The cost of money and another plane trip and yet another cruise boat

Just a few notes on the past day or so. First of all, we took a plane from Aswan to Abul Simbel Hopping to the other side of the New Aswan Dam. Our second of three trips by plane on Egypt Air. You go through two security checkpoints and a frisking (two separate lines for men and women, so that men do not touch women and vice versa. Shoes off, all electronics out but you do get the feeling that they aren't really looking at anything closely, but rather going through the motions. A little nervous about that since we are further south with more strict religious practices than in Cairo. We went to the temple at Abu Simbel. This was moved out of the path of the Aswan Dam piece by piece in the 1960s and rebuilt on higher ground. The temples are amazing; one to Ramses II and the other to his queen Nefertiri.

Sunsets are gorgeous in Egypt; closer the Equator and very little industry in the desert. The people we have met on the streets and travelling have been so polite and nice to us. We were really worried Wednesday night and Thursday after the Trump announcement, but even though the papers here all extolled the next violence, one of the waiters told us that they too have elected crazy crooked presidents. So I guess they do separate us from our government.

It's only been 5 years since the new government formed after Arab Spring. The economy is a mess and neither of our ships have been full, this one is less than half full but with a full staff. Our tourguide said that a few years ago these boats were totally booked in November, the high season when the weather is best. I asked if there was any coinage here: the exchange rate is 17.6 Egyptian pounds to the US Dollar. So the 5 Pound note you see in this pic is about 25 cents...and we are giving them out to the nice kids on the street. Tips of a dollar get you lifetime obedience from the restaurant and ship staff. There is a lot of poverty on the streets and garbage piling up, giving you a sense of lack of pride or just getting by here. That has been the only negative part of the bus and horse rides through the city.

More tomorrow Thanks for following Nate and Raphie