[DAHAB, RED SEA-Egypt]

During my days in Cairo I ventured into the desert for 3 days and visited some oasis, surprisingly they grow many crops here in the desert fed from water pumped up from the underlying water table. Quite a contrast with the rolling desert, rock formations and sand dunes as back drop to these green populated out posts.

I left the hetic and noise polluted Cairo and travelled south to Aswan. From here I visited the Abou Simbel temple from Ramses the second. Its a large temple, with 4 huge statues of the pharoah himself guarding the front. The temple is dedicated to the gods and as a monument to all enemies of Egypt, "look how powerful Ramses is", or if one digs a bit deeper, "something so large surley means he is compensating for something!". The temple is wonderfully decorated with etched hieroglyphics and paitings, mostly containing ramses ofcourse! It was a hot 6 hour return ride in the desert to see the temple but it was worth it; in many ways it was more impressive than the pyramids, especially since I had no preconceptions. (see last entry concerning this) Aswan is incredibly hot and afternoon temperatures hovered around 45 degrees...painful.

I took a chilled and relaxed 2 day sail boat ride down the Nile to visit Luxor, or as it was once called, Thebes. Next to Luxor is the valley of the kings and queens. The most amazing and intricate tombs I have ever seen, even surpassing the Abou Simbel temple in some ways. Beautifully decorated with paitings on all walls and ceilings, incredibly long hallways connected to many chambers, the burial chamber usually being the most elaborate, filled with instructions for the pharoah on how to return from the dead.

I have now hit Dahab, small tourist town on the red sea, famous for its reef and scuba diving. I am taking my open water scuba license and I am loving it, hooked on diving now. Its a bit freaky at first to breath pressured air under water but I am taking to it fast, hope to do my advance course as well.


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