ASWAN DAY 2 - ABU SIMBEL
Abu Simbel is located to the south of Aswan and is considered by many to be the most important site in Egypt. There is a road to Abu Simbel from Aswan which had been closed for construction for a while. While the construction is now complete, the road remains closed. So the only way to get to Abu Siimbel is to fly Egypt Air. The cost if you make your reservation in your home country is considerably higher than if you get the tour leader to make your reservations in Egypt. In my case, it would have cost me just over $200 in the US, and ended up costing me about $90 with the reservation in Egypt. Overall you travel (including hanging out in the airports) for about 4 hours (round trip) and get an hour at the site.
The trip was probably worth $90 but certainly not the $200+.
The four colossal statues of Ramses II guarding the entrance to the temple.
The entrance to the Temple of Hathor at Abu Simbel, guarded by four statues of Ramses II and two statues of Queen Nefertari
Yours truly outside the Temple of Abu Simbel
Wall etchings/carvings at the temples at Abu Simbel
We returned to Aswan and the hotel that afternoon and I took a short nap (did you expect any different?!?!). That evening we had dinner at a Nubian Village on one of the islands in the Nile near Aswan. That dinner was certainly one of the highlights of the trip!