Egypt: Beyond Expectations Part 2 - Aswan & Nubia

I’m not going to lie. Our overnight journey by coach from Cairo to Aswan was a little rough.

Thanks to the reclining chairs and my neck pillow I managed to get a few hours of shut eye, but I would compare it trying to sleep on an aeroplane – you either can or you can’t.

We were woken up around 7am and rubbing our tired eyes we were greeted by a lush green landscape so far removed from the dusty city of Cairo.

The whole group looked a little jaded, but salvation came in the form of delicious, fresh, homemade falafels and pitas our Trip Leader Rafik arranged for our breakfast – I have never eaten a better, or more appreciated, falafel in my life!

Feeling much more refreshed, we were back on the coach making our way to our home for the next three nights – our 5 star cruise boat.

I really didn’t know what to expect.

Five star is one thing, but in Egypt it could mean something different all together – how wrong was I!

Relaxing poolside on our Nile Cruise

Our boat was modern, clean and comfortable complete with a deck-top pool and bar. Flopping down on the bed I knew I would sleep like a log that night.

After a few hours of relaxing and exploring the boat, those of us who signed up for the optional trip to Philae Temple headed out for our excursion.

It was hard to leave the oh-so comfy cabin after such an early morning, but it was definitely worth it.

We were greeted by our guide for the day, a jolly, enthusiastic chap by the name of Nubi. On the boat ride over to the island, Nubi gave us a concise and lively history of the site.

The island temple of Philae was built to the goddess Isis by the ruling Greeks as a way of winning over the Egyptian people.

In the 1960s, the temple was moved piece by piece from its original location to Agilkia Island to avoid rising waters after the construction of Aswan Dam.

Beautifully intact, its island location only makes the temple more appealing.

Detailed carvings cover Philae Temple

After our first taste of an ancient temple we meet up with the rest of our group for a felucca ride past the Elephantine and Kitchener Islands.

Now came one of the activities I was most wary of and excited about at the same time – the camel ride.

Camel convoy ready to go

I’d heard varied reports of how scary, smelly and fast the camels were and I can say none of them were true. Okay, they may have been right about the smelly part.

After learning the correct position for camel take-off (they stand up in the most seemingly unnatural way) it was an easy-going trot over sand and through villages.

We finished our ride in a Nubian Village where we visited the local school and learned about the Nubian language and culture before enjoying tea at the home of a Nubian family.

Inside a Nubian home

Nubians are the original inhabitants of a country called Nubia that is now divided between southern Egypt and northern Sudan. After the construction of the Aswan Dams the Nubian people were resettled on the western bank of the Nile and on Elephantine Island.

It was early evening when we finally made our way back to the cruise boat for a rather large dinner followed by drinks on deck.

There was no late night for us as day four would bring the earliest morning I’ve ever seen as we joined the convoy for Abu Simbel, but more on that next time!