Enshallah

Our departure from Aswan was by way of felucca , as we spent a day and a night floating down the Nile. The boats could accommodate 10 and between the sail and the current we drifted along much like Huck Finn. Our captain manned an enormous rudder which, when there was a breeze, could somewhat maneuver us about the river. The day passed trying to remember the rules for backgammon and doing back flips into the Nile...not that successful , but fun. That night we slept on the deck under the dazzling stars.

In the morning we boarded a bus for Luxor  as our truck was held up on the ferry. Luxor temple was beautifully lit up and we had a pleasant evening wandering through the ruins. When we are in a town like Luxor we are usually left to our own devices so the group can pick and choose what they want to do.

Another 5:00 am start brought us to the west bank and a hot air balloon ride over, well, wherever the wind would take us. The ride was certainly exciting as the balloon filled with air generated  from a flame that looked much too big for comfort. Never the less up we went for 45 min. looking out over the Valley of the Kings and across the Nile.  Our landing turned out to be in a sugar cane field..very cool.

The Valley of the Kings tour was a treat ; seeing a half dozen tombs - each one with a different point of interest...paintings,carvings, size. We did see Tut's tomb which is a modest affair. It is small and hardly decorated. He has been returned to his tomb minus all the treasures ...kinda sad really.


We had a terrific guide who talked of the current situation in Egypt.He was pretty negative ; although elections are coming the military has control and he doesn't see that changing ( "meet the new boss, same as the old boss" ). This attitude was echoed everywhere we went. The other problem is the devastation to the tourist industry- the Valley of the Kings normally sees 6000 a day and is now down to 800...desperate times.  It is a good time to visit as there are no line ups and prices are reduced, an incredible place to see.

Luxor has 2 superb museums  ( Luxor and Mummification) ; both are very up to date ,beautifully arranged and explained. You get the sense that only the very best pieces are on show. Thutmosis III is achingly beautiful and although the Mummification disappoints on gore the tomb treasures are amazing. One of the mummies was returned from Niagara Falls.

We left Luxor for a 4 day trip through the Western Desert. The first day and a half we had the attention of the tourist police who provided escorts both in front and behind our rented bus. First night was in a seriously decaying Soviet era hotel. While it was clearly on the edge of collapse the beds were pretty good. Further  into the desert we ended in a magical camp surrounded by crazy rock formations. Snuggled in camel blankets we spent the night under the stars..peraps the best campsite of the trip.

 We are enjoying the change in food ...Egypt has great street food , cheap and plentiful with felafels at the top of the list. Cairo offers many possibilities and last night we had an amazing meal at a Lebanese restaurant.

After the White Desert...right ...the Black Desert with it's odd covering of black outcroppings and accumulations of black sand. Bahariya Oasis was our last ..with lush groves of date palms. On the way we stopped at Al Qasr.

 It's narrow winding passages, tilted doorways and windows took us back to the middle ages. Our camp was 365 mikes from Cairo ..very fancy with a great hot spring which provided water for everything...even the toilets were toasty.

That night a traditional ( making full use of amps and reverb) band provided music. A terrific flutist backed by 3 percussionists kept the place rocking. The men do a kind of pelvic belly dance....a bit unnerving to western eyes ...but fun. No sign of Bedouin woman.

We are now in Cairo  and have done the expected and have said good bye to our dear travel companions. We now head out on our own ..next stop Tunisia.