Stops Along the Nile

There is another birthday in our group today - Candace who said this has been her best birthday. :-) We will hope to make it special for her.

This morning we had an early breakfast aboard our ship that was docked on Edfu. After breakfast we disembarked and went to visit Horus Temple Built for the Falcon God Horus, it is one of Egypt's best preserved temples. 

At most of the monuments we've visited, we have had to walk through the market stalls to exit. The peddlers at Horus Temple were the most assertive we've seen. They were like vultures so we had to really stick to our guns as we walked out. Most of us made it unscathed and a few struck some more bargains. Either way, we were glad to make our escape.

We got back to our boat at 9:15 and departed Edfu shortly thereafter. The weather was fabulous today- hot and sunny. Most is us enjoyed the scenery and the sun as we lounged on the top deck of the ship. There were some pretty competitive card games going on too! 

Our boat docked at Kom Ombo in the mid- afternoon and at 3:00 we left to tour the temple here built for Sobek the crocodile god and Horus the falcon god. This spot along the Nile has ideal conditions for crocodiles and because there were so many of then they thought if would be a good idea to build a temple for a crocodile  god. In order for it to be more accepted they included the god Horus. There are 2 sanctuaries - one for each god. There was a wall that had carvings is medical instruments and a place where they measured the height of the Nile every year - this determined not only how well the crops would grow but also how high the taxes would be.

We have had a few hours to relax before dinner. After dinner we will dress up in our newly bargained for galabias (  traditional Egyptian dress) for our Egyptian galabia party!

Tomorrow we have a very busy day. We depart at 6:30 am to see the Aswan High Dam, the unfinished obelisk and take a boat ride to Philae Island to see the Temple of Isis. Then at 11:00 we join the convoy of busses traveling to Abu Simbel to see the unbelievable Great Temple of Ramses II. 

Friday morning we fly back to Cairo and the continue on to Alexandria. In all likelihood I won't update again until we get to Alexandria.