Last night our ship sailed to Aswan so when we finished breakfast we were ready to see some more wonders of Egypt. Our first stop is the unfinished Obelisk. The granite quarry is one of 3 main areas where the ancient Egyptians cut and polished the giant obelisks seen in Luxor. The one we are seeing is the largest ever attempted. Unfortunately while they were cutting it, the stone cracked and it was abandoned. It’s massive.

The most incredible thing is that they were able to cut and shape these huge single stones thousands of years ago just with simple rudimentary tools. Their craftsmanship was remarkable.

Our next destination is the Aswan Dam. A stunning marvel of engineering, the current dam took 11 years to construct, and holds the source of water for all of Egypt. Keep in mind that the Nile River  starts at Victoria Falls and travels all the way to Cairo. It is the longest River in the world. Lake Nasser is a huge reservoir measuring 340 miles in length and over 120 miles wide. It seems like an ocean.

Next on the list is the Temple of Philae. To see this we needed to charter a small boat since the temple is built on an island. The Temple is in excellent condition with sharp engravings throughout. When Napoleon and his troops came to Aswan they were shown the Temple, they documented their discovery by etching their names and positions in the sandstone walls. This was a very sacred place for the Pharaohs and kept its secrets a mystery for over 2 thousand years.

On our way back to our ship, we hitched a ride on a Felucca to sail around Kitchener’s Island & Agha Khan before being dropped off at the docks. What a beautiful experience it was sailing down the Nile with just the wind to power us. It was incredibly relaxing.

When we were back onboard we did afternoon tea and a short nap. After that it was off to the lounge to be entertained by a Nubian Folkloric Show before dinner. We had a blast dancing with the performers. Tomorrow we fly back to Cairo.

Ciao for now!