Day
4: Morning at Abu Simbel - Flight up from Cairo
Day 4: Afternoon >>>>
Novotel gave us a breakfast box for flight to Abu
Simbel. Egypt Holiday Tour people show up to take us over to airport.
Same guys... they didn't get much sleep either.
Luggage flies to Aswan, we fly to Abu Simbel
At the airport (new an modern) we discovered the answer
to one of Ken's most persistent questions--the mystery of "What
happens to the luggage at Abu Simbel?" Well, the flight goes
via Aswan and you can choose to have your luggage off loaded and
held at Aswan while you stay on the plane and go to Abu Simbel.
There was some confusion at the security at the gate. The new liquid
regulations had just come into effect and everyone was trying to
get used to them. They did put the luggage through but our duty
free liquor from Dubai was destined to cause us a problem at Aswan.
More on that later... We carried our normal carry-on luggage on
the plane and sent our checked luggage to Aswan. Ken was really
reluctant to check the bag with the computer so we knew we had a
bit of a logistic problem. Little did we know that our complete
misunderstanding of the Abu Simbel/Air Egypt set up was to lead
to our first "think on your feet" adventure in Egypt.
Egypt Air is the Tour Operator for Abu Simbel!
At Abu Simbel we faced our first Egyptian Challenge,
if you don't count the airport exchange. We thought we would be
met by someone as they had given us Holiday Tour badges to wear
for the trip. But Abu Simbel is basically a flight to nowhere, a
tour in itself.
The airline assumes that everyone is going to the
temple (there is really no where else to go, and it is pretty much
at the edge of Egypt, maybe actually in Nubia. So....they provide
a bus that shuttles everyone on the plane to the temple. Well, I
went to the ladies room, stood in the queque, and negotiated the
attendant baksheesh, only to find that when I got out, there was
no one to meet us and apparently no pre-arranged way to get to the
temple. No one told us about the bus. HT had said it was "a
tour", but what they really meant was that the airline provided
everything, transport and all. The airline, however, mentioned nothing
about the bus either on the flight or at landing.
Later, after a round of recrimations between Ken and
me, we decided that it really was the airline's fault, they should
have had an announcement. They had a beautifully maintained plane
and a lovely animated safety message, and serve devine guava and
mango juice, but in a very Egyptian way, had assumed that any idiot
would know about the bus. Well, not these jet lagged idiots!
In Egypt, you can always get someone to help you--for a
price
In the end we stepped boldly out of the airport and looked around.
We found ourselves the focus of much attention by the local taxi
drivers and we were trying to decide what to do, because we had
our hand luggage with us and all the cash and travelers checks for
the trip on our persons. We felt a little vulnerable, when a big
bus pulled up and hemmed us in a space with 5 eager taxi drivers.
So while Ken rightly said there was no one there and we had to negotiate
for a taxi, I just wanted to see some escape routes, so I dragged
him and the luggage around the bus into the open parking lot and
took a look around. I truely believe that Egypt is one of the safest
places to travel, but no use being foolish, especially when we were
so disoriented.
There really was no one there to meet us, so I motioned to one
of the taxi drivers and negotiated a round trip fare to the temple.
I remembered all the basic principles. Bargain hard, don't pay until
you are back at your destination, and use a lot of hand motions.
I negotiated a round trip cost, EP60, and required that the driver
stay at the temple parking lot and guard the luggage in his car.
Well, it wasn't what we should have done, but it worked out fine,
as most things eventually do in Egypt. We agreed a two hour rendezvous
and headed off to the temple.
Abu Simbel Two Temples and Hundreds of People
Entrance EP80 per person, no photos inside temples.
Abu Simbel is unlike anything else in Egypt. It was built to awe
and intimidate the ancient people who traveled into Egyptian territory,
and it still is awe inspiring. We took hundreds of picture among
the hundreds of people who had come up mostly by bus in convoy from
Aswan. No picutres inside, as it is forbidden, but we already had
been given many pictures from earlier times, so that was not a problem.
Saw a few people sneaking pictures, but mostly people just wandered
around inside looking at the worderful carvings.
The site was very crowded because the arrival of the plane from
Cairo cooincided with the arrival of the convoy from Aswan. I think,
if we were to do it again, I would go to Aswan, do a day there,
and then the next day fly up and back to Abu Simbel on the first
plane up, or on the last plane. They run as many as there are bookings.
That way no luggage, and maybe you could avoid the crowds from the
convoy!
Nefertari's Temple and the Large Statues of the Queen
Ken and I got separated, as we often do when taking pictures, so
I went to see the Nefertari tomb after taking outside pictures.
It is smaller and has fewer features, but is a real tribute to Nefertari,
as it was exceptional that a pharaoh would allow a wife to be portrayed
in the same size scale as himself. Or at least that's what everyone
says..later at the Egyptian Museum I saw a fact that literally stares
you in the face. A gigantic Amenhotep III and his equally gigantic
Queen Tiye smile down at you in the central room of the museum (called
the Lake by the locals). So while Nefertari's statues seem to be
an exception to the rule, there are other example of large statues
to queens which may show that the power base on the state now reflected
a wider spread (assuming that the Queen may have been tied into
the Nobles who ruled the nomes.) One also thinks of Akenaten and
Nefertti in this regard. Just a little theory of mine :-)
I came out of the Temple of Nefertari and went around to find Ken
taking detail shots on the outside of Ramesses temple. He asked
if I had been inside yet, and I said no, I had been inside the other
one, though and would quickly go inside this one. Ken looked at
me in amazement and said, "What other one?" thus revealing
my poor tour guide skills. I had not told him there were two temples!
So he was off like a flash to get all the outside detail shots and
see the inside.
Vendor, Tourists and the New Market Arcades at Sites
When we finished we walked back to the taxi, carfully avoiding
walking though the market arcade. As we were to find out the market
arcades are a new feature of all the refurbished entrances to the
major sites in Egypt. It reduces the number of times you are approached,
but you are fair game if you walk through them. Be prepared to be
approached on all sides.
As I said, we did not walk through the market arcade, but the vendors
were not to be denied. The site security kept them off the path
and warned them to leave the tourist alone, but I did the fatal
thing, I touched the scarf that he was showing, and we were locked
into bargaining battle. The scarf was nice, large, and cotton, therefore
lightweight, manufactured, not hand made, but nice, so as I walked
away and Ken motioned me to hurry to the taxi and the security guards
kept warning the vendor, he and I conducted a furious bargaining.
He wanted 150 EP and I ended up paying him EP70.
The scarf is very nice, but they had one at the airport for 35
EP. You have to laugh! because your first bargain and purchase is
always your worst effort, however to put it in perspective 70 EP
is roughly USD12. Now the guards at many sites are paid around 80
EP a month, so baksheesh and opportuning tourists for buying souveniers
is understandably a serious business for these people. The tourist
business is the livelihood of most Egyptians in this area, and extracting
a small but steady flow of money from you, mostly in the nicest
way, is their only resource. We dig up iron ore, they extract money
from tourist wallets through sales -- same thing.
Liquids at Security Check points
At the airport at Abu Simbel the x-ray showed up the bottle of
scotch in our carry on. The security man was very sorry but it violated
the rules, and we had to check Ken's bag. So we rearranged the camera
things into my carry-on and checked Ken's carry-on with the scotch
inside and flew on the Aswan. Tip: If possible, put all liquids
into your checked baggage, just carry an empty water bottle. It
is one less thing to worry about when negotiating through the airports.
If you must have moisturizer and lip balm for the long flights,
buy it at the duty free. Duty free is allowed on the plane for the
flight that you are taking. Our problem with the scotch was that
it was duty free, but from the flight of the day before! Anyway,
can't complain about tight security, it's for our own benefit.
Also, checked luggage and its contents must be approached philosophically
now. There is no way to send suitcases through that are truely locked,
so they are easier to open in the back, but on the other hand all
luggage areas are now doubly secure due to increased security. Just
keep money and documents on your person and small electronics in
your pocket or in the carry-on. As Mad Dog Moody says "Constant
Vigilence!" but your checked luggage must be left to the fates.
Continue day with Flight back
to Aswan, Tea at Cataract Hotel and Visit to Nubian Museum >>>>>
|
