Memnon Hotel Aswan

... stayed on the boat just chilling out and relaxing...It was my birthday after all. We napped and read and just looked around the river and took in all the sights and sounds of daily life. When everyone returned we went off sailing down the nile to our next destination. Another hot day in paradise.
We moored late in the afternoon on a sandy bank next to some cows in the field and drank beer and played Uno & chess until 7.45pm just before dinner.

We ...

... br>

Any how, i was a bit shaken up but i forced myself to leave the hotel the next day and see Cairo. So I got a taxi to Khan El Khalili bazaar in what's known as Islamic Cairo. I went at 6:30am because i couldn't sleep and i needed to get out of the hotel so when i got there it was very dull, there was nothing happening and it took about 2 seconds for a sales guy to start with the 'gameela-blue eyes! i like you!' **** but this time i knew how to get rid of him and much to my ...

Spent some time last night on deck watching us sail through a huge lock at Esna around 11pm. We are in a convoy of around 20 boats all trying to get through so it took some time to get us all through.

Also last night Meryl seemed to be on a mission to get everyone on our table to dress up for the Gullabaya party tonight so we will all look like Egyptians.

Edfu temple was stunning and Elia our guide certainly knows his stuff giving us a ...

... the Nile. With it being such a hot day, the swim was refreshing. You may wonder about the cleanliness of the river and possible diseases. Where we swam the river was free flowing, which is a good sign and looked clean. Besides it's not like I was drinking the water. Kept my mouth shut. It was brilliant.
Swimming in one of the great rivers of the world is a great experience.
Following the swim, we then had the chance to ride a camel. I wasn't sure if I would but then ...

Destination 378

(Ferry)

After a very pleasant (at least if you booked first class...) journey on board of the ferry to bring heaps of hopefully excited people from Sudan to Egypt we all arrived to Aswan Port next to High Dam around 11:00 a.m. After the ferry docked on a naked rockformation (!), a ridiculous process started with custom officers and doctors and nurses to check the passengers - all of it ...

... the taxi driver didn't feel that Shona had tipped him at all and started having a go at her. She tried to explain but he wouldn't have a bar of it. Then a passing news paper seller told her that she needn't speak any more. Shona was very very angry, but this is Egypt and there is nothing to be done, except to walk away. She wished to have the tip back rip the stupid not in half and give half of it to the driver herself and hope he understood the gesture the stupid #$@%#^$%&%$*^$%.

Another blistering hot day as we sailed on to Edfu to visit the Temple of Horus. We left the boat again very early morning to miss the heat of the day and hopefully, most of the crowds. However, by 9am the heat was searing , so God knows how it would feel by mid-day, but by then we would be back on the boat and hopefully having a dip in the pool. Our mode of transport today was by Calesh – a horse drawn carriage and it was brilliant being driven through the hot, dusty ...

... was built in the 70s. The temple had to be moved in order for it not to since into the nile river. During the dam being built unescor led the efforts. It was amazing that a temple that size was removed and put back together. After 2 hours there we joined the convoy back to Aswan. After a much needed nap Erin and I headed to the nubian village and spent a few hours in there (air conditioned museum!!!) reading all about nubian history and checking out the artifacts. I then was ...

So once in Aswan we met Emma and Lloyd - a young couple from Canada who were both very cool - not that they are not now - its just I am not with them any more! Anyway, we met them and then Zeya and I got some water and snacks together and we met the others on the boat next to McDonalds (we ate there the previous night and it was amazing!) Once on the Felucca we met our Captin. He is the lazyest person in the world, and ...

... at the High Dam of Aswan. After enjoying our snack Katie was given a Henna (a plant dye that lasts a bit over a week) tattoo on her hand. The local women are covered with such tattoos from hand to foot when they get married. I couldn’t believe how fast she was, but an intricate design of two flowers and a vine was created in around a minute. We said our thanks to the family and headed back to Aswan proper.

We thought that would be ...