Travel in Egypt 2007 (Part 4)
This trip has been decided in a time of 24 hours: this year it was decided to make New Year in Spain and in January for a ride from Barcelona to Seville with some friends in Turin and in summer the UK, unfortunately after the feast of the end year we had to return home quickly, having been informed by our neighbor, for a gas leak for which they had to step in the Fire Department, after settling back to our failure was impossible to resume the journey home and find friends who had continued travel alone.
Tina by chance, my wife, Plein Air Act on an ad a couple of campers who was organizing a trip to Egypt, once the phone call, just send the program once the affirmative, and immediately the purchase of maps, guides and news searches on the trip, all in 24 hours.
Luxor - Kamp - 417/5584 - Sun
Departure at 7.30, the direction of
Luxor, stopping in Paris to visit a fortress, a good road a bit 'wavy before Paris took us a sandstorm, the first have strayed too far from the group, Charles the first of the second group saw almost nothing because of the wind and sand, called for CB desperately Luisa parent, missed, at a crossroads has gone blind in the left guessing, a few miles later he joined the team.
Visit to the fortress of Qasr ad-Dushi.
Ready for the visit, Charles realizes that he is losing water from radiator, super Bruno intervenes and discovers where the flaw, while others continue to visit: I, Daniel, Tony, Bruno and Carlito course, you try to repair the fault The provident Bruno has the "turafalle", a powder you put in the circuit water, it solidifies into the holes preventing any water.
TIP: premunitevi of one or more bottles turafalle and, if possible, as a friend Bruno
Includes the rest of the company is again, Carlito will keep an eye on water temperature.
In the vicinity of
Luxor, along the road Aiman explains that police order to prevent terrorist acts must be fostered from the kerbside for 300 yards only crop available, parsley or alfalfa, as well as can be grown sugar cane, all this because we can hide and attack the media in transit.
Moreover, we notice people in uniform, armed with submachine guns who walk down the street, then we will know who are like private police forces who are fighting the theft of crops and breeds of livestock.
Once in
Luxor we placed in the courtyard of a hotel, camping place called improperly, though no water and electricity connection, a voltage is not very high because I tried to run the generator, but did not hold and you are off all the lights in the courtyard, I turned immediately to avoid a total failure.
It is very hot and the air conditioning would have been useful.
After dinner, everyone in the group, on foot, we went to the temple of Karnatic for the show "Sons et Lumieres" was very striking: the temple in its majesty, the music, lights and narration made us go back in time of the pharaohs.
Everyone to bed, tomorrow we expect a busy day of visits to various temples and tombs on the west side of the Nile.
Luxor - Kamp - 0/5584 - sunny / very hot
Do not walk but with the bus, visit:
- The Valley of the Kings, with a planned three tombs very beautiful and interesting, others ask to visit the tomb of Tut-ankh-Amun a disappointment, it is very small, only a visiting room where there's granite sarcophagus Everything else is at the museum in Cairo.
TIP: Save money not visit the prize of Tut-Ankh-Amun
- Temple of Hatshepsut
- Craft village (being transferred)
- Tomb of Userhat and Ramos
Lunch at a traditional restaurant where we ate quite well.
- Temple of Medinat Habu (very beautiful)
- The Valley of the Queens (my wife and I have missed this visit we were tired)
- Colossi of Memnon
At the end of the tour, visit to a laboratory of alabaster with the declaration of the guide is not obliged to buy, ... ... .... When did the women come into place like that without buying??
TIP: husbands beware degl'inviti guides for visits to various laboratories and warehouses.
Tired and hallucinating from sun and heat we returned to our camper where everyone has had a relaxing shower.
At the evening meeting and Luciano Anel bring a cake and bottles of liquor, it's chat and decide what to do for the following days and drink.
Luxor - Kamp - 0/5584 - cloudy / sultry hot
Very hot night, even with the portholes open, one was sweating.
By bus, visit the Temple of Karnak, one seen at night with lights and sounds, was the best so far visited, Aiman has explained in great detail the history and construction of this imposing and majestic temple renovated by ' UNESCO, pity that all this news interesting, most will be forgotten or overlapped with others which will follow.
On leaving the temple we were struck by an avalanche of tourists arrived with dozens of buses, I asked a question: is March and it is very hot in August with more people and more heat will they survive?
Following the visit to the Temple of
Luxor, although smaller is no less majestic in the first.
For lunch we'll all go to the restaurant ... ... ... ..., a buffet of all respect, many, including myself, have overindulged to dessert with sweets of all kinds.
Returning to the campsite at 15 we went to a nearby dealer with the camper's full of diesel, resumed their places we are dedicated to maintenance and cleaning means, the sand had gone everywhere, some have even washed the camper, knowing the road that lies ahead I did not consider the case, you toil and water wasted.
Now, while I'm writing and arranging photos, Tina, with others, went to market ... .... hopefully not spend too much!!
Aswan - Camping Yehia Camp - 220/5804 - sun
For security reasons, to go south you must travel in convoys escorted by the police, gathered in a nearby alley at 7, we are first, then arise dozens of minibuses and large buses, minibuses first part and then the bus for the last we could sleep half an hour longer, since the last traveling at high speed, the elastic effect of a long column affects the latter.
First stop was to visit the Esna Temple of Khnum, unfortunately under renovation, we continue to
Edfu where we dropped from the convoy to visit the Temple of Horus, always escorted by a police van and continue to
Kom Ombo to visit the temple Sobek of where we stop for lunch, being bound dall'orario imposed by the police, we only have 20 minutes to eat, will then be lengthened to half an hour, time to eat sandwiches and coffee and a way to
Aswan, where, after passing through a modern bridge over the Nile, we arrive at the campsite Yehia, also camping here the name is a misnomer: it is an old style house with nubiamo courtyard surrounded by rooms, not on the outside floor, where we arrange the best, is the current with only two sockets with the usual castles of thorns and a double tap water where no one has the right pace attack, with a little 'sticker resolves the situation, the discharge of toilets is performed in the bathrooms (?) where I have not found water.
We arrived quite early, I thought to rest, last night I slept very little, to arrange the photos and update the diary, but, HEAD Luisa scalp, along with everyone, hire a bus that will take us into town, the women can not remain without the daily market, I would stay in campers, but Tina obliges me to follow him and I obey, shopkeepers and street vendors welcomed us so intrusive and annoying, little grocery shopping then called the bus before the time we got back the camper.
A nice plate of pasta with meat sauce, already prepared in jars at home, we reward the labors daily, fresh air and a shower cheer tired bodies and hot.
Aswan - Camping Yehia - 0/5804 - sun / hot
The bus takes us to 7.30 near
Aswan to visit:
- The old dam (English) its turbines give power to the area of
Aswan.
- The new dam (with Russian help) that blocked the Nile Lake Nasser to form a work that allows great to Egypt as well as give the power to all of its territory, to sell to neighbors.
- Granite quarries with the unfinished obelisk that broke during the work, here you see and you wonder how in those days could cut and carry enormous weight of these artifacts.
- Botanical Gardens on Elephantine Island, a beautiful experience of a journey by felucca, with a strong wind, but otherwise, the boat had to juggle zigzagging, but the skilled boatman took us to fate, the garden is very beautiful, Egyptian group of girls in their colorful clothes (jeans skirt and veil) have himself photographed with our group.
- Mausoleum Needle Kan., to cross a piece of Nile felucca we should resume, but because of the wind, so we were told, the police have forbidden the navigation by providing a motor boat, you can visit the mausoleum because it is closed, we photographed outside.
- Monastery of St. Simeon, Luisa Cape has added to the program last, to achieve it we must walk in the sand for half an hour or use the camel, I Tina and others have given up and we did well, who saw it said it was insignificant and devoid of interest.
Those who had not participated in the excursion to the monastery was left on the boat, the boatman at one point we did go ashore in the wrong way and left empty, unable to do anything we went down and we explained to the arrival of Aiman 's happened immediately dedicated himself completely to find another boat that came after 20 minutes, in the meantime those who have brought the sandwiches are preparing the dinner, at last came the boat, which at the height of misfortune is out of gas first, then hits a rock first to dock near a restaurant where 3 teams have lunch.
- Museum of
Aswan, this one added by the Head Luisa last, after the temples and ruins seen so far this place is useless visit.
- Coptic Cathedral of
Aswan, visit request from Cape Luisa last, a copy of that in Cairo, I give up.
Finally we arrive at the campsite, shower and pasta and immediately to bed awake at 2 tomorrow, unfortunately Tina broke the alarm, others have the same problem, we will turn on the CB: Carlito takes care to give us the alarm.
Assuan - 0/5804 - Camping Yekia - sun
In recent days HEAD Luisa and Aiman had proposed to go to
Abu Simbel by bus rental cost of Lira E. 600 and not with the campers, accepted the proposal unanimously, the convoy started at 4, a big mess at the start, everyone wanted to be ahead of reckless overtaking on the edge of crime, after three hours of travel we arrived at
Abu Simbel, the two Temples of Ramses II and Hathor, already seen on TV or in documentaries, stand on the shores of the immense lake Nasser in all their splendor and majesty, can not be photographed outside inside, where the reliefs are almost intact with much of the original color, suffering for not being able to use my trusted Canon, we filmed in the midst of these great statues and the rooms covered in graven images, terrified. The disbelief came looking at these two temples and almost no one believes that we were able to transport them and raise them from their site of origin for several hundred meters.
During the trip, most people have dozed, some have also Russian, see Carlito, on his return, starting at 9 am always in a convoy, we chatted, joked and ate sandwiches at 12.20 it was back to camp where I tried to take a nap, but the heat is oppressive, Tina did not accept the air conditioning so after filling water tanks did the laundry, I finally put at par with the diary.
Tonight: grilled goat, cooked by the managers, with the participation of a folk group who sang and danced with us, to the laughter and fun town, we ate quite well with specialty Nubian and has been drinking better with port wine us.