Thursday December 29
This morning we had to wake up at 5am for a 5.50am departure to Abu Simbel. We met Ahmed in the main foyer of the boat and picked up our boxed breakfasts of rolls, a boiled egg, 3 olives, a croissant and a boxed fruit juice and headed for the airport. On the way we picked up two other Peregrine tourists, both Australians who were on another cruise boat and on two other different tours.
We drove to the airport and checked in for our flight on Memphis Air. When we were handed our boarding passes we noticed that the seating was listed as ‘Free’ meaning everyone could sit wherever they wanted. Our flight was supposed to leave at 7am but didn’t leave until about 7.25. I was at a window and had a great view of the desert and of Lake Nasser, the large lake formed by the Aswan High Dam. Lake Nasser is the largest artificial lake in the world at 550 square kms. Two thirds of that is in Egypt and one third in the Sudan. The lake is full of crocodiles and this is the farthest north they can come on the Nile because they are blocked by the Aswan Dam.
The flight was only about 35 minutes and no refreshments were served. We had our breakfast boxes and we ate some of that food. I wasn’t really hungry. All of the tourists on the plane got onto large buses which took us to the entrance to the Abu Simbel temples.
The Abu Simbel temples are famous because they were relocated from beneath the waters of Lake Nasser after the High Dam was built. The United Nations provided funds and expertise to move them and the work was done painstakingly with each block numbered and catalogued so that it could be put in the same location. Even the siting of the temples had to be carefully planned as they were cut into cliff faces which faced the sun at a precise angle so that twice a year on specific days the suns rays reach into the farthest reaches of the temple and illuminate three of the statues of the gods (but not the 4th—the god of darkness). The colossal statues outside the main temple are magnificent. One of them which must have been partly collapsed before restoration is shown in the same state with the head and part of the body at its feet.
We had two hours to see the temples—with Ahmed first explaining about them then leaving us to explore on our own. We then re-joined him at the coffee shop. I went to look for a book about Egypt with photos of places we haven’t been allowed to photograph. Before I could even begin browsing a seller came up to me and showed me a book. When I asked him the price he said 800 pounds—about $A130! WOW! I offered 80 and he coutinued to bargain with me coming down to 600, 500 250, offering me another book for 120, then coming down to 100—all of this while I was walking away trying to get away from him. Finally he agreed to 80 but by then I was so sick of him that I said no. I re-joined Ahmed and our group and we started walking to the busses, but the seller was waiting for me again. He sent another kid from his shop with the book I wanted plus another book and tried to sell to me again. This time he agreed to 80 pounds and I bought the book. Whew! So much work to buy anything here!
We took the buses back to the airport and then got our new boarding passes with anybody’s name on it. We were all the same group that flew over so it didn’t matter. The plane was supposed to leave at 11 but left late again at about 11.25 and it got back about noon. We were taken back to our cruise boat for lunch then I laid down for the afternoon. The air conditioning in the room wasn’t working but I didn’t really notice. Jarrah leaned over to me to give me a hug when he left the room and he commented on how hot I was. I slept off and on but thought about what he said. Then I realized I had a fever and was sick. I had been dragging myself around since the camel ride and thought I was just getting old and out of shape and that that was why I was so exhausted. It was a relief to realize that there was an actual reason I was so lethargic! I let Paul know I was sick and to tell Ahmed because I thought there might be a doctor on the boat but there wasn’t. Well this is why we brought medicines with us. I dosed myself with two Panadol for the fever, which was my main problem. Later I thought I might as well take some Lomotil for the slight stomach cramps I was having. I diagnosed myself as having gastro.
At about 5.30 pm we docked at Kom-ombo where we visited the temple which was right on the shore of the Nile about a 5 minute walk. The temple was all lit up and was very beautiful. Ahmed described the temple to us as being a double temple for both Horus the hawk god and the crocodile god. We took pictures then returned to the boat for dinner at 8pm. I went straight to my room and went to bed, having decided to give my stomach a rest and skip dinner. For the others dinner was of Egyptian food and was very good. There was a photographer circulating around the dining room taking photos of people. Later at about 9.30 they were having a galabea (Egyptian dress) party. I didn’t hear any of this and just slept through.
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