Another day dawns sunny and hot over this beautiful city. We really do think that Aswan is a fantastic place, it is attractive, the people seem very friendly and it is easy and pleasant to stroll around. Today is a day to see a slightly different aspect of the area, with a morning "messing about in boats". The plan is to start with a ride on a felucca - the traditional Nile sailing boats - but, just our luck, a lack of wind means we have to be towed b...

Probably the most varied day of sightseeing I can remember. After crossing from Elephantine Island, where our hotel stands, on their own shuttle boat service, we began with the granite quarries, now close to the centre of the city, but the source of much of the granite used for temples and tombs throughout ancient Egypt, including at the pyramids. You can still see where blocks and obelisks were cut out of the rock and we learn about the techniques they used. W...

After an afternoon of relaxation in our hotel, and a delicious lunch by the pool, our sightseeing in Aswan began with the Nubian museum in the early evening. We really felt the benefit of having an expert guide here - on our own we'd have wandered around the exhibits pretty aimlessly, impressed with some, less so with others, but Magdi was able to pick out the important things, tell us lots of detail about why they were important and fit them into he overall co...

Arrived in Aswan at lunchtime today, after finishing our Lake Nasser cruise this morning. The cruise was amazing. The boat (MS Kasr Ibrim) had great facilities and friendly staff, food was excellent and plentiful (they seemed particularly keen to ply guests with cake, not that we complained too much). Because we had been switched from the boat we were supposed to be on, we were upgraded by our agency from a small suite to the Imperial Suite, which was absolutel...