Cruising the Nile in Style-Part I

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December 26, 2008
We checked out of the Four Seasons First Residence early to catch our 7am flight to Aswan where we boarded Sonesta’s St. George ship for our three night cruise. Since Friday is the “Islamic” holiday and we left at 5:00am, traffic to the airport was light. When we arrived at Terminal 1 of 3 at Cairo International Airport, one of the Middle East’s largest airports, there was a long lineup outside of the terminal to go through initial security screening. Our bags were promptly placed on a cart after screened by an airport worker, who escorted us around long lineups to a short line at one of the check-in counters. Egyptians seem to hone in on the “big tippers”!

Our one hour flight on Egypt Air was very pleasant thanks to a very charming steward who spoke to us during the flight, including showing Papa Canuck how to tie his headscarf the “Arabic Way”. We were one of the first to leave the terminal with our bags since most passengers were on tours. We were approached by Akmed, an old taxi cab driver who insisted that 100 Egyptian pounds was the going rate. Mama Canuck knew better! So after Papa Canuck confirmed that 40 Egyptian pounds was a good price with the information desk at the terminal, we loaded our bags and headed for the docks. Akmed gave us a mini tour of Aswan. As we enjoyed the trip, we got his mobile and he will meet us at the airport in a week’s time.

We boarded the Sonesta St George around 9:30am After settling into our cabin, we had a buffet lunch served in the dining room. We then toured the Unfinished Obelisk, Aswan High Dam, and the Philae Temple with our English-speaking guide, Ehab, with a lovely family from the US.

Unfinished Obelisk

The existence of granite in the Aswan area was of particular interest to the ancient pharaohs since it provided them with a ready source of material for their building projects. Much of the red granite used for ancient temples and colossi came from quarries in the Aswan area. Around these quarries are many inscriptions, many of which describe successful quarrying projects.

The Unfinished Obelisk located in the Northern Quarry still lies where a crack was discovered as it was being hewn from the rock. It demonstrates how granite obelisks were carved in ancient times.

Papa Canuck's thighs were once again put to the test. Two extra strength Advils did the trick!

Aswan Dams

The "old" dam was built by Sir W. Wilcock on behalf of the British authorities in 1898. It was constructed from granite quarried in the Aswan area and the official opening took place in 1902.

In the 1960's, the Aswan High Dam was built by the Egyptian government with the financial assistance of the Soviet Union to control the flooding of the Nile River. The huge dam controls flooding and stores water for times of drought, and it is equipped to provide hydroelectric power. However, these benefits did not come without a price tag. When the Aswan Dam was built, the country of Nubia was flooded. The Egyptian government made arrangements for the Nubians to be relocated, but their lifestyle was destroyed.

For some reason, Papa found this site interesting! As for the rest of the family, we could not wait to leave for our visit of Philae Temple!

Philae Temple

The Ancient Egyptians built a beautiful and magnificent Temple on an island for the Goddess Isis, but the Temple became submerged after the first Aswan dam was built. Like the Temples at Abu Simbel, UNESCO helped Egypt save it from the inundation caused by the High Dam in the 1970s by moving it to another island.

This sacred complex of monuments built under the Ptolemies and finished in Roman times for the cult of Isis and Osiris was beautiful. We loved the motorboat ride to the island as views of the temples and surroundings were lovely. The touts at dock were not so lovely.

Before dinner at 8:00pm, we attended the Captain's welcome cocktail party and a Nubian folkloric show followed dinner before retiring to our cabin. We will be overnighting in Aswan with an early morning start since we will be sailing around Kitchener Island by felucca tomorrow morning before cruising down the Nile.

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Comments

[Wendy]

Fabulous!
What a phenomenal blog! I cannot begin to tell you how helpful this has been as I plan our trip. Thank you!

[Travelling Canucks]

Thanks!
Thank you for your comment. I hope you have a fantastic trip to Egypt.