Medium or Well Done?
The highlight of the Nile Trip was to visit the famous temple of Rameses II at Abu Simbel.
In the early 60's, when my Dad first got a black & white TV, I used to come home from school and watch the BBC2 Trade Test Colour films. One of these was about the saving of the Abu Simbel Temples from the rising waters of Lake Nasser. I always wanted to go and see them after watching that film. (Although I can't find any reference to this particular test film on the net - so maybe I've got this bit wrong).
We had a 3 hour drive across the desert which entailed a 03:30 start and a promise of "I'll wake you up to see the fantastic sunrise across the desert!".
TBH, I've seen better at Herne Bay, but hey-ho, I was there at 04:44...
These temples are just stunning.
You're not allowed to take pictures inside the temples, but a little "baksheesh" to the man with the AK47 I got this one - along with several other people all taking advantage and jostling for position too.
Coming back was, err, fun. Imagine the situation: You're in the middle of the Sahara mid-morning on a brand new air-conditioned coach about 1 hour into the journey back.
The outside temperature is about 45°C and there's a very faint 'pop' as the air conditioning quietly fails. The inside heat quickly rises to about Gas Mark 4 and people get *very* quiet, scarily quiet in fact.
The guide and the driver couldn't fix the unit and the only alternative was to continue with the roof hatches open to get some airflow through. The best way to describe the situation is to imagine that the Sunday Roast is done and you open the oven to get the joint out, and then put your head back in.
The guide thanked us for our "cooperation and understanding" and told us that British were "travellers" and not "tourists" and everything was treated as "an adventure". Or, in our language, "pleeease don't sue us".
We met the spare coach they sent from Aswan about an hour later and we all had to transfer over. So that's another box ticked: Walking in the Sahara Desert at midday.
We shot the mad dogs later.
In the early 60's, when my Dad first got a black & white TV, I used to come home from school and watch the BBC2 Trade Test Colour films. One of these was about the saving of the Abu Simbel Temples from the rising waters of Lake Nasser. I always wanted to go and see them after watching that film. (Although I can't find any reference to this particular test film on the net - so maybe I've got this bit wrong).
We had a 3 hour drive across the desert which entailed a 03:30 start and a promise of "I'll wake you up to see the fantastic sunrise across the desert!".
TBH, I've seen better at Herne Bay, but hey-ho, I was there at 04:44...
These temples are just stunning.
You're not allowed to take pictures inside the temples, but a little "baksheesh" to the man with the AK47 I got this one - along with several other people all taking advantage and jostling for position too.
Coming back was, err, fun. Imagine the situation: You're in the middle of the Sahara mid-morning on a brand new air-conditioned coach about 1 hour into the journey back.
The outside temperature is about 45°C and there's a very faint 'pop' as the air conditioning quietly fails. The inside heat quickly rises to about Gas Mark 4 and people get *very* quiet, scarily quiet in fact.
The guide and the driver couldn't fix the unit and the only alternative was to continue with the roof hatches open to get some airflow through. The best way to describe the situation is to imagine that the Sunday Roast is done and you open the oven to get the joint out, and then put your head back in.
The guide thanked us for our "cooperation and understanding" and told us that British were "travellers" and not "tourists" and everything was treated as "an adventure". Or, in our language, "pleeease don't sue us".
We met the spare coach they sent from Aswan about an hour later and we all had to transfer over. So that's another box ticked: Walking in the Sahara Desert at midday.
We shot the mad dogs later.
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