Day 33 Alexandria

Day 33 – Alexandria – Sunday 17/6/12

Weather – Fine and Sunny 26C - 31C

Sunrise – 4.56am

Sunset – 7.06pm

Time difference - minus 8 hours ex Sydney.

In the early hours of the morning Sun Princess passed oil rigs a few miles portside. We turned to a south westerly heading making our approach to the pilot station, from where the pilot climbed on at about 4.45am. We then followed the buoyed channel and turned to port, passing the breakwater.

Alexandria is famous for the ancient lighthouse completed after the death of Alexandria the Great. It was built around 280BC and stood an estimated 393 feet tall. It was the tallest building in history and stood for centuries, before its destruction in later earthquakes and ruin in 1480.

Well, the day has arrived. Whilst every port (after Penang) is a new port for us, and a whole new adventure, this is one that had the asterix mark next to it for obvious reasons. What would the day hold for us? Would it be an anti-climax? Would our expectations be too high, and therefore would there be a tinge of disappointment? Or would it be exactly as we had hoped ?

We were booked on a private tour arranged by Narelle, a CC colleague who has done a fantastic job arranging many tours. I am so glad we were on this one. We were up, out, off the ship and sitting in the bus by 6.15am. We had to wait about a half hour for security folk to wave their little batons and let us go.

The early Sunday morning departure made for a rapid exit from the city, and we were very quickly whisked away to the city edge and settled in for the 3 hour drive to Cairo. The drive was actually quite interesting as most of the way there were people and things to look at it. There was only about 45 mins of driving through the sandy landscape. We had a 20 min rest stop (take note Princess) about half way for a stretch, drink and wee at a cafe that had a little zoo attached.

As we approached Giza, the building density increased, as did our anticipation and expectation. Well, not all the pictures we have seen, nor the documentaries and movies we had watched, had prepared us sufficiently for what we felt when we stood awestruck at the foot of the Pyramid of Cheops. Initially when getting off the bus, I just stood there momentarily mesmerised by being in the physical presence of this awesome structure.

We spent a magical couple of hours amidst the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - the awe-inspiring pyramids and the iconic sculpture of the Great Sphinx. The insistent hawkers and camel riders were everywhere, and all over you. They are going through tough times, with tourist numbers to Egypt dropping from 20m annually down to only 3m last year, so fewer buyers makes the sellers more desperate.

We then drove into and through the streets of Giza, then Cairo, including a shopping stop at an up market bazaar. There was some really nice stuff there, and quite expensive, so the wallet stayed securely tucked away. Donna took advantage of the phone signal to call home to Kimberley as they had not spoken for a while, so she was an even happier camper !!

Driving through the city was a bit of an odd feeling, as these were the streets that had been in the news so much over the last 18 months, and still are, with today being the second day of the presentational elections that have a tad bit of tension associated with. We did not see, or experience anything that gave us any concern for our safety. Quite the opposite, people were very friendly and courteous, waving and smiling at us.

We then went for a sail boat ride on the Nile in a traditional Egyptian vessel, a felluca. Not only was it very relaxing, but it was a little surreal to be sailing on such an iconic river. Then we had a wonderful buffet lunch in a floating restaurant on the banks of the Nile.

The 3 hour return journey, with a rest stop, gave plenty of time for the enormity of the day to sink into the psych. It was truly a special day, and a wonderful way to complete the transit of that geographic section of the world.

This evening Sun Princess shoved off at 8pm, setting a north westerly course across the Mediterranean Sea for our next port Mykonos.

Farewell Africa, Hello Europe !!! :)