Nubia Submerged - Days 6-9 (Abu Simbel to Aswan)

Trip Start Mar 09, 2006
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Trip End Mar 28, 2006


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Monday, March 20, 2006

So a few things I've learned about traveling in Egypt: bring lots of change. I don't mean coins, I mean single dollar bills like you're going to the strip club. There is not much that cannot be had for "one yankee doodle dollar" in this here neck of the woods. Having Egyptian change is not a bad idea either (once again, not the coins but the smaller bills) since water and sodas and postcards and toilet paper (more on that later) can be bought for 1 to 5 to 10 to 20 Egyptian pounds. Their money is much cooler than our own; a lucky few may receive 1 pound bills as souvenirs.

The days and temples are starting to blend together, and we are losing a few of our travel companions (just like a good Agatha Christie murder mystery) to stomach ailments. Most everyone has a sore throat as well from the excessive "air conditioning to warm weather" syndrome, but we all agree this is still a grand and epic experience.
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Day 6 was Friday, and St. Pat's day went completely unnoticed here, except by a few drunkity drunk drunk travelers we met on the plane to Abu Simbel. We were up before the sun to catch our plane, ran into a flight delay, but eventually managed a delicious lunch onboard our first of two cruise ships. These boats are nice and not to be missed. Very "Death on the Nile" with the lounge where I could easily envision the self-inflicted gunshot wound (sorry to ruin the story for those who haven't read it).

We also saw the (tax deductible) sound and light show at Abu Simbel tonight. This is just one of several many sites that were miraculously relocated when the new Aswan dam was built in the '60s. The dam unfortunately flooded most of ancient Nubia, destroying many temples and displacing thousands of inhabitants. UNESCO did, through a multi-national effort, manage to relocate many of the most important temples in this area. I thought I would be disappointed that Abu Simbel would not be in its "real" location, however the process to move and rebuild the temple is so impressive that the site was all the more spectacular for it. You've probably seen pictures of this temple before, it famously has four enormous statues of Ramses II at the front (no shortage of ego on him).
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Days seven and eight were spent on board, enjoying high tea and occasional boat rides to other relocated sites along Lake Nasser. The terrain as you sail on the Lake is an unreal mix of lush water lapping up against the Sahara Desert. Not a soul for miles, except for the other two cruise boats and the caretakers of the various temples. I have never seen a darker, inkier sky with more stars than here in Nubia. Very romantic and inspiring.

This was a good chance to catch up on laundry, reading, and naps. And postcards! Ben and I even tried our hand at a round of billiards, made more challenging by the table being located directly over the engine room. The farewell dinner on Sunday night did not include a baked Alaska as most cruise ships do, but instead a re-creation of the great pyramids of Giza. And tasty too!

Monday morning (day 9) found us up early (lots of that going on for this trip) to get off the boat, see more temples, then get on a bus bound for our single night stay at the New Cataract Hotel. The "old" one is right next door, and very cool to see in person after watching the movie twice (my preparation for the trip).
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Tomorrow finds us boarding another boat for a four night cruise of the Nile River, but I am hopeful we will stop by the Aswan market place first. Found the backgammon board I am looking for (at 4250 Egyptian pounds--I'll let you all figure out the exchange), so I think there might be a better deal out there.

xoxo
CAT

P.S. Some have been asking about photos, and we have certainly taken quite a few (300 at the last count). However, Egypt is still very much a third-world country in terms of technology, so the pictorial evidence will have to wait. Visit www.pyramidcam.com for a view of what they looked like on the day of our visit!
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jjtseattle
jjtseattle on Mar 21, 2006 at 02:12AM

So many temples
So many temples..where's the belly dancing? Maybe that's on the Nile cruise. We want photos (when you come home of course) of Ben with seven veils and a jingly Egyptian scarf around his waist. What were the pyramids made from on your cruise? Cake? Ice Cream? hmmm..I'm getting hungry thinking about those tasty pyramids right now. Have fun on the Nile, say hi to to the crocodiles for us! Love J & L

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