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‘Walking The Nile”

Levison Wood "Walking The Nile"If you watched last night’s initial episode of Channel 4’s “Walking The Nile” you’ll know now that amazingly the Nile begins as a tiny trickle in upper Rwanda.

In fact it’s so insignificant that it’s almost impossible to believe that the mighty River Nile, the world’s longest river starts that way.

Of course it’s not long before the tiny trickle becomes a substantial and fast flowing body of water but it was fascinating to see “Levison Wood” start his trek at the very source. Continue reading “‘Walking The Nile””

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Walking The Nile – Channel 4 Tonight

“Walking The Nile” – Tonight on Channel 4

Walking The Nile

Channel 4 in the UK begins a 4 part series this evening (4th Jan2015) entitled “Walking The Nile” which follows Levison Wood‘s trek along the Nile. Starting at it’s source in Rwanda’s highland rainforests right through to it’s end on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.

Apparently it took 9 months to complete, approximately seven million steps!

It promises, according to the preview write-up, to be an eventful journey with a number of not so pleasant events. I imagine it will be very different from Joanna Lumley’s Nile , a journey of a similar nature that she undertook.

Joanna Lumley’s journey wasn’t’ as basic and rough as this sounds and included a Nile cruise. Levison Wood’s is all on foot.

I’m really looking forward to following the series which starts at 9.00pm tonight.

 

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Memphis, Saqqara and The Great Pyramid Full Day Excursion

A few years ago, on one of our visits to Cairo, when we were staying at the excellent Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel, virtually overlooking the Great Pyramid, we decide to take a full day excursion, visiting Memphis, Saqqara and The Great Pyramid.

We booked the trip via the hotel’s reception that evening and the next morning we were collected by our guide for the day in a small, air-conditioned and very comfortable mini-bus."Memphis, Saqqara and The Great Pyramid"

Our first stop, after an hour or so’s drive was the Memphis, Egypt’s first capital, and the Memphis Museum. We arrived quite early so there were very few other visitors around, as I imagine it must be like now. Amongst many other things we saw the colossal statue of Ramses the II, which apparently was the inspiration for Shelley’s poem, “Ozymandias“. The statue once stood 11metres high but now lies on his back with his feet missing. Even on his back you can still get an impression of just how awe inspiring the statue must have looked. And, as always in Egypt, you wonder how on earth they made and elevated these amazing structures. Continue reading “Memphis, Saqqara and The Great Pyramid Full Day Excursion”

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Tomb of Nubia Viceroy during the reign of King Tutankhamun is to be opened in mid-December at Qurnet Marei on Luxor’s west bank

Huy Tomb opens to the public on Luxor's West Bank.Tomb of Nubia Viceroy during the reign of King Tutankhamun is to be opened in mid-December at Qurnet Marei on Luxor’s west bank.

According to an article in http://english.ahram.org.eg, Egypt’s largest news organisation and publisher of Al-Ahram, Egypt’s oldest newspaper, after three years of restoration, the tomb of Huy, Nubia Viceroy during the reign of King Tutankhamun, is to be opened to the public for the first time.

The tomb is located at Qurnet Marei on Luxor‘s west bank, and it includes a court and a burial chamber. Continue reading “Tomb of Nubia Viceroy during the reign of King Tutankhamun is to be opened in mid-December at Qurnet Marei on Luxor’s west bank”

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3,500 year old broken tooth solves one of Egyptology’s great mysteries…

A 3,500 year old broken tooth, found in a box in a burial chamber has helped solve on of Egyptology’s great mysteries.

Egyptology Mystery Solved  According to a recent article in the Travel Weekly magazine, a CT scan revealed that the tooth would fit exactly into the mouth of a previously unidentified mummy, now known to be the only female pharaoh from the Golden Age, Hatshepsut.

That means that not only can visitors now come face to face with her in the Mummy Room at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum but also that experts have changed their view on this indomitable queen’s relationship with her stepson and the manner of her death.

So, even now, new discoveries are happening all the time and new sites are being excavated and opened to the public. Which means that it really is a great time to take a Nile cruise and visit Cairo.

Following the instability following the 2011 revolution things have been quieter under President El-Sisi and tourists are returning in larger numbers each month. In September visitor numbers were up 193%.

Continue reading “3,500 year old broken tooth solves one of Egyptology’s great mysteries…”