Blogs from Aswan, Upper Egypt, Egypt, Africa - page 17

March 21, 22, 23, 2008 Aswan / Luxor, Egypt We arrived early Friday morning ( Good Friday - Not celebrated here in Egypt ) in Aswan from Cairo and went immediately to our ship, Ramadis I, that will take us to down the Nile River to Luxor via Edfu. This morning we took a small boat up the Nile River from Aswan to visit a local Nubian village and see the sights along the Nile near the old Aswan Dam Site. This was an interesting way to spent a few hours before checking into our room on the Ramadis I. The Nubian people of this part of Egypt were probably the most affected by the dams that were built as they lived on the river and had to be moved when the lakes were formed behind ... read more

Finding the train station to get to Aswan was a bit of a hassle. We received directions from the owner of the hostel, but didn't quite realize we had to take a train 2 stops to get there. Marsha and I wandered around the train station area for about an hour, to no avail. I was getting quite frustrated, as the overnight sleeper trains we were planning to take usually filled up quickly. It was hot and sticky, people everywhere. Finally, I made the decision to take a cab, regardless of the distance. It turned out to be a smart move, since the drive there took well over 20 min. We finally arrived at the ticket booth and found out that in fact, the sleeper trains to Aswana and Luxor were fully booked. Our other ... read more

We were dreding the felluca trip, just because the weather had been soo cold in Cairo and we were freaking out that we may get the runs during the 3 day sail (no toilets) extravaganza. We set sail in Aswana for Kom Ombo and Edfu. We were on the nile dancer and our 3 tours guides were very much into the dubies. The first day was great and Amanda and i did our own private trip to Elephantine Island and the Botanical gardens in Aswan. Once we got back we set sail for Kom Ombo. Due to the wind we didn't make it to Kom Ombo so we pulled over with 5 other fellucas. ... read more

Sailing up the Nile was very relaxing and it gave me a chance to chill out and spend some time going through photos and writing the blog in between temple visits. Also, the further south we got the higher the temperature became and we were able to start spending more time out on deck watching the world go by. Drifting upriver, we passed through small towns and cities that were always preceded and followed by several kilometres of industrial buildings - factories, brickworks etc. But, as soon as these had passed by the landscape gave way again to farmlands and small villages where people lived beside the Nile in a manner very similar to those that lived here thousands of years ago when the Pharaohs ruled. Not too long after leaving Luxor, we passed through the ... read more

Hi everyone!!! Now where did i last leave you..? Ah thats right Cairo. The following day we travelled to the Pryamids, the spinx and the egyption museium. It was soooo amazing and it did not feel real the whole time i was there. I was half expecting to wake up and it was all a dream. I had to get one of my fellow travellers to pinch me. My group is small, there are seven of us... Dan & Sam a newly married couple, Kurt & Brigette a married couple from melbourne, Walt and older man from the states and used to work for national geographic as a photographer (OMG!!!!) and then there is Ryan from townsville. We have been hanging out the most cause the couples do their own thing and we are a similar ... read more