Middle East - Lili on the Loose

5 11, 2015

Egypt Travel Blogs & Online Trip Resources

By Lili|November 5th, 2015|Categories: Blog Recaps and Roundups, Resources, Travel, Travel Planning|Tags: 2015, Africa, Blog, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Egypt Bloggers, Egypt Blogs, Egypt Holiday Blogs, Egypt Travel Blogs, Egypt Trip Blogs, Egypt Vacation Blogs, Middle East, Reddit, Social, Social Communities, SubReddits, Travel Bloggers, Travel Blogs, Travel Communities, travel guides, Travel Thursday, trip resources|0 Comments

When traveling I love to research about the place I'll be going to. I usually will get a few travel guides, but I'll also read many blogs from other fellow travelers. I was sad to learn that Google's "Blog Search" functionality was discontinued, which made searching for the rare blog on Egypt so much harder to find. So to help future travelers here are some of the many blogs and other online resources I used in preparation for my trip to Egypt. Egypt Blogs Blogs with multiple posts about Egypt Lili On The Loose LandLopers Young Adventuress Oneika The Traveller

4 11, 2015

This Day in History: First Steps towards Tutankhamun’s Tomb

By Lili|November 4th, 2015|Categories: Currently Traveling, History, Travel|Tags: Africa, Cairo, Egypt, Luxor, Middle East, Tomb, Travel Thursday, Tutankhamun, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Valley of the Kings|0 Comments

Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon at the entrance of the tomb. 1922. “At last [I] have made wonderful discovery in Valley; a magnificent tomb with seals intact; re-covered same for your arrival; congratulations.” Howard Carter's cable to Lord Carnarvon on November 5th, 1922. The day before, on November 4th, Carter's team found the first step of a sunken stairway and then on the 5th they reached the sealed doorway to the tomb. A few weeks later Carter and Carnarvon would open Tutankhamun's tomb and entrance the world with their findings. Today I'm sadly leaving Luxor to head back to

31 10, 2015

Happy Halloween!

By Lili|October 31st, 2015|Categories: Currently Traveling, Geek, Pop Culture, Travel|Tags: 2015, Africa, Archeologist, cosplay, costume, Egypt, Geek, Indiana Jones, Middle East, Movie, Mummy, Raiders of the Lost Ark|0 Comments

Happy Halloween! When I was little, I wanted to be an Archeologist. This probably stemmed from watching Indiana Jones movies over and over again. So last year I created my own Raider's version of Indiana Jones complete with the Headpiece to the Staff of Ra. I thought it was a pretty awesome costume. But we had a work Halloween party where their kids were invited: Kid 1: Are you a cowgirl? Me: No I'm Indiana Jones. Both Kids *Blank Stare* Kid 2: What is India Jones? Me: ....a Archeologist. Both Kids *Blank Stare* Me: ... I dig up

22 10, 2015

Sun Festival at Abu Simbel

By Lili|October 22nd, 2015|Categories: Events, History, Travel|Tags: Abu Simbel, Africa, Amun, Egypt, Middle East, Ptah, Ra, Rameses II, Ramses, Sun Festival, Travel Thursday, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site|0 Comments

Today is Rameses II birthday! Each year on this day (and February 22nd, the day of his coronation) the morning light pierces into the dark chamber of his temple at Abu Simbel, shining on the statues of Ramses, Ra and Amun. They are 3 out of 4 statues in the central chamber, the last one Ptah the God of Darkness, which remains in the shadows. Source Red more here. I'm excited to be heading to Abu Simbel during my trip to Egypt!

19 10, 2015

Museum Monday: Guidebook to the Egyptian Museum

By Lili|October 19th, 2015|Categories: Museums, Travel, Travel Tips|Tags: Africa, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Egyptian Museum, Guidebook, Middle East, Zahi Hawass|0 Comments

Reading any guidebook to Egypt and they will say that the Egyptian Museum is a little disorganized, with no labeling, and bursting to the brims with so many ancient objects that it can be overwhelming. They will also advise that you get "Illustrated Guide to the Egyptian Museum" by Zahi Hawass so you can easily understand what you'll be seeing. However, this book is out of print, and so the prices on Amazon and Ebay move wildly. (A few months ago the book went over $100 on Amazon.) One tip I figured out, was that that book and "Treasures of

8 10, 2015

Making a Dream Trip to Egypt a Reality

By Lili|October 8th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Planning, Upcoming Travel|Tags: 2006, 2015, Africa, Chicago, Chicago Field Museum, Dream of Egypt, Egypt, Field Museum, Illinois, Indiana Jones, Karnak, Middle East, Travel Thursday, Tutankhamun, Zahi Hawass|0 Comments

I have always dreamt of Egypt ever since I was a little girl. I loved ancient history (and Indiana Jones) and wanted to see the temples and monuments in person. It was fascinated how they complex and old they were. And they were so beautiful from the photos! I would watch the history channel and just eat up anything related to ancient Egypt. Source But it was always this far off exotic place that I hadn't really thought of actually going to. Not until I heard a character in Anne of Green Gables shout this: "I want to travel.

26 03, 2015

Egypt Trip Itinerary

By Lili|March 26th, 2015|Categories: Itinerary, Travel, Upcoming Travel|Tags: 2015, Abu Simbel, Abu Sir, activities, Africa, Alexandria, Aswan, Cairo, Cruise, Dahshur, Dashur, Denver, Dream of Egypt, Edfu, Egypt, Egypt Explorer, Europe, Frankfurt, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Germany, Giza, itinerary, Kom Ombo, Luxor, Memphis, Middle East, Munich, museum, Nile, North America, Pyramids, Saqqara, Sharm, Sharm el Sheikh, Temple, tour, USA, Wadi Natrum|0 Comments

Within the next few months I will be embarking on my dream trip of a lifetime - EGYPT! I've been wanting to do this trip forever and actually had the money saved up to go in 2011, but the revolution put a kink in my plans. I was skittish, not wanting to go during that trouble period. But I realize now, things will never be stable...at least not for another decade or so. And so I must take a leap of faith, stop waiting, and just go! So for the last few months I've been planning this trip. Below is