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RIKKI DEE, restaurateur: Experiencing the mystery and history of an ancient land more than 3,000 years old. The beauty and the way early civilization was preserved are beyond comparison. Egypt is a must-see.
BENG DEE, restaurateur: Egypt has a very impressive history. I was fascinated by its mysticism. Imagine having a centuries-old icon "The Pyramid" in the middle of its capital city, Cairo. As the saying goes, if an image can speak a thousand words, Egypt has a lot to say!
KEREN PASCUAL, PR/events organizer: Aside from the pyramids and temples, the people fascinate me and how at ease they are living in two worlds: ancient Egypt steeped in history and modern Egypt keeping pace with the rest of the world. I’m amazed by how well they have preserved their heritage, yet still be part of the computer age. It’s like stepping into a time warp. "Famous 8: The Great Egyptian Voyage" is a trip that will be hard to top!
COREY WILLS, model: Entering the hazy outskirts of Cairo and seeing the peak of a pyramid towering above the city skyline and thinking to myself, "Is that a mountain?" The pyramids looked eerie in the morning haze.
LEAH PUYAT, writer and entrepreneur: Being asked what fascinated me most about Egypt gave me a pause. It was like trying to discern the prettiest color in the rainbow or the most realistic figure in the Sistine Chapel. After all, there is a whole field of study called Egyptology! But two things truly struck me. The first was how the early Egyptians lived to the rhythms of nature. Their palaces are on the east, because that’s where the sun rises, and their tombs are in the west, because that’s where the sun sets. And then they deified and blended human figures with animals, expressing awe and respect for fellow creatures on this planet. The second was the magnificent jewelry found in Tutankhamen’s tomb. The interplay of gold and gemstones and the intricacy of workmanship all made me realize that the jewelry is both intimate and eternal, and the sight of these millennia-old pieces certainly re-strengthened my passion for jewelry.
PATRICIA PUYAT, architect: An Egyptian tour always focuses on the ancient structures. What left a lasting impression on me was our visit to the Temple of Ram-Ombo. I was bewildered by the Egyptians’ depth of knowledge and understanding of the human body, as evidenced by the hieroglyphics of surgical procedures on the interior court walls. As we visited the other monuments, I realized that this mastery of medicine was equaled, if not surpassed, by their fine craftsmanship (in building technology and in jewelry making, as we saw in the Cairo Museum).
Present-day Egypt, however, has so many layers of history and culture due to the succession of invasion and colonization by the Greeks, Romans, Turks, Muslims, British, French and Israelis. When we visited Old Cairo, the sight of synagogues, mosques and Coptic churches built alongside each other was truly inspiring.
RAJO LAUREL, fashion designer: I will answer that question by asking, "What is not fascinating about Egypt?" Every facet and aspect of Egypt is fascinating, mesmerizing and when we were there it left me with wonder and amazement. From its history to its culture to its cuisine, it has truly entranced and enriched me. What comes to mind as I reminisce about the trip is the amazing treasures and artifacts that I saw from King Tut’s tomb. I could have stayed in the Cairo Museum for weeks on end. Oh, and I also got to kiss the Sphinx.
ANTON BARRETTO, owner, Pineapple and Cereo Candle Exchange: The pyramids of Giza and Scarra. You read about them, see pictures, and watch features and documentaries on them, but nothing can compare when they are yours to see, standing gloriously before your very eyes – awesome proportions and the wonder of how they were built. It was even more exhilarating for me when we entered the pyramids, the steep descent, the narrow hallways that lead to the magnificent chambers depicting ancient Egyptian life, death and the afterlife. This experience was more than fascinating for me – it was even more surprising that my cell had signal, amazing!
ZIMMER RAZ, fitness professional: After touring the famed temples, pyramids and tombs of ancient Egypt, I was fascinated by the thought of how these monuments were built – all by hand with none of our modern tools and equipment – it is a great achievement how every block of stone was cut, carved and floated down the Nile to its location and assembled piece by piece to create these remarkable architectural wonders.
ODETTE VELARDE, assistant manager, marketing communications, Adidas Philippines: Aside from the temples and the Egyptian museum, the majestic view of the sun rising over the west bank fascinated me. Watching the sun rise with the view of the West bank and Nile River was simply breathtaking.
JOHN PRATS, actor: What fascinated me about Egypt was their culture and way of dressing. It was so nice to see the locals wearing their native dress in a setting that I only used to read about and watch in movies. Egypt brought out my love of photography – I don’t like it too perfect, I like it raw; my true passion is taking pictures of children and and structures, Egypt has a lot of both!
PAULINE SUACO-JUAN, editor, Preview magazine: I was absolutely drooling looking at the treasures of Tutankhamun. They were really something else. But I also enjoyed the markets – Khan El Kelili in particular. I am a shopper type of traveler and shopping in the souk is cultural immersion for me. Plus, when you’re on a tour you don’t really meet the locals, so this was a good way to get some interaction.
AMELIA ABAYA, guidance counselor: My favorite site was the Egyptian Museum, particularly the treasures of Tutankhamun. I love jewelry and it was amazing to see the intricate handiwork on gold and semi-precious stones from thousands of years ago.
ANGELETTE CALERO, entrepreneur: The pyramids. They just blew my mind away. Yes, the temples and all the other sights were great, but when I saw the pyramids, I just thought to myself, "This is Egypt. This is what I came for. This makes it all worth it."
SUZETTE LEGARDA MONTINOLA, owner, La Cocina de Tita Moning: What impressed me most about Egypt was the scale and the detail of the temples, tombs and treasures that the Egyptians had. The treasures uncovered in Tut Ankh Amuns’ tomb are enough to make one’s mouth drop in sheer awe, and yet this is not even a fraction of their rich civilization. The Egyptians were so accomplished in so many fields such as medicine and architecture. The opportunity to have walked where men had mastered these sciences many years before Christ was truly invaluable, rich and different.
It was also very interesting to visit a country so unlike the usual western destinations we go to.
BEN CHAN, owner, Bench and HerBench: Egypt is an enigmatic journey through time. I was fascinated to know of a civilization that early on had made great advances in the fields of engineering, science, technology, mathematics and medicine. The reliefs we saw in the temple of Haruris and Sobek at Kom Ombo revealed that the ancient Egyptians had already been using what we had perceived as modern surgical instruments. Scalpels, scissors and forceps similar to those used today were all widely used in ancient Egypt. Even their technique of inducing birth was similar to what modern doctors consider appropriate today. And to think our Egyptian forebears were able to relay all this to us by inscribing their fascinating history in those glorious temples, which continue to captivate and intrigue not only emperors and kings but curious mortals like us.
RAYA MANANQUIL, model: Egypt has always been one of my dream destinations. It was such a blast that I got to spend my birthday in Cairo seeing one of the Seven Wonders of the World – the pyramids of Giza. It would be impossible to feel blasé seeing them up close. And, oh yeah, I enjoyed the camel ride a lot!
FRANCIS RICAFORT, model: One thing I loved the most about Egypt was the scenery. The sky in Egypt inspired the photographer in me. I had never seen a sky like that – endless blue. I went crazy with my cameras. Plus, I loved that in the city you’d see cars against really old buildings. I liked that contrast.
MIGUEL PASTOR, architect: Deciphering the obscure language inscribed on the Rosetta stone unlocked the mysteries of ancient Egypt to modern man. Before the discovery of the Rosetta stone in 1779, the language of ancient Egypt was virtually extinct for almost 14 centuries. Once modern man was able to decode the language written in hieroglyphics, world leaders like Napoleon sought to relive the glory days of the Egyptian pharaohs through all means possible: through art, fashion, architecture, furniture, rituals, technology, empire building, and yes, looting the treasures buried in their temples and pyramids! No wonder the great museums of Europe and America contain even more of these ancient treasures than those left in Egypt today. Nonetheless, Egypt is a never-ending paradox which will continue to cast its magical spell for many more generations to come!
LIZA ILARDE CUENCA, editor, Mega Magazine: The pyramids were definitely the highlight of the Egyptian tour. It was so bizarre how we were just driving through the city of Cairo, when all of a sudden the pyramids’ silhouettes appeared in the hazy distance, like something out of this world. Seeing them for the first time was just awesome, I have no words. It was like nothing I had ever seen, like a spaceship or something. It convinced me even more that extra-terrestrials had something to do with them.
PAOLO PINEDA, photographer: My most memorable experience was riding the camel. I didn’t realize how hard it is to get on one, plus I had to pose like Super Bench, and of course, seeing the pyramids.