This morning we flew out of Luxor to Sharm El Sheik. We are happy to leave modern Luxor behind. It's the hassle capital of the world as far as I'm concerned. The absolute worst, most aggressive, and obnoxoius cab drivers and caleche jockeys on the planet can all be found on the Corniche el Nil.

Sharm itself, we never saw. All traveller reports list it as an over-developed, overpriced resort town, so we hired a taxi straight away and headed an hour north to Dahab. After a series of police checks we were on our way through the Sinai desert. The sight of two dead camels at the side of the road made us a touch nervous, and we were thankful for our big bottle of water.

The drive was stunning. Nothing but mountains grew from the sand as we wound our way through the jagged landscape. We thought of the Israelites wandering through the desolate land for 40 years. I doubt we could last 4 days.

Dahab was recently in the news as the site of a terrorist bombing. It's hard to imagine it happening in such a beautiful relaxed place, often described as the Ko Samui of the Middle East. The only indication of the attack is a small memorial on the boardwalk, and the high security. People continue to visit Dahab, and we even overheard a bit of conversation about people who were interested in buying investment properties in town.

As I type this post I'm looking over the Gulf of Aqaba and can see Saudi Arabia in the distance. The breeze is strong and there are whitecaps on the water before they break over the reef. The wind surfers are zinging across the water. The reef is so close to shore here that people get into their scuba gear in their hotel rooms, and walk into the sea. For us it'll be 4 days of snorkelling and seafood, and a pilgramage to St. Katherine's monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai. Now, it's time for a sheesha and mint tea.

Greetings from Luxor, aka Thebes, ancient capital of Egypt. This was the centre of thousands of years of civilization, and dynasties of pharaohs built their monuments, temples, and tombs here.

Walking around the surreal valley of the kings, amid broken limestone cliffs, was unforgettable. The cliffs rise from the lush, flat plains around the Nile, and nestled within are the tombs of the pharaohs. Seeing the carvings inside the tombs, some still covered with vibrant colour thousands of years old, was a glimpse into the earliest human empire.

The highlight of Luxor was the temple of Karnak. The scale of human achievement is impressive even today. It was mindblowing to walk amongst the gigantic columns of the hypostyle hall. Check out the 007 movie "The Spy who Loved me." It's where Bond and Jaws were chasing each other around.

Tomorrow we cross the Red Sea to wander around Sinai for a while. We'll make the trek to St. Katherine's monastery, but spend most of our time snorkelling and relaxing before the trip back to Cairo, and then onto Montreal. After 20 months away from Canada, it'll be good to get back home.

We are in Egypt. It's hot, noisy and crowded with people hungry for baksheesh. Traffic in Cairo is insane.

But then there's the Pyramids, Saqarra, the sand that drifts and glitters like snow. Green fields on the edge of the Sahara, feluccas on the Nile, Pharaonic temples, Islamic mosques and ancient Christian churches in Coptic Cairo. Palm trees, camels, horses and donkeys, carts of watermelons, apricots, limes, and that wonderful feeling of returning to an air-conditioned hotel room after it all...

Still ahead are the Nile cruise, Luxor and the Sinai peninsula: St. Katherine's Monastery, the Burning Bush, and a camel trek into the desert.

Thanks for all the comments. See you this summer.

Old islamic Cairo. 44 degrees in the shade. That's 111 F!


Local transport - a ship of the desert. Smelly, temperamental, lumbering.


The only remaining wonder of the ancient world, and us!