Bumblebee's Ancient Adventure (pic heavy)
Well I'm back in Sydney, back from the usual afterholiday sickness many of us bring back :p
Well this time I decided to go over to Egypt! And Bumblebee would come along as my guardian in my trip to the Middle East.
Here are some of the places I went to, with good ol' 'Bee tagging along.
Here he is after the long 14 hr + 4 hr flights, resting and recalibrating his jetlagged clock.
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After meeting up with some new friends, we decided to day trip it over to Saqqara and see the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the first pyramid constructed.
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Next, we admired the remnants of the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis and saw this massive statue of Ramses II.
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Day 2, we went off in search of the Sun Harvester at Giza!
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Too bad we tended to ignore some of the signage :)
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Nothing inside, so the next days the journey south presented more temples at Abu Simbel:
By Ramses II to Queen Nefertari
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By Ramses for Ramses (and the gods)
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And here is Bumblebee suddenly feeling very small....
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(on the broken head of Ramses)
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Next onto the top of Aswan Dam (not Hoover, so no Frenzy lurking nearby)
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Then, later towards Philae Temple to see Egyptian, Greek and Roman designs for the same goddess - Isis.
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The next couple of days were spent lazing about on a traditional felucca sail boat along the Nile.
Bumblebee at sunset.
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Bumblebee at sunrise.
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The next day was then at Luxor, for Karnak Temple and feeling even more dwarfed by the sheer size of this temple complex, the largest religious structure in the world.
In the Great Hypostyle Hall
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In one of the oldest inner courtyards
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The morning after was spent going down into the tombs, in the Valley of the Kings. Unfortunately no photography allowed, so 'Bee had time to rest till the next temple.
Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, a female pharoah who often depicted herself as a male king with a beard!
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Before leaving we would go past the Colossi of Memnon, all that remains of another large temple...
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The remaining days were spent further east, and 'Bee would follow me on a trek up the summit of Mt Sinai in the early hours of the morning.
Waiting for sunrise.
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Jubilation as we can see the surrounding mountains and desert, having braved the cold and wind to get here!
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Now time for a little rest as we journey back down the 'harder path'
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Not much time for rest as we continue our journey, further north-east and into Jordan. Perhaps we may find the elusive Matrix at Petra??
Through the Siq.
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Now at the Treasury aka Khazneh. No sign of the Twins here, just more tourists and camels.
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Closer to the entrance to this tomb, we decide to look for the Matrix of Leadership!
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No luck, so we go towards another Tomb.
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Nothing inside...
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So before we leave Jordan, a look towards the mountains of Petra.
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The last place is then onto the beachside town of Dahab back in Egypt, and time for some Red Sea adventure at the famous coral reefs. Unluckily for 'Bee who is prone to rust so just watched as we plumbed the depths offshore.
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So I survived the deserts, waters, streets of Cairo and the journey home (no trusty Aerialbots to bring me home). Hope you all enjoyed the pics!