Lower Egypt

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After a few creative differences Sam and I have now decided its about time to start writing our blog.....

So, we've now made it safely to Luxor after nearly two weeks of the most extreme heat. We started off "on holiday" in Dahab on the Sinai Peninsula where we lazed on the beach for a few days and blew our $20 a day budget far out of the water ( unfortunately a continuing trend).

Night 3 saw us energtically climbing the 3,200m of Mount Sinai in the pitch black to see the sunrise at the top- along with about 1,500 other people. Sharing a path with all these and, what felt like as many camels was a rather sureal experience. All in all a very strange mixture- those on a religious pilgrimage, tourists bused in from Sharm El Sheikh (some miraculusly making it up in high heels) and the Japanese photograph obsessives who completely got in the way (see photo!).

From Dahab we headed to Cairo where we spent five days braving the traffic and the touts and barely seeing another Westerner except those bused in to the various tourist attractions. Despite the still crazy heat and both getting ill we found it hard not to love the city and it's eccentricities. We walked for miles, saw the Pyramids at Giza and the thousands of artifacts from Tutankhamun's tomb at the Egyptian Museum. We also managed to get a Sudanese visa (sorry Mum!) so we're all set for the journey South....

Our next stop was Siwa Oasis in the Western Desert. Despite not spending as long here as intended (just couldn't cope with heat) it was a beautiful and peaceful haven after Cairo. The suicidal car driving was replaced by donkey carts and palm groves and the view from our window was of the 13th century fortress ruins. Unsuprisingly there were very few tourists and we enjoyed probally our best meal so far at a beautiful little restaurant with no one else in sight. After successfuly avoiding walking alone in the palm groves (apparently highly provocative!) we headed off to Alexandria.

Alexandria wasn't quite what we expected.... maybe we had a bad experience....we didn't get a civil word out of anyone and couldn't believe how polluted the place was. So, after the scariest taxi ride yet (my yelps from the back seat seemed only to spur him on!) we got back on another bus and began our journey to Luxor.

Blew the budget once again on the only train tickets available (never knew a sleeper train would get Sam so excited- yes, really) and we are now enjoying walking along the banks of the Nile and, of course, the continuing heat.....

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Comments

[Sair]

Sounds great
I am very jealous... have fun you two, and Sam I want detailed descriptions of every meal!