Travelling Back in Time

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It's quite difficult finding a computer that functions adequately and next to impossible to upload any photos. I wish so much you could see the stunning sites I describe but I will have to be patient and hopefully share some of them with you when we get back to Cairo.

I really like the travel group I am with...12 people including me, two other Canadians, two Americans, three Brits, three Australians and one Kiwi! Everyone is very personable and have done extensive travelling throughout the world. We are "family"-like already and are very excited as tomorrow we will travel up the Nile on an Egyptian sailing vessel called a "felucca". It will be very primitive living, a simple wooden ship with a sail and no motor...the wind will be our sole guide and we will all sleep in our sleeping bags in the open as the boat has no shelter or cover. We will travel for one full day and evening and arrive near Luxor, near the Valley of the Kings (home of the famous Tutankhamen tomb!). No washroom...pit stops at the side of the Nile!

We are currently in Aswan having travelled thirteen hours by train from Cairo. The weather here is incredibly hot and the environment is very arid and dry as we are bordering on the desert. Yesterday we climbed a sand dune and viewed the desert-like conditions which surround this city and our guide, Hossam, informed us that this was in essence, the beginning of the Sahara and went as far as Sudan! The amazing thing about this city is that they constructed a dam in 1971 using the Nile and so there are many "lakes" in this harsh but beautiful climate. This is also home to the ancient Nubian civilization, again...thousands upon thousands of years old who were dominated by the Egyptians but still enjoyed their own traditions and customs. When the dam was constructed, the Nubians were moved to a different location however some still remain here in an area all their own. We had the opportunity to visit their village yesterday evening and a feast was prepared for us upon our arrival. At the end of the dinner, a group of young boys came in with drums and began singing to us. Everyone burst into dance and suddenly 12 foreigners were dancing and singing with Nubians of all ages. It was quite magical because we were unified in our celebration of life and the euphoria in the courtyard was infectious to say the least.

Despite our feasting and celebrating, we had to wake up at 2:30 in the morning to take a bus to Abu Simel, the temple Ramses II constructed to honour himself, the gods and ONE of his favourite wives! All the buses going to Abu Simel must travel in a convoy with armed security on each bus as several years ago groups of tourists were killed at that very site. It seemed so civilized at first with all of the buses lining up at the police station but when we were released to the highway all hell broke loose and it seemed as if we were all participating in the Amazing Race! At one point, our driver was driving 150 km/hr and weaving in and out of lanes. It was quite hair-raising but on a humourous note, I decided to name the voyage, "Death Race 2000"!We were definitely "top five" to arrive at the site but I must admit my legs were nearly jelly from the sheer terror of the ride!

When we arrived at the site, it was quite deceptive to see why we had endured such hardship to get there. Suddenly, we turned a corner, and there in front of us was the most magnificent structure...a temple, metres upon metres high (60 I think!) and carved out of the mountain was a statue of Ramses, his wife and two of the gods. Words cannot describe the impact or colossal nature of this temple. Inside the temple were elaborate carvings and scenes and hieroglyphs...room upon room. The most amazing thing about this temple is that the doorway is set up at such an angle that twice during the year, the autumn and spring equinox, the sun's rays will shine directly into the temple to the far back, where there are four more statues of these seated individuals! Such precision and ingenuity...indescribable!

I walked around the temple in a daze and could not believe that it was nearly five thousand years old. What is even more remarkable is the fact that the temple had been literally moved in 1971 by a group of international engineers when the Aswan Dam was constructed to prevent it from being damaged by flooding. Each piece was carefully carved and reassembled at higher ground. The ingenuity of the past was combined with the ingenuity of the present and the results were awe-inspiring!

I sometimes wonder if all of this is a dream...I literally do not know what day of the week it is, nor do I care because I have been transported back in time and see magic every moment of the day.

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Comments

[Laura]

Awe
Kevin: I am thrilled for you and impressed by you! What an adventure. Soar. Laura xxx

[Carol Collings]

you transport me
Kevin-I love getting these updates. I have been traveling with you to New York and now Egypt. Your reports are wonderful. Thanks for the inspiration. Your descriptions are superb.

[ken]

what a journey
I love the excitment of your narrative. What a year you are having! It seems you go from one adventure to another and things just get better and better or if not, then at least more and more fascinating. I like the fact that you are meeting so many different ,interesting people and can see how some are so well travelled. We can learn so much by opening our eyes to new experiences and the ways in which others have survived and live. So glad all of this year has been so much fun and seems to be going so well. I am sure there have been or will be some little snags but these will become the events you can laugh about later. I am sure there are many who are so enriched by meeting you, as well. Can hardly wait [not sure if that word is appropriate] to hear of some romance that surely will occur along the travel route. Ken