Egypt: Day 5
September 20, 2022
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Day 5 began at 3:10 a.m. with the majority of our group getting up to take an optional tour to Abu Simbel, a complex of two temples for Ramsses II (the Great Ramesses, of tormenting
Moses fame) and his wife Nefertari, two massive rock-cut temples about three-and-a-half hours southwest of Aswan. The temples were built starting in 1264 BC and lasted for about 20
years until 1244 BC. Because the Aswan High Dam was soon to be built, and the two temples would be totally lost and submerged, the temple was cut into 1042 chunks and moved up the
mountain 64 metres and 180 metres back from the river, at a total cost of $40 million U.S., about $300 million in today's dollars.
After getting back to the cruise ship around 2 p.m., we started the Nile cruise and enjoyed a nice meal and a bit of time at the pool. Before supper (which was 8 p.m. daily on the ship)
we did a night tour of the Temple of Kom Ombo, a temple begun with Ptolemy VI and continued by the Greek Pharaohs of Egypt 180-47 BC, unique because its 'double' design meant that
there were courts, halls, sanctuaries and rooms duplicated on either side for two sets of gods.
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Above: Pretty much the only place to stop in the desert on the way to Abu Simbel.
1 shows leaving the dock at 3:45 p.m.
2 shows a military checkpoint, complete with machine gunners in turrets, took 40 minutes to get through.
3 to 6 show the drive through the Western Desert, including sunrise.
7 to 10 shows our stop at the only real stop on our drive to Abu Simbel for a washroom break, plus me dazed and lost in the desert.
11 shows a view from our bus driving the two lane highway through the desert, which they are expanding to four, not a lot of vehicles on it.
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