3am - The hotel gave us a wake-up call and at around 3.15 we got up and went down to reception where there was a group of Americans also waiting. The hotel had provide pack breakfasts - 3 rolls, a boiled egg, 2 cheese triangles of cheese and a jam. Our agent took us down to the waiting minibus (thankfully the Americans didn't join us as they were very loud - particularly at 3am after a party!)
The minivan was new and in good condition and there were already two others in it. He drove a while and then we picked up some Japanese tourists and went to the assembly point for the convoy. We waited there for about 45 minutes before heading out. The convoy reminded us of Rhodesia days, but the difference was that the vehicles didn't stick together and there really didn't seem to be any sense of worry. This said, we subsequently heard of another group that left late from Abu Simbal because of an attack on the road - so there the risks were still there. We drove over the Lower Aswan dam wall in the dark (although there was a moon) and then out into the wide open desert. We slept on and off and I think that on average most of us got a good few hours. We arrived in Abu Simbal at around 8am. Once again the poor tourist season was evident by the limited number of minibuses. The tourist books had warned us of crowds of tourists.
Once again we had a battle with the ticket man re the fact that we did not have student cards. This one agreed to take Guy as a student but not Lauren - mental note to tell them that she is 15 next time! Once again the ticket man short changed me 50LE and I had to fight to get it back. 
Once through security, I relaxed and we walked round the man made mountain to be confronted by 4 huge statues of Ramses II. He clearly thought a lot of himself! We entered the cavernous tomb which had wall lined with the achievements of his life from killing enemies and animals to enjoying lotus leaves and ladies. 
There were numerous storage rooms for the things that he may need in the afterlife and 4 more smaller statues onto which the sun shone on his birthday (2nd Feb) and on his coronation (21 Oct). This tomb is particularly impressive as when the Aswan dam was built it was moved from the valley below to the man made mountain above. The only difference now is that the sun now shines on the statues on 3rd Feb and 22 Oct.In one of the store rooms we found a birds nest but could not photograph it as this is not allowed in the tombs.
After an hour in Ramses's tomb, we walked to Nefratiti's tomb (his wife) a short distance away. While also very impressive, this was (of course) far smaller than that of Ramses and the murals depicted her with different gods and godesses. Of course there were still plenty of Ramses II murals and statues and far fewer store rooms. It took far less time to view this tomb, so we reverted back to the Ramses II tomb before going to the visitor's centre to see how the temple was moved from the valley to its present position.
The minivan was ready for us and after 30 minutes of so, we headed back through the desert. It struck me that in this huge expanse, there was hardly any of the incessant litter that ruins the country side wherever you go. Our return trip was uneventful and we got back to the hotel at around 1.30pm - 7 hours of travelling and 2 hours of viewing, but still worth the effort!
We walked the full length of the market and I bought another Rabab (for Lifa who was looking after our house in our absence). Beyond the market, the streets got darker and we came back to the Nile at a lower point. There was taxi rank, and a young boy kept hassling Fiona to buy some small papyrus bookmarks. Eventually I angrily chased him away. Fiona said that he had tried to unzip her kidney bag. Our first experience of attempted pick-pockets in Egypt. We returned to the hotel to drop off the rabab and pack for the next day.
Then we went out for supper at a place we had seen the night before called Haman's. They sold a variety of local food from kofta to stew to egg or vegetables. You could choose 3 of either meat of vegetables per plate (30LE or 15LE). So we had 3 veg and 1 meat. After an enjoyable meal, we returned to the hotel for our last Egyptian whisky. 
