Day Thirty-five - Aswan to New Kalabsha Island, Lake Nasser, Egypt SPONSORED BY MÃE E PAI

Tuesday 6th July2010

I didn't get to sleep until after 3am, so getting up when our wake-up call came through at 7am was really difficult. We pulled on yesterdays clothes and headed downstairs for breakfast. The cruise ship is definitely a step in the right direction, I think we appreciate it more after the Nile Plaza, especially the food and the service (and the bedroom is much bigger). Breakfast was excellent, lots of fresh fruit, cooked food, cheeses, salad, olives and different types of bread all to be washed down with fresh tea or coffee. I had some crispy flaky croissants with the brown bean stuff (although I think I was the only one to touch it) and cucumber followed by watermelon and mango yoghurt, helped down by three cups of tea.

After getting ready, and being called by reception to be told that the motorboat to Kalabsha Island was leaving, we headed over to the Island with the rest of the tour group. Kalabsha Island is the new home to several different temples and religious buildings as well as some graffitied rocks which pre-date the Greek/Roman Temples by three thousand years. Our tour guide, Mahmoud, was excellent and really brought the carvings and pictures to life; explaining the different offerings, the significance of different gods, how Ramses the second saw himself – in several pictures he is twice the size of his enemies, the only one in battle and multitasking by wrapping the reigns of his chariot round his waist while shooting his enemies with a bow and arrow, single handedly defeating his enemies – and the number of children he fathered, over two hundred kids from thirty-five wives and mistresses – how did he have the time?

From New Kalabsha Island, Lake Nasser, Egypt

We walked round the site, following our guide soaking up the information from him and a great big Scott, Colin whose passion was Ancient Egyptian history. We had considerably less free time than with Nabil the Doofah, but the excursion was much more interesting although fun may be pushing it. We got back on the motorboat for the ten second ride back to the M/S Prince Abbas and then into the air-conditioned reception where orange and hibiscus juice and cold wet flannels for our hot faces waited for us, now there's 5* for you. Djalma went up to the swimming pool on the top deck while I played with photos from the last five days.

Lunch called, Italian style, it was gorgeous, tomatoes and mozzarella drizzled with basil dressing, lots of different salads, beef, chicken cacciatore, cannelloni, fish, roasted vegetables, followed by melon, watermelon, cherries, bananas and several different deserts. FTB (Fit To Burst) we left for the comfort and privacy of our cabin and let our big bellies hang out while we watched an old fat Steven Seagle effortlessly kick ass on screen.