Driving from Luxor to Aswan – Part 2
After driving for about two and a half hours we reached Kom Ombo Temple. Normally when you visit Kom Ombo you do so after sailing down the Nile until you reach the Temple and you disembark and approach the Temple by foot. On previous occasions we reached Kom Ombo in the early evening and made the visit just as the sun was going down. As the Temple is beautifully lit it’s a breathtaking site as you look at it from your ship. You then walk through the streets, climbing gently upwards until you reach the Temple entrance.
On this occasion, because we were coming in from the road rather than the river we came to the Temple from the rear, parked and then walked around to the entrance. It was at that point that we recognised where we were as we saw the view down over the streets to the river bank where our Nile cruise ship would have berthed.
It was around 12 noon when we entered the Temple and it was very quiet, which gave us the opportunity to take our time and we could really enjoy Emad’s knowledgable descriptions of the architecture of the Temple, the meanings of the wonderful hieroglyphics and the story behind the original construction of the Temple.
It truly is a breathtaking place and it’s hard, as always in Egypt, to try and envisage just how the Ancient Egyptians could physically construct such massive building with the tools that they had at the time.
Since our last visit the Temple authorities have opened up the Crocodile Museum, which explains the relevance and importance of the crocodile in the history of the Temple. It’s very much a state of the art feature and adds even more to the enjoyment of a visit to Kom Ombo.
If you are taking a Nile cruise I really think you will find Kom Ombo Temple one of the highlights of your trip.
From Kom Ombo we then drove the relatively short distance to Aswan where we were to stay at the Movenpick Aswan Hotel.
We noticed that on the outskirts of the city that it is spelled locally as Asswanrather than Aswan. So if you want to sound like you know what your talking about you can emphasise the double “SS”and call it Asswan from now on.
The Movenpick Aswan (or Asswan) is a hotel that we’ve sailed past on our previous visits to the city.
Normally when you reach Awsan one of the main highlights is to take a felucca sailing over to Philae Temple which was built to pay homage to the goddess Isis. The Temple has been dismantled and moved from it’s original location to its’ current position on Agilka Island when the High Dam was built.
As you sail over to the island you notice a large tower on what appears to be the banks of the Nile. In fact that tower is part of the Movenpick Aswan Hotel, which isn’t’ on the banks of the Nile but is actually located on an island in the river itself and the tower boasts the hotel’s Panorama Bar which has spectacular views looking over Aswan city on one side and the beautiful Kitcheners Island on the other side.
On this visit we had kindly been invited by Movenpick Hotels to stay at the Movenpick Aswan and as we approached the hotel, which is instantly recognisable by its’ tower, we realised that the only way to get to and from the hotel is by water taxi.
What a unique feature.
As you reach the bank opposite the hotel there is a bell that you press and immediately a water taxi is launched to come and collect you. As it arrived your luggage is taken from you and you dont’ see it again until you reach your room.
When you want to leave the hotel for any reason you simply ring the bell on the hotel’s private mooring and the water-taxi comes from the other bank for you. It’s a really unique experience to sail across the Nile to and from your accommodation.
In my next post I’ll tell you all about the Movenpick Aswan Hotel and our time spent in the beautiful city of Aswan.
