Alexandria, Egypt, 07Apr2009

Subject: greetings from Alexandria, Egypt
Date: Tuesday, 7 April 2009 2:16 PM

Founded by Alexander the Great in 332BC, this city fringes the Mediterranean north west of Cairo, and has a present population of only 4 million which grows to 8 million in the height of summer, July-August. Imagining where these extra 4 million people go is difficult as the place, to us, seems already crowded to capacity.

Last time I emailed we were about to leave on the overnight train from Aswan to Cairo. Fortunately, we'd managed to find the duty free shop, a scruffy place in the main drag, where we managed to stock up with the essentials for such a trip -- you know, bottles of gin, tonic, and similar. And we certainly needed them. The train trip was the worst I can remember. Not only did the carriage seem to have wheels out of round, producing a constant vertical vibration which made sleeping (in bunks) nigh on impossible, but every now and again, at all speeds the driver seemed to have a penchant for suddenly increasing or decreasing the speed with a huge jolt felt throughout the train. And this was the best rail service Egypt can provide.

And so, our gin bottles emptied, we arrived back in Cairo at dawn the next day, most of us sleepless, but I with the added burden of dose of the runs (the first I'd had on this trip) probably caused by incautious consumption of home baked bread with a dubious "spread" at a fascinating Nubian village in Aswan the day before. The Nubians actually keep live crocodiles in their homes, supposedly to keep the homes safe - the crocs are allegedly returned to the wild after a couple of years living in these parlous circumstances.

It was with great relief that I charged into the toilet in the spotlessly clean hotel where our tour team had organised breakfast in Cairo, after which we piled aboard a bus to set off for Alex, some three hours drive away.

Here we are ensconced in the old world style Le Metropole Hotel, an ornate has-been which features 14 foot ceilings and lavish wall decorations but also deficiencies in minor things such as toilet paper, oh, and hot water. The room, sorry, suite, which Mary and I have consists of a a huge drawing room at the entrance, a large bedroom, and a bathroom, complete with jacuzzi, which is bigger than many hotel rooms we've experienced.

But the hotel has free internet access so here I am, at 0600, in my hotel-supplied dressing gown, sending this to you.

Today we're off to the El Alamein battlefield followed by a return to Cairo for a last fling before the group members depart for their various destinations tomorrow. Mary and I have opted for a few days in Singapore before arriving home next Monday.

Some pics:

My quest to win the photo comp continues. A self-timer shot in the jacuzzi of our hotel.

The 13th century Citadel at Alexandria, built on the site of the Alexandria lighthouse which toppled several hundred years earlier. We can see this citadel from one of our suite's windows.

View to the west from the Citadel, showing the proximity of Alex to the coast.

Regards
Kev & Mary Long

Aswan, upper Egypt, 03Apr2009

Subject: greetings from Aswan, upper Egypt
Date: Friday, 3 April 2009 11:45 PM

How the world has changed in a few years. I remember clearly having difficulty in the year 2000 getting internet access of any sort in Turkey and Greece and now here I am in Aswan, Egypt, many, many kilometres up the Nile from Cairo and am sitting here with a quite fast and stable and relatively cheap connection.

Our floating hotel arrived here during the night yesterday, so that we awoke yesterday morning to a sunlit vista of a new location and the promise of new experiences. As a group we'd opted to visit Abu Simbel, some 3 hours drive SW, in the afternoon rather than face the crowds which inevitably accompany the morning visit, not to mention the obligatory 0400 start for that visit. Our convoy left at 1100 and returned to Aswan at around 1915, just after dark. This so-called convoy, topped and tailed by armed police, is probably formed only for political reasons, but that is the way things are so we have no option but to go along with the deal. The journey is through a desert wasteland on a quite good bitumen road which has only a few very gentle direction changes over its 250km or so. All around the landscape is dominated by sand with the occasional hummock of rock (particularly near Abu Simbel) which protrudes from its surroundings in much the same shape as pyramids.

The temples at Abu Simbel were, of course, relocated in the 1960s from their original position -- now totally submerged under the limpid waters of Lake Nasser -- to high ground, close by. It was a magnificent engineering feat, surpassed only by the magnificence of the original work, both temples having been carved out of the rock of two small mountains instead of constructed from blocks of stone.

Our base for tonight is an old style hotel, well appointed, overlooking the Nile. It has a heated swimming pool and reasonably priced large bottles of Stella beer. Having been informed by our tour guide of the nearby location of a duty free shop which sells spirituous liquors, several of us intend to visit that establishment this evening bent on procuring supplies to assist in the next part of the journey, an overnight train trip back to Cairo, tomorrow (Saturday) night.

All arrangements during this tour have worked faultlessly. Our small group of 13 friends is treated as an entirely separate group, with our own ground transport and of course a dedicated guide. On arrival at a new location the usual recce parties go out and report back at the obligatory 1900 hrs, pre-dinner, meeting, with drinks and humorous discussions, in one of the rooms.

Things could hardly be better and I, for one, am very glad that we employed a guide and undertook a tour as language is always a difficulty, as is the culture difference.

OK, some pics:

Kay and Geoff Gettons, part of our group, in front of the smaller of the two temples at Abu Simbel (sorry, its name escapes me right now). The red luggage strap is there to make the image eligible for the Bunnik's Tours photo prize, which I intend to win.

Yesterday afternoon the glass doors of one of the Nile cruisers cum floating hotels near us in Aswan were being washed by a couple of the crew who were seated (and sometimes standing) on a single plank suspended on two ropes. The ornate surroundings of the glass doors particularly attracted my attention. Remember, this is a boat.

Another boat image. This one was carved over 3000 years ago -- temple of Edfu, on the Nile, north of Aswan.

Temple of Edfu. Several of the ladies visible in the bottom right corner are from our group (Mary included).

This morning we visited a genuine papyrus-making establishment here in Aswan. Most so-called papyrus artwork available on the streets here is actually constructed from banana leaf. Mary liked the look of this piece and bought it.

Anyway, must go and check out the duty free. Next catch up will probably not be until Alexandria, in a couple of days. Thanks for the emails on the local news. Hope the Clio has recovered from its flood encounter, Beanie.

Regards
Kev & Mary Long