The mysteries of Egypt: Part two - Upper Egypt
The train rolled into Luxor (الأقصر) (the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes) bright and early. Luxor is overloaded with sights and is actually referred to as the "world's greatest open air museum". We could have easily spent an entire week here and not have seen everything, but we only had three days, so we didn't waste any time and started right in.
Our first stop of the day was off the side of the road to take a look at the Colossi of Memnon, a pair of massive statues that are all that remain of what was once the largest complex on the West Bank of the Nile. It was built by Amenhotep III as his funerary temple. We didn't really linger, since just behind us were three huge busses packed with tourists! We wanted to stay ahead of the crowds. We were headed to the Valley of the Kings, which is a great, barren, isolated canyon on the West Bank where the tombs of the New Kingdom pharos were hidden.
There are 62 known tombs in the valley and your entrance ticket gets you into any three of your choice, except for the most famous of the tombs, that of King Tut, his tomb is extra. We visited three tombs (Rameses I, Rameses III, & Merenptah), all amazingly decorated, and then we decided to visit King Tut's tomb. Ali warned us that it is one of the least impressive in the valley, and not worth the money, but I had to go. It was the King Tut traveling exhibit that got me interested in Egypt when I was a kid, so I felt like it was a must see. Unfortunately, Ali was right. The tomb was neither large nor impressive (compared with the others) and is pretty empty, but we were there!
The rest of the day we spent visiting the Valley of the Queens (skipping the Tomb of Nefertari whose entrance fee is over $1,000 and requires advanced booking) and touring the Hatshepsut Temple, at Deir el-Bahri, built out of a sheer limestone cliff for Egypt's most successful female pharaoh (and my personal favorite pharaoh), Hatshepsut. It was a scorching hot day, so we decided to take it easy in the afternoon. We stopped off at the "Alabaster Museum" (another quick demonstration followed by more purchases!) on the way to our hotel. We had a few hours before the evening's entertainment and I had big plans to enjoy the hotel pool, but I made the mistake of lying down and before I knew if I was indulging in an afternoon nap!
We were scheduled to spend the evening at the Karnak Temple, where we would see the Sound & Light Show. The temple of Karnak is a vast, spectacular complex that is so massive it is large enough to contain 10 huge cathedrals. It was built on a leviathan scale to house the gods, and over the century’s different pharos added to it, each trying to outdo the others. The show was touristy, but interesting. It was a great way to get a first peak at this massive complex, but we decided to return the next day to see it by the light of day.
But a return visit to Karnak would have to wait until we returned from the Temple of Hathor (the goddess of love and patron of music and dancing) at Dendara. Ali was not able to come with us that day, so he set us up with a substitute guide, Hassan, who was very good too, although no one could compare to Ali! Dendara is located about an hour and half north of Luxor. To get there tourists are required to drive in a caravan with police escorts (to protect us from terrorist attacks). I thought the caravan was a bit over the top (the police drove through town with lights & sirens, stopping all local traffic along the way) and if anything, I felt like it put a big target on our heads! But, for now, it is the only way for tourists to travel in the South of the country. Because of the caravan, we only had 45 minutes at the temple, but it was fantastic none the less.
We returned to Luxor and had a chance to go back to the Karnak Temple, and it was even better by day than it was the night before! After another local lunch of falafels, we caught a felucca to Banana Island in the middle of the Nile. It is a lush island full of banana plants. Our boat driver came along to show us around and we ended up sharing a snack (of bananas & sugar cane), a tea, and a shisha pipe under the cool, shady trees. After dinner, Hassan gave us one last tour, this time at the Luxor Temple, which actually was right across from our hotel, right on the waterfront.
On Thursday Ali was back with us, and instead of taking the train to Aswan, (أسوان) (Egypt's southernmost town and the gateway to Africa) 125 miles to the south, we decided to drive (in another caravan) to visit two temples on the way. Our first stop was the Temple of Horus (the falcon god or the sky-god of the Nile) in Edfu. Then we visited The Temple of Kom-Ombo, dedicated to Hathor, the crocodile god. We arrived in Aswan about mid-day, but our sightseeing was still in full swing. We wasted no time and headed straight for the Aswan High Dam, completed in 1971, which was built to stop the annual flooding of the Nile. The construction created Lake Nasser, which is the largest artificial lake in the world. We then caught a boat to the island of Philae and visited the Temple of Isis, the goddess of magic and rebirth.
Our only evening in Aswan turned out to be the best of our trip. Ali had arranged for an evening boat ride to a Nubian village on Elephantine Island (الفنتين). When we landed, G, Ali, & I all mounted our own camel and we were off. I was handed over the reigns and instructed how to ride the camel myself, which may not have been the best idea. We were riding on the edge of a steep, sandy drop off that went straight into the water, so I was a little worried about my camel's footing. Then the crazy thing decided to take off on me! In a full gallop, I could hardly hold on and I felt myself slipping off to the side. It was the craziest and funniest ride I have ever had! It seemed to go on for an eternity, but somehow I survived.
Once in the actual village we dismounted and Ali brought us to see the local school. Along the way everyone was shouting "hola" to us (I guess there are a lot of Spanish tourists, so everyone thought we were Spanish). At the school Ali taught us the Arabic alphabet and numbers. I had learned a few words throughout the week, but the alphabet was a challenge for me. We were having fun, but we were late for dinner with a local family. Outside the school we met one of the little Nubian girls in town who Ali knows pretty well. She was so cute! She started speaking to us in Spanish and when I stumbled a little, she blurted out, "I speak English too" This six year old spoke Arabic, Nubian, Spanish, English (and maybe more!)
We were treated to a traditional Nubian dinner, which was probably enough to feed 8 people. We didn't want to be rude and not finish, but there was no way we were able to finish all the plates of food! Our boat driver joined us for dinner and soon we were in deep conversation. Meanwhile, G and Ali headed upstairs to socialize with the rest of the family. When I appeared upstairs about a half hour later, there was G surrounded by about 8 beautiful women! They were all drinking tea and chatting. I joined in and got some henna on my hands and even got to hold a baby crocodile. It was getting late, so the boat driver took us (and a few of the family members) back to the mainland. It was the best night. Because Ali knew so many of the people in the village so well, we really had a genuine local experience and it was by far the highlight of the week.
Our last full day in Aswan was an early one. We decided to make the trek to the great Sun Temple of Abu Simbel, three hours to the south (and only 40km north of the Sudan boarder). Our driver met us at our hotel at 3:30 in the morning to meet up with the caravan leaving at four! It gets so hot there that the only way to see it is before 9am, otherwise the heat is just too oppressive. On the way we saw a desert mirage. It was so neat, because it really looked like a lake of water, but it was only the sand.
The good thing about leaving so early is we were back by noon and were able to enjoy a relaxing afternoon. We wandered the Aswan souq and did a little shopping. Then in the afternoon we took another boat ride to the botanical gardens & back to Elephantine Island to visit the Aswan Museum. It was a pretty lazy afternoon, which was just what we needed after our hectic week of sightseeing. Soon we were on the overnight train back to Cairo.
Heni was at the train station to meet in the morning and then we were taken to the giant Cairo souq (Khan Al-Khalili bazaar) where vendors have been trading since the Middle Ages. We had time for a little more shopping and one last tea. Then it was time to head for the airport to catch our flight back to Geneva. We had had the best trip and I feel that we hardly scratched the surface! We never made it to the Red Sea, Sinai, or the deserts which would all be amazing to see. There is so much to see and do in Egypt that I hope to return someday to this extraordinary land.
Colossi of Memnon
At King Tut's tomb
At the Hatshepsut Temple
Hieroglyphics - most of which were in extraordinary colors
G making friends
Karnak Temple at night
Temple of Hathor at Dendara
More hieroglyphics
At the entrance of Karnak Temple
Mingling at Karnak Temple
Traditional felucca boats headed to Banana Island
G sharing a shisha pipe on Banana Island
Luxor Temple
With our temporary guide Hassan at the Luxor Temple
With some school kids at the Temple of Horus
At the Temple of Kom-Ombo
Getting ready for our crazy camel ride
Getting henna on my hands
With our amazing guide Ali in the Nubian village
Us at the great Sun Temple of Abu Simbel
Shop in the Aswan souq
"To the archeological area" sign behind the Aswan Museum
Sunset on the Nile
The adorable cat that followed us around the Khan Al-Khalili bazaar in Cairo
With Heni and our driver in Cairo
Our first stop of the day was off the side of the road to take a look at the Colossi of Memnon, a pair of massive statues that are all that remain of what was once the largest complex on the West Bank of the Nile. It was built by Amenhotep III as his funerary temple. We didn't really linger, since just behind us were three huge busses packed with tourists! We wanted to stay ahead of the crowds. We were headed to the Valley of the Kings, which is a great, barren, isolated canyon on the West Bank where the tombs of the New Kingdom pharos were hidden.
There are 62 known tombs in the valley and your entrance ticket gets you into any three of your choice, except for the most famous of the tombs, that of King Tut, his tomb is extra. We visited three tombs (Rameses I, Rameses III, & Merenptah), all amazingly decorated, and then we decided to visit King Tut's tomb. Ali warned us that it is one of the least impressive in the valley, and not worth the money, but I had to go. It was the King Tut traveling exhibit that got me interested in Egypt when I was a kid, so I felt like it was a must see. Unfortunately, Ali was right. The tomb was neither large nor impressive (compared with the others) and is pretty empty, but we were there!
The rest of the day we spent visiting the Valley of the Queens (skipping the Tomb of Nefertari whose entrance fee is over $1,000 and requires advanced booking) and touring the Hatshepsut Temple, at Deir el-Bahri, built out of a sheer limestone cliff for Egypt's most successful female pharaoh (and my personal favorite pharaoh), Hatshepsut. It was a scorching hot day, so we decided to take it easy in the afternoon. We stopped off at the "Alabaster Museum" (another quick demonstration followed by more purchases!) on the way to our hotel. We had a few hours before the evening's entertainment and I had big plans to enjoy the hotel pool, but I made the mistake of lying down and before I knew if I was indulging in an afternoon nap!
We were scheduled to spend the evening at the Karnak Temple, where we would see the Sound & Light Show. The temple of Karnak is a vast, spectacular complex that is so massive it is large enough to contain 10 huge cathedrals. It was built on a leviathan scale to house the gods, and over the century’s different pharos added to it, each trying to outdo the others. The show was touristy, but interesting. It was a great way to get a first peak at this massive complex, but we decided to return the next day to see it by the light of day.
But a return visit to Karnak would have to wait until we returned from the Temple of Hathor (the goddess of love and patron of music and dancing) at Dendara. Ali was not able to come with us that day, so he set us up with a substitute guide, Hassan, who was very good too, although no one could compare to Ali! Dendara is located about an hour and half north of Luxor. To get there tourists are required to drive in a caravan with police escorts (to protect us from terrorist attacks). I thought the caravan was a bit over the top (the police drove through town with lights & sirens, stopping all local traffic along the way) and if anything, I felt like it put a big target on our heads! But, for now, it is the only way for tourists to travel in the South of the country. Because of the caravan, we only had 45 minutes at the temple, but it was fantastic none the less.
We returned to Luxor and had a chance to go back to the Karnak Temple, and it was even better by day than it was the night before! After another local lunch of falafels, we caught a felucca to Banana Island in the middle of the Nile. It is a lush island full of banana plants. Our boat driver came along to show us around and we ended up sharing a snack (of bananas & sugar cane), a tea, and a shisha pipe under the cool, shady trees. After dinner, Hassan gave us one last tour, this time at the Luxor Temple, which actually was right across from our hotel, right on the waterfront.
On Thursday Ali was back with us, and instead of taking the train to Aswan, (أسوان) (Egypt's southernmost town and the gateway to Africa) 125 miles to the south, we decided to drive (in another caravan) to visit two temples on the way. Our first stop was the Temple of Horus (the falcon god or the sky-god of the Nile) in Edfu. Then we visited The Temple of Kom-Ombo, dedicated to Hathor, the crocodile god. We arrived in Aswan about mid-day, but our sightseeing was still in full swing. We wasted no time and headed straight for the Aswan High Dam, completed in 1971, which was built to stop the annual flooding of the Nile. The construction created Lake Nasser, which is the largest artificial lake in the world. We then caught a boat to the island of Philae and visited the Temple of Isis, the goddess of magic and rebirth.
Our only evening in Aswan turned out to be the best of our trip. Ali had arranged for an evening boat ride to a Nubian village on Elephantine Island (الفنتين). When we landed, G, Ali, & I all mounted our own camel and we were off. I was handed over the reigns and instructed how to ride the camel myself, which may not have been the best idea. We were riding on the edge of a steep, sandy drop off that went straight into the water, so I was a little worried about my camel's footing. Then the crazy thing decided to take off on me! In a full gallop, I could hardly hold on and I felt myself slipping off to the side. It was the craziest and funniest ride I have ever had! It seemed to go on for an eternity, but somehow I survived.
Once in the actual village we dismounted and Ali brought us to see the local school. Along the way everyone was shouting "hola" to us (I guess there are a lot of Spanish tourists, so everyone thought we were Spanish). At the school Ali taught us the Arabic alphabet and numbers. I had learned a few words throughout the week, but the alphabet was a challenge for me. We were having fun, but we were late for dinner with a local family. Outside the school we met one of the little Nubian girls in town who Ali knows pretty well. She was so cute! She started speaking to us in Spanish and when I stumbled a little, she blurted out, "I speak English too" This six year old spoke Arabic, Nubian, Spanish, English (and maybe more!)
We were treated to a traditional Nubian dinner, which was probably enough to feed 8 people. We didn't want to be rude and not finish, but there was no way we were able to finish all the plates of food! Our boat driver joined us for dinner and soon we were in deep conversation. Meanwhile, G and Ali headed upstairs to socialize with the rest of the family. When I appeared upstairs about a half hour later, there was G surrounded by about 8 beautiful women! They were all drinking tea and chatting. I joined in and got some henna on my hands and even got to hold a baby crocodile. It was getting late, so the boat driver took us (and a few of the family members) back to the mainland. It was the best night. Because Ali knew so many of the people in the village so well, we really had a genuine local experience and it was by far the highlight of the week.
Our last full day in Aswan was an early one. We decided to make the trek to the great Sun Temple of Abu Simbel, three hours to the south (and only 40km north of the Sudan boarder). Our driver met us at our hotel at 3:30 in the morning to meet up with the caravan leaving at four! It gets so hot there that the only way to see it is before 9am, otherwise the heat is just too oppressive. On the way we saw a desert mirage. It was so neat, because it really looked like a lake of water, but it was only the sand.
The good thing about leaving so early is we were back by noon and were able to enjoy a relaxing afternoon. We wandered the Aswan souq and did a little shopping. Then in the afternoon we took another boat ride to the botanical gardens & back to Elephantine Island to visit the Aswan Museum. It was a pretty lazy afternoon, which was just what we needed after our hectic week of sightseeing. Soon we were on the overnight train back to Cairo.
Heni was at the train station to meet in the morning and then we were taken to the giant Cairo souq (Khan Al-Khalili bazaar) where vendors have been trading since the Middle Ages. We had time for a little more shopping and one last tea. Then it was time to head for the airport to catch our flight back to Geneva. We had had the best trip and I feel that we hardly scratched the surface! We never made it to the Red Sea, Sinai, or the deserts which would all be amazing to see. There is so much to see and do in Egypt that I hope to return someday to this extraordinary land.
Colossi of Memnon
At King Tut's tomb
At the Hatshepsut Temple
Hieroglyphics - most of which were in extraordinary colors
G making friends
Karnak Temple at night
Temple of Hathor at Dendara
More hieroglyphics
At the entrance of Karnak Temple
Mingling at Karnak Temple
Traditional felucca boats headed to Banana Island
G sharing a shisha pipe on Banana Island
Luxor Temple
With our temporary guide Hassan at the Luxor Temple
With some school kids at the Temple of Horus
At the Temple of Kom-Ombo
Getting ready for our crazy camel ride
Getting henna on my hands
With our amazing guide Ali in the Nubian village
Us at the great Sun Temple of Abu Simbel
Shop in the Aswan souq
"To the archeological area" sign behind the Aswan Museum
Sunset on the Nile
The adorable cat that followed us around the Khan Al-Khalili bazaar in Cairo
With Heni and our driver in Cairo
posted by Swiss Miss | 00:51
1 Comments:
You know, I have been to those places too! Action, adventure, and exotic delights abound.
Well, actually I was watching The Mummy and The Mummy Returns with a few episodes of Stargate SG-1 for the god references, but I think I got a good feel for the place.
On second thought, sitting on my couch munching on cheetos in my robe isn't the same as eating in the local bazaar is it?
Darn, I gotta get out more and turn off the tv.
Glad to hear you had a great trip!
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