I continue to be impressed with the food on this cruise. The staff is friendly and the variety of food is great. As soon as we'd consumed breakfast we went out to look around. Some passengers had arranged for a tour of the temple in this town. However, we are not newcomers to Egypt. We instead wanted to get a better look at the city itself as we'd never been.
The city was smokey early in the morning as often farmers burn the debris from agricultural crops. We always find walking around a new place exciting. This city probably isn't a place where tourists would want to spend a lot of time, but it is nice to say we saw a few of its streets.
We needed to buy extra water. That is one area where it's best to buy from outside. We know that water should sell for about LE 3.5 (US$ 0.45) for a 1.5 liter bottle. Yet on the ship it sells for LE 17.25 (US$ 2.20). We retired early on little pensions; therefore, saving even a few dollars means we can continue our lifestyle of exploration!
By 10:00 AM, we were continuing our way south. We knew that this would be the major day of Nile viewing. This is an amazing river! It is humbling to consider the history of Egypt both ancient and modern. I'll never glimpse its banks at a time prior to the Aswan High Dam, yet around each corner lies a fascinating kaleidoscope of colour. Seeing glimpses of life on the banks forms the amazing part of a cruise like this.
Our incredible lunch was served on the sun deck. I am going to weigh an extra 15 lbs before I get off the M/S Nile Dophin. The food staff seem to outdo themselves each time we eat. The ship stopped at Kom Ombo Temple right on the river bank. I like the stately structure built only a few hundred years before the time of Christ.
Back on the water, the afternoon turned quickly to evening with some time in the pool and a constant eye on each bank of the river.
Just when I thought I could eat no more, it was time for dinner. The staff got us downstairs with a little Arab music first. Tonight the outside temperature seems balmy. We finished the day up on the top deck, pretty much where most of it was spent. As we saw the new bridge at around 8:00 PM we knew we'd soon be docked in Aswan.
Tomorrow our boat will stay put. We, however, will probably go out and try to find a way to get to Philae.