Abu Simbel was built to intimidate. Philae was built to endure. Together, they mark the southern edge of an empire that no longer exists — and the beginning of an understanding of what ancient Egypt was really trying to say. Totally worth the 4 am wake-up.

On the way from Luxor to Aswan, the river takes over. The Nile doesn't announce itself dramatically — but travelling it slowly, by dahabiya, you begin to understand what the ancient Egyptians already knew: the river was never trying to last. It simply does.