Back to Aswan and the Start of Our Nile Cruise

On Thursday, December 4, we returned to spend the night at Aswan, then boarded the Sonesta St. George the next day, beginning three nights and four days along the Nile.  The ship was pretty luxurious, especially in comparison to the Yangtze Gold Seven, our China cruise ship.  The cabin was very comfortable and nicely furnished, with a whirlpool tub and steam shower in the bath. The public areas were very good, and the staff were fantastic.  Most spoke excellent English and seemed to be on hand gladly to fulfill any request.

We had booked the cruise through Memphis Tours and they provided a guide to accompany us on the cruise and guide us on our shore excursions.  There were five of us in the English-speaking group-Liz and John, from Kelowna, B.C., stopping in Egypt on their way to a Tanzania safari, and Ed from Pennsylvania, who'd made a last minute decision to come to Egypt to use up vacation time before the year's end.  We were assigned to the same table and fortunately proved to a very congenial group. Our guide, Achmed (who preferred to be called 'el Prince'), was excellent, and we had a lots of laughs.

After boarding the ship Friday morning and having lunch on board, we visited the Aswan High Dam (world's second largest after the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze, with Hoover in the USA third). The granite used in the High Dam came from the same quarries which provided most of the granite used in monuments and buldings throughout Ancient Egypt. We also visited the Temple at Philae, another monument moved to an adjacent and higher island to prevent submersion with the High Dam construction.  Then back to the boat for dinner and a Nubian show modernized with lighted costimes! We docked overnight docked in Aswan and "set sail" (what does one say for a motorized ship?) the next morning.

I Was Standing on Our Balcony at the Hotel in Aswan Taking Some Photos of the Nile When the Driver of this Horse Carriage Spotted Me and Proceeded to Try to Convince Me to Book Him, All the While Shouting Across the Traffic

Nile View from Hotel Balcony

The Sonesta St. George

Pool Deck, Sonesta St. George ('Hot' Tub Water Isn't Heated!)

The 'Unfinshed' Obelisk.  If Completed, Would Have Been the Single Heaviest Piece of Stone the Egyptians Ever Fashioned, But a Flaw Appeared and it Was Abandoned.

By Boat to the Philae Temple.  Fellow Traveler Ed from Pittsburgh on the Left

Temple of Isis, Philae

Kiosk of Trajan, Philae.  The Pharaoh Was Not Allowed to Spend the Night in the Temple, so Would Sleep Here When Visiting