Egypt Explorer - Lili on the Loose

15 08, 2016

Travel Missteps: The Fast Felucca

By Lili|August 15th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2015, Africa, Aswan, Cairo, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Egypt Explorer, Felucca, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Middle East, night train, Nile, obelisk, pool, Sailboat, service, unfinished obelisk|0 Comments

After a long night train from Cairo, we finally reached Aswan. To hit the ground running, I immediately took a taxi to the Unfinished Obelisk. Afterwards, I was so tired, and so decided to swim at the hotel pool, which overlooks the Nile. Typical to the "service" standard that was in Egypt, no towel attendants were in sight. Due to the lack of tourists the cafe was shut down. (We ordered lunch with a lone employee who had appeared, but it took over 2 hours for us to finally see them again with that food!) And the pool was missing

28 07, 2016

Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa

By Lili|July 28th, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, History, Travel|Tags: 2015, Africa, Alexandria, Anubis, Apis Bull, catacombs, catacombs of kom el shoqafa, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Egypt Explorer, Egyptian, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Greek, Isis, Middle East, roman, Travel Thursday|0 Comments

Source The mysterious Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa in Alexandria were discovered a little more than a hundred years ago when a donkey disappeared into a hole in the earth. What was uncovered was a complex of 3 story underground catacomb. While the upper floor is pretty bare from design the middle floor has a unique tomb that combines Egyptian, Greek, and Roman iconography. Above the entrance you can see many Uraei (cobras) with the sun disk, and the winged vulture, a common sight of Egyptian temples. But on the side you see a greek Agathodaimon (serpent) wearing the double crown

16 06, 2016

Hieroglyphics and Nilometer on Elephantine Island

By Lili|June 16th, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, History, Photography, Travel|Tags: 2015, Africa, Aswan, cartouche, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Egypt Explorer, Elephantine Island, Hieroglyphics, Middle East, Nilometer, Photo Essay, Psamtik II, Travel Thursday, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site|2 Comments

Near the Nilometer on Elephantine Island in Aswan, Egypt, there are massive boulders you can see from the river with hieroglyphics inscribed with the cartouche of Psamtik II. It is really amazing to see these hieroglyphics so clearly from the water. And to withstand the test of time. The entrance to the Nilometer is an unassuming doorway with steps leading to the nile. It is one of the oldest Nilometers in Egypt and was in use until the 19th century. Every other week Travel Thursday brings you travel tips and information on the amazing sights and activities the world has to offer.

6 06, 2016

Travel Missteps: Desperate for Some Ice Cream

By Lili|June 6th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2015, Africa, deir el bahri, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Egypt Explorer, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Hatshepsut, Hatshepsut's Temple, Ice Cream, Luxor, Middle East, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site|1 Comment

One of my biggest fears of going to Egypt was that it would be horribly hot and I'd get terribly sunburnt. Thankfully, going in late October/early November was a good choice, as while the weather was still warm, it wasn't scorching...except for the one day I was on the West Bank of Luxor touring the tombs at the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's Temple at Deir el-Bahri. That day I was so full of excitement, and had planned as best as I could. Wearing light clothes and hat, with plenty of water and sunscreen, I set out. And it truly

12 04, 2016

Egypt Travelogue: Day 6, Part 3 – Alexandria’s Antiquities

By Lili|April 12th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Memories, Travelogue|Tags: 2015, Africa, Alexandria, Anubis, Apis Bull, catacombs, catacombs of kom el shoqafa, Daughter Library, Diocletian, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Egypt Explorer, Egypt Travelogue, Egyptian, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Great Library of Alexandria, Greek, Isis, kom el shoqfa, Library of Alexandria, Middle East, Pompey's Pillar, roman, Roman Emperor, Sarapeion, Sarapis|1 Comment

This is my travel diary of my trip to Egypt. It contains in detail my memories of what I did and saw. Tuesday October 27, 2015 Egypt: Day 6, Part 3 – Alexandria's Antiquities We arrived to the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa. Knowing that cameras were not allowed we left most of our things on the bus, and after a quick bathroom break we had our bags checked and went through security. This place is known as the "Mound of Shards" for its many broken party shards and for most of the recent history was viewed as a dumping grounds

6 02, 2016

Shopping via Boat in Esna, Egypt

By Lili|February 6th, 2016|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: 2015, Africa, bargaining, boat, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Egypt Explorer, Esna, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Middle East, Nile Cruise, shopping, table cloth|0 Comments

As the first small boat made its way towards our cruise ship, bumping up against the bow, people gasped. "Oh no! They crashed into us! Are they okay!" People asked while craning over the railing to get a better look. And then a second boat crashed up against us, and a third, and a forth. They just kept coming. As more and more small boats tied up against us, it became clear what they were doing. They unfurled towels, scarves, large table clothes, shouting at us to look. And then, they rolled it up, and chucked it clear up to

17 12, 2015

The Martian and Me

By Lili|December 17th, 2015|Categories: Books, Pop Culture, Travel, Travel Memories|Tags: 2015, Africa, airplane, Andy Weir, Aswan, Book, Cruise, desert, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Egypt Explorer, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, kindle, Luxor, Mark Watney, Mars, matt damon, Middle East, Movie, Photo Essay, Reading, Red Desert, Saqqara, The Martian, Travel Thursday, UNESCO World Heritage Site|2 Comments

Source “Mars is a barren wasteland and I am completely alone here. I already knew that, of course. But there’s a difference between knowing it and really experiencing it.” -Mark Watney in The Martian by Andy Weir Egyptian Desert as seen from a Nile cruise. I remember the days before I had my Kindle. Stacks of books taking up space in my bags. I could easily go through 5-7 books per trip. And god help me if I had only brought a few in a series...and it finished on a cliffhanger! I remember many frustrating trips

7 12, 2015

Travel Missteps: Terror on the High Seas

By Lili|December 7th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2015, Africa, Cairo, Camel, Camels, Dream of Egypt, Dream Trip to Egypt, Egypt, Egypt Explorer, fear, fear of heights, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Giza, Middle East, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site|1 Comment

They call camels the "Ships of the Desert" as they are the most resilient and efficient form of travel. I actually hadn't planned on riding a camel. I had been warned, "They spit! They bite!" And other travel bloggers noted that the gate of a camel is awkward and will make you walk funny for days after. But I got caught up in the mystique of the pyramids, and so happily joined my friend on a camel trek in the desert around the Great Pyramids of Giza. Plus it cost so little! Just 120 EGP (plus 10 EGP tip at

3 12, 2015

Egypt: Planes, Trains, Automobiles, Ships, & Submarines

By Lili|December 3rd, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Review|Tags: 2015, Africa, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Egypt Explorer, Egyptian Sidekick, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Memphis Tours, Middle East, Photo Essay, transportation|1 Comment

I thought it would be fun to count all the ways I traveled on my 2.5 week trip to Egypt! Planes: 8 Trains: 3 Taxis: 8 Vans: 17 Shuttles: 3 Private Cars: 4 Trams: 5 Boats: 4 Ships: 1 Submarines: 0 (sadly didn't get to go on this one, as I had to cancel my day trip to Sharm) Horse Carriages: 4 Camels: 1 And a whole lot of walking, one time swimming, a handful of elevators, and a few people movers.

19 11, 2015

Egypt Trip Cost & Budget Analysis

By Lili|November 19th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Budget|Tags: 2015, Accommodation, activities, Africa, airfare, analysis, baksheesh, breakdown, budget, Cairo, cost, Denver, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Egypt Explorer, Egyptian Sidekick, Europe, food, Frankfurt, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Germany, hotel, Lufthansa, meals, Middle East, Munich, North America, optional activities, shopping, spending, Super Shuttle, taxi, tour, travel insurance, Travel Insured International, USA, Visa|0 Comments

This is my budget breakdown of my trip to Egypt (with a layover in Frankfurt, Germany). I knew going into this trip that it was going to be on the expensive side. I had budgeted $6262.41 in expenses for this trip. Here is how I actually spent that budget: Airfare: $972.26 I had watched airfare obsessively for about 2 months before I saw the airfare drop significantly through Lufthansa. I was able to get a 1 stop through Frankfurt on the way to Egypt, including a 12 hour layover in Frankfurt. And then on the way home I'd have 2 quick stops in