Aswan/Abu Simbel, Nile cruise, Edfu and Galabia Night!

42 of the 54 of us decided months ago that we wanted to go on an extra excursion to Abu Simbel. This morning, those 41 people, and I, boarded a bus that took us to the Aswan International Airport. We flew on an Egyptair A320 to Abu Simbel.

Warnings at Aswan Airport

To say that Abu Simbel was spectacular would not do it justice. There really are no words for this site and the Temples of Ramses II and Nefertari.

Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel (Temple of Nefertari)

We were there for a few hours and then flew back to Aswan to rejoin our cruise and the other 12 members of our group. While we were gone, they slept in, relaxed, and enjoyed sitting in the sun on the top deck of the ship.

When the Abu Simbel group returned, lunch was served and the ship set sail for Kom Ombo. Afterwards, we had several hours to relax on the deck and watch the Nile go by as we sailed north.

Sunset on the Nile

We reached Kom Ombo and disembarked around 6:00 pm. It was a short walk from where we docked to the temple. The temple at Kom Ombo is unique in that it is the only temple dedicated to two gods, Horus & Sobek. There was also a separate museum where some of the artifacts from the temple are preserved - including 10-20 mummified crocodiles.

Temple of Horus & Sobek in Kom Ombo

Crocidile Museum in Kom Ombo

Mummified Crocodiles at Kom Ombo

We walked back to the ship via what we have come to call "the gauntlet." The gauntlet has popped up everywhere we dock and are vendors who are extremely aggressive in their tactics to get tourists to buy their wares. We were told that it has gotten MUCH worse since the revolution. We don't feel endangered in any way - it's just incredibly annoying to have people walking with you, sticking things in your face, trying to get you to buy something. We just keep saying either "no thank you" in English or "La Shukran" in Arabic.

After we successfully navigated the gauntlet in the dark, we returned to the ship for dinner.

After dinner, there was a Galabia party on the boat. Almost everyone in our group bought or rented these traditional Egyptian robes and danced and socialized for a few hours before going to sleep. Heshim, the Bus B tour director, ran a few dancing games/competitions for people and we all enjoyed a great night.

Galabia Night on the M/S Nile Pioneer I

Galabia Night on the Cruise Ship