10 Things to Do in Egypt

Chris Pirillo — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:42:08 +0000

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Where would you visit if you could go anywhere in the world, and cost were not a factor? I haven’t done a travel tips video for a week or so, so I decided it was past time to bring a couple of them to you. This one is full of tips for places to visit in Egypt! Egypt is somewhere I’ve always wished I could travel to, and these ideas make me hope to get there one day even more. Thanks to Tarek for sending these to me!

Botanical Garden – Kitchener’s Island lies in the middle of the Nile at Aswan and is home to over thirty varieties of palm and tropical plants from around the world. The effect is lush and exotic and attracts colorful birds, water fowl, and egrets.
High Dam – Two dams straddle the Nile river at this point: the newer Aswan High Dam and the older Aswan Dam or Aswan Low Dam. The aim of this water project was to prevent the river’s flooding, generate electricity and provide water for agriculture. The old Aswan Dam is about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) up-river from Cairo. The new Aswan High Dam is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) upriver from the older dam.
Alsouk Street – Alsouk is the main street for market shopping in Aswan. At this popular street market you can find spices, food, souvenirs, baskets, colorful textiles, carvings and jewelry.
Philae Island and the Temple of Isis – The Temple of Isis is one of the greatest and grandest temples in Egypt. It occupies nearly a quarter of the island. It is, of course, the main temple on the island. There is an awesome sound and light show every evening. The extensive complex is dedicated to Isis, who is the Goddess of Motherhood and Fertility in ancient Egyptian religious beliefs.
Temple of Ramses II – Abu Simbel is the location of the most famous temple of Ramses. The most spectacular aspect of this temple is its setting: in the solid rock above the banks of the Nile River. The walls depict scenes which show Ramses’ greatness in battle. Ramses was proud of his victory at the Battle of Kadesh against the Nubian rebels, and depicted this pride on numerous monuments… including this temple.
Nubian museum – This museum contains about 3000 exhibits that represent the culture and civilization of the Nubian region… from prehistoric times to the present. The museum is built on steep cliff land, which enables it to create a full-scale design model of the Nile River and surrounding areas.
Nubian House Cafe – This laid-back Nubian café and restaurant is the place to be at sunset, with spectacular views over the First Cataract. Sit on traditional wooden benches on the huge shady terrace for a mint tea and sheesha (water pipe).
Take a Cruise along the Nile – If you visit Egypt, ytou don’t want to miss a trip down the Nile River. It’s inexpensive, and amazingly beautiful.
Aga Khan Tomb – This is the Mausoleum of the spiritual leader of the Ismailis, a Shi’ite sect (as were the Fatimid). The Ismailis are a diverse community speard all over Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. It is a very elegant pink granite structure of late 1950 origin, which also resembles the Fatimid tombs in Cairo.
Elephantine Island. – Elephantine Island is the largest of the Aswan area islands, and is one of the most ancient sites in Egypt, with artifacts dating to predynastic periods. This is probably due to its location at the first Cataract of the Nile, which provided a natural boundary between Egypt and Nubia. As an island, it was also easily defensible.

Doesn’t it sound like an amazing trip to go on? I definitely have to put visiting Egypt on my to-do-someday list!

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10 Things to Do in Egypt

Richard Hoagland’s Smoking Gun

Chris Pirillo — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 05:49:09 +0000

Richard Hoagland’s Smoking Gun

On C2C the other night, Richard Hoagland talked about revealing a “smoking gun” at his impending conference. Hoagie really pissed off ufologists with his dramatic remarks on “evidence.” He’s been debunked a hundred times over, but that doesn’t make me any less curious to know what he’s going to unveil. Could it be found in the third image of the Mars Global Surveyor’s MOC Image e0600269? Look to the left side of the photo, just above the scroll – there’s a pyramid’ish structure sitting there. Looks pretty equilateral to me! Help me, Skepchicks.

Richard Hoagland’s Smoking Gun

Chris Pirillo » pyramid

10 Things to Do in Egypt

Richard Hoagland’s Smoking Gun