Making our way back up the Nile

It’s about time that I finished the blogs telling you all about Egypt.  Especially since it was about seven months ago!  I can’t believe how time is flying...

Okay, so I’d last left it at our farewell to the felucca.  While it was very sad to have to leave, there were many more highlights in store so it was onwards and upwards to Kom Ombo temple, the site of the world’s first calendar.  It was pretty cool how it was quite recognisably a calendar, albeit based around seasons and planting etc. rather than just days like we have now.  Having checked out the mummified crocodiles (!) in the small museum also on site it was then time to head towards the Temple of Horus in Edfu.  Horus, the hawk god, is one of my favourite Egyptian gods because he’s so easily recognisable with his peaked nose (well, hawk I guess) and elaborate headgear.  

Excited to be at the Temple of Horus in Edfu

 

Adrian doesn’t have particularly fond memories of this temple as he was propositioned by a rather crusty old man who was hanging around checking out the hot young men.  While the rest of us thought it was quite funny, I think Adrian might have a few mental scars yet to heal...  The interior of the temple was quite amazing, with room upon room of hieroglyphics.  When the Christians found the temple, they scratched out the figures (especially their faces) because (I’m guessing) they were ‘false idols’.  But quite a lot of the figures were buried under layers of sand that had drifted into the temple so it’s quite cool to be able to see some that are still intact.

After an overnight in Luxor where we wandered around town and checked out the beautifully lit Luxor Temple, the next day it was time to see the Valley of the Kings!  Having heard so much about the valley we had very high hopes and it didn’t disappoint.  You’re not able to take photos so there’s no visual evidence, but the colours of the paintings inside the tombs were just spectacular.  It was also really cool to be able to see how the painting process was carried out, with two draft layers in red and black outline before the final, full colour, painting was applied.  Basically the more inexperienced workers would do the drafts, with the higher up (and actually paid) workers doing the final versions.

After the Valley of the Kings it was onwards to Hatshepsut (rhymes with ketchup) Temple.  The colours here were also stunning and quite amazing given the temple’s exposed situation set into a cliff face.  Dedicated to Queen Hatshepsut it’s formed of three tiers of columns, making it really striking.  Later that day we visited Karnak Temple which had a hall of columns (134 in all) which you could wander amongst and see all the different types of hieroglyphics.  It was really neat to see the different styles, with some deeply cut into the stone while others were raised and more 3D.

Being mummies at Hatshepsut Temple (Adrian's a man hence crossed arms, I'm a lady hence straight arms)

Peek-a-boo at Karnak Temple!

After another night in a sleeper train it was back up to Cairo where we visited the Egyptian Museum.  Again, no photos inside, although I was desperately tempted as the treasures from Tutankhamen’s tomb were just amazing.  And it’s not even the stuff they think was the most elaborate!  It’s pretty cool that at least one tomb’s treasures survived though so we have an inkling about what it was all like.  Seeing the detail on the sculptures, including the beautiful jewellery was just stunning.  They're actually building a brand new museum called the Grand Egyptian Museum, much closer to the pyramids, so it would be cool to go back in 10 years to see what that's all like when it's finished.

We then had an afternoon free so we went exploring out into urban Cairo to do some shopping at a fair trade store I’d heard about, and then managed to get hopelessly lost in the markets before miraculously finding another member of our group who pointed us in the right direction.  Basically, instead of going to the touristy side of Khan-al-Khalili, we went to the locals area which is a total maze and quite bewildering!  Luckily we made it back though and didn’t miss the bus...

Next stop, Dahab!