Blogs from Upper Egypt, Egypt, Africa - page 69

Hey, After a nice train ride (only 3 Eg. pound, I am so happy with my student card..) I arrive in Luxor this afternoon and went straight to the camp I remembered from 4 years ago on the westbank. At the time He (Achmed) was sort of building the place, but now it is finished and I am so happy to stay there. I have a little but comfortable hut, it is quiet and in the fields, just off the Nile, I can see the Luxor temple from my hut. Theres is Achmed who is still very ' dopey' but he is married now and has a little daughter. There is a swedisch woman who doesn't say anything and looks very weird, but she seems to be very in herself and recovering, or.....well here is my ... read more

Met with Ahmed, our guide for the day¨and caught a boat across to the West Bank. First stop was the Colossi of Memnon, two very large statues in the middle of a field. The granite had been transported thousands of years ago by river from Aswan, over one hundred kilometres away! We rode donkeys up the mountain before walking on foot into the Valley of the Kings. I spent the whole time laughing at dad trying to balance on his tiny ride and am even having a little chuckle to myself whilst writing this entry. Poor Nige managed to fall off not once, but twice in the short hour long ride. Turns out is wasn´t his fault at all though, the saddle hadn´t been properly tightened, resulting in his sliding off. The first time wasn´t too ... read more

Came off the felucca fairly early and walked past Kom Ombo Temple on way to meet our transport. Had to wait a while as we had to join up with the convoy from Aswan to Luxor. Visited Edfu Temple, which is renowned as the battle site between the two Egyptian Gods, Horus (falcon) and Seth (his uncle). Again, very spectacular, however I wish we´d had a guide provided. There´s certainly a huge difference between exploring on your own and being taken in a group. You learn so much more about a place with a guide and although alot of information may not be retained, it certainly gives you a better appreciation and makes the experience more memorable. Ate a late lunch at the hotel, followed by a couple hours punching away on the computer. We´d arranged ... 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

The train was on time, which meant we arrived before the hotel rooms were ready and there wasn´t much else to do but jump on the net to pass time. Intrepid have recently switched from seats to sleepers on the overnight train (thank God), as the latter train arrives much earlier. Great idea, but a shame the hotel wasn´t a little more on the ball as it was a bit painful hanging around in the lobby for well over an hour. Lorraine, Jan, Doug and I met up to explore the area surrounding the hotel and to get in a spot of shopping. Had a group lunch on a floating restaurant recommended by Sam before taking a boat ride on the Nile to Elephantine Island. Rode a camel past St Simeons Monastery before visiting a Nubian ... read more