Tag Archives: philae
Sailing To Aswan and the Philae Temple
A relaxed morning again – it has started to feel like a vacation now that we dont have to get up at 5AM to avoid the tourists everywhere.We sail to Aswan in the morning and arrive there early enough at about 10 AM.
Our stops toway include the Temple of Philae and the famous Aswan dam – by this time we are worn out of knowing about ancient temples and mythology, and totally confused amongst the relationships between the Gods and demons etc. so much so that Tariq’s explanation is starting to get predictive as well. As we visit the temple of Philae – tariq starts off on his usual note elaborating about the temple when he suddenly shifts his gears and tells us what he has been telling us for the past 3 days – and which I can very well imitate in his thick Egyptian accent – here goes his famous rant: ” Only 43% of the hieroglyphs have been deciphered so far – and we know very little about the history of the Egyptian pharaohs. When we started deciphering hte hieroglyphs, we did not know how to read them: left to right, right to left, down up, up down…that is why even after 200 years of discovering the Rosetta stone, only 43% of the hieroglyphs have been deciphered. ” Much to the amusement of the fellow travelers, I complete the sentences for Tariq – much fun was had at his expense (for which he would receive a handsome tip)
Nevertheless, The Philae is an important archeological site – the temple was dedicated to Isis, and finds mention in various ancient writers accounts. After the construction of the old Aswan dam, it was submerged under water. In 1972, a UNESCO project relocated the temple to its present day site. Monuments of various eras, extending from the Pharaohs to the Caesars, occupy nearly their whole area.
Tags: aswan, CulturalScapes, egypt, EgyptianScapes, oberoi, philae, sailing
The Oberoi Philae
The Oberoi Philae is a wonderful boat on the Nile. While we have been warned that it is perhaps the best boat on the Egyptian waters, we don’t really appreciate it until we are at home on the boat.
We have arrived a tad bit early – around 8AM – the boarding time printed was 12noon. Nevertheless, we are warmly welcomed on board, despite the fact that the previous passengers are still disembarking. We are escorted to the lounge by no less than 3 escorts – and served a chilled Karkaday. This is perhaps the most attractive looking drink I have ever had – reminds me of the Indian drink Rooh Afza, a rose flavored sweet and refreshing summer drink – a deep red infusion of hibiscus flowers, it is a really refreshing drink. Although a bit on the tangier side, the drink is very refreshing. the locals claim that the drink calms the nerves, and after the long train ride, I can’t disagree with them.We hang out around the pool area until a suite is available.
The Philae is a small ship, but one of the most elegantly decorated boats I have seen. The lobby is stately, every cabin comes with a balcony for an excellent view of the Nile, and we are told that it is the only boat on the Nile that has its own dock at every port. A cabin is quickly readied for us and by 9AM we have showered. the sun is shining bright, and we are sure that this will be a real hot day. Since we are early, there are a couple of hours to kill before the rest of our fellow passengers arrive. We dress up casually in a pair of jeans and t-shirt and head out into the city of Luxor to interact with the locals.
Tags: egypt, EgyptianScapes, karkaday, luxor, oberoi, philae
