Abu Simbel Our planned time of awakening was 4:20 am. We got dressed quickly, ate breakfast, and went out to meet the taxi. We had to wait a few minutes for the other travelers before getting underway. 

We arrived at Abu Simbel at 8:15, after only 2-¾ hours of driving. I started shooting right away to take advantage of the light before it hot any more harsh. The sight is quite impressive, but a bit spoiled by the throngs of tourists. I couldn’t really appreciate the inside of the temples because of the large numbers of people in the way. They were, however, some of the best-preserved interiors we’ve seen.

Great Temple of Ramses II Not only are the monuments themselves a great achievement, but so was their relocation up the mountainside to avoid the rising waters that the building of the Aswan High Dam would cause. The inside of the dome of this artificial mountain was fascinating--a massive project in itself. I shot about 1-½ rolls, and then headed back to the parking area. 

We had a snack before piling back into the cab for the ride to the Aswan High Dam. That was a disappointment. We were rushed because the others in the taxi were waiting outside for us. We didn’t go to the Visitor’s Pavilion, but just had a short look from the middle of it. From there, it was impossible to see much of the almost 4K length. I took a couple of pix for the record before leaving.