurfing, and was the host of the Red Sea World Windsurfing back in ’93. The REAL reason for our stop, however…Safaga is the starting point for the journey to Luxor, & The Valley of the Kings. Although you can reach Luxor by plane, the most popular way is via cruise ship. Overall, Safaga is a crusty city – small, rectangular cement buildings, most in disrepair, line the streets with drying cloths suspended out of windows & rooftops.
Our trip to Luxor consisted of 3 buses & 1 back-up coach. We are in bus #2. Each bus had an armed guard sitting in front next to the driver - they carry not simply pistols, but machine guns. We are to travel as a convoy. The road to Luxor is a 2-lane highway, the majority of which is quite rough & riddled with potholes. About 25 miles outside of Safaga, a passenger in bus #1 takes ill – she is loaded on the back-up bus and returned to the ship. We continue on. There are checkpoints every 10 – 15 miles, manned by several armed guards. From Safaga on the coast, you pass through a mountain range and emerge into the desert. Nearly 4 hours later, you begin to see a second mountain range and the beginnings of civilization. Luxor is now on the horizon. Our first stop is on the east bank where we visited the Luxor Temple, which was once connected to the Karnak Temple via the Avenue of Human-Headed Sphinxes, Amazingly, this avenue of sphinxes is right in the middle of the city. After discovery, the city itself was built around the ruins to preserve it. Amazing – McDonald’s on one side of the street, ancient history on the other! Words cannot begin to describe the tall columns – the graphic hieroglyphics –& the colors – hopefully the pictures below give you a sense of the size & ancient beauty of these ruins. 
After touring this area, it was time for lunch – Holland America made arrangements for a buffet at a very nice resort hotel on the Nile River. After lunch, Cheryl and I went down to the riverbank for a close look at this historic body of water and found to our dismay, tons of pollution! We couldn’t believe that the residents of Luxor would dump their garbage in such a historic river but as the day progressed, it only got worse – more on that later. We left the hotel and headed for the Valley of the Kings, the city of the dead where 62 magnificent tombs have been discovered. They say that potentially hundreds of these tombs exist but again, 62 discovered to date. This mountainside was used for burials from roughly 1530 – 1075 BC, Some of these tombs, carved into the desert mountainside, are 1 – 2 city blocks deep, are intricately painted with mineral and stone dyes which amazingly have maintained most of their color after all these centuries. The hieroglyphics are carved into every inch of both walls & the ceilings. They say it took several years & dozens of laborers to complete each tomb. They almost look commercially manufactured (but are not, of course) and this is where the kings were/are buried with their treasures for use in the afterlife. Despite the name, Valley of the Kings also contains the tombs of favorite nobles as well as the wives & children of both nobles and pharaohs. We were able to explore 3 of these tombs – they alternate which tombs are open to the public because they say prolonged exposure to oxygen will begin destroying the intricate drawings & artwork – they regulate both pedestrian traffic and length of stay. Photographs are not allowed in any tomb. Each tomb is uniquely different – very humbling, & hauntingly beautiful. The weather was quite hot – a typical summer day in Phoenix, but the tombs were obviously very cool & refreshing. From the Valley of the Kings, we stopped at the Temple of Hatshepsut – a complex rising out of the desert in a series of brilliant white terraces. Hatshepsut was both a woman and a Pharaoh. She dressed like a man and even wore a false beard due to the considerable bias against ruling females during that era (1500 BC) – the temple is phenomenal, particularly given the surrounding mountainside. We also stopped by the Colossi of Memnon – two immense statues of Amenhotep III that guarded the entrance to Amenhotep’s great temple – JUST DISCOVERED & unearthed a few years ago! By now it was 4pm – the only tour remaining on our schedule was a light show at the Temple of Karnak – the world’s largest temple complex – scheduled to begin at 7pm. We went to a mall in downtown Luxor where we were given a couple hours to shop & relax. Similar to the hotel where we had lunch, we were all processed through metal detectors before entering. Good to know you’re safe, but rather unnerving with so many guns exposed and guards watching your every move. We boarded the buses around 6pm and the ship had made arrangements for box suppers – they take such good care of us! We headed for Karnak and our guide made sure we were positioned at the entrance of the complex a few minutes before the scheduled 7pm start – right at dusk. Again, the world’s largest temple complex – you take a very fascinating walking tour through the history of the temple, guided by the voices of the ancient pharaohs – ominous shadows playing off the enormous columns in the grand hypostyle hall with beautiful colored lights in sync – an unforgettable experience! Combined with local tourists, there were probably 200 people going through, but it was all very well controlled and you didn’t feel like you were in a large crowd. The 7pm show was in English – as we emerged at 8pm, the French version was about to begin – another large crowd was in line for that! Would we recommend Luxor? For the ancient history, a resounding YES! Given the opportunity – GO! It’s a phenomenal, first-hand look! Let me share some photos at this point.
Now, on the downside, two things to keep in mind. I mentioned the polluted Nile earlier – it’s not just polluted, it’s disgusting the way local residents have such disregard for it. The main Nile is not only polluted, but the main tributaries running through Luxor that feed it are filled with raw sewage and dead cows – several dead cows – and you look down perhaps a city block and you see neighborhood children swimming in the same waters. So you have the pollution to contend with and despite the 5-star resorts, you have a poverty level throughout the entire city equal to anything you’d find in India – so not pretty in that respect either. The street vendors here were much more aggressive than anyplace visited – if you say no, many will grab your arm and pull you, continuing to talk – you try so hard to be polite and say “no thank you” – it’s very unsettling. If you can deal with the pollution, poverty & relentless street vendors, it’s well worth the trip – one of the most beautiful, archeological spots in the world! After the show, we got our busses together and headed back to the ship – we were due back at 11:30pm, and scheduled to sail at midnight. Our bus overheated in the middle of the desert – the caravan stopped, the security guards positioned themselves on the hiway and the drivers filled the radiator by hand, bottle-by-bottle! We resumed the return trip –uneventfully – arriving back at the ship at 12:45am, but because we were on a ship-sponsored tour, they will always wait for you, even if it’s only one person. The gangway was pulled by 1:15am and we were on our way to Sharm el Sheik, Egypt, just 100 miles north up the coast. An exhausting day, but absolutely unforgettable!! Short night…another tour at 7:30am.
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