02.24.23

Three days in Luxor was about right, and the following day we moved on to our next destination, Aswan. There was really only one place we wanted to see there, and that is the Great Temple at Abu Simbel, which I had seen in photos since I was a kid, but I was not familiar with the name. But this is the 4000 year old temple built along the Aswan Lake, which was formed by building the Aswan Dam in the sixties. The rising water put Abu Simbel at risk of being covered, so they dismantled and moved the entire structure about 200 meters up the hill to a higher elevation. This was, and probably still is, the largest archaeological project in history and cost about $200M in 1960’s dollars.

The problem we had was twofold: the “town” of Aswan was dirty and polluted with not much there, and the ride to Abu Simbel was 3.5 hours ONE WAY out, which left just two hours to visit, then another long ride back. To facilitate this we left the hostel at 0430 and that made for a long, tiring day. In hindsight, the visit to Aswan was one we could have passed on, and that would have allowed a shorter trip or more time in Luxor. Again, the beauty of hindsight is clear, but at least we can share it here with you!

The next day it was time to leave, and that involved an overnight 12 hour train ride to Cairo, and then leaving the following day. That part follows.

We are in Egypt for our final night, and it has been one hell of a ride! From camels to hot air balloons, from taxis to trains, tomorrow we are heading back to Albania, and not a moment too soon. We have been gone for 41 days, and most of that time was spent in Israel, but the last 10 days or so have been non-stop. Tonight is our fifth night in a different location, and that includes last night, on an overnight train, and tonight, when we will be sleeping more or less at the Cairo airport. Tomorrow night we will be on the island of Corfu for the first time.