Aswan

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A sleepless night on the night train to Aswan - lights on, legs bent with no hope of stretching out, loud arabic ring tones, smokey carriages, and then the conductor tapping his stick to check my ticket when I had finally fallen asleep! 12 hour journey to Aswan travelling next to the Nile and with lots of lush greenery out the window - fields, bullrushes, palm trees, camels, donkeys, goats. People are working in the fields, riding donkeys, carrying things on their heads.

Aswan is warmer than Cairo and a nice change from a chaotic sprawling city. Went to a Nubian village, Abu Simbel, Philae Temple, and Aswan Souk which went on for miles. Stayed at Orchida St George, Sharia Mohammed Khalid. Good hotel, basic, clean, central. US$25-35.

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