travel – Page 27 – PalmTreeMusings

The Wonders of Egypt

July 6, 2010March 20, 2022Posted in Africa, Solo TravelTagged Aswan, best things to do in, Cairo, Dahab, desert camping, diving Alexandria, Egypt, Luxor, Petra, travel, travel blogLeave a comment

girl sitting in front of queen hetshepsut's temple in luxor egypt

I fulfilled a life-long dream this summer by going to Egypt and really taking some time to enjoy its wonders. As soon as school ended for summer break, I hopped onto a flight from Khartoum to Cairo, then on to Luxor. I spent a week in Luxor and Aswan, staying with my friend Joy at her house in Luxor..the blue ribbon of the Nile, the green palm trees, and the golden desert beyond was just like every description I’ve ever read in books. I visited tombs, temples, and funerary complexes such as Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings, the Ramesseum, and of course the architectural marvel of Abu Simbel, down on Lake Nasser. They were all amazing and I could hardly keep myself from snapping a picture every two feet.

Abu Simbel statues egypt lake nasser aswan dam — Upper Egypt: Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel

After a week of visiting southern Egypt, I flew up to Cairo and arrived at the same time as Ken, a friend of mine who was just as excited about coming to Egypt as I was. We walked around the city for two days, visiting perfume shops and of course the Egyptian Museum. I wanted to see and touch every one of their 200,000 artifacts but in reality we only made it through a half day visit. We boated around the Nile and got crazy lost in the city, thoroughly enjoying ourselves. We hired a car and visited the pyramids- Saqqara, Dzoser, the Bent, the Red, and of course Giza and the Sphinx. It was a magical day and I couldn’t believe I was really there.

couple on horses pyramids giza cairo egypt — The Py

Ready to leave the city, Ken and I headed to the Western Desert for a night of camping, bedouin style. We met up with a group of other travelers, loaded up a jeep, and spun around the desert for a while. We slept under the stars with rugs and carpets beneath us and rugs as walls to block out the wind, gazing at a fire and feeding scraps from our dinner to the desert foxes who came over to check us out.

Ken and Deah desert camping (48) — Camping in the White Desert

The day Ken left, Chris arrived from Sudan, and the three of us went to Alexandria. We walked around the western harbor and imagined the city in the days of the Ptolemies. Ken left that evening and Chris and I went scuba diving the next morning. We stood on top of the tumbled granite blocks from the famed Lighthouse at Alexandria and swam among the amphorae spilled overboard from Roman and Greek ships. We saw the ruins of what they believe was Cleopatra’s palace and looked at the Pharoanic, Greek, and Roman columns left in the sea.

couple in front of water at library of alexandria egypt — Alexandria, Egypt

overview of Alexandria Egypt — Alexandria, Egypt

After Chris left, I flew to Sharm El Sheikh and grabbed a ride up to Dahab, scuba capital and basic beach bum hang around of the Sinai. Two days of soaking up the sun and the relaxed atmosphere of Dahab by day, sitting in hookah lounges at the edge of the water by night, had me in a great state of mind. I took an overnight trip to St. Katherine’s monastery, built around the famous burning bush, and hiked up Mt. Sinai in the middle of the night to be there at dawn. It was quite a trip and it took two more days of laying around Dahab to sufficiently recover.

No Camels and Horses sign at Dahab Egypt — Dahab and the Sinai

toes and pool of water in Dahab Egypt — Dahab and the Sinai

My vacation time almost over, I had just enough time to fit in a two day trip to Petra to see the awesome carved rock canyon. I felt just like Indiana Jones as I walked down the narrow path, watching it slowly open up to the chiseled features of The Treasury, an amazing facade carved by the Nabateans around the time of Christ. The natural colors of pigmentation running through the rock combined with the detailed carvings make for a sight not to be forgotten.

exterior of main temple in petra nabateans indiana jones temple — Petra, Jordan

By the time I returned to Cairo and prepared for my flights back to Sudan, Dubai, and finally Texas, I was ready to go home and spend some time with my family. However, I loved every minute I was in Egypt and it was a trip I will never forget.

Chaperone a school trip to Turkey? Count me in!

March 26, 2010March 20, 2022Posted in EuropeTagged best things to do in, cappadocia, hammam, Istanbul, travel, travel blog, turkeyLeave a comment

I finally got the chance to go to Turkey, a country I have always wanted to visit. My school needed an extra chaperone for a student trip, so I agreed to go. But then, they needed one less chaperone, so they paid for my flight (because I had already committed the week to the school) but I didn’t have to chaperone any kids. Bonus!!

Istanbul is certainly a fascinating city. I have never been to a place that has more hotels- but they are for the most part small boutique hotels rather than huge nondescript ones. A bit like all the small ones dotted throughout the French Quarter, but even better.

The other great thing about Istanbul is the food. A wonderful blend of Eastern and Western, traditional and fast food. A great delight for someone coming from Sudan and suddenly craving a Big Mac. Yes, I admit it.

Turkey 2010 079 — A delightful juice bar at the market

Istanbul has so many great sites to see that it is impossible to write about them all. Of course the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque were first on my list. The sheer age of those buildings is just staggering. A couple of walks through the Grand Bazaar, although I didn’t get to go to the Spice Bazaar as I had wanted. Not one but two trips to the Hammam, the old Turkish bath. A new experience for me and completely enjoyable. I could have stayed all day, it was just a desire for more food and more sightseeing that finally pulled me out of the steamy marble baths and back into the cold day. Because yes, it was quite cold in Istanbul, particularly as here in Khartoum we had already been getting up into the 90’s.

Inside Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey — The Blue Mosque

There are many palaces of the Turkish and Ottomon empire dotted around the city of Istanbul- great places to view the architecture as well as amazing collections of jewels and chandeliers, rugs and furniture that great rulers habitually give each other as gifts. Wish I had friends like that!

A cruise along the Bosphorus, with a view of Europe to one side and Asia on the other- Istanbul is truly a city that spans two continents as well as two cultures. Outside of the city, a quick bus trip to Bursa, the silk capital, and a visit to the Silk Market to pick up ties and pashminas made of pure silk.

One area of Turkey that is rated as a “must-see” is Cappadoccia, home of the underground cave cities and the fairy tale chimneys, a geological formation. A great two days in the area seeing some amazing sights.

I didn’t get a chance to go to Ephesus or Troy- hopefully one day I’ll take a cruise of the Greece and Turkey coastline that will make a stop at those places. I would love to see the ruins of Troy. For the time being, I’m just pleased that my week of “chaperoning” a school trip to Turkey turned out so delightful.

Ethiopia: The oldest independent country in Africa

January 29, 2010March 20, 2022Posted in AfricaTagged Axum, best things to do in, blue Nile, ethioia, Gondar, lake tana, lalibela, travel, travel blog

My first job teaching in Texas was sixth grade World Geography. The textbook we used had a picture of some amazing rock-hewn churches in Ethiopia, and one of my students asked me if I had ever been there. At that moment, I knew I wanted to visit that place one day.

Very soon after I arrived in Sudan, two of my colleagues mentioned that they were going to Ethiopia over Christmas break. “Oh, I want to go too”, I said, basically inviting myself along. I think maybe they thought I was kidding, as I had just met them. But no, I was serious, and on December 19th, four of us left Khartoum- by bus, no less- to head for Ethiopia for twelve days of touring.

The bus was fairly horrendous and the first night’s stay at a border town was awful (it involved a donkey cart and sleeping at a brothel). But it quickly picked up as we visited the town of Gondar, known as the “Camelot of Africa” because of the 17th century ruins of nearly a dozen castles scattered around town. We enjoyed the cool weather and the quiet atmosphere of the ruins as we roamed around with our guidebook and Hussam as our almost-local helper.

Debre Birhan Selassie church in gondar ethiopia — Debre Birhan Selassie Church

Gondar camelot of ethiopia castle — Gondar: The Camelot of Africa

camelot of africa gondar ethiopia castle — Gondar: The Camelot of Africa

After Gondar, we boarded another bus heading south to Bahar Dar, a small town that sits at the southern edge of Lake Tana: the source of the Blue Nile river (which then flows into Sudan and ultimately Egypt). At Bahar Dar we hired a small boat to take us to see several island monasteries scattered throughout the lake. Some of them have ancient manuscripts and other Orthodox Christian treasures still. We also ventured out to Tis Isat, the waterfall that marks the actual source of the Blue Nile.

papyrus canoe lake tana ethiopia — A papyrus boat on Lake Tana

coffee ceremony lake tana waterfall ethiopia — A papyrus boat on Lake Tana

Finally we arrived in Lalibela, home of the 11 churches, hand-carved out of rock in the 13th century. Amazing sight. And how were they made so quickly, so perfectly? No one knows. The pilgrimages of white-robed Ethiopian Christians to the rock churches is truly a sight to behold.

We really enjoyed our time in Lalibela, with the exception of Christmas Eve, when I got very sick and had to go to the hospital. Which is a whole crazy story in and of itself! All I can say is thank goodness we had eaten Christmas Eve dinner at a fancy hotel and I had made friends with a doctor from Medicins Sans Frontieres. But, several hours later, it all turned out just fine after an ambulance ride and a surprisingly inexpensive shot of something that made me stop vomiting (thank goodness).

Tired of busing around, I hopped on a flight to Axum by myself to take a quick glimpse of the giant stelae, the tall stone obelisks that were raised two thousand years ago. Made by pre-Christian groups living in the area, no one is completely sure what purpose they served. But they are incredible to look at and wonder about. How can a society that lives in small grass huts build 45 meter tall obelisks that are carved to look like 13-story apartment buildings? A mystery. And of course- the ark of the covenant. Is it there? Axumites swear it is, and even have a guard posted at the small church building its purported to be in.

the building that houses the ark of the covenant axum ethiopia sign and the seal — Is the ark of the covenant truly in this building? Ethiopians say yes.

Stele at Axum ethiopia with door and windows carved in — Stele at Axum, Ethiopia

tri-lingual tablet found at axum ethiopia exana stone — Stele at Axum, Ethiopia

After Axum, I took a direct flight down to Addis Ababa, and spent the final couple of days with my travel companions. Addis was… disappointing. Although it is much cooler weather than Khartoum, and I did get to partake in the hot water mineral baths that gave Addis their name! Someday I hope to go back to Ethiopia and take a tour of the southern half of the country as well. Some amazing sights to see there, as well as the cradle of all civiliation. All in all, a delightful Christmas holiday, and a welcome break from life in Sudan.🇸🇩

Visiting the Silverback Gorillas in Uganda

January 8, 2010March 20, 2022Posted in AfricaTagged best things to do in, biwindi impenetrable forest, Kampala, Kigali, Rwanda, Rwanda gorillas, travel, travel blog, Uganda

silverback gorillas parc de volcanes rwanda uganda

I flew into Kampala, the capital of Uganda, on December 29th. Chris had arrived the day before for a work meeting. I got a taxi into the city and found him at our hotel, the lovely Kampala Serena. It felt great to have a little luxury after 10 days backpacking in Ethiopia. Kampala is a nice, fairly small and clean capital city- but big enough to have a movie theater, which we hadn’t visited in quite a while! We went to see Avatar and had dinner out in the city.

skyline of Kampala Uganda — Kampala, Uganda

couple at the equator in Uganda — Kampala, Uganda

On the 31st, our driver picked us up and drove us to the southwestern edge of Uganda, right next to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (home to the Ugandan mountain gorillas). The scenery the whole way was beautiful and although the drive was long, it was totally worth taking the time. Around 6 pm we crossed the border into Rwanda, and found ourselves just outside of Volcano National Park (home to the Rwandan mountain gorillas). Essentially the same mountain range runs through Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda, and the gorillas migrate between the three. Tourists can visit the mountain gorillas through either of the three countries, but costs and procedures will vary. Our permits cost us $500 for the day, as they were discounted for “low” season.

vegetable stands selling tomatoes bananas uganda rwanda — You never know what you’ll see next on a drive across Uganda

chickens going to market tied to back of car africa uganda rwanda — You never know what you’ll see next on a drive across Uganda

Early in the morning on Jan 1 (no staying up late for us, although we did share a bottle of wine at dinner to celebrate New Year’s Eve) we arrived at the park staging area and met the other trekkers and our guides. Only 30 people are allowed to trek each day and we were in a small group of 8. They gave us hiking poles- gaiters are also good to have along- and off we went up the mountain. The guides knew from some trekkers who spend the night near the gorillas where they were, so we only had to hike about an hour before we found them.

Deah at park de volcanes uganda gorilla trekking rwanda — Deah, Parc de Volcanes

Once we located the gorillas, we were able to watch them for one hour, from a distance of seven meters- close enough to smell them, anyway. We stood in the dripping rain, and watched the babies play, the mothers nurse, and the silverback choose a mate and make sweet, sweet gorilla love. All too soon it was time to hike down the mountain and find some dry clothes for us.

silverback gorillas having sex uganda rwanda parc de volcanes — “Getting Jiggy”

man on hill in rwanda uganda parc de volcanes gorilla trekking — “Getting Jiggy”

The next day, the 2nd, Chris had to fly back to Khartoum but I decided to stay for four more days. We went into Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, and visited the Genocide Memorial center, free for all visitors to the city. It is an amazing place. Rwanda, for all its bad press and the terrible things that happened fifteen years ago, is an incredibly forward looking country that is trying, probably harder than any other African country, to put the past behind them and move positively to the future.

milles collines green coffee hills of Rwanda — Milles Collines, Rwanda

view of city Kigali Rwanda — Milles Collines, Rwanda

Taking a moto-taxi, I decided to go to Lake Kivu, one of Africa’s great Rift Lakes, and the sixth largest lake in the continent. At an altitude of 1,614 meters, the weather is always cool and rainy there with occasional patches of sunshine each day. I was able to find a lovely guest house, Home Saint Jean, run by a church for only $20 a night, and stayed there for the next three days, just enjoying some solitude before heading back to work. Each night I watched the fishermen hang lanterns on the ends of their boats to entice the fish, and I read each day. A nice way to unwind before heading back to the hustle and bustle of Khartoum!

three night fishing boats with lanterns at lake kivu uganda — Views of Lake Kivu from my guest house

view from front porch guest house lake kivu uganda — Views of Lake Kivu from my guest house

Sudan: Whirling Dervishes and Pyramids at Merowe

November 26, 2009March 20, 2022Posted in AfricaTagged best things to do in, great elephant enclosure, hamad al nil, jebel barkal, meroe, merowe, naqa, nile, nubia, omdurman, pyramids, Sudan, sufi, temple of amun, travel, travel blog, whirling dervish

girl reading guidebook in desert in sudan

Last week we went to the mausoleum in Omdurman (which is on the other side of the Nile River from Khartoum) that houses the resting place of Hamad Al Nil, a 19th century Sufi Muslim leader. Every Friday night at his resting place, crowds of Sudanese pilgrims gather and make their sunset prayers. Women often pray to the ascetic leader’s bones and pray for a blessing, especially to cure illness.

tomb of hamad al nil whirling dervishes khartoum sudan — The tomb of Hamad Al Nil

whirling dervishes at tomb of hamad al nile khartoum sudan — The tomb of Hamad Al Nil

In addition to the women that visit the mausoleum to pray, a sect of Sufist Muslims (males only) gather to chant and beat their drums in a type of ritualistic worship. Sufism is a form of Islam that believes in purifying the soul to find inner peace. One way they purify their souls is to chant until they reach a physical ecstasy and they begin to dance and whirl around the circle, often on one foot. While most Sudanese men wear white robes on Sundays, the Sufists are easy to find because they tend to wear green and red robes. Some of the members of the sect are called simply “the poor”, and they spend their whole lives on the compound of the tomb of Al Nil, owning no possessions but the clothes on their backs, which are a colorful combination of patchwork cloths.

man in patchwork robes at whirling dervishes in sudan khartoum tomb of amad al nile

At the end of the ceremony, an elder walks around the circle with burning incense, a mixture of frankincense and gum arabic, and blesses the chanters and the crowds that gather. On the week that we went, there were about 300 Sudanese gathered, and perhaps 30 western visitors who had heard of the ritual and went to watch.

man in patched robes whirling dervishes khartoum sudan — Whirling Dervishes

man in black robes and man in green and red robes whirling dervishes khartoum sudan — Whirling Dervishes

The following weekend, Chris and I drove out to the pyramids at Meroe, also sometimes written as Merowe. Merowe was the capital of the Nubian kingdom (also called the Kushites) from about 300 bc to 300 ad. The city of Merowe is only about three hours north of the Sudan’s capital Khartoum. We went to three different sites of pyramids. Surprisingly, there are actually more pyramids in Sudan than there are in Egypt, although the ones here are smaller height and a smaller base, but rising at a much steeper angle. When we arrived at the first site, some guides with camels offered to show us around, so we gladly took them up on their offer! Later in the day we drove to another site called Naqa, and saw the Temple of Ammun and the Temple of the Lion. Finally, we ended up at Musawwarat es-Sufra and saw the ruins of a large building called the Great Enclosure, which is believed to be a building where the Nubians captured and trained elephants.