[travel] Egyptian resort ghost town

I was mentioning earlier about how terrorism stopped the Sinai resort construction boom.  Here are some pictures of what was left behind:



And more: 
 

A (slightly) livelier bit:

[travel] Absolutely no photos allowed

The Egyptian government, which runs all the monuments, is very stringent about their "no photography" rule.  I can understand not wanting flash photography, but no photography at all seems a bit excessive.  However, sometimes the guards aren't looking:

These are from the tomb of Thutmosis III and illustrate the very methodical and scientific approach the ancient Egyptians took toward religion and the afterlife.  One larde section of the tomb had the appearance of an instruction manual detailing the information necessary for the Pharaoh to reach the Underworld.  The photo on the right apparently enumerates particular forms of a god:



On the left is a depiction  of the sky, as encircled by Nut, the sky goddess. (tomb of Ramses 6)



Inside Abu Simbel:


I love the quality of the chisel work here (tomb of  Userhet):

Anyway, I must be going... the guards are always on my tail.  See you next crime.*


*What's that?  Carmen Sandiego has stolen the Great Pyramid of Giza?  Don't worry... a nearby merchant said he heard something about Carmen needing to buy a pair of castanets.  Get on it gumshoe, that's your next clue! 

[travel] Stranded in the Sahara

For security reasons, Egypt restricts tourist travel in many sections of Egypt to convoys.  When you're in a convoy, you can't stop by the side of the road and take pictures of the amazing scenery... unless the bus at the head of the convoy breaks down.  I feel really bad for the people in the bus.  They missed getting to Abu Simbel (an all-day trip) and had to sit in the middle of the desert with no air conditioning for some period of time.

I will say that even in springtime, the desert is extremely hot.  A direct overhead sun is noticeably hotter than the puny ~30 degree angle sun we get in the summer. 



Oh, and here's the world's loneliest bus stop, as seen through a very tinted window.  Aside from the power lines and road, there were no signs of civilization for 100km in either direction:



The driver said that nomadic tribes use them to get into the city.

---

The Nile really is the lifeblodo of Egypt.  Without it they'd be Libya.

Here to illustrate that is my best attempt at the cheesy quintessential Egypt photo... the sort of thing they'd put on the cover of Lonely Planet.

[travelpics] I feel safer already...

Taken in Cairo airport, Egypt.