Seniors Hostel, Too: Sun Hotel Hostel in Cairo, Egypt

In March we spent 10 days in Egypt. It was one of my absolute favorite trips. I don't know about you, but Egypt was always a place I wanted to see, but never believed I would.

It turned out to be everything I'd imagined and more. Here we are in front of the Great Pyramid in Giza. (That's me in the green shirt.) As you can see, the pyramids at Giza have a rough bumpy apprearance. They were once covered with smooth limestone, topped by a cap of pure gold.

Years later, the limestone was stripped to use in building other things. (Not much doubt about what happened to the gold! ;-) ) Now you can see the massive individual stones the pyramids are built with. It's truly awesome to imagine how these huge granite pieces were put in place.

In Cairo, of course, you must not miss the Egyptian Museum (left). That's where many of the world famous treasures of King Tutankamun are kept. You can't take pictures inside, but I'll tell you, it is incredible how much gold-covered furniture there was in that tomb. Numerous beds, tables, chairs--everything imaginable that King Tut might need in the afterlife.

The smaller items are separated in a an enclosed room inside glass cases--hundreds of items. One fascinating thing about that display is that guides are no longer permitted to go inside the room. They talk too much, you see! Truthfully. In fact, as you pass through the room gazing into the cases at all the gold, you aren't allowed to talk at all. That's to protect the treasures from the excess carbon dioxide talking generates.

Maybe I'll share some more of our trip and pictures in a future post, but here's some info about a terrific hostel in Cairo, right down the street from the Egyptian Museum. It's called Sun Hotel. Here's a blurb from their website:

Sun Hotel opened ten years ago. We wanted to show the rest of the world the new generation of hostels and hotels here in Egypt. Our guests have been happy with the results of our hard work during these last years.

We offer clean, comfortable rooms for the budget-minded traveller be they alone or part of families or large and small groups. The Sun Hotel not only caters for individual travellers but also for people on adventure tours too. This has made the Sun Hotel an ideal place for backpackers and budget travelers to exchange travel ideas that can help your money go further....

In addition to the Sun Hotel's fame for its friendly atmosphere and hospitality, it has the No.1 location in Cairo. Situated on Talaat Harb, probably the best shopping street in Cairo, it is also just off Meedan Tareer, the home of the Egyptian Museum. Here you will also find the Metro to get you around Cairo as well as many restaurants and tea and shisha cafes.

So if you are thinking of traveling to Cairo as a backpacker or budget traveller, we are sure you will find the Sun Hotel has every thing you need, and that it exceeds its fame and popularity.

Here's their link: Sun Hotel Hostel in Cairo, Egypt

The hostel is wheelchair -friendly and has an elevator. Amazingly, the rate for a double room with a private bath is only $24.00! With a shared bathroom, it's $12.00 for two people.

You would love Egypt. The people are incredibly friendly and helpful and you'll want to take heaps of pictures. Check out the link at the top of this page. You can download Google's great photo editor and organizer--Picasa. It's really easy to use and absolutely free.

Okay. I couldn't resist showing you just one more photo. This is from the boat crusing down the Nile. Gliding down the river in total silence . . .

Stopping along the way to visit wonderful temples and marvelous giant sculptures . . .

Snooping amongst the tombs in the Valley of the Kings . . .

Fabulous.

Happy traveling,

Kristi