Aswan, Egypt

Today we drove from Luxor to Aswan, stopping off at three ruins along the way. It’s more typical to do this by boat, but by car you can avoid the crowds from the boats, and take as much or as little time at each ruin.

We had another great breakfast at our hotel. Our driver met us at 8am and we were off. The temperature was still pleasant so we just had the windows down. The road is in good shape all the way to Aswan, although there are lots of speed bumps through the little towns.

First up was the Temple of Khnum in Esna. The temple is in the process of being restored, with the restorers working away high up in the interior on scaffolding. The before and after difference is astounding; the temple will look amazing when it’s fully restored.

The temple is very close to the Nile and easy access for the boats. There was just one temple to see, so it was only a ten minute stop for us.

Next we drove to Edfu for the Temple of Horus, about 90 minutes away. It was getting warmer (the high today was 36C), so we rolled up the windows and switched to a/c.

The Temple of Horus is further inland, likely an optional excursion for the boat folks since it required a taxi or horse and buggy, so the ruins were much less crowded. The ruins are also more extensive, dominated by the tallest wall ruin in Egypt.

Our last stop for the day was the Temple of Kom Ombo in the town of the same name. We stopped off first at a little place for some falafel sandwiches to go, and ate them on the walk from the car park to the ticket entrance. There were maybe five other people at Kom Ombo. The guards and ticket folks seemed impressed that we were eating local food. It took us about 15 minutes to tour around.

The last stretch of road to Aswan took us under an hour. Along the way we saw the brightly coloured and patterned houses of Nubians. Our driver also joked that in one view you could see all of Egypt - desert, Nile, road, desert.

We stayed at the Mövenpick in Aswan, on the northern tip of Elephantine Island. We said our goodbyes to our driver and took the hotel ferry across to the hotel.

It was already late in the afternoon, so we just had time to clean up and then head downstairs for a drink on their outdoor lounge overlooking the Nile. Had dinner in the Egyptian restaurant onsite restaurant which was okay, with an Egyptian Shiraz (I didn’t know they produced wine here).