Sunday, December 04, 2005
Groups
From Luxor we have to drive in a group, called convoy, to Aswan. We can choose the starting time: 7, 11 in the morning or 2 in the afternoon. Not a difficult choice, so we head south at 11 with some other buses that drive fast through town. After a near accident we decide to drive a lot slower and this means we loose the rest of the group, but not our lives! The road follows the Nile Valley, the small green stretch with trees, bushes and crops growing and plenty of villages and towns. In our gray van people do not regard us as part of the convoy and cross roads in front of us, stay in the middle of the road preventing us to take over etc. This is not what the tourist police behind us like so they regularly blow the horn, drive sometimes in the front, sometimes behind us and it is working on my nerves. Combined with the heat, the long driving time of over 3 hours and the lack of lunch I do not feel very happy when we are not allowed to camp in Aswan (later we hear about a new place near the bridge) and have to find a hotel. The map in the Middle East Lonely Planet lacks explanation of the various numbers and it is difficult to find our way. Finally we find a room in Ramses Hotel not far from the boulevard where many Dutch groups also stay. Rik finds it very strange to hear so many people speak a familiar language all of a sudden!
The next day we continue south with another convoy. Not with the tour groups at 3.30 am but conveniently at 11. Before the airport we take the wrong way and the convoy goes ahead… No blowing horns today. No problems at the road blocks if we get there by ourselves and in Abu Simbel we stay in front of the Abu Simbel
Tourist Village where grandma has a pink room. Otherwise we would have stayed at the parking of the temples but now we upgrade a little and enjoy it. In the evening a magnificent sound and light show is performed. The temples are used as enormous screens with displays of the removal in the sixties to avoid the temples being under water after the Nasser Lake was created. Ramses II decided to have the temples built thousands of years ago and was quite happy to depict himself 4 times in bigger than life statues. Because it gets dark at 5.30 the show starts already at 7 and we can enjoy it with the whole family. Rik sits next to me looking with his eyes wide open, Bart says the music is too loud. Well it is all around us, but that makes it even more impressive.
The next day the temples do not disappoint us, after the groups return to Aswan around 9, we stroll around taking pictures outside and looking at all the scenes inside. The boys enjoy the boats, owls and other animals they watch on the inner walls.
Somehow we both got the feeling that from now on we are on our way home. Abu Simbel is the most southern point on our trip, but we are not yet half way in time!!!
The next day we drive back in the very large convoy with all the tourist busses to Aswan. Nearly everyone drives faster and overtakes us but we enjoy the desert scenery and the trucks loaded with camels for the market. We take the same room in the Ramses Hotel, where the price all of a sudden is 130 Egyptian pound and two nights ago 85! Sorry, but I do not accept that. Mentioning the manager drops the price eventually to the original 85… Time to find a felluca boat to sail on the Nile. Hans negotiates a round trip around Elephant island down from 270 to 55 and we all embark. There is a nice breeze and we sail between many green islands, see night herons, king fishers among others. Upstream the wind blows us south, downstream we go from left to right against the wind and it takes too long for the boys. Rik throws a plastic fish in the river that will reach Cairo one day and cries his heart out.
Time for a farewell dinner in the Aswan Moon restaurant with shish kebab and Om Ali as dessert along the river Nile. The next morning grandma leaves us by taxi and airplane to return to Holland. Strange to continue for the rest of our trip with the 4 of us. But first we join another convoy to Luxor. This time we join the groups to see the temples at Kom Ombo and Edfu. Hans sees the first one with the crocodiles, I take my time at the Horus temple. Now we are also “templed out” as many overland group travelers say. Time for an ice cream at McDonalds and relax at Rezeiky Camp. We meet 2 German travelers with their Man truck and spend quite some time together. They even extend their stay. Our last Luxor day is spent in the Kings Valley to see 3 tombs of Tutmosis III, Ramses III and Ramses I. The outside is nearly invisible, but the interior of Ramses III ‘tomb is very richly decorated with paintings and carvings. To imagine this tomb filled with all the treasures the Egyptians made for their after life journey. Still in 1995 tombs of sons of Ramses II were found with treasures. But most were emptied somewhere in the past. Not necessary to say that the whole valley is filled with tour groups and their smelly diesel busses that keep the engine running all the time. It would reduce the smog considerably if engines were turned off.
Getting ready for our last convoy in Egypt, all laundry done, water tanks filled, McDonalds and the market visited again for fruit and vegetables. Departure time at 8 and this time all the side roads are blocked and the speed is normal. Bye bye river Nile off we go to the swimming and snorkeling area of the Red Sea. Halfway the convoy stops at a road house but we continue and prefer to stop in Port Safaga. Unfortunately we miss the Sun Beach hotel (near the Holiday Inn on the way to Hurghada) where we can camp and try various other places first. The temperature rises in more than one way but in the end everything calms down in the beautiful blue sea with abundant fish and a coral reef right in front of us. After Rik and I find a kids’ playing area we decide to stay another day to relax. Hans and I enjoy taking turns snorkeling and spotting beautifully colored fish, Rik and Bart happily play nearly all day in the area. Hard to leave such a heaven, but we do. We pass Hurghada where all groups go and continue north to Suez. The ferry between Hurghada and Sharm El Sheik is too expensive according to our information so we rather drive. Now we can say we drove in the tunnel under the Suez Canal and saw some of the oil activities in the Middle East. On our way to Dahab, the backpackers hangout with diving and snorkeling possibilities Hans climbs the Moses Mountain in the night to see the sunrise. He passes many groups in the dark and gets on the top after 2 hours of climbing. He rates the walk with 8 to 9 on a scale of 10, but the sunrise only a 4. Home for breakfast long before the rest of the groups return. During the night the whole parking filled up with buses, the boys cannot believe their eyes. After a quick glance in St Catherine’s monastery with too many other visitors we head for Nuweiba to buy a ticket for the ferry to Jordan on December 5. That leaves 4 nights in Dahab to relax, swim, snorkel and walk the boulevard. The place is filled with restaurants with tourist prices, souvenir shops and dive clubs but we still find a fruit and vegetable shop to buy our own food to cook. We stay at the Crazy Camel Camp under some palm trees and are surely one of the few that camp and do not stay in a hut or room. There are many places to dive and snorkel and Hans and I take turns twice a day in the various spots. The Lighthouse and Eel Garden are popular and within walking distance. But right in front of our camp the reef of Machraba starts and is also stunningly beautiful, with a frightening drop of several meters. Every snorkeling safari we still see new fishes and we show them to Bart in a book as he is very interested but does not dare to go himself. Looking at the waves I understand, but when the sea is nearly flat it would be nice if he tried to have a look at least once.
Thus we spend the last days in Egypt before going even more to the east: Jordan.
The next day we continue south with another convoy. Not with the tour groups at 3.30 am but conveniently at 11. Before the airport we take the wrong way and the convoy goes ahead… No blowing horns today. No problems at the road blocks if we get there by ourselves and in Abu Simbel we stay in front of the Abu Simbel
Tourist Village where grandma has a pink room. Otherwise we would have stayed at the parking of the temples but now we upgrade a little and enjoy it. In the evening a magnificent sound and light show is performed. The temples are used as enormous screens with displays of the removal in the sixties to avoid the temples being under water after the Nasser Lake was created. Ramses II decided to have the temples built thousands of years ago and was quite happy to depict himself 4 times in bigger than life statues. Because it gets dark at 5.30 the show starts already at 7 and we can enjoy it with the whole family. Rik sits next to me looking with his eyes wide open, Bart says the music is too loud. Well it is all around us, but that makes it even more impressive.The next day the temples do not disappoint us, after the groups return to Aswan around 9, we stroll around taking pictures outside and looking at all the scenes inside. The boys enjoy the boats, owls and other animals they watch on the inner walls.
Somehow we both got the feeling that from now on we are on our way home. Abu Simbel is the most southern point on our trip, but we are not yet half way in time!!!
The next day we drive back in the very large convoy with all the tourist busses to Aswan. Nearly everyone drives faster and overtakes us but we enjoy the desert scenery and the trucks loaded with camels for the market. We take the same room in the Ramses Hotel, where the price all of a sudden is 130 Egyptian pound and two nights ago 85! Sorry, but I do not accept that. Mentioning the manager drops the price eventually to the original 85… Time to find a felluca boat to sail on the Nile. Hans negotiates a round trip around Elephant island down from 270 to 55 and we all embark. There is a nice breeze and we sail between many green islands, see night herons, king fishers among others. Upstream the wind blows us south, downstream we go from left to right against the wind and it takes too long for the boys. Rik throws a plastic fish in the river that will reach Cairo one day and cries his heart out.
Time for a farewell dinner in the Aswan Moon restaurant with shish kebab and Om Ali as dessert along the river Nile. The next morning grandma leaves us by taxi and airplane to return to Holland. Strange to continue for the rest of our trip with the 4 of us. But first we join another convoy to Luxor. This time we join the groups to see the temples at Kom Ombo and Edfu. Hans sees the first one with the crocodiles, I take my time at the Horus temple. Now we are also “templed out” as many overland group travelers say. Time for an ice cream at McDonalds and relax at Rezeiky Camp. We meet 2 German travelers with their Man truck and spend quite some time together. They even extend their stay. Our last Luxor day is spent in the Kings Valley to see 3 tombs of Tutmosis III, Ramses III and Ramses I. The outside is nearly invisible, but the interior of Ramses III ‘tomb is very richly decorated with paintings and carvings. To imagine this tomb filled with all the treasures the Egyptians made for their after life journey. Still in 1995 tombs of sons of Ramses II were found with treasures. But most were emptied somewhere in the past. Not necessary to say that the whole valley is filled with tour groups and their smelly diesel busses that keep the engine running all the time. It would reduce the smog considerably if engines were turned off.
Getting ready for our last convoy in Egypt, all laundry done, water tanks filled, McDonalds and the market visited again for fruit and vegetables. Departure time at 8 and this time all the side roads are blocked and the speed is normal. Bye bye river Nile off we go to the swimming and snorkeling area of the Red Sea. Halfway the convoy stops at a road house but we continue and prefer to stop in Port Safaga. Unfortunately we miss the Sun Beach hotel (near the Holiday Inn on the way to Hurghada) where we can camp and try various other places first. The temperature rises in more than one way but in the end everything calms down in the beautiful blue sea with abundant fish and a coral reef right in front of us. After Rik and I find a kids’ playing area we decide to stay another day to relax. Hans and I enjoy taking turns snorkeling and spotting beautifully colored fish, Rik and Bart happily play nearly all day in the area. Hard to leave such a heaven, but we do. We pass Hurghada where all groups go and continue north to Suez. The ferry between Hurghada and Sharm El Sheik is too expensive according to our information so we rather drive. Now we can say we drove in the tunnel under the Suez Canal and saw some of the oil activities in the Middle East. On our way to Dahab, the backpackers hangout with diving and snorkeling possibilities Hans climbs the Moses Mountain in the night to see the sunrise. He passes many groups in the dark and gets on the top after 2 hours of climbing. He rates the walk with 8 to 9 on a scale of 10, but the sunrise only a 4. Home for breakfast long before the rest of the groups return. During the night the whole parking filled up with buses, the boys cannot believe their eyes. After a quick glance in St Catherine’s monastery with too many other visitors we head for Nuweiba to buy a ticket for the ferry to Jordan on December 5. That leaves 4 nights in Dahab to relax, swim, snorkel and walk the boulevard. The place is filled with restaurants with tourist prices, souvenir shops and dive clubs but we still find a fruit and vegetable shop to buy our own food to cook. We stay at the Crazy Camel Camp under some palm trees and are surely one of the few that camp and do not stay in a hut or room. There are many places to dive and snorkel and Hans and I take turns twice a day in the various spots. The Lighthouse and Eel Garden are popular and within walking distance. But right in front of our camp the reef of Machraba starts and is also stunningly beautiful, with a frightening drop of several meters. Every snorkeling safari we still see new fishes and we show them to Bart in a book as he is very interested but does not dare to go himself. Looking at the waves I understand, but when the sea is nearly flat it would be nice if he tried to have a look at least once.
Thus we spend the last days in Egypt before going even more to the east: Jordan.
# posted by Hans, Monique, Bart en Rik @ 6:47 pm 
