The visit to Abu Simbil would cost 90 euros and no one wanted to pay it. Antonio, Chupi, Melissa and I left the ship at 12:00am and went up the steps.
I began asking the guards and people directly outside the ship which was a mistake as they were all in cahoots with the cruise company. The problem with Abu Simbil is that it is 250 kilometers away from Aswan, almost to the boarder of Sudan. The road is not in good shape and frequented by bandits. There are many security checkpoints, controlled by the military. Military escorts are required as the area is dangerous.
I tried bargaining with some taxi drivers on the street. Their English was not good and they kept changing the price. Their taxis were not legally allowed to go that far so we would have to go to a bus station, catch a bus and then take another taxi there. There were also only two time windows to enter, one at 4:00am and 4:30am. All of the challenges didn't stop us from asking a myriad of people from taxi drivers, train station employees, police and a separate hotel. The hotel said we could have jumped on their trip for 20 euros but it was too late to sign up. We decided we would head back to the boat and tell Amro we would go with the group. I knew I would regret not seeing this temple and at least we had tried.
Back on the boat I was really tired having only slept 4 hours from the night before. I showered and made ready my day pack. At 3:00am we went upstairs to tell Amro we were coming with the group. I grabbed my pillow and jacket as we boarded the bus. I found a seet by the window and immediately passed out. I remember waking up in the middle of the 3 hour ride to find us bumping along a dark desert road. I thought to myself that it was good that we hadn't come in our own taxi.
At 6:00am we pulled into the Abu Simbil parking lot, passing the AK-47 carrying, black uniformed police.
Abu Simbil was on the shore of Lake Nasser, the location where Ramses II was born. The two temples that we were about to see were dedicated to the Pharaoh and his favorite wife, Nefertiti. Pushing and smiling with the mass of people, we passed through the security checkpoint and walked down the sandy, stone path to the temples. Turning the corner, Abu Simbil was an incredible sight. Two giant temples carved directly into the rock. In the main temple's facade were 4 sitting pharaohs, smiling at the rising sun in the East. On the roof of the temple were 20 monkeys who would say goodbye. I was captivated by the first Pharaoh's smiling face, Ramses II as a young man. So detailed and life looking. Behind us was the lake sparkling and lined by palm trees. I took pictures in front, but found it difficult to soak it all in.
Entering the temple, I was impressed by the by the towering pharaohs and the square labyrinth of rooms each with their hidden story. On the walls were detailed, exaggerated drawings of Ramses II accomplishments. Scenes of war in which Ramses II was killing five warriors at once. There were drawings of the defeated enemies running away. The second temple dedicated to Nefertiti was less extravagant but also stunningly beautiful with its symmetrical statues of the queen and paintings of her inside.
Once leaving we still had 20 minutes left and Antonio and I ran around the monument exploring. Back on the bus after meeting up with other people from our group we headed back toward Aswan. Too short of a time, but worth it in the end. I slept hard during the three hour ride until we arrived at boat.
I was tired but decided to avoid taking another nap before lunch and instead jumped in the pool to clean off the desert dust. Lunch was great and afterwards I lazed on the top deck, writing and soaking up the sun.
At 3:00pm we went for our afternoon trip to Egypt's largest dam and a perfume shop. The dam was kind of funny to see after all of the temples but it was still interesting. The biggest in all of Africa and maybe the world. I was becoming better friends with the people in our group. Our next stop was a perfume shop run by the famous Fayed family. We were given a glass blowing presentation and perfume smelling exhibition. I didn't buy anything but it was interesting. We headed back to the boat.
We had free time before dinner and decided to walk around Aswan without the group. We did a big loop and then stopped in a bazaar. We walked once through, checking out the many stalls. There was a DJ playing and a guy came up and said that he would give us free icecream if we danced. I'm sure I'm on Al-Jazeerah TV as the entire fair watched us sway back and forth and recorded us with their cell phones. We did get free ice cream. Here is the link to the youtube video that Chupi took of our dance: Dancing in Aswan Bazaar.
Leaving the bazaar, we ran into a guy who said he could do the same trip that the group was offering tomorrow for 20 euros to visit the village of the Nubians for 8 euros. His name was Mohammed and he had a more welcoming demeanor than everyone else we had met. We told him we'd meet him by the mosque at 9:00 the next morning, deciding to risk not going to the Nubians by trying to save some money. I didn't think he would actually come, but it was worth a shot.
Back on the boat we had dinner and then went up on the deck to talk and hang out. I was really tired after two days with practically no sleep and went downstairs to go to bed.
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