The Isle of Philae (in reality, Aglikia) is another UNESCO relocation job, and is completely ace.
I thought my egyusiasm (enthusiasm for all things Ancient Egyptian) was in danger of fading after Abu Simbel, but this beautiful little serene island was the most impressive thing I'd seen since the pyramids.
Philae temple complex
Check it out, it's just so nice! Proving i) that I am capable of appreciating things after all, and ii) that the Egyptians were still churning out hits in the Late Period and well into the Greco-Roman times, even if most people will only know their early stuff. Giving me hope that my few days in Alexandria next week won't be disappointing after all.
Dave W, Trajan's Kiosk and what can only be a UFO
Dave W at the Temple of Isis, becoming visibly frustrated with the oddball from Dubai who fancies himself a professional photographer with his unconventional angles
Even when there's a large tour party walking around, you can still feel solitude in this monument-strewn paradise. And because the guards are so lazy and dispersed, no one's stopping you taking photos inside temples or finally getting the chance to poke your fingers into the satisfying grooves of hieroglyphics and wall art, like you know you've wanted to do ever since the Egyptian Museum.
Go on! Get it out of your system now, and maybe you won't commit more heinous crimes against archaeology later.
Pokin' Horus
Unfinished obelisk
Celebrating failure never seems like a good idea, and the quick trip around this ancient quarry site to see the largest obelisk never constructed shouldn't be considered essential on an Aswan itinerary.
Still, some of my photos make it look a lot more impressive - if you're as tired as I was, and thus seeing faces in everything. I thought I might have finally met the terrifying colossus I'd hoped for in Abu Simbel, and I'm not ashamed to say the sewage gates opened.
Could be a fallen Drakon Prosecutor or Ice Warrior or something?
Oh, no. It's just another one of these. Hello again, obelisk (hellogalisk)
Found another one of these things nearby too. Related to the UFO? This is getting strange.
