Connecting with the Ancients--Egypt!

We have just returned from an Epic winter break in Egypt. 

Here is our itinerary: 

It took a while but the girls eventually took a cute one

Day 1-4: Cairo, Sakara, Giza

Day 5-6: Aswan, Abu Simbel, Phillae

Day7-8: Luxor; Valley of the Kings and Karnak Temple

Day 9-14: New Years in Sharm El Sheik

Day 15-18: Cairo

Cairo, Sakara and Giza

Upon arrival in Cairo we quickly figured out the visa on arrival situation and bought them at the local bank. We got our first installment of cash at the ATM prior to moving through the immigration lines. We were a little ponderous about what to do with the stickers we had just purchased at the bank (our visas) when we were ushered to the immigration officer. After watching us fumble with one of them for about 20 seconds, he said "let me, I'm good at it" and did the next three in about 5 seconds. 

                                                                                                                                                          Soon we were off to the hotel that would be our home during Christmas and again at the end of our trip. We arrived and settled into the Novotel el Borg.

Day 1 of touring was epic. We got up and had a hearty breakfast at the hotel and then were picked up by Heba, our guide. She took us by bus directly to Sakara and the Step Pyramid, the oldest pyramid site in Egypt. The approach to the pyramids was magical. We emerged from the fertile, irrigated lands that look like a sea of palm trees to the desolate, sandy rim and immediately were stunned by the vision of that ancient remnant of human civilization. 

As soon as we arrived we were astonished by the size and age of the pyramids and we had to take a pic.  We couldn't go into the Step Pyramid (Zoser) but we were able to enter a nearby tomb that was recently discovered and excavated. 

We walked down a ramp that was about a meter and a half square, the kids got a kick out of the adults having to crouch down the whole time while they were able to simply walk normally. After about a minute of walking through the, at times, dark passage we finally arrived in the burial chamber. Our guide, Heba, said this was the best preserved example of the ancient burial chambers and there were hieroglyphs painted and carved on all the walls. It was indeed fantastic. 

  

Our travel companions 20 in total! 

 Here is the first of many family pics we took. It was pretty windy and extremely bright from the sun.

After Sakara we went to a carpet weaving "school". It may have been a sweatshop but it did prove to be interesting and helped us see the intricacies of how the carpets are made. Price wise we're much more impressed with what we can get in India.


GIZA

We went to lunch with an amazing view of the pyramids just to wet our appetites. Then we went to the massive pyramids at Giza including the Great Pyramid which is by itself one of the Wonders of the Ancient World. It truly is impressive and astonishing to think about how it was constructed. It is imposing and we got an idea of its immensity as we attempted to climb up to the entrance, each block was up to my shoulders!

Laura's classic, not the most flattering but at least we're all in the air! 

Obligatory goofy pyramid holding pic.

I really was just bracing myself for the descent but I look like I'm having a stroke!

This isn't the Sphinx but it is one of the best complete Sphinxes that was discovered. This is at a museum in Memphis, the original capital of ancient Egypt.

Here is another group shot next to Ramses II. This statue was carved for his tomb but during the carving apparently the leg was broken off and so the sculptors buried it in the sand rather than show the Pharaoh the ruined statue. The ancients believed that if his image was ruined then that is how he would live in the afterlife. Heba said that had the Pharaoh seen the artisans' mistake then they would have been killed.








The next day was Christmas and we took off for a tour of Coptic Cairo after seeing some of the small gifts that Santa brought us (he had already visited us in Delhi before the trip).  We saw many sites that Mary and Jesus visited and stayed in during their time in Egypt while they were escaping persecution from the Romans.

Aswan and Luxor

Our time in Aswan and Luxor was a bit brief but really beautiful and helped deepen our appreciation of ancient and modern Egypt. First in Aswan we saw the High Dam and then the old British Dam and the Temple at Phillae which was moved from a lower location to the current place on an island. Along with the Abu Simbel temple they represent amazing marvels of engineering and cultural preservation while at the same time showing the ego of the modern era. 

Aswan/Egypt also helped us understand some of the historical geopolitical world through the lens of a Russian success story. The Soviets supported the Nasser in the construction of the High Dam, commemorated by the Egyptian/Soviet happiness Lotus monument near the dam site. Constructed more than 50 years ago and 25+ years since the demise of the Soviet Union, its effects and strong ties of friendship can still be seen throughout the country especially in the resort areas near the Red Sea. 

Abu Simbel was 4 hours of driving each way and everyone in our travel party was certainly happy that we had a 50 person bus for 20 people--we also had a toilet which turned out to be a critical feature for a party traveling with 10 kids! The tour around Abu Simbel was about 45 minutes and while on the surface many people might not appreciate the cost/benefit of 8 hours of travel for 45 minutes of cultural and historical delight, the 20 people in our party had probably 20 different views on the spectrum of worthiness. Personally I didn't really enjoy the 8 hours of driving but I would have hated missing the amazing temple, and I got to read a large chunk of one of my Egypt books, Death on the Nile (Agatha Christy). 

After a short afternoon and a little break the afternoon that we returned from Abu Simbel and a long morning breakfast we drove to Luxor in the same luxurious bus. I noticed that according to Google Maps we were taking a significantly longer journey and asked our guide about it. He explained that the "fast" road was closed to tourists because of the threat from bandits. Thus we took the 4 hour route instead of the 2.5 hour route--anything in the name of safety! Added benefit for me, I got some extra reading time. 

Luxor was another astonishing place. The first morning we woke up early and went to the Valley of the Kings. We saw the tombs of Ramses 4 and Ramses 9 along with one other tomb--all fascinating. Of course one of the amazing draws was the tomb of Tutankamun. We were a bit tired and had another day with very little lunch opportunity but in the afternoon we visited the temple of Karnak. It was perhaps the most incredible part of the journey. There were columns and pillars everywhere in the world's biggest temple complex. 

Sharm El Sheik

We arrived in Sharm El Sheik on New Year's Eve. At one point we were a little uneasy about arriving at all as we were delayed for 3 hours after a 4 hour layover in Cairo. We thought we'd be drinking Stellas in the airport as the fireworks were shot off--but finally we got the call and were off. We were surprised with a beautiful suite with a beautiful view of the Red Sea and 2 full rooms with a kitchen and laundry machines. It was great. The New Year's Ball was nice and Jason even led us in a Conga line around the pool. We welcomed 2019 in style.

The next 4 days were spent with some running, some swimming, some bocce ball and some diving. Laura and I dove for the first time together and although our dive boat adventure due to high winds closing the Red Sea, we did do 2 shore dives over a reef shelf right off the beach. The girls loved swimming both in the sea and the 1 heated pool and playing with their friends, Cate, Grace, Oakes, Wren, Arlo, Amos, Aubrey and Ford. 

After Sharm we went back to Cairo and took it easy with some Mary Poppins, visiting CAC (school) and a few runs around our island. We thought it would be a little long but in the end really appreciated the time that we had together in Cairo. We were ready to return to Delhi.

January 2, 2016

Took off for Thailand (Phuket) for the first time as a family. We arrived in Bangkok and had to rush to our gate for a domestic transfer as we were already late. We ran to two different gates and then finally were directed to the correct gate—of course I was sweating profusely. We made it to the plane and considered ourselves lucky.

Upon arrival we found our driver and were taken to Kamala Beach. We were a bit perturbed and then astounded that we accidentally booked an apartment instead of a hotel room.

January 3, 2016

We woke up around 9:00 Thailand time and I went for a gruesome 7 mile run in the sun. After that we found the pool at the hotel and after a couple of hours of swimming we had lunch. Maya and Naila stole all of our prawns even though we each ordered a prawn dish. Then we went to the beach and Laura had a massage while the girls and Bernie built a castle that was eventually destroyed by the tide.

Upon return to our apartment  I went for a massage. It was a combination of an oil massage and a Thai massage which I hadn’t previously experienced. I was pushed, pulled, force stretched and had many of my joints cracked—I was also mocked several times with “Do you want to cryyyyyyyy (insert Thai accent)?” To cap off the evening the Manker clan found a nice little family restaurant and ate some Thai pork, chicken and prawns (girls). It was a fantastic day.

January 4, 2016

Beach and Pool.

January 5, 2016

I went for the same 7 hill 7 mile killer run but this time in reverse. The heat and the hills were exhausting but it was easier than the first time. I came home to find the girls beginning to stir—we played for a while as Laura slept a bit more. We then went to have “Thai Breakfast” on our way to the Beach.

Swimming and paying in the sand was great.

January 6, 2017

Laura and I got up and ran today—not together—that is still projected for some 3-4 years off. Same pool and beach routine. Maya and Naila have impressed us with their newfound ability to play together and to share. Laura and I have even had the chance to sit and chat together while the girls are building sandcastles or playing with their dollies. Amazing.

A few catch phrases from the girls that we’ve had a chance to catch over the course of our winter break: “Let’s build a hello kitty pool”, “Can I help put on the scrubscreen?”, “Can we ride the alligator to go up there?”

Summer 2018!

 Here is the story of our Summer 2018. 

As tends to happen we spent many hours in the car and logged several thousand miles--mostly in the first 3 weeks. We drove from Colorado to Michigan, Indiana and St. Louis, then back to Colorado. The girls were incredible troopers for most of it. Suggested improvement for next time: Figure out a way to not have Maya break down on the trip from STL to Michigan--that was horrible.

This picture was taken June 14 for our 9th Anniversary. One of the best sunsets I've seen.

In Michigan we spent the week at the Woods on the Lake with Grammy, Dave, and all the cousins. It was a very special time and fun had by all. We played on the beach, rode bikes, took walks and runs, had a private concert, ate s'mores, watched the ferry head on its journey and even got to tour the USS Silversides, the third most successful submarine during WW2.

The kids ate up their time with Grammy and the cousins and thoroughly enjoyed playing outdoors. We were right on Lake Michigan and although slightly cold, we (the kids) were undeterred. They swam, built castles (and pyramids), buried each other in the sand and made merry all day long. Grammy even got some fireworks to celebrate the end on Annie's Chemo.

Family Portrait day. At Turkey Run State Park in Indiana we had another family reunion for Grandma and Grandpa Manker's 90th birthdays. All the cousins were there except for Josh. We had paella, sang songs, played games and had a great time.

The hiking in the park was spectacular and although it rained a bit through the week we were able to get out on the trails a bit.

Naila was our guide on this trip to the Punch Bowl. The rocks, although they seem like they should be slick, gripped our feet perfectly and we had great traction. We walked directly up the streams to their sources and indeed these were the intended hiking trails.

From above these marvelous gorges looked like a normal old growth forest and largely went unnoticed until viewed more directly.

There were two pools, one of which was outdoors. Naila was showing off her goofiness and creativity.

Another major highlight of the summer (mostly for me) was the World Cup. Here we are watching the Argentina game--they probably lost.

While at Turkey Run we took a day to prep all the Paella ingredients at Grandma and Grandpa's house where we had the added benefit of being able to watch the World Cup.

Other highlights of our time in Indiana--great times with cousins, canoeing the sugar creek, biking around the park, playing capture the flag, eating s'mores, Courtney's Old Fashioneds and the love and generosity of Dad and Gma.

Back in St. Louis for a week, Laura and I took a moment to have a date night and left the kids with Nini and Ranger. We took the bikes to the Katy trail and rode for a while through forests and fields until we came upon a restaurant and brewery. It was a delightful getaway and we rode 20 plus miles of the trail. We had planned to ride again in the morning but abandoned due to rain.

Maya took her first big ride--all the way to Grant's Farm and back to the house. It was a little long in the end and at one point Maya got off her bike and refused to press on. We couldn't blame her too much, it was about a 12 mile journey.

She was a trooper though and hopped back on the bike and made it home where she promptly announced that she would not be doing that again any time soon.

 One of our highlights any time we are in St. Louis is spending some time at Aunt Barbara's pool. For some reason it is the perfect place to experiment and push the limits of their swimming ability. Thank you Aunt Barbie!

Here is Maya preparing her dive.

Naila is a little more cautious but wants to keep up with big sis.

We made it to Colorado and the first thing we did was hit the trail. The kids found a massive boulder and had to get to the top of it.

We loved going to the concert in the park series that Winter Park hosted. It is such a fund community event.

This year there were such strict fire bans due to the dryness that we were the only ones grilling. We even had a policeman come up to us to verify that we didn't have any flames and Burke defended our grilling with some story about a flame cone attachment on the grill that safeguarded the world. I didn't know if he was serious but the copper seemed to buy it. We were able to finish grilling before another team of police came and formally put a stop to our merriment.

M'lady in front of Nini and Ranger's condo.

I'm not sure who was happier for this reunion. Both Ranger and Guapa picked up right where they left off and loved being together.

A definite highlight of our time in Colorado and indeed the summer on the whole was the addition of mountain biking in our lives. Laura and I bought bikes at the beginning of the summer and took them everywhere with us but it wasn't until we returned to Colorado that they truly were maximized. We explored a small portion of the extensive Winter Park Trail system but were excited and amazed at every moment.

Evening dinner hosted by Nini and Ranger. They got the better sunsets so we took a picture.

The smile says it all. Good summer.

Lots of creative play this summer. The girls too.

I had to take a picture of the condo as we lived in it. Sterile most of the year, July is our time to shine. We usually had 4-6 bikes parked out front, the hammock, 6-8 chairs, the dog, games in the yard, piles of bike accessories, and of course the people to go along with it all. This condo was maximized for July.

"Just when you thought you couldn't get any higher." -Laura

Lest we forget, we rocked out Rocky Mountain National Park also! The girls are now officially Junior Rangers and work to preserve Mother Nature, we saw 6 moose, drove through a huge cloud that was cascading down a mountain, hit massive rain and hail storms and even took a hike.

It was a great summer!

Nini and her girls. What a great summer!