Aswan, Egypt

I've already written this post, only to have the computer eat it seconds before I posted; therefore, this will be an abbreviated version.

I took a nap after we arrived on the train. I did this mostly because I like to sleep, it was too hot to go out, and all the shops were closed because of Ramadan. After I napped, we hopped in a boat to cruise down to a Nubian village. We made a brief pit stop at the sides of the river banks to allow people to go swimming. I didn't go because the water was absolutely frigid and Adam (former tour manager) scared the peepee out of me by telling me stories about parasites in the Nile that munch on your eyeballs, liver, kidneys, and intestines. Personally I like all my vital organs intact, thank you very much. After the others dried off, we headed down to the village and to one of the homes for dinner. That night I had some of the most fabulous food ever. There's nothing better than a good old fashioned Nubian Dinner.

Our first morning in Aswan, we checked out the Unfinished Obelisk, the High Dam, and the Philae Temple. The Unfinished Obelisk was pretty cool. Three sides are completely carved out, and the fourth side is still firmly attached to the granite bedrock. It was as if all the workers went on a ciggie break and forgot to return. Not unlike most roadway construction in Houston. The High Dam and Lake Nassar was interesting, but it lacked the "wow" factor of the Hoover Dam. (Or at least I thought so, but my opinion is probably biased.) We saw a few reliefs in the tombs surrounding Saqqara, but Philae Temple was the first time we saw a multitude of reliefs as well as huge pillars. Of course first impressions are pretty powerful, so I was very awed by it all.

The next day we woke up at the crack of dawn...literally. Usually I would be disgruntled about such an early wake up call, but I was too excited to be upset. We were headed to Abu Simbel and we were traveling in a convoy of sixty tourist buses, all leaving at 4:30 a.m. Since the terrorist attacks in 1997 that killed fifty-eight people, the Egyptian government decided that all tourists must travel in a convoy with a military escort. Personally, I think the Egyptian government must be made up of complete numbskulls. If somebody wanted to attack the convoy, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel. Duh.

Anyway, we arrived safely in Abu Simbel, though we were among a crushing horde of people. Izzart, our guide, debriefed us and we wandered around the site for thirty minutes or so. Rachael and I wandered down to the river, where we sat in silence as we idly contemplated the temples. After twenty minutes or so, the crowds had cleared entirely and we had the whole place to ourselves. It was almost eerie. I think the Abu Simbel temple complex was one of my highlights. There's really no point in trying to describe the experience. Sometimes words are so worthless...