Egypt Guided Tour - Hatshepsut and Valley of Kings (Dec 2004)

This morning, after breakfast on board the ship, we alighted to have a photo-stop on the West bank of the Nile for a photo of the towering Colossi of Memnon. These 2 seated figures are the only remains of the Amon-Ofis III mortuary temple.

We next visited the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, which blended into the cliff face above. This temple was also known as the Temple of Deir El-Bahri ("Temple of the Northern monastery" in arabic).

We next dropped by the Valley of the Kings, which is the burial place of many New Kingdom Pharaohs, including King Tutankhamon. Our ticket granted us access to 3 tombs (except for that of King Tut's).

Egypt Guided Tour - Edfu and Kom Ombo (Dec 2004)

In the morning, we visited the Temple of Horus (Falcon God) in Edfu. We then spent the rest of the day cruising until we reached Kom Ombo.
We stepped foot into the Temple of Sorbek (Crocodile God) and saw mummified remains of many small crocodiles.

On our final night on board the ship, we were treated to an Egyptian Galabea Party and Dinner. We arrived at our ship's final destination, Aswan, the next morning.

Egypt Guided Tour - Nubian Village, Aswan (Dec 2004)

At Aswan, we took an optional tour to sail to a colourful Nubian Village. We bought some nice souvenirs there.

Egypt Guided Tour - Aswan (Dec 2004)

We took a motor-boat ride to the Temple of Isis, which is on the island of Philae on the river Nile.

(bottom row) We saw some Egyptian children, a building and noted how crowded the tourist boats could be.

We later sailed in a traditional felucca in the Nile river, around Aswan's Botanical Gardens.

Egypt Guided Tour - Abu Simbel, Aswan (Dec 2004)

(Top row) The next day, we took the optional early-morning excursion to visit the magnificent Abu Simbel temples in Aswan. It was well-worth the time and money. I felt like Indiana Jones when I entered the temples. :-)

(Bottom row) In Aswan, we saw an unfinished obelisk in an ancient Granite Quarry (left). We also passed by the Aswan High Dam (right).

We took the afternoon flight back to Cairo.

Egypt Guided Tour - Cairo (Dec 2004)

Back in Cairo, we visited the famous Egyptian Museum. We saw many Egyptian artefacts, including some of King Tutankhamun's treasures. The museum was so big it would take days to see each and every exhibit in the museum.