More markets and Camels

---

Sleeper trains are awful. Someone didn't manage to tell me that Egypt actually gets cold- the last minute packing of trousers was invaluable, and should have included a sleeping bag. We were sitting up in the train and I wore all the clothes I could and froze my ass off on the 12 hour trip. I have trouble sleeping on trains and planes at the best of time due as I sleep on my stomach... however matters were made even worse by the fact that I couldn't feel my toes!

When we finally arrived in Aswan we were all a bit jaded, and the Imaginative tours cruise boat looked positively luxurious! I was actually surprised because I was under the misapprehension that we were going on Fellucca's. Thank god we were not though, because I would have FROZEN. The MS Melody is fairly small by comparison to other boats... but it is 3 stories and quite cute. We joined several other tours full of noisy Australian's. I was very pleased to have a room to myself as the shower and toilet resemble a cupboard. As you shower the floor fills up with water and does not drain for about half an hour... this of course makes getting changed impossible in the shower, so I am quite stoked that I can just bust out into the room after showering.

Being a cruise boat it involves the rather strange tradition of high tea at 3.30pm. Cake and tea, which is all rather odd.

After a sleep in the afternoon we headed out on a camel ride. The camel's in Cairo are renowned for being one price to get on, and another to get off. So we went with a known group, escorted by a police man with a machine gun, also on a camel. Half an hour was plenty of time to get a sore arse on the camels and appreciate the desert and more ancient ruins. I can report that I am not that allergic to camels, which is excellent. However you don't actually get all that close to them when riding anyway!

The three Brazilian girls and I went to the markets at Aswan. It appears that mostly Australians go to Aswan as at each store we were greeted by "Where you from? Australia? Gidday?" if I did manage to say NZ I would get "Kiwi! Kia ora, fush and chups" the Brit's got "Lovely jubbly" and the Brazilians got stunned silence... then "You speak Spanish?".

The number of languages that the store keepers speak is amazing. They speak French, German, good English, Spanish... even the occasional Portuguese. They all STARE as well. I have never been stared at so much in my life, and I am covered up! Gi (one of the Brazilian girls) had a scarf and was pondering "What should I cover? My bum or my hair?" I thought hair... but perhaps it should have been her eyes.

Walking back through the markets reminded me of one of those morbed playstation games in which you get accosted by zombies appearing from every corner and attacking you. We were greated by all these men hoarding around us asking why we hadn't come back, and as you move on they turn nasty.

On an interesting note the internet cafe that I am is run by a friendly Egyptian who just bought me a tea. I asked for tea with milk... and that is obviously taken literally around here. It is hot milk, with a tea bag in it. Not to sure if I will be able to forse that down with my stomach the way that it is at the moment. He has obviously decided this means we are friends and taken the liberty of blasting me with 50 cent. But only half a song at a time before he gets bored and moves onto the next one.

---

Photos

Lara, Gi and I
Riding to the Camel's