Thoughts on temples

Really there is just so much to say about all the history here it is crazy. I am just afraid of passing on incorrect info so try to keep it simple.
It is really hot here still and the rest of the group is looking forward to cooling down as summer ends. It was torture listening to them whine about needing aircon down south. They probably had it half of the time though I personally believe in conditioning myself to the local conditions so I don't wear out while sightseeing during the day.
But then again the heat seems to have affected their brains a little. I kid you not but dad made a horrible cup of instant coffee (or so all that tried it said) as soon as he arrived in Cairo. Everyone was sitting around wondering how the tap water here got so bad until Savannah looked in the little kettle we are carrying around. Sure enough, there was dad's underwear, freshly boiled and adding all that quality flavour. Who pours water in the kettle without looking inside it? Then again, who stores their underwear in the kettle?!?!?!?!? See what I have to deal with out here....... Now you know why I am in charge....
As to my favourite temples, I'd have to say that Dendara was my favourite. Personally I like having lots of glyphs carved into the walls. The really old temples, pyramids and tombs were disappointing to me simply because they lacked that type of decoration. Some of them had paintings but it's just not the same as looking as the incredible amount of work to carve floor to ceiling throughout an entire complex and on each pilllar. Some of these places took ages to finish. I guess I just appreciate the craftmanship. I don't know why but I don't like the coloured ones. I've always been that way though and prefer stone or woodwork by itself and find that the painting detracts from the craftmanship. My all-time favourite ruins ever is the Angkor Wat complex in Cambodia. Amazing work and tons of atmosphere. Back to Egypt though. No tourists is obviously a plus for the atmosphere and that goes for entire countries too. I'd rather be somewhere where tourism is minimal. The beams of sunlight coming through the dark temples, especially with the dust in the air to really emphasize it is awesome and I'm sure the others agree. I really enjoyed Karnak despite the number of tourists at first. I still can't believe they got pillars to stand that tall so long ago. It's huge!
Grady is leaving us tonight which is really sad because we've had a lot of fun with him here. He is a star!!
We are still waiting for word from the Libyans regarding our transit visa so we may be stuck here for a while still. As to our route south, well, can't you tell we're just making this up as we go? I hope we even get to the south before we go off on another crazy side trip. We'll go west and do as much as we can safely (in a very bent and loosely defined kind of way) then fly to the east side to head south. Thanks for the warning Shean, believe me I am looking into everything as much as I can. Things change really fast in Africa unfortunately and as there are 50 countries on the mainland, without some specific names it is hard to say what is good and bad. Every region seems to have a healthy mix.

We are having fun making the videos with Rhiis, here is the latest installment, the look at the pharaonic side of the bills here :)




Ammon