Aswan

Between Cairo and the Nile River, there is an ancient yet modern city named Aswan. In the olden days, it used to be a trading area and this practice has continued to current days. Aswan is still an important trading center for Egypt and other African countries. It is one and half-hours away from Cairo by flight but if one were to take the train, it would take more than ten hours. On this day, we woke up early to catch our flight at 6am.

We reached Aswan around 8am and our guide brought us to visit the Aswan High Dam. A major project that took eleven years to complete, this large dam accounts for 80% of the electricity consumption in Egypt. One cannot help but to agree that the Nile River has its modern days’ talents as well. After this, we visited the ancient red granite quarry whereby we learned of how the quarry operates in the past and I was deeply touched by the hard work and difficulties that the quarry workers faced. On a different note, I was pleasantly surprised to come across three books relating to Egypt in Chinese language in a small shop nearby and I happily purchased them.

Next, we enjoyed lunch onboard a cruise ship. Hundred of ships that vary in different sizes are berthed here. Amenities onboard each ship contains hundreds of cabins, a restaurant and café. There are even swimming pools onboard some of the larger cruises and it resembles a floating five stars hotel! We will be staying onboard the cruise for three days and that includes a New Year countdown party to welcome 2010.

To be honest, I was most looking forward to this part of the trip but I was greatly disappointed once we went onboard. The cabin assigned to us was near the engine room and I am sure that the engine sounds will keep me awake at night. Thus, we insistently requested for the person-in-charge to change a cabin for us. Upon several requests, we finally got our wishes and were assigned to a lower level cabin, near to the employees’ resting room. There was no beautiful scenery here but it was very quiet.

Late afternoon, we drifted along the Nile River in a small boat for 40 minutes and it was a pleasant experience, as we get up close and personal with the seagulls. Upon returning to the cruise, I sat on the deck to start blogging while taking pictures of soaring seagulls and the beautiful sunset!

Sailing along the serene Nile River with its beautiful scenery, I indulged in a beautiful night.

Alexander

The buildings with broken tiles, litters on the ground, an over abundance of vehicles that makes traveling difficult and the incessant sirens of car horns in the ancient city of Cairo gave me a false impression of the capital of Egypt.

However, the scenery along the way to Alexander changed my opinion of Cairo. We traveled on a modern expressway with views of high technology areas, high-class golf courses and soon-to-be developed luxurious residential areas, lining up both sides. Although there are rooms for improvement, if Cairo continues to develop healthily, this could become a desert oasis!

The city of Alexander faces the Mediterranean Sea and resembles a Greek-style city because it was built by the Macedonian King, Alexander. It has the air of a metropolitan city. We traveled by car from Cairo and the journey was approximately 3 hours. Due to the distance of travel and this being a day trip, we have a packed day ahead.

Our first stop at Alexander brings us to the mausoleum of Kom El Shouqafa, which was discovered in 1900. The mausoleum is a blend of Roman, Greek and Egyptian architectural features and is one of the most complicated and most balanced in yin-yang elements that I had ever came across in my years of traveling. Even though this underground mausoleum is not big, its sophisticated designs are delicate and detailed.

The King’s grave lies at the center of the mausoleum and there are hundreds of complex looking graves of different sizes surrounding the king’s grave. This mausoleum comprises of three levels and looks spectacular. I was unable to take pictures, as cameras were not allowed. Unfortunately, I was also unable to conduct any Fengshui research as compass is prohibited. Nonetheless, with the memory of the mausoleum tour, our guide and I drew a blueprint of the catacombs.

Around 3pm in the afternoon, we enjoyed lunch at a restaurant that faces the Mediterranean Sea. The scenery is beautiful and I took many pictures. Thereafter, we visited the spectacular Palace and Grand Garden. The Grand Garden is a few times bigger than the Botanical Garden and gave one the impression of being in paradise.

Our last stop in Alexander brought us to the Ancient King’s working office. It has since been transformed into a five star luxurious hotel. A beautiful public relations consultant gave us a short hotel tour before we made our way back to Cairo. We finally arrived back in Cairo close to midnight. It has been a long day and after dinner, I fell asleep shortly.