Aswan - 18th January 2006

We arrived in Aswan late yesterday after our horrible train experience. It was basically time to eat dinner, so we went to the Old Cataract Hotel (of Agatha Christie fame) but were told we didn’t meet the dress standards. Instead, we had some street food and then shopped for some fancy clothes for the Nubian party scheduled for tonight. Maria bought a stunning red number – literally with bells on. I chose a dashing, Arabian number in flowing white cotton, complete with an Arafat headpiece. Having obtained our fancy dresses, I bought yet another watch, this time complete with painted date and stopwatch functions. We decided to retire for the night, safe in the knowledge that we would be the trend-setters of the party.

This morning we awoke bright and early (actually dark and early since it was 3am), for a three hour bus ride to Abu Simbel. One of the idiosyncrasies of group travel in this part of the world is that it must be done in a police convoy. This is meant to provide safety for the tourists, but one would question whether it simply paints a bigger target. However, the convoy system means that our travelling is heavily regulated and the convoy leaves whether you are on the bus or not.

(Fletch buries himself in strong coffee, Maria takes over writing blog)

We arrived at Abu Simbel at 7.30am. The convey planned to leave at 9.30am, so we had quite a rush to get through the site in time. We started with a brief overview of the site from a local guide. Abu Simbel is a collection of two temples: one of Ramses II and one for his wife, Nefertari. The site was originally on the banks of the Nile river, but the Aswan Dam meant that the whole site had to be relocated. It now sits on the shores of Lake Nasser, approximately 40m higher and 200m behind its original location.

The first and biggest temple is Ramses’. Four massive statues of him, three of which are nearly complete, flank the entrance. Inside, the walls are intricately decorated with battle and offering scenes. At the very back of the temple is a little room with four statues in it. The fourth is the god of darkness and his statue is never exposed to the light. The other three are bathed in sunlight for 24 minutes twice a year (Oct. 21 and March 21, I think). Unfortunately, when they moved the temple to its new location, they miscalculated when the sun would shine into the room, so it now occurs on October 22nd instead.

Nefertari’s temple is not as big or elaborate as Ramses’, but it is still very lovely. Her’s is a far more peaceful temple, with wonderful statues of a cow goddess. I don’t know her name, but she has a human face and body with cow ears…it is actually a very cute look!

By the time we walked through the temples and around the site, it was time to go. So, back onto the bus….

This afternoon we’ve had transport of a different kind. When we arrived back in Aswan, we got changed into our party gear and walked down to the Nile, where we hopped onto a felucca (sail boat) called the ‘Nubian Dream’. Onboard, we had a delicious lunch while we floated down the Nile. We stopped at a place called ‘Magic Island’, though it is neither magic nor an island. It is, however, the spot for the best coffee in Egypt! I think we’ve mentioned the Nescafe before…if not, coffee here comes in powdered form. Usually, they give you a glass of boiling water, sachets of powered milk and coffee, and you stir it together. It’s not the most satisfying coffee, as you can imagine. However, this Nubian coffee was incredible. No milk, lots of spices (cloves, cinnamon, ginger), freshly roasted coffee beans, served in a gorgeous little cup about the size of an espresso glass. Yummy.

We spent until sunset floating along the Nile. The felucca then docked near a Nubian village and we disembarked to visit a Nubian family for dinner. We sat on their rooftop, eating a very nourishing meal and having henna tattoos put onto our feet (well, just the girls had tattoos done). By about 8pm, everyone was starting to fall asleep, so we walked back to the felucca. A group of us decided not to spend the night on the felucca, opting instead to catch a motorboat back to Aswan. As we walked back through Aswan to our hotel, we got lots of attention from the locals because of our fancy dress – they particularly took a shine to the boys, who were dressed in the galabea (flowing robes). Fletch, particularly, looks striking when dressed as a sheik. My outfit is quite musical, as every step I take is accompanied by the soft tinkle of bells. We’ve had a fun night, but now its time for some sleep. Au revoir…

Fletch’s tips for new travellers

Whilst featuring in ancient Egyptian art, we didn’t see a single Hippo in the Nile in Egypt. Not one. Apparently they used to live in the Aswan area but died out before Christ. *Sniff*