Naj‘ Jāmi‘ al Jazīrah

Up again at an indecent hour, and on the road soon after 4am…not sad to leave the crazy hotel, and the bus had all our luggage with us as after Abu Simbel we came straight back to our cruise boat - the Royal Lily. I think everyone dozed off on the long drive - a straight road through the desert going south to about 50 kms from the Sudanese border. I think it was a bit over three and a half hours, but when we got there WOW! It was still cool enough - and it is always a clear day - and you walk down the path, Lake Nasser huge like a sea - you can’t see the other side in some parts - and suddenly you see the huge figures carved up in the rock. So impressive, and so worth the trip. Huge statues of Ramses II, and there is a second temple for his queen…not as big of course! There are many inner sanctums in the temples, all carved on the walls…It is all carved out of the rock, not put there separately, and it is impossible to imagine how they moved the whole thing in the 60s to save it from flooding when they built the dam.

We spent a couple of hours there, and hopped back on the bus for the ride back. Slightly more awake on the way back, and amazing to see a green patch of sunflowers in the middle of the desert. They are working on irrigating and building canals to make more fertile land, and are building new cities out there to try and decentralise the cities. Greater Cairo’s population is more than the whole of Australia’s. It felt like late afternoon by then we had been up so long, but we got back to the boat in time for a late lunch!! Lovely boat, cabin and everyone is now settled in. Some have gone off on an optional Nubian village tour, but we are here relaxing and watching the sunset over the Nile again…SO lovely. On the boat for 3 nights.Read more