TOPDECK Tuesday 1st May - Aswan

Well... After over 12 hours on the train (1st class recliner seats) and hardly any sleep, we arrived in Aswan just before lunch. This really is desert country. The streets are hot and smelly, the buildings are old and runs down and donkeys are a common form of transport. Our new bus picked us up at the station and delivered us to our new hotel for the next few nights - the Nile Star, a four star cruiser!!!

After stopping just long enough for lunch we continued on to the High Dam and Philae Temple. From what I can gather, when this huge dam was made, it flooded a couple temples and a Nubian Village. The Philae Temple is another impressive sight with its walls still covered in carvings and heiroglyphics.

The temp today was 39 degrees but it's a very bearable heat, not dry or humid. But, it was time to take advantage of the heat...
Upon returning to our hotel/boat we got into a much smaller one and went upriver to find a "beach"for a swim in the Nile!! While the water was probably in no way clean, it was cold and refreshing and just what I needed before my camel ride. (I also needed one after my camel ride coz the little bugger stunk so bad it rubbed off on me but it didn't happen...)...

My camel was a nice friendly monster who just plodded along following the track until we arrived at the Nubian Village where we were to meet the others from the tour for some hibiscus tea and a henna tattoo. The house we went to had a shaded are over the entire roof of their building which was open and well ventilated from the heat. They also had three baby crocodiles and two little turtles! Soooo cute!!


Tonight the "towel men" invaded our rooms while we were at dinner. There's a Nubian dance show on upstairs tonight but I'm gonna try get some sleep as I hardly got any on the train and we're up at 3am tomorrow to join the convoy to Abu Simbel. Eeeek....