Horses, crocodiles, a garden, and much more...my Egyptian journey goes on.

This is the 4th (of 5) blog postings about my trip to Egypt. 

Horses

We cruise down the Nile on the Royal Lotus and I enjoy the downtime. I sit by our room’s large window and watch Egypt drift by.

We cannot even escape the vendors at sea!
A boat latches onto to our cruise ship. The men call to those people standing 
on the upper deck and throw items to them wrapped in plastic bags. If you 
want to buy it, you wrap the money in the bag and throw it back to them. 

We dock sometime during the night in Edfu, which is located almost exactly between Luxor and Aswan.

Cruise ships docked in Edfu, Egypt.

According to ancient myth, this is where Horus fought with his uncle Seth, who had murdered Horus’s father, Osiris. Seth, the god of Chaos, was filled with hate and jealousy towards his brother so he chopped him into 14 pieces and scattered them throughout Egypt.

Osiris’s wife, Isis, who was also his and Seth’s sister, searched for Osiris, but found only 13 of his body parts. Rumor has it, the 14^th piece, which was Osiris’s penis, was tossed into the Nile and eaten by a catfish.

Isis put Osiris’s body back together, sans penis, which enabled Osiris to return to life. However, instead of returning to the land of the living, Osiris was reborn into the afterlife. He became the god of the underworld. Because his penis was never found, Isis could not get pregnant through conventional means. There are several different versions of how she became pregnant (with Horus), such as using her magical powers to make a phallus for Osiris, to changing into a being who flew around his body to absorb his sperm. Some older Egyptian myths have Osiris’s penis surviving his ordeal, but whichever ending is told, it is an intriguing story.

The Temple of Horus at Edfu, which was buried under sand and silt from the Nile River for almost 2,000 years, is the largest and best-preserved Ptolemaic temple in Egypt. Construction began under Ptolemy III Euergetes in 237 BC and completed in 57 BC during the reign of Cleopatra's father, Ptolemy XII Auletes. Although discovered in 1798 by French explorers, it wasn't excavated until 1860. 

Selfie at the Temple of Horus.

Temple of Horus is full of tourists. I couldn't get through
the crowd to reach the back of the temple. 

A statue of Horus at the Temple of Horus.

As beautiful as the temple is, I do not like Edfu.

Horse drawn carriages arrive at the cruise ship dock and run passengers from the boat to the temple, however, the horses are not well-cared for. Our guide tells us that guests were upset at seeing the condition of the horses, so Collette Tours refused to use the horse drawn carriages. The temple is owned by the village and they in turn, refused to allow the tour company access. As a compromise, Collette pays the village for use of the horse drawn carriages, but they don’t use them. Instead, they have a bus, which comes from over an hour away, pick up the tourists and drive them the 2 miles to the temple.

Horses get a moment of rest at the Temple of Horus before
taking tourists back to the cruise ship dock.

After visiting the Temple of Horus, we return to the Royal Lotus and continue our journey down the Nile.

Crocodiles

Several hours later we dock at Kom Ombo, an agricultural town surrounded by sugar cane and corn. It is a short walk from the boat to the Temple of Kom Ombo. The Greco-Roman style temple is unusual as it is a double temple dedicated to two gods. It is perfectly symmetrical with two entrances, two halls and two sanctuaries.  One half of the temple is dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, while the other half is dedicated to Horus the Elder. 

Unfortunately, much of the temple has been destroyed by flooding from the Nile, as well as from earthquakes. 

The tops of the columns at the Temple of Kom Ombo are carved in the
likeness of a lotus or lily from Upper Egypt and the papyrus of the delta.

This is a hieroglyph showing Cleopatra and her cartouche in
the Temple of Kom Ombo, Egypt. 

A museum near the exit of the temple houses about 40 of the 300 crocodile mummies that were discovered in the vicinity. They are estimated to be about 3,000 years old! Our guide tells us there are no longer any crocodiles in the Nile, that they have all been relocated to Lake Nasser. 

Mummified crocodiles were found in a small chamber 
at the Temple of Kom Ombo.

Several crocodile mummies are on display at the
Crocodile Museum at Kom Ombo.

**

We dock the next morning in Aswan, a bustling market and tourist center on the east bank of the Nile. It is Egypt's southernmost city. 

No surprise it’s already hot when we reach the Unfinished Obelisk at 8:30am. The Unfinished Obelisk is exactly that, a gigantic obelisk that was never finished. Had it been completed, it would have been one of the biggest obelisks ever built, standing at over 135-feet tall and weighing 1,200 tons! Unfortunately, during the last phase of construction, a large crack formed, and it was abandoned. However, it is one of Egypt’s most valuable discoveries because it offers insight into ancient stonemasonry techniques.

Workers abandoned the huge obelisk after a crack developed.

A vendor weaves a scarf in his shop at the Unfinished Obelisk plaza.

After a morning of sweating under the blazing Egyptian sun at the Unfinished Obelisk, we find the perfect way to cool off. A leisurely sail on the Nile in a felucca! A felucca is a traditional wooden sailing boat used in the eastern Mediterranean and ours is named “Captain Jack”.

Our captain adjusts the sails on the felucca.

Sailing on a felucca on the Nile! Christy looks 
adorable, but my hair is a mess.

A garden

Our felucca eventually lets us off on Kitchener Island, where we are allowed to wander freely through the Aswan Botanical Gardens. The island was given to British general Horatio Kitchener as a reward for leading the Egyptian army's campaign in Sudan. Kitchener, who loved plants and palm trees, transformed the island into a lush garden. The Egyptian Government eventually took over the island and maintains the botanical garden.

 A number of rare palm trees can be found on the island,
as well as trees from at least five different continents.

Although my guidebook reads that the lush gardens are “an ideal place to go for a peaceful stroll” it is not. Lush, yes, but peaceful, not so much. 

Vendors congregate near where the feluccas dock awaiting the tourist’s arrival. As our group disperses in various directions to explore the gardens, so do the vendors. They follow us while one insists on blowing a whistle that mimics a bird call. It’s loud and annoying. At every turn, they want me to buy something or follow them to look at a flower or tree. One of the men wants to show me a flower. He hurries up to a tree and picks a lotus flower and wants to give it to me, but I don’t want it. It is beautiful, but I wish he would have left it on the tree. I pay him to keep the flower.

From the botanical gardens, we take a motorboat down the Nile to visit a Nubian Village. It’s 93-degrees, but it feels refreshing being on the water with a cool breeze messing up my hair. I dip my hand into the Nile and touch it for the first time. I think how wonderful it would be to go for a swim on such a hot day, like the kids we’ve seen from our cruise ship, but then I remember the cow carcass I saw floating by. I immediately pull a pack of wet wipes from my purse and sanitize. 

Much more...

At the Nubian Village, an elder describes to us their way of life. He shows us items they use daily, such as baskets, ropes, and even a bed, all made from local plants.

In the village is a museum called Animalia Museum and the elder recommends we go there. It is full of taxidermy and very odd. I am uncomfortable under the googly-eyed gaze of the crudely stuffed animals. I wish I would have taken a picture, but I didn’t stay long. Instead, I wait outside in the shade for the rest of my group because being inside gives me the creeps. 

Boats filled with tourists dock at the Nubian Village.

A village elder shows us items made from local plants.

In the afternoon we have the option of either visiting the Thutmoses Perfume Palace and the Nubian Spice Market with our guide or remaining on the boat. Christy chooses to nap, but Linda and I are eager to visit the market. There are only a few of us who choose to go with Khaled and we spend about an hour at the market. It isn’t like the chaotic Khan El-Khalili market in Cairo. This is more of a local market, so there isn’t the constant yelling from the vendors, however, when they see our small group, they do call out, but not as aggressively.

Linda has told me that on a previous trip to Egypt, she bought some chicken spice and it was very good. I enter a shop filled with spices of every kind, but I’m not sure which one to buy. I call to Linda to join me, but unfortunately, the vendor hears me and he also calls out to Linda. I apologize profusely to her because now every other word he says is “Linda.” Linda. Linda. Linda.

Linda. Linda. Linda.

Locals shopping at the market.

Linda is wanting to buy a wooden mask of a sun, so we wander the market in search of one. We visit a vendor who says there might be one at another vendor’s booth, so we follow him, breaking one of the group rules: Do not follow a vendor when he says to follow him because you don’t know where he is taking you. The booth he takes us to is just a short distance away and we feel comfortable enough to remain with him. However, in doing so, we lose track of time. We are not at the designated location at the designated time to meet our guide.

Linda searches for a wooden mask of the sun.

While the vendor is in the middle of making suggestions to Linda of what she should buy instead of the mask he doesn’t have, our armed security guard suddenly appears behind us. He doesn’t need to say a word. His presence alone is enough for us to quickly scamper back to the awaiting group.

An armed security guard is provided by Collette Tours and one has been with us the entire trip. He trails behind us as we visit temple after temple, even suffering through the 110-degree heat in his polyester suite at Saqqara. He carries a M5 rifle hidden under his jacket. He looks more capable than the police I've seen, so I am comforted by his presence.

Although this photo was taken at Khan el-Khalili, it is the 
same guard who came to fetch us at the Nubian Spice Market.

I have perfected my method of covertly taking pictures of people.

Most of the women wear hijabs, while some are wearing burqas that cover the entire body, except for the eyes. I try to not stare, but the Egyptian culture is fascinating. I can easily identify the class status of the various people based on their clothes and demeanor. Those of the middle-class wear closed-toe shoes and some of the women don bedazzled sandals. I noticed the lower-class wears flip flops, Crocs, or no shoes at all. Crocs seem to be very popular as I’ve seen many booths selling them. This market, as opposed to Khan El- Khalili, is filled with a higher class of people.

A vendor at the Nubian Spice Market.

I want to take their photos against the vibrant fabrics, baskets full of hibiscus leaves, and sparkling souvenirs that make up the market, but it is considered rude. Another man in our group approached two women selling bread and held up his camera to take their photo. As they yelled and wagged their fingers at him, I discreetly took their picture.

Women selling bread at the Nubian Spice Market.

Their reaction to having their photo taken is understandable. It would be no different than having a tourist approach me at the mall to take my photo. I would not like it, so I hold my cell phone at chest level while I casually look about. I don’t look at people but snap their photo as they pass by. Some of my best photos have been taken this way and no one is the wiser.  

A man walks through the Nubian Spice Markt.

Linda and I are given free samples of what looks and tastes like donut holes. 
They are very good, but I am hesitant to eat anything from a street vendor, especially
when he uses his bare hand to mix the batter. 

**

It’s a quiet, restful morning as we get to sleep in.

Most of the group is flying to Abu Simbel with Khaled, but we’ve opted to forgo this optional tour. It was an additional $400, but even if we had wanted to go, we couldn’t. The tour was sold out.

Hassan, another guide, meets those of us who stay behind in the hotel lobby at 10am. We board a motorboat to Elephantine Island where we will be staying the night at the New Movenpick. It’s a beautiful hotel with a fabulous view from our room. I wish we could have spent more time here than on the cruise ship.

The view from our hotel room on Elephantine Island.

Nighttime view from our hotel room.

Christy, Linda, and I need an ATM, however, the ATM on the island is in the other hotel which has closed for the season. Thankfully Hassan escorts us, along with two others in our group, to the ATM across the Nile in Aswan. I am glad Hassan is with us.

Five or six ATMS are crammed together in a small room, but only two or three are working. We crowd in with the handful of other people already waiting in line. They look at us with a mix of curiosity and suspicion, especially a woman wearing a burka. She leaves the room only to return a few seconds later. Perhaps it is her impatience with the crowd, but she does this several times and it makes me nervous. I am thankful when we get our money and under the protection of Hassan, head back to the safety of the island.

On the way back from the ATM, we passed a McDonalds. Linda
and I wanted a McFalafel, but they were closed. 

It's still early and our afternoon is free.

Our plan is to explore the island and we ask the woman at guest relations what our options are, but she tells us we have none. Everything is closed, but she does volunteer to show us the hotel next door. Thankfully we are riding in a golf cart and not walking. It’s a sweltering 96-degrees and my right ankle is swollen and tender. We tour the lobby of the closed hotel, pause at a large, fenced area to look at several deer and then visit a bird viewing area which overlooks the Nile. 

The group eventually returns from Abu Simbel and, after a late dinner at the hotel, we take a motorboat to the Philae Temple for a light show.

The light show at Philae Temple.

When I hear ‘light show’ I think lasers and flashing colored lights, so I am a bit disappointed when I realize it isn't anything close to resembling a disco on a Saturday night. The lights are spotlights focusing on different parts of the temple as the story of Osiris, Seth, and Isis is broadcast over speakers. There is a lot of standing around as we move slowly through the temple, stopping occasionally as the story unfolds. I am glad to sit for the ending as my puffy ankles are protesting quite angrily.

Sadly, no glittery disco ball at Philae Temple.

The motorboat ride back to our hotel was unsettling. None of the boats have lights. I can hear other boats near us and faintly see their outlines, but nothing else. What if there is a rock? Or another boat lurking too close? We didn't even have life jackets. My hope is that the boat captains have crossed this route a million times and know it so well that lights aren't necessary, but still, I think it would be nice to have them. I am  relieved when we make it safely back to dry land. 

The motorboats that are used to take tourists to Philae Temple at night.

It is a late night, at least for me. 

We don't return to the hotel until 10pm, well past my usual bedtime, but it's enjoyable to be out after dark. Everything is different at night and the temperature is much cooler. Tomorrow is yet another early wakeup call as we are returning to Cairo for the last two days of our trip. I am excited because I am one day closer to riding a camel!

My Egyptian journey goes on....