Quest for the Ancient Kings

Indy99

New member
My wife and I just returned from a journey to Egypt, and we thought you guys might enjoy a couple pictures. We're working on a video and a blog about the trip; I'll post a link here once we get them up. I'm sure you recognize the Pyramids of Giza ;) The other shot is in the Temple of Isis on Philae Island!

By the way, those are Vintage 1936 Jodhpurs that Adventure Girl is wearing! :D

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Stoo

Well-known member
Indy99 said:
By the way, those are Vintage 1936 Jodhpurs that Adventure Girl is wearing! :D
Indiana Jones Meets Gertrude Bell? Love your wife's jodhpurs. Nice photos, Indy99! I'll be doing the exactly the same thing during the 1st week of June! 5 weeks away and I'm really excited. Can't wait to compare notes with you...

Welcome to The Raven!:hat:
 

Indy99

New member
Weird coincidence. I read your post and have to admit not knowing who Gertrude Bell was. I went downstairs after my wife came home, and there's a book on the coffee table - Gertrude Bell, Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations by Georgina Howell! Seems someone told Adventure Girl about this lady a few weeks ago and my lady ordered a book from Amazon that arrived that day.

I look forward to expanding my knowledge of her!

And good luck on your trip! Are you visiting Abu Simbel? Karnak...?
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Hey, Indy99, that is indeed a weird coincidence and much freakier than the one I experienced. The day you 1st posted, I asked my girlfriend, "So, are you going to be up for a camel ride?" (she's wary because she has fallen from a horse). About an hour later, I log on here and see your amazing camel photo!:) I don't have that book but have saw it in a bookstore last year. She led a very interesting life. (Incidentally, G. Bell is also featured in a scene from Young Indy in "Paris, May 1919/Winds of Change".)

As for Egypt, I'm dying to go to Abu Simbel but it's far from Cairo and don't think there'll be enough time. We are going for a wedding and will only be there for 1 week. One of my best friends is getting married to a Egyptian-Canadian and the wedding is in Cairo. Going to Egypt is exciting enough but being there with a bunch of friends is ever better!(y)

Did you make it to Abu Simbel or Karnak? How long was your trip and, apart from Giza, what would you recommend?
 

Indy99

New member
Yeah, we did Abu Simbel and Karnak both; they were AMAZING! I'm working on a blog right now describing our adventures; I will be sure to post a link here.

In Cairo, do NOT miss the Egyptian museum. It is unbelievable, and has TONS of great artifacts, not the least of which, the treasures of Tut's tomb.

We were in Egypt 11 days, but only in Cairo for 2, so I didn't do much else there. Visited a couple mosques (The Citadel - built by Saladin in 13th Century!) Wait till you experience the traffic!!! :eek:
 

Indy99

New member
Short video

Hey guys! As promised, here is a short video 'trailer' for our blog about the Egypt trip! Hope you get a kick out of it! Please respond either here or at utube and let me know what you think! Since it is basically a tribute to Indy, it would be nice to hear from people who love him as much as I do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJdO5kiv4Gs

And here's the address to the Blog itself! Part one is posted, part two - Inside the Pyramids - is coming this weekend!

http://dutyfreeduo.blogspot.com

Enjoy!!
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
It's funny that you should mention Gertrude Bell. I was thinking Freya Stark!

Nice pictures all-around; at least somebody felt like dressing for the occasion!

Doesn't look too crowded, either; much different than my last trip out that way.

Thanks, Indy99, for the snaps. If I had seen this before hand, I would've had something to read while The Raven was down...
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Your video got me extremely stoked for the trip, Indy99!(y)
Indy99 said:
In Cairo, do NOT miss the Egyptian museum. It is unbelievable, and has TONS of great artifacts, not the least of which, the treasures of Tut's tomb.

We were in Egypt 11 days, but only in Cairo for 2, so I didn't do much else there. Visited a couple mosques (The Citadel - built by Saladin in 13th Century!) Wait till you experience the traffic!!! :eek:
Managed to do visit both of the those. The museum blew me away. Obviously, the Tut displays were eye-popping but what struck me the most were some wooden sculptures of people that were proportionally & anatomically impeccable. There were also some hieroglyphs that were so sharp and consistent they looked as if they'd been made by a set of cookie-cutters.

The Military Museum at the Citadel was a highlight for me but I was disappointed at the complete and total absence of anthing related to The 6-Day War or Napoleon in Egypt. The traffic? Nuts! We took many cab rides and I shot loads of video footage of just the traffic and noise. I've driven in Sicily and it can get pretty hairy but Cairo roads are lawless!:eek: Would love to try driving them one day...

Le Saboteur said:
It's funny that you should mention Gertrude Bell. I was thinking Freya Stark!

Nice pictures all-around; at least somebody felt like dressing for the occasion!

Doesn't look too crowded, either; much different than my last trip out that way.
I had to look up Freya Stark. Wow. I wonder if she and Bell ever crossed paths?:confused: Thanks for the name-drop, Saboteur.

The pyramids were not crowded at all when I was there. It was the day after Obama had been guided around (by Dr. Zahi Hawass) and it was a weekend during the off-season. There were almost more vendors than tourists! Did you or Indy99 go inside? Thrill of a lifetime! I actually wore something special at Giza, too (not Indy). My girlfriend was embarrassed but my friends loved it. Will post some photos in the Trip to Cairo thread.

Anyway, I didn't get to do all the things that Indy99 managed to do but it was a blast exploring Cairo and one of the best times of my life.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Stoo said:
I had to look up Freya Stark. Wow. I wonder if she and Bell ever crossed paths?:confused: Thanks for the name-drop, Saboteur.

You would think they were at least aware of each other: they were contemporaries in an era when women weren't seen as capable of, well, much. I'll have to pull Miss Stark's biography to see if Miss Bell is mentioned. I want to say that she was, however. But I think Miss Bell focused primarily on the Levant, while Dame Stark went further afield penetrating Persia.

If you can, check out some of the books Miss Stark penned; they're quite thrilling.

Stoo said:
The pyramids were not crowded at all when I was there. It was the day after Obama had been guided around (by Dr. Zahi Hawass) and it was a weekend during the off-season. There were almost more vendors than tourists! Did you or Indy99 go inside? Thrill of a lifetime! I actually wore something special at Giza, too (not Indy).

Sounds like an almost perfect day! I was last in Egypt just before the turn of the millennium, so it's been quite a while; still doesn't sound like much has changed, though! And yeah, I did go inside! Talk about claustrophobic! It reminded me of a couple of the apartments I had, but it was still amazing.
 

Indy99

New member
Stoo said:
Your video got me extremely stoked for the trip, Indy99!(y)

Did you or Indy99 go inside?

Thanks! I had so much fun putting that video together!

We did make it inside two of the Pyramids on our first day. You can read our experiences at http://dutyfreeduo.blogspot.com Indeed, it was a thrill of a lifetime! I'd like to go back and spend more time in Aswan, maybe even stay overnight in the village near Abu Simbel so I could spend more time there.
 
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