Jabal Bās

Today we were surprised to see all of our fellow boat travellers in various places in Aswan! The American family in the Elephantine ruins. The Dutch couple at the Mango Guesthouse and the French family on the ferry. It’s a small world.

The Dutch couple, Marit and Chris, arrived from their trip to Abu Simbel at around lunchtime and we all went to eat a jerk chicken and tagine lunch at the Bob Marley restaurant near the ferry landing. We ate home-cooked food on a colourfully decorated terrace overlooking all the activity on the Nile River and Aswan city. The food was good and the experience was relaxing. We will go back.

We crossed the river to the bustling city of Aswan where we split up. Chris and I wanted to visit the award-winning Nubian Museum which is close to the Old Cataract Hotel where Agatha Christie’s book, Death on the Nile, took place.

The museum was a treat to visit as the building is lovely. It showcases the history, art and culture of Nubia and serves as a reminder of what was lost beneath Lake Nasser when the Aswan High Dam was built. Exhibits are beautifully displayed and explanations in Arabic and English clearly told us what life was like for the Nubians from 4500 BC through to the present day.

We tried to visit the Americans we met on the boat trip who were staying at the Old Cataract Hotel but security was tight and we were told that we had to pay an entry fee of $35. Well that wasn’t happening so we moved on. Little did we know that they would give us a voucher that could be used for food and drink once inside. Actually it isn’t a bad way to control the crowds that want to see this old and famous hotel. Scenes from the Death on the Nile movie were filmed here.

Next door to the hotel there is a public garden called the Feryal Garden. What we enjoyed the most was the quietness of the park as it was hassle-free. There wasn’t anyone trying to sell anything or offering to guide you so it was a very pleasant change from the streets just outside the gates.

The park is built on a granite hill. It's multi-level with winding paths, big trees and terraces overlooking the Nile. It has good views over the river and we enjoyed seeing the local people relaxing there while the sun went down. I think that we were the only tourists.

Once the sun goes down, it gets dark fast so we went back across the river to our guesthouse where we ordered a Nubian pizza with Marit and Chris.Read more