It is a curiosity, in stark contrast with the upscale metropolis of posh hotels and casinos in “new Cairo.” The narrow, unpaved streets of the City of the Dead wind between the tombs and family mausoleums along a 4 mile long Islamic necropolis. At the base Egypt’s Mokattam Mountain, located about 3 miles from Cairo’s […]
Cairo’s City of the Dead: Where Life and Death Embrace Read More »
The winner, besting 1,557 competitors from 82 countries, was the Irish firm Heneghan Peng Architects who was tasked to create the world’s most impressive, ethically responsible and sustainable museum in order to house, display and preserve tens of thousands of ancient Egyptian treasures. Twenty years in the making, it is now complete. The $1 billion
The One and Only GEM: First Look at the Grand Egyptian Museum Read More »
This story is epic “Indiana Jones” with hidden treasure, unsolved mysteries, international intrigue, romance, stolen artifacts and a movie set astonishing to even the most jaded viewer. At its heart, a young Egyptian boy with a secret and a couple of ambitious, even greedy explorers willing to listen. The two temples of Abu Simbel located
The Boy Who Discovered Egypt’s Greatest Pharaoh’s Tomb Read More »
Essential oils are part of our culture…used in aromatherapy sessions, relaxation techniques, in massage therapy, for holistic medicinal purposes, in yoga studios and an expansive range of cosmetics, perfumes and skincare. And as a lifelong scent devotee…I found Egypt a mecca for magnificent essential oils which, as I write this, scent my home with rich
From Aphrodisiac to Mummification: Explore Egypt’s Rarest Essential Oils Read More »
We visited late on a January afternoon just as the sun was setting. Egypt had presented many of its most magnificent temples but this, the Temple of Luxor, was the most impressive. In both scale and complexity it follows the traditional temple design. Its construction began in 1392 BC and continued across the centuries as
Temple of Luxor: Listen to the Pharaohs Whisper Across Time Read More »
This queen, as one of Egypt’s only female pharaohs, singularly re-wrote the rules of Egyptian royal lineage protocol with her cunning, her beauty and her unbridled ambition. She did what no other woman, even the other great legends of history here in the birthplace of civilization, Nefertari, Nefertiti, and much later Cleopatra… dared to do.
Queen Hatshepsut: Woman of Mystery and Power Lies with Kings Read More »
At first my jet-lagged brain could not process more than their looming yet beautiful presence, and proximity to the nearby town. I had imagined them constructed in the middle of some vast, remote, practically inaccessible stretch of desert wasteland…as is over 90 percent of the remaining country. But they were here in all their significant
Truly Astonishing Facts About Egypt’s Incomparable Pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza Read More »
What is Machu Picchu? There is no reference to Machu Picchu in Inca literature or folklore, so what is this culturally sophisticated engineering city in the Andes of Peru? Many archeologists believe that it was constructed as a retreat for the Inca nobility between 1400 and 1500 AD. But the extensive terracing suggests it may
Unraveling The Best and Biggest Mysteries of Machu Picchu Read More »
My recent Peruvian adventure included a deep, delicious dive into the country’s authentic cuisine with seafood as a highlight. Peruvian Ceviche is a marinated seafood dish, typically the first course, which consists of a fresh, white fish soaked in fresh lime juice and served with thinly sliced red onion and sweet potato. As I traveled
“Si!” to Peru’s Signature Delicacies, Ceviche and Pisco Sours Read More »
High in the Andes Mountains of Peru live direct descendents of the ancient Inca people, invaded by Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500’s. This indigenous group of people are called the Q’ueros. They are the few that escaped forced labor by the Spanish, those able to live in “villages in the clouds” in the refuge of
Discover the Ancient Wisdom Keepers of Peru; Visiting with a Shaman Read More »