We are now in Luxor after a wonderful 2 day sail down the Nile on a felucca. Aswan was the start point of the trip. It is a city founded, quite literally, on granite. At Aswan, there is a seam of granite which crosses the Nile, causing the first significant sets of rapids (cataracts) which one encounters sailing up the Nile from the Mediterranean. Hence since ancient times Aswan has been an important trading town as boats from the Mediterranean had to stop and unload, and vice versa for boats from Africa. Aswan is in the north of the Nubian province, and the faces here are darker than in Cairo. This feels like the start of Africa as we know it, rather than the more Arab north of Egypt. This north-south divide was present in ancient Egypt too. The Pharaohs had two crowns, one for the kingdom of Lower Egypt and one for the Upper Kingdom which included Southern Egypt and Sudan. Sudan is only a couple of hundred kilometres south of Aswan. As a result, there is a frontier feel to Aswan which adds to its attraction. There is an attractive mix of faces, and a slightly rough edge which give frontier towns such an alluring feel.

Our hotel was just off the Nile in the middle of the souk, the old bazaar. This bazaar is more sanitised now, and more "tourist friendly" i.e. cleaner but with less character. However there are still glimpses of what it may have been like. The displays of spices and of fabrics are a riot of smells and colour.







Bread is a major part of Egyptian daily life. The local bread is like pita bread. I was fortunate to get a glimpse into the working of a local bakery. It is an incredibly efficient operation. The only stock carried is bags of flour. The dough is made, laid on trays of coarse flour and then baked immediately. As the bread comes out of the oven it is either bought immediately by waiting customers or put onto wooden trays which are then carried by cyclist to shops throughout the area. The bread is fresh, hot, and delicious. How would Egyptian consumers think of our bread with its plastic wrapping, and sell by dates?