Walking Down Delain

Pylons of Karnak Temple, Thebes (now Luxor), Egypt Karnak is among the largest religious square footage anywhere in the world. In olden times, it was the site for the Temple of Amun-Ra, the sun god of Egypt and his wife, Mut, and their son, Khonsu. Approaching the temple, I was wowed by the goat-headed sphinxes lining the approach. Goat/Lion Sphinxes at Karnak Temple, Luxor, Egypt Egyptian temples are wonderful places, and Karnak is probably the most visited of the bunch. Notice the different heights of the pylons. They are different heights because one was never finished. In fact, you can see the building material piled behind it still. Building material for the unfinished pylon at Karnak Temple, Egypt In fact, this humble pile of mud explains exactly how the temple pylons were built and carved. Evidently, the ancient Egyptians started at the base of the pylon and began stacking the cut rock (limestone, I believe) that the pylon is constructed from. As they built the...

That's me, kissing the Great Sphinx of Giza Giza. Ancient burial place for three of Egypt's Pharaohs. It's ancient. It's iconic. It's famous. I've been there. If you have not, you need to GO THERE. Giza is home to the Great Pyramid, which is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that still remains (the others are all lost in time ... the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Temple of Artemis, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia). Great Pyramid with Tourist Line Climbing to the Entrance The Ministry of Tourism lets you climb and enter the Great Pyramid. That blew my mind. I climbed up (clinging to the wall the whole time ... I am not fond of heights). This structure is 455 feet tall; we went up maybe 50 of those 455 feet. I did not go inside; my guide explained that it is narrow, hot and steep in there, sort of like going up the arm of the Statue of Liberty ...

Oh, if you have the chance, GO TO EGYPT. You have GOT to GO TO EGYPT. I visited Egypt in February-March 2019. We flew out of JFK — economy class — and landed at Cairo Airport. The first thing you must do upon landing (after stretching your legs, of course ... it's an overnight flight and economy class is not comfortable) is visit the Egyptian Bank with US$25 in cash to pay for your visa to enter the country. No $25 cash, no visa and you turn around and go home on the next flight. You can give them US$30 or US$50 if you want, but they will not give you change. Just take US$25 with you. Only after you visit the bank and get your visa do you collect your luggage and go through customs. I was with a tour group and I've had a KTN (Known Traveler Number) for awhile now, so customs was probably easier for me than it might have been. You're going to be exhausted after that flight, so don't do what I did and spend $69 to hear the Great Sphinx of Giza talk. I saw t...