Aswan - Chill with Felucca
📍Aswan
Located along the Nile River, Aswan is a bustling, modern, clean city with incredibly delicious food.
🔻Philae Temple
The temple dedicated to the goddess Isis, wife of the god Osiris, is situated in the middle of a stretch of river, so a boat ride is mandatory. The temple is very large and beautiful, offering stunning views of the river on all sides. Reading about how the entire foundation of the temple was raised to prevent it from sinking underwater is truly fascinating. Remember the Chinese friend we met four times in Aswan? Philae Temple was our first time there, and we even shared a boat together! 😆
🔻Nubian Village
We visited the village in the late afternoon as the sun was setting. The village is beautifully Mexican in style, with vibrant colors and flowers from beginning to end. You'll be incredibly surprised to see children riding camels up to 3 meters tall, traveling throughout the village. Herds of camels roam around, combined with colorful shops and brightly decorated houses, creating a truly magnificent Nubian experience. After traveling a short distance, it was getting dark, so we got off the boat and negotiated a price to go straight to King Jamaica for dinner. The restaurant had good service, delicious food, and we even got to listen to singing and watch dancing 🤣. In the evening, the restaurant had a private boat that provided a free shuttle back to the mainland, which was extremely convenient.
🔻Abu Simbel Temple
We set our alarm for 4 am because we were traveling so far, almost to the border with Sudan, but I swear I couldn't wake up. By the time the three of us woke up, it was already past our scheduled tour bus time, but thankfully they were still waiting! We were overjoyed.
The temple was built by King Ramesses II to commemorate his victory over the Nubians. The famous temple is a symbol of Aswan, featuring four giant statues right at the entrance. Just take photos before going inside, because by 8:30 AM, crowds of tourists rush in, making it impossible to move. After exploring the main temple, you can go to the side to see the temple of Queen Nefertiti, wife of King Ramesses II.
🔻 Felucca Experience on the Nile
People come to Aswan to enjoy luxurious holidays on cruises along the Nile River, or, for those on a budget (like us), to take a felucca (wind-powered sailboat) to leisurely cruise along the Nile, watching the sunset. It's very affordable and the time is reasonable. The captain spoke excellent English and shared many interesting things about the geography, population, and economy of the Nubian region.
Concluding our two days in Aswan here, we moved on to the final days of our trip, Luxor.
#egypt #aswan