Jewel of the Nile

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As the sleeper train pulled into the busy Cairo station, I had flashbacks of the filthy overnight trains in Vietnam. We were all pleasantly surprised once inboard, when Jess and I were shown to our private two bed cabin, complete with a dining table, sink and lamps. This was certainly a step up from trains in Asia and everyone in the group was running from room to room excited about how "luxurious" it was, having all spent time in Asia....the simple things!!!
As nice as the decor was, it was actually the most uncomfortable of all train travels I've experienced so far. I felt as though I was on an out of control vibrating bed, being thrown this way and that around the carriage. Many of us where still in a zombie like state when we pulled into the hot & dusty train station of Aswan the following morning. Aswan, the third largest city in Egypt sits on the Nile in Upper Egypt, though that is southern Egypt to us if you were to look on a map. This area of the Nile has a large population of Nubian people. Nubians traditionally lived in the lands between Aswan and Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, until the High Dam was built in the sixties and flooded much of the land, forcing some communities to relocate to higher grounds. Trying to adjust to the sudden rise in heat (approx 46oc) on our first day, we busied ourselves visiting an essence factory and the high dam. That afternoon Jess, Jack, Dave & I went for cocktails at the beautiful Old Cataract Hotel, where Agatha Christies "Death on the Nile" was set. If I return to Aswan one day, I know where I'll be staying - the hotel was amazing! That evening we boarded a sail boat and headed over to Philae Temple to see the sound & light show. Though the show was a little cheesy at times, the temple was best experienced at night, all lit up so the hieroglyphics could be viewed at their very best. A 3:30am wake up call came after what felt like 5 minutes of sleep. We were off to see the grand Abu Simbel and our transfer (3.5 hours each way) was departing at 4:00am. All tourists must travel in a convey with police escorts and armed security as a safety measure. The early departure also avoids the worst heat of the day, and it is hot! Abu Simbel is just 40km's from the boarder of Sudan with nothing but desert surrounding. Abu Simbel is an amazing temple built by Ramses II and for many is the highlight to Egypt. The temple was originally on low lying land and when the high dam was being built, the temple needed to be moved or otherwise it would be lost forever. Over the course of four years the temple was taken apart and reconstructed on higher land. Over 20,000 pieces - i find it absolutely incredible that is was able to be done! After a well earned chicken Shwarma (my favourite on the go meal - similar to a chicken donar kebab!) and an afternoon nap, we boarded a sail boat and cruised around Elephantine Island before meeting our host for the evening. JJ, a very kind and charismatic Nubian man has been welcoming Intrepid groups into his home for years. We feasted on the best meal we have had in Egypt so far, while chatting about daily Nubian life and flipping through his wedding album. Kids were running in and out of rooms playing & screaming, and the whole evening just felt like a average night in his families home - tourists or no tourists. The next morning we boarded one of JJ's feluccas for a day and overnight sailing on the Nile. A felucca is a traditional wooden sail boat with a large mattress on the upper deck for sleeping, eating and lounging around, and the lower desk for luggage storage and a small kitchen. When I say small, I literally mean a bench with a burner and a few pots. The meals that came out of that little kitchen were incredible and by far the best meals we have experienced so far in Egypt with the exception of dinner at JJ's the evening before. The felucca was very comfortable, though there was nothing luxurious about it. We spent the day reading & napping, only stopping for loo breaks on the banks of the Nile and for meals. What I love about Intrepid Travel is the real experiences you get to have. I'm glad to have had the the day and night on a traditional felucca, rather than one of the large tourist cruise boats that chug up and down the Nile, behind a cloud of black smoke. It's definitely been a highlight of the trip so far X

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