Sunday, April 5, 2009

Kom Ombo, Egypt

0700 Breakfast was a buffet complete with omelet and waffle bar.

0900 The well-laid out Nubian Museum traces life in Nubia (the area between Aswan in Egypt and Khartoum in Sudan) from the earliest settlements to the present day. Nubian crafts such as basket making and pottery are featured and there is a fascinating display about the UNESCO backed projects to save Nubian monuments from submergence under Lake Nasser. The garden contains a reconstructed cave with prehistoric rock carvings, a Nubian house and a water feature showing the Nile's course ad cataracts.

After our museum visit we were given a task to visit the market in Aswan to puchase ingredients. There was a list of eight items and we were given some money. The idea was to try to negotiate the best price and communicate with the seller what we wanted and the quantity needed. On the list was: okra, tomatoes, onions, garlic, green peppers, chicken boullion cubes, limes and tomato paste. It was fun.

1200 Set sail for Kom Ombo.

I took a few minutes of video while we were sailing down the Nile. Surrounded by fields of sugar cane and corn, Kom Ombo is a pleasant agricultural town, home to many displaced by the creation of Lake Nasser. The town's ruined yet imposing Greco-Roman temple is in a particularly beautiful setting overlooking the Nile.

1230 Lunch

We had an option of taking a light lunch or lunch off the menu. There were only three of us who elected the lunch off the menu. Neither of us had the soup or main course. Instead we had salad, two appetizers and dessert.

1500 I had a short nap but was awakened by the sound of a loud horn. It was time for the obligatory fire drill. We had to report to the Sun Deck with our life savers on and were given instructions on the use of the fire extinguishers. When the drill was over, we were given a Cooking Lesson using the ingredients we had purchased earlier in the day.

1530 Just as soon as the lesson was over we looked up at the approaching Temple of Kom Ombo. It was truly astonishing and our boat was the only one there meaning we would have the temple to ourselves. We learned that our boat will stay anchored here for the night and noticed that there was lighting stationed around the temple meaning we should have a wonderful sight this evening.

The temple building is totally symmetrical with two entrances, two halls and two sanctuaries. This unusual structure is the result f the temple's dedication to two gods- the left side to the falcon god and the right side to Sobeck, the local crocodile god. The construction of the temple began in the 2nd century BC and mostly completed in the 1st century BC. Finally the Roman emperor Augustus added the entrance in 30 BC.From the largely ruined forecourt, two doors led to the hall, which contains scenes relating to Haroeris on the left wall and Sobek on the right. The many columns are carved with the lotus or lily of Upper Egypt and the papyrus of the Delta. A series of halls and vestibules leads through the sanctuaries. The chapel just south of the temple now houses a few crocodile mummies from the nearby crocodile necropolis.

1800 Tonight I tried a new drink called Jamica during Happy Hour. It was good and had orange & pineapple juice and rum.

1900 There was an Inner Circle meeting in the lounge that I was invited to. Free hors'de ouvre and drinks.

1930 Egyptian Dinner night. Everyone got dressed up in their Egyptian garb crew and passengers alike.

2100 The Galabeya Party was a lot of fun. They played several games but the funniest was wrap the mummy. Couples were given a roll of toilet paper and had to use as much of it was possible to wrap their partner up. It was very entertaining.