Egypt day 1

So almost 3 months after out trip I am getting to the second leg.  We have been so busy with different family events and sports but that is now winding down and I better get this recorded before
I forget details.


We left Tanzania at about 5 Pm.  We got into Cairo at 2 am after a stop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  The Ethiopians do love their Adidas shoes.  Shoe shops all over the airport. 

When we got to Cairo we had to wait for a flight to take us to Abu Simbel.  We arrived in Abu Simbel at 8 am.  We have been up well over 24 hours still in our safari clothes from the day before, but we are now in 110* weather. 

The government in Egypt really want tourist to see this site so there are buses that take us from the airport to Abu Simbel. Abu Simbel is considered to be one of the most impressive sites in Egypt. They were built by Ramses II before he became pharaoh. The 100 foot high temple is world famous, which features 4 statues of Ramses II and his wife Queen Nefertari, each 65 feet high.

Next to the great temple is the temple dedicated to Queen Nefertari.  Both temples were originally carved in to a mountain.  In 1965 they were moved 600 feet and raised 65 feet to save them from the flooding caused by the construction of the high dam.

If you look closely you can see the seams where the statues were taken apart, and put back together.

 

When we had this picture taken, it was our first experience at how the Egyptians are.  Just for holding the key Taryn had, they wanted and 5 dollar "tip".  Another 2 dollar "tip" was required for the picture being taken. More on that later.