Merry Xmas Everyone.

This is a difficult blog to write as we have so much to tell you....

Firstly we went to abu Simbel last monday and i got thrown out ! I can hear you asking "how?" well i can tell you. Photos are not allowed and i took one too many. Actually it was probably 10 or more too many. This annoyed the guards so much they asked for my camera and i refused. This they didn't like and started manhandling me so i lost my temper and told them to stop touching me in the usualy calm English way.....the rest is history. We'd been round inside for ages so I missed nothing and its not like i was using flash or anything. I was careful to not do that as that does actually affect the colours. the drive was long as the cost was al lot. The tour operator for the permit wanted £60E for the permit to go in the convoy. We also took along our Peter Austrian Biker friend in Matilda. Pick up the permit at 10pm and get up for the convoy at 3am. Convoy leaves at 4am and goes at 110kmh for 3 hours....we do not. We arrive an hour after they do. We get 2 hours in the site and leave an hour before they do. Argue with every check point all the back to Aswan where they passed us a few km outside town. When i say argue with the check points, it was more of a negotiation. I'm getting good at those.

Today we loaded the car on the barge for Sudan. We go on a ferry. The barge cannot sail at night so takes two days and we take 17 hours. This is 17 egyptian hours which are variable in length ranging from 60 mins to 120 mins per hour. So who knows. We actually went to the port yesterday to load the car at the demand of the booking agent who got rather annoyed at me for complaining at the rush. We had been given one hour to get the car to the port and get ready. (In actual fact this took us almost 4 hours in the end). When we got the port the customs guy wanted to know why we had come on the wrong day Saturday and as we had finalised all the paperwork wanted us to leave the car in the port and come back the day after to load, Sunday. We asked why we had been told to rush when they wanted us Sunday not Saturday. The booking agent was firmly blamed. This the the guy that got annoyed when i compained about the rush. Turns our we had 24 hours not 1 hour to load. These people just like to feel important. He even threatened to throw me off the barge (next one Jan 16th) so i was extremely worred yeaterday that we wouldn't be allowed on Yesterday at all. Not that anyone was allowed on in the end anyhow. We all got on today,,,, only just !!! The barge isn't designed very well so getting Matilda on was really difficult taking many hours. So we are all on. By "we" i mean 3 Swedish Cars, a Danish Biker and Us. The Dutch arrivals were not able to get on. This isn't the same dutch that we went through Syria with but another couple in a Land Cruiser. They may have to wait 3 weeks !!! I hope not.

More Later,,,,i want some food and after all its Xmas Day !!!

First pic is Peter the Austrian. The other guy with the bike is Henning the Danish Bikes going south on a longer trip than we are. The other shots are Abu and loading the barge (thanks to Henning for being a good photographer). Note the inside shot from Abu......cost me a lot !  LOL.....