Blogs from Abu Simbel, Upper Egypt, Egypt, Africa

Ring ring...that's our wake up call. 2.45am!! We somehow roll out of bed and try wake up with a quick shower. We gathered some pillows and staggered onto our bus to head into Aswan and joined the “Police Convoy”!! There we are met by heavily armed police officers and cars ready to transport us and the 25-odd buses and mini-buses 300km south to Abu Simbel. I'm thinking to myserlf, where the hell are we going that we need a police convoy! Approximately 70km north of the Sudan border...hmmm, that's probably why. We started our convoy, and it was explained to us that the police were there to 'assist if a bus broke down en route' however the hidden message was that its safer travelling in a convoy with police there to deter any potential kidnapping attempt! ... read more

Español / Català Usermaatra Setepenra, the chosen of Ra, born to be a god, otherwise, he was deeply convinced. Son of Seti I and Queen Tuya was the third Pharaoh of the nineteenth dynasty. Rule Egypt for nearly seven decades between 1279 and 1213 BC with the name of Ramses II or Ramses Meriamon. Under his reign moved the Egyptian capital of Thebes to Memphis and then to Pi-Rameses on the Nile Delta. Fought at sea against shardana pirates. On land pacified Canaan and Syria, and confronted Hittites in the Battle of Kadesh. All these facts have been written in several stelae engraved in numerous temples. Fighting pirates told in the Tanis Stelae. Syrian campaigns in Eleuteros and Byblos ones. The Ba... read more

IN Egypt's sandy silence, all alone, Stands a gigantic Leg, which far off throws The only shadow that the Desert knows:— "I am great OZYMANDIAS," saith the stone, "The King of Kings; this mighty City shows "The wonders of my hand."— The City's gone,— Nought but the Leg remaining to disclose The site of this forgotten Babylon - Horace Smith 1818 (Inspired by the Statue of Ramesses II) 3.30am wake up call...what the? I thought we were on holidays? Apparently that was also the later wake up call, a favour from Ahmed because we'd been good "habibis". This Abu Simbel gig had better be good! There is in fact a very good reason for the early morning start. Two convoys leave Aswan a day to take tourists to Abu Simbel, one at 4 am and one ... read more

The train from Cairo to Aswan ended up taking 15 hours so it was lucky that it was one of the most comfortable trains I'd ever been on. The seat reclined most of the way, although the a/c was on the whole way which made it fairly cold. I arrived early afternoon in Aswan and as soon as I got on to the platform I was approached by somebody looking to get me to their hotel. But as he was from one of the hotels I planned to check out and the price was fairly cheap I agreed to take him up on his offer of a lift to the Horus hotel. Before I had even seen the room, another guy had me sat down trying to sell me tours to Abu Simbel and Felluca rides. ... read more

Today, instead of boats, planes were my preferred mode of transportation. I woke up early, gulped down some coffee, and caught a flight out of Aswan to Abu Simbel. The Aswan airport is pretty small but it did have a duty free shop which sold, of all things, a microwave. Wonder how many of those they've sold? The only other store they had at the airport was a Sbarro's Pizza. At 7:30 am, I decided to pass on the pizza. Abu Simbel was a short 30 minute flight...it's a small village just north of the Sudan border with a massive temple set on Lake Nasser. I was only there 2 hours but that was long enough to take it all in and board another flight back 'home' to Cairo. I landed 30 minutes ago and am ... read more