Nubia, Elephants & Temples...

Listening to: Little Less Conversation - Elvis Presley

I lie - there are no elephants but there is Elephantine Island in Nubia on the west bank of the Nile. I won't go into the hassle it took to find the local ferry across but finally we made it. Walked through part of a Nubian village (very poor and dirty) before we arrived at the Aswan Museum (aah another change) 30 EGP admission and of course can't see the ruins that I so leisurely spent hours pondering 17 years ago without seeing or at least paying for the Museum first! It's nothing to write home about and the ruins of Abu aren't as accessible and some aren't even there anymore.

Some german dude (archeologist - his name escapes me for now) built the Museum in 1997 and excavated but really only to reveal the remains of mud brick huts. It looks like a work in progress and there are NO ENTRY signs everywhere. Antiquity Police follow you around telling you some history and then wanting baksheesh. My calm, patient meter is rising into the danger zone (something I don't like) so instead of saying something like, 'F**k off and leave me alone' I walk in the opposite direction to what they suggest and don't make eye contact and pretty soon they get the message (note to self - learn the arabic word for 'piss off'). Horrible I know but we just want some peace to explore.

From here you can see the Old Cataract Hotel, famous for the Agatha Christie movie 'Death on the Nile'. It's an amazing view of the Nile from here as alwayz and feluccas drift along with the breeze or just sit if there is none. It's peaceful and quiet here at last but it's hot! I mean hot, excessively hot!! It's not humid, but the heat is intense with no breeze or shade!! I'm so struggling to breathe in Aswan (it must be the heat). I swear it's over 40c in the shade. Hotter than anything I've experienced in Queensland (even Dave admitted he too was struggling) except for perhaps Cairns and of course Asia. And this is Autumn!!

We're standing on the remains of the Temple of Khunm and the Temple of Satet. They have tastefully reconstructed an area from tablets and Katouches found and finished the drawings and heiroglpyhics in pencil to give you an idea what it once would've looked like.

Comparing is not always a good thing and I'm accepting that tourism has taken a hold of this country 17 years on, but I still can't help but notice the differences and so far not really many improvements. But having said that, Dave is a first timer to Egypt and is loving it, so I am grateful every day for being here and seeing the new with the old and familiar, but I'm equally grateful that I visited this amazing country before it was too overrun with tourism.