An Affinity for Abu Simbel

Last week, Kentucky newspaper the Lexington Herald ran a travel story on Egypt featuring the writer's adventure with Abercrombie Kent. While most travel writers identify the Great Pyramid as their favorite attraction , contributing travel writer Patti Nickell seemed to have more of an affinity for Abu Simbel.

When I was in Egypt, I have to say Abu Simbel was definitely one of my favorite sites as well. While most travelers take a quick flight to the site and just spend a few hours there, I would recommend taking the trip by road via caravan. My wife and I visited the temple shortly after we arrived and had the site virtually to ourselves. Also the light show at night is the best in Egypt, and a dip by the pool near Lake Nassar can be refreshing after a long, action-packed trip. For more on Abu Simbel, check out the page dedicated to this World Wonder on my website.

While I enjoyed the article from the Herald, I do have to point out one glaring factual error in it. Nickell writes, "thousands of slaves were sacrificed in the building of the [pyramids]." The evidence just does not support this, and modern archaeologists now believe conscripts did all the work. It also appears the pyramid builders were paid and treated relatively well, although the work was obviously backbreaking and many people did get injured and/or died in the process. For more info on the pyramids, check out the Egyptian Pyramids section on my website.

Another part of the article I thought was interesting was how the Abercrombie & Kent guide didn't accompany the tour group into the Great Pyramid. For the money A&K charges, I would have expected more. While A&K has a great reputation, I think you can find cheaper tours that deliver a similar of better experience.

In fact on the tour I went on, our small group got to spend three hours with full access to all the chambers in the Great Pyramid (including the pit and Queens Chamber which are normally closed off); we were allowed to go right up and touch the Great Sphinx (which the average tourist isn't allowed to do); and we went to a lot of amazing and important places that are much less frequented, such as the pyramids at Dashur and temple at Abydos. We were also leaving most spots just when the big tour buses were pulling up. This was all for less money than A&K mind you, and our guide went into the Great Pyramid with us, although she did sit out the tougher Red Pyramid at Dashur.