Aswan and the river nile
Trip Start
Oct 31, 2008
1
3
19
Trip End
Dec 14, 2008
Aswan,
Nile River Valley,
Egypt
Monday, November 3, 2008
We arrived in Aswan at 3.30pm afetr a hellish 17 hour train ride. apparently train journey times in Egypt are quite geneal anf this overnight trip can take anywhere from 12 to 18 hours and has taken 23 once before!! so we did ok considering our engine broke down and we had to wait for a new one to arrive.
Aswan is small but a pretty town that sits on the River Nile. we found we were hounded constantly here in the local market, Kris was offerred 1 million camels for me, a wife swap, and we are getting pretty used to being oggledd at, and the phrases "lucky man" "oh wow beautiful" " how many camels" you get the idea. I think they are working with the flattery will get you everywhere theory. But believe me it DOESN'T, it just irritates you after the millionth time.
We did the early morning (3am start) trip to abusimbel, arriving at 7.30am but still it was really hot! Abu simbel was amazing, huge, grand and the inside was every wall covered in carved murals of the Pharoah Ramsess 2nd and the gods and heiroglyphics, Some even still had colour. Sadly no photos allowed inside :( Nefertari's tomb next door was also pretty amazing, especially as she wasnt a wife of royal blood, but as Ramses favourite gal she got special treatment.
For dinner tonight we went to a Nubian Village a 45 minute boat trip up the nile. We were showen the pet Crocodiles they keep as good luck. Lucckly they're samll ones :/ then we had a beautiful Nubian meal and drumming and singing and dancing for entertainment. It was quite hillarious, and I think they had a good time gettign us to do silly dances and humiliate us, but we had a great time anyway, even got a henna tatto.
after 2 nights in Aswan we boarded our Fellucca for 2 days and 2 nights sailing on the nile to Luxor. the 10 of us slept sardine style on the top deck on mattresses, being cooked for by the crew (Akmed, Saheed and Felix). The food was great and we wiled away the time, reading, sunning ourselves, playing card games and swimming in the nile. The first night we had a few drinks and made a wee on the beach, and in the morning when a few people went to find a nice bush to "make toilet" as our crew called it, we heard a crazy yelling noise and then saw 3 of our tour group running over the side of the bank away from the noise. After much fuss, explanation and Mostafa having to go and talk to a farmer and a screaming woman. We found out that they had been chased byt the farmer with a stick, because unbeknownst to them they were crapping under his mago trees LOL. Mostafa had to pay compensation and we all had a great laugh while, Lisa, Lance and Alicia recovered from their shock.
The 2nd night we stopped on another beach with about 6 other felluccas and had a big bonfire and the fellucca crews and a few locals drumming and singing, with everybody dancing and hip shaking. We had a great time fuelled by a few drinks and the great music. Vikky (another nz'er) and I even won the dance off (a version of musical chairs without chairs) which involved the 2 of us having to dance with mostafa Egyptian styles in front of the whole 6 fellucca passangers and our musical arrangement, funny!
The nexy moring we left the felluccas. It was a really relaxing 2 days and nights getting to know our group very well in such close proximity. And quite beautiful and quiet sailing on the nile, well apart from all of those huge cruise boats chugging up and down.
