I have arrived in Aswan, after a long day. The 10 hour flight from Toronto to Cairo wasn't bad. The plane was only 60% full, so I had two seats to myself. The food was not good. I had a 6 hour layover in Cairo, and arrived in Aswan at about 2, local time, 25 hours after I got up on Monday.
Seeing Egypt from the sky is quite the sight. There is the Nile, with up to a km of green space along it's shores, the rest is desert. It looks like a long green stem on a background of sand and rocks.
The taxi ride to the guesthouse was interesting. It is across the Nile from the city, and my cabbie got lost. We drove about 15 minutes, although it seemed longer, through desert country without seeing another car. We came across a bus, and a guy came into our car to show us the way. We still had to get another local to come with us and find the guesthouse. It's close to the Nile and just below one of the tourist spots, The Tombs of the Nobles.
It's in the Nubian part of town.
Aswan, for millenia, was on the border between Egypt and Nubia, which is now Sudan. Nubians are Africans, and have a distinct culture. Many of the men wear the long robe, and lots of women wear the complete burka. While I was in Jordan last year I only saw about 10 burkas in the 3 weeks I was there. I have seen several dozen, just this afternoon. I wonder whether this will be the same further north.
I took the ferry across to Aswan. 15 cents. I got on the boat and sat at the front. A European couple also boarded, but he sat in the back, she in the front. She is from France, and spoke some English. After a couple of minutes she whispered to me that I should move. I was sitting in the women section. Things you learn.
I walked around the market, which is quite large, and sells everything. The smells are intriguing, incense, and lots of spices. Hibiscus is popular brewed as a tea, or as a cold drink. It has an interesting flavour. The local garlic is amazing, it's the size of a medium onion.
On the way back we faced the Tomb of the Nobles, which is spectacularly lit up at night.
Thus ends my first day in Egypt.
Seeing Egypt from the sky is quite the sight. There is the Nile, with up to a km of green space along it's shores, the rest is desert. It looks like a long green stem on a background of sand and rocks.
The taxi ride to the guesthouse was interesting. It is across the Nile from the city, and my cabbie got lost. We drove about 15 minutes, although it seemed longer, through desert country without seeing another car. We came across a bus, and a guy came into our car to show us the way. We still had to get another local to come with us and find the guesthouse. It's close to the Nile and just below one of the tourist spots, The Tombs of the Nobles.
It's in the Nubian part of town.
Aswan, for millenia, was on the border between Egypt and Nubia, which is now Sudan. Nubians are Africans, and have a distinct culture. Many of the men wear the long robe, and lots of women wear the complete burka. While I was in Jordan last year I only saw about 10 burkas in the 3 weeks I was there. I have seen several dozen, just this afternoon. I wonder whether this will be the same further north.
I took the ferry across to Aswan. 15 cents. I got on the boat and sat at the front. A European couple also boarded, but he sat in the back, she in the front. She is from France, and spoke some English. After a couple of minutes she whispered to me that I should move. I was sitting in the women section. Things you learn.
I walked around the market, which is quite large, and sells everything. The smells are intriguing, incense, and lots of spices. Hibiscus is popular brewed as a tea, or as a cold drink. It has an interesting flavour. The local garlic is amazing, it's the size of a medium onion.
On the way back we faced the Tomb of the Nobles, which is spectacularly lit up at night.
Thus ends my first day in Egypt.
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