Cruising the Nile

Arriving at Cairo's Giza train station for my overnight sleeper train to Luxor I thought I had stepped back to a period when the railway system was just developing into a modern method of transportation. The small, old, station building with it's peeling paint and wooden windows felt dated apart from the metal detector at the entrance. Porters strolled the platform old with luggage sack trolleys loaded with bags whilst waiting passengers, both local and tourist, passed the time until the train arrived. The train was almost on time and as I nestled into my sleeper compartment, joined by a fellow from Manchester, I began to anticapte the much famed Nile and the delights that I could expect.

The train pulled in to Luxor station around 7 am and I was met by my tour guide. I was taken by minibus through the early sun soaked streets of the East Bank town of Luxor. The renowned site of the Greek named Thebes, the ancient Egyptians home to the impressive Karnak and Luxor temples.

HS Aton, a large Nile cruiser vessel, was to be my home for the next three nights and as I checked in I was lead to the Nile deck (the bottom deck) and shown to my room. The Nile cruises are known for their luxurious settings and accommodation and I was very pleased, as I walked into my suite, to find a king size bed, en-suite and the usual creature comforts you'd expect in a decent hotel room. Perhaps a little unsettling I noticed that my room was half below the water level with only the windows above the mirky surface.

Comprised of five decks the boat was a veritable floating hotel. With four decks of compartments, a buffet restaurant, the Cheers Bar and an upper sun deck with it's very own miniture swimming pool I was in paradise as the burning sun rose and showered the sun loungers. I took it upon myself to test the sturdiness of the reclining chairs.

The buffet cart was a reasonable fare, far better than the food I had been coming accustomed to in Cairo, and later in the day I was met in reception by Mustafa, my guide, to go to the Karnak and Luxor temples. We picked up some other tourists from other hotels on the way and soon we arrived at the monsterous site of Karnak.

Karnak is probably the largest historical site in Egypt, perhaps with the exception of Valley of the Kings on the West Bank of Luxor, and is comprised of temples, chapels, pylons and a sacred lake. Devoted to the sun god, Amun Re, the centre piece of Karnak is the Great Temple of Amen. Begun by Pharoah Ramses II nearly 3500 years ago it is a huge structure with 134 towering Lotus pillars. The centre 12 form the main corridor of the Great Hippostyle Hall. As you enter through the hierglyphic inscribed walls, guarded by numerous stone statues of lion bodies adorned with human heads and their Phaorah head pieces, you catch a glance at the back of the temple, to the east, and the towering oblelisks jutting out of the ruins.

A short distance from Egypts second most visited tourist attraction (next to the Giza Pyramids) is the Luxor Temple. Another relic of the ancient civilisation it was largely constructed by Pharoah Amenhotep and added to over time. Still being uncovered is the Avenue of Sphinxes. Now believed to link the two temples together the avenue is lined by over 700 statues of the lions with human heads, the same as those that guard Karnak. In the 13th century AD muslims added a mosque to an inner courtyard of the temple. I chose not to enter the Luxor temple as it was still very hot and I was tired but I managed to get a few pictures from outside.

Even as the sun was setting in the late afternoon the temperature was still well into the high thirties and it was time to return to the boat for dinner. The night before, waiting for the train, I had met an American fellow, Larry, heading for Luxor also. We had been in separate carriages on the train but as I entered the dining saloon I saw him at a table. On a ship that was predominently occupied by large groups of French, German and Russian groups it was nice to have someone to share a meal with, something we continued to do for the next few days.

The next day was a very early start, the boat was still moored outside the Sheraton hotel and would be until early afternoon when it was to set sail up river towards Aswan. 6.45 am and the phone in my room buzzed loudly, waking me, with my early morning wake up call. After the buffet breakfast I was again greeted by Mustafa in reception and left to do the West Bank tour. I had been told the boat would leave at 1 pm. The morning of the West Bank tour did not go so smoothly. Collecting a larger number of fellow tourists it took sometime before we were all packed into the minibus and on the way to the Valley of the Kings, the first stop of the day.

The West Bank is home to the vast valley of the dead, the Necropolis of Thebes, where the limestone hills on the Nile encase the tombs of numerous ancient Pharoahs, perhaps the most famous being Tutankhamen - discovered in 1922 by English Archeaologist Howard Carter. The vast complex houses countless resting places of dead Pharoahs who were buried with treasures and riches that were to be pillaged before the last Pharoahs were even buried. So far only Tutenkhamen's tomb has been discovered untouched. Astonishingly the tombs of these ancient rulers seemed to be unmapped as, during the construction of various other tombs, the burial chambers of other rulers were sometimes encroached upon meaning that tunnels into the new tombs had to be diverted. We weren't allowed cameras inside this complex as the flash photography degrades the coloured hieroglyphics painted on the walls.

Most of the tomb's entrances are sealed to the public either for conservation or restoration work but we did have the opportunity to enter three different shrines. Among the great rulers whose tombs these were dedicated to are the illustrious Tuthmosis I, considered one of the more important Pharoahs who pushed the borders of Egypt further than anyone before going deep into Nubia, and Ramses II, who followed around 300 years after Tuthmoses and is also known as Ozymandias in Greek. The tunnels into the chambers buried in the limestone mountains were impeccibly decorated with hieroglyphics and art work worshipping the sun god and depicting the mummification process and the boat of the dead.

Leaving the Valley of the Kings our next destination was the Valley of the Queens, although not before the customary stop at the tour guides friends alabasta shop. Time was pressing, it was already approaching midday and we were told that the alabasta visit would last fifteen minutes. We were given a short demonstration of the methods employed for making the fine alabasta vases and the other works they did. They told us about the granite, floated down the Nile from Aswan, used to make figurines and busts, the real, glow-in-the-dark, statues and some other statues that left little to the imagination as to what they thought of their endowments.

Nearly an hour later after several of the other members of the group had spent a long time haggling over prices for the souvenirs whilst the rest of us had to wait in the hot, arid, heat we headed off. I was not going to be late in getting back to the boat and I was now concerned for time. I was also becoming weary of temples, mausoleums, tombs and the like. Egypt is certainly bequeathed with it's fair share of them, perhaps more concentrated than any other place I have ever travelled and they are also astute in that they charge you a separate entrance fee for every single one of them. This becomes increasingly frustrating for the traveller on a budget. The Nile cruise as not cheap to begin with, certainly in travellers terms, being more than a weeks budget and the constant dipping into the pocket for entrance fees was becoming a real financial pain. I told the guide I wouldn't be going into the next temples and that I needed to return to my boat ready for departure. This caused a bit of an upset as I believe the tour guides get a cut of the entrance fees for the groups they bring in. The day before I had heard that Karnak temple brings in around 126,000 USD everyday of the year in entrance fees for the government. I was not going to worry about my lack of desire to enter this one in that case.

After some discussion, phone calls to head office and some aggressive sounding conversations I was being driven back to the boat with an American couple who, likewise, were getting a bit exhausted from all the tourist activities and the costs. It was also lunchtime on the boat and I was hungry and didn't want to miss one of the meals that was included as part of my cruise. In the afternoon I had free time. No more sites to visit and as I laid on the sundeck soaking up the sun's rays the boat left it's mooring and we began the voyage up river towards Aswan.

The following day I had yet another early wake up call for breakfast and to prepare for a visit to, you guessed it, another temple. The boat had arrived overnight at a place called Edfu. Still feeling the effects of all the tourist bashing I elected to forgo this temple and instead headed up to the sundeck. It appeared as though the entire ships compliment had gone to the historical site so I had pick of the loungers at about 7.30 am and I remained in that spot, turning myself routinely like a rotisserie chicken, until lunch. The boat had departed late morning to head to Kom Ombo, another location enroute to Aswan. The Kom Ombo temple was easily visable from the boat as we approached and again I elected to forgo entrance as I took pictures from the top deck. As the boat moored there were local children skimming stones into the Nile. They were obviously waiting for the next boat load of unsuspecting tourists as we were soon proffered braclets and other hand made sellables. As the the day drew to an end I caught my first sunset on the Nile. The boat was moored heading due south and I had a perfect panorama from our east bank position looking across the river and palm tree lined western bank.

The final part of the Nile adventure included a bus ride to the southern most region of Egypt approaching the border of Sudan. In the evening and overnight the boat set sail for Aswan, our final mooring location, and from there I would take the bus to Abu Simbel to see the much revered Great Temple of Ramses II. In the evening I was informed that my wake up call would be at 2.45 am! Buses and coaches must travel in police escorted convey across the southern desert and because of the distance and the need to return the same day for people to catch the return train to Cairo it must be an early start. I was wondering if this was going to be a worthwhile escapade.

2.45 am and the same, loud, buzzing phone woke me up and after receiving my cardboard boxed breakfast we were lead to our minibus and went to the convoy area. The bus was cramped and full and as we set off at 4 am I was waiting for the sun to rise to make things just a little more uncomfortable. It was a three and a half hour drive to Abu Simbel and we were given an hour and a bit to explore the temples before we had to undertake the return journey.

The Great Temple of Ramses II was perhaps the most exquist example of ancient Egyptian glorification. Two massive temples with imposing stone statues of Pharoahs guarded the entrance like colossal warriors. Inside the atmosphere was close, humid and sweaty but the art work on the walls were incredibly detailed and well maintained. It was worth the effort to come and see these monuments that had twice been moved after the Aswan dam had been constructed and flooded the Aswan to Abu Simbel Valley. The only downside was the no photography rule inside the monuments.

Bus ride back to Aswan and then it was time to head to the train station and catch my overnight long haul back to Cairo. Just as soon as the trip had begun it felt like it was ending. The train departed the platform at 4 pm and I was left contemplating the remarkable sights I had seen and experienced the past few days in my sleeper compartment that I had to myself. From the vast and enchanting relics of a civilisation once the pinnacle of the world to the cows that appeared stranded on small islands in the middle of the river it had been one of the those trips that is inscribed in your memory forever.

I had a few days in Cairo to pass before I headed to Dahab, on the Red Sea coast, and Sinai where I would visit St Katherines and Mount Sinai, my final stop in Egypt...

Egypt: Cairo and the Pyramids

Egypt, home to arguably the World's most renowned ancient civilisation, and Cairo was my next stop from Tunis. Saying good bye to the Tunisian leg of my travels I boarded my plane in the still humid night and took off for the land famous for The Pyramids, amongst other things.

Arriving in Cairo at some ungodly hour of the morning I was instantly hit with an even warmer climate. North Africa appears to be experiencing a hotter than average Autumn that I shan't complain about. After some confusion surrounding my transfer to the hostel, which evidently wasn't there, I was left to search the streets of Downtown Cairo until 5 am in a taxi. A daunting experience in a city with an estimated population of between 16 to 20 million people (you would have thought they could be more specific these days) and with taxi drivers with no map reading skills what so ever! The only city of this size I have visited is Sao Paulo, Brazil, and I have to say that I would not want to search the streets there for a hostel at 5 am on my own. After some time (2 hours to be precise) I was safely resting in my bunk at Dina's hostel preparing myself for the experience of this vast metropolis.

Cairo is a hive of bustling activity. Thursday morning, after breakfast, I headed out into the city with a couple of people from the hostel for a stroll and a bit of sight seeing. The immediate impact of the size of Cairo is nothing compared to the intensity the city exudes when you step onto the pavements. The traffic here is relentless and the thick, blue/white, cloud of smog is almost suffocating. Stretching across the city like a blanket there is no escape from the toxic film.

As I made my way to the market area of the Islamic quarter you are immediately aware of the numerous hawkers and opportunistic locals waiting for their next victim. One unfortunate girl from our hostel was stung for 44 USD for a cup of mint tea, an incident I am sure she will look back on and regretfully shake her head about. Being smart here is the same, if not more important, than it was in Tunisia. That said there is a beautiful array of wares for sale inside the souqs.

Separated into various sections you will find the competitors sitting outside their stores on stools chatting until the ever popular tourist appears in view. Then the street or alley will come alive with calls for you to buy their merchandise. "Hello, where are you from?" is the common cry and a mere look or mumble from you will result in a sales pitch worthy of a BMW car show room.

Outside the main souq and I stumbled across a small road known locally as the factory street. A true diamond in the rough, this road was home to many small outlets of the factories making the products for the Souqs. At bargain basement prices its hard not come away with something. Tucked around the back of this street are the workshops themselves. I had the opportunity to watch furniture being hand made. From stools and chairs being nailed together to the wood being turned on lathes it's all there. Taking photos of the men at work is well received and showing them their pictures makes them smile. As I snapped the man at the lathe he invited me to try my hand (under his direct supervision of course)...it was a fascinating experience as the damp wood chips covered me from head to toe.

Spending the day walking through the streets of Cairo can be an exhausting experience and the evening saw a well deserved period of relaxation. I had organised a day to the pyramids for the following day and got my head down for the early start impending.

Friday morning came and breakfast in the hostel was a traditional Egyptian fare. Aubergine stuffed with spicy chilli, pita bread and flava beans it was a heavy breakfast but perfect to set you up for a day of wandering the ancient landmarks.

We were picked up by our driver around 8.30 am and headed off in the direction of Giza. Around Cairo there are numerous archeaolgical sites with the main ones being Giza, Sakkara and Dahshur. We would visit all three this day. Early morning on a Friday and I was struck by how empty the streets were. The weekend in Egypt is Friday and Saturday, I was informed, and being so there was no commuter traffic. Our way to the river, where we had to cross to get to Giza, was practically clear but the ever ominous smog loomed over head restricting your view of the distance.

En route to the Pyramids our driver stopped at a papyrus museum. Inside I was shown how the ancient Egyptians made the World's first paper. By stripping the outer layer off and cutting the inside of the papyrus plant stems into strips and soaking them in water for a minimum of 6 days (the longer they are soaked after this the darker the paper becomes) this releases the natural glues of the plant. They are then laid in a criss-cross fashion to bind and put in a press. Originally the Egyptians didn't have the modern, mechanical, presses used today so they used large stones, or fat women, and every 6 days they put a bigger stone (or woman) on to continue the press. This leads to an incredibly strong and flat paper which, because there are no chemical agents - all the glue is natural - the paper doesn't degrade over time.

Of course the visit to the museum wouldn't be complete without the sales pitch after the demonstration for you to buy the "authentic" papyrus scrolls.

Leaving empty handed we made for the Giza location. The most famous of all the pyramids these are the three widely seen in films, documentaries and the like. Here you find the Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. Khufu was the father of Khafre and built his pyramid, the largest of the three, some 4600 years ago. At 146.5 metres high it is a towering stone mausoleum crafted by artists to help Khufu's passage to heaven. His son, Khafre, constructed his own pyramid after his fathers, slightly smaller in size, however he wanted to impress power and importance and so he built it on higher ground to make it look larger. The Pyramid of Khafre is fascinating as the original lime facia can still be seen at the top of the structure. The third and smallest of these three temples was built by Menkaure and stands at around 62 metres high. Walking around the area is a truly unique experience. Since I was a child at school I have studied and learned about the pyramids and having the opportunity to finally see them has been a moment I shall never forget. Combined with the famous statue of the Sphinx it was a magnicient morning.

After the awe-inspiring monuments I was back in the car and heading down to Dahshur. Around 15 to 20 kilometres south from the Giza site Dahshur seemed like a strange place to go. With a few more pyramids scattered around there hardly seemed much point except that here I had the chance to enter the pyramid (although this is possible in Khafre pyramid - an extra cost). The entrance to Dahshur is a tiny square hatch in the side of the stone facade which leads into the passage. It's a steep, perhaps 45 degree, slope with battons across the floor to act as steps. Inside the air is clammy. It's a bizarre atmosphere. It feels humid as the perspiration leaks from your skin but the air is almost cool. It is great to see the inside of one of these tombs.

Seeing this much in a day can become tiring and, after an unwanted visit to an oil factory (the driver makes a percentage of anything these guys manage to sell you I found out) I headed to Sakkara. The final mausoleum stop of the day, fatigue setting in, I decide not to enter the site. The Egyptians are quite clever as they make you pay individual entrance fees for each location. This becomes expensive and feeling the strain on my wallet and my ability to absorb anymore ancient hyroglifics or stone mounments I headed back to the hostel.

To top off the most fantastic day I headed down to a local Sheesha bar with a few of the travellers from the hostel to share an apple flavoured pipe and some tea. The perfect way to pass the warm evening by. Sitting in the Downtown area of Cairo enjoying the splendid evening surround by locals all with pipe in hand is a very Egyptian night out.

The following day was all about preparing for my overnight journey to Luxor to begin my cruise down The Nile...stay tuned

Tunis and the North

I would like to dedicate this entry to an old family friend who recently succumb to her battle with cancer. May you rest in peace, Doreen Loveman.

Stepping off the overnight long haul train from Tozeur I was groggy and slightly worse for ware. It would seem that it's difficult to even get a little peace and quiet on a night train as a group of locals erupted in to a full blown arguement with the conductor at 1 am because he was removing someone from first class when they only had a sceond class ticket.

Shattered I was rounded up by a taxi driver and was soon flying along the main roads of Tunis towards the Medina where my hostel was. After a confrontation with the driver who tried to charge me over thirty Dinars for a five Dinar ride resulting in me agreeing to talk to the police about it - he backed off when I agreed to this and soon disappearedwith my ten Dinars that I was expecting change from - I was knocking on the door of Hostel Medina Tunis.

Lonely Planet says of Auberge Medina; "Located in a Wonderful 18th century palace in the midst of the medina, the rooms here are basic: white walls and bunk beds upstairs; comfortable but stuffy doubles downstairs. There's a pretty, tiled courtyard, the welcome is friendly and the position is priceless." This description obviously comes from a person who hasn't actually stayed there, only popped their head around the door for a look to write a piece in a guide book. It is centrally positioned in the medina making it a nightmare to walk through to the new French town around Avenue Habib Bourguiba as you are eternally stopped by merchants hawking their wares. The "hot water" is warm at best when it is that but there is a pretty courtyard. This palace plays host to some Arabic weddings, however, on a very frequent basis so if you like Arabic music blairing at full volume until three in the morning then you would love this place - they didn't even ask us to join in!

Tunis is really a blemish on the picture postcard face of Tunisia. It's a dirty city bustling during the day making it difficult to enjoy. You are hassled from all angles and must be careful with your possessions and have your faculties about you at all times. Not hard when there is not a bar or club in sight to loose said faculties in a night of frivolities.

There are, though, some beautiful areas of the capital of Tunisia not far from the town centre. A short, thirty minute, metro ride to the North East you will find the magical locations of Sidi-Bou-Said and Carthage. Sidi-Bou-Said, although quite heavily adorned with tourists, is a bougainville heaven. White buildings with beautiful, hand painted, blue window grills and door frames it is set on the peninsula hill top between Carthage and La Marsa. There are a couple of georgeous, but small, beaches to enjoy with a small marina.

Carthage is a well known city from the Roman Empire but the roots of the city date way back before the Romans to 1100 BC and the Phoenicians, the original in habitants of the area known as Phoenicia - Lebanon today. The Roman ruins, from around the second centruy BC, are still here to this day and impress a vision of grandeur with the pinnacle a towering cathedral set up upon the mount which is now a museum.

Around the valley of Carthage there are also ruins of the ampthitheatre, the old Roman villa and the Roman Gardens. They make for a nice afternoon strolling around in the sun and could easily been combined as a morning excursion with Sidi-Bou-Said in the afternoon for a delicious lunch and an afternoon on the beach.

The other major tourist attraction of Tunis is La Bardo. Four kilometres to the North West of Tunis centre is a huge Husseinite palace which is home to the largest collection of ancient mosaics from this vast continent, some of Africa's oldest, which are, for the majority, in superb condition. Floor to ceiling pictures of all sorts of historic events and dipictions the floors themselves are mostly entirely mosaics. It's an impressive collection to say the least and a must see. It also plays host to some stone carved statues that are scattered around the building in crevices and archways throughout the palace.

My day here was tarnished by one of those events that can happen to anyone, especially a lone tourist not paying enough attention. On my way back from La Bardo I took the metro. It was here I was victim to the old trade known through out the world, pickpocketing. I didn't really lose much in monetary value but the wallet was a present from the Lovemans so after learning of Doreen's passing this is sentimentally harder to take. Reporting the incident to the police only served as a waste of time as I was turned away after a two hour wait with the "We no English speak" line. Thanks for nothing!

Although Tunis is not the best city for a tourist and certainly not for the length of time I have stayed here (eight days) it has given me the chance to continue my training for my hiking later on in this African adventure. Belvedere park is around three kilometres walk from my hostel so I have been running there a lot and also had the chance to find a gym which I have frequented on a number of occasions these past days. I found myself a local little eatery, called Borchani's, where I was able to get couscous and vegetables with half a chicken and a drink for the equivalent of less than three pounds sterling, really helping my to boost my dietary protein content which up till this point has been hard to do. The Tunisian diet is heavily based on carbohydrates. Bread, couscous and potatoes the norm. I have found some local sweet delicacies called Baklava and Masfout De Tunis. Both are cheap, extremely tasty and extremely fattening! Good job I have been training then.

Whilst in Tunis I have also been on the hunt for extra adventures for later in my trip. With Kilimanjaro still the height of the travels I have also booked a trip to Mount Kenya, the second highest mountain in Africa where I will be trekking to the Lenana point. At 4800 metres it is nearly 1200 metres below the summit of the highest freestanding mountain in the world but it will serve as a great warm up and test for the main event. I am also booked on to a Masai Mara game safari. Two events I am now really looking forward to. I will also look into climbing Mount Meru, Tanzania's second highest mountain.

As I write this entry I am whiling away the remaining hours of my stay in Tunisia with Bob Dylan keeping me company. I've been here for three and a half weeks now, how time flies, and in what will seem the rapid movement of the fleshy skin covering the eye I will be sat on a plane to Egypt and Cairo. Stay tuned as I begin the second leg of this African ensemble. Below is my favourite picture from Tunisia. Something that, for me, depicts some of the uniqueness that this land offers.