Abu Simbel … the Middle of BFE - Day 7

Today's start time necessitated an alarm so we could be ready by 5:15am. Instead what woke me was a mosquito buzzing in my nose at 3:30am.

I'm assuming Egypt has such early start times because of its intense midday heat, at least in the summer.  In the mild winter you are maximizing daylight hours since there is so much to see.

I sensed the 6-7 hour roundtrip drive planned for today, coupled with the early start time, was going to push my family beyond their limits, but they knew what was in store for us: Abu Simbel.

Abu Simbel is an incredible ancient temple, thousands of years old, located in a remote corner of Egypt near the border of Sudan - and a bit of a hassle to visit.

There is absolutely nothing but desolate desert along the 180-mile road to Abu Simbel

The realization of why our private van had both a driver and his companion was unsettling … Chris saw the drivers eyes close several times, and the friend had to grab the wheel. This 2-lane road with large vehicles traveling at excessively high speeds is not a good place for a driver to doze at the wheel.  Two hours into the drive we made a pit stop. Thankfully we saw the driver getting a coffee! They switched seats, letting the other guy drive.

Sitting on the bank of Lake Nasser is one of Egypt's most striking monuments, the twin temples of Abu Simbel.

There are two temples at Abu Simbel: the Great Temple of Ramses II and the small temple of Nefertari, his Great Royal Wife.

Built by Ramses II over 3,000 years ago (completed in 1244 BC), the temples at Abu Simbel are some of the most well preserved and iconic temples in all of Egypt. With the creation of a temple dedicated to himself, Ramses II became the first pharaoh to take the step towards equating king and god.

The entrance to the temple is guarded by four colossal statues of Ramses that stand over 65 feet tall. At his feet are smaller statues of the pharaoh's mother, Queen Tuya, his wife Nefertari, and some of his favorite children.  (There wasn't room for all of his wives and 200 children.)

The awe-inspiring entrance to the Great Temple of Ramses II is massive!

Seeing hieroglyphics in situ for the very first time!

Chris doesn't remember learning about Abu Simbel in middle school when he built a model solar boat, but I do. What makes it fascinating and unforgettable is the recent history behind it:  the entire Abu Simbel complex was dismantled and relocated to higher ground after the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s. Due to the new dam, the rising water level of Lake Nasser threatened to flood the temples of Abu Simbel. The entire complex was dismantled, moved over 650 feet to higher ground, and completely reconstructed, taking the combined effort of over 50 countries and 5 years of work to save the temples.

After the entrance to Abu Simbel, the first thing you see is the man-made mountain created to support the Great Temple of Ramses II.  Moving the temples was a huge undertaking. Imagine such a massive project!

Fun Fact: UNESCO's rescue of Abu Simbel became the catalyst for UNESCO creating a World Heritage list, now protecting over 1000 sites around the world.  

Jeremy got a kick out of saying we are out in BFE. It's the little things. He liked seeing Abu Simbel, but I think being in BFE (bumf*** Egypt) was his highlight today!

While out in BFE, Greg and I saw a mirage! Kinda crazy to hear about a concept all of your life and then actually experience the real thing! Up close looked like endless desert and sand but out in the distance it appeared to be a sea of beckoning water.

At the end of the long road, waiting to pass through the check point, Greg and I noticed a demolished tourist van (identical to the one we were in) on the side of the road - on display as a frightening reminder of the dangers of traveling this road. We could tell our drivers were talking about it. According to google, the van collided with a lorry (truck) last month on December 1, 2022 - killing 2 tourists and injuring 5 others.

We took a detour on our way back to Aswan to drive over the "new" dam.  The facts of the High Dam are impressive:

The New Dam is enormous. It is over 2 miles wide.

• It was constructed between 1960 and 1970.
• Instead of letting the Nile flood annually, wasting half of its waters into the sea, the dam allows for double the agricultural yield in Egypt.
• The dam's turbines create half of Egypt's power.
• If the dam breaks, the tidal wave would wipe out Egypt as a country. It would be the largest single catastrophe in human existence.

The dam created Lake Nasser reservoir, which is 340 miles long and 22 miles wide.

When we got back from our long drive, hungry from not having a normal meal in well over 24 hours, we caved and got KFC. My kids thought I was joking because they know my "eat the local food" travel rule. I don't even eat KFC at home, but it is smack dab at the ferry dock and we are too hungry and tired to find another option. As we were eating, a begging little boy came by and aggressively grabbed the chicken Chris was eating. It was really sad - I would've given him my entire meal if I hadn't just finished. It was a situation none of us had ever experienced before.

Caving from the hunger of not eating a meal for over 24 hours, we stopped at KFC before getting on the ferry.

Getting back to our 'guest house' on the island, we found the front door and balcony wide open. Apparently they are very trusting here, but it was a little unsettling that they would open our doors with our valuables inside. Maybe kitty has a key.

Jeremy and I walked around Elephantine Island. It was a memorable moment for me, but Jeremy wasn't having the squalor of the island.  When we got back, Greg asked me if I saw a pharmacy. Jeremy told me I should have pointed, "yes, down that way a bit." Omg no there is no pharmacy on this primitive island!

Elephantine Island is a far cry from civilized!  But interesting to explore.

While we were walking around Elephantine Island, these super cute little kids were so excited to see us. 

"Hello! Bombali!" they said to us. These kids were so cute!

I asked a local guy what bombali means. The children were actually saying "Bob Marley " - the name of a nearby guest house - the only English they know.

While watching the sunset over the Nile from our balcony - for as long as we could handle the mosquitoes - there were some mentions of what we can't wait to do back home:

• I'm going to make avocado toast
• I'm going to take a shower
• I'm going to chug my hydro flask

We asked about the dirty clothes we gave our 'hotel' guy last night to find out it was left sitting all day wet in his washing machine. (He seems a little complacent.) The clothes still needed to hang dry and the sun was long-gone for the day.

We ate dinner next door at King Jamaica.  It was a ton of food!

After today, everyone decided Aswan isn't their favorite destination. (Jordan is going to be hard to beat.)

Abu Simbel Logistics:

From Aswan, you can either drive or fly to Abu Simbel. For a family of 5 to take the short 45 minute flight is about twice the price of our private driver and only saves you an hour overall; the driving distance is 180 miles (each way) and takes 3 1/2 hrs. There's an extra charge for the police permit - safety along the highway may have been a concern in the past but now it's more of a toll. The road closes for the day at 3pm.

Our guide said that Fridays at Abu Simbel are the most crowded.

Our visit lasted 2 hours. At 5:30am, we left later than the normal tour hoping for less crowds but there were still a lot of people. It was thinning out quite a bit by the time we were done with the temples.

There is a half-price student discount at Egyptian sites.  The student ID must have an expiration date on them; our student IDs from 3 different California schools do not but they still worked every time.  (Luxor sites are much stricter.)

Aswan Lodging: We spent 2 nights at El Amin 'Hotel' on Elephantine Island. The ferry to the island costs 5 EGP per person ($0.20). (Note: there is a men's side and women's side of the ferry.) The guest house is located right at the ferry dock and we had it to ourselves: 3 bedrooms, a large balcony overlooking the Nile, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a seating area. And a cat who insists he lives here. It sounds very nice in writing but I would give it 1-2 stars and right now I'm craving a 4-star hotel. No services are included; however, the host is willing to do anything for us, including our laundry.

We are staying at El-Amin on Elephantine Island (the tall building in the center of the picture). The island ferry is under it and the restaurant is the bright blue establishment on the right.