Sudan to Egypt 19 Arriving in Aswan

 Once we arrived in Aswan on the ferry from Sudan to Egypt– much to the delight of some – we, unfortunately, weren’t quite done yet. We ended up stopping just outside the harbour for about an hour, at which point I was getting equally impatient to actually get off the boat.

It was apparently something to do with security that had delayed us. During this time an Egyptian immigration officer had also collected our passports, saying that he would take them to the office as soon as docked for processing, which would save us time once we’d disembarked and made our way through the various checks to that same office.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 18 Sunrise over Lake Nasser

 I watched sunrise the next morning from the comfort – or warmth, at least – of my cocoon. We had more snacks for breakfast and then found that there were hot drinks available. So the next couple of hours were split between me hiding in my sleeping bag for warmth, and drinking many cups of tea. Once the sun properly rose, though, it soon warmed up, and we passed the rest of the voyage enjoying th- “Are we there yet?”- enjoying the vi- “I want to get off this boat already” – enjoying the views, damnit.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 17 Abu Simbel

 A few hours in, we passed Abu Simbel on the shore. We’d been waiting to pass this – or rather, I had been, with instructions to wake Ruth up as we got near – so once we’d seen it, I figured it was as good a time as any to get some rest. 

I was definitely glad to have my sleeping bag with me, it got very chilly on that deck overnight. It was never going to be the most comfortable night with two of us trying to curl up on opposite ends of the bench without kicking each other in the shins. But I managed to get more sleep than I expected to on this ferry from Sudan to Egypt. So, y’know, an hour or two.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 16 Uneventful

 The journey itself was pretty uneventful. The sun set as we departed, so we didn’t have views for very long that evening. We decided not to redeem our free meal voucher, instead just snacking on a few things we’d picked up in Wadi Halfa for dinner instead. I spent a lot of time lying around on the wooden bench – or rather, the cover for the lifejacket box that we were using as a bench – alternating between reading and watching the stars.

(to be continued)