On Philae Island, at the Temple of Isis....
Just when you think you've seen it all, you see something else fabulous. Abu Simbel today was awesome.
Just when you think you've had the worst diarrhoea of your life in South America, Egypt sets a whole new standard. (For my South American buddies - it's back to 1.3 and that's on a good day). I'm even more scared now that I've met someone who has actually pooed their pants and had to sit through a whole train ride in SE Asia.... But I'll protect their anonymity so they'll remain nameless.... At least on this continent (unlike South America) I'm not required to announce to a whole bus full of locals and tourists whether I need to do an "uno" or a "dos" before the bus driver either a) unlocks the bus toilet or b) stops the bus, respectively. Sigh. Was it the shwarma? Was it a stray mouthful of water in the shower? Who knows. One of my fellow travellers is convinced that his was from handling money.....Anyway, Egypt, thank you.
Anyway, back to more interesting news.
This morning was a 3am start to join the military convoy, to get to Abu Simbel at sunrise. It is 3 hours south of Aswan (my current "home"), less than 40km from the border with Sudan. An ever-so-slightly sensitive area of the world.... But to me, a long line of vehicles screams "bomb here" or "fire machine gun here" SO much more loudly than one random vehicle, but the Egyptian government does as it will without my advice, it seems.
It was worth the early start. There are two temples at Abu Simbel - (Left) one Great Temple King Ramses II and one of his wife Neferiti, the Temple of Hathor (Right)....
Ramses II decipted in old age and in death on the facade, up close.....
....and closer again... they were impressively enormous....
Original carvings in the entrance to the temple. No photos were allowed inside - but it was awesome. Unlike Petra and the Pyramids which are bare inside, the inside was a series of chambers inctricately carved and painted with scenes, and enormous statues. In the back were four statues, one statue of Ramses II that the ancient Egyptians made the sun shine on at 6:15am exactly, twice a year. Clever....
The name of a King in heiroglyphics in a cartouche....
The Temple of Hathor (Nefertari).....
And up close.....
The second temple wasn't as large or as detailed inside as Ramses II, but it was still worth a look! The 3 hour drive through the desert in the dark was unremarkable, but on the way back I got to see a bona fide mirage in the desert - it really did look like a lake of water..... that was pretty cool. They do exist....
Last night we got to sail one of these feluccas down the Nile, stopping on a small island for a "picnic" dinner..... those are tombs of nobles cut into the hill, there.....
Sailing a felucca basically consists of laying around (the deck is flat with no rim) and drinking beer as far as I could tell...... an itinerary that I could definitely cope with.
The beer was hard earned. The overnight train the previous night from Cairo to Aswan was painful... until I took the other half of my sleeping tablet, and then I was in a coma so deep that I'm surprised I was still breathing - it did make the 12 hours go awfully quickly however.... Upon arrival in Aswan it was straight out to the Island of Philae, on the Nile, to the Temple of Isis.....
Onland at the Temple. In 189-something the government built a dam, and this temple was partially covered until Unesco stepped in and moved it block by block to a new island on higher ground. You can see the water damage and marks on these columns....
I really liked the island - it was neat and cute and the temple carvings were great.....
It was after that that I had the Egyptian baptism of fire. I decided to visit some sites in Aswan - it's a small place on the Nile and I didn't get hassled until I decided to shortcut through the Moslem Cemetary - where "old mate with a fake business card" and I had a standoff about his request for 25 Egyptian Pounds to walk me through the cemetery - the end result of which was me standing with one hand on my hip, demanding to know "can I walk through here or not on my own, because I can walk around it", when really I was thinking "I'm so hot I'd sooner die than walk around". Eventually, he gave in (which surprised me) and I was free to trip around the tombstones.... see below.... Yes, those domes are tombs as well.....
Tarek, the Egyptian guide who is in charge of ensuring my passage across the country is trouble free pissed himself laughing on the felucca when I told him about the standoff, and since has addressed me with one hand on his hip and a snotty tone. He said that he'd never seen a young lass hold herself so well in Egypt - well, it's not over yet. I still have to go and buy a traditional Egyptian dress which is compulsory attire for tomorrow night - I've dealt with the stallholders in the Souq so far with my ipod up so loud that my hearing will be permanently affected - ignoring them is the only way to make them stop following you - it will be difficult to bargain like that, so let's see how we go....
Once I'd made it through the cemetery - I arrived at the unfinished obelisk. Those ancient egyptians had carved this out but discovered a flaw before they finished it, so they left it in the quarry.
Possibly the most boring and irrelevant thing I've ever seen and paid $6 for the privelege of seeing (perhaps with the exception of the coin museum in Potosi), but the pic with the town of Aswan in the back isn't bad.
Responding to some FAQ:
Q. Kathryn, did your camera dry out after Machu Picchu?
A. Yes, but I've since smashed a filter. That's what they are for, I suppose.
Q. Is the Famous Shmick really famous?
A. Yes, on three continents.
Q. Did the "don't throw toilet paper at the toilet" sign really exist?
A.
Q. Can you drink the water?
A. No. Nowhere in the whole entire world, Ben.
Q. Are you worried about Swine Flu?
A. No. Unlike the Japanese and Koreans I've seen donning their arc welding helmet (sunhat) and face mask. I have more pressing concerns, like pooing my pants.
I now have three nights sailing down the Nile on a 5 star boat (due to an administrative error - LOL - in my favour! Yay! That bird crap in Buenos Aires is still paying for itself!) - so I have to go and buy some wodka - the honeymooning couple, and another couple and I are well up for it and some cards on the sun deck!
I'll finish off with the picture of the Nile, from my hotel room in Cairo... trust me, Cairo is like photos of hotel rooms and real estate on the internet- photos make it look much better than it is.....
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