Tuesday March 13, 2007: Abou Simbel
Par bloucox le mardi, mars 27 2007, 23:41 - Egypte - Lien permanent
Alarm clock at 3am, it was very difficult.
We are in the bus at 4am, I am in the front with Coralie because we are the two of us sea-sick in the bus. Carlos and Christelle are at the back because they arrived in the last one. The bus is very small, we don't have enough space for our legs, but despite that I am able to go to sleep again once sat. After more than 3h drive, it is very hot in the bus and I wake up because I hear a very strong breathing beside me. I see Coralie white like a linen and I understands very quickly that we should stop the bus before we are two to be sick. She went out in the desert to get better with Carlos who supports her as a good husband and two soldiers with their machine-gun. After complaining about the heat, the driver accepts to put the air-conditioning instead of the heating. We felt better in front of the bus, but behind they were still too hot.
We arrive at Abou Simbel at 8am. We left all the bus feeling bad, but when we saw the two temples, it was worth it to suffer.
They are at the edge of the lake Nasser, hidden in the mountain at 20 minutes of the border with Sudan. The large temple is the one for Ramses II and the small one for his wife. The guide (who is unfortunately not Mervat because she had to stay with the people who didn't take the option “Abou Simbel”) didn't have unfortunately the right to come in the temples with us. She explained us very quickly what we had to see using pictures that she didn't even pass around in the group. We hurried to go in the temples before forgetting all what she said to us.
The temple of Ramses II is recognizable by its 4 colossi at the entrance surrounded by women and with children between the legs, represented with a wick of hair on the side. At the top there is a baboons which greet the sunrise.
The interior is quite as impressive. In the first room, there are 4 statues on the left and on the right of the main alley. The walls are decorated with war scene. The funerary arch is drawn on the left wall, supported by priests (normal) and to the right wall by warriors (unusual). Then we discovered different rooms showing the offering to the Gods. At the end of the temple we could see 4 statues of which 3 are lit by the sun twice in the year (around October 21 and February 21)
The temple of his wife is approximately 5 times smaller. At the front we could see 6 statues. Inside we discovered scenes representing the country life (harvest, seed…) in colour.
At 10am, we already had to leave for the boat. The return was also painful. Coralie was sick straight at the beginning, then we more or less fell asleep in a fresh bus for people at the front (the air-conditioning still didn't work at the back!)
When we arrived at the boat, we all wanted one thing: to sleep.
At 3pm, we visited a perfumery where I will buy 4 essential oils. A glass-blower shows us how he manufactures the flasks for the perfumes. When we are back on the boat we play Rumicube with Marie-Jo and Laurent.
After dinner, we went to the Nubian evening organized on the boat. Nubian dancers came to show us a spectacle. First of all 3 dancers danced together with the orchestra and the singer behind them. Then only one dancer danced with a stick, he asked towards the end Coralie (who was feeling much better, but not Carlos who stayed in bed) to dance with him, which she did very well.
We arrive at Abou Simbel at 8am. We left all the bus feeling bad, but when we saw the two temples, it was worth it to suffer.
They are at the edge of the lake Nasser, hidden in the mountain at 20 minutes of the border with Sudan. The large temple is the one for Ramses II and the small one for his wife. The guide (who is unfortunately not Mervat because she had to stay with the people who didn't take the option “Abou Simbel”) didn't have unfortunately the right to come in the temples with us. She explained us very quickly what we had to see using pictures that she didn't even pass around in the group. We hurried to go in the temples before forgetting all what she said to us.
The temple of Ramses II is recognizable by its 4 colossi at the entrance surrounded by women and with children between the legs, represented with a wick of hair on the side. At the top there is a baboons which greet the sunrise.
The interior is quite as impressive. In the first room, there are 4 statues on the left and on the right of the main alley. The walls are decorated with war scene. The funerary arch is drawn on the left wall, supported by priests (normal) and to the right wall by warriors (unusual). Then we discovered different rooms showing the offering to the Gods. At the end of the temple we could see 4 statues of which 3 are lit by the sun twice in the year (around October 21 and February 21)
The temple of his wife is approximately 5 times smaller. At the front we could see 6 statues. Inside we discovered scenes representing the country life (harvest, seed…) in colour.
At 10am, we already had to leave for the boat. The return was also painful. Coralie was sick straight at the beginning, then we more or less fell asleep in a fresh bus for people at the front (the air-conditioning still didn't work at the back!)
When we arrived at the boat, we all wanted one thing: to sleep.
At 3pm, we visited a perfumery where I will buy 4 essential oils. A glass-blower shows us how he manufactures the flasks for the perfumes. When we are back on the boat we play Rumicube with Marie-Jo and Laurent.
After dinner, we went to the Nubian evening organized on the boat. Nubian dancers came to show us a spectacle. First of all 3 dancers danced together with the orchestra and the singer behind them. Then only one dancer danced with a stick, he asked towards the end Coralie (who was feeling much better, but not Carlos who stayed in bed) to dance with him, which she did very well.
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