We left the boat at 8.30 am and went to the Aswan Airport to fly to Abu Simbel. It is a short flight of 45 minutes. There is some good shopping at Aswan Airport but we did not have much time. We arrived at Abu Simbel and for the first time the weather gods let us down. We have had perfect weather so far but today was very hot. Fortunately they are offering a new service, golf carts to take you from the front entrance to the temple. That really saved us if we had walked up we would have been so hot on arrival. The tough guys walked and the ladies all took the golf cart, smart move on our part.

Once inside the temple it was so nice. Not hot at all. The temple here is built into the mountain so it is cool inside. The temples were going to be covered by the lake once the high dam was completed. So it was moved up the mountain and reassembled. An amazing feat. Ramses II built this temple and then an additional temple close by for his wife Nefertari. Ramses ll temple is truly amazing. Still a lot of color and incredibly well preserved as it was not outside and as exposed to the elements. It is a big temple with lots of rooms going out off the main entrance. Just really fascinating. Unfortunately no pictures inside. By now we are able to identify some of the different gods and some of the meaning of the inscriptions.
Next door is Nefertari’s temple. Much smaller and very feminine with the women shown with the typical shoulder length hair with a flip at the end, as we wore in the seventies. I like this smaller temple the only one so dedicated to women.
At the end of our time we all met Henry under a tree. This time we ALL rode down the hill, except for John who started to walk down. But when our golf cart passed him he hitch hiked down with us. Henry walked down and he said even he felt hot. It was truly a hot day.

We raced to the bus and back to the airport we all got cold drinks and some of us (including me) indulged in an ice cream and it REALLY hit the spot.
Back to the ship where lunch was waiting for us which we devoured quickly as by now it was 2.00 pm and we were very hungry. On that note I must say the food has been far superior to past trips. With the lack of tourists I was concerned that the standards might have slipped. This is not the case. The fish, chicken, selection of vegetables and salads along with one Egyptian dish each meal has kept us very happy. Even the steaks have been okay, not Prime 7 quality but tasty and not overcooked. We had veal one night and today a veal roast for lunch that was fantastic. I had three servings. No one has become ill with the “mummy tummy” we are all in great shape. Breakfast could be a bit better with some more options but no one is complaining. They do have eggs to order so we all survived just fine.

Last night we also did the Nubian Museum. I wimped out (ate onions the day before, stupid me) and I decided to skip the museum. Everyone enjoyed it and also dinner last night where I had a super pasta.
Today was a “day off”. We had no tours we played cards in the morning and Henry gave us a talk on the situation in Egypt from the first protest to the present day. It was extremely interesting and gave a different perspective on the issues. He is very happy with the current President Sisi and we have been hearing all over the place that he is the savior of Egypt. Things really have settled down and I think will continue to improve.

Tonight a barbeque on deck and tomorrow the BIG EVENT – a visit to Nefertari’s tomb. This tomb has been closed to the public for years with only top VIP’s being allowed to enter. Cost was $10,000 for 10 minutes if you had connections. Every trip I do I ask about this tomb hoping there will be a change in policy. This time when we asked the rules had changed to encourage tourist select groups could gain access and the priced dropped as well. Once tourism picks up I am sure this will be closed again. I have dreamed about seeing this tomb so I am past the state of ecstatic excitement. This tomb was refurbished over a long period of time to the original glory with painstaking attention to detail. It is supposed to be breathtaking and I cannot wait to enter this tomb.

FINALLY tomorrow I get to see something I have always wanted to see and never thought would be possible. Be back with details after that event.