Articles from this Category
28 March 2014
Above: From my Luxor hotel rooftop. I had spent all of yesterday in the hotel, mostly in bed. I needed time to clear my mind with things I haven’t taken care of for a while when on the road. So, it was filing, sorting bills, and trying my luck with getting a new job when […]
26 March 2014
West Bank Tour Today I did a tour of Luxor’s West Bank as part of a van arranged through Bob Marley Peace Hostel. Their price was EGP40 (NZD6.50) compared to EGP100 at my hotel. Not bad for nearly 7 hours inclusive of a guide. I visited the Valley of the Kings some 22 years ago. […]
25 March 2014
With nearly no tourists in Luxor the price of hot air balloon rides has plummeted. I managed to score a deal for EGP220 (NZD37) by booking at the Bob Marley Peace Hostel rather than my hotel. I was picked up by van at 0500 and dropped off at the river bank for a ferry ride […]
24 March 2014
I woke around 0700 again and was offered a slightly better breakfast today as Ahmad was onboard. Today I had an omelette as well as bread, jam, cheese and tea. Ziggy told me that there had been a slight change in plan. Rather than drop me near Edfu where I’d have to take a car […]
23 March 2014
We tied up around 0200 near Daraw. When I woke around 0700, I was offered a simple breakfast after which I took a tutuk to the camel market. This is a Sat/Sun event (it isn’t too clear) but there was certainly a fullhouse of camels and camel traders on this Sun morning. Planning is essential […]
22 March 2014
I had breakfast with Erich and Ulla. We were going our separate ways today; their Land Cruiser had arrived and will be ready for use today. I picked their brains on various parts of Africa. They talked about Chad and how they had seen some canyons with water there; I thought for a moment that […]
21 March 2014
I woke at 0230 for a 0300 pickup for Abu Simbel. Before we left Aswan, we went through a checkpoint where the vehicles were inspected by mirror underneath. It was a 3h+ ride from Aswan and I dozed part of the way. We didn’t travel in a strict convoy in a manner that was prescribe […]
20 March 2014
I joined Erich and Ulla today to explore Aswan’s west bank. Our planned activities required a private felucca journey in one direction so it made sense to do it together. We started off in town and found a felucca for EGP50 to take us over to the west bank, getting off underneath the Aga Khan’s […]
19 March 2014
Above: On the ferry after a sleepless night. Another sleepless night I rose in the wee hours of the night and wandered around. There were people sleeping everywhere, both inside on the floors, and on the open deck. I went to the restaurant. The atmosphere there, like the rest of the boat was very friendly. […]
18 March 2014
Above: On the top deck; prayer time at sunset. Photo courtesy of Vincent Gelot. Sleepless Night There was plenty of snoring through the night, sharing a dorm with mature men. Cellphones kept going off too! It got really cold; I had three layers on my upper body, a rain coat and also longjohns under my […]