Why travel with Memphis Tours Egypt?

For those who have followed my blog in the last 6 months, I have mentioned several times about Memphis tours. I have been with them twice, for others however, that’s not enough to judge a company. So here’s an honest entry about why you should travel with Memphis tours.

1. The service is exceptional. Service starts from the first online chat enquiry down to saying our goodbyes at the airport in Egypt. All emails are answered promptly, all questions and concerns are taken well into consideration and  attended to the best that they could.

2. The tour guides are very knowledgable, friendly and nice. I am speaking based on my experience from the tours in Egypt. Memphis tours have packaged tours to Jordan, Dubai, Morocco, Turkey, and Oman but I haven’t experienced them myself. I am referring to tours catered in Egypt.

3. Well planned itineraries. Memphis has been in the tourism business since 1955 and they know what they are doing. The tours they have in Egypt are well thought of and planned, with the goal of making sure their clients get the 5 star service even in their budget tours, and at the same time, enjoy their holiday.

4. Accommodations are carefully picked. The hotels included in their Egypt tours are very good, clean and comfortable.  So you don’t  have to worry about crappy hotels, the same with the river cruise.

5. Transport provided by the company is clean, air conditioned and well maintained. The drivers are certified or licensed to drive tourist vehicle ensuring safety for both guides and the guests.

6. Food or meals included in the package are  served in a good restaurant. Food is tasty as well.

7. Staff and guides are multi-lingual. So if you don’t speak English, it’s never a problem.

8. Tour packages are reasonably price. For the service and accommodation you get, it’s worth it. Optional tours are available as well. Services offered are both private and small group tours. Not the big coach tours.

9. You never have to worry about being scammed. Online payment is secure. They come to pick you up at the airport and drop you on time. They stick to the itinerary. The company is honest and can be trusted.

10. Lastly, Memphis tours has good reviews in Trip Advisor. They’re trust worthy and quality of service is top priority.

 

This is not a sponsored post. My opinions are my own and based from experiencing their service first hand.

 

 

 

 

Egypt Holiday with Memphis Tours

Sometime last year, I was planning on my trip to the middle east. I was searching on reliable tour operators that would help me out with my short trip to Egypt, I must say the search was stressful on my part because I will be entrusting not only my holiday but my life as well in the hands of strangers ( I went to Egypt when there was civil unrest). I am very thankful that I found Memphis and they did not disappoint! I only have nice words to say about the experience. I didn’t get the chance to see everything because of my limited time and budget and since I left the country 11 months ago, I haven’t stopped dreaming about coming back to finish the journey I started. So enough with my rambling and let’s get straight to the itinerary.

day 1- pick up at the airport then made our way to our fabulous hotel. We stayed in Mena house hotel, previously owned by oberoi but is now under the egyptian government. It’s an old palace built as a hunting lodge. The interiors are magnificent and very elegant reflecting the grandiosity of the arabs. Service is of course 5 stars, and expect to tip. Previous guest includes presidents, movie stars and royalties. The place itself is like a tourist spot already, swam in their pool in winter ( the pool is heated ), when visiting egypt this place is a must. To sleep, wake up and have breakfast with the ancient pyramids in view is one experience you’d never forget. Spent the entire day just relaxing at the hotel and looking at the pyramids from the hotel balcony. I can’t help it! I was stunned at how massive it was.

my favourite photo. This is at our hotel’s courtyard.

 

 

hotel pool

the pyramids of Giza is just a few minutes walk from Mena Hotel

 

hello from the chef

brekky with the pyramids in view

view from the hotel balcony

day 2- Pick up at 0800 am by our tour guide. The day was spent learning about the famous ancient pyramids, saying hello to the sphinx, entering thousand-year olds tombs, gazing through the endless Sahara desert, face to face with the step pyramids and colossal monuments and statues of Ramses in Memphis, and then watched the sound and light show at night. The day is full packed and a good pair of shoes is very important. A couple of paracetamol tablets might come in handy.

typical tourist picture with the pyramids.

What a magical moment…. riding a camel to see the ancient pyramids up close.

 

    I guess you can say I was really happy and excited

my failed attempt at making their bread

school aged kids trying to make a living by selling postcards and other souvenirs to tourist.

papyrus making class and how to tell a fake one from the original

 

 

the great pyramids during the sound and light show

day 3- Our day included visiting old Cairo, the hanging church, paying visit to the christian area of Egypt, walking through centuries old alleys and churches where the Holy family stayed for 3 years,went in the museum where you need at least 3-4 days to see everything, sadly we only have 2 hours to see only the most significant stuffs, that includes King Tut’s room where his mask of 11 kg of pure gold is housed. No pictures allowed and we were told that a new museum is being built near the pyramids and it will be ready by 2016, with better lighting and better temperature control. Said hello to mummies ( both human and animals) and drooled over stuffs made of gold. Entered my first mosque with 365 light bulbs inside, local kids chasing tourist to have photos with them, it was a fantastic opportunity for me to take some portraits but sadly we couldn’t understand each other, so the only photos I got are smiling faces and hearing the word “Facebook” and the end of their sentences. Lunch and dinner at the river Nile which is surprisingly clean. Watched a small presentation of belly dancing and that egyptian dance where the male dancer circles and turns for who knows how many times. Listening to arabic music I do not understand, the last song was waka waka by Shakira translated to arabic of course ( the only word I understood was africa!?). I didn’t get to visit the market because I had a terrible headache, too bad! that would have been lovely but there is always a next time. . .

   

   Muslims praying

 

inside the alabaster mosque

Over all it was a fantastic holiday, this is only a quarter of egypt’s ancient historical sites, I am yet to visit Luxor and Aswan. Hopefully in the next few years!

 

Day trips from Melbourne : Bunyip Tours Review

Bunyip Tours is a Melbourne based travel agency located a few blocks from the Southern Cross Station. Bunyip tours caters for small groups wishing to take   day trips from the city, they also have overnight tours. The company has offered tours for over 10 years and has good ratings in sites like TripAdvisor. 

Popular tours from Melbourne offered by Bunyip includes: 

The great ocean road – a choice of early and late departures if you want to see the sunset at the 12 apostles

Philip Island tours– to witness the famous Penguin parade, stops at Moonlit Sanctuary for some close encounters with Australia’s cute animals

Wilson’s Promontory tour– considered as one of Victoria’s most prized attraction, also known as “The Prom”

Mornington Peninsula tours– 90 minutes drive from Melbourne and you can visit the stunning coast of Mornington Peninsula. There are  range of activities you can do, from horse back riding to swimming with dolphins.

Bunyip Tours I’ve been with:

1 day Great Ocean Road Sunset Tour – departs & returns to Melbourne

departs late, during summer time, sunset starts past  2000H. Several scenic stops with ample time included with this day trip. This is a long drive tour, wear comfortable clothing, bring water and some snacks especially for diabetics. 

Would I recommend? Yes, sunset at the 12 apostles is stunning. Definitely a must see (see photos here). There’s plenty of beautiful scenic stops on the way, the light house location is beautiful. The rain forest walk is interesting and a nice break from the long drive. 

1 Day Philip Island Ultimate Eco Tour- departs & returns to Melbourne

Get up close with the friendly animals at Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park, where you can hand-feed kangaroos and wallabies & have your photo taken with a koala. Stops includes the historic Churchill Island, where you will see sheep shearing and working dogs in action, not to mention the place is beautiful as well. Koala Conservatory is also included in this tour. A short stop to the chocolate factory is also included to sample their chocolates for free ( can get very crowded), before the penguin parade, the van / bus will stop at the nobbies where you can admire the beautiful sceneries and see some of Australia’s wildlife.

Would I recommend? For international travelers who wish to see the Penguin Parade, I would recommend to join this tour. Otherwise, for locals, its wise to drive and see the Penguin Parade on our own as it is not that far and is easily accessible by private vehicle. Penguins come out only at night and flash photography is NOT ALLOWED. Bring warm, wind and waterproof clothing as it can get very windy and chilly. 

See link below for more information:

http://www.bunyiptours.com

This is not a sponsored post. 

Memphis Tours Egypt Review

Our Egypt guide, Adel and Ahmed

My Egypt holiday started with a simple email sent to one of their tour consultants Fattoush Saad ( Mrs.) She was very prompt and so patient with all my questions. The political unrest in Egypt was still ongoing, and since I am travelling there, my anxiety level is high.  She answered all my queries without delay! She was so organized and I never felt like a nuisance. From the invitation letter to the very last day of my trip with them, she has kept me updated with stuff like hotel reservations, pick up, etc.

Our tour guide Ahmed Farahat is highly recommended,a very nice man with so much love for his job and country it is almost contagious. He is very patient with us and he makes sure we felt safe and that most of all, we are having fun. He is very professional and such a joy to be with! He doesn’t mind taking our photographs, and he is actually the one who says “let me take your picture”, and I must say, he does a pretty good job! He has plenty of stories and informations to tell, he knows when to stop and when to allow our overwhelmed senses to have a bit of break.

Our driver Adel was the sweetest! A real gentleman! A soft-spoken man who remains very calm despite the traffic and crazy condition of the road and yes, he is an excellent driver. Although he doesn’t speak English that much, he always makes small talks to make us feel welcome and acknowledged.

And lastly, Abdul El Fattah Elewa, our guest relation officer was very kind as well to accompany me and my mom to our night itinerary and at the same time, picking us up and dropping us off at the airport without any problems. I had a fabulous time in Egypt and felt safe and welcome.

I promised myself that I am coming back to Egypt, I don’t know when yet, but when I do, I will be asking for the same people. I’ve grown to love their country and that’s because of these wonderful people I’ve met.

Werribee open range zoo, Safari in the City

How nice would it be to see animals in their most natural state? Going to an african safari is in my bucket list but for now, I’m going to settle with Melbourne’s Safari  in the City. The Werribee open range zoo is open all through out the year and is located 35 kilometres west of Melbourne city centre. If you’re heading down the Great Ocean Road and have lots of spare time, then drop by the zoo and see the animals roaming freely.

how’s that for a view?

The open range zoo is smaller than I was expecting and there’s not much that you can see. However, the animals here do look healthier compared to the ones locked up in cages at Melbourne Zoo.  Bangkok’s Safari world is bigger and there’s more to see.

Rhinocerous

While in the zoo, there are several activities that you can do, like the Open Vehicle Adventure, the African cat encounter, Feeding the giraffes and some gorilla behind the scenes. Part of the general admission includes a safari bus ride across the mock set up of the African Savannah. You will meet giraffes, zebras, and maybe if you’re lucky, some rhinos along the way.

the safari bus included with the general admission

safari bus tour

You also have the opportunity to get up close with the beautiful giraffe. You need to book beforehand if you would like to join the wild encounters activities.

that long-legged creature

those beautiful eyelashes!

Here are some animals that you’ll encounter in the safari bus ride.

lounging lion

black & white stripes

And of course, my favorite of them all. The meerkat cutie. They’re so small!

the cutest of them all.

So, have you been to Werribee zoo? Whats your favourite animal?

Bruny Island Full Day Tour by Pennicot Wilderness Journeys

I’ve booked this tour online about 2 weeks before we left for Tasmania. So on the day of our tour, all we had to bring was our confirmation and receipt and we’re good to go. This full day tour includes lunch (smoked salmon sandwich, soup,  and a blueberry muffin which is yum!), scenic stops included. Make sure you bring warm clothing as it can get really cold and windy, remember, you’re cruising in open waters! You’ll cruise along the rugged sea cliffs, some of them are among Australia’s tallest cliffs, enter sea caves, and get up close to the “breathing rock” which is going to get you wet. As for seat locations, if you’re brave and adventurous enough to feel the might of the Tasman Sea and the Southern Ocean, go ahead and sit at the front of the boat (make sure you take the ginger tablets they give out before cruising, trust me, they work!), you get the best view as well if getting wet isn’t an issue. Waterproof and windproof gear are also available on board.

Two days prior to our trip, 2 whales have been spotted and a pod of dolphins so we were really excited. We returned disappointed though as we didn’t have any sightings, but its something we can’t control. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack!  But the sights and the seal colonies makes up for the wee bit of disappointment of not seeing whales. The whole trip reminded me of the film Jurassic park;  the landscapes, rock formations, the towering cliffs and the seclusion of the place. It reminded me again of why I love travelling, the feeling of awe and wonder is just exhilarating.

Here are the photos from our trip. Enjoy!

sea caves

reminds me of Jurassic Park

the famous monument

seal colonies

scenic stop at “The Neck”, where the bay and the sea is separated by a piece of narrow land

When and where?

Departs 8am at Pennicott Wilderness Journeys Booking Centre on Hobart’s waterfront, returns 5.30pm.

Tours run daily all year, except Christmas Day.

Rates
Adults $195
Children (3-16 yrs) $140

Includes
3 Hour Eco-Adventure Cruise
Morning Tea
Lunch
Return Transfers to Bruny Island from Hobart

What to bring

Warm, waterproof clothing, camera of course! better if you have zoom lenses,bottled water, sunscreen

Click here for more information

http://www.brunycruises.com.au/tours/full-day-tour.aspx

 

Mt. Wellington, our $25 tour

We booked this tour in Hobart’s tourist centre. We left mid afternoon to drive up the mountain. Be warned though, it is very windy up there and cold, especially in winter. I heard from our driver that it snows even if winter is long gone. So make sure you pack up some warm clothing and dress in layers. Here are some photos from our trip. ENJOY!

view from Mt.Wellington

Private Tour of Port Arthur Historic Sites (with Great Expeditions Tasmania)

Our tour guide,Samuel McLennan of Great Expeditions, is one of the best tour guide I’ve ever met! Highly recommended! He is very friendly and we never felt like strangers. I’m very shy, while my fiancé is very chatty and outgoing. So again, I was saved from awkward silent moments. We enjoyed our tour and we highly recommend them to anyone who’s going to visit Tassie. What I like about the company is that they are so prompt! Very sensitive to the needs of their costumers, we never felt rushed and we enjoyed their company.

So moving on to the tour part, we had several stops on our way to Port Arthur. One of the best was at Pirate’s Bay for tea ( at own expense) with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and with good company.

 

One of the most beautiful shades of blue I’ve seen so far

PIRATE’S BAY

 

Port Arthur is a small town and former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula, in Tasmania, Australia. Port Arthur is one of Australia’s most significant heritage areas and is one of Tasmania’s top tourist attraction. It’s also famous for its ghost tours at night. We didn’t join any of the evening tours but we had our bit of ghostly encounters, and he was one of the prisoners (creepy). With this private tour, entrance to the site is included. Make sure you wear a good pair of shoes, the area is massive and expect to do a lot of walking. Introductory tour lasted for about 45 minutes then your own your own to explore the place, lucky for us we had Sam so it was easier for us to prioritize which area we wanted to see.

 

view from the ferry

 

ruins at Port Arthur

 

ruins at Port Arthur

 

Included with our tour is a ferry ride, honestly, there’s not much to see.  The ferry ride took 30 minutes with an onboard commentary. We didn’t join the Isle of the dead tours where in you get off from the ferry.To join the tours, you need to purchase additional tickets. This additional tour will take about an hour.

After our Port Arthur Tour, we had lunch in the site at our own expense. We had ample time to scan the souvenir section and then we then head off to see more of the Tasman Peninsula. The sceneries are stunning and I couldn’t help but to look left and right! I enjoyed my solitude at the back seat and I just let Brian do all the talking. Don’t get me wrong though, they haven’t ignored me or whatsoever, every now and again they would include me in their conversations ( I prefer if they just continued with their conversations, hahaha)

 

So for our last stop, Sam drove us to the remarkable cave (see photos below). Its beautiful but for me its unremarkable.

rock formations at the remarkable cave

 

the remarkable cave

 

PROS AND CONS OF THIS TOUR

 

PROS: not rushed, private guide while in Port Arthur (useful for facts and nice to knows), hotel pick up and drop off, friendly and informative guide

 

CONS: no lunch included, can be dragging if you like fast paced travel, expensive

 

click on the links below for informations and bookings

http://www.greatexpeditions.com.au/hobart-tasmania-day-tours/hobart-day-tour-port-arthur

 

Private Wine Tour with Great Expeditions Tasmania

First on our itinerary is a private wine tour with Great Expeditions. Brian and I were picked up by our guide ( Patrick) and drove us around the different wineries all around Hobart and surrounds. Brian and I are not wine drinkers so our guide was probably wondering why we booked this specific tour.

During talks about wine ( red? white? ), champagne, etc etc, I just kept on nodding and thinking “how am I suppose to remember everything?”. We got to taste different wines which were surely all great tasting to my untrained taste palette.To be honest, the only adjectives I have to describe all the drinks we got to sample are smooth, strong, bitter, sweet, refreshing, dry, fruity and floral. Patrick was so nice and patient to all our questions, he showed us which drinks we should try as we favor the sweet and fruity type.

He drove us around the country side, I can’t remember the name of the first vineyard, however there was one that stood out, Puddleduck Vineyard, it was so picturesque and the staff were so nice! We bought a bottle of verjuice and had lots of tips from the staff on how to add that to our cooking.

Our next stop is the Wicked Cheese Factory, and of course, we had the opportunity to taste their range of cheeses. One particular cheese that got our taste buds was the Wicked Chilli Cheddar, it is just so yummy and it tastes good with dry crackers. I didn’t get to taste much cheese as I was too embarrassed to try everything, but Brian, knowing him, he got to taste everything ( if not everything, then most of the samples). So we got our Chilli cheese and headed off to our next vineyard, we tried more wine and and I am starting to get very dizzy. As I’ve said earlier, we’re not really alcohol drinkers so I wouldn’t know if I am getting drunk or not.

We headed to Richmond. The town reminds me so much of a fairytale setup. The houses were so cute and the place gives off a romantic vibe. I was so excited to see the famous bridge despite the pounding headache, my ideas on how I want the photos to look like were all in my head. We then climbed up a small hill to see the oldest church in Australia ( see photo below, I edited the photo to make it look like a painting).

St. John’s Catholic Church

We then asked our guide if it’s possible for us to drop by Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary to see the famous Tasmanian Devil. It wasn’t part of our tour but since we were way ahead of schedule, they said yes! We paid $25 each for the entrance. There weren’t many animals there, but Brian enjoyed feeding the kangaroos, look at his photo below. I’ve never seen him so happy since we landed in Tassie, and that of course made me happy and managed to calm my pounding headache.

Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, Tasmania

Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, Tasmania

tasmanian devil

Afterwards, we were dropped off to our hotel in the city. Patrick was one of the nicest tour guides I’ve met who I can actually say genuinely cares for the guest. He knew I was in a really terrible state and gave us his personal number to contact him incase I get worse in the next few hours ( I really think it was too much wine).

So overall, the trip was very good, I can’t say I’ve enjoyed the winery tour, but I can assure you, if you LOVE wine then this tour is going to please you.

SEE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION

GREAT EXPEDITIONS TOUR: http://www.greatexpeditions.com.au/hobart-tasmania-day-tours/tasmanian-wine-tour

WICKED CHEESE: http://www.wickedcheese.com.au

BONORONG WILDLIFE SANCTUARY: http://www.bonorong.com.au