Tombs and temples

It's been a busy two weeks. We toured the bottom half of this country, then jumped on an airplane and saw another one.

It was really nice to spend time with family: Milli's grandparents, brother, and (surprise!!) her mom. She had been feeling left out and decided to join the trip at the last minute ;) It was impressive that the details worked out so that she could come, especially considering the general incompetence of travel agents in Egypt.

Upper Egypt is, next to the pyramids, the reason why this country is not broke. The two towns of Luxor and Aswan and the strip of land between them lay claim to some of the world's best ancient historical sites. We opted for the luxurious route and took a 4-day cruise from Luxor to Aswan, by far the easiest way to travel. The slow, relaxing pace allowed us significant card-playing time as we floated down the river.

Unfortunately, even though we were assured otherwise, practically nothing was handicap accessible, making it very difficult for Milli's grandmother to get around. Her knees are really bad, making it difficult for her to walk. It's so frustrating that nothing in this country is handicap accessible.

The sights (almost all of which Nani missed) were great: the resilient and brilliant colors on the walls of royal tombs; the sheer size of Karnak Temple's great hall; the splendor of Petra; the awesome age of everything. Quite incredible. We were actually a little bit tired of temples and tombs by the time it was all over.