About your HiddenEgypt.com Travel Facilitator, Iris C. Meijer

When I moved to Egypt 5 years ago, after a burnout brought on by my hectic career-girl existence as a lawyer and editor, I really wanted to delve into this country’s mysteries and replenish my heart and soul. I’d been fascinated with Egypt ever since I was a little girl of ten years old. I’d studied it for years, visited it many times, dreamed of it almost every night, and I loved it with a passion. When I made the big decision to pull up stakes and start a new life in Egypt, I wanted to explore, discover, uncover. In other words, I wanted to explore more than just the obvious sites in Egypt. I was fascinated by the thought of seeing all of this magical land, not just what’s on the beaten path. All I wanted to do was to get off the tourist track and see some really fantastic things. And so I did!

I went to temples all over the place, spanning the length and breadth of Egypt, from the Mediterranean Coast down to the border with the Sudan: Alexandria, Cairo, Saqqara, Meidum, Dahshur, Abusir, Tanis, Bubastis, all the temples I could find in the Western Desert Oases of Dush (Baris), Kharga, Dakhla, Farafra, Bahariya (but there are still more to be found there, and I haven’t made it to Siwa yet), Abydos, Denderah, Luxor East and West Bank, Aswan’s Temple Islands of Philae, Kalabsha and Elephantine, and all the temples on our amazing Lake Nasser, culminating in Abu Simbel of course. Since I live there, my focus is the Luxor area, and so I’ve done Karnak Temple about 50 times, Luxor Temple about the same, and also the temples of Al Tod and Medamud. I didn’t stop there of course, and so I took the ferry across our beautiful river Nile, and visited all the Mortuary Temples on the West Bank, Hatshepsut, Medinet Habu, Ramesseum, Seti I, and of course all the Valleys: Valley of the Kings (including the Western Valley of the Monkeys), Valley of the Queens, Valley of the Nobles (which is actually not a valley but a very outstretched area dotted with fabulous small tombs and villages), the Asasif and lots and lots more. I even climbed our Theban Hills (and if you look at my picture you will understand that that was quite a feat :-) ) and the view from up there just took whatever breath I had left away! And I’m sure I’ve forgotten to mention some places here… also, there are some place I still haven’t gotten to, such as Amarna, and more out of the way little temples like Qus and Qift (some places are hard to get to because of the convoys the police here insist on for traveller safety, and also there were money matters to consider…). And the Western Desert still holds many more wonders to see, so I need to get back there as quickly as I can, on my own this time (I’m usually there with groups) and do some more heavy exploring!
To cut a long story short (too late, I know), I’ve gone to and seen the most amazing places. I’m such a lucky girl!

You know, to me, the essence of Egypt is wonders, enchantment and magic… contrasts and contradictions… amazement and bafflement.
It is a land that connects us to our past, our present and our future – a place where you can dream of untold mysteries and be dazzled at what human beings can accomplish, a place where you can marvel at endless vistas in the desert and a simpler kind of life that makes you more aware of your own present, a place where the path to our past is clear and leads directly into the future…

In discovering Egypt, its mysteries, heart and soul, I discovered loads of things about myself as well, along those same themes. But more than that, I deepened my knowledge and understanding of Egypt, both ancient and current. Both cultures have so much to teach us, so much more than meets the eye at first glance.

And so I decided that I wanted to be the one who opened those aspects of Egypt up to others as well. Because even though the basic tours that most companies offer to all those places one simply ‘must see’ are great, there is just so much more here! And there are different ways to see it than just being herded onto big buses like sheep and being given an hour or so in each temple with an explanation that focuses on history, conquests and dates. More often than not, people end those tours with the feeling of having seen a really beautiful pile of very old stones, but with no idea about what it actually was or meant. For my part, I wanted to help people really feel and understand Egypt. To help lift the veil of its ancient mysteries and help people see the basic and deep ideas that underlie its amazingly impressive culture spanning such an enormous amount of time, and also how that relates to our own culture and background. Because at the end of the day, Egypt is the source of our culture, through the Greeks and the Romans who imported a great deal of their science, ideas and even gods from this ancient land, and who held it in deep veneration and awe. And actually, that’s where my company name came from: The Source – Energies of Egypt.

So after giving you a bit of insight about me, my background and my reasons for setting up this company, I truly hope you will come and explore this fabulous country with me. I can honestly say that I have explored most sites here already for you. And should you want to go somewhere remote that I haven’t been yet, it will be my PLEASURE to go and check it out! :-)
And after 5 years here, I have built up my own networks here, and can offer you the advantage of that too.

I hope to meet you soon. Come and be amazed by all the wonders of Egypt!