Go up at 545am to crossed the boarder by ferry into egypt. Gosh talk about chaos. It took us ALL day to get into egypt. The Egyptions are slow moving. So did not get to Dahab will about 615pm.
First stop was Dahab. Dahab was absolutely beautiful. You would not think that 3 bombs went off there just 3 weeks ago, you could not even tell where the bomb sites where. It was VERY quiet though hardly any tourist around. I did 2 scuba dives, went quad biking, went to a beach club, smoked shisha had ice cream and milkshakes, and relaxed. We had 2 whole days there and had a wonderful time.
On the 2nd night we left Dahab at 630pm and made our way to Mt Sinai. Mt Sinai is the mountain Moses climbed and come back down at sunrise with the 10 commandments. Its 2400 metres high and steep. You can either get a camel up or climb. Me thinking I am fit and healthy I walked up it. That was a mistake.
We started climbing at 10pm and climbed, climbed climbed some more. I was puffed puffed puffed
but eventually made it to the top at midnight! We did bet the people who went on camels. We camped up there so we could watch the sunrise (I also had a few words with god). Feel asleep at the top only to be woken at 4am with the rest of the tourist coming up and speaking EXCEPTIONALLY LOUND! Watch a very disappointing sunrise and thought why did I make the effort, (you know what I am like in the mornings) Then started making our way back down at 630am. Climbing
up at night you could not see how steep it was, it was quiet and peaceful no tourist ... climbing down in the morning with 1000 tourist trying to push you in daylight, it was EXTREMELY steep and again I felt my life in danger!!
But all OK got down at 830 to our driver cooking bacon and eggs, then I realise it was all worth it!! Felt good after it so I guess that a positive.
Next was Cairo, pyramids, sphinx, and museum. Very excellent!!! Cairo city not fantastic and the drivers all had death wishes.
Overnight train to Aswan in 2nd class, disgusting toilets, crying babies, people talking loud AGAIN, tea men coming thru every 5 mins 'TEA COFFEE' his lucky the tea and coffee did not end up u know where ... for 13 hours. Arrived in Aswan busting for the toilets cause I did not want to use the skanky train toilets.
Aswan we went to temples, one we had to go at 4am in the morning to Abu Simble cause in Egypt you have to travel in convoys. They think its going to protect the tourist!! So the convoy leaves at 4am in the morning it is 4 hours away from Aswan. Temples were fantastic. Abu Simlbe was my favorite.
So 2 nights in Aswan, then we board the dreaded feluccas, this is when the trip started to become a HUGE challenge and for Megan to gain a stronger stomach.
A Felucca is like a sailing boat that you lay flat on. We had to get it to Luxor so was 2 nights on the bloody felucca!!
It has no facility's so to go to the toilet it pulls up on the side of the Nile and you go behind a bush!! We stopped somewhere that was right near a village. Us girls tried to pee but the jungle has eyes, and men kept appearing to watch us.
So we had to guard each other!! The would just appear out of now where.
The felucca trip start off fantastic, read my book, caught up on my diary, and played 500 cards with people. We aslo went to a temple Kom Omba temple which was interesting. After the temple we had dinner on the felucca that the felucca crew cook for us and sailed along. Could take our drinks on board so had a few Vanilla Vodka (that I brought in Syria for 9uSD!!) and cokes. We went to bed about 12ish, when the felucca docked.
For some reason I could not sleep so was tossing and Turing. Then a girl about 2 people down started spewing over the side of the boat. Being the sympathetic person I am I pretended to be a sleep and just got my earplugs out. You know me and spew does not go very well together!!
The next morning everyone was up early with the sun had breakfast and this is when everyone started to drop like flies. 3 more people start spewing over the side of the boat. Then another. I also felt sick. People had the runs and spewing! So the boat had to stop several time. It also did not help that it was VERY windy and we had to put the sails down and float most of the way. I just had bad cramps and i had hardly eaten so was just drinking water. As soon as we docked at 630
to where we were suppose to be I got worse and
started vomiting. It was so bad!!!
During the night the guy next to me was sick and spewing all night so that was 7 out of 10 on our felucca that was sick!! None of the other felucca boat got sick! Not sure what is was or where it come from. But my threshold for people spewing has defo been put to the test and I think I might be a bit better. But do not count on it as its something I am trying to forget!!
Arrived into dock at 7am in the morning went to another temple. A guide was taking us around but with the heat and lack of energy I almost passed out in the temple so sat down,
then slowly made my way back to the bus and slept on the bus to luxor.
Arrived at our 5 start yes 5 start hotel ... at 11am and could not get up to the room quick enough. I felt heaps better once inside the room. Had a nice long shower and disinfected myself and am was feeling ten times better. I know its bad but was hanging for western food I had pizza hut for lunch and it stayed down. So the felucca was a bad bad experience and everyone was so glad to get off it!!! It was no where near as good as I hoped but hey it was still an experience.
Luxor was an ok place went to the valley of the kings and queens and saw some tombs. Was very interesting and the tombs were just amazing. Luxor was very very hot. I spend 2 days there and stayed by the pool and shopped alittle but was starting to get annoyed with all the people hassling us to come into there shop. It does start to get on your nerves after weeks of it! I know they are just trying to make a few pennys!!
After Luxor was Hurgardar, people do not rush to Hurgardar unless you want to scuba dive in the red sea. All it is, is a grey buildings on the sea side. Not very pleasant. They tried to make it into a resort sort of area but stuffed it up and built to many buildings and now it just looks nasty. Lucky I can Scuba dive so I spend my day out on the red sea and saw some cool stuff. Saw Stingrays, an octopus (which is very rare) and a eel swam right across my face and
was massive
!! It was so beautiful though! (but
secretly I was a little scared). Was a beautiful day out on the red sea.
Then it was back to Luxor and saw 2 more temples, and camped there the night, did not stay in the luxury 5 star hotel much to my disappointment but I think this was to get us ready for the Western Desert.
Next day was our epic journey out to the desert and the Oasis for the next 3 days. Not much to say about the desert but sand sand sand EVERYWHERE!!! I think I brought half the desert home with me in my bag and sleeping bag. We had to sleep thru a sand Storm!! It was an experience. We played alot of desert cricket and had mashmellows by the campsite! (we had to bring the wood from luxor!!) The white desert was amazing with cool rock formations. So yeah 3 days of sand,
cricket, driving and more bloody sand.
Arrived into Cairo on the 10th at noon. Fare welled all my friends and exchange email! It was weird leaving since I had spend my whole 5 weeks with them. Great bunch of people and am sure I will stay in touch with most of them.
So at Cairo airport went to check in .... my flights had been cancelled. Yep once again Megan cries at Cairo airport!! I think thats almost every airport I have cried at!! I think it was from pure exhaustion and I just wanted to get home back to London. The stupid airline had scewed up my flight and cancelled them!! So i was ok to get to Athens but Athens to
London flight was full!! So after I abused the check in lady at Athens I had to standby. Eventually I got on the flight .
Egypt great place but being towards the end of my trip people I started to get fed up with people harrassling me to buy things. After th 10th temple I started to get bored of that aswell. Still a very intriging place and lookinh back love it. The whole tour such an experience and am so lucky to have done it!!
