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Days 71-72: It’s sometimes unfairly said that cruise ships are for the newly wed and the nearly dead. As Kate and I still fall into the former category, we were perfectly qualified for two days and nights of luxury travelling from Aswan to Luxor.
After arriving in Aswan we took a look at the various ships […]

Day 71: In Edfu, halfway between Aswan and Luxor, we visited the Temple of Horus just as the sun was setting for the day. It was a mighty sight, architecturally imposing and impressively intact. Entering the temple we walked through the magnificent courtyard, into successive rooms with walls engraved from top to bottom with hieroglyphs […]

Day 70: What better way to wind down after a long day of travel than to spend a couple of hours on the Nile on the good felucca Relax? (That was the name of the boat. Relax. So we did.)
Helmed by an amicable pair of Nubian boatsman and business partners, we rounded Elephantine Island in […]

Day 69: After a shocker of a bus trip, this place really fit the bill. Kate described it as a budget option trying to do everything that it could to attain mid-range status.
This included staff with uniforms, daily room cleaning, inexpensive in-room wireless internet access, a safe, a fridge, a rooftop “pool” and a […]

Day 64: Our last full day in Jordan we took the minibus from Petra out to Wadi Rum, the protected desert area celebrated by Lawrence of Arabia, where we spent the day on a four wheel drive tour of the main sights.
Within easy driving distance of Wadi Rum village we explored canyons, rock bridges and […]

While at Petra we climbed to three of the high points with views back over the site and surrounding valleys. The first was to the High Point of Sacrifice, with views to the south; the second was to the formidable Monastery. This hike, on a less-well-trodden path, which gave us a great view overlooking the magnificent Treasury building, was a great way to finish our two days at Petra.

Just uphill of the monastery begin a series of signs enticing visitors to the two viewpoints boasting certain advantages over the other. At first, the two trails seem to be heading in separate directions, leaving visitors a dilemna and feeling as if they have to make a decision based on the strength and veracity of the competing claims.

In the card game of international tourism, Jordan wasn’t dealt too many cards, but it did pick up a few aces. First, there was the surprise of the Dead Sea, later it was our desert experience at Wadi Rum, but the trump card in the middle, the absolute Joker, was Petra.