Tag Archives for abu simbel
I sits with her daughter, her son and her daughter-in-law in the shade of a Nubian mudbrick dome, looking out over the expanse of Lake Nasser, created after Egypt dammed the upper reaches of the Nile. We are drinking the Egyptian hibiscus called karkade. I is in her late 40s, early 50s, and, after a [...]
The TripAdvisor Experiment
There have been a spate of posts in the blogosphere lately arguing that guidebooks are an unnecessary encumbrance to the hostel dorm and group tour – sorry! – the indie travel lifestyle. Having read a post entitled “TripAdvisor Is Better Than Your Guidebook”, I thought I’d give TripAdvisor a go. Now, my admittedly cursory experience [...]
The Friday Photo: Abu Simbel by Night
The four colossi below depict Ramses II, a talented and courageous soldier, devoted husband and full-blown egomaniac who was Egypt’s longest-reigning pharaoh. 70 feet tall and carved out of a sandstone cliff, they dominate even Ramses’ fellow gods with their presence, let alone his miniature children. Way, way down in the deep south of Egypt, [...]
