Egypt,
the land of the Pharaohs, the Pyramids and the... Bakshish
was
the destination for the year 2000.
The
trip was divided in three parts, a 7 days Nile cruise, a 2 days stop in
Cairo and
finally
a five days rest in Hurghada. At the end, this combination showed to be
best
for recovering before getting back home.
The
whole journey starts in Luxor, which can be compared, together with the
surrounding
area,
as a huge open air museum. A visit to Thebes on the Nile's west bank is
scheduled
for
the early morning of the first day.
The
first attraction to discover on the way to the Valley of the Kings are
the Colossi of Memnon
with
a height of almost 20 meters. These guardians are the last remains of a
temple.
The
tombs in the Valleys of the Kings and the Queens were supposed to be safer
and harder to rob. Among many others, these valleys host the tombs of Tutankhamun,
probably the most famous
for
it's findings and the one of Nefertari, the favourite wife of Ramses II,
said to be one of the most beautiful in Egypt. Another highlight is certainly
the impressive Queen Hatshepsut's Temple.
In
the afternoon, the Nile cruise southwards to Aswan starts. It is certainly
an
amazing impression to observe the passing landscapes and it's inhabitants.
At
the present time, it is supposed that about 270 of these cruise ships navigate
on
the Luxor - Aswan 220 kilometres stretch.
The
first stop, about 50 kilometres south of Luxor, is Esna. The main attraction
of
this town is the Temple of Khnum, dedicate to the ram headed god, which
lies below
the
level of the surrounding houses. All other ruins of this complex remain
undiscovered
as
the modern city was just built on the site.
The
next stop towards Aswan is the city of Edfu, about 40 kilometres south
of
Esna. The Temple of Horus, dedicated to the falcon headed god,
is
one of the best if not the best preserved in Egypt. Unfortunately, once
again, parts
of
modern Edfu have been constructed on top of the site hiding parts of the
site.
On
the journey goes for about another 60 kilometres to reach the city of Kom
Ombo.
The
Temple of Kom Ombo is split in two and the individual parts are dedicated
to
the falcon headed and the crocodile headed gods.
In
one of the chapels, mummified crocodiles can be seen.
Visitors
since 30 april 2001 on this page