Cruising the Nile, Kom Ombo and Edfu

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Made it back safe and sound from Abu Simbel and boarded the boat that would be our home for the next few days as we made our way up the Nile to our final destination of Luxor. Lazy first afternoon, followed by an equally lazy morning before we finally set sail, and after all the idleness of the previous 24 hours I was looking forward to the days only stop: Kom Ombo.

The boat itself was pretty cool with four or five levels of rooms, a dining hall, bar/dance room and a rooftop patio complete with bar and small pool. Our room felt more like a hotel room than a cruise boat room which was nice, and with only 150 or so folks on board it never really felt all that crowded...food was good, entertainment was entertaining, and the gin & tonics up top while watching the countryside slip by were downright delightful...

But back to the culture: arrived at Kom Ombo late afternoon and piled off the boat with the rest of the hoards to begin our explorations...Kom Ombo, built in the 2nd century BCE is a unique site as it is split down the middle into two temples mirroring each other, with each temple dedicated to a different set of gods. One half is known as the Temple of Sobek (the crocodile-headed god of fertility) and the other half is dedicated to Haroeris (also known as Horus the falcon god). Once again the carvings and reliefs were amazing, and with the warm light of the setting sun casting cool shadows through the complex it made for a visually interesting/different experience than the temples we visited during the day...we then finished our visit at the Crocodile Museum, a complex displaying some of the crocodile mummies discovered in the region, bizarre to say the least but still cool...

Made our way back to the boat for dinner, then enjoyed our evening watching the lights and nightly rituals along the riverbanks as we cruised upriver to our stop for the night: Edfu. The Temple of Edfu was nearby but not included in the tour, however our guide Ahmed mentioned that it was one of his favourite temples and one of the best preserved, and that we would have time in the morning to visit if we wished...we all jumped at the chance, gave him money for the entrance tickets and he was able to make all the arrangements for us, too easy! He also explained why the temple wasn't on the tour: the only way to get to it is by horse and carriage, and Intrepid did not like how the horses were treated in the area...there is a local horse/buggy cartel apparently that forbids any taxis/buses from picking up tourists, but for some reason there is one local guy that is revered in the community and is given a pass to drive folks from the boats, and fortunately Ahmed knew him so we were able to secure his services and not contribute to the cartel...this was also beneficial as we were among the first to arrive at the site before it opened, lining up at the head of the queue and first in when the gates opened...

Entered the site at the crack of 6am and came upon the main entrance of Edfu Temple and the first pylon, beautiful...again the sunlight was perfect, and with this temple being so well preserved the carvings and reliefs were sharp and vivid, extraordinary really...built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom era (the same as Kom Ombo and Philae), it is considered one of the best preserved shrines in Egypt...Dedicated to the god Horus, the temple contains many important scenes and inscriptions related to the conflict between Horus and Seth, as well as providing details of its construction. The sheer volume of carvings was amazing, and Ahmed gave us some great history and context as we made our way through the various halls, sanctuaries and labyrinth pathways of the site...fantastic way to start the day...

It was then back to the boat and breakfast before setting sail again to our final stop at Luxor...passed uneventfully through the Esna Locks which was neat, but not before some of the more enterprising vendors I have come across sidled up to our boat in little boats of their own, flashing their wares and then proceeding to launch them all the way up to the top deck NFL-quarterback-style, it was hilarious...it was raining sarongs, table cloths and various other linens and goods, with some being thrown back and if kept then money being tossed down in little rubber pouches, absolutely crazy! You dared not make eye contact with any of the dudes because if so something would be thrown your way...lol...

That sums up the Nile experience, some cool temples and a nice relaxing cruise, next stop Luxor and the Valley of the Kings...

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Photos

Scarab!
Pushing the Sun...

Lovely K and I
In front of the entrances to Kom Ombo

Temple of Edfu
Main Pylon

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Rich in History
It is an amazing location.