After a 3 hour ride, the air-conditioning unit in our compartment mal-functioned and as a consequence, there was a heated argument among the passengers & train officers. What an unlucky day for us as we had to sit in this warm & stuffy environment !
Later on, we moved to another air-conditioned compartment and got back our comfort in the train.
While on the train, I enjoyed the countryside scenery and saw rows of date palm trees, rural farming activities, deserts, unfinished or half completed dwellings in rural towns, and the famous River Nile etc At around 10.00pm, we arrived at the Aswan station and checked into Yessen Hostel (35EP=Rm24). Due to the late check in, we were not able to sign up a conducted Abu Simbel tour for the following morning (the tourist bus has to depart 3.00am with police convoys) and the journey takes 3 hours. Abu Simbel is located 280km, south of Aswan and 40km from the Sudanese border. Early this year. there was a media report on a kidnapping case of foreign tourists in this region. So tourists are exposed to some elements of risk travelling along this stretch of road.
After making some inquiries with other hostels, we finally had an alternative travel plan. One hostel had suggested we take a local bus from the Aswan bus terminal or charter a taxi, which can be costly.
We had a late dinner at a nearby restaurant. After the dinner, we spent sometime at the shopping street of Aswan.
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"What a great Old Cairo train ride to Aswan, sweating in the train and admiring the River Nile along the way - 7,950km from Malaysia"
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