Greetings from Aswan, Egypt

Oh where to start ... let's give you the highlights of the past week: Dec 29, 2007 ... seems Paris has a shortage of labour too! Our flight was delayed 2.5 hrs due to a lack of ground crew to prepare the plane. We landed in Cairo around 11pm local time. Customs/Immigration was pretty easy ... definitely quicker than England! We're met by our greeter and taken to our hotel, the Salma. Cairo is a crazy city ... no traffice lights for the most part and the few there are do not work. While there are lines painted on the roads, they mean nothing. Three lanes of traffic at times are four and sometimes five. Wait until you see the pictures of how they park on the streets. Dec 30 ... we're on our own for the day. We wander the streets and take our lives into our own hands as we attempt to cross a number of major roadways ... not a place for the weak of heart! Estimates run the population of Cairo to be anywhere from 18M to 40M. All the major food chains are here. Exchange is 5.5 Egyption pounds to 1 US dollar. We have our initial tour group meeting at the hotel in the evening and prepare for take off the next morning. Our group consists of Aussies, Kiwis, Cdn's, one American & one Brazilian for a total of 15. Dec 31 ... off to the pyramids. It's strange, just a short drive thru the city and there they are. The city has built itself up just blocks from the base. We approach the pyramids from the backside and don't see the Sphynx. We don't even realize it's just down the slope until we're there as you can't see it from atop. We don't enter the pyramids as they've sold out the 150 tix per 1/2 day (morning). We do enter a small burial pyramid of the king's mother - very narrow and steep, but dry. Then up to a viewing plateau where you can see all 5 pyramids with Cairo in the background. Back into the bus and down the slope, around a corner and lo and behold the Sphynx. The poor Sphynx's face has become a pigeon gathering place. Next stop the Papryus Museum where we get a demonstration on how to make it, followed by a fabulous lunch. Perhap's its the fact that it's 3pm and we're starved. Back onto the bus and we're driving north to Alexandria, city on the Mediterranean. Although it's New Year's eve we're pooped. We only make it to 10:30pm after a wander of Alex (as it's referred to) and a bite to eat at a sidewalk cafe. January 1, 2008 ... Happy New Year!!! Today our first stop is the National Museum of Alexandria. It's the only museum you can take pictures in albeit without flash. Some amazing artifacts. Next stop the Catacoombs - no pictures allowed. Found by a garbage donkey who fell into an abandoned cistern opening. From here we head over to Pompeii's Pillar. Again both relics are in the middle of the city ... very surreal and amazing. Lunch and a short wander for pictures before we head back to Cairo. In Cairo we board a sleeper train for an overnight ride to Luxor. January 2 ... wake up call is 5:30am just before we arrive in Luxor. A quick breakfast and dress. We pull into the station as the sun is coming up. As we overlook the Nile to the westbank the hot air balloons are rising. A beautiful site set against desert mountains. We drop our bags at our boat - the Melodie, and take horse & carriages down the road for the short ride to the Karnak Temple. The ruins are amazing. It's undescribable as to the adornment and magnitude of everything. Carriages back to the boat for departure and the start of our leisurely cruise down the Nile. Just after sunset we come to the locks. As we're waiting our turn the sing song of "Hey Lady" and "Good Evening" ring up from the peddlars in boats now surrounding us. They throw various items up for you to buy and haggle over. January 3 ... Dave has my cold which I acquired in England so I leave him in bed to go for breakfast. Our restaurant "manager" Bob ends up taking Dave his breakfast in bed with a special egyptian tea to clear the head. I find Dave in bed like a king. Good thing we have a leisurely morning. This afternoon we disembark at Kom Ombo Temple there are very few people here when we arrive, a wonderful experience to tour the small site without the cacophany of so many tourists. As we head back to the boat to drop off our camera gear the temple is being flooded with people as a dozen or so more boats have arrived. We enjoy an ice cream while being serenated by some local musicans. Now we run the gauntlet ... the shops are all in one line and it's a constant barrage of come look, no hassle, what do you want ... it's a fun experience but Dave comments it's more stressful than work! This evening the boat has a costume party. It's a blast ... wait until you see the pictures. At one point I was laughing so hard I couldn't stop crying and I almost wet my pants !!! January 4 ... we've arrived in Aswan, the southern most city in Egypt. Approx 300 km from the Sudan border. First outing is a walk about the town as the city is waking up. By the time we're down the market has come alive and we run the gaunlet again but in a much larger version. Aswan is a lovely city. Much smaller and quieter than Cairo, not to mention warmer. We can actually sun ourselves here. Back to the boat for a quick lunch and regroup. We head out for a Feluca trip (local sailboat) across the Nile and around a couple of small islands. We stop at Elaphantine Island for a walk about the Nubian village. Many still live in mud houses, a very strange mix of old and new here. In some ways it feels like we're intruding but they don't seem to mind and try to sell you things where they can. We sail back to the boat for another quick change and it's off to Philae Temple for the light show. The temple is amazing and the show if interesting but bad for photography. The temple was underwater for many years and was moved from it's original location stone by stone in the 1970's to save it. Back to the boat for a late dinner and early to bed, tomorrow is an early start. January 5 ... 3:15am alarm, too early if you know either Dave or me !!! Showered and on the bus by 4:00am. We meet up with the other buses, and the convoy heads out to Abu Simbel Temple en masse. We arrive at 7:15am. As the sun rises you can see the country side - a vast expanse of desert on either side of the roadway with the ocassional smattering of dwellings and farmland. It's irrigated here as Lake Nessa created from the dam built in the 1960's runs from Aswan to Abu Simbel and the locals irrigate the land for large agricultural activities. Again no photo's allowed in the temple. The two temples on this site were also moved as they were threatened to be flooded by the lake created due to the dam. We spend a few hours admiring the ruins before the return bus ride back to Aswan. It's now almost 5:00pm local time and here we are ... you're up to date. Tomorrow morning we cross the Nile on a ferry and take a camel ride in the desert. Photos most likely won't come until we return to England. For now just my words will have to do. Until next time ...