Egypt (Cairo, Alexandria, Abu Simbel, Aswan, Luxor)

Egypt had been our bucket-list destination forever. We had initially planned our trip in 2013 June end, but the protests broke out and we had to cancel our trip and  extend our Turkey stay that time. But it all turned out to be good. We spent an extra week in beautiful Turkey and this time we had a pre planned itinerary and we were going with our family! Here is our trip summary:
Day 0 - Arrive in Cairo
Day 1 - Day trip to Alexandria
Day 2 - Fly to Aswan - Drive to Abu Simbel and back to Aswan
Day 3 - Sightseeing in Aswan - Drive to Luxor
Day 4 - Day tour in Luxor
Day 5 - Fly to Cairo - Sightseeing in Cairo
Day 6 - Fly out

When to go

Our first trip in 2013 was planned for June and thank God, it got cancelled. Even in December the south is super hot and dry, so I can only imagine what the weather would be like in June. The temperatures in Cairo and Alexandria were mild, but Aswan and Luxor were super hot. So, do keep weather in mine when planning

Food

Traveling with vegetarian parents was concerning. Cairo had a few choices for vegetarian food, with Indian restaurants readily available. But, Aswan and Abu Simbel offered none. We had to make do with scavenging the buffet of our hotels for vegetarian food. But Abu Simbel was a nightmare for our parents who couldn't stand the smell of meat being cooked in a regular African restaurant. So stock up on snacks when traveling south. Luxor had an Indian restaurant but it was mostly always booked for the large tour groups and hence we had to work around their times. So yes, food is a bit of concern especially if you are keen on Indian vegetarian food. Also, if you are stepping out early for the day, most of the hotels provide packed breakfast boxes.

Trip logistics

Cities we visited

There is a lot to see in Egypt and it offers plenty of history. But its not possible to plan for things without a tour company. You can absolutely plan according to your preferences and comfort, but you can't do the trip as a DIY. Hence, pick the list of things you want to see and do and pick a travel agency that can weave it all into one itinerary. For us the hotels offered were 4 and 5 star rated and they were all excellent. None of the hotels we stayed at were disappointing. At this point, I must mention the our tour planners: Memphis Tours. Very responsive, prompt and had very good transportation and guides for us, given we had 8 adults and 1 child in our entourage.

Getting around

We flew in and out of Egypt from Cairo. Alexandria is a three hour drive from Cairo. For Abu Simbel, either you fly directly to the airport in Abu Simbel, or you can fly to Aswan and then take a three hour drive to Abu Simbel. Luxor is a three hour drive from Aswan and also has an airport to fly in and out of. Plan as you see fit. Some folks take an overnight cruise along from Aswan to Luxor as well. We chose to fly or take the road between various cities. Its a developing country so there aren't many rest stops along the way, road aren't that great and scenery isn't too exciting as well. So, if the cost doesn't hurt, flying may be the best option.

Cairo

My favorite from the trip

The Pyramids! Yes, the pyramids. Our first stop in the city was The Pyramids. There are three pyramids of different sizes and they are huge! Yes, they live up to your expectations. There is a special ticket and you can go inside the biggest pyramid and see the tomb. There is a narrow opening and a narrow passage to get to the tomb and come out. Of course we were doing that! Only that once we got in, and were half way through, the passage was so narrow that I suddenly started feeling claustrophobic, with my legs shivering and I was sweating profusely. Without a second thought, I turned around and came out. It was a strange feeling I had never experienced before but I think I am more considerate of people who say they feel claustrophobic. Its not pleasant. But the rest of the gang completed the trip and came out pretty happy about their accomplishment.

For the pyramids, the more important thing is to know where to take the pictures from. The guides know it the best. I had clearly stated I wanted pictures jumping over the pyramids and kissing the Sphinx. He made sure that we went to all these spots. There is also a camel ride around the pyramids, but its best to ask your guide to negotiate a price in case you are interested. Have heard enough instances of being cheated upon.

Entrance to the pyramid

Khan- El - Khalili

So after our awe-inspiring Pyramid and Sphinx darshan, we were headed to the the Egyptian Museum. It was undergoing renovation then, but I hear it is now ready and is well renovated. The guide gave us our own headsets so that he could communicate with us. This museum is loaded with historical significance, but our parents were super tired walking around in this museum. So, not a good idea if you aren't up for setting your fitbit on fire. For me, personally, the highlight was Tutankhamun mask and his chamber. Just pure gold, loads and loads of it. There is a mummies chamber too and there are plenty of them and the bodies are so well preserved that was scary I felt.

From the museum, our next stop was the Coptic Church. Cairo has a thriving Christian population also. And there was news of some shooting at a nearby church the previous week. But, funny enough, the guide compared it to the school shootings in the US and told us they were safe as we were still sending kids to school in America. I really had no answer to that. The church wasn't that great architecturally, but had more significance in terms of history and having a church in middle of a Muslim dominated city.

Next and final stop was the Khan El Khalili bazaar. I was looking to get a pendant in the hieroglyphs, but we were short on time, and the suggestions that the guide made were a little too expensive than I had imagined. So, I changed my mind. Family was very interested in buying some Egyptian cotton sheets and all, but this is where we felt being with a guide wasn't useful as they took us to the shops they knew and they were pretty expensive, I imagine they had a commission in the sales. So, we didn't buy those either.

This is the rendezvous city for Egypt. Cairo airport is well connected to Africa, Middle East and Europe. The tour agents are allowed to come into the airport before your immigration check and help you out through the immigration as well. Not that there is any help needed, its pretty straightforward like anywhere else. We stayed at two hotels in Cairo, one at our arrival and other for our departure. Fairmont Nile Hotel was luxurious hotel and we absolutely loved it. Second, we stayed at Fairmont Hotel Heliopolis as it was close to the airport and made our trip to the airport shorter.

Alexandria

Qaitbay Fort

A barely three hour drive from Cairo, it is a crowded old-town on the Mediterranean coast. Navigating through the town in a mini-bus reminded me of crowded streets of Delhi. Densely populated and not much order to the chaos. Our first stop was catacombs. I was quite excited as the first time I went to Catacombs, was in Peru and it left me in awe of the whole concept. Bit the catacombs here are quite underwhelming. First, they are in middle of a housing locality and there is just a tiny staircase leading to the underground catacombs. The facade isn't exciting, on going downstairs, you see the tiny, humid rooms with hieroglyphs and painting on the wall and you are reminded, you are in Egypt. The mecca of historians.
Next up, was the Qaitbay Fort. Perfectly located fortress at the Mediterranean shores. It gives you really pleasant views of the city. I loved taking pictures here. Next we went to Alexandria library and it had such a unique architecture. I here the new tech buildings in bay area are based on that architecture. The sunshine comes in through the roof at every floor. I thought this was definitely worth the visit.
That completed our Alexandria visit and we were on our way back to Cairo from here. We stopped at some Indian restaurant for dinner. Glad we found something that was tolerable for our parents tastes and we went home fully fed.

Qaitbay Fort

Abu Simbel

After pyramids, the next thing on my list was Abu Simbel. Its three hours one way from Aswan, but absolutely worth it. A very old temple, located at the bank of the river and just next to Sudan border. Its not just the history of Ramses II that makes this place highly significant, but how construction of the dam made relocation of Abu Simbel and international project. A marvellous engineering and archaeological feat. More so, the public access to Abu Simbel just started recently, as earlier due to threats from Sudanese terrorists, you had to be accompanied by security convoy in order to visit.

Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel does not disappoint. Its freaking awesome. The whole architecture, the history, the location, its simply mind blowing. I am so glad we made the trip all the way here. I won't write too much about the history of this place as you need a guide for that, plus I don't remember much of it anyway!

The drive from Abu Simbel to Aswan offers vast landscape full of dunes. I was so happy to see those that I requested the driver to stop around sunset so I could take some SRK pose pictures. But, there are no places for food. A couple of local restaurants didn't have vegetarian options and we barely got by with soup and rice. My mother in law refused to even taste it and didn't enter the restaurant because of the smell. So, be mindful to pack up your food bag when making this day trip.

Aswan

By the time we reached Aswan by night, we were dead tired and wanted to catch a break. So, we decided to start a little later the next day. The hotel we stayed in was by the bank of river Nile, Movenpick Aswan resort. Luxurious hotel, with excellent amenities. had to take a short boat ride to get to the hotel as there was no direct road to the hotel. So cool!

Temple of Philae

After a late start to our day, with our bellies full of buffet breakfast, we headed to the unfinished Obelisk. Initially uninterested, I quite liked it. And after that have been paying more attention to other obelisks in the world and where they are located. I didn't know that most them were quarried as a single stone and were stolen from Egypt during multiple wars and raids. It was a bit of a hike to get to this unfinished obelisk, so we left our parents at the market on the streets and made a quick trip with the guide.

Next was the Aswan dam, nothing too exciting about it in my opinion. Just like any other dam. The funding and the construction of the dam was a big deal at that time. And I was just happy to know that there are quite a few crocodiles out there in Lake Nasser 

Temple of Philae

Our final and most enjoyable stop in Aswan was the Temple of Philae on the Isis island. You can get here by boat. You walk through a local market of handicrafts and souvenirs. Good place to shop, but must haggle. Also not that once you engage any seller, they won't let you be. After a quick boat ride, we reached the Isis island. Beautiful, old Egyptian architecture with many many wall paintings and carvings with colors preserved till date. This place was crowded and why not. It was beautiful and that history lesson from our guide made it even more valuable. Excellent place to take pictures too! 

Luxor

I loved our hotel in Luxor too. Steigenberger Nile Palace Luxor was where we stayed and Luxor is the most touristy places of Abu Simbel and Aswan. It has more shops and is a bigger township. We were staying here for two nights.

Valley of Kings

Since we reached early, we decided to venture out, which turned out to be quite an experience! We decided to take horse carriage rides from our hotel to the local souvenir market. A well known tourist stop, now I don't remember what the exact name was, but ask your hotel people and they'll know. So, we fixed a price and got on their carriages, Two of them, of course, with 8 adults and a kid. They took us straight to some souvenir hop where they probably had a commission on sales. It was pricey, didn't have much stuff and not where we asked to go to in the first place. Hence, we got really pissed and asked the carriage guy to take us back. Now on our way back, they tell us the price was one-way price for the carriage ride. It was a nightmare to just sit tight as it wasn't your country, not the language you spoke, so just sit quietly and go to the hotel. Once back, we got off and asked the security folks of the hotel to deal with them. Apparently it is a well known scam run by these folks and if in any case you need to go somewhere, either by a carriage ride or by a taxi, ask your hotel staff to help you out. They will get reliable people.

Temple of Hatsheput

Hot air balloon ride over the valley

Okay so now for the good stuff. Luxor has hot-air balloon rides and Sumit and I skipped it, but we sent our parents for the balloon ride. We decided to sleep in for extra two hours and join them later. If you haven't done it before, you should do it at least once! Our first stop was Valley of Kings, this is the burial spot for Egyptian Kings. There are many tombs that are open and colors on the walls are still bright and painting clear. So, definitely go inside a tomb or two. King Tutankhamen's tombs has his mummy. All the other stuff from his tomb is in the Egyptian museum in Cairo though. It truly is the valley of kings. But it gets hot and dry hair, so take that and always carry a bottle of water.

Karnak Temple

Next up was Temple of Hatsheput, which has this grand facade and makes you think how did they manage to build such architecture back in those days. Behind the facade things aren't restored as well, but it is worth the trip. After this, we went to Colossi of Menmon. Final stop for the day were Luxor and Karnak temples. Overpowering pillars and structures throughout this small sight. Lovely place to take pictures and soak in some Egyptian History. As the sun sets, the lights come out and light the pillars and the architecture in a very elegant manner making these historic masterpieces look even more magnanimous. 

Luxor by far had the most beautiful architecture and history to offer in Egypt. There was also a cute little marketplace to shop. We went here on the second day, after the carriage-ride adventure on the first evening. Best place to shop for some souvenirs. They have these painting on a piece of paper that they roll up and give it to you for you to frame on your own. Best souvenir you can take back, I think. There was also an India restaurant around to cater to the huge Indian tourist groups. The owner was a very sweet guy, who on request made space for u sin his tiny little restaurant during his off-peak hours.

Luxor Temple

What else to do in Egypt

View of river Nile and the city on the banks

•  Cruise on Nile: This is super popular. Given Abu Simbel, Aswan and Luxor are all located on the banks of Nile, staying on a cruise make sure your travel time is covered overnight. Also, the view from Nile of lighted up cities across the banks must make for a pleasant view.
•  Sharm-el Shaikh: A popular resirt area north of Egypt. We weren't interested much due to the unrest near Suez area. Also, diving here is a popular activity
• Light and sound show: Both cairo pyramids and Luxor temples have evening light and sound shows. We skipped those, but something you might want to consider.

UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi)

Dubai had been on our list as a transit stop for quite sometime. And having a direct Emirates flight from bay area definitely helps to pick this as your next stop over. So when we decided to vacation with our families, Dubai was an obvious choice and for making the trip worth our while, we added Egypt to the mix as well. But our first stop over was Dubai for four days. More on Egypt later, lets focus on Dubai for now. Our brief itinerary:
Day 0: Arrive
Day 1: Dubai sightseeing
Day 2: Dubai sightseeing
Day 3: Day trip to Abu Dhabi + Evening cruise in Dubai
Day 4: Day at the beach + fly out

When to go?

Definitely not summer! We went during our Christmas holidays and the weather was pleasant. If the winters are so pleasant, I can only imagine how brutal summers would be. So, definitely keep weather in mind when you plan your travel to Dubai. Other driving factor is your trip to India or someplace and considering Dubai as a stop over. 2-3 days are good enough for short stop over and Emirates offers great deals on air tickets.

Where to stay?

The Walk- JBR

Lots of choices in terms of neighborhoods, affordability and accessibility. Being with Family, we opted for apartment rentals and we were lucky to find a luxury 4-bed/5-bath condo near Jumeirah beach. It was in JA Oasis Beach Tower and I couldn't be happier with the location, amenities and the overall experience.

What to do?

There is a lot to do in Dubai. The country has worked extraordinarily to make this a tourist destination of choice. Here is what we did along with what else is there to do in this country.

Day 0

Reunited with La Familia

We arrived late in the evening. The airport is pretty big and it took us a while to get to the visa on arrival area. Do check the visa regulations for visa on arrival before you book your travel as they keep changing frequently. We met our extended family travelling from India at the visa counter and by the time we chatted and caught up, the visas were done and we were walking out to pick up our luggage. We ubered to our rented apartment and were pleasantly surprised at the size of the apartment and the views offered from its glass walls in the living room.
Then we headed out for dinner and there were plenty of options in the area. That was such a relief, though we expected that as much. After dinner, we decided to take a stroll in the lively neighborhood. We were actually hunting for some good eggless cake options, but we could just manage regular cake as it was my father in law's birthday the following day. Then we had some cake were off to sleep.

Day 1

The bling!

We were up bright and early, thanks to a bit of jet lag! Our first stop was Gold Souk. It is amazing to see such a huge market full of gold shops. The jewellery designs are pretty close to what we get in India, I guess to suit the south asian taste, which contributes to the majority of buyers. However, I am not sure if the whole debate about gold being cheaper is valid or not. Go figure! We didn't end up buying anything and after a few hours, it was time for lunch. So we headed out to lunch  in Meena Bazar area. We picked Athithi which had thalis and turned out to be an excellent choice.
Our next stop for the day was The Dubai Mall, the most popular and the biggest mall in Dubai. They have a lot of options for entertainment. A rainforest cafe. A huge aquarium with walk through tunnel and innumerable shops. You name a brand and you have it. So, we went shopping here but got tired soon enough and grabbed a cup of coffee before heading out to Burj Khalifa where we had our pre purchased tickets for getting to the top. A wise decision to buy them beforehand and save us some time.

View from the top

Qutb Minar of Dubai?

We got in the queue and it was pretty swift and quick moving. Once we got to the top, it was all cloudy below us. And the patches where it cleared up, it was sure to give you some vertigo. pretty damn high. I was afraid to think what would happen in case of an earthquake (a thought bound to occur if you have lived in California for over a decade!) After taking some pictures and spending some time at the top, we headed downstairs to the waterfront. Lovely fountains, that remind you of Bellagio. Weather was perfect as sun had gone down and there were just people all around you.
Then I met an old roommate of mine from LA who now lives in Dubai. We walked around the Dubai Souk, which is just next to the mall, but and old architecture gives you that middle eastern feel. Perfect place to shop for souvenirs. Then we grabbed some dinner (plenty of options in the mall to suit your needs) and headed back home.

Day 2

The Jumeirah Beach

Today we planned to head out the beach next to Burj Al Arab. This gives you the best views of the building and the beach is just lovely. Warm waters and fine sand at Jumeirah public beach. Luckily usn wasn't too sharp and we spent some good time enjoying the water and taking pictures.
Next, we headed to Madinat Jumeriah Souk, which is an old architecture styled mall. Not too huge, but has a variety of shops. They were gearing up for Christmas celebrations and I loved navigating this mall. It reminded me of old malls in India.
For lunch we had delicious, sumptuous meal at Ushna. I highly recommend this place. From here we headed out to The Atlantis, Palm Jumeirah. We wanted our niece to go visit the aquarium here. And we just strolled about in their shopping arcade. Then we walked along the Crescent road for lovely views of the sea and the hotel itself. This is the perfect place to take pictures. The light, the ambience is just perfect. Next up, we went to the Miracle Gardens. Its a fancy garden where plants and bushes are manicured in various shapes and sizes. Its pretty nice and good for a short visit. Our family loved it.

Madinat Jumeirah Souk

After some rest, we all went from a stroll near our residence, in the promenade near Jumeirah, known as The Walk, JBR. You can spend all your time doing nothing but walking around in Dubai. It has such lively areas that you can just be here and do nothing. For dinner, we went to a mediterranean place, Operation falafal. It was decent enough, but didn't suit the palates of our Indian parents!

Miracle Gardens

Day 3

Grand Mosque

We had reserved a day long tour in a family vehicle to Abu Dhabi. Its a good 90 minute drive to the city. The city doesn't have much to offer, but the Grand Mosque is a must see. It is so intricate, beautiful and peaceful that I was totally awestruck. You have to stick to their dress code and the tour guides provide you free robes to wear for this. We spent about an hour here. Just walking around and admiring the royal carpets, ceiling, chandeliers, took some time. This is a must do if you are in Dubai. Its worth your drive.
There isn't much to do and explore in Abu Dhabi other than the mosque. But we made a customary stop at the palace and then at the Ferrari World. The entry to the circuit is paid, so we skipped that and just spent some time in their lobby outside.

Walk along the Ocean, Palm Jumeirah

Our tour guides took us to shop for dates in Abu Dhabi as that is what it is famous for. Our families went crazy shopping for dates, as expected. For lunch, we had stopped at Punjab Grill restaurant. A bit pricey, but food was finger-licking good. Then we were headed back to Dubai as we had planned a cruise for the evening.
We had to show up a designated pier for our cruise. A pretty standard cruise of the Marina, in a medium sized, two storey boat. They had an Indian buffet and dance performance for entertainment. The views from the boat are good as they navigate through the downtown. Food was good enough for us and we enjoyed our time here as a family.
Later in the evening, I caught with my undergrad friend, Shashank and his lovely wife Anamika. It was so good to meet up with old friends here in Dubai.

Day 4

Dates market- Abu Dhabi

Our final day in Dubai before heading out to Egypt in the afternoon. So, we went for a run in the Jumeirah promenade (The walk- JBR) in the morning and then went to the marina beach for a quick swim. The water was just perfect. I loved the beaches here in Dubai. Mom even made a Russian friend here at the beach. haha. Then we got back, packed our bags and headed out to the airport.

What else to do:

Dubai is a city created for tourists. There are plenty of options to pick from. You can visit their extravagant malls if you are one of those shopaholics, or if you like doing touristy stuff, they have quite a few parks to visit as well:

• Dune Bashing: This is rated as a must-do for everyone visiting Dubai. The reason we skipped it was that I get motion sick and since we were with our niece and she was just 2 years old, we couldn't have taken her along. 
• The Atlantis: You could stay at this resort and enjoy their facilities with amazing views. Their water park is rather well rated.
• Global Village: This park has attractions from various countries and is like a mini world. It apparently takes almost a day to visit this and it gets very tiring, so we decided to skip it and it was anyway low on our priority list
• They have a famous ski park inside one of the malls, if you are interested. We live in California and get plenty of snow in Tahoe so we weren't very eager.

Other Pointers

• Visa: We were eligible for visa on arrival. Looking up online for visa requirements is pretty straightforward and simple. Do that before you plan.
• Uber vs Cab: We learnt pretty late that in UAE cabs are much cheaper compared to Uber. So, make that comparison before you take your pick.
• If you are interested in specific attractions that need tickets, like Burj Khalifa, or even if you want to book a Marina cruise or dune bashing, make reservations before you go. If it is a peak touristy season, you may end up waiting for long or not getting reservations at all.