2017-10-14 Sanctuary Sunboat 1V, Aswan to Esna, Egypt
An excellent breakfast aboard as usualAt 10 am the Sanctuary Sunboat 1V departs Aswan where it has spent the past 50 hours. The guests who were aboard for a four day cruise departed the day before and now there are a few new guests who have joined the trip back to CairoThe eastern bank of the Nile appears very green with camels, donkeys, cows, sheep and goats all grazing together along the lush shorelineGoodbye to AswanAs we will be cruising for several hours today we thought we would enjoy a swim and some relaxation under an umbrella on the top deckShortly after leaving we approach the Aswan BridgeThe construction of the cable stayed Aswan Bridge was completed in 2002
Once through the bridge we head north back down the great riverA wonderful way to enjoy the pleasant warm weather and the wonderful scenery
Time for a swim…The western bank of the Nile is virtually a desert
A fabulous way to travel in Egypt is by rail. Egyptian Railways are a comfortable way to travel between Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Alexandria, Port Said and SuezA popular swimming spot on the Nile
After docking at the pier at Kom Ombo we visit the ancient site which was previously know as Pa-Sebek which means the home of the crocodile GodKom Ombo, which we visited a few days ago on our cruise to Aswan, has impressive remains of a temple which was built during the Ptolemaic dynasty, 180–47 BC
The temple is unusual as it is actually a double temple, with the right side dedicated to the god Sebek and the left to the god Haroeris, the solar god of warOur guide, Alaa explains the history of the ancient site
A sacred stone stands at the head of the passage of columns
Original coloured paintings can be seen on the ceilings of the temple
We next visit the adjoining TempleThe wall carvings are exquisite
The carvings are unbelievably well preserved here at Kom Ombo
We next visit the Crocodile Museum nearby which has a display of mummified crocodiles which were found in the temples and in tombs in the area. The waters of the Nile were infested with crocodiles in the past however today there may only be a few, if any at allPassing by the vendors we bought a few T-shirts for our three grandsons from a nice young manWe return to the Sanctuary Sunboat 1V which was preparing to depart Kom OmboThe sister vessel called the Sanctuary Sunboat 111 arrives at Kom Ombo as we make our departureA late lunch was served on the back deck once the few passengers, including us returned from a visit to the Kom Ombo TempleGrilled hamburgers and chicken fillets were on the barbecue todayOur excellent waiter, Armet has been looking after us very well during our cruiseAll the staff aboard are exceptionally friendly and extremely helpful to all the passengersAfter our departure from Kom Ombo we continue down the Nile towards Edfu
We make our way towards Edfu, where once again we will visit the huge temple, however this time we will see it at nightimeShortly after our arrival at Edfu we were collected by horse drawn carriages and again taken to the famous Temple of Edfu
The incredible carvings covering a massive wall created in ancient times depicting Egyptian life as it was then….really quite amazing!!!We arrive for the sound and light showWe proceed to the ‘Courtyard of Libations’ all lit up in different colours and with interesting commentary on the history
Once the sound and light show was over we returned to the boat by carriage and then shortly afterwards the boat departed Edfu for the town of EsnaDinner tonight was another ‘Egyptian Night’ theme which Ric was pleased with, as he loves wearing Kaftans!!At 11.40 pm we were going through the amazing Esna lock
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