Thankfully our hotel was awesome and picked them up for us when they were next back at the airport, and we could check in at our hotel early, by then we desperately needed a snooze. Bit of a waste of a day really, only getting outta bed after dark to meet some friends who were randomly also in Dahab.
We only had two nights in Dahab, but immediately wished we had more time. We spent the day inbetween snorkelling the red sea, in what surely must be some of the world's best (wish I had an underwater camera). And the hotel itself was amazing, right on the sea in a great spot just out of town. 
Saying goodbye to small friendly Dahab we got the hourlong flight back to chaotic Cairo. An uneventful night before meeting up with our weeklong tour nice and early for Day 1 of the tour - Cairo. First stop was Saqqara to see the oldest major stone building in the world, the step pyramid, built around 2600 BC.
Back into Giza for the compulsory pyramids (bigger than you'd think) and sphinx (smaller than you'd think).
A fully tiring day, and by the time we got on our overnight train to Aswan at 11pm we were beat. So beat in fact that we actually got some decent sleep on a very jerky non-sleeper train.Time in Aswan for a quick dip in the hotel pool before heading out to the Dam (who knew - the Nile is dammed) and the Philae Temple. Our first proper Egyptian Temple (although actually built by the Greeks when they invaded to keep the Egyptians happy) and its an amazing spot, on an island in the lake, it looked amazing in the late afternoon sun. 
Time the following morning for another quick swim and a trip through the Aswan markets before jumping on our felucca early afternoon.
Arguably the highlight of the trip, the Felucca brings you back to basics. Our home for the next two night, the Felucca is just an old sail boat with a thin mattress, where we ate, slept, and chilled out in the sunshine while Captain Bob (so-called because of his love for Bob Marley and his dreads, his real name was probably Mohammed) zig zagged his way down the Nile.
We parked up the first night next to a local house for shisha and henna tattoos (and a bathroom), awokened way too early the following day with the sounds of morning prayer dishing out from the nearby mosque. An extremely relaxing day with nothing to do but read our books and chill out. Here we are parked up for lunch...
About 5pm the wind died, and an hour later it got dark, so we were stranded in the dark with large cruise ships narrowly missing us as we drifted down the nile looking for our pre-arranged park-up spot. We finally made it safe and sound for a bonfire night on the sand.
An hours cruising the next morning (so we were told, we were still sleeping!) before we said goodbye to our crew and got back into temple hunting.
Time the following morning for another quick swim and a trip through the Aswan markets before jumping on our felucca early afternoon.Arguably the highlight of the trip, the Felucca brings you back to basics. Our home for the next two night, the Felucca is just an old sail boat with a thin mattress, where we ate, slept, and chilled out in the sunshine while Captain Bob (so-called because of his love for Bob Marley and his dreads, his real name was probably Mohammed) zig zagged his way down the Nile.
We parked up the first night next to a local house for shisha and henna tattoos (and a bathroom), awokened way too early the following day with the sounds of morning prayer dishing out from the nearby mosque. An extremely relaxing day with nothing to do but read our books and chill out. Here we are parked up for lunch...
About 5pm the wind died, and an hour later it got dark, so we were stranded in the dark with large cruise ships narrowly missing us as we drifted down the nile looking for our pre-arranged park-up spot. We finally made it safe and sound for a bonfire night on the sand.
An hours cruising the next morning (so we were told, we were still sleeping!) before we said goodbye to our crew and got back into temple hunting.First Up Komombo on the shores of the Nile.
...followed by Edfu temple, with a huge facade.
A few hours in the bus north to Luxor. We stayed in an amazing hotel right on the river bank, with a heated pool and 5 (Egyptian) stars. 
A swim in the pool (and the obligatory beer at the swim-up cocktail bar) and we were back into it, this time Luxor temple at night. All lit up, its quite mystical...
Across the road for some quick bargaining at the Luxor markets.
Another early morning for a trip to the Nile's west bank and the Valley of the Kings. Its a series of underground tombs where Kings were mummified and buried with all their possessions. Most of these are now empty, but the carvings on the walls, still colourfully painted were well worth the trip. Unfortunately no cameras allowed.
...followed by Edfu temple, with a huge facade.
A few hours in the bus north to Luxor. We stayed in an amazing hotel right on the river bank, with a heated pool and 5 (Egyptian) stars. 
A swim in the pool (and the obligatory beer at the swim-up cocktail bar) and we were back into it, this time Luxor temple at night. All lit up, its quite mystical...
Across the road for some quick bargaining at the Luxor markets.
Another early morning for a trip to the Nile's west bank and the Valley of the Kings. Its a series of underground tombs where Kings were mummified and buried with all their possessions. Most of these are now empty, but the carvings on the walls, still colourfully painted were well worth the trip. Unfortunately no cameras allowed.Around the corner to Queen Hatshepsut's temple. Not allowed in the Valley of the Kings because she was a she, she built her own temple nestled into the side of the mountain that backs onto the Valley of the Kings. 
Our last Temple was easily the biggest in terms of ground coverage, Karnak Temple.
Here's our legendary tour guide Hady explaining the designs - most showing various kings offering goodies to the gods.
Dinner in Luxor before our return sleeper train, again not a bad sleep all things considered. Time to check into our hotel in Cairo and the necessary coffee before hitting the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Home to a bunch of scary mummies and lots of sparkling treasures, most from Tutankhamun's Tomb (apparently a fairly un-noteworthy King, other than the fact that his tomb was never discovered and robbed by the robbers, so was found in its full glory in the 1920s). 
We spent the afternoon shopping, first at a perfumery and secondly at the Cairo Markets. 
Here's our legendary tour guide Hady explaining the designs - most showing various kings offering goodies to the gods.Dinner in Luxor before our return sleeper train, again not a bad sleep all things considered. Time to check into our hotel in Cairo and the necessary coffee before hitting the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Home to a bunch of scary mummies and lots of sparkling treasures, most from Tutankhamun's Tomb (apparently a fairly un-noteworthy King, other than the fact that his tomb was never discovered and robbed by the robbers, so was found in its full glory in the 1920s). We spent the afternoon shopping, first at a perfumery and secondly at the Cairo Markets. But we didnt have a lot of time, we had to hurry back to the hotel to pick up our bags and rush for the return car ride through Cairo's mental traffic to the Airport. An epic holiday, with so much history, we loved it!
With not much energy left for anything else, we had an early night ready for a big day driving the following day. Up early to pick up our hire car, somehow we managed to negotiate our way out of Amman (there must be some sort of signpost-shortage in Jordan at the moment) and down to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth at over 400 metres below sea level, a drive of an hour and half. We weren't staying at one of the flash hotels that line the coast, but we paid to use their private beach and facilities for a few hours. Swimming in the Dead Sea is just crazy, its so salty that you do actually bob like a cork - its hilarious, kind of like you are your own inbuilt lifejacket. Something that needs to be experienced to be believed!
We were spending the night in Wadi Musa, a village on the edge of the historical sight of Petra, so we were back in the car mid-afternoon for a drive on some of the craziest roads we've been on, in that we seemed to climb for an age, with our little hire car struggling along the entire way. 
Dinner and an early night when we finally made it to Wadi Musa 3 hours later, so we could get up nice and early for our day inside Petra. Petra is a historical city that was established about 2500 years ago, so today it is really one big archaeological site. You enter along a 1km narrow valley, the "Siq", that still echoes of horses clopping along thanks to the tourist caravans transporting lazy tourists along its length. 
As you leave the Siq, you are transported into the city of Petra itself, and come face to face with the Treasury, an awesome facade carved into the sandstone cliffs. Amazing to think this has stood like this, stil in pretty decent nick, for 2500 years. For most of these years, the site was unknown, lying hidden in the mountains until discovered by a Swiss explorer in 1812. 
Camels taking it easy with some of the many tombs carved into the cliffs in the background.
Our exercise for the day was an exhausting 45 minute walk up to the highest point, and most impressive building, the Monastry. 
Another early night, but this time not too early a start, for our 2 hour drive the following day south to Wadi Rum village. Wadi Rum is a protected area of desert, in that you need to pay entry fees and only registered vehicles/tour operators are allowed. We decided to take the slow route, and jumped on a couple of camels for a four hour tour through the desert. Led by our guide, we plodded along until we arrived at camp just in time for sunset, dinner by the fire and some music before tucking in for an early night. 
With an early morning start thanks to the meanie tour leader, we were whisked back to Wadi Rum village in the back of 4x4 (much faster than by camel). Nursing some serious bruises and sore backs we jumped back into our hire car for a quick 1 hour drive further south to Aqaba. Aqaba is a resort town on the Red Sea, nestled between Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt, but we didnt manage much, spending the day by the pool relaxing.
With little to do in Khasab except enjoy the sunshine, we spent the afternoon reading our books by the pool and on the beach, before a lovely dinner outside overlooking the sea.
Up early Saturday morning for undoubtedly the highlight of the trip, a 4 hour Dhow cruise. This part of Oman is known as the Norway of the middle east, as a result of its many inlets and fjords, and we could certainly see why. Having visited the Norweigen Fjords earlier in the year, there were certainly some similarities, although the lack of any vegetation whatsoever meant you couldn't shake the feeling that you were cruising through a quarry. Still a very very nice day in the sunshine with the boat almost to ourselves.
We even had time for a quick snorkel around Telegraph Island, a post established by the British to run a telegraph line to Iraq in the 19th century. Now home to nothing more than a few fishies and the odd tourist.