Many of you often talk about how fast things change when I see you. Well one year later, I am back in Egypt for my annual visit and you are all absolutely right. From new roads, to new discoveries, change is everywhere.
As I start with the first dispatch, let’s jump right in with the most anticipated museum opening in the word, the GEM. Is it open finally? In a word, yes. While still in soft opening, the entire second floor and the main halls are open to see, and the exhibits are jaw dropping. As of this writing, King Tut’s mask has not been moved, however the area in the GEM is closed, though it was open a year ago. This can only lead me to assume that the moving is imminent.
Shifting to the pyramids, the new chamber in the inside is worth a private visit at sunrise, though the normal visit is a must. However, the GEM should definitely be done on the same day as the pyramids, and nothing more. Fitting in anything else on this day would compromise what you see at the GEM and beyond. The one thing to remember above all else when it comes to Egypt, 6000 years of history deserve the slow approach because sensory overload is very real.
Flying to Luxor, the changes in town are noticeable, as is the newly refurbished Relais and Chateau property in Luxor, that most don’t even know about. The renovations and commitment to sustainability there under the new GM are noticeable and represent a direction Egypt must go in, to preserve it’s natural resources.
That brings me to the hot air balloon. While that experience remains magical, the new discoveries are everywhere and you can see where the work is done. It’s one of the reasons Big Five made the commitment it did to local archaeologists earlier in the year (you can read about it here). One recent discovery, from very recently in the hills around Luxor causes us to rethink the hierarchy of burials. It seems these newly found tombs, which were not royal tombs, were also found with jewels, something that was never believed to be the case.
Stay tuned for Part II of our dispatch, and in the mean time, better start rewriting the history books.
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