Update - Egypt

We’ll be in Cairo for the next few days, and then heading north back through Jordan, Syria and Eastern Turkey before arriving in Iran. While we passed through the named countries on our way south, we still have some major sites to see, like Petra and Jerash in the country of Jordan and Palmyra in the country of Syria, on our trip north.

During our stay in Egypt, we toured through a major portion of the country, including the Aqaba, Sinai Peninsula, Cairo, the Western Desert, Luxor (Valley of the Kings, and Karnak Temple) Aswan, and a far south as Abu Simbel which is near Sudanese border. (See map link below.)

What amazed me most about Egypt is the shear grandeur and age of the temples and monuments. Just seeing them has piqued my interest in the civilizations that built them. I’ve seen some of the monuments and temples in documentaries, but experiencing them in person is something quite different. Seeing Egypt has given me an new founded appreciation for the complexity and sophistication of the civilizations that existed here some 4500 years ago. I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t read up on Egyptian history before visiting. However, I’ve been looking in book stores for books on Egypt to supplement my reading list.

(Reading update: I’ve finished four of the books that I brought on the first leg of my trip, and I have four more to read prior reaching Nepal where book supply will be replenished. Traveling in the back of the truck provides an optimal reading environment. )