Oh dear, time to check out of the Movenpick Hotel. It is certainly a very nice hotel, and such a shame to see so few people staying there. The staff are wonderfully polite and attentive and we felt like goddesses. We met up with Mervat and our driver over the river and we loaded our luggage into the van and were driven to the cruise ship to unload. We handed over our passports - which they kept hold of - I must admit to feeling a wee bit anxious about...

After a leisurely buffet breakfast at the hotel we met with our new local, guide, Mervat, and boarded a boat for our trip along the Nile to visit a Nubian village. We arrived, scrambled up the bank and made our way through this lovely village to meet with a family who welcomed us into their home. We were made comfortable and immediately offered a 'hospitality drink' before being introduced to Nubian life. It was lovely and cool inside this sandstone house, and ...

We arrived at Aswan sometime just after 8am. I was really pleased to arrive as I had had a bit of an uncomforrtable night - a hard bed and frequent bathroom calls. We were transported by van to catch a ferry over to our luxurious hotel on the Nile - The Movenpick. We were greeted in the foyer with a tray of 'hospitality drinks' and we all enjoyed another glass of the hibiscus. Here it was served ice cold and quite sweet - in other places it has been...