The Wonders and Mystery of Egypt

On the 4th day of our tour we left the hotel at 3:30am in the morning. To get to Abu Simbel and Plilae Temples we had to join a convey. That was an experience. Police everywhere and huge buses and vans like ours all lined up for it seems miles. I was told we are near the Sudan border and this is why we need clearance and police escorts. We didn't get to Abu Simbel until near 7am. It was a good thing we got there early before the crowds and heat.

The going was fascinating. Sand,sand, sand, piles of sand,mountains of sand,miles and miles of sand in every direction. I believe we did past one green spot. It must have been an oasis. Now I know what a desert is. I live in Kekaha, Kauai which we call desert, but this is very different.

When I got there I stood in Awe. To think that these huge statues and temples were built when there were no modern equippment is unbelieveable. We also got see the Nasser lake and the hight dam.

We also experienced some drama at the time of departure. One person was missing and we needed to join the convoy. The mom would not leave without her son(I thought he was a teenager but later learned he was 22 years old.) The bus driver was in a dilnma. If we missed the first convoy we had to wait for the next convoy. The daughter said that she was very sorry and we could leave the mom to look for her son,that she had money and could find a way back later. Ofcourse many on the bus were becoming impatient. A group of Japanese tourist said that they had a train to catch at 5pm. The ride back takes 4 hours. However, the bus driver was concerned for the woman and her son. After one hour the son was found and we were finally able to leave. I must admit that I was one who felt it was unfair to hold up the whole group when we were clearly told in the beginning to be at the bus at certain time. But later I was glad that the bus driver did what he did. The family,mom,daughter, and son were from Australia, but migrated there from Taiwan. We later got an opportunity to know them better.

I will stop here to get to breakfast and we leave at 8am today.
Until next time..........Aloha.