One last temple and farewell to an incredible country

Hello and welcome to my Egypt travel diary. This is day 7.

DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5 | DAY 6

I took one week of annual leave to explore one of the most ancient civilisations, and it was incredible. I hope you enjoy peeking into my travel journal.

Today is our last sightseeing day in Egypt. We start the day by having breakfast and then checking out of our room.

Our tour group then hops into a van to be taken to Philae Temple. This temple is on one of the Nubian Islands. When the first, smaller dam was built in Aswan, the temple was flooded. You can see the old watermarks still on the buildings.

The temple was moved, I think, by UNESCO again. A wooden wall was erected around the temple, then sand was added to keep it dry. It was then cut up and each piece numbered so that it would fit back together again like a puzzle. Some numbers still remain on parts of the structure.

The temple is incredible. It has evidence of Napoleon’s army using the temple, as there’s an inscription. It was also used by Christians at some point, and they have added their symbolism to the building.

One of the best scenes is in the sanctuary room where the god Isis is hugging her husband, the god Osiris. Hathor is also depicted breastfeeding her future husband, Horus. In this particular room, there were quite a few aggressive photographers who even brushed our guide to the side as he was speaking. I get that it’s cool to see, but I don’t know if it’s that important to get pushy with people.

Anyway, the temple was fantastic, and the little boat ride to and from the island was spectacular.

After we were loaded back in the van, we were taken to the high dam. This is the second dam that was built and has subsequently created the biggest lake in the world (*not fact checked). It was built in collaboration with the Russians back in the day. Egypt originally sought assistance from the US, but the US would only help if they stopped assisting the Palestinians.

While the dam is an interesting piece of engineering, it crossed my mind that it was weird that we would be allowed to visit, given that it controls not only the flow of water to Egypt, but also because it creates electricity. We didn’t stay long because there’s not really much to look at.

We were then taken back to the boat to await our pickup times for the airport late in the afternoon. There was another couple with us, so we caught a ride into the souqs. We browsed a few stalls. We haven’t done any souvenir shopping as our guide basically whisks us past everyone. Which is probably just as well, as they can be very pushy in their sales approach. They just follow you, incessantly asking you to buy something. It can be a bit much at times, but I know it’s their job.

We find a place to eat lunch. Amy and I ordered the grilled chicken, which comes with rice and vegetables. We also get a plate of hummus and bread, plus our two cans of Pepsi. All up it cost 600 EGP (approx 18 AUD). The food is so good. The vegetables have a slight spice to them, but they aren’t hot. They were quite perfect, really!

We go back to the boat and hang out on the top deck. The breeze is beautiful, and I have a nap. When the awning is no longer providing protection from the sun, we decide to go to the supermarket to grab some drinks. We get a barrage of people offering to take us somewhere, but we’re literally walking two minutes down the road.

We return to the boat armed with some drinks and find a comfy spot to sit as we still have 1 1/2 hours until our pickup time. Soon enough, the driver arrives to take us to Aswan airport. We check in and board smoothly. We are going back to Cairo so we can fly out tomorrow morning.

We’ve now arrived at our hotel, have checked in and checked out the amazing view from the rooftop. You can just make out the pyramid in the dark. Anyway, it’s time for us to go to sleep.

The following morning, we have our final breakfast here in Egypt, and we are so lucky to have it with the pyramids.

I’ve really enjoyed my time here in Egypt. It is a beautiful country with the most incredible ancient sites to visit. You will not be disappointed with your visit to Egypt.

More journal entries from this trip

My Egypt Travel Stories / Day 1
My Egypt Travel Stories / Day 2
My Egypt Travel Stories / Day 3
My Egypt Travel Stories / Day 4
My Egypt Travel Stories / Day 5
My Egypt Travel Stories / Day 6

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