Cairo-Aswan overnight train/felucca cruise

Tonight a few of the people in the group left us to get back to their home countries or their onward travels. It is quite sad saying goodbye, even if it was a short time we spent with them. We said goodbye to Nick, who is heading back to the UK and Lucas and Helen whom are heading back to Australia, Also Sua who is heading on to her onward travels in Africa.

Dinner on the Nile

Once we said our farewells and goodbye, we left our hotel in Cairo to catch the overnight train to Aswan. The train journey took us about 13 hours. The trains were extremely comfortable, except the annoying arm rest in the middle of the two chairs, which every direction you turn it digs into your sides! But apart from that I actually managed to get some sleep which was very comfortable. They served us breakfast, which I would like to say under normal circumstances, it would have been tasty, but now after spending 5 weeks eating the same thing (bread and more bread), it was just ABB (another bloody breakfast with bread)!

Girlie Chat

Once we got to Aswan, it was shocking to experience the differece in the temperatures. Cairo was about 35 and in Aswan it was about 45! It was hot and we were told that it was actually cooler now and it could get even hotter, up to 50! I thought there is no way I can survive this heat!

We were tranferred to our hotel and were greeted by this lovely Egyptian man, whom was part of the imtrav group. Aswan is a whole world away from Cairo. The pace of life is much slower and the town is small enough to explore on foot. In Aswan the Nile is at its most picturesque with golden sand dunes coming right to the water edge and scores of white sailed feluccas gliding around the islands. The view of the Nile on the train was also very beautiful. On one side we had the Nile and the other side the tall date palm trees. The bazaar runs the whole length of town and is crammed with shops and stalls selling everything and anything from herbs to scarves and gallabia. We visited the bazaar with Jackie one night, and it was fun, a little bit intimidating to begin with, with the locals approaching you from every corner of the street and taking you to their shops, but once you get over that and realise it is their culture afterall, you begin to go with the flow and before you know it, you are haggling for the best price! I found it a lot of fun.

Gulet to the Philae temple

Our first night in Aswan we went for a dinner on the Nile at one of the restaurants. Needless to say, the food was fab, the place was great, the weather was hot! After dinner we went back to the hotel to watch the footy between Italy and Germany....needless to say, I was devestated that night, after my boys lost "badly" to Italy! :( oh well! I only wish at this moment I was in the UK, to see Romain and Raniero going head to head for the final! Guys let me know how these two survive! :)

one of the activities in Aswan is to visit a local village on the west Bank of the Nile. We went for dinner and spend an evening on the roof of a local house, eating the most amazing food and chating with the villagers. Some of the local women do henna tatoos so me and some of the girls got some. We tried to convience Steve to get some too, but he couldn't decide what he liked! :) I ended up getting two, a peacock on my wrist and a band across my ankle. In order to get to this village, we boarded our felucca to said around the islands of Aswan and that night after our visit to the Nubian village and our typical Nubian dinner we went back to the felucca and spent the night overboard. We cruised past the Elephantine Island, Kitchener's Island, Aga Khan's Mausoleum and the MOnastery of St Simeon.

Jackie's impression of a crocodile

Feluccas are sailing boats that have been used on the Nile for centuries. There is no motor, so we rely entirely on the wind and if the wind is not blowing then we drift as the river takes us. There are no facilities on board; if you need the toilet then the boat will pull over to the bank and you can find a "suitable" bush! We had two Feluccas, each of them sleep 6-10 people and is crewed by a captain and a deck hand.

Lunch on Felucca

Meterology for measuring depth of water

Philae Temple Aswan

Philae temple main enterance

something different

Stairway into the inside of the temple

Temple

The Nile

The second Felucca

View of the Nile

View of the Nile from the temple