Day 6 - Egypt

Well this photo isn't very weather appropriate for Egypt. Nevermind. So today was another early morning for me. I woke several times in the night to sounds of partying from the other feluccas, but it wasn't too bad. I woke permanently befor 6 to the beautiful sounds from both sides of the river of the call to prayer. It was such a peaceful beautiful time with the haunting chants and the sun just rising over the perfectly still Nile. We also started moving the - the feluccas were gently guided to our disembarkation spot (this was all done while everyone was still asleep). After piling on the buswe headed first to Kom Ombo temple (Darren sat this one out though thankfully did find sitting in the bus pretty comfortable) this was a pretty cool temple with a Nileometer in it. It was quite disembled though, people had been taking blocks from the temple for years! It was also very hot already - it's amazing how hot it is during the day but how cold it gets at night here. You really do need several layers on.

Me at Kom Ombo temple.

Pretty columns at Kom Ombo - by the way the sky was that intensely blue everyday except our last when it was slightly overcast.

Colour still visible on ceiling at Kom Ombo.

It was time for a more driving, on the bus past donkeys, through villages with the amazing half built looking houses. We were also overtaken today by a ute carrying a load of camels! We were heading Edfu temple which in stark contrast to Kom Ombo is the best preserved most complete ancient temple in Egypt. It was really cool seeing all the chambers and priests secret passage ways in tact - and the condition of the wall reliefs was amazing. We also learnt how one month a year Horus' statue from the Holiest of Holys is taken on a boat and floated down the river to his wife Hathor's temple and put in with Hathor's statue and all there for a month to do whatever they pleased. Another month a of the year Hathor's statue was taken to Edfu to be with Horus there. This is the origin of the word Honeymoon - which came from Holy Month I think. Darren made it into this temple which was good though he doesn't look very smiley in the photos.

Statue of Horus outside his temple at Edfu.

Poor Darren too sick to smile at Edfu.

Once we got to Luxor in the bus I had an amazing show in the hotel - it was so nice to feel really clean again. Darren was very glad to get there as he'd had a terrible night the night before so he was able to just lie down and be comfortable for awhile. Gentleman that he is he didn't mind that I went off to see Luxor temple and have dinner with the group. S o after it does dark I headed off with Sam and Su for a goregous horse and carraige ride through the nighttime streets of Luxor to Luxor templ.e

The temple looked amazing all lit up. The reliefs, carvings, and statues really had a whole different element to them up lit with shadows deepening their patterns. I was really so glad to see a temple this time of the day, the whole atmosphere was also somewhat more magical (even though in general all the temples did have a magical quality about them). Also at Luxor temple was the avenue of sphinxes - these looked so magnificant and dominating even despite most of them missing a bit of face or legs. The last at Luxor temple which was really cool to see what the obelisk which is the other half of the pair to the one in the Place de la Concorde in Paris. It was a bit depressing to see the stump where it should have been, though would have looked great as a pair, however, at least it is very prominently and proudly displayed in Paris given the honour it deserves. my guide book says that in return for Mehemet Ali (the leader of Egypt) offering this to France as a gift France gave Egypt a clock which broke en route and has not yet been repaired (this was over 100 years ago) bugger.

Luxor temple statues.

A very delicious buffet dinner with Su and Sam then back to the hotel room to check on my darling Darren, and try and get some sleep before the 4.15am wake up call the next day!

As today was the last day on the felucca I just want to say how much I enjoyed the trip with my felucca mates - Ingrid, Damien, Mark, Janneke, Sam, Surasha, Sam (the pretty one), Claire and Jen - thanks for being such good company and making the trip such a pleasant one!

:)
Mindy