The Sixth Day: Abu Simbel

Rameses II, carved four times into the side of a cliff. The temple and part of the cliff were cut up into blocks and moved farther up the bank to this location.
see all photos »

The heat of the desert got to me and we passed on a tour of gold shops in the market at Aswan, which a number of our group had been looking forward to. If you go to Egypt, it's a good idea to pace yourself, so that you don't miss out on things you really want to see and do.

The next day we went to Abu Simbel, which was an optional  package on our tour. Don't miss this, it was second only to the pyramids as the most memorable experience we had in Egypt. The statues of Rameses II are carved into the side of a  cliff and dominated the Nile as non-Egyptians sailed down the river into ancient Egypt. It was meant to impress and still does. The pictures give an idea of the scale of the whole. The structure is just as impressive inside. There are vast statues on each side of the main chamber inside, floor to ceiling, and quite impressive and surprisingly fresh paintings on the walls. The temple of Rameses is aligned so that on a certain day in February, the sun penetrates into the chamber and outlines and lights up three of the four statues on the very back wall, deep inside. We just missed the day but the sun was, though indirect, enough inside to give us an idea of what it  must have looked like shining on the statues. The temple for Rameses' queen is nearby and also carved out of the side of a cliff and would be impressive in its own right if Rameses weren't so much vaster.

Abu Simbel is second only to the pyramids

Walid, our superb tour guide.
see all photos »

We returned to Aswan and sailed on a felucca, a traditional Nile sailboat. It was an impressive sailer, and the strength and constancy of the wind was revealing.  Highly recommended.

On our felucca, the man in charge had a number of traditional Nubia necklaces and bracelets for sale, quite cheap but very interesting and different. Get some, even if you later decide not to keep them, they are very cheap. We wish we had bought more, since Angela often wears hers, they are the right color for certain outfits and she still gets compliments. And, if you go to a shop where paintings are sold on papyrus, it's worth considering. Ours looks quite good and was not expensive.

A closer view of the temple. It was carved to impress the peoples south of here with the power of Egypt when they came down the river and entered the pharoah's lands.
see all photos »

We sat on the porch of the Old Cataract Hotel and had a drink and enjoyed looking across at Elephantine Island and imagined what it must have been like when the hotel was in its prime and Agatha Christie sat at a table on the terrace  writing novels.