2013 Sept 19, Aswan, Egypt

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    • View from our hotel room, feluccas on the Nile
    • Cruise boats but no tourists
    • Aga Khan mausoleum
    • Aga Khan's villa and gardens
    • Relaxing at last
    • Nubian village
    • Nubian house
    • View from the Old Cataract Hotel
  • As far as the Nile cruise boats are concerned, Aswan is a ghost town. The hustle and bustle and the lively scene that I remember from 2000 no longer exist. The hotels are empty, some have even closed down indefinitely, and staffers are desperate for work. The feluccas are just lying, waiting, so too the cruise boats, 80% of the souvenir shops are closed, the restaurants have no patrons.

    The Philae Hotel that we are staying in, used to be a low budget option, albeit with a fantastic setting on the Corniche. Our fixer, Kamal, suggested we take a look, and the ground floor and the second floor where we stay, are indeed very smart. It turns out that these have been completely revamped, but I was shocked to see that on the other floors, renovations have grinded to a halt.

    A lovely boat ride on the Nile early this morning revived our spirits, before the terrible heat of the day (it’s in the 40s again, every day this week). Soft light and a gentle breeze made us feel on top of the world, but it is heart wrenching to see that the entire tourism industry has collapsed. We are told that this is because of the ongoing crisis in Syria.