Egypt - Lili on the Loose

20 04, 2017

Electrolyte Powder Needs To Be In Your Travel Kit

By Lili|April 20th, 2017|Categories: Travel, Travel Tips|Tags: 2015, Africa, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Electrolyte Powder, Electrolytes, Middle East, Oral Rehydration Salts, re-hydration powder, sick, Travel Thursday|0 Comments

I like travel gear. Leading up to a trip I will research and see what new toys I can get. But at this point there isn't much that I don't have (and I already have a lot I don't need.) One of those little preparation purchases that I ended up never using (that is until I was extremely ill in Egypt) was Rehydration Powder also know as Electrolyte Powder. I had bought some for Costa Rica in 2012, and carted it around "just in case". Well good thing, because when I was 6 days into a 17 day trip to Egypt in

10 04, 2017

Travel Missteps: The Best Laid Plans

By Lili|April 10th, 2017|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2015, Africa, bombing, Cairo, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, falcon, Frankfurt, Giza, Lufthansa, Middle East, Munich, plane crash, plans, Sharm el Sheikh, snorkeling, strike|0 Comments

I'm not known for spontaneity. As an introvert if I don't have set plans its too easy to forgo them. So when I travel I tend to overplan. I'm not insane. I don't have exact step by step down to the minute plans. Instead I have knowledge and options. I'll know of things to see and do, when they open, and what is nearby. Sort of like an al-la-carte menu. So what would you do with one free day? One full of promise, but no set plans? This is what I pondered for my last day in Egypt. I would be

7 04, 2017

The Falcon at Edfu, Egypt

By Lili|April 7th, 2017|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Photography, Travel|Tags: 2015, Africa, crown, Dream of Egypt, Edfu, Edfu Temple, Egypt, falcon, Horus, Middle East, Photo Friday, Temple, Temple of Edfu|0 Comments

This magnificent falcon statue at Edfu represents Horus and wears the double crown of Egypt. It was fun slowly watching the sun light up this statue. Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.

1 04, 2017

Souvenir Saturday: Suckered into Buying Papyrus

By Lili|April 1st, 2017|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: 2015, Africa, bargaining, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, hustle, Middle East, papyrus, papyrus museum, shopping, souvenir|1 Comment

One thing I didn't think I'd get in Egypt was Papyrus. I didn't think I'd find anything I'd want to display, and I had always seen cast-off papyrus at second-hand stores like Goodwill. But, when you are there in the moment you get caught up...and guilted. You see, our group stopped at a "Papyrus Museum" (aka showroom) on our way to Alexandria. They showed us how Papyrus is made, and then each one of us were allowed to look around. Except in Egypt, "looking around" means you get adopted by one of the many employees eager for a sell. An

18 03, 2017

Souvenir Saturday: Starlight

By Lili|March 18th, 2017|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: 2015, Africa, Cairo, Call to Prayer, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Egypt Explorer, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Islamic Cairo, Khan el Khalili, Lamp, market, Middle East, Muslim, prayer, Souq, Star Lamp, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site|0 Comments

I've told the story of trying to buy a lamp right as the call to prayer started, this is that lamp. I really wanted a star shaped lamp, and I loved that this one had stars and moons imprinted on it to spread the light. Although the purchasing of it was comically awkward... Souvenir Saturday is an every-other week series on the items that represent travel memories.

6 03, 2017

Museum Monday: Colossus of Ramses II

By Lili|March 6th, 2017|Categories: Museums, Travel|Tags: 2015, Africa, British Museum, Colossus of Ramses II, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Great Temple of Ptah, Hieroglyphics, Horace Smith, Memphis, Middle East, mit rahina museum, Ozymandias, Percy Shelly, poem, Rameses II|0 Comments

I had the opportunity to see the Colossus of Ramses II at the Memphis museum a few years ago. Tourism was way down in Egypt, and I was the only person in the viewing room (and one of 3 people in the entire open air museum). Memphis is not on most people's tourist track since its out of the way. But I really enjoyed looking at the details of this statue, thinking how it was carved out of a single block of red granite. If you really like statues or ancient Egyptian history, than I really recommend a visit. Seeing the

13 02, 2017

Travel Missteps: Walking The Unfinished Obelisk

By Lili|February 13th, 2017|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2015, Africa, Aswan, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Egypt Explorer, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Middle East, obelisk, unfinished obelisk|0 Comments

It has been a dream of mine to see the Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan. And so I was overjoyed to be one of 6 people there that day in 2015. You can see how few people were there! But I was a bit dismayed to see that the path to walk on the obelisk was roped off. I knew you could walk on it, and could still see the stone that allowed you to gain entrance to it. So I did what I would never normally do, I went off the path! A close up of the crack that

9 02, 2017

The Carvings of Edfu Temple, Egypt

By Lili|February 9th, 2017|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Photography, Travel|Tags: 2015, Africa, carvings, crown, Dream of Egypt, Edfu, Edfu Temple, Egypt, falcon, Horus, Middle East, Osiris, Set, Temple, Temple of Edfu, Travel Thursday|0 Comments

Edfu's Temple had so many amazing carvings that there were too many to show in my first post. So here I present to you more of the temple. One of the side passages between the outer walls and the inner sanctum. Every bit carved beautifully and with lion-headed gargoyles that divert the rain off the sanctuary roof. One of the inner rooms shows the Pharoah along with a goddess. Set being speared by Osiris . Birds and fish in a net. In the darkness of the inner temple I could bearly make out lions and other carvings on this pillar. The faithful brining

23 01, 2017

Museum Monday: Gilded Lady

By Lili|January 23rd, 2017|Categories: Museums, Travel|Tags: ancient egypt, Colorado, Denver, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, DMNS, Egypt, exhibit, gilded lady, Mummies, Mummies New Secrets from the Tombs, museum, North America, USA|0 Comments

© 2015 The Field Museum photo by John Weinstein This mummy is known as the Gilded Lady, and is part of the Field Museum's collection. However, it hasn't been on display since the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, until now! She is on display as part of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science's new exhibit Mummies: New Secrets from the Tombs. You can see her headdress which isn't made from the linen of the rest of her mummy but instead glued layers of papyrus (this type of design is called cartonage) to mimic her hair. Her gilded face mask has made her famous and might be

20 01, 2017

Hathor Headed Columns at Dendera Temple

By Lili|January 20th, 2017|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Photography, Travel|Tags: 2015, Africa, columns, Dendera, Dendera Temple, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Hathor, Hieroglyphics, Middle East, Photo Friday, Temple of Hathor|5 Comments

The Temple of Hathor at Dendera is one of the best preserved temples in Egypt. Even so, early christians who sheltered here defaced many parts of this Roman-Hellenistic temple. Here you can see the face of Hathor has been partially defaced at the top of these columns in the first hypostyle hall. But even so the blue paint shines through. Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.