Goodbye Luxor and Hello Dahab!

Just before we started this trip, one of the things we said we wouldn't do was to travel on night buses in the developing world. Experience tells us from our time in India and Nepal that it is often bl**dy awful - cold, uncomfortable buses and dodgy driving.

Anyway, funny that we now find ourselves in Dahab utterly exhausted and out of sorts after a 17.5 hour bus journey from Luxor. Predictably, it was cold, uncomfortable, the bus was dirty, and there weren't enough toilet stops. Fortunately, the driving was actually ok. Anyway, we won't do it again....

We are now comfortably put up in a seafront room in Jasmine's Place, Dahab, looking out over to the Arabian coast! Dahab is meant to be a bit of a Koh Samui wannabee but it comes across as a bit of a diving village aspiring to be like its big sister the Sharm El-Sheikh, maybe? The promenade on the sea front is very pleasant and it is definitely more built up than we expected. Hopefully it doesn't become another Sharm. There is definitely a more laidback feel to Dahab in comparison to some of the other Egyptian cities and towns we have been to. Something to do with the dive culture presumably. In fact, we could be anywhere, Koh Samui, Perhentian/Tioman etc. same vibe

Missing Luxor already - our last few days on the West Bank was our best time in Egypt thus far. We had several activity-packed days cycling and doing short treks around the hills surrounding the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's Temple. The short treks are definitely recommended - not too difficult and the rewards are tremendous. The scenery is pretty breathtaking - all rugged peaks and barren canyons.

We also visited some less well-known tombs near the Ramesseum called the Tombs of the Nobles and Dayr -al-Medina - the village where the workmen and artisans that worked in the Valley of the Kings lived. For me, I thought some of the tombs of the nobles and the tomb of Sennedjem, chief artisan in the time of Ramses II, were more beautiful than the royal tombs for their detail, artistry and interest. Real gems and should not be missed by anyone heading out this way. Very few of the large tour groups venture beyond the Valley of the Kings and Queens that way so it is relatively peaceful and you don't have to jostle for prime viewing position like you would at the more popular sites.

It is the first day of Chinese New Year today. If we left London in July as was our original intention, we would have been ushering in the year of the Dog with my family in Malaysia but our plans changed.....sorry mum and dad, Pat & Evelyn, and Fon Ho! We hope you are all having a great time wherever you are and Gong Hey Fatt Choy! to one and all of our family and friends who are celebrating.

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