Middle East 2023
Visiting Israel has been a lifelong dream, and I’ve been planning a trip there for several years. Covid forced me to cancel those plans, but I finally got to move forward. I ended up booking two back-to-back tours with Overseas Adventure Travel, one to Egypt, and the second to Israel, with a pre-trip extension in Jordan, in the fall of 2023.
Sad to say, war erupted in Israel on October 7, while I was in Egypt, and the next day OAT called me to let me know the Israel tour was canceled.
I quickly scrambled to make other plans. I still went to Jordan, visiting Wadi Rum and Petra on my own. And I changed my flights to fly home from Amman, three weeks early.
The tremendous disappointment of not getting to Israel was balanced by the amazing things I saw in Egypt and Jordan. Those did not disappoint at all.
Unfortunately it was blazing hot in Egypt, with temps well above 100F (40C) every day. This made it easy to use free time by hanging out in hotel air conditioning. There were a few things I might have gotten to see on my own that I skipped. But the things I did see were really fabulous.
And when I got to Jordan, I was met with pleasant temps.
In retrospect, I wish I’d planned for more time, maybe making an alternative plan to spend the three weeks I cut my trip short. But I have no regrets. It was a great trip.
Photos and Videos
Egypt
Cairo (110 items)
Egyptian Museum (49 items)
Giza (24 items)
Luxor (185 items)
Nile River Cruise (183 items)
Esna (18 items)
Edfu (17 items)
Besaw Island (26 items)
Gebel el-Silsila (18 items)
Temple of Kom Ombo (17 items)
Daraw (20 items)
Abu Simbel (65 items)
Aswan (78 items)
Philae Temple (34 items)
Best of Egypt (80 items)
Jordan
Wadi Rum (206 items)
Petra Day One (111 items)
Petra Day Two (110 items)
Best of Wadi Rum (40 items)
Best of Petra (35 items)
Blog Posts
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The year ahead: 2023–2024
I like to say that if I’m not currently traveling, I’m busy planning my next trip(s). In this case, I have three upcoming trips in the next thirteen months, and possibly will squeeze in one or two more. Here’s a preview.
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Egypt, Jordan, and Israel: Final Itinerary
I leave in about three weeks for my next big adventure: six weeks in Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. I’ve received my final documents from Overseas Adventure Travel, so I can now share all the details of my trip. I’m taking two back-to-back OAT tours. The first is Egypt and the Eternal Nile; the second is Israel:…
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The long long long long wait
I have a loooooooooooooooong wait. I’m in Mexico City airport waiting for my Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul, where I connect to Cairo.
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First impressions of Cairo
Here are some first impressions of Cairo. I arrived this morning, got a ride from the airport to the Cairo Marriott, where I’m staying for the first three nights in Egypt, and walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch. After lunch I came back to my room and desperately needed a nap after two long…
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A Day at the Egyptian Museum
The main item on yesterday’s agenda was a visit to the Egyptian Museum. We started off with an orientation meeting at our hotel, where Mohamed (or Mo, or Dino) gave us an overview of what to expect. And because this is my third OAT tour, I got a pin!
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There Are No Gifts at the Pyramids of Giza
Today we visited the Pyramids of Giza. In addition to getting a good dose of history, I learned something every visitor to this important site should know: there are no gifts. Nothing is free.
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Women in Egypt
Yesterday after our visit to the Pyramids of Giza, we met Raheem, who talked to us about women in Egypt. She shared about her own experience as well as the role of women in society. This was part of OAT’s “Controversial Topics.” Unfortunately, one member of our group made it far more controversial than it…
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Luxor: Hell-adjacent???
Luxor became a major city starting with the 11th Dynasty, around 2050 BCE. Its height came around 1500 BCE and lasted about 400 years, encompassing the 18th, 19th, and 20th Dynasties. The ancient Egyptians called it Waset, meaning “city of the sceptre.” The Greeks called it Thebes, and the Arabs named it Luxor (“palaces”). A…
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From Luxor to Esna to Higz
After visiting Karnak yesterday morning, we drove out of Luxor about an hour south to Esna. There we visited the small but spectacular Temple of Khnum. Then we boarded our dehabeya “Asiya” and set sail up the Nile (heading south). After about four hours we stopped for the night at Higz. We met a local…
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On the Nile: Higz to Edfu
Yesterday was a light day activity-wise, but there was one big highlight: our visit to the Temple of Edfu. This wasn’t the most visually-stunning temple we’ve seen, but it is the most intact temple ever discovered in Egypt. So it did not fail to impress. In fact, the story of the Temple of Edfu is…
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On the Nile: From Besaw Island to Gebel el-Silsila
Yesterday we started the day with a visit to Besaw Island for what OAT calls “A Day in the Life.” Then we continued south to Gebel el-Silsila, the site of an ancient sandstone quarry. It was a low-key day in terms of seeing sights, and that was okay with all of us, I think. It’s…
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On the Nile: Fares to Kom Ombo
We started the day yesterday visiting a craftsman in Fares before continuing upriver to Kom Ombo. The temple there offered some new things to see as well as enhancing our understanding about the images carved in temple walls. Then in the evening Mo gave us a great talk and Q&A about Islam.
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On the Nile: From Daraw to Aswan
We started the day today in Daraw, a small village with a busy market. The rest of the day we just sailed to our final destination, Aswan. We’re still on the boat tonight; tomorrow we return to dry land. We didn’t see any sights today. Other than the market at Daraw, and a visit with some…
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Meeting Ramses II and Nefertari at Abu Simbel
I planned to write about Abu Simbel last night. But all the planning I did for this trip turned into a big snafu yesterday, as war broke out in Israel, and I spent the evening reworking all my plans. I’ll write about that later. For now, I’m trying to stay positive, so I will focus on…
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Philae Temple, with some back story
The highlight of our visit to Aswan was our visit to Philae Temple. There were other things I have to write about, especially the hotel where we stayed. And I have some back story to share.
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Wadi Rum: There are no words
I flew from Cairo to Amman on Tuesday, arriving around 3:30 pm, found my driver, and made the three-and-a-half hour trip to Wadi Rum. I arrived after dark, just in time for dinner at 8pm. And after a little gathering around a fire and a cup of tea, it was time for bed.
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Two days in Petra
My original plan to visit Petra was as part of an OAT tour that was primarily in Israel. When war broke out last week, I was in Egypt on another OAT tour. I had to scramble to make alternative plans, and I ended up booking two nights at the Esperanza Hotel in Wadi Musa. Instead…
