The following day we flew to Aswan to begin our cruise of the Nile as well as tours of temples, the High Dam and the tombs of the Valley of the Kings & Queens. Our first activity was a ride on a Felucca to sail the Nile for a couple of hours.
We sailed through a beautiful sunset and watched Egyptians at work on the shores of the Nile including a few boys that paddled out to our sailboat using wooden boards for boats and paint can lids for paddles to serenade us with ‘Row, row, row your boat’ and some with a nursery rhyme compilation of Row, row, row your boat, Happy Birthday and Mary had a little Lamb (very popular at Eid).
The next morning, we visited the High Dam (the boys pronounced this ‘DaMn, that’s high!’) which has been the largest dam in the world for the past 40 years but loses that prestigious title when China completes its Three Gorges Dam in December. 
The High Dam supplies Egypt with the bulk of its power. It also created the largest man-made lake (Lake Nassar) that supplies a great deal of fish to Egypt and has increased crop production from 1-2 harvests a year to a minimum of 3 in the farmlands below the dam. It’s a big dam, to say the least, but after 10 minutes, we were ready to go. The tour guide said it would take two nuclear bombs to destroy the dam – not sure how or why he knows this but I can’t imagine knowing the strength of your man made projects in terms of bombs required to destroy them – a lot of history in these parts.
The High Dam supplies Egypt with the bulk of its power. It also created the largest man-made lake (Lake Nassar) that supplies a great deal of fish to Egypt and has increased crop production from 1-2 harvests a year to a minimum of 3 in the farmlands below the dam. It’s a big dam, to say the least, but after 10 minutes, we were ready to go. The tour guide said it would take two nuclear bombs to destroy the dam – not sure how or why he knows this but I can’t imagine knowing the strength of your man made projects in terms of bombs required to destroy them – a lot of history in these parts. 
After the dam, we visited our first major temple – the Temple of Philae. We took a boat to the temple as most of Aswan’s valleys have been flooded by the dam so there are plenty of small islands a short boat ride away. The entire Temple of Philae was relocated after the flooding of the high dam.
It has beautiful carvings and the sanctuary is befitting for the god of paradise and the goddess of love or fertility (Isis). The island hosts a wealth of architecture. There are temples dating from the Pharaohs to the Caesars. You can see the Greek and Roman influence of Trajan’s Kiosk constructed by a Roman Emperor in the picture.
We decided to skip the 6:30am wakeup call the following morning so we missed the least significant temple of our tour but we had a leisurely breakfast with the Smiths who also bailed on the early morning. Their two girls and our boys are having a blast and after 5 months on the road, it’s nice to have the company of English speaking adults…..just as we were mastering our sign language and pointing skills.
We decided to skip the 6:30am wakeup call the following morning so we missed the least significant temple of our tour but we had a leisurely breakfast with the Smiths who also bailed on the early morning. Their two girls and our boys are having a blast and after 5 months on the road, it’s nice to have the company of English speaking adults…..just as we were mastering our sign language and pointing skills.
We took a horse and buggy through the streets of Edfu to visit the Temple of Edfu. It is on the west bank of the Nile and is one of the best preserved temples in Egypt.
The temple, dedicated to the falcon god Horus was built around 100 BC. It’s considered relatively new in the context of Egypt’s history. It’s a very important temple because it contains many descriptions and details of its construction and also preserves information about the mythical interpretation of various Egyptian myths passed down for many, many generations.
The temple, dedicated to the falcon god Horus was built around 100 BC. It’s considered relatively new in the context of Egypt’s history. It’s a very important temple because it contains many descriptions and details of its construction and also preserves information about the mythical interpretation of various Egyptian myths passed down for many, many generations.
We sailed for the remainder of the day and night and arrived in Luxor very early the next morning. 
Valley of the Kings & Queens
The Valley of Kings is the ancient burial ground used by the Pharaohs and dignitaries of the period around 1,600 BC. 63 royal tombs have been discovered including that of Tutankhamen that was discovered by accident and virtually intact in November 1922. There are a number of Pharaohs’ whose tombs or burial sites have yet to be discovered – plenty of opportunity for budding archaeologists like our friend Jack and Devin. We visited the tombs of Ramses I, IV and VI. The tomb of Ramses II and his sons was closed while we were visiting but they are the largest and most elaborate. Ramses II had over 200 sons and many are buried in their own chamber in a massive tomb structure that continues to be excavated and new finds are happening regularly. 
Valley of the Kings & Queens
The Valley of Kings is the ancient burial ground used by the Pharaohs and dignitaries of the period around 1,600 BC. 63 royal tombs have been discovered including that of Tutankhamen that was discovered by accident and virtually intact in November 1922. There are a number of Pharaohs’ whose tombs or burial sites have yet to be discovered – plenty of opportunity for budding archaeologists like our friend Jack and Devin. We visited the tombs of Ramses I, IV and VI. The tomb of Ramses II and his sons was closed while we were visiting but they are the largest and most elaborate. Ramses II had over 200 sons and many are buried in their own chamber in a massive tomb structure that continues to be excavated and new finds are happening regularly. 
The tombs are entered through a long, inclined rock-cut corridor descending through halls dug into the sandstone. At the end of the corridor, there is often a ‘fake’ room filled with rubble that is intended to fool robbers. This has never worked as all tombs discovered, with the exception of King Tut had all of its treasure removed.
Behind or around the fake room was the burial chamber. The majority of the royal tombs were decorated with religious texts and images including descriptions or instructions on the ascent of the Pharaoh (sun god) through the twelve gates that divide the night time. The paint used for the hieroglyphics in the tombs as well as the many drawings was made of various stone and mineral bases and continues to impress nearly 4,500 years later.
After we visited the Valley of the Kings, we visited the tomb of Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut (pronounced Hat-Cheap-Suit) is one of the more mysterious figures of ancient Egyptian history. Hatshepsut has left a legacy of architectural and statuary elegance. Her temple stands as a beautiful monument to her reign.
To look at it from a distance reminds me of many modern facades you would see in any large city. Her temple is the best-preserved of the three complexes. The terraced and rock-cut temple is one of the most impressive monuments of the west bank. It is situated directly against the rock face of Deir el-Bahri’s great rock bay, the temple not only echoed the lines of the surrounding cliffs in its design, but it seems a natural extension of the rock faces.
The temple was built by one of the best architects of the time who was also Hatshepsut’s partner of 15 years. It is said that she discovered him carving his name on one of the walls, portraying himself as royalty (which he was not and not married to her). His overzealousness and ambition to be King cost him his life – perhaps he should have proposed first. Hatshepsut was not known for her mercy.
To look at it from a distance reminds me of many modern facades you would see in any large city. Her temple is the best-preserved of the three complexes. The terraced and rock-cut temple is one of the most impressive monuments of the west bank. It is situated directly against the rock face of Deir el-Bahri’s great rock bay, the temple not only echoed the lines of the surrounding cliffs in its design, but it seems a natural extension of the rock faces.
The temple was built by one of the best architects of the time who was also Hatshepsut’s partner of 15 years. It is said that she discovered him carving his name on one of the walls, portraying himself as royalty (which he was not and not married to her). His overzealousness and ambition to be King cost him his life – perhaps he should have proposed first. Hatshepsut was not known for her mercy.
The following morning, we checked out of the Empress Cruise boat and into the Sheraton in Luxor after visiting Karnak, the biggest temple complex in the world, covering an area of 100 hectares. An avenue of ram-headed sphinxes leads to the massive front, each one holding a statue of the king, Ramses II, in its paws. The sphinxes were fantastic beasts with the body of a lion and the head of a ram. Much of it has been restored during the last century and we watched a couple of teams digging in a few select areas as well as a team from France copying and deciphering hieroglyphics on a wall within the temple. 
As you go in, you will see a lot of statues, mostly of Ramses II. The grandeur of this temple cannot be put into words. You will simply feel you have gone back thousands of years. It’s a mixture of temples, chapels, obelisks and a sacred lake. The complex is a vast open-air-museum.
We spent a couple of hours with our tour guide before we started a large game of hide and seek. Plenty of great hiding places but the uneven floors added the extra element of danger. We had a blast and left just as the dozens of tour buses were arriving.
The following day we hung out at our hotel and played in the pool. We ventured a short distance from the hotel where we found some great original art at reasonable prices and that was Egypt. The following morning, we flew from Luxor to Cairo to Amman to begin our visit to Jordan. The day we left was the beginning of Egypt’s second revolution. 
We had a great time, met many wonderful and kind people and saw some of the world’s greatest man made wonders.
As you go in, you will see a lot of statues, mostly of Ramses II. The grandeur of this temple cannot be put into words. You will simply feel you have gone back thousands of years. It’s a mixture of temples, chapels, obelisks and a sacred lake. The complex is a vast open-air-museum.
We spent a couple of hours with our tour guide before we started a large game of hide and seek. Plenty of great hiding places but the uneven floors added the extra element of danger. We had a blast and left just as the dozens of tour buses were arriving.
The following day we hung out at our hotel and played in the pool. We ventured a short distance from the hotel where we found some great original art at reasonable prices and that was Egypt. The following morning, we flew from Luxor to Cairo to Amman to begin our visit to Jordan. The day we left was the beginning of Egypt’s second revolution. 
We had a great time, met many wonderful and kind people and saw some of the world’s greatest man made wonders. Egypt is magical.
Brief summary of our Egyptian encounters
Cairo to Aswan to Luxor to Cairo
1,738 km 23 hours
Best experiences: Pyramids of Giza, treasurers of the Egyptian museum but especially the entire King Tut’s tomb’s treasures, Temples of Luxor and Tombs of the Valley of the Kings
Best accommodation: Cairo Meridian Hotel
Best meals: Cruise ship buffet
Best repeated new phrase: “Canada Dry, never die”, “Canada Club” and “just $1…..US, that’s 5 Egyptian pounds”
Best city: Luxor
Best beaches: The Sheraton pool in Luxor.
I see Calvin's going native. I didn't realize there was hockey over there...pity your guide didn't have a mouth guard.
ReplyDeleteYeah, they are buddies now. Hangin' out watchin sports, talkin' bout all their wives...
ReplyDeletepoo poo poo is funny
ReplyDeleteAIDAN WAZ HERE
ReplyDelete