Fires by the Nile

Fires by the Nile
Originally uploaded by adraskoy

I figured out one of the sources of all the air pollution along the Nile. Everywhere farmers are burning the stubble from the cane sugar plant harvest. The skies are dark, the air sweet with smoke. West Bank of Luxor, taken from the East Bank.
 
Sand from the Sahara, and the huge number of old vehicles along the Nile and cheap gas to fuel them, are other factors. Plus a total lack of environmental awareness.

So: adventures along the Nile.
There have certainly been adventures, though they mostly deal with the near-constant attempts of locals to part me from all my money. In Egypt, it seems that everyone is a hustler of some sort. I did meet a few exceptions, but literally only a few. This made the first ten days or so somewhat stressful at times. Mind you, I've seen wonderful things and there will be marvellous tales to tell! The ten-year-old in me is very happy to have been inside the Great Pyramid and to have seen Abu Simbel and explored the Valley of the Dead. I also really liked the older timeless aspects of the culture that come out in many places, and the New Pola hotel in Luxor was a welcome and luxiourious refuge.

Now I'm in Dahab, a laid-back inexpensive place, which is a wonderful contrast. I'm going to hang out here until I've recovered from the stress of life travelling along the Nile. Right now, I'm happy to have dipped my toes in the Red Sea and found a nice little place by the water. There's a cat living here with the most marvellous green eyes and a beautiful marmalade kitten who is very playful.