Aswan to Luxor

Well here we are again, happy as can be!

Our last day in Luxor was really busy, up early and off to find a boat to take us across to the west bank of the Nile, we were found by Mohammed, a 48 year old Nubian man with few teeth and some English and agreed a price for a ride across the river to the Saint Simeon Monastery and then back up the river to the Tombs of the Nobles.

We puffed up a sandy hill, past lots of camels and their drivers (Brian a bit averse to riding on animals since his brush with the mule) and then about 1 km up a rocky, steep hill to the Monastery. This is an enornous structure, looking a bit more like a fortress than a place of worship and contemplation and largly made of mud bricks. We have been told that it almost never rains in Aswan, so mud bricks work fine and last for centuries and you really would be amazed at what can be built with a lot of nud and some straw!

After our walk round the monastery (we had been up to the top, in and out of various bits while a German group listened with rapped attention to a long talk by their lecturer\guide) we went back down to the boat, weakening only for a moment and buying 2 white cotton shirts fron a charming salesman on the way. Off up the river about half a mile and another dusty slog up a very steep hill, there were actually some steps, but the dessert was making a spirited attempt to reclaim them (how many men with how many brushes would it take to keep them free of sand?) . At the top we fought off the offers of guiding and wandered round looking into deep dark holes and reading stuff off boards and from our guide book. It may seem abit mean to fight off guides, but our experience has been that they dont know much or perhaps more charitable cant express what they so know in anything like comprehensible English yet still expect to be given not inconsiderable ammounts of money.

Back down to Mohammed and his boat and a lovely, cool and breezy trip back across the river, it about 11.30 and quite hot by now. Lunch under the trees in a small park and back to the hotel for a rest. In the evening we watche the most fantastic sunset that I have seen for a lonfg while, took part in an impromptue English tutorial whilst watching the fantastic red, golf, orange clouds in the Faayer Gardens. It is a popular spot and where we has first met our friend Ismael, I got talking to a Teacher of Chemistry and had to help him with his pronunciation and word choice/meanings. Off to the expensive but very interesting Nubian museum, fantastic building, a present to the Nubian people from the Egiptian governemet as a "sorry for building a dam and drowning your history" . We then joine Ismael for tea at his house, went off for a late meal at a very nice returant about 10.00 English for as much as one could eat. Packing and bed.

Tess

Today we are in Luxor, an early train from Aswan (one that foreigners are not supposed to catch but the hotel assured us that noone would stop us and that the train conductor would simply add a bit of baksheesh to the proper fare - it was still only about 8 pounds for the two of us) wonderful journey along the Nile Valley, sometimes on one side the desert rocks and hills and the other side of the track the green irrigated fields and irrigation ditches and endless palm trees, in every field you could see one or two people working, no machinery and all working is attended by groups of egrets.

Arrived in Luxor to the inevitable scrum of taxi drivers, one Tourist policeman trying to hold them back and we agreed a (no doubt too high) price and off we sent - down back streets, picking up the taxi drivers father, then another man, and still in unpaved streets full of goats etc - we were pretty suspicious when we arrived at The Priness Hotel and suggested it could not be the right one (I thought it was on a major road) but the bloke from the hotel came out to reassure us and the place is just great - never felt so warmly welcomed. The place is in fact owned by a Frenchwoman Emmanuel and it is in her office that we are currently using the internet.

Off the the Temple for a late afternoon and sunset visit and then tomorrow we join a small group for the Valleys of the Kings and Queens (we have so far declined the hot air balloon experience!)

Brian