Walk like an egyptian boat asia, ssf annual - Mediactive Pte Ltd

FEature
Travel
Unravel ancient mysteries from a land,
some say, gave birth to the first civilization.
Lucinda Law delves into the heart and soul
of Egypt’s medieval core.
Egypt. The mere whisper of it conjures up romantic icons of
pyramids, the Sphinx, temples, hieroglyphics, Cleopatra, King
Tut, mummies, camel rides and even Hollywood blockbuster
movies. Amidst the countless images, there is the inherent
promise of adventure for every type of traveller. I, for one,
am most captivated by the thought of cruising down the
Nile, visiting the ancient masonry structures that once dotted
the river, flanked by papyrus on her banks.
There has been a long and fierce debate as to when and
how exactly the pyramids were built, and who built them.
Perhaps this accounts for the seduction of the land and
its ability to fire up the wildest speculations by scholars.
However, research has shown that the Nile has imperceptibly
shifted across, over thousands of years, from where it used
to reside, that is, next to the pyramids, to its current position.
So when the flight attendant announced our approach to
Cairo International Airport, my travel companions and I
pressed our faces to the windows, eager to catch our first
glimpse of the Nile while admiring the chic monochromatic
palette of the Sahara desert.
Within minutes, the legendary Nile revealed itself, like a
mirage amidst the vast expanse of sand. A thought struck
me immediately – the pyramids must be close by too! True
enough, we saw four of them from the sky, looking like
peaks of a mini Toblerone chocolate bar, scattered miles
nautique jul/aug
06
Temple
Trail By
the
Nile
away where the Nile used to be. Our tantalising promise
of adventures had begun.
Modern Cairo is chaotic and bustling but that just fueled
our enthusiasm. Imagine a gaggle of 12 girls negotiating
their way through touts and traffic, keeping their spirits
high by singing and whistling to the tune of Walk Like
An Egyptian by The Bangles. As we turned a corner from
where our hotel – the Mena House Oberoi – stood, I let
out a startling gasp, for there ahead of us, loomed the
Great Pyramid of Giza!
Despite all the images of pyramids that one might have
grown up seeing, nothing could ever prepare one from
being confronted with the sheer majesty and presence
of a life-size version. Our driver indulged in our gleeful
exclamations and our excitement escalated when we
arrived at the famed hotel that is literally three minutes’
walk from the pyramids. We leaped out of the car, stood
in awe of this spectacle and were rendered speechless.
Built in 1869, the palatial Mena House Oberoi presides
over 40 acres of jasmine-scented gardens. It has played
host to royalties, dignitaries and celebrities such as
Prince Albert Victor of Wales, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie and Charlie Chaplin.
We proceeded to have our breakfast and despite our
hunger, we could not get enough of the magnificent
view that lay before our eyes, the pyramids. Even as we
unpacked, our minds were filled with one thought alone;
this is indeed a room with a view!
We set off early the next morning to Coptic Cairo to visit
the Church of Virgin Mary, also known as the Hanging
Church(Al-Muallaqa meaning ‘the suspended’ in Arabic)