Ancient Egypt has a majesty of riches for a mother and son vacation
As I was rocking around on the Red Sea, I had to hold my breath as another turquoise wave carried me a little further from our boat. I’m a bad swimmer and when we reached the reef I was glad to have the help of our guide Muhammed and a lifebuoy to stay afloat.
he Stingray Station in Ras Muhammad National Park in Egypt offers some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world and it was a thrill to be there.
My then 21-year-old adult son, Mark, and I had previously embarked on a guided tour that included lunch, soft drinks, and snorkel gear. At our second stop at the reef, Mark decided to try his hand at scuba diving for the first time. The guides prepared him well while I sunbathed on deck after my clumsy attempt at snorkeling.
He saw a kaleidoscope of coral, sea urchins and marine life below and many more species than the clown fish that amused the crowd of swimmers near the top.
We arrived in Sharm El Sheikh at the end of October but the water was balmy which is one of the reasons why it’s a popular destination for holidaymakers looking for a bit of winter warmth.
The popular resort of Sharm El Sheikh is an hour’s flight from Cairo and offers a holiday vibe upon arrival at the airport. As we moved into our chic five-star hotel, The Savoy, in Soho Square, we passed polished pathways lined with street sculptures lit by solar panels.
At first glance, the South Sinai Peninsula appears to be dominated by desert landscapes with little culture, but historically it is the region where the Ten Commandments were given to Moses. Guided tours are available from hotels to Mount Sinai, along with a range of activities from horseback riding on the endless sandy beaches to dune buggy racing through the desert.
Close
Michelle Walsh Jackson and her son Mark at the Pyramids
The Sharm El Sheikh Museum was recently completed and is full of fine antiquarian artefacts including a sculpture of Ramses II, well-preserved shoes, jewelry and mummified animals.
Mark was certainly impressed by the exhibits and the traditional Bedouin tent that explained how the indigenous nomads originally lived.
Sharm has shaken off any shabbiness and when we went to the old town the next day even the traditional market seemed to get a complete upgrade. There, the impressive Sahaba Mosque – completed in 2017 – bears striking resemblances to Antoni Gaudí’s Mudéjar style, with wonderful flowing geometric carvings in sandy tones.
Our hotel offers everything you need for a luxurious sun vacation, with a beachfront location and a collection of pools, sports facilities and a spa.
A short walk to Soho Square brought us to the myriad of restaurants that are part of the all-inclusive package. Mark is hungry all the time so the wide range of buffet, Thai, Lebanese and Chinese food made sure to keep him happy. (Soho Square also has a giant TV screen for watching Champions League games.)
There’s plenty to do in Sharm when you’re not watching football or basking in the sun. There are a range of lively nightclubs for Mark’s age group, while my generation may feel more at home watching the world go by at the local shisha bars.
The shops along the Strip are open in the evenings and the prices are good. Egypt is a cheap travel destination and locals are happy to take euros, dollars or Egyptian pounds.
The must-sees in Egypt are of course the Pyramids of Giza. So on leaving Sharm El Sheikh we took a short flight to Cairo and encountered all the hustle and bustle one would expect from Africa’s third largest city.
With a population of 10 million people, many sights are far from each other, so an organized guide or guided bus tour is a good idea. If you travel alone, you will be persuaded to hire a guide everywhere.
Mark nudged me when he spotted the pyramids pointing up like diamonds on the horizon and I was starting to feel excited too.
It’s a bit spooky to watch the braided hair and leathery skins of the various kings and queens
The pyramid complex of Giza consists of three pyramids as memorials to fourth dynasty kings, Khufu, Khafra and Menkaura. Remarkably, they are in perfect alignment with the belt of the constellation Orion – proving that those who built these amazing structures were not only great architects but also had a deep knowledge of astronomy.
Our ticket included entry to the Pyramid of Cheops – the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one still intact – which was a challenging climb. The entrance narrows in two places, with a low roof proving difficult for Mark. He is 6ft 4 inches tall and I would not recommend the climb to anyone with heart problems or claustrophobia.
The walls and chambers have long been looted, but it is worth entering the burial chamber to appreciate the magnitude of this architectural feat.
The area below is guarded by the Great Sphinx, which is about a five-minute drive away but should not be visited before meeting the camels at the edge of the pyramid complex.
Here we were talked into having our photos taken by Mabon, the camel owner, and before we knew it we had shawls wrapped around our heads in traditional Bedouin style and Mark was on top of the camel.
It’s a bit spooky to watch the braided hair and leathery skins of the various kings and queens.
Close
Michelle Walsh Jackson curls up to her four-legged mode of transport
After a sloppy kiss from the camel, I parted with €10 for the entertainment – a mishmash of carriages pulled by horses that didn’t look as healthy as the camels we’d left behind.
Cultural highlights in Cairo include the Egyptian Museum (egyptianmuseumcairo.com), which was completed in 1902 and houses King Tutankhamen’s golden coffin and sparkling death mask.
It houses a huge range of statues and plaques taken from the many burial chambers along the Nile, showing detailed hieroglyphs that were fun to learn. It is located next to Tahrir Square and entry costs 200 Egyptian pounds (about €6).
We also enjoyed the newly built National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (nmec.gov.eg), just outside the city center and a good stopover from Giza.
The Royal Mummies Hall is a truly unique exhibit containing the preserved mummies of some of Egypt’s most famous pharaohs and kings. It’s a bit spooky to watch the braided hair and leathery skins of the various kings and queens.
Ramses from II to IX lies intact with other great pharaohs from the 16th to the 20th dynasty, 22 in all. Their jewelry and possessions evoke the Egyptian reverence for the afterlife.
The Sphinx is probably best seen at night when it is illuminated and forms part of the tourist shows that include food and entertainment against the backdrop of the pyramids. However, Mark and I had booked a trip down the Nile.
River cruise ships, decorated in a lavish style fit for an Agatha Christie novel, line the banks of the river and provide nightly entertainment including dinner. This is a fun way to see the city at night. At around 7:00 p.m. we entered the Maxim restaurant and the fun started immediately. A salad buffet accompanied our dinner with a choice of fish, chicken or beef.
Vendors call, wares in hand, and haggle as they have done for millennia
As dessert was served, the boat came alive with traditional musicians and dancers twirling in tunics and turbans lit by strings of lights. When the belly dancer took the stage, all the male eyes on board were transfixed by her spectacular costume and dance moves – including Mark’s. Rather than embarrass himself with Mom by his side, Mark threw himself into the evening with such enthusiasm that he joined me on the dance floor.
The next morning we set out to trace the story of the Holy Family and the flight of the Child Jesus to Egypt. The Church of Sergius and Bacchus is hidden in the depths of old Cairo where you will find the cave where the Holy Family lived in hiding for a short time. Between 10 and 15 percent of Egypt’s 109 million are Coptic Christians.
The narrow streets are a biblical maze of winding cobblestone lanes, and the heart of Cairo’s Khan el-Khalili market is a world away from Sharm El Sheikh and the sculptural future of luxury travel to Egypt. Vendors call, wares in hand, and haggle as they have done for millennia.
That was the Egypt Mark and I had imagined it and we threw ourselves enthusiastically into the spectacle that accompanies shopping in the souks. We were delighted with our purchases, particularly the shirt from Mo Salah Egypt for €7.
Definitely a destination with something for mothers and their sons.
get there
- Michelle was a guest of the Egyptian Tourism Authority (egypt.travel) and Egypt Air (egyptair.com).
- Total cost per person when sharing with Sunway €1,428 incl. VAT Flights with Egyptair and transfer included, four nights with breakfast at the Savoy Sharm El Sheikh and three nights with breakfast at the Swiss Inn Nile Hotel Cairo. Contact Sunway on (01) 231 1800 or visit us sunway.ie.
https://www.independent.ie/life/travel/ancient-egypt-has-a-majesty-of-riches-for-a-mother-and-son-holiday-42326734.html Ancient Egypt has a majesty of riches for a mother and son vacation