Cruising the Nile - take ummm, 3?

I am part way through my second week's cruise on this magical River they call the Nile. Flowing through the heart of Africa, it has a life and a personality of its own as it meanders through deserts of Egypt, interspersed with the lush green fertile land it is credited with sustaining.

Days when you simply sail are truly magical, and a chance to sit and do nothing but admire the lifeblood of a country so remote from my own, as I write this I am on my fifth journey between Luxor and Aswan, yet this is something new to see at every turn of the head. The morning today has been sent lying on the sundeck soaking up the rays of the sun, wiling away hours simply doing nothing more intensive than gentle swimming, reading and taking photographs, I hope heaven is like this :)

As I sit in my cabin, french doors opened to offer me more breathtaking views as I shelter from the midday sun, I can sit and reflect on my decision to come here, to spend an indeterminate period of time in a country that seemingly has nothing to offer, but can give me everything I need for the changes my soul is craving. There is no doubting that the Egyptians are the friendliest people I have had the pleasure of meeting. I am sure there is much I am going to learn from them.

However, learning doesn't start for another week, still a week's holiday to go, so just taking advantage of the time to rest and relax, as I think I needed it more than I realised :)) When your boat is doing nothing more than idling down the Nile for 2 days, with just a brief stop, R&R is guaranteed, time to go back to it.

Aswan High Dam

This afternoon we visited the Aswan High Dam as part of the afternoon programme of excursions. If you don't know of the Aswan High Dam, it was built to help increase fertile lands in Egypt for agricultural purposes, and to help control the Nile Floods, which continued even after the building of the first Dam.

The building of the High Dam had a number of knock on effects although they are now a distant memory to most, and didn't really exist in mine as I stood and admired the construction that holds back the Nile. As you stand on one side of the Dam you witness the end of the River Nile in Egypt, for here it ends, with water lying stagnant, as if desperately trying to go somewhere. They say the Nile is the lifeblood of Egypt, this stretch of water looked like it was trying to breathe.

As you cross the road to the other side of the Dam you are greeted with the awesome view of Lake Nasser, an immense stretch of water, the largest reservoir in the world, brought into being by the building of the Dam, stretching for hundreds of miles throughout the rest of the south of Egypt, and into northern Sudan, where it again becomes the Nile. It's easy to think of the lake feeding back into the Nile at that point in Sudan, but as the river runs south to north, effectively the Nile feeds into Lake Nasser at this point, and therefore the stagnant and lifeless stretch here at this point in Egypt is the River's starting point in this country, and not the end.

The Dam itself is impressive. I was half expecting to see something akin to the Hoover Dam in Nevada, but it's built for function rather than to impress and the engineering of it fulfils that expectation, but other than that, it's a dam.

 

 

 

Lake Nasser

One week!

It has already been one week since I arrived in Luxor, where did the time go.  Again it has been an activity filled week, and sleep has been the minimum necessary.    Currently I am in Aswan, the boat sailed on to this city after our visit to the Kom  Ombo Temple yesterday.  It was interesting to see Kom Ombo in the daylight, as the first time I went there it was night, but again a Temple rich in history.  Today we are going to the Philae Temple.  Due to the heat here, we will be leaving in 30 mins, at 8am, when the temperature will already be in the late 20s, and the sun very hot.  I love the sun, it doesn't like me quite so much and it's a full time job to keep myself covered in enough lotion to prevent burning, as I said to everyone, I will need to find coping mechanisms, as staying out of the sun is not going to be an option, if I wanted to be out of the sun I could stay in the UK :) 

The entire week has been one of fun and laughter, it's a bonus that I have been able to spend the time with friends, the friends I met in Egypt in January,  and especially during my time in the hotel in Luxor, where nightly al fresco dinners, walks around the city, good conversation and lots of laughter prevailed.  There are also some great people on the boat, and so socialising with my fellow cruise companions has added to the delight of this cruise.  I might wish Pat was here, but I think that's from a familiarity perspective, but I do miss her already.

As we came into Aswan late last night, we sailed under a truly magnificent bridge, if I saw it on the previous visit, I don't recall but with boat sailings overnight, I am sure I didn't;  hey, it's a bridge, how would I not notice a bridge!!  There was a certain sense of romance about sailing under it at midnight, with the stars brightly shining, and the air warm and balmy.  A new life in Egypt, yes please :

West Bank

Itinerary schedules for Nile Cruises are fairly standard, and a visit to the West Bank typically includes a trip to the Valley of the Kings and the Hatshepsut Temple, along with the Colosi of Memnon If you are cruising the Nile or visiting Luxor for the first time then these are a definite must do. After all, how can you come to Luxor and not see the Valley of the Kings.

I had seen these back in January, just a short time ago, so I asked Habebe if we could visit somewhere else, and I was not disappointed.

The day began at 7am with me being collected from the boat and driving to the West Bank. Of course I had made this journey before, I couldn't recall that the distance was so great last time, but it is quite a drive from the East Bank to the West, via the only bridge that serves this purpose, aptly named Luxor Bridge. As an aside, the last time I came across this bridge it was adorned with a picture of the former president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, this is no longer the case.

After arriving in the Valley we then went for an authentic Egyptian Breakfast - - in an alabaster store, as you would! Lo and behold, breakfast arrived, warm pitta breads, a local dish called ful which is made with beans and with a hard boiled egg and sizzling melted butter mashed into it. To say it was delicious is an understatement. There was also fresh tomatoes, and a further dish, the name of which I did not learn, and I think would definitely be an acquired taste, made up of strong cheese and seasoned with a large amount of salt, essential for locals in the heat of the summer.

After breakfast we visited another of Luxor's recently unearthed treasures, Deir Al Madina, Valley of the Workers. The workers were those that worked creating the Valley of the Kings, and once chosen to work on this prestigious project, life on the East Bank became a memory, as they were required to remain on the West Bank for the rest of their lives, along with their wives and children. This was essentially to protect the treasures of the Kings, who feared being plundered lest their secrets be told, secrets being where the treasures were buried.

The site contains excavations of the small quarters the workers enjoyed, which were very basic, two room dwellings, and evidence of a small temple, where they worshipped.

More remarkable are the tombs of the workers. The workers laboured for 8 days and then had 2 days off. On their 2 days off they laboured on their own tombs. Two of these tombs are open for visitors to enter, and they are truly a sight to behold. The paintings on the walls are vivid in colour and rich in story telling of the lives of those who created them, and their family. Habebe explained that it's possible that they used the best materials for their own tombs, and the best paints, they are certainly so well preserved that your jaw drops in awe at the splendour of the colours, preserved over thousands of years.

Habu Temple

We left the Workers Village and made the short journey to the Habu Temple. It is not known who exactly Habu was, but the Temple stands as a mighty memorial – and again a combination of richly preserved and wilful destruction evident.

sailing to Dendera

Since the January revolution in Egypt, the Nile Cruise schedules have changed a little, and as a consequence, the first day of the cruise was spent travelling up river, rather than down, but more for the sake of sailing, otherwise the boat was likely to be moored in Luxor for the first two days of your cruise.  Someone should dare to suggest perhaps that sailing south on the first day is probably more preferable, as that would give you longer than 36 hours in Aswan, and I at least would have found that more favourable than simply sailing upriver for the sake of it.

Nevertheless, sail to Dendera we did, and if nothing else, it allowed me to see a little more of the sights along the Nile that I otherwise would not have seen, and in that sense, it was a great day's sailing.

Early Morning Mist on the Nile

Reflections

Waking up at the crack of dawn, the boat was already making its way down this vast expanse of river, as I stood on the balcony watching the world go by, I was again struck at how every view was a picture. In the early morning the mist was rising and once it had risen, I was smitten with the reflections of the trees, and the mosques and everything else that filled this vast expanse of 'shoreline' - the one thought that was in my head was how clean this water must be compared to the River Thames, as I am fairly sure the reflections are not quite so clear in those murky waters.


It takes about 5 hours or so to sail to Dendera so there was plenty of time to admire these views, and once the sun had risen completely, where best to do so than from the sun deck of the boat, soaking up the rays at the same time - ah, this is the life.

 Various buildings along the Nile!

These are residential buildings, and I love them, I always think that no one in Britain would choose to live in a house like this, but they seem full of character, even though many of the buildings you see are slums.

Sun shining 

on the 

River Nile

 The boat comes to its journey's end at Dendera, which is around 60km north of Luxor,close to the town of Qena.  Here you can disembark for a visit to Dendera Temple.  the weather was very hot, the tour was scheduled for less than one hour, consequently, I didn't get to go to the Temple, however, it's quite splending and you can read about Dendera here as well as view some of the amazing images of the Temple of Hathor.

While those that chose to make the visit were on their excursion, I wandered around the local area, taking some pictures along the way.

Basma Hotel

 The crew on one of the cruise ships moored at the Basma Hotel were fishing in the Nile, breakfast for their guests perhaps ?

Even the manager was fishing!

Luxor Temple

Departing the Karnak Temple, I then head to the Temple of Luxor. These two temples are interlinked with a 3km path known as the Avenue of the Sphinxes, and was the path the God took to join the Goddess, he living in the Karnak Temple, she in the Luxor Temple. The Avenue of the Sphinxes by itself is quite spectacular, with rows of statures lining either side. Sphinxes with the head of a ram predominantly, but a sight to stand and behold, again envisioning the hundreds of hours of work that created these icons of Egypt, and again have stood the test of time.

Archaeologists discovered the road lined with sphinxes adjacent to the temples and homes about three years ago, businesses, churches and even a police station have now been removed or are in the process of being removed to allow for complete excavation and restoration – I stood mouth agape staring at this magnificence, wondering that the desert had chosen to simply cover them over – but inadvertently might have preserved them, perhaps more than a century or two ago – perhaps the local people were also unaware that their work and their history and their legacy would reach right into a future they could never have even imagined.

Back to the splendour of the Luxor Temple, smaller in size than Karnak but no less captivating to both the eye and the imagination. At the entrance is a giant stature of Tutenkarmun and his wife, the size and features of the statue betraying the fact that these were children of a very young age. The stories of Egypt come alive when Habibi tells them, and today was no different, listening to his explanations of why the Queen is always portrayed smaller then the King, why her fingers look inordinately long, and to why Egyptologists only have an array of theories on some of the mysteries of the past.

The Luxor Temple bears evidence of destruction not only of a human kind but also of the damage the elements have caused over a few millennia. Prior to the building of the High Dam in Aswan a little over a half a century ago, the Nile routinely flooded each year. These floods were the lifeline of ancient Egyptians, as it irrigated the soil and allowed them to plant crops and grow food that would be harvested and stored for use throughout the winter. However, these floods also filled the buildings, including the temples, to a height of several metres. There is a crude marking on the wall that says flood level (year) – which is at a height of at least 3m.

In time, sand also filled the open spaces of the Temples and at Luxor, there is a Mosque which whilst appearing to be on top of the Temple today, was once built at ground level, the original entrance being high in the air, evidence of where the 'ground' once was. Visitors to Egypt can only marvel in the splendour of the history and culture and the majesty of the Temples, I don't think we could ever truly comprehend the vision, labour and love that was poured into this beauty that the world continues to appreciate, thousands of years later.

Karnak Temple

Today is officially my first day of my second cruise on the Nile. Arriving at the boat, RA II around lunchtime. The boat is much different to Le Scribe, which is the boat I had hoped and indeed booked to go on, in comparison, the RA II is nice, but soul-less.

After unpacking and settling in to what will be home for the next 2 weeks, it was off to the Karnak Temple, where I was teamed up with my very own tour guide, and not just any tour guide, but the same guide that Pat and I had when we came in January, he has a passion for the history and culture of this country, and no one could explain it better. Today was no exception.

Karnak Temple is a vast temple complex in Luxor dedicated primarily to Amun and dating from as early as 2000 BC. It is an impressive sight, and second only to the Great Pyramids in popularity.
After a century of foreign occupation, the New Kingdom (1550-1150 BC) of Egypt emerged, with its capital at Thebes. The captial city was embellished with grandiose temples worthy of the majesty of the pharaohs, the greatest being Karnak.

The temple complex of Karnak, dedicated to the Pharoah Amun, was the centre of his worship and of his wife Mut and their son Khons. Each of them had a precinct  in the temple complex, the greatest and largest belonging to Amun. There was also a precinct for Montu, the falcon-headed local god. 

Construction on the Karnak temple complex began in the 16th century BC and continued into the Greco-Roman period - a period of up to 1300 years of construction. Around 30 successive pharoahs added their own touches to the complex: a new temple, shrine, or pylon and carved detailed hieroglyphic inscriptions.

When the pharoah Akhenaton abandoned the traditional worship of Amun and took up the worship of Aten, the sun god, he built a temple to Aten at Karnak. But after his death, the Theban priests destroyed all signs of sun worship at Karnak and elsewhere.
The Karnak temple complex is huge, covering a site almost a mile by two miles in area. There are over 25 temples and chapels in the complex, including separate shrines for the three boats that took the statues of the gods on their annual trip on the flooding Nile. Sanctuaries, obelisks, and groups of columns all feature accounts of the heroic deeds of the sponsoring pharoah. 

The key difference between Karnak and most of the other temples and sites in Egypt is the length of time over which it was developed and used. Approximately 30 pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity and diversity not seen elsewhere. Few of the individual features of Karnak are unique, but the sheer size and number of features makes it one of the most impressive temple complexes in Egypt.

The Karnak complex includes several of the finest examples of ancient Egyptian design and architecture. Among them are the Hypostyle Hall, considered one of the world’s great architectural achievements. It is filled with 134 enormous pillars, the highest 70 feet tall, and each about 45 feet around. The hall covers an area of 64,586 sq ft.

The most spectacular of the temples at Karnak is the Temple of Amun, the only section open to the public. 

This is entered via the Avenue of the Sphinxes, or Sacred Way, that once stretched the two miles from Karnak to Luxor Temple. 

The Obelisk of Thutmose I, a 22m (71ft) monument, is the only one of four original obelisks that is still standing.

I found the Karnak Temple to be truly magnificent, standing a mighty testament to the power of the Gods for whom it was built.  Giant statues of Gods and Kings adorn the entrances, and the deep carvings on the walls, thousands of years old, fill the imagination with memories of a people you never knew, but you can envision the love and effort that they put into the work that created this mighty fortress.

There avenues of columns seem like they are stretching towards the heavens, and one can only be amazed at hands that created these. Huge towers of stone, 30 plus meters high, erected at a time when machinery did not exist and only the primitive of hand tools available with which to lovingly create the splendour laid out before me.

Like many of the other Temples in Egypt, Karnak Temple bears evidence of destruction from a time gone by, destruction caused by jealously, or perhaps simply ignorance amongst the Pharaohs and Gods of ancient times. I wonder how they might have stopped to think of the legacy of their work stretching forth into the 21^st century, and if that might have made a difference to the way such wanton destruction was loosed on what could only have been more magnificent in its original glory.

 

Columns at the Karnak Temple

A New Experience

Today I have had dinner at an open air restaurant, adjacent to the banks of the Nile.  An interesting experience indeed.  The place is very crowded, despite it being past 9.30pm when we arrived.

It reminded me a little of a drive in theatre in the States, not that I have ever been to one, but have seen enough of them in movies and tv shows to know what they are.  This restaurant boasted a large plasma screen with sufficient volume that one could hear adequately without drowning out your conversation, perhaps restaurants and bars back home could take note!

For a grand total of LE20, (approx £2) dinner was a huge plate of rice with chicken kebab, the upside, the food was delicious, the downside, American sized portions, so food was wasted, which is a heartbreaker for me, perhaps moreso in a country where many people struggle to find sufficient food to eat on a daily basis.

The atmosphere was intensified by an impromtu fireworks display, as I discovered later, to celebrate the engagement of a young couple, who led their party of friends and family into the arena of their engagement party, an altogether magical thing to watch, a world and a culture away from the way the British do things.

I have to admit I enjoyed the whole experience of eating al fresco, at a very late hour, in a temperature higher than anything we have seen in Britain all summer, oh yes, this is the life :)

The River Nile

It's true to say that one of Egypt's most alluring beauties is the River Nile, longest river in the world, and source of all life in Egypt.  Anyone that has been here will understand it's captivating power.

Today, as I sit lazingly at the side of this great waterway, I know that I am where I want to be, drinking from it's majesty and enjoying it's splendour.   To accompany the beauty of the water, is the warmth of the sun, today a delightful 38 degrees Celsius, and after the total washout of the 2011 summer in the UK, its warmth against my skin is so inviting.

In just a few days I will be embarking on my second Nile Cruise, sailing down the River and feeling the water caressing the bowels of the boat as it glides south to Aswan, affording me another opportunity to drink in the sights of Egypt as the landscape passes by, and it's a landscape to beat all others. The banks of the Nile have been described as the biggest open air museum on earth, well, that's a pretty good description of it, as everywhere you look there is something amazing to see, pure unadulterated beauty laid before you, in a world that perhaps time forgot, and one that I hope it never catches up with.

The land of my dreams

Well, some 8 months after first setting foot in the land of Egypt, I am back, to a land that feels more like home than home does.   After an overnight flight from London to Cairo and on to Luxor, here I am, in the city that somehow captured my imagination back in January.

Just days before the Revolution that has seen much change in Egypt, I walked the streets of Luxor, Aswan and Cairo, drinking in the history and culture each has to offer, and became totally intoxicated and charmed.  Some would say by the sun, there is an element of truth in that, some would say by the history, and there is an element of truth in that too, but for the most part, I was charmed by the people, a people who are happy despite the difficult circumstances in which many of them live.  Poverty takes on a whole new meaning in Egypt, and in many respects, matches that of places like Soweto in many neighbourhoods, particularly in Cairo and Luxor.     People who earn less in a week than many of us would spend in Starbucks or McDonalds in one visit, that gives life a whole new perspective, yet always people are smiling, and satisfied with their lives, or at least they don't constantly complain about what they don't have, this for me set them apart from the British people that I have lived among for a lifetime.

Within days of my returning home in January the Egyptian Revolution had began - teaching me that 'happy' is relative.  It was very apparent that all was not well when I was here, it didn't take much of a genius to see that basic foods were out of the reach of millions of ordinary people, and when that happens, something has to give.  Most people who know me will know of my utter admiration for the demonstrators during the revolution, to see a people literally take their future into their own hands and demand change, even to the point of death.  Being back amongst the Egyptians, you can sense their pride at their acheivement back on 11 February as well as their frustration at the slow progress since then, so it will be with great interest that I will watch the future unfold.

Back to my being in Egypt, today is day one, 'officially' I am here for 18 weeks - but, we shall see.  One thing I know, is that I plan to enjoy every minute.

My wildest adventure

In the early months of 2010, the year of my 50th birthday, I decided I would like to end the year doing something different, and dramatic! As a child I used to have a dream of seeing three things before I die, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Sydney Opera House and the Pyramids of Giza. Most people will know I have spent enough money travelling to the States to have paid for all of this several times over :) They were after all, childhood dreams.

I had already seen the Golden Gate Bridge, several times, Sydney is way too far for a brief holiday, so that left Egypt, and along with my darling friend Pat, booked a Nile Cruise for the beginning of December, which, with the mysteries of British Weather, turned into January 2011. A week on the Nile with a side trip to the Pyramids was heaven, we returned to the UK 8 days later, but some 8 months later, my heart was still in Egypt.

So now, having fulfilled that lifelong desire to see the ancient pyramids of Giza and visit some of the historic sites of Egypt, little could I have imagined that I would be sitting here in Egypt again, not merely for a holiday, but to taste some of the life here.

I am sure it is going to be entirely different to life in London, but that's ok, I want it to be.