Tuesday 9 June 2009
Highlights: Local markets, Felucca ride down the Nile, small village visit.

Well the air conditioning on the train stopped during the night making it much hotter than desired but I survived in my single cabin.   It was much harder on others who were sharing. Still a very comfortable train and I slept well, breakfast was good as well.

We arrived at the hotel around 10 am but couldn’t check in being so early so after sitting for a while around the pool (yes this was a very nice hotel) the group headed into town. Lesley had her credit card eaten by the ATM, not a great start and a reason why I always have at least two ways of accessing money when travelling.

The market area was fun as I was getting us to be rude and not talking or just saying no. I got to watch both Mark and Marco negotiate cheaper prices (about 60% marked down). Lesley was asked why she walked past one vender yesterday as well as today (remembering today was our first day in Aswan) and a little boy asked her to marry him.

Later on I helped Lesley contact her bank in the USA by using my mobile phone; this was after she had paid 200 L.E. (Egyptian pounds) and got not where.  Ahmed eventually rescued her credit card and later the card was unlocked and the problem solved. I also needed money so was concerned to use the ATMs but in my case no problems.

We then did a felucca trip down the Nile for about 1.5 hrs going past the Botanical Garden Island which looked out of place being so green and bright. At the end of the felucca ride we went to a Nubian village and ate at a locals house, in the open sitting on the ground (with cushions), very nice. Back at the hotel we drank some beers watching the sun go down over the Nile. Life can be very good.