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In Egypt: Around Aswan

 

The Mövenpick from the East Bank, Aswan.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that, bored with the river boat, I’d made my getaway a day early, moved to a not-bad but noisy hotel, and finally learning my lesson, spent the remainder of my time in Aswan at the 5-star Mövenpick Hotel. Set in expansive gardens on Elephantine Island mid-Nile, it was quiet and comfortable, an idyllic location and affordable, considering.

The day I moved to the Mövenpick I took the ferry back across the river to the town to look for a restaurant I’d read about. The location sounded easy enough to find but I was soon lost in the market. I stopped to ask directions from a young man in a small electronics shop and was surprised when, instead of just explaining the way, he cheerfully left the shop to guide me there, some distance it turned out. Needless to say, I was charmed.

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Along the way I’d discovered the size of the market area, open and I thought a great deal more pleasant than the market areas I’d seen in Luxor. I returned on other days to wander, buy fresh dates and peanuts, sandalwood incense, Christmas gifts for my granddaughters and to take pictures. I also went back to El Masry, the restaurant, easy now that I knew the way, just one right turn off the Corniche at the mosque.

The very pleasant, large & open, Aswan market.

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If you’ve never eaten fresh dates, you’ve missed something.
Aswan is also known for excellent peanuts, a staple in my diet.

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The Mövenpick occupies the northern end of Elephantine Island, the rest home to Nubian villages built when the Aswan High Dam submerged many traditional settlements under Lake Nasser. One day I walked down to the river at the back of the resort, looking for a path south to the villages I was told was there. I never found the path but I did find this sweet boat and a closer view of the botanic garden which I’d visit another day.

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All episodes of 'PortMoresby in Egypt' can be found here.

 

 

 

And others of PortMoresby’s contributions here.

 

 

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Plenty of great memories from Aswan - much more laid back than the churning touristopolis of Luxor, antiquities notwithstanding. The Nubian population adds a new cultural aspect, allowing the visitor time and space to absorb the timeless river’s influence, with the desert at barely a stone’s throw away. Fab pictures.

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