If a picture is worth a thousand words, the photos in this post will pretty much do the talking.
I’ve been to Luxor a dozen times down through the years, but the first opportunity I had to take my kids was the summer of 2017. The summer! People called me crazy, but a dear friend was visiting from abroad and what could I do? In fact, I went to Luxor twice that summer. Now that was a little crazy.
My intention was to stay in Luxor for a few days and then travel on to Aswan – a destination that had, for one reason or another, eluded me over the years. Locals just laughed, however, when I told them I planned to continue south to Aswan. Too hot, they said. And my life-long dream of seeing the temple of Abu Simbel? Impossible, they said. Not in this heat. I’m not one to accept defeat, but one look at my kids’ wilting faces and I knew I was beat.
I got my chance in the winter of 2021. After an excellent four-day stay in Luxor, my kids and I hopped on a train to Aswan. We went with nothing but the name and number of a friend of a friend who had an apartment we could rent – an Airbnb type of situation. I was literally organizing our accommodations while on that 8pm train from Luxor to Aswan.
Aswan was worth the wait. The highlight, of course, was Abu Simbel. Words really will fail me now, so I’ll just say this: Pyramids of Giza? You’ve got nothing on Abu Simbel. Both the original temple and the UNESCO-engineered effort to move the entire temple out of reach of the rising waters of Lake Nasser are no less than miraculous.
I know. Aswan is far. Believe me, people, I went there – and back – on a second-class train. I recommend this travel method, by the way, because you really get to know Egypt after spending 16 hours on a train with half the population of the country. But there are other, more comfortable options. Nile cruise, anyone? Now that’s the spirit!
In all seriousness, it is far, and I certainly can’t get down there every day. Or even every year. Yet my heart does long to return to Aswan, and so it is with a lot of hope and a little insha’allah I’ll say it: I’ll see you there soon!!
