WE'RE IN ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT ON THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST

We got up this morning had breakfast, then got into a van and began our drive to Alexandria from Cairo.  According to my Egypt book it's 220 km.  It took us about 3 hours to get here.  We checked into our hotel for the night The "Jolie Ville" Maritim hotel. (happy town???)  They have another hotel in Turkey - due north of here.  Our first room was a dud, the sliding glass doors wouldn't lock, so they gave us another one.  This one has views of the beach (much nicer room).  We spent this afternoon toe-dipping in the sea. I was the raciest thing on the beach showing a lot of arm and leg in my one piece suit with shorts - check the photos.   After yesterday's escape from the dust storm, this seems so serene.  Tomorrow, tour in the morning, then back to Cairo in the afternoon.  Monday, we begin our trek back to LA.

My tour book says that there really isn't much left of the old Alexandria.  The new city was built right on top of the old one, so I'm not sure what our tour will show.  Our book suggested we tour with a good imagination. But the setting here is lovely and the temperature is in the 80's!

BACK IN CAIRO - WHEW!!!

I believe I mentioned yesterday that it was getting a bit murky in Aswan.  Yes, indeed, but murky implies fog.  This turned out to be a full scale sand storm. (see photo)  We actually were covered in dust - orange clouds of dust.  We had gone on a tour of the upper Aswan dam (not terribly interesting), a Ptolomeic (sp ?) temple, and an incomplete obelisk (was supposed to be the largest ever carved and it cracked when 60% done.)

In the afternoon we were supposed to go on a Falucca ride (the Egyptian sail boats) and we had planned to take a tour of a Nubian village.  By the time lunch was over, it was obvious - we couldn't go anywhere.  We tried to get from Aswan to Cairo this morning (the sky was pretty clear this morning), but the planes were filled.  Our flight was supposed to leave at 2:30.  By then, it was getting murky again.  Oh oh.  We were stuck on the boat for several hours watching the place get dusted over again.  Our flight miraculously left only a half hour late.  I was a bit concerned about dust in the engines - but hey, who'd know more about dust storms than the Egyptians?!  When we got to Cairo no one seemed to be there to meet us.  It turned out, they hadn't expected anyone to make it out of upper Egypt at all.  Some of our tour group from the boat had gone further south to Abu Simbal (where they took the statues and buildings that were going to get drowned from the Aswan dam.  Those that went got stuck there.  It really doesn't have much of a place to stay.  We'll tell you about the family that went there another time.  Suffice it to say - we're in great shape - albeit a bit dusty.  Tomorrow to Alexandria!

Hey - after 4 days of $10 a half hour - our internet access is free here!!

Til our next posting -  by the way - notice the increasing yellow in the sky from the stop at Aswan to the obelisk - followed, of course, by the boat photo!

oops

A QUICK NOTE FROM THE BOAT - LAST DAY ON BOAT

We toured around Aswan today.  The trip down the Nile from Edna to Aswan was fascinating - see photos.  It's oddly murky outside today  - foggy???  sand-stormy???? We fly back to Cairo tomorrow and stay in a hotel there.

Until our next internet chance......

Here's the photos from the river

NILE CRUISE FROM LUXOR TO EDNA

We left Luxor (the boat did) yesterday at noon.  We went through some locks on our way up river.  This morning we toured the Edfu Temple.  It was built during the Ptolomeic times.  We're getting so jaundiced - a mere 2300 years ago!!  At the moment we're on our way to Khom Omo?? We have a tour this afternoon.  Then tonight we sail to Aswan.

Here are some more photos
Til the next internet time....

Few more photos

LUXOR FROM THE BOAT - SONESTA NILE GODDESS

We got on the boat yesterday.  After we settled down, we read the information and found we can use internet on the boat.  For a short time ($10 a half hour) but this is worth it.  We took a tour of the Karnak temple and the Luxor Temple yesterday from 3 to 6.  The thing that's missing from the photos is the temperature.  We've been on a lot of tours - but it was 45 ° C (115 ° F)  GAK!  I can't remember ever touring in such heat.  The sights are amazing, and we're actually learning a little Egyptian history in the bargain.

This morning we took a tour on the West Bank of the Nile (stuff yesterday is all on the East Bank).  Setting sun is saved for dying.  Hatshepsut's Temple first.  It looks like it's built into the rocks - it's not.  We then toured the valley of the kings, valley of the queens, and stopped by two stone colossi.  We weren't permitted to take photos in either Valley of the Queens or Kings.  These are a cluster of tombs built down into the rock.  We went into three Ramses tombs.  One very deep, one beautifully decorated and one that was bent.  As they dug the last one they began to dig into someone else's tomb.  In the Valley of the Queens we went into the tomb of Titti (not Nefer..) and Nefertara first wife of Ramses II.  Beautiful colored hyrogliphics on the walls in all of these.  We began to tour at 6:00 am to avoid the heat.  By 11 we could feel it begin again. 

Here are photos from the tours and along the road.