Philae and the Temple of Isis

On June 1, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Egypt7 Comments

When we were in Aswan, Egypt, we took a boat out to Philae, which is an island with a variety of temples. It was a very interesting site with plenty of things to see and definitely worth a half day to visit. The temples were moved to higher ground after the High Dam was built in order to save them and it was well worth the effort. As Aswan is in the southern part of Egypt, the temperatures can be quite hot, so be prepared and bring plenty of water.

Clearly the Temple of Isis is the highlight of visiting the island, but there is also the Temple of Hathor and the Kiosk of Trajan. The columns, hieroglyphs, and entrance were extremely impressive. We took our time walking around the temples and seeing them from every angle, but seeing them from the boat as we neared the island was truly stunning. There are still archeological activities occurring at the site and we saw people actively working while we were there.

There are a few other sites worth seeing in Aswan, but Philae was what stood out most to us. The history of temples goes back over 2500 years and seeing how well preserved they were was fascinating. We would definitely recommend a visit to the island to anyone who makes their way down the Nile River to visit Aswan.

Do Animals Smile?

On October 12, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, South America5 Comments

Probably anyone who has ever had pets would agree that animals definitely show emotion, but do they smile? One look at animals will remove any doubt as to whether they actually do smile. They most certainly do smile and they do it quite often. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is the letter H with a topic of Happy. One of our favorite memories of visiting Sun Island on Lake Titicaca in Bolivia was of a llama that was curiously observing us as we walked among the ruins. The question isn’t really whether he was smiling, but what was he thinking of us? Did he just think we were strange looking creatures that didn’t belong on his island?

We are Never Truly Alone

On May 15, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Mexico, Photo Challenge, South America3 Comments

We may find ourselves with no one around us, but we are never truly alone. It may seem at times as if we are the only ones going through something, but in reality there are others out there who have or are going through similar circumstances. The trick is not isolating yourself so that you don’t hear the voices of others who are there to help. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is Isolated Subjects. We chose the photo of a lone tree on Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, a lone elk in Yellowstone, as well as a couple of photos from Cabo San Lucas in Mexico.