We survived the sleeping train! We discovered what "First Class" means in Egypt. This photo doesn't really do our experience justice. Our seats were #1 and #2, we thought that meant we would be in the front of car #7. Actually that meant we were in the back of the car, right in front of the door to the car behind us and we learned quite quickly that people smoke between cars, and people are constantly going between cars all night long. So.... we had the door opening and closing all night long and people talking and smoking all night long. And to top it off, the car was so cold you could have hung meat in it if you wanted to. Hence the picture of me wrapped up. Oh, did I mention that the ride was 13 hours long? What an experience, what a memory!
Anyhow, we got to Aswan at noon. Had an hour to freshen up then into the taxi for our ride to the "Unfinished Obelisk". This was carved about 4000 years ago and was to be the largest obelisk eve created (1,200 tons and 134 feet high). Well, the sculptors soon found that it was just too big, it developed some flaws and cracks and they abandoned it.
It was truly amazing once you realize that they cut this dense granite with a flint-type axe making holes every several inches, then they would stuff wood in them, soak the wood and let it swell to crack the granite, then continue. That "moat" around the obelisk is about 3 feet wide and over 10 feet deep! The next step, that they didn't complete, is the do likewise below the obelisk, thus releasing it from its bed. Then they had to elevate it and move it to the Nile. Indeed, they haven't found another obelisk this size anywhere in the Nile.
