Before we left Port Ghalib Paul had the pleasure of a trip up the mast to replace a screw in top section of the headsail furling foil, which was causing the jib to come out of its track.

The weather forecast was favourable on Thursday so we sailed to Suez.We were due to meet friends in Cyprus so we had to leave Thetis behind as they had not yet resolved their transmission problem. About 40 miles from Suez our gear box broke. There was no wind so we motored the rest of the way at the grand speed of about 2 knots. We called our agent Captain Heebe and he told us to come to the Suez yacht club and not to let the canal authorities get wind of our engine trouble or they would insist on towing us in at great expense.

While we wait for the gear box to be mended we went to Cairo and Giza. Cairo was very hectic traffic wise due to the lack of police but otherwise back to normal. We visited the Egyptian museum. Here the royal mummies are housed in glass cases kept at 18C and 50% humidity. It is 100 LE extra to see the mummies. For me the highlight was Tutankhamen's treasure. The mummy has been returned to his tomb in the Valley of the Kings; however the gold and jewels are here. The famous mask and jewels which covered the mummy and the priceless solid gold anthropoid coffin. The wooden anthropoid sarcophagus covered in gold leaf and semi precious stones in which the gold coffin was placed and the 4 gilded wooden containers which were placed one inside the other like Russian dolls. Among the smaller items of interest Paul found a board game similar to chess. Cameras are not allowed so I have no photographs.

The pyramids are just outside the city of Giza which is a huge sprawling place, adjoining Cairo itself. It is in my opinion rather shabby and run down.We hired a horse and trap to take us round the plateau. The horse that went by the appropriate name of Rambo was very frisky and his driver who acted as our guide had to work hard to slow him down. We went inside the great pyramid of Cheops paying an extra 100 LE again. The pyramid built 4,500 years ago is 455 feet high and is made up of around 3 million blocks some weighing as much as 30 tons.Inside (again no cameras allowed) we proceeded up a low passageway about 3 feet high. This opened up to reveal a corridor the height of the pyramid which led upwards nearly to the top. From here another narrow passage way led to the burial chamber containing the sarcophagus.Inside this chamber the acoustics were amazing with sound reverberating round the chamber.

Paul got to have a ride on a camel called Charlie Brown, for which there was no charge till you wanted to get off! In the evening we returned for the sound and light show. The commentary was very corny in places and I kept expecting James Bond and Jaws to pop up.