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.

Overnight Train to Chiang Mai from Bangkok

A nice slow start to the day getting organized for the overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai. Took off to MBK (huge department store in the Siam area of Bangkok) to have some lunch and a look around. The place is huge and has everything you can image and very cheap. After that, jumped on a ferry and cruised along the river past the Grand Palace and several other Wats, including Wat Arun which looks incredible from the outside, so I shall go there with Brad when he arrives in Bangkok. The Taxi Driver who took us to MBK was hilarious. He told us that one of his pass times was impersonating Elvis Presley and so then he began to serenade us. After every tune we clapped for him and he would say in his Elvis voice "Oh thank you, thank you very much". It was so funny!! A Thai Taxi Driver singing Elvis..........you just had to be there to appreciate the moment. Anyway once we got back to Asha Guest House, we had a couple of drinks and before long were in a taxi on the way to the Samsen Train Station to catch our train. On boarding the train, Tracy and I were not put in the same berth so I got chatting to a French family who resided in Phuket and were bunking in my berth. When it was bed time I wasn't quite ready for bed so I got chatting to some people from the UK and we all went to the "bar" carriage on the train for drinks. They were great company and it was nice to exchange travel stories. After drinks they played cards, but I was well and truly ready for my bed, so I climbed up to my bunk and hit the sack. The bed on the train was actually softer than the bed that I had been sleeping on at Asha Guest House, so I had a really comfortable sleep and would highly recommend the train trip to anyone. Its a great experience, safe and cheap. The arrival in Chiang Mai was quite refreshing as it was not as polluted as Bangkok and a little quieter. We booked into a Guest House called the Green Tulip, which was recommended by Jo (a lady we met whilst staying at Asha). We were so pleased at the standard of this place for only approx $12AU a night split between the two of us. The place is clean and the people are friendly so if anyone is looking for a place to camp in Chiang Mai, I can highly recommend this place. I hope this post has made sense, as I have felt very weird today. A light headed, almost motion sickness feeling, but I'm sure it will pass. Not sure what tomorrow will bring - maybe a little meditation or yoga. I am thinking of doing 5 day Yoga/Meditation course which includes course notes and 3 hours of meditation/yoga per day. Also looking at a Hilltribe Trek a little north of Chiang Mai.......options options.....