Egypt – Aswan

Day 53
27-02-2011 Evening
Egypt, Aswan
10330 km since the beginning of the journey

The overnight place – Camping „Adam`s Home“. To be more precise – behind the camping in a higher place facing the Nile.
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The inside of the camping.



River view.



Yestarday I didn`t reach Abu Simbel. Because in the morning it was necessary to find the company of selling ship tickets. The company was „Nile River Valley Transportation Company“ but somehow finding it was not very successful. In the end I reached the right place an hour later of the right time. Since the reservation had been made earlier by phone - then the car was measured – to find out if it was less than five metres or more. Because those cars, more than five metres in length will be of more expensive price. Fortunately – Mazda is less than five metres in length when measured and also according to the passport.

Next I had to go to a place called „Traffic court„ and get the sertificate that while in Egypt there has been no traffic violations. By me. The institution was about a few kilometres away in the centre of the town. By the door on a box a young man was sitting and he filled out one more form in Arabic. Request to get the sertificate. Then it was necessary to make a copy of my passport and from the Egyptian car passport as well. So with the nicely set documents between plastic covers, I was shown to go towards the second floor. It meant that trusting your inner senses, You had to pick up the right person who would give the „non-breaking – the traffic rules-„ document. All the rooms were full of people, everybody was trying to explain something and arguing. And as many of the rooms had no doors so there were no door-signs either. Or they would have been written in Arabic anyway. In short – at last I managed my papers, which were between plastic covers, to give to someone who was going in and it took about half an hour . Then a superior handed me a small paper explaining that everything was now in order



Now back to the ticket office to prove that now there is the Certificate. By that time it was 11 and it meant that no more conveys towards Abu Simbel today. (there should be two convoys per day – one - in the morning at 4 and the other - at 11 pm).

One of Aswani`s sightseeings is the Unfinished Obelisk. – Unfinished Obelisk.
The height would have been 42 m and weight 1200 tons. But the construction was stopped because the granite broke.


If it had been completed it would have been the largest obelisk in Egypt.



Next – a view at Philae Temple.



From the boat.







And downstairs the garden house of Emperor Traianus built by Romans.



For a change





Tomorrow should be the last day in Egipt, making a total of 21 days and almost 2900 km. Experienced the Egyptian Revolution and traffic in Cairo.

In the morning it is necessary to go to the traffic police, give back the local number plates and after that to the port accompanied by police. A legend „Aswan-Wadi Halfa ferry“, is waiting there. It is something like „Aurora“ was once to the sixth of the world. If someone still remembers.

Unfortunately it is not possible to go to Sudan by land because the Red Sea Road .has been closed for a long time because of the border conflict between Egipt and Sudan. More reading here.

The ship leaves for Sudan once a week – on Mondays. It should take about 18 hours to reach Sudan.

Temple of Horus

51-th day
25-02-2011 Evening

The Edfus Horus templeis one of the best preserved temples in Karnak and the second largest temple in Egipt. It was built during Ptolemaios time from 237 BC to 57 BC. Read more in Wikipedia 

The temple is dedicated to Horos, to God who is embodied in ruling varhaos and whose granit tomb symbols are guarding the entrance of the temple.

The first pylon is 79 m wide and 36 m high.

A little closer.

In this place once Horodes`s sacred boat was kept.

Driving towards Aswani it was seen that there were somehow more people than usually. Never mind that it is Friday today and a rest day here. A month ago the Egiptian revolution which ended by throwing off the president, began in Tahiri square but today, on February 25 there are again some thousand people protesting because the reforms are not progressing fast enough.

From here further down I couldn`t manage to drive freely. The road goes to Abu Simbel but further on it was not possible to go. Until now there was no need of conway but now one cannotg drive to Abu Simbel without convoy.

The current plan is – somehow try to go to Abu Simbel tomorrow, because while going to Sudan the ship will leave for Sudan on Monday. There is land border betwee Sudan and Egipt but actually one can go from Egipt to Sudan only by boat and it leaves once a week, every Monday. And of course, it is possible to go by plane. Let`s see.

And it seems that the charging of the laptop has met a problem , because for a long time it showed that the fillment was 4 % but fortunately now it seems to be O.K.

Egypt – Luxor

50-th day
24-02-2011 
Egypt, Luxor, evening  
9979 km since the beginning of the journey

Coming from the desert oasis towards Luxor familiar names caught the attention.

And is it really only 45 kilometres to Baghdad?

It is Luxor already – Cruise ships on the Nile waiting for passangers. In same places even five of them waiting side by side.

But the there are no tourists. Sightseeings on both side of the river.

 

Karnak was like an abandoned town in the desert Read more

The construction was begun in 2040 BC already.

 

Next Hypostyle Hall – 134 columns.

The top of the Obelisk looks as if it was made only recently.

 

So much about tourists in Karnak.

As I have been asked repeatedly what I was eating here. My answer is - Whatever comes handy and in particular that I do not have to pay for it. Just now oranges are two metres away, in a tree:

And fortunately – onion is much closer. You have just to reach out your hand.

The plan for today was to visit the west bank of Luxor and The Valley of the Kings there.

On the road Colosos de Mnemon, built in the time of Amenhotep III

Ramessum Temple

The Temple of Queen Hatchepsut

Hatchepsut was the I daughter of Tutmosis, ruling Egipt 21 years during the 18 th Dynasty. In the years 1490-1469 BC. The only female Pharaoh.Read more  

The guard at the stairs.

In the Valley of the Kings most of the tombs were unfortunately closed. And the camera had to be left behind.

But on the way back to Luxor the eye caught sight of this kind of a vehicle.

In any case I didn`t ask any question about making pictures. So that let`s say- cheese – and have a nice picture. Pehaps it is not allowed and then the question – how did you get that picture. But there were more of this kind in town.

The situation in Libya has come very serious. More than 1000 dead by yesterday. Two Mirage aircraft had refused to open fire on their own people and had flied to Malta. Further on everyone can read from CNN and ALJAZEERA

Egypt – White Desert

46-th day
20-02-2011
Egiptus, Dakhla Oaas
9384 km from the beginning of the journey.

Yesterday night was spent in the White Desert. Right on time when it became darker there was the sign „White Desert National Park.“

For dinner for a change I had Estonian soup called „Salvesti Seljanka“. I had it four cans with me. It`s home-like and will be prepared quickly.

It was growing dark. So the soup was ready and I prepared to eat it calmly. Calmly in this sense that there were neither flies nor mosquitoes. But while eating I felt with my „sixth sense“ that there was a someone nearby. And so it was. A light –grey desert fox about 5 metres away. So it had been the smell of the food that had brought it there. And somehow it was not really afraid of a human being because when I had stood up it just moved 3-4 metres away and tried to approach from an another side. So much about having a quiet meal – instead – keep the fox away!

It was a pity while eating my camera was not at hand, but later I tried to make some pictures in the dark. And in the dark it was not easy to distinguish the gray fox but it still remained in a couple a pictures.

So that`s what it was like.

And it was calm while I made pictures.

And finally the fox left, probably understood that no chance of getting any food.

Fortunately the morning was sunny, the camp site.

Under the shadow of stone mushrooms.

In the meantime – harder soil, a real „White Desert“

Vahepeal oli ka kõvemat pinnast – tõeline “Valge Kõrb”.

No more pictures now because in the desert there was even no cell phone connection, and here, in Dakla Oasis , there sometimes is GPRS and sometimes isn`t.