[I’m breaking one long post into two parts so that the pictures show up better. Hopefully.]
We left Cairo for Aswan in the most fun way, easily the best part of Egypt so far for Wes. We caught an evening sleeper train for the 13-hour trip south. What wasn’t so great was that I was struggling with nausea, GI trouble, and abdominal pain, which I self-diagnosed as either 1) something I ate plus the beginnings of a kidney stone, or 2) just a kidney stone*. I spent most of the 13 hours trying, and failing, not to vomit inconveniently, and silently nominating Dwayne for Best Human Being trophy. When we arrived in Aswan and put me to bed, Dwayne and Mohamed searched the city and brought me back a hot water bottle. If it was a kidney stone, it was of the moaning-Advil-heat variety, not the groaning-narcotics-ER kind. Phew. Regardless of diagnosis, it was definitely my reason for sleeping instead of blogging for so many days.
That day, we still managed to put in a few hours at Philae Temple, or the Temple of Isis. Practically brand-new at 2300 years old, it had to be moved about 50 years ago from one island to another, before the dam was completed and drowned the temple. It was *the* place to worship Isis. It also had a coffee shop and cats, so the Piper and Wes didn’t leave it horrible reviews.
That night, we motored to a Nubian village and were given a short tour of the village and ate dinner hosted by a family. We caught the sunset, ate an amazing feast, and the mother gave me and the girls henna tattoos. Our Nubian guide told us about traditional life and weddings, and how it was changing. He sang for us while accompanying himself on the tambourine. Dwayne and Wes played soccer outside with their younger son and I couldn’t help but eat two honey pastries with custard, even after nursing my stomach very carefully for a day. Because, somehow, we had to be on a bus by 4:30 the next morning for the 3-hour drive to Abu Sembel, among “one of the most famous of all ancient Egyptian monuments”.
Haven’t heard of it? The name didn’t register for me either, and it wasn’t until we had queued and paid 5 E£ ($0.32) for the toilet, fought a strong wind, got sand in our eyes, and then rounded a corner and saw:
The Great Temple is also called “Temple of Ramesses, Beloved by Amun”. [Subtext: “I’m compensating.”] All four of those statues? Of Ramesses II himself. The Small Temple was built to honor his favorite wife, Nefertari (not Nefertiti, another woman entirely, I learned). Of the six statues in front of it, two of them are her. Yes, yes, do the math to figure out how many statues of himself, at different ages, Ramses II put in front of her temple.
I write all this during what is probably going to be our Egypt highlight—on a felucca (river sailboat) on the Nile, traveling from Aswan down (but north) as many kilometers as we can make in a day. We anchor at sundown and sleep on the boat before meeting up with the car tomorrow. It is heaven.
Because I think of all the wonders I’ve witnessed this week, I love most the Nile, the heartbeat and blood of the beginnings of civilization and of Egypt today. Lounging on the cushioned floor of the felucca, I am writing for as long as my battery lasts. We zigzag between life (the east bank, as ancients read the path of the sun) and afterlife, which might be cows and camels, which are on the less populated west bank. We idly pass domed Nubian villages, sandbanks, palms, and absolute tranquility. (Well, until my kids woke up from one of their many naps and realized the boat was fun to roll across.)
Two full days left and then a travel day to Jordan! Dad, Mom, you are probably the only ones tolerant enough to read this entire post. Thanks, I love you.
*I had the pleasure of a kidney stone about 5 years ago. I’ve also birthed three children naturally with no time for drugs. At least I got babies with the childbirth.
Needopedia 