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Published: September 16th 2008
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Finally back with an internet connection, both the Nile boat and the Lake Nasser Boat did not have connections available.
Monday 8th September
This morning we were picked up from the hotel at 4.30 to take our balloon ride. We travelled across the Nile by small boat to the West Bank and then had a short drive to the site. We had made a deal the night before with our sunset felucca skipper “Captain Cat” and we were happy to only pay around $70 Australian per person for the excursion when it had been quoted for a lot more in Australia.
When we arrived they were filling up the balloons with hot air and it was quite a sight to see the large flames against the dark sky. Each balloon held around twelve people, with three to a compartment. Once we were all aboard our pilot fired up the burner which were quite hot, Ron wished he had bought his hat with him. Silently we took off and even though I don’t like heights I felt quite secure as the basket walls were quite high and sturdy. We drifted up to a height that gave us an amazing
view of the sites along the West Bank. The flight took approximately one hour and we had a very smooth landing, the pilot called it an Egyptian landing, he had other country names for different landings.
We got back to the Winter Palace in time for a swim in the pool before being picked up at 10am to transfer to our Nile boat, the Sonesta Star Goddess. We were shown to our cabin, which we discovered had the sound of trickling water from the fountain in the pool above, the staff were very helpful and transferred us to another cabin when we mentioned it. Each cabin on the boat is a suite and consists of bedroom and lounge area and has a small balcony which is a luxury in Nile boats.
That afternoon we went on a tour of Karnak and the Luxor Temples. Karnak was very impressive, spread over 60 acres it is the largest temple complex built by man. Our guide Hany was very informative and as it was very hot Hany took us from one shaded area to another as he told us all about the sites. After dinner we were treated to a belly
dancing show before we retired to our comfortable cabins, tired after a big day out.
Tuesday 9th September
This morning as we were still just outside Luxor we toured the West Bank including the Valley of the Kings where tombs were built for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles. Ron and I took an optional tour of Tutankhamen’s tomb, this was well worth doing as in the Cairo Museum we had seen all the treasures that had been found in this small tomb and it was amazing to see the small space and to try to imagine how everything had fitted in. I was expecting to only see the sarcophagus on display but was surprised to also see Tutankhamen’s mummy in a separate glass case. We viewed three other tombs with the group, Rames 1, 3 and 4, the colours on the walls were very impressive, worth viewing even though it was hot inside.
Next we went to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the only women to ever become Pharaoh, this temple looked very modern but was built over 2 thousand years ago. We then went to the Valley of the Queens, the tombs were smaller but still
colourful and in this area they also buried the young children near their mothers. The last stop was the singing Colossus of Memnon, they once made an eerie whistling sound but since repairs they sing no longer.
We were back in time for delicious buffet lunch and a swim in the pool as we cruised to Esna. We sailed in a large convey up the Nile and when we arrived at Esna we were greeted by dozens of boatmen selling their wares, they were efficient at throwing the goods up four decks to the top deck where passengers decided whether to buy or throw them back. It was an entertaining and chaotic scene, with big cruise boats and small boats everywhere. We docked for a few hours while awaiting our turn to move through the locks, which didn’t happen until after the Captain's cocktail party and dinner. The Captain joined us for drinks and he was a very engaging and informative gentleman, Ron was surprised to learn the Captain navigated the Nile by memory to avoid the sand banks and shallows. We were able to sit on the top deck and watch the boat sail through the locks before
docking on the other side for the night.
Wednesday 10th September.
Set sail early this morning for Kom Ombo, we stopped around noon to visit the Edfu Temple. Our tour group of 12 travelled by horse and carriages to Edfu temple, the temple is dedicated to the falcon god Horus and was built over a 180 year period from 237BC to 57BC. The carriage in front of us broke down and our driver went to assist, meanwhile our horse thought it should keep going and Hany our guide who was sitting up front with the driver tried in vain to stop our runaway carriage, luckily the driver was a fast runner and caught up and saved the day. After our two hour tour we sailed on to reach Kom Ombo, that evening we had a Galabya party and everyone was encouraged to dress up in traditional clothes and play silly Egyptian party games. We all including the crew got a laugh out of the evening, after the party we went ashore as there was an interesting local coffee house playing music near the dock.
Thursday 11th September
In the morning we visited Kom Ombo Temple, which was
in walking distance of the boat.
The temple was unusually dedicated to the crocodiles God as the area had been over run with crocodiles and the people hoped to appease the Gods by building the temple. We had not expected to view mummified crocodiles.
As we sailed to Aswan we were able to swim in the pool, and watch the scenery from the cool water. We arrived at Aswan early afternoon and went o a tour of the High Dam, the unfinished Obelisk at the Granite Quarries and took a small boat out to the Temple of Philae which had been relocated to a lovely island setting after being covered by water by the old Dam. That evening we were treated to a Nubian Folklore Show and everyone was encouraged to participate again.
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