So long, farewell...

On route to the Red Sea, travelling alongside a Nile tributary - well - technically an irrigation branch, watching the farms and donkeys and life going on...on the banks of the river Nile.

Yesterday I was up at 6am, and headed back to Karnak temples on a solo mission. Loads of good photo opportunities. I went off the beaten track to a pylon that is being excavated and repaired by workers, and baksheeshed a wiry, shifty looking man in traditional garb who kept on beckoning me towards the big NO ACCESS signs. He shifted a barricade, removed the rope from a sealed door and led me up a se-heriously old staircase and onto the pylon roof. After a reconnaissance mission to check for tourist police, he took me to the edge, which afforded an amazing view over the Karnak site, as well as into an area that is still under excavation. Happy days! He also took me to see some beautiful friezes, and an alabaster baboon statue, all things considered it was £1 well spent. There's a chance that may have half-inched a small piece of 4000 year old pot as a reminder of Karnak. Despite going every day for 3 days in a row, I'll be returning here.

in the evening we took a stroll around the souk, and with Val and Pete by my side I managed to talk a shopkeeper into reducing my New Years Eve gallebaya from 175 Egyptian Pounds to 50. Being a haggler with a conscience, I then paid the guy 60 for it. Weak-willed Atkinson...weak-willed.

GN, Andrew, Pete, Mel, Val, Jane, Alex, Mike and I then rendez-voused at a coffee shop to sit amongst the shisha-smokers doing dragon impressions, and take a break from the constant heckling. Next stop was the famous Luxor Winter Palace hotel for G&Ts before dinner - what a hotel! Absolutely beautiful - Ernest Hemmingway and Agatha Christie were both guests here, and it had the colonial style and high ceilings that instantly made me want to check in. I'll be back here, too, when I'm richer. The G&Ts were nearly a tenner each, so it's not for the faint-hearted.

Andrew had found and booked El Kababgy for dinner, and yet more booze. Very good restaurant skills. Yesterday was a slightly lushy day, as 3 glasses of wine at lunch set the bar quite high for the afternoon and evening. The restaurant had photos of Sarkozy and Carla Bruni desperately trying to get from their Nile boat to the Winter Palace hotel, which plainly involved trying to evade the grasp of El Kababgy's proprietor. Pictures of Mrs Sarkozy shielding her beautiful face in a "no photos!" manner while running the gauntlet of the hassle was a bizarre endorsement/advertisement. Despite this it was a splendid evening, and I shall even put El Kababgy on my 'Return To' list. Obeliske wine was much better tonight, though I still prefer Omar Khayyam.

I'm watching pied kingfishers skimming the glassy surface of the river next to me, the reflections are mirror-like in their clarity. It's peaceful and serene. It'll be sad when we turn towards the coast and away from the Nile. Next stop: Red Sea!