October 11th Abu Simbel to Aswan

I find a hotel in Abu Simbel at about 1.30am.. nice little place US$50 B&B.. I ask the manager if they have a bar..Yippee.. I ask for 2 beers.. the first booze in about a week. 3 minutes later they are delivered to the door.. the first disappeared really quickly, the second was only half drunk when I woke up next day at 8.45am.. I shower and have breakfast.

Fuel needed, ( the fuel warning light is on) sim card needed, more Egyptian pounds needed.. There is an ATM 50 yards from the hotel.. The manager says don't use that one I will take you to a bank in the tuk tuk.

I get cash out the bank. Sim card needed.. I'll get that for you he says.. I give him 400 pounds - about 10 for the sim card and the rest in data and prepaid phone.

I go and get fuel and the servo has a car wash.. I decide to get it done.. the vacuum cleaner blows up. But they do a good job on the exterior.

Fuel is 67 cent per litre..but when I come to pay they want an extra 10 cents per litre.. why? Tip.. its $1.30, what the hell .. Back to the hotel, pack my bags and go to pay. The bill is $50 imore .. the beers are US$8 each.. whew .. the tuk tuk ride to the bank is not complimentary US$2.50.. and the sim..nearly forgot about that.. The card cost 100 pounds..$10 and the airtime 200 pounds ..$20 so I ask for change ..Oh! forgot about that! He gives me 100 pounds. I check the balance it is in arabic..

I head for Aswan 250 k's away.

A new city in the middle of the desert.

Sand Sand and more sand

I am travelling east,, parallel to Lake Nasser. I can't see it ..and I'm still in desert. Well apart from the Nile and Aswan Dam and a few oases, Egypt is desert.

Its a very good road and I make good time. Aswan is a vibrant tourist city.. I get a 5 star hotel for $60 on bookings .com.. I missed the bit in the Booking .com small print that said the price was for Egyptian residents only. I pay $30 more..

The hotel manager checks my phone balance.. it is 20 pounds not 200.. The last Hotel manager in Abu Simbel ripped me off...Oh well get used to it.

Aswan is lovely ..relatively clean and on the Nile ..lots of Dhows on the river and Nile cruise boats.. many tied up ..Tourism is down. Lovely and green ..it is great.

I walk to a traditional restaurant for dinner and have Kofta, Kebabs, soup, salad and a desert for A$15.. and it's good.

Very pretty..Aswan

I buy a kilo of Egyptian sweet pastry cakes ( we know them as Baklava) eat a few before going to bed.. Delicious.