Egypt, where mummies await...

I'm off to Egypt on Monday! I absolutely can't wait...although it hasn't really sunk in that we are going yet. It could possibly be because we booked it on the spur of the moment after Scarlett invited us along one girly movie night...only a week ago. I haven't really had time to prepare myself for the usual pre-holidaying excitement; the countdown to departing, the fluttering around town in search of holiday clothes (although we did take a trip up to Birmingham to buy our matching floppy hats- very non Indiana Jones style like much to my disappointment) & the packing! Still haven't packed yet :/ am torn between a modest backpack/mammoth rucksack/suitcase....since this is really no ordinary holiday. It will be an adventure- somehow visions of us escaping from resurrected mummies, narrowly missing swipes from masked bandits & fleeing on camels come to mind. The imagination has run a bit wild with possibilities of thrilling escapades but in none of these can I imagine myself carrying around a huge rucksack....I guess for Indiana Jones' sake this would be pretty impractical.

Anyways, the reality of it all is I along with my fellow partners in crime: Vonne, Mel & Gary are joining Scarlett and some others to venture around Egypt (in N. Africa- contrary to popular belief in our royal palace :P ) to hop between places and cover as much as we can in the space of 8 short days. Egypt has always been a country I have longed to visit with its unique archaeological treasures and fascinating tales of past Egyptian life and so I'm looking forward to immersing myself in the culture; sampling the local delicacies, meeting the locals of a predominantly muslim country, picking up a bit of arabic & discovering and seeing for myself the history behind it all. I'm leaving behind all my preconceptions and western ideals to open up my mind and heart to a country which although only 5 hours plane ride away seems a world of a difference to familiar England. We won't be joining a tour group so hopefully it will allow us some flexibility in what we can see...off the touristy route :) But nonetheless we have roughly planned our own itinerary...

Day 1:
Arrive in Luxor after 5 hr flight from Gatwick. Find our hotel and explore Luxor.
Day 2:
Touring around Luxor- Valley of Kings & Queens, Temples of Karnak & Luxor. Take the overnight sleeper train to Cairo.
Day 3:
Discovering Cairo- Old Cairo, City of the dead, Sphinx, Pyramids
Day 4:
Taking a Jeep to board on camels into the 'black and white desert'. Camping overnight underneath the stars.
Day 5:
Another day to explore Cairo- the town, local markets...shopping? Taking the overnight sleep train to Aswan(3rd largest city in Egypt).
Day 6: Aswan market, sail across the Nile?, temples..
Day 7: Day trip to Abu Simbel to see Temple of Nefertari, Ramesses II Temple...train back to Luxor.
Day 8: Taking in the final sights in Luxor before boarding on a plane back to England!

Hopefully I shall return with a gazillion pictures to show, wonderful memories and a broader picture of the world with its diversity of cultures...oh and some authentic desert sand for those who have missed out on our trip :) And for now I will content myself with reading up on some of the history and places to visit, useful Arabic phrases.....oh and pack eventually.