Day 1: Temple of Philae and felucca ride on the Nile

Our first day began only hours after arriving in Cairo. We arrived at our hotel at 4am and left for the airport again at 9am to fly to Aswan. Our very first destination was the Temple of Philae, built on an island in the middle of the Nile. After the construction of the High Dam, the temple actually had to be moved to avoid losing it under water. It was hand-sawed into hundreds of pieces and moved to higher ground, only about 400 yards from its original location.







The Temple of Philae, from the period of the Greek occupation of Egypt.


To finish the day we enjoyed a felucca ride on the Nile. The weather during our trip was quite cool, but did not detract from the beauty of the country.


On our flight to Aswan we met the head of Vodaphone retail in Egypt, Bassel. He told us that not only is Egypt not a politically Muslim country, it is also home to many moderate Muslims. Though 90% Muslim, Egpyt is home to many Coptic Christians. This was the view from our hotel window.


The Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan. "Cataract" literally means "obstruction," and refers to the rock formations, common at Aswan, that cause the Nile to twist and turn.



Kind of a combination Magi/Santa Claus deal outside the hotel.