I stand transfixed, a vibrant display of colour adorning the pale rock in front of me. Behind me, my recently acquired American friend is asking me something but I am completely oblivious, attempting in vain to piece together the story laid out before me on this natural tapestry. We had left behind the Pyramids in the heart of Cairo for this beautifully preserved temple in Abu Simbel, and I remained in my wide-eyed existential crisis.