Monday, February 23, 2009

Egypt (continued)

A few more from the trip down to Aswan. Stopped at Wadi el Chat & the quarries at Djebel Silsileh ...

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Egypt

Flew to Cairo in the January break, as polluted and crowded as ever, with hassle thrown in for good measure. The best part of the whole trip was the 5-day boat journey down the Nile on the traditional dahabiyah Meroe. Did the usual touristy things like gawping at the Pyramids, eating kushari and getting ripped-off in taxis...
Then took the overnight sleeper train to Luxor. Overwhelming number of sights, best seen from a balloon to escape the crowds...
Boarded the boat at Esna; a great town with a bustling market place...
One advantage of travelling by a small boat is that it can moor practically anywhere. Loading up sugar-cane in the morning.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Hafeet Tombs

The UAE may well be celebrating its 37th birthday, but the 500 graves at the foot of Jebel Hafeet are thought to be five thousand years old... Next posting: Egypt. Inshallah.