Abu Simbel


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Egypt Travel Diary 2007- Joan's and Ken's Egypt Revealed Tour

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Egypt Holiday 2007 Diary - Abu Simbel

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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.

On board Egyptair to Abu Simbel via Aswan

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!

Egyptair bus at Abu Simbel Airport

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.

Temple of Ramesses II

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!

Ramesses II and daughter

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.

Nefertari's Temple

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 >>>>>

Egypt Travel Diary 2007- Joan's and Ken's Egypt Revealed Tour

Itinerary | Preparation | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20 | Day 21

 

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