The Honeymoon (part 2)

The last day of Carl and Malia's honeymoon in Al Simhara was going to be packed with visits to several of the most important sites so they decided to forego the standard camp-site breakfast and cook something special themselves.

Unfortunately, although Malia was a sound cook at home, fire-pit cookery was not her forte!

-- * --

The first visit of the day was to the Great Sphinx.



A massive monument guarding the passing of one of Al Simhara's greatest rulers into the afterlife, it dwarfs all those that approach it.



As they walked between the outstretched limbs of the great beast the honeymooning couple felt as if they really were approaching the entrance to the underworld.




A local guide explained that the ancient glyphs around the doorway describe how more than two thousand years ago the great Djedefre and Khafra ordered the construction of this great monument to guard the tomb of their father Khufu but that within a couple of generations it had started to disappear under the the sand.

-- * --

From the imposing scale of the Great Sphinx Carl and Malia headed to one of the remains of one of the most opulent ancient buildings still standing; the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut.

 Set against the side of a mountain, even after hundreds of years the temple still glistened such that you had to avert your eyes as you approached it - surely not an accidental feature of the construction.

Climbing the wide stairway to the first floor the reason for the location of the temple was clear.  From it's mountain-side vantage point the temple looked down directly into the centre of the town below.  Or, perhaps more importantly, the town looked up through the swirling sands and heat-haze to the temple dominating the skyline.

After a simple picnic lunch Carl and Malia made their way down from the temple to another famous viewpoint, the Great Pyramid.

Higher than either the Sphinx or the temple, from the Great Pyramid the views across the desert landscape were quite breath-taking.  Carl had thought they would explore the tomb at the heart of the pyramid but Malia was so taken with the quiet and beauty of the vista they simply sat to contemplate the nature of the people who had lived in this unforgiving environment and yet created such incredible monuments.

-- * --

Eventually the heat of the day, not to mention all the climbing they had had to do, took it's toll of their stamina and the pair made their way back down towards the town.

En-route they caught frequent glimpses of the crystal clear river slowly snaking it's way across the bottom of the valley.  At one particularly good vantage point the urge to feel the cool water on their hot and tired bodies took over and, abandoning their scooters by the roadside, they leapt into the refreshing cold water.

Having enjoyed the spectacular views across the valley from it's high points, the low down perspective from the river as the sun sank behind the mountains was every bit as awe-inspiring.

-- * --

Refreshed from their swim Carl and Malia returned to the camp-site for their last night before flying back home.

Here in the desert, with next to no light pollution and no clouds to obscure the view, Al Simhara was an ideal spot to sit back and watch the stars move serenely across the night sky.

On this night there were no shooting stars just the magic of the twinkling heavens to round off perfectly the first few days of their life together as husband and wife.

-- * --

As much as they loved the magic Al Simhara both Carl and Malia were glad to be home; the lush beauty of Hidden Spring, their friends, and the reality of real seasonal weather.

On the short taxi ride from the airport it was clear that the snowfall they had left behind a few days earlier had settled in and winter had fully arrived in Hidden Springs!

Finally they were home, the reassuringly familiar comfort of their own home awaited. This cozy little cabin was going to be where a whole new, more personal, adventure would begin for Carl and Malia.