Blogs from Aswan, Upper Egypt, Egypt, Africa - page 20

As you might have guessed, we were on our way back to Luxor, again by convoy, but this time with one major difference. This time we were staying for the next 2 nights at 5 star accomodation. This overlanding stuff is hard work! So basically, we dumped our stuff in the pool and all went and sat by the pool, swum and relaxed while watching an amazing sunset over the Nile. About half the group had to be up very early the next day for Hot Air Ballooning so we all pretty much had a quiet night. I gave this one a miss as i'll look at doing it when the option comes up again in Cappadocia in Turkey. The next day after my comparative sleep-in and buffet breakfast, we cruised out to the Valley ... read more

Last night in Egypt.. so what are my feelings about this country? Firstly, overwhelming history and culture.. the ruins are already so impressive.. just imagine Egypt in its hay days.. but that's the past.. what about the future? Will Egypt continue to grow into a strong nation as it was before during the pharaonic age? Suez canal.. tourism resources... hope good things come out of these.. and get distributed to the people... it's really tough to trade with arabic people.. they're shrewd... they're aggressive.. they always want to get more out of you... dealing with them involves a lot of negotiation.. can get quite tiring.. i hope sudan and ethiopia will be more straight forward.. The number of people asking for baksheesh.. it's really very sad to see this.. from little kids.. to temple guardsmen.. to ... read more

This time it's the difference between the world of backpackers' hostels and the world of the luxury hotel, where your room is cleaned three times a day, fresh sheets are put onto your bed daily and clean towels are offered about three times a day: the cruising classes must be a mucky lot. It transpired that our sleeper train left from Giza not Cairo itself, which meant another hair-raising taxi trip. After being security searched, we hung around on the platform waiting for sleeper train number 82, which duly arrived. It consisted entirely of sleeper cars and was British Rail style circa 1965 - a little compartment for the two of us, with a wash basin and two bunks. Dinner was awful - come back British Rail, all is forgiven. As it was after nightfall when ... read more

To start with the angels...About 2 hous ago I got robbed, that means I could not find my wallet anywhere when having a tea....OEPS...old trauma's came alive (I was robbed before)...but I just stayed relatively calm and said to myself ' It will be allright Jon' . I went to the police station and there was my wallet (with everything in it), I just couldn't believe my eyes and hugged the police officer who was very embarassed about this...haha..anyway, the sory is a bit misty but some guy found my wallet on the street and brought it to the police...I remember being hassled by a guy but that's it...it is not important. Off course I rewarded this guy with generousity and he and I had a nice cup of tea..see the picture. So, off course from ... read more

Yesterday I tried to get a seat on the train, so I went to the Lions Pit, that is nr 11 perron....I know it from previous travels...my brother Ben knows...LOL..... I got very upset because I thought they didn't want to sell me a ticket.....I went from line to line....1st class, 2nd class, 3 rd class...it is not until now (the next day) I heard that many Egyptians are celebrating holidays so all seats are gone for at least a week...OEPS I managed to get a flight (!) to Aswan (from Cairo), which costed about the same as a nightsleep-train. The whole scene in the Railwaystation, with me getting upset and angry...it was a wonderful and nice lesson to beware of my emotions and take it very very easy. It is also, and then I will ... read more