onicox's blog

It's finished. We are going back home.
After packing our bags we all met on the upper deck to play an ultimate game of UNO.
At 12.15 we said goodbye to Mervat and the rest of the group who were continuing their voyage.
As our mini-group travelled together we felt on holiday until the arrival in Paris where we said goodbye to each other after luggage reclaim.
In the aircraft I had the possibility to take pictures of the Nile and desert. It was splendid. The desert is far from being flat. When the Nile is seen, you can distinguish perfectly the valley with green field and the desert. It is surprising to see a so frank rupture. I wonder even how certain pieces can be green whereas they are surrounded by desert.
Christelle and I went to the Invalids to sleep to one of my mother's friend whom I didn't see for a very long time. I was really happy that she can lodge us. Sunday morning, we left for London and I was in a hurry to meet my men.
Arthur saw Christelle first and smiled nicely to her. When he saw me his smile was multiplied by ten and remained in this position for the 20 next minutes. I think that he was happy to see me again. Since then he has a bad time to see me leaving when I bring him at Fiona's and he follows me everywhere in the house. He has problem to fall asleep when I put him in bed. I think that he is anxious that I will leave again, but next time that I leave it is with him and his dad. Promis.

However he had fun with his dad, until the last day!

We could have a lay-in that morning so I slept until 10am. During this time we passed the lock of Esna and Christelle took some pictures. At 1pm, we left to Luxhor to go for a walk in a barouche.
We saw the temple of Luxhor, of Karnak and we cross a copte village. We stop in a copte catholic mission to speak about the copte life in Egypt and to give our impression on what we saw and felt when we passed in the village. Many people (me included) were shocked by poverty. But like Mervat points it out , the children are happy, quite chubby and they have all running tap water and the electricity. After more thought, I realised that we find them poor because we look them with our eyes of Westerners and what makes them poor is our merchandising society. They have a roof on their head, they are in family, the children play, the teenagers are walking with mobile phones, I don't think any more than they are so poor than that.
Back on the boat, we play Rumicube with Laurent and Marie-Jo. Then I went my massage appointment. It was less painful than the first time, he massed me the legs and I felt very light afterwards. It was great (news resolution: to do that more often in Oxford!)
After dinner, we play UNO at 11 players, it was great. We laughed a lot, even if to pose a card is a miracle. I love the rule of the 7 and the 0.
We nevertheless went to bed at 10.15pm!

Wake up at 7am, departure for the valley of the kings at 8am.

After a good night sleep, we still woke up at 7am (who said that it was holiday?) to go to see the pyramids (FINALLY!)

After few well deserved hours, we run to go in Surcouf (the French version of PC World) to buy a memory card for my camera ( yes, Marc won't be with me and his laptop!!). Then direction the airport. The airport of Orly is crap, it doesn't have anything to do, it doesn't have shops, restau and the phone booths didn't work to make Marc able to call me. The plane took off with 30 minutes of delay. We were placed beside the wing at the window. Christelle decided to take pictures of Paris. The take off was done smoothly. There was a TV screen which showed the sight of an outside camera located in front of the plane and below the plane, therefore we could see take off like the pilot see it and if you're not close to a window you can see the fields below you. It was great. After an heavy meal, we watched The Queen. The 5 hours flight passed quickly. The arrival in Cairo was very quick. Everything was very well organized. A guide was waiting for us with our visas, the bags were already turning on the carpet when we passed the passport gate. We spent less than half an hour to go in the bus. The Cataract hotel where we spent three nights is huge. Red carpet at our arrival, there were grooms to bring the bags in the room, the hotel looks like a small village, the swimming pool was big and the rooms could contain three disco floors so much they were large. We went to bed quite quickly after a small phone conversation with Marc (there is 2h time difference with England.) Tomorrow visit of Cairo...