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| On the way to Abu Simbel |
We wake at 4:15 this morning for the drive to Abu Simbel. I had a restless night with a cold and am definitely running on fumes. The driver and a guy from the tour agency
arrive at 4:35 in a newish car which is not always a given in these countries.
After a trip to the ATM and a quick exchange of money, we begin the three hour
journey through the desert. Nothing but sand for as far as the eye can see and
the road rarely veers from a straight course. Surprisingly, I don’t sleep even though there’s nothing to see and I feel perfectly comfortable
with our driver. I’m jealous of the open-mouthed woman sleeping beside me.
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| Abu Simbel - Entrance to Ramses II Temple |
We get
out of the car at a rest-stop in the middle of nowhere. Sand for as
far as the eye can see. Four tour buses have also stopped and they’re filled
with only Chinese tourists. Nicola waits in line for 20 minutes to use the toilet while I go
around the back of the building to pee in the sand because there are
no toilets for men. We down a couple of Turkish coffees and get back in the car. An hour later, our driver slows to a near stop for the
obligatory speed bumps every 500 metres that characterize the roads in both Aswan and Giza.
As we
drive, Nicola explains that Abu Simbel was moved from its original location
under what is now, Lake Nasser, to higher ground. Lake Nasser was created by a
dam built shortly after Egypt’s independence in 1952. Being a bit of a socialist, President Nasser wanted to provide electricity for all the people of Egypt.
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Inside Temple - Pharaoh
Thrashing his enemies |
I became
a little cranky and frustrated by the hundreds of Chinese tourists waiting at
the entrance to the temple. Nicola reprimanded my frustration reminding me that
they had as much right to visit these areas as which I can’t argue with. But, there are so many. The owner of our gross hotel in Giza said they
constituted the majority of his business. I could see that now.
Ignoring
the crowds, I have to say that Abu Simbel is amazing. The temple faces Lake
Nasser and so is not visible from the road. Four giant colossus guard the
entrance to the temple, one with a head that has broken off and fallen to the
statue’s feet. We squeeze through the entrance with dozens of Chinese past a guard making a constant plea for people not to take pictures inside.
My Chinese
brethren ignore him completely pulling cell phones out by the dozen as soon as they enter the temple. I watch as a guard, wearing a turban and tunic, grab a fellow's phone attached to
a selfie stick and threatens to confiscate it. Surprisingly, this does not
discourage his fellow travellers. They probably figure if the guard is busy
with this guy, he won't have time for me. I must admit, I too took
advantage of the chaos and snapped a few shots myself. (Photography tickets
cost 300 Egyptian pounds each or $21C.)
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| Interior of Ramses II Temple |
Images
cover the walls pillars and ceiling of the temple. They are all in the
two-dimension profile pose we all associate with Ancient Egypt. A large relief depicts that Battle of Kadesh that
Ramses II waged with the Hittites which resulted in a draw. Nevertheless, it
brought peace between the two great nations so I suppose Ramses II can take
credit.
I spot a few images from my readings like the vulture that represents the north and
the cobra, the south and the falcon symbolizing a unified nation. Overall, I was
awed by the detail and size of the edifice. The driver wanted us to return in
time to catch our cruise down the Nile which gave us about an hour and a half.
I had thought that would give us plenty of time but it didn’t. We visited the
Temple dedicated to Queen Nefertiti next door. It’s smaller with mostly images
of women but still impressive and beautiful.
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| Felucca and lush green shore with desert in the distance |
Despite our driver's concern, we did
return to Aswan in plenty of time to catch our boat for the cruise. We stopped in Aswan to pick
up our tour director, Waleed, before arriving at the boat. He wanted to make sure that we
were happy with our cabin before the boat left. Most of the cruise ships on the Nile have identical shells with the quality of interior dependent on the individual owner and their dedication to luxury or economy. The main floor of our boat has the reception, a huge bar that's empty most of the time and cabins. Above that, two floors of cabins and, on the roof, is a deck with a sitting pool surrounded by lawn chairs. The other half of the roof is shaded from the sun with lounge chairs and tables and the bar. Below deck at the waterline is the restaurant and cabins for the crew. Our room has a floor to
ceiling sliding window and a
railing so we don’t fall out that also provides an excellent hanger for our
drying laundry. The entire cabin is made of wood with room to slide two single
beds together into a pretend double and one chair and coffee table. Really quite nice. Our expectations were low so this has certainly exceeded it. We expressed our pleasure to Waleed and he left.
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| Conversation by shore |
Cruising
down the Nile is certainly more interesting than the ocean. We’re constantly
passing towns and fields and the occasional palm forest. We sit on the top deck in
one of the arm chairs and enjoy a couple of coffees. A very pleasant way to
spend the afternoon.
We stop
at the Temple of Com Ombo or the Crocodile Temple. I wonder about visiting it
at this time because we didn't arrive until 5:30 and it’s getting dark. In point
of fact, it's the best time because all the reliefs that cover the walls and
columns are lit at an angle that makes the images and hieroglyphs more easily visible. We spot lots of
figures with crocodile heads as well as falcons and lions. Very cool.
Attached
to the temple area is a museum filled with crocodiles that have been mummified.
The crocodile man is considered a deity with association to Horus and fertility. Weird. Mind
you, they look better than the human mummies.
Dinner
this night is supposed include a dress-up. The idea is to purchase a robe from the ship’s
store and wear it. Nicola thought she should join in. Typical me, I don't want to dress up.
We find one robe that only comes in a large. Nicola went to try it on in our room.
Too big. Then, she found a more appropriate size. She goes to rent it or, at
least that’s what she thinks she’s doing, and discovers that the 12 pound price
on the robe is the price in English pounds, not Egyptian ones. How absurd. A
simple attempt to deceive. Nicola takes a pass.
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| Temple of Com Ombo |
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| Mummified Crocodiles |
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