Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel is the temple that was cut into pieces and reassembled on higher ground so it would not be submerged by the reservoir after the Aswan Dam was built.

The magnificence of these figures of Rameses cannot be overstated. To understand that the statues are 90 feet tall may be impressive, but to stand in front of them and be dwarfed by them is another thing entirely.

We arrived early in the morning, as temperatures here frequently exceed 100 degrees F. At 8 a.m. it was already over 90. But the temple is so astonishing you could almost forget how stunningly hot it was.


Our guide at the Abu Simbel site was kind enough to allow me to take his picture.

In this photo I am standing to the right of the temple entrance next to one of my tour group members. I'm the speck wearing a light colored shirt and dark slacks.

Aswan

Aswan in 1980 was small enough to explore entirely on foot, which I did after the day's tour activities were finished. The tour group stayed in a hotel on a tiny island directly across the Nile from Aswan. When you stepped out of the hotel, this was the view. We stayed in Aswan as it was a convenient stopping point after flying south from Cairo, visiting Abu Simbel and touring the Aswan Dam.

After dinner, I was eager to explore the town my own for awhile after spending the entire day doing structured activities with the tour group. None of the tour group members were interested in going with me. They all stayed in their rooms.

So off I went to visit Aswan on my own. I ran into the Aswan Chief of Police, who had been a guest speaker for part of the daytime tour. He was a very amiable man and invited me back to the police station for tea, where we chatted for over an hour about ancient Egypt, the history of Aswan and modern Egyptian culture.

Afterwards, I continued to explore Aswan on foot and did a little shopping. As I waited for the ferry to take me back across the Nile to my hotel, the magnificent sunset provided a beautiful backdrop for a lone felucca.


The view from my hotel balcony was like something out of a Hollywood movie.

I loved watching the feluccas float by.


We sailed around the area in our own felucca the next day with a local guide, stopping at the north end of the island to visit the botanical garden.

Cairo

I spent no time in the modern areas of the city, as I was much more attracted to everything that was from another time.

My favorite parts of Cairo were the old Coptic neighborhood and the bazaar.

I remember having a strong feeling, not like deja vu, but more like the familiarity you would feel with family and friends. Everything was so different from the United States, where I was from, yet instead of feeling uneasy or out of place, I felt very much at home. The Egyptians were very friendly.

I was surprised at the number of animals that navigated the center of the city along with the cars. There were plenty of horse drawn carriages, and burros pulling wagons were a common sight.

In the old bazaar area, if you were grocery shopping you could be assured that tonight's turkey dinner was going to be really fresh.

One thing that I really liked about my tour was that we always stayed in local hotels. We stayed at the Mena House Hotel in the Giza neighborhood, a half block away from the great pyramids. This is the front of the hotel, and from where I am taking the picture, the pyramids are behind me.

The tour advertised that our stay at the Mena House would have pyramid views from our rooms, and we certainly did. Each day we stayed there, first thing I did every morning was open the curtains and gawk.

At the foot of the pyramids, you could rent horses or camels and take a ride in the desert. Although the city comes right up to the edge of the pyramids on one side, on the back side there is mostly desert with a few houses here and there.