On Dec 14, 2007 we flew from Phoenix to New York City, then the next day
we flew on to Cairo, Egypt!!! Wow! We had a group of 23 dancers,
friends, and relatives. 3 couples had gone early to spend a week in
Jerusalem before meeting us in Cairo. The trip was taken with Grand
Circle Travel. An agent met us at the airport in Cairo and we were
assigned a Program Director, Salah Tawfik who stayed with us constantly
for the next 2 weeks. Salah was absolutely fantastic. He is an
Egyptologist and was extremely knowledgeable and very patient with us!
We spent 5 nights in Cairo. While there we visited the Cairo
museum and saw lots of the relics from King Tuts tomb. We also saw
the special mummy exhibit. We spent a day at Giza and the pyramids
and also went to Sakkara to see the step pyramid. One day most of
the group went on an optional tour to Alexandria. George & I,
along with Harold & Carol, Jim & Mozelle, and Barbara & Dazarine stayed
in Cairo and went on our own to the Cairo Bazaar. It was awesome
and we had a ball!!!
Unfortunately that afternoon, we all went off for a walk along the
streets near the hotel. As we were crossing a street, Carol Powers
fell and shattered her shoulder. She ended up having surgery at a
local hospital. She had to fly home and missed the rest of our
trip. And it was Carol that originally came up with the idea and
set everything up!!! It was a horrid accident and we were all
really bummed, but Carol came through it like a champ and is recovering
nicely.
We flew from Cairo to Aswan and boarded the Anuket River Cruise Ship.
Then we spent 7 days cruising the Nile. We docked at Aswan, Kom
Ombo and Luxor.
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.JPG "The Cairo Bazaar")
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The Cairo Bazaar
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On the day that most of our group took the
optional tour to Alexandria, Carol & Harold, Jim
& Mozelle, Barbara, Dazarine, George & I went on
our own to the Cairo Bazaar. It was wonderful!
We had a ball, spent lots of money and laughed
all afternoon!
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.JPG "Cairo Bazaar")
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Cairo Bazaar
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Dazarine models an Egyptian scarf
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.JPG "Cairo Bazaar")
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Cairo Bazaar
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Our group making purchases from a local
vendor
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.JPG "Cairo Bazaar")
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Cairo Bazaar
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A patiently (?) waiting Harold!
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.JPG "Home Hosted Dinner Group")
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Home Hosted Dinner Group
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One unusual and fascinating event during any
Grand Circle Tour is the Home Hosted Dinner. Our
group was divided up and we were welcomed into
the home of an Egyptian resident. The family
cooked and served dinner for us and we got to
have a little more incite into the local
Egyptian way of life. It was a wonderful
experience.
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.JPG "Giza")
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Giza
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Of course the most recognized sights in Egypt
are the 3 great pyramids. It almost makes my
heart stop everytime I think that we actually
stood in the shadow of this impressive
structures.
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.JPG "Giza Pyramids")
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Giza Pyramids
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Our proof that we were there!!!!
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.JPG "Camel Rides in Giza")
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Camel Rides in Giza
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It would not have been a complete visit
without riding a camel!!
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.JPG "The mighty Sphinx!")
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The mighty Sphinx!
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Our group in front of the Sphinx.
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.JPG "Who is that Egyptian peeking around the corner!!")
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Who is that Egyptian peeking around the
corner!!
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Tom Anderson, of course!!! Does he look good
or what?
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.JPG "The mighty Step Pyramid in Sakkara")
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The mighty Step Pyramid in Sakkara
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.JPG "Sakkara Road Traffic")
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Sakkara Road Traffic
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We had stopped at a Carpet School after
visiting the Step Pyramid. While we stood
outside, there was a constant stream of traffic
such as this on the road. Most waved and said
hello as they made their way home from working
in the fields.
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.JPG "Abu Simbel - Great Temple")
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Abu Simbel - Great Temple
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This magnificient temple was actually moved
piece by piece to keep up from being lost
forever under the waters of Lake Nasser when the
Aswan Dam was built.
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.JPG "Abu Simbel - Smaller Temple")
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Abu Simbel - Smaller Temple
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.JPG "Felucca on the Nile")
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Felucca on the Nile
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This was part of the fabulous view we had
from our cabin on the Anuket while we were
docked at Aswan. This is a small felucca or sail
boat. This boats varied greatly in size and we
actually got to sail in one later that first
afternoon after our arrival in Aswan. This was
the highlight of our visit for me!
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.JPG "View of the Nile while on our Felucca sail")
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View of the Nile while on our Felucca sail
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.JPG "Just a happy couple!")
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Just a happy couple!
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Salah, our program director and our own Jeff
Weiler!
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.JPG "The Philae Temple")
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The Philae Temple
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This temple is on an island just a few miles
and a boat ride from Aswan. The setting is
gorgeous and the temple is amazing.
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.JPG "Kom Ombo")
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Kom Ombo
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The Kom Ombo Temple can just be seen in the
background. In the foreground is a row of stalls
where we bought our clothes for the Egyptian
Night party!!!!
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Egyptian night was wonderful!
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We played and socialized in our Egyptian garb
all night!
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.JPG "Balloons above the Nile in Luxor")
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Balloons above the Nile in Luxor
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George & I elected not to participate in the
pre dawn balloon adventure, but I did wake up
and take a picture out our cabin window. Our
group had a beautiful clear day for their ride!
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.JPG "The enormous Karnak Temple!")
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The enormous Karnak Temple!
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This temple in Luxor was absolutely huge. It
covered acres of property with unbelievable
carvings throughout. We also saw much excavation
still going on. Very, very impressive.
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.JPG "Sunset on the Nile in Luxor")
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Sunset on the Nile in Luxor
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.JPG "Sailing the Nile near Luxor")
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Sailing the Nile near Luxor
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I caught this scene while we were cruising on
the Nile. The woman is washing something in the
Nile and the animals are grazing!
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Ramses VI tomb in Valley of the Kings
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We paid a few dollars extra to be allowed
into this tomb. The colors of the paintings and
carvings on the wall are simply unbelievable.
While we were in the tomb, the power went out.
IT WAS DARK!!!!! WOW! We also paid a couple of
dollars and were allowed beyond the ropes to
actually stand next to the sarcophagus. It was
amazing!!!
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Pictorial Directory of Mesa Dancers (as of
July 2024) 
.JPG "The Cairo Bazaar")
.JPG "Cairo Bazaar")
.JPG "Cairo Bazaar")
.JPG "Cairo Bazaar")
.JPG "Home Hosted Dinner Group")
.JPG "Giza")
.JPG)
.JPG "Giza Pyramids")
.JPG "Camel Rides in Giza")
.JPG)
.JPG "The mighty Sphinx!")
.JPG "Who is that Egyptian peeking around the corner!!")
.JPG "The mighty Sphinx!")
.JPG "The mighty Step Pyramid in Sakkara")
.JPG "Sakkara Road Traffic")
.JPG "The procession continues")
.JPG "Abu Simbel - Great Temple")
.JPG "Abu Simbel")
.JPG "Abu Simbel - Smaller Temple")
.JPG "Just a happy couple!")
.JPG "The Philae Temple")
.JPG "Kom Ombo")
.JPG "Kom Ombo Temple")
.JPG "The mighty Edfu Temple")
.JPG "Balloons above the Nile in Luxor")
.JPG "The enormous Karnak Temple!")
.JPG "Sunset on the Nile in Luxor")
.JPG "Sailing the Nile near Luxor")
Copyright © 1998-2024 by Pamela Hurd. All rights reserved.
This page was last updated:Saturday, September 28, 2024