Luxor Luxor was our introduction to the Egypt we have all learned and read about since childhood. No amount of book browsing can prepare you for the real thing which is truly marvellous. The painted walls, the immense statuary, the decoration and design are indeed wonders of the ancient world. One can only imagine how it all sparkled with freshness and life when it was first done. First day was a tour organised by Debs with a minibus and guide. Stop n...

From Dahab to Luxor Next was our first long stretch driving in convoy. We cut across the Sinai peninsular through some pretty spectacular but desolate mountains towards the Gulf of Suez. All along the way we were stopped by police checkpoints, set up in seemingly the middle of nowhere. Sometimes they wanted to see our passports, sometimes not, sometimes they wanted to see our Egyptian licences, sometimes not, sometimes we were just waved through after Debs...

Dahab Dahab is a nice little town right on the water's edge. We drove in through a dusty back lane, unmarked of course, to the small car park. Our trucks took up just about all of the space. The other entrance to this backpackers' hotel though, leads straight out onto what might be called, in flasher holiday spots, the corniche. Nearly all the waterfront is lined with restaurants where you gaze out to the Gulf while you eat sitting back on cushions Bedou...

Arriving in Egypt We finally got the call that the ferry was in Aqaba at about 9.00pm. Apparently no-one actually knows what the real schedule is and, because chaos generally reigns, it can be anytime. We were all packed up and ready to go and we arrived in the port only to sit around and wait for half an hour. We were then ushered into an unmarked building where we would pay to get our departure stamps in our passports. Being guided by a local agen...