The Nile Cruise Part the Second..... Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Aswan

At this point I should tell you that you are not going to get a blow by blow account of the entire 7 night cruise, somethings have to be left for you to discover by yourself.

It is enough to say that after going to the West Bank at Luxor the ship sails upstream and through Esna lock so that the following morning you visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu and later that day the Temple of Haroeris and Sobek. The latter visit was a bit of a change because it was evening when the temple is floodlit.

The trip from the ship to the Temple of Horus is in one of those horse drawn carriages, which because of the height off the ground and the not too good roads, gives the impression that at any minute it is going to tip over. I think I would rather ride in a took took.

There is much to see at Edfu as it is one of the best preserved temples and second largest after Karnak.



Edfu is probably where you will first come across a ''Nile-o-meter'' the device used by the priests to levy taxes on the local population. Basically it measures the height of the Nile during flood season. The higher the flood, the better the harvest, the higher the taxes.

Today the tax man has invented even more ingenious ways to separate us from our hard earned cash.

On the voyage upstream it becomes clear that the Nile forms a formidable barrier between the east and west banks being quite wide in places. If you are interested in wildlife then there are opportunities for bird watching along the way, and a chance to view the construction of new bridges across the Nile.

Arriving at Kom Ombo at dusk brings a new perspective...... And again there is much of interest, those who are observant will realise that as you visit various temples the style of carving changes over time, indeed, the quality of the carving in the hieroglyphics also changes. Also among the carvings here are some depicting ''medical'' instruments and also a ''recipe'' curing ED, or so the guide tells us, but then he could tell anything.

We also stopped in a local ''cafe'', where we caught a bit of the local culture. Many of these cafes, and indeed restaurants have dirt floors. You get used to it after a while, some are the same even in the middle of Cairo.

Back on board ship we are about to have the inevitable ''fancy dress'' night. I think it was about the only time the on board shop actually did any business.

I got mine late so stocks were limited, and obviously my djellabah was meant for somebody of more magnificent proportions than me. 

My keffiyah on the other hand was too small and took two of the ''boys'' in the restaurant to fix it.

While this is going on we are heading upstream to Aswan.

You will note that we are on the ''Poirot'' route.......

Arriving in Aswan we are let loose on the unsuspecting locals, there are various tours organised but feigning illness I get a note from the teacher to say I can have the day off, and anyway I am coming back to Aswan....

There is also the trip to Abu SImbel, and as I have already said I am not getting up at 3am...

So I have the day spare to have a wander, and Abdul's cousin is going to meet me and take me for lunch, which means I am paying.

And also there is a trip to Kitchener Island with myself and one other of the English contingent.

My co-traveller has organised a trip on a felucca, at least it is a big one, for himself, and asks me along. But because there are two of us now it is going to cost more, well of course it will, extra wear and tear on the hull, more wind needed to move the felucca. But it is ours for as long as we want it, so we are going to Kitchener Island, and the around the serpentine rocks and back to the ship.... Kitchener Island is a delightful spot sometimes described as a botanical garden. Well it is in a way but few of the plants are rarities but it does have some delightful corners and some rather eccentricities. I recommend it!

The pictures do the talking, a leisurely stroll from one end of Kitchener Island to the other, and then picked up by our captain, who isn't doing a lot because my colleague is driving. We pass the mausoleum of the Aga Khan who was a regular visitor in the winter months, and then sail around the serpentine rocks, a black granite outcrop that gets a mention in ''Murder On The Nile''!

The mausoleum of the Aga Khan, built from pink limestone.

Our captain.... He was very impressed when I wrote down his phone number in Arabic characters!!

One tries to do one's best, except that everyone has the numbers on their phones in normal characters!

To the right, another example of a Nile-o-meter...

And so back to the ship.... Where we find that they have been trying to cook Brussels sprouts...


Now as I said before with the green beans I am all for 'al dente' when it comes to veg, but to be honest these sprouts were sufficiently hard that if they had used them as foundation stones for ancient Egyptian temples they would still be standing today..

The steak was fine though!
 And perhaps my favourite picture of the trip................................................