Day 7 Felucca and Van to Luxor

Saturday March 26^th

We were up early for a final tea and biscuit with our hostess, before walking to the felucca for a short sail down the Nile. It was much less windy today and sailing was very pleasant. We sailed past the agricultural areas and through the desert.

We docked on the east bank and loaded into our minivan for the three hour drive to Luxor. The road follows the Nile north. I would have loved to just sit on the side of the road and photograph the goings on. I've included three photos of things you won't see on Canadian roads, but there was lots more: donkey carts carrying wide loads of sugar cane, a woman carrying a plastic bag with three live ducks clasped to her chest, a pickup jam packed with calves, another with a huge black cow and three men sitting on the tailgate, and so on. This is not to mention the video game feel of the drive as we drove on whatever side of the road that the driver felt like as we dodged all the various animal carts, on coming cars that are also in the wrong lane, motorcycles, and people who are walking down the road.

Anyway we arrived safely in Luxor, checked into our hotel and had a couple of hours to relax. Then we gathered again for a briefing of the activities for the next two and a half days here, before heading out for an orientation walk and lunch. We ate at an Egyptian fast food place and then took a cab to the Luxor museum, only to find that the hours have changed, due to lack of tourists, and we missed the time to buy the last entry tickets. So we headed back to the hotel.

I went back to the room, read for a bit and then had a nap. Met the group in the lobby for dinner, but the girls had eaten and didn't want to come. So Sam and I teamed up with the Peter and Tarla's Intrepid group who is also staying at our hotel, and we all went to a local restaurant in an old house. It was good to be with a big group. Had a chicken stew type meal with garlic and cumin. Very good. Then walked back to the hotel for an early bed for another early rise.