still remember waking up to this day as one of the toughest early mornings of my life. There were no past or 2 hours since we'd gone to bed when we have to be up again. At this time, or breakfast, do not think anyone could have a bite to eat at that time, we left the ship and boarded a bus that should lead us to Abu Simbel, 300 miles south.
Due to problems with terrorism already forsaken the trip, any trip can not travel without military escort through the desert, so we expect a wide avenue where are joining dozens of buses, vans and taxis that go to Abu Simbel. The guide told us that the army has to be escorting the convoy of more than 100 vehicles both ahead and behind, and that within about 3 hours to arrive, so while we sleep.
At first I saw the odd person awake, but when we went to Aswan, I think I was the one, and I have my doubts that the driver did not cast forth a nap during the journey. The escort to which we were waiting for more than 30 minutes, consisted of 2 jeeps, one forward and one back, closing the expedition vehicles, so feel that little could be done about 8 soldiers in case anything happened was clear.
Although it was dead for sleep, little by little the scene I saw through the window made me clear my mind completely. After an hour away, there was no other buses, taxis or any other life form in the vicinity, the road was a succession of huge lines of at least 20 kilometers, which from time to time, in the background distinguished the taillight of another member of the caravan. This is the concept of security of the military escort, absolutely laughable.
Although this solitude was rewarded, in the vast blackness of the desert, looking upward, saw a number of stars ever seen in my life. You could clearly distinguish the Milky Way and many of the best-known stars and constellations, but the climax came at dawn.
When he began to see some clarity, I begin to get part of the vast desert that surrounded us. Next, as was approaching the time of sunrise, orange tones wrapped around the landscape in a magical light.
Hopefully the bus had been stopped 5 minutes to have made some pictures, because through the window I could not get great results.
By now, many people had already been awakened, and began to eat breakfast we had prepared on the boat, we were about to arrive.
After getting off the bus and wait for several travelers who were beginning to suffer from various digestive problems for the Egyptian food, we set out to the imposing temple of Abu Simbel walking on the shore of Lake Nasser.
That feeling gives the skirt the mountain and suddenly find yourself face to face with the 4 massive statues of Ramses II. Although it is 5:30 and has dawned, it shows some cool, but the sun's rays illuminate the temple as well, begin to heat up on the back.
The temple is carved directly into the rock, though not in its original location. Several decades ago, this temple along with many others were moved stone by stone from its original location to a higher position to prevent them from being submerged since the construction of the Aswan High Dam (300 km further north) has created a huge reservoir about 500 km long. One of the temples was the Spaniard moved Debod Temple, which was loaned by Egypt to Spain in gratitude the assistance provided by Unesco in the transfer of several temples.
The temple of Abu Simbel stands out for the 4 huge statues of 33 feet high representing Ramses II on the outside, and in the interior but the distribution is the same as the other temples we had visited so far, highlights the sanctuary in the innermost area of \u200b\u200bthe temple. The shrine, containing 4 small seated statues of Ptah, Amon-Ra, the deified Rameses and Ra.
When it was built, the temple of Abu Simbel was designed so that the rays of sun lit up the three statues of the right two times a year, on February 20 and 20 October, leaving the twilight of Ptah, which was considered the god of darkness. With the move, only got the rays illuminate the sanctuary a day later.
After visiting the so-called Synagogue of Abu Simbel, we went to visit another temple which is next to this, the smaller temple of Abu Simbel and the temple of Hathor, dedicated to the favorite wife of pharaoh Ramses II , Queen Nefertari.
Like the temple, is dug into the rock and was also moved from its original location. In the front there are several statues, four of Ramses II and two of Nefertari.
Once inside, there are several engravings with scenes of the Queen and Ramses II making offerings to the goddess Hathor, which has a statue in the shrine at the end of the temple.
The conservation status of the temple is quite good, especially considering that they had to be dismantled stone by stone to place in its current location, although in many areas notice boards cut in the rock did to transport. The only thing I did not like artificial mountain was created to house these temples, it shows that it is too artificial.
front of these two temples, there is a vast expanse that separates the impressive Lake Nasser, more than a lake that looks like a sea, as there are areas where you do not see the opposite shore.
Before leaving, we have half an hour to walk around the posts in the area, the better prepared than those seen so far, although the fact that they were already toward that brick buildings partly lost see the typical charm of hut made of sticks and cloth 4.
At this time, the sun sink and long, long time ago I'm in short sleeves, but the sun is noted that sticks with arm strength and the temperature is already 35 degrees, so we are back on the bus and we have to cross the desert back. This time, with the curtains pitches to keep out the sun and I scorched the magnifying effect of the glass, and having enjoyed the desert landscape for a while, just falling asleep during the return trip until we are back in Aswan ready to eat on the boat.
In the afternoon, we visit the Aswan typical granite quarry, although the time is not the best of all, since four in the afternoon the heat is oppressive. In this quarry Pepe us how to cut the stone in the shape of the columns, obelisks etc. and how transported to the banks of the Nile, where they loaded the huge masses of stone in several barges lined up that support and distribute the weight, waiting for the river reached the flood. In this way, going up the Nile to reach its destination, Thebes, or the very city of Cairo, located over 800 km
The most curious part of the visit, in which is a huge obelisk nearly completed that is embedded in the rock quarry. As the guide tells us, it built the Queen Hatshepsut, but shortly before it was completed, he found a crack, so it was abandoned. The obelisk in question is 42 meters, and has been finished, would have been the largest ever built.
After the visit to the quarry, and their respective positions, the bus brings us to the Aswan High Dam, forcing it to move 24 buildings to prevent them from being under water.
They are actually two dams, the first and smallest was built by the British around 1900.
The largest, was completed in 1970 and is located 8 km north of the former. After it was created called Lake Nasser of 480 km with this dam, managed to contain the uncontrolled floods and droughts of the Nile and generate 50% of the electricity the country needs, but instead were filled almost the entire fauna and flora of the Nile downstream.
From the dam is one of the best preserved temples and lack of time we could not visit the Philae Temple, situated on an island in Lake Nasser.
On the way back to the boat, the guide stopped us at a jewelry store in which we learned how they worked gold. An interesting visit in which any group stung, and as I never tire of repeating, I advise you not buy anything sites where you take the guide, because it takes a commission of 50%.
Gold in Egypt is cheaper not because of inferior quality, what happens is that the only thing you pay is the material itself, all the gold work is not charged.
When we reached the boat, still remained more than an hour of sunshine, so we decided to give us a few spins freely without a guide (at last) by the city of Aswan. Walk in the promenade area, bought spices from street vendors and some potato chips and chewing gum, but mostly enjoyed with a group of children who sold bookmarks.
least of the article itself, that for yourselves an idea, you can get about 10 pages marked "papyrus" for 1 €, but as I said in the first post of this trip, we took a bag of candy and a few pens and pencils "Alpine". Well, what a mess when the kid is that we sold the brand pages will fill the pockets of candy and gave it 3 or 4 pens and alpine. A scrum of children came up asking more for them, their brothers, their friends ... so I almost just there with the supplies that we had for the trip, but we did not care, because I really face was priceless satisfaction that they became all for one simple sweets and pens. One of the girls gave me a bracelet of a beetle on the fate of the selling, and even a very simple gift, is one of the memories that I brought from Egypt to the most love I have him. After
continue to give back while we discussed the experience that we had to live, we returned to the ship, where he was preparing a "trip" to go to the bank to exchange euros for Egyptian pounds, so to keep accumulating experiences, we join the group and went to switch to one of the banks that were in the promenade. With 30 €, I got 222 pounds Egyptian, so back to the boat and before dinner, we were getting acquainted with the new currency, which started trading the next day.
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