Aswan

The overnight train to Aswan was fantastic and we even managed to get a bit of shut eye! On arriving in Aswan we were met by another local guide who was also called Mohammad (very popular name in Egypt lol). This Mohammad was to become THE NUMBER 1 MOHAMMAD, for he was the perfect gentleman and made every one of us feel special in some way. Nothing was too much trouble for him, he was always available when needed and was a very kind & genuine person. He will be our friend for life! When taking my next group to Egypt I will be calling on Mohammad for sure!!!

Aswan - beautiful, mediterranean feel and our hotel was perched right on the Nile. We spent our first afternoon familiarising ourselves with the local souq, then boarding a felucca for a sunset sail on the Nile exploring Kitchener & Elephantine Islands, whilst stopping at a Nubian Village enroute. The Nubian Village was an eye opener....after enjoying a cup of Hibiscus Tea with a local family, we proceeded to give out some of the textiles, buttons & scraps we had bought along for poor families struggling to make a living. Boy what a mistake, we were mobbed!!! On returning to our felucca we set sail as the sun was disappearing beyond the desert whilst singing along with our Nubian Captain "she'll be coming around the mountain" - madness - Just another challenge in the day of an Adventurous Woman!

Cairo - Aswan

Big day today - We were met by our guide who took us to the Egyptian Museum for a couple of hours. On reflection I think you need a lot longer than that, as there is just so much to see. We managed to see all the major's, including Tutankhamen's finery & the mummy room which was kind of eery, but well worth the visit. Then it was off for a cheap takeaway lunch - yummy felafel burger and onto the Papyrus Factory to witness the making of the papyrus paper. Next on our itinerary we were to visit "rubbish city" - one of the poorest communities in Cairo, but according to our guide, the government officials had advised that it was too dangerous to go there. We opted for a drive through the "City of the Dead" instead, which I'm sure was equally as poor. Here families live amongst the Tombs and it is a sight that would not be seen to often by the average tourist.

Next stop - The famous Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, which had recently been bombed only 2 weeks prior, needless to say there was plenty of security around the place! This place is awesome - shoppers paradise. We had a great time shopping for bargains and some of us tried the Sheesha too! Once we'd finished shopping (for now!!!), we boarded our overnight sleeper train for Aswan.