Cruising down the River

My final blog on our trip to Egypt taking in the river cruise and stay in Luxor. Despite all warnings we enjoyed the cruise without mishap. It didn`t run aground, did not have engine failure and neither of us ended up with the runs!
So peaceful and so much to see. We did not get "templed out" as our guide Magdy organised the visits so well - every temple different and just enough detail / time to make a huge impact on us but now bore us! Quite how Egypt will continue to uncover the estimated 66% of remains still to be worked on in such times of economic hardship I don`t know but there is so much more than I realised out there.
What did I like best?

• The boat (MS Sherry) might not have been the most swish on the river but as guide Magdy told us it remained his number 1 choice to work on because the food was superb throughout and with only 12 passengers we were outnumbered by crew by 3 or 4 to 1 I reckon. Great service and always with a smile. Yes we loved the temples but it was also nice to just watch what was happening on the river banks and relax and catch those great sunsets every night.
• Great guide Magdy who was so attentive and at times we had a private tour with him and the two of us. So friendly and helpful
• Met some nice people - Jo and Louise who seemed to stalk us around the temples despite being on a different boat and Winifred and Joe a delightful couple aged 86 and 83 who having travelled through Jordan and Israel were taking in the Nile before going home to Toronto. So many stories and such energy. Hope I am still travelling the world at 86!

Worst things

•  The pollution. Despite being dependent on the Nile for irrigation we were amazed at how rubbish was burned on the river banks and how much rubbish was floating in the Nile. None of the fish eaten in restaurants or on boats comes from the Nile - all from Lake Nasser as they are deemed contaminated. Only the locals fish and catch what they eat from the river. It was amazing to see young kids and babies bathing in such water.
• The sellers meeting us off the boat. Desperation through lack of tourists meant a heavy presence and them never giving up. I had the classic of young kids reaching into my belt wallet under cover of 10 papyrus(banana leaf) bookmarks for sale. Of course it was already empty and open so had fun shouting "Bah" (finish) at them and seeing them run. Other mistake I made was when in the locks and having people on boats some 25-30 feet below trying to sell us stuff. Thinking I was clever I said "Yes chuck it up and I`ll look at it" - never imagining they would reach and get it though the gap between awning and deck. The guy should be in American football with his throwing arm - came straight to me and gave me the challenge of throwing it back and hitting a small rowing boat. Managed it - unlike a French guy on the other side of the boat who made the water!

But enough words and a few more pictures to tempt you to go!

MS Sherry

Head waiter, chef and Aziz our waiter and fervent Arsenal fan!

Our guide Magdy (left)

One of the many sunsets

Valley of the Kings lit up at night from our berthed boat

On sections of the Nile you see little strips of land created by the High Dam water management where farmers graze their cattle free of charge.

Another aspect of pollution on the banks

See the guy selling from a rowing boat - they never give up!

Our ship pilot - 15 years experience of the Nile

Despite low numbers the boat still put on a Whirling Dervish and Belly Dance show

Apprentice seller practising his words

Ali the 7 yr old shoe shine boy at the Winter Palace. We had no shoes on to clean so I tipped him for a shot.Not enough though (as ever) and he gave me as much aggro as any adult seller!

Final  Hotel the Sofitel Karnak - beautiful

The most ornate towel work I have seen

Karnak Temple light and sound show - probably the highlight of the whole trip

Scrapes in Downtown Cairo

Our 2nd day in Cairo was much different having decided to leave the organised tour and do it ourselves for half the price and more choice of destinations in the city. We`d met 4 people on the tour the day before - a really nice couple (Jo and Louise) who were to stalk us on our Nile cruise later and another couple with a woman who seemed to have a downer on all things Egyptian and had been on the rest of our tour to come and was keen to tell us that we would be disappointed with many aspects of it. Thanks for that - and you were wrong!
Ignoring the cheapest and riskiest option of flagging a cab down in the street without any regulatory meters we booked a hotel sponsored taxi and for the sum of just £35 had a driver t take us anywhere we wanted to go waiting for us at each visit until we wanted to go on. brilliant and so good to see Cairo driving up close! It is chaos. No lanes, no give way lines, no traffic lights - just a mass of horns, heading  for non-existent gaps alongside camels, overloaded motor bikes / vans and pick ups, donkey carts and people selling toilet rolls and tissues in the middle of 6 converging lanes. Great stuff! We got to everywhere we wanted and more!

Despite some safety alerts we were able to visit the Cairo Museum and see it`s treasures as well as pass by the main square. Looked no more than an occupy the city camp - peacefully displaying banners with food stalls set up. There was an effigy of Mubarak hanging from a lamp post Mussolini style that I would have ;liked to have shot but the guidelines were clear - no photography round the main square of they might think we were government / military spies.

The Citadel and the main mosques of the city.

The City of the Dead. On the southern outskirts of the city this started as attempts by some to live near their departed loved ones. These are all tombs and people actually live amongst them. Nowadays it is also the city`s poorest who live there. Our taxi driver could not believe I wanted to shoot there and warned me not to go too far in. I did come across a group of younger people living there who asked if I wanted tea. Granted they followed that up with some Arabic words making others laugh that might not have been so welcoming in tone and I left.

Having decided I was crazy our taxi driver said if you like this I`ll take you to the Tomb of Mohammad Ali and his 100 followers in another City of the Dead. He took us down the narrowest streets I`ve driven through with barely an inch each side of the car as if it was a major road. We came upon this more established house which was amongst the tombs.

Inside the tomb it was very dark but had great walls of marble, rooms of bronze and finest carvings / stained glass which seemed rarely visited and covering in dust.

You see this roof? The keeper took us up a spiral staircase and onto the roof helping me clamber over those domes for better views. Sue bottled out and I had a real case of disco leg as I leapt from one to the next. Shame the Cairo smog spoiled the views to some extent but amazing to see.

And there is the proof.

Roof top dwelling in the city of the dead. Nearly 500,000 people live in such "cities" amongst the dead with very poor living conditions and virtually no services.

 So many photos of this day but we ended up at the Coptic Church and bazaar area. Highest visible security there with tanks, road blocks with armed troops and yet everyone was very nice to us and actually less hassle from sellers than elsewhere. The last couple of shots are of tombs in the church graveyard - actually in better condition than the places people were living in in the cities of the dead

So many photos of this holiday it`s hard to know what to put in! But what of the scrapes I hear you say? It happened on the way back to the hotel - having begged the driver to take us home as he wanted to show us more and more of his home city. He was carefully picking his way through the crowded streets when a huge truck decided to go for the same non-existent gap. Suddenly we heard the grating of metal on metal - the truck driver`s fault  fault from our perspective and we later saw probably £2000 worth of damage done all the way down the side of our taxi. What happened? The taxi driver calmly got out , discussed why the truck driver had not seen him for about 40 seconds and then both got back behind the wheel and drove on. No trade of insurance details / no police / no shouting - just one of those things. Evidently most have insurance but if there is no death / serious injury it is not worth involving them and that explains why every car in Cairo has scrapes / dents and impact damage on it. Much healthier attitude towards cars than we adopt I feel when a mere shopping trolley EMT can send us over the edge!