Overlooking Aswan

A FEW DAYS IN ASWAN

When the party arrives at Aswan, all the hotels are full and they have to stay on the boat while waiting for rooms. Ida Uhse writes:

“Aswan, 21st of Jan. In the morning, the weather was stormy and when we arrived at Aswan; the storm was raging so hard that it caused the sand to whirl high up in the air; this wind is called the Khamsin and it usually lasts for three days. The boat docked at the island of Elephantine, as we still had no rooms at the hotel and we were only able to leave the boat on the 23rd of January.

22nd of Jan. In the morning we took a walk around the island of Elephantine. Across from the island is the city of Aswan and its two hotels. On the island, the Savoy is the best hotel, and we would rather wait on the boat until we can get rooms at the Savoy, perhaps we will have them tomorrow. After breakfast, we walked up to the lookout point, from where we could see the brownish-black, rough and unpolished rocks of the cataracts, between which the Nile flows. A boat tour around the island would be interesting.

23rd of Jan. [...] After lunch we went into Aswan to visit the bazaars.”