Egypt Update

Dahab Traffic Jam....camels on the road!
We are in Dahab now, a beach resort town on the south coast of the Sinai Peninsula. I'll fill in the gaps between Cairo and Dahab ....

First to Aswan, by train. We left Cairo at 8 p.m. and arrived at noon the next day. A frienly conductor got us into an empty compartment for six, instead of a small compartment for three, so we had room to stretch out, but no one got much sleep.

The NubiNile Hotel in Aswan was a bit dim and the hallways smelled funny, but there was a small pool on the roof, which John enjoyed. They seemed to be draining the pool while we were there. The first day the water was up to his shoulders and by the time we left it was only ankle deep! We visited the Aswan High Dam (can you imagine Nelson not taking the opportunity to explore another hydro-electric plant?) We did not get too close to anything, just picture op's from the top of the hill

.....I am going to make a blog entry about the Tombs and Temples, so just hang onto that thought and stay with me.

(More "Royal Cobras")

We left Aswan on a Felucca, which is a traditional Nile River sailboat. There were three other passengers the first night: Brice and Esther from Spain and Randy, and ex-pat American who does not want to live in the USA anymore. We drifted downriver and tied up next to a sandbank at dusk, slept under the stars. It was just as peaceful and picturesque as it sounds. The next morning Randy left and the four of us continued, with the crew of two, to another sandbar where we swam and lounged most of the afternoon. Another night under the stars.....

The Queen's Valley Hotel in Luxor is brighter and more cheerful than the NubiNile, and the rooftop pool was in full operation. They even served beer! A happy four days was had by all, until we left on another long bus ride (5 p.m. to noon the next day) that brought us to Dahab and the beaches.