Temple of Philae

After the success with our trip to Abu Simbel we decided to roll with Akmed on the trip out to Philae as well.  We also went to the site of the unfinished obelisk but really, I think that is one that most people could do without.  Plenty of walking and breathtaking views, but I would have rather spent more time in Philae not to mention visiting some other sites.

Philae is located on an island on the Nile, it sits on a site other than its original, which was pointed out by our felucca captain, as well as numerous other sources.  The original site is just about flooded thanks to the UNESCO project which also brought the Aswan dam.  The temple complex was moved stone by stone to the new site.  It is a wonderful site.

One thing that struck me about all the sites in this area, especially Philae was that even though it is dedicated to Isis, Horus plays heavily in the design and reliefs as well.  Horus is seen both as the suckled child and the adult who has been transformed.

At Philae in the back, in a poorly lit room, I encountered a British tour group where the guide was explaining how the ‘Black’ mother and child, Isis and Horus, were the basis for the later Christian faith.  The relief really does say it all, although I prefer the image present at Dendera.

The temple complex is massive, stretching not as much as Karnak, but much larger than Luxor.  The felucca ride was a thrill, visiting the island.  The Nile water and the scenery are awe inspiring.  This is another must see temple site.  It can’t be stressed enough how much the southern sites deserve as much attention as the pyramids.

• Photos
• Info on Philae

Abu Simbel

 So our new friend Akmed, who we met in Aswan was primarily a tour consolidator.  He owned a tour bus, or a share in the tour bus, a nice well maintained Toyota, and he offered to arrange a tour for us to Abu Simbel and another trip to Dendera and so on.  I was very skeptical since I read from the tour books, the Lonely Planet being my favorite, that it was better to deal with places like Thomas Cook and the more established agencies.  In addition, most people will warn you against tour touts and such, plus the questionable nature and sales tactics of bigger Egyptian cities insofar as touts in general.

The problem is that Akmed came in with really great prices for every single tour and he kind of reminded me of a younger version of my uncle Jerry, for better and worse.  Next time in Aswan I will get a photo of  him.  Anyway, he starts off with the price on a cruise ship which is very reasonable per night, counting food and everything, but I am not a big fan of cruise boats and besides, there are seven of us.  A reasonable price for two or three is easily unreasonable when you multiply that price by seven.  However, given the good prices he gathered for the hotel, and the reasonable prices offered on the packages, I decided to give him a go for the tours.  I insisted that I would pay for each at the end of the day for each particular tour.  He agreed, although with a deposit of about 15%.

So with that stated, he informed me that it would be necessary to wake up very early to make it to Abu Simbel.  3AM.  I agreed quickly, remembering how hot it can be in Abu Simbel.  It is really that hot.  You are pretty much on the border with Sudan when you travel that far south in Egypt.  Plus the trip is in conjunction with a police convoy that carries everyone down to Abu Simbel, so there wasn’t much leeway with the time.

So Akmed arranged a wake up call and breakfast for us, all included.  The ticket prices for the actual temple were not included.  This is typically the case when you are not dealing with Thomas Cook or more established tour companies.  Still the price we got was in my opinion, reasonable.  We paid 450 LE, which is about 82 USD for seven passengers, or roughly 12 dollars each for a 280 Km or 174 miles trip each way, 388 miles total.  We could have economized and taken the bus for 21LE each, or about  25 USD total for all, but when I looked over at the kids I figured it might be worth the extra expense.  The breakfast was so so, but I wasn’t hungry anyway, it was packaged in pretty little boxes with string.  It consisted of a boiled egg, cheese, pita bread, and jam.  Not much, but at 3AM I was more interested in sleeping than eating.

The trip was comfortable, I actually slept most of the way, we had the 14 seat minibus to ourselves.  The driver controlled the air, but was just liberal enough with the controls to avoid me complaining.  I think it took about three hours or so to get down to the temple.  There isn’t much around for what I could see.  The site itself is magnificent and actually hosts two separate temples.  It is surrounded by a near park space and majestically overlooks the Nile.

  The entrance in to the temple sites was hefty at 90 LE each, or 16 dollars.  No student discounts, although children under twelve pay half.  Well, sometimes you have to pay to really see things you really really want to see.  So we paid, altogether 405 LE or 73 USD and went in.  I was still thinking about how I was getting it stuck to me and why this site, the most southern cost so much when I looked up and saw the magnificent statues above the entrance.  In addition, this is the only site I have been to with actual artifacts in the temple area.  So maybe it was worth it.  Of course it was.

Ramses II is seen throughout, but the temple is dedicated to Horus, Amen and Ptah.  The second temple is said to be dedicated to Hathor in the form of Nefertari, Ramses II wife.  I couldn’t recommend the temple enough, especially since photography isn’t allowed inside.  Next time I visit I plan on bringing a spy cam however…  Anyways as we made our way from temple to temple and around the grounds I couldn’t help but think that despite the hassles of arriving, it really was worth every cent, waking early and having to wait a few minutes in the baking sun for the van to return.  Of course, like most other sites there are touts and sales pitches as you leave the site, some worse than others.  However, after you have seen Abu Simbel, you probably have seen one of the best preserved temples in Egypt.

• For more pictures of the trip please visit the photo album on flickr.

Aswan

I was kind of in a hurry to head out and actually see Aswan because I had put it off due to the weather and trying to get school work done and then flooding related to the weather in the region. However, I've wanted to go to what I will call Nubia proper for almost as long I wanted to go to Egypt period. Why Nubia? Because that is where the Nubians are! Who are the Nubians? The Nubians are the very colorful brothers and sisters who have created all these temples and stuff in Southern Egypt, the place where civilization began!

So, we head off at about seven o'clock in the AM, which meant we had to wake up at about six o'clock. Normally we go to sleep at about two in the morning, it is normal here. No matter how hard you try and fight it, this is a night time locale. So I am up packing to at least midnight, probably closer to two, but I don’t remember. So we wake up at six, and I have booked a ride with this brother named Husain Obama (No that was really his name), Abdul for short.

We met Husain on the way back from one of the local markets, after shopping for groceries. He was with his son and very happy to see us and offered us a ride which we gladly accepted. As we were getting in the car his son, who he said everyone called Obama, because he looked like him (he had his ears) was so happy as well. We get in the car and his son is standing by my door as I close it. We are waiting for him to get in, he says nothing. We are all like what? We look around at the door and his fingers are inside the door jam. I had closed them in. He didn’t cry at all, Egyptians don’t typically like to cry or see tears, at least men. So I open the door and he is whimpering. Talk about feeling bad. He is cool though, and so is his father.

Come to find out, they are both Nubian descendants and he is wanting to go back home anyway, So I call him the night before we travel and he is cool, ready to go in the AM. Only problem, he pulls up in a smaller car, not a wagon, because he thought only I was going. So we pile in and we head on the four hour trip south.

On the way, we stopped in Kom Ombo to pick up water and in between touts of future business dealings, Husain encourages us to try some fresh sugar cane juice. The area has a huge sugar cane factory and as a result also probably has some of the best sugar cane juice imaginable. However, I decline and instead opt to buy some bananas, strawberries and water at the local market area. Maybe 1USD for all the strawberries we (seven) could eat for a day, ditto for bananas.

About an hour or so later we arrived in Aswan. The ride from Luxor cost 250LE, it should range from about 200-250LE which is about 40-45 USD. However, I liked Hussain, so I tipped him very well and headed on to my hotel. My hotel of choice, the Kelany was full. On close inspection, it looked like a fair choice, but unknown to me, it was a feast going on so there were plenty of Egyptians in town. So, I decided to walk the Nile and see what I could find in my budget range, which was about $50 US per room. Apparently this was a big feast because everything in town was booked. After wandering for a minute we met a Nubian shop keeper who wanted to be helpful, and suggested calling his cousin who could help us, he was an agent, etcetera, etcetera. Candice is looking at me like, are you really considering this? I am like, well, what do we have to lose?

So we meet Akmed, who reminded me of a younger version of my Uncle Jerry. Real laid back, but since he was Muslim, no drink. Anyway, Akmed, goes into this hotel we had went in ten minutes ago that was booked and gets us rooms. Normally, this would have made me angry to no ends, but when in Rome, or in this case Egypt. The clerk explains that Akmed is a friend and so he has to oblige. I am at the point of not caring, only waiting to hear the price, see the padding...

So I am waiting for the price. If the price is too expensive, I had made contingency plans, I could rent the first flat of a house from this guy who was vacationing in the Hague with his wife, but I had declined the three rooms, his entire first floor, for 100 USD, as being expensive. As I am contemplating Akmed tells me the rooms are going to be 40 USD each for two. I start walking. Magically the rooms drop within seconds to 40 USD for two triples. The hotel is mediocre at best, but it is a place to sleep for the night. Would I recommend it, no. But the next night we moved to the Nubinile, near the train station for just a bit more for two triples, and that I would recommend. Nubians on staff, very clean, friendly and helpful and loving our family.

One of the reasons I love Egypt is because it is a very family oriented culture. Egyptians love children. When people see me and my big family coming, first question – is this your family. Me, yeah. Oh, you are a lucky man! Handshake, and how many kids they have. Usually about the same give or take one. Not only do Egyptians like children and families, but they tend to look out for family budgets as well. That being said it is a tourist destination, but still, on average compare that to the US where the story would be just booking the rooms without getting funny or sideways looks.

Instead of sideway looks I got looks of adoration everywhere. I mean, I have been places where people looked at me with disgust for the simple color of my skin. Here, everyone's skin was my tone or darker, and they were loving it, and me! This was not just because I had some money in my pocket – it was because both, I had money in my pocket and I had beautiful skin. That I could deal with! Proof was, even after I explained I was living in Luxor and wasn’t buying souvenirs or whatever, still, everyone had smiles on their faces loving seeing me, and happy to see me in town.

Another really funny thing is that in Luxor everyone calls me brother. Or me and Candice are the brother and sister that live down in Karnak. Other so called black folks are known as brothers and sisters too. In Aswan, brothers and sisters are known as cousin. Every time someone speaks to you and finds you are from America they are like, you are my cousin, and it is heartfelt. I had a few people really trying to figure out our situation in America, which made me think on it even more. What a strange and unique situation we as so called Afrikans in America find ourselves in, during these days and times. We are surely fortunate, but at what cost?

So our first day in Aswan, after the trip in from Luxor, we took it easy walked down the Nile and the kids and Candice indulged me as I purchased a netbook and a new camera. I gave Corey the other which I still kind of want back for her birthday and Christmas/Kwanzaa/end of year gift. I needed a replacement, how can you go to places less than 5% of our people will ever see and not take pictures? Of course I needed a camera, still, I felt like it was a waste of valuable time. However, once you give a gift you shouldn’t begrudge it…

One point of warning, Egypt is not the place to buy electronics. I knew that up front, but when you need things you need them. This is the place to pick up clothes, shoes, pharaonic gifts, all types of other things, but not electronics. The electronics will cost 30% more and be older models than available stateside. Still, after comparison shopping I found a few deals and after walking forever, we found a netbook, a camera, a place to eat mediocre western food and rested for our 3AM trip to Abu Simbel the following day. The next day we got better food, better hotel and we started venturing out. So, tomorrow I will write about our adventures with Akmed, Abu Simbel and a bit of commentary about guide books. Peace. Salaam. Hotep.

On A Felucca Waiting to Sail

I am waiting in a small sailboat known as a felucca locally, waiting to sail down the Nile. We have been in Aswan for three days. We went to Abu Simbel which is right at the border of Egypt and Sudan. That was a long morning drive. From there we came back tired and decided to relax so we went to the Shisha bar and had tea and shisha. Today, we went to Phillae, which is the temple of Isis. I have plenty of photos from this trip, that I will share. I will also update more information on the trip when I have more time at home.

We are sailing the night on the felucca, and in the morning we are supposed to stop at the temple of Kom ombo, and then on to the temple of Edfu which is dedicated to the god Horus, actually both temples are. From Edfu we are headed back to Luxor. We have seen some of the best temples in the last few days. Abu Simbel is astounding. So was Phillae. I think these temples should be top priorities to anyone trying to visit Egypt. Be warned of the heat though and try to arrange a trip in the winter and even then visit early morning. I will detail more of each trip in a seperate entry with photos as time permits.