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July 18 - Egypt: Aswan to Luxor

We got up and had breakfast on the rooftop restaurant of the Happi Hotel.  Breakfast consisted of bread, bread, and some bread.  Oh and we had jam on the side.  Not very interesting, but it was included in the price of the room and we were hungry so we ate it.  Then we went to the AmEx office to meet our guide for the day.

Felucca Ride on the Nile and the Botanical Gardens

Our guide's name in Ghada and she was a history major at the University of Cairo before she was a tour guide.  Very cute girl who's getting married next month.  She hooked us up with a Felucca guy who took us out onto the Nile to get to the island which houses the Botanical Gardens.  There was almost no wind this morning, so we just floated with the little current up the Nile.  After an hour of chit-chatting about Aswan and learning about the culture here and elsewhere in Egypt, we arrived at the Botanical Gardens.

The Garden is a beautiful assortment of flora and fauna (I've always wanted to say that) on a peaceful island in the middle of the Nile.  While Jon and I are hardly plant connoisseurs, it was a lovely place to walk around for a half hour.  After the Gardens, we got back into the Felucca and headed back to the mainland.  The views from the Nile were beautiful and so very peaceful!  I would love to share a picture with you all, but I FORGOT MY CAMERA!!

Brilliant, right?

Back on land, we decided to forgo the trip to the Aswan Museum, because Ghada had a better suggestion.  She took us to a place called the Nubian House which was up a hill and through some back-roads.  It's situated on a hill/cliff overlooking the Nile and we sat and had drinks in the shade.  It was one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen.  If only I had remembered my camera!  The Nubian House also has a bunch of rooms set up to show travelers how the Nubian culture lives.  It was very interesting!

Lunch and Siesta

Ghada dropped us off at our hotel, and Jon and I went to a restaurant called Al Masry for lunch.  He had kofka (ground lamb) and I had grilled chicken.  The tahina at this restaurant was delicious and we couldn't get enough.  By now, though, the worst of the heat was upon us and all we wanted to do was get back to our sort-of-air-conditioned room.  We showered and napped, and napped and read.  This is a rough life that we have.

At 5:00, we had to go back to AmEx to see if Osama had any luck getting us into our hotel in Sharm El-Sheihk (on the Red Sea).  He said that they're still booked, and told us that the 23rd is a national holiday.  So we're competing with a three-day holiday which is unfortunate for us!  But we'll figure something out.  He said that he'll contact us through the AmEx office in Luxor, and we should check in with Emil when we get there.  This is so nice - being pampered like this!

Dinner and Train

We went back to Al Masry for dinner because it was close by and we were running short on time.  Then we went back to the hotel, showered, packed, and went to the train station to catch our 8:00 PM train to Luxor.  

Picture of the view of the Nile from around the corner of our room

The train car was about 1/4 full, so we had our choice of seats which was nice.  At 11:00, the train arrived in Luxor and we got off to catch a taxi.  We found a taxi driver, and he went to a taxi and opened the door for us when another driver came up and started yelling at him for getting into his taxi.  Jon and I stood there looking at each other as these two drivers got very nasty with each other, and then our flight instinct took over.  We turned and made a beeline to the next closest taxi with a motor running.

AND THEN WE ARRIVED.....

New Winter Palace Hotel

Aaahhh... to be in a four-star hotel again.  Thank god for American Express travel rates.  Not long ago I would have taken a lobby like this for granted.  But no longer!  We were so excited to get to this great hotel.  The "Old Winter Palace" next door has much more charm and tradition, but we don't care.  And we're only on the third floor with a view of the "garden" (i.e. the back).  But again - we don't care.  The funny thing is - two years ago - if Jon and I had walked into a third floor hotel room where the beds were two twins pushed together, we would have walked back to the lobby and demanded another room.  Those days are long gone!  The room has a television, a mini-bar, a fridge, and - get this - not only does it have a telephone, but there's a telephone in the bathroom!!!   Jon and I walked into the marble bathroom, took one look at the assortment of goodies in the basket and said "Cool!  Soaps!".  And I can actually walk around on floor without my shoes on.  The bathroom has plush, fluffy towels that are SO soft.  And the shower has normal water pressure.  I'm in heaven.  Don't make me leave!

We got to bed by 12:30 and crashed.

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