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Aswan
View of the side of Philae temple from motorboat on the Nile Greetings again!!
Sorry it's been a while since my last update, but there have been soo many things to do, soo many places to see (and a lack of internet access) that i've had no time to update.
I think i left off just after my second visit to Cairo, and just before I met Team Habibi (though more on that later). I transferred to Pharaoh's Hotel in Doqqi to meet my Gecko's Tour group and leader. I cannot devote enough webspace to each of these characters, so quickly, Team Habibi consists of (in no particular order):
1) Hossam Eid - team leader and playboy, always has a smile, looks like he should live on a felucca and a tutu in denial.
2) Chantelle - the life of the party!! Get's hungry at 6.30pm on the dot, every day
3) Amanda - Chantelle's partner in crime, and just as wild!!
4) Brad - our personal tour photographer, always seen with SLR around neck and good for a song
5) Kara (aka Nora) - Another intrepid explorer who will soon marry a Bedouin (hehe)
6) John & Fiona - couple of real Aussies
Aswan
Aamir (our guide) in front of Philae Temple from Childers Qld, as down to earth as you can get
7) Derrick & Sharon - Both extremely well travelled and good for a laugh and a dance.
8) Drew (aka Camel) - Man Mountain Aussie expat in Britain, a man who's heart befits his size
9) Mark & Cayley - Another expat couple who define the phrase "opposites attract".
The next twelve days travelling around with these guys have been the highlight of my trip. Each day brought new excitement; great people in this beautiful country as a backdrop - i could not want for more. Once again, as verbose as I am, I cannot fill enough pages of the events of the Gecko's Tour, so i'll let the photos do most of the talking, and give myself something to chatter about to y'all when i get back. So here's the pocket version......
Day One:
The Pyramids of Giza were underwhelming, especially since I visited Saqqara and Dahshur the previous day. Filled with tourists on coaches, the grandeur of these miracles of architecture could not be fully appreciated amongst the touts and crowds. Still amazing though. Went on the the Eqyptian Museum
Aswan
The Holiest of Holies within the Philae Temple and a whirlwind tour by our local guide Lila. Sort of like the Louvre of Egyptian History, though with no labels, and scattered artifacts. Could spend days in this place. The mummies were cool though, and Tutenkhamen's mask is amazing up close. Late at night, off to the overnight sleeper train down to Aswan.
Day Two:
Arrived in Aswan somewhat rested on the train which was better than we all though it would be. Checked into the hotel and cleaned ourselves up before some of us headed of Philae Temple led by our local guide Aamir the self proclaimed "Prince of Darkness" (Aamir means prince in Arabic). There were some other Gecko's tours travelling with us, so i met some of them, and immediately word got around that I had some medical knowledge. The next few days were spent treating various people for traveller's diarrhoea and the like. The evening was spent cruising up and down the Nile on a felucca, with the best dinner I've had in Egypt. Since the group was entirely made up of Aussies, we did our reputation justice by drinking all the beer on the boat, then stopping off for more supplies. Easily
Aswan
Hossam (our tour leader) on Felucca one of the best nights of my entire trip.
Day Three:
Early morning start (3am!!) to board the coach down to Abu Simbel. Amazing temples built by Ramses II as a monument to himself, basically. The temples were actually relocated after the construction of the High Dam, but still amazing despite not being at the original site. Back on the bus and back to Aswan for a little chill time before boarding our floating hotel, the Queen of Hansa, which was to be our oasis whilst we cruise up the Nile.
Day Four/Five:
Not much to say about these days except for the fact that we ate, swam in the pool, sunbathed, then ate, and maybe visited the temples of Komombo and Edfu. Getting quite templed out by this stage. Arrived in Luxor.
Day Six:
Luxor is a beautiful town on the nile, flanked by the Valley of the Kings on the West Bank and the Luxor Temple and Temple of Karnak on the East Bank. Took a hot air balloon ride at sunrise before settling on our chosen donkeys for a riotous ride to the Valley of the Kings. The tombs at the
Aswan
Chantelle and Drew on the Felucca Valley of the Kings were impressive for their colours that still remain vibrant after three millenia.
Day Seven:
Off to the East Bank to visit the Temple of Karnak, and by this point I was quite templed out. Impressive for it's columns and colours - the stories of coronation and death and the self gratification of Ramses II was starting to wear a little thin. I'm thinking by this stage that most of the tour have completed a course in Egyptology....
Q. Who's kartoush is this??
A. Ramses II
Q. Why?
A. Because it's deeply inscribed
Q. And why is that?
A. So that no one else could scratch off his name.
And so it goes on.......
From the banks of Nile, and the monuments of Ancient Egypt - we prepared ourselves for a change of pace and scenery - specifically, on the afternoon of Day Seven, we met our Bedouin guides and jumped aboard our NON-air conditioned 4wd's and headed off into the Western Desert....
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steph
non-member comment
Salut mon cher frère! Blimey, I’m glad to hear that you’re living up to the beer-guzzling 100% pure-bred Aussie stereotype hehe. One now only waits for the exclamations of ‘bloody strewth’ and ‘look at mau-ye’ à la Kath and Kim to spread like wildfire across the desert plains of Egypt. Your stunning photos and tales of adventure (and misadventures!) temporarily mollifies the travel bug that has taken refuge in my soul, so please continue updating us all on any more future confrontations with beguiling cups of tea and self-proclaimed backgammon kings. Your description of what appears to be an utterly compelling tour group however is quite insufficient and I expect a full recount when you return, Mister. lol. love you and hope you're enjoying yourself (sun, dirt, culture shocks and all)