Before you begin, this is a 2 stage puzzle - please read carefully:
- the first, uncomplicated, puzzle has all the answers on this page. Find the answers in the text and use the puzzle checker for confirmation and additional information. The solved coordinates take you to a sign.
- the second, even easier, puzzle is started on this page. Final instructions for solving it are in the checker.
Visiting Egypt
Once upon a time, long ago, way back in 2019, my friends Olivia, Adrienne and Angus invited me to join them on a tour to Egypt. We made arrangements with a tour company and looked forward to meeting each other in Cairo that fall.
Tour Day 0: Getting there - my flight out of Seattle was delayed three hours. In Frankfurt a few of us exited the plane first in hopes of making connecting flights. I arrived at mine only to watch the plane backing away from the terminal.
The agent said that they would provide us with food and lodging and have us on a flight the next day. I sadly mentioned that the next day was the only day on our tour to see the Great Sphinx. She asked us to sit nearby while she prepared meal and hotel vouchers. I was the last person to be called, and instead of vouchers, she handed me first class tickets for a flight on a different airline scheduled to arrive around 8 that evening in Cairo. Yes, I had tears of happiness in my eyes.
In Cairo, the tour representative met me and helped fill out the Arabic forms to report missing/delayed luggage. We, and two others on the tour, headed to the van taking us to our hotel. As we drove, I said something about structures in the distance looking like pyramids. The driver said that's exactly what they were - all lit up at night.
At the hotel, the kitchen staff and our tour leader asked if they could give us our delicious welcome dinner before we headed to our rooms. When I got to my room, Olivia woke up and welcomed me. I quickly slipped into bed, noticing that we could see the pyramids from the window in our room.
Tour Day 1: Dreams do come true. We spent the morning wandering around the main pyramids of Giza, dedicated to the kings Khufu, Kafhre, and Menkaura. Next, we visited the Great Sphinx and the Solar Boat Museum. Before returning to our hotel, we were given an opportunity to take a short camel ride.
My first (and hopefully last) camel ride
Tour Day 2: This is the day we actually went inside a pyramid. We climbed many steps up to the entrance, then descended a narrow sloped corridor with a very low ceiling. Adrienne reminded me that I mustn't bend my back, and we had a good laugh about walking like a ducks. We crossed a flat area before climbing a few steps to see where the mummified remains of the queen had been. The king's chamber was on a higher level.
Trying to "duck walk" inside a pyramid
HINT: The final hide for this geocache is based on things explained to us this day about a typical pyramid's structure. The cache's outer container represents a pyramid, although not shaped like one. However, it is covered with Egyptian sand, a bottle of which was given to each of us. Open the "pyramid" to find a sarcophagus which is what mummies were placed in. Animals were frequently mummified, so when you open the sarcophagus you'll find the cat I selected for mummification. This process requires the removal of all organs. Open the cat to discover I let it keep its heart for you to sign. Ancient beliefs held that your heart would be weighed against the feather of Maat, the goddess of truth and justice. If your heart was as light or lighter than the feather, you would be able to move to the afterlife. Please keep your heart light by being careful when finding and replacing this cache.
Tour Day 3: We were bussed from Cairo to Alexandria, stopping along the way at the Anba Bishoi monastery which is a complex of five churches where we saw old wells and many artifacts from the 4th century. Upon arrival in Alexandria, we visited the Great Library of Alexandria where we saw biblical manuscripts and other old texts. The writings are works of beauty.
Tour Day 4: Today's highlight was the Citadel of Qaitbay, built on the location of the Pharos of Alexandria, the legendary lighthouse that was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Pharos, severely damaged by earthquakes, survived in part until 1480. Its ruins were used to build the Citadel. We also visited some catacombs and the National Museum.
Tour Days 5 - 7: These three days involved a lot of travel back to Cairo with visits to sites such as catacombs, the Egyptian Museum, historic El-Moez Street, a mosque, a bazaar, a hanging church, a Coptic church, and a synagogue. I was overwhelmed with so much beauty and historical information. I was happy to relax on a flight to Luxor to board a ship for a few days, thinking I would have time to think about all of it. However, after unpacking and having lunch once on board, we got right back on a bus for more visits to the Karnak and Luxor Temples, centers of ancient Egyptian civilization.
So many churches that I was singing like an angel
Tour Day 8: Another day of visiting historic sites, including the West Bank Valley of the Kings, King Tut's tomb, Hatshepsut's temple, the Colossi of Memnon, and the Luxor Library. The highlight for me was learning that when Hatshepsut's husband (Thutmose II) died, her stepson (Thutmose III) was too young to come into power, so Hatshepsut was named regent until he came of age. In the seventh year of her regency she broke with tradition and had herself crowned pharaoh of Egypt, the only female to ever hold that position. Her reign was one of the most prosperous and peaceful in Egypt's history. Her monuments were so beautiful and finely crafted that future Pharaohs claimed her works as their own.
Tour Day 9: This morning we visited the Horus Temple at Edfu, completed in 57 B.C., had lunch on board, and then headed out to visit Kom Ombo. Excavations here uncovered several hundred crocodile mummies, now in a museum of their own.
Tour Day 10: A great day! In the morning we sailed the Nile on a traditional Felucca which is solely dependent on wind power. The crew challenged us to pose on the foredeck while under sail. Only Adrienne and I rose to the challenge. My thought was that if I fell off, I could then say that I had gone swimming in the Nile.
Adrienne and I posing as requested by the crew
We were taken to the west side of the Nile to visit Abu Simbel, the world's largest temple carved into rocks. Sixty meters inside is the Holy of Holies, containing four statues - King Ramses II, and three gods, Ra-Hor, Amun and Ptah. Due to a rare solar alignment, twice a year - once on October 22 to mark the king’s birthday and the beginning of the growing season, and again on February 22 to celebrate his coronation and the start of harvest season - the sun's rays penetrate to the interior and illuminate all the figures except Ptah, the god of darkness. The complex, often considered the eighth ancient wonder of the world, was relocated in its entirety in 1968 to higher ground, in perfect alignment, to avoid it being submerged by Lake Nasser, the Aswan Dam reservoir.
Tour Day 11: A busy last day of our tour. Our bags packed, we said our goodbyes to the ship staff and walked to a bus. Olivia and I got permission to quickly walk down to the edge of the Nile River and put our feet in those waters. We had learned that there are actually 2 Nile Rivers - the Blue Nile and the White Nile. They meet in Khartoum, Sudan, after which they are considered to be the White Nile. The Blue Nile contributes greater volume, while the White Nile is used for overall length for the river as it flows through 11 countries to the Mediterranean Sea. It is the longest northward flowing river in the world.
Dipping in the Nile
On board the bus, we headed to the Unfinished Obelisk, originally meant to be a celebratory monument. It was carved directly out of bedrock and would have been 137 feet in length if completed; however, it was abandoned when cracks appeared. Two of us walked the full length to what would have been the bottom to see it from that perspective.
This was followed by a visit to the Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, best known for romance, protective abilities, and healing powers. From there we went to the Aswan High Dam, one of the world's largest embankment dams, and the third largest dam in the world. It was completed in July of 1970.
It was time to head to our hotel and our last dinner in Egypt.
With friends Adrienne, Angus, and Olivia
Getting Home: Thankfully, the next day my flights home were uneventful.
Solving the puzzle: The first stage of this puzzle will be found at N 46° 5A.BCD' W 122° 3E.FGH' as follows:
A = ____ - the approximate time my flight from Frankfurt landed in Cairo.
B = ____ - the number of churches in the Anba Bishoi complex.
C = ____ - Horus Temple at Edfu was completed in C7 B.C.
D = ____ - the number of statues receiving sunlight on February 22 and October 22 inside Abu Simbel.
E = ____ - Abu Simbel was relocated in its entirety in 196E
F = ____ - the number of women to hold the position of Pharaoh.
G = ____ - Aswan High Dam was completed in 19G0.
H = ____ - the Pharos lighthouse survived in part until 14H0.
Solving for the final: Once you have solved the first stage, enter those coordinates into the checker below. There you will be told how to get the numbers for V, W, X, Y, and Z. Then do the following to the above solved coordinates:
- add 0.WXZ to the north decimal minutes.
- add 0.VVZ to the west decimal minutes.
