Driving from Luxor to Aswan
Day three of our trip involved us driving by road from Luxor to the beautiful city of Aswan (or Asswan as its’ correctly spelt). Barbara and I have visited Aswan on a number of occasions but each time we have arrived by Nile cruise ship. As we’ve sailed down the Nile to Aswan we’ve seen the road that seems to follow the river and often wondered what the drive would be like.
We’ve also seen the railway track that at certain points seems to hug the river too. As we’ve sailed we’ve watched the farmers tending their fields as well as the people who’s settlements and houses are perched right on the river bank. Driving down gave us the opportunity to see what was on the other side of the bank and drive through the various small towns on the way to Aswan.
In total the drive took us about two and a half to three hours but our driver wasn’t’ rushing and often we found ourselves caught up in reasonably busy traffic. So I imagine we could have arrived in Aswan more quickly but we weren’t’ in a rush.
What was really noticeable was the intense greenery of the fields and farms between the road and the Nile and the almost complete desert conditions of the land on the other side of the road. According to conversations we had on the drive the majority of Egypt’s citizens live either on the edges of the Nile or in Cairo. From the lush greenery of the land beside the Nile you can see why. For mile after mile we passed field after field of banana trees, corn, cabbages and other root vegetables being tended by farmers and workers who seemed oblivious to the almost 30 degree heat.
We also passed through many small villages and it was fascinating to see the hustle and bustle of life in these small settlements. There were also quite built up towns that we drove through where you would see groups of school children of all ages. The boys looking smart in their white or light blue shirts and gray trousers and the girls all wearing traditional head coverings but acting like school kids everywhere. The girls obviously texting on their mobile phones and walking in small groups seemingly unaware of the boys who were following them, pushing and shoving each other as schoolboys do.
One of the most alarming things we saw on our drive were the local taxi “vans” packed inside with as many passengers as could squeeze in whilst on the back seemingly as many people stood on the bumper and held onto the handles and roof rack and travelled that way. The first time we noticed it was when we were driving directly behind one of these “taxis’ which had picked up a bunch of school-children. The interior was completely full and nonchalantly hanging onto the back were a group of schoolboys all turning round to wave and grin at us. We tried not to think about what would happen if anyone lost their grip. In the UK there would have been uproar at such antics but it seemed perfectly acceptable on the road down to Aswan.
We held our breath until we’d overtaken them and they stopped waving whilst holding on with one hand. All the while the taxi van was travelling at 40 mile an hour or more.
Before we arrived in Aswan we took the opportunity to visit Kom Ombo Temple. We had been there before but as it was about mid-day the Temple was almost empty so we thought we’d stop and enjoy a leisurely visit accompanied by our excellent guide Emad.
Tomorrow I’ll tell you more about Kom Ombo Temple and our arrival in Aswan.
