The more distant of the two, to north of the Luxor town centre, is Karnak, so we began there. It is a truly amazing sight and of all the temples I was to see subsequently, only one came close (very close, as a matter of fact) to rivalling it in my estimation. Karnak was constructed over a time span of about 1400 years, from the New Kingdom until the Romans came. It is not a mere temple, but a whole complex of them, with courtyards, great entrance gates, tall statues, towering obelisks, sacred lakes, rows of sphinxes, and the most celebrated zone of the whole collection, the incomparable hypostyle hall. This is the area where the columns, all duly decorated with pictures and writing, reach up to the blue sky, which you can discern high above, for there is no roof - not because it has fallen down during the 3000 years that the soaring pillars have stood there, but because there never was a roof in the first place. The hall is an enormous garden carved in stone. Some columns are sculptured forms of the lotus, others of the papyrus plant. In the late afternoon the light between them is either blinding sunshine or deepest shadow. Karnak and everything in it is not only massive in every direction (height, depth, width) but beautiful. It takes the breath away.

We of the Isis group were still in a state of stupefaction when the time came to leave. Our bus carried us back to the south end of Luxor and we stopped on the way home to see the Luxor Temple. This too is an extensive precinct with columns representing the lotus, an avenue of sphinxes, one obelisk (there used to be two, but the second one somehow found its way to the centre of the Place de la Concorde in Paris), and the bizarre feature of a mosque inserted incongruously into the interior of the site. Anyone who is touring on their own might be well be advised to start their visit to the City of the Living by going to the Temple of Luxor first. It is a fine and interesting monument, but it did not have the impact on me that it would have done had I not seen Karnak first.

So after a dazzling introduction to the glories of Ancient Egypt, we were driven back to the M.S. Nile Commodore and at 5.00 p.m. that afternoon, by the glow of the setting sun, we set sail from Luxor and steered southwards up the River Nile and further into Africa.

At 10 p.m. that same night we commenced our passage through the locks at Esna. Despite feeling tired after a busy and exciting day, I spent some time on the top deck to observe this new and intriguing operation. The Nile is one of the world's great rivers, and the locks are made to match it. There are two sets of them, with a large basin in between where convoys of cruise-boats were lined up waiting their turn to go through the appropriate pair of gates. The whole scene was lit up - vessels and lock authority buildings alike - and considerably enlivened by fast -moving processions of cars and lorries full of cheering occupants which were crossing a bridge just behind us in both directions. This racket, we were told, was due to the local populace letting off steam on account of an election which was taking place. I have no idea who won or lost or even who was standing and why. It was all rather a fun contrast to the pleasures of serious archaeology.

When we arose next morning (Friday 13th October 2000) we found that we had docked at Edfu, a pleasant little place on the west bank of the Nile. For me, Friday the 13th is usually a propitious date, so I am quite happy when it comes around. This day, as I anticipated, was an enjoyable one. About a five minute bus ride from the dock we came to the Temple of Edfu. At first glance it looked not unlike the monuments of Luxor, though smaller, but closer inspection revealed differences. In fact, the temples of Egypt resemble each other superficially, having similar ground plans and architecture, but they all have their own individual characteristics. No two temples are really identical. Edfu is much younger than Karnak, as it dates from the Ptolemaic era, around 200 B.C. It is high and wide but the sunlight is blocked from entering the hall, for there is a roof. Again the walls and columns are incised with pictures and script. This artwork is lovely even though (as Saladin was at pains to point out) it is not up to the superlative standard of a thousand years earlier.

After Edfu it was back to the boat and to some hours of relaxation which we apprentices in Egyptology had surely earned. While the Commodore continued her voyage upstream, we were free to loll around on the sundeck (mercifully much of the space is shaded by an awning for the sake of the fast burners like myself), take the occasional dip in the bathroom size pool and contemplate the vision of Egypt gliding by and looking much the same as it must have done in the year 2000 B.C. Of course, it was actually our cruise craft which was doing the gliding while Egypt remained exactly where it has been for thousands of years, but so smooth was our progress that the reverse felt to be happening.

On a map the country of Egypt is shown as being fairly large and fairly square in shape. In reality, it is long, thin and limited as to inhabited parts. The River Nile, rising faraway in the interior of Africa, flows through the middle of Egypt to its mouths in the Mediterranean. For a few miles inland on both banks extends the irrigated and cultivated strip with plants and palm-trees, busy workers in their traditional loose robes, and from time to time a donkey, favourite beast of burden of the region. Beyond the greenery are ranges of brown and barren hills, and beyond the hills (as we had seen from the air) is the desert, miles and miles of it, all the way to the borders of Libya to the west and the beaches of the Red Sea to the east. And on the surface of the river, flitting about like white butterflies, are the feluccas with their triangular sails, the graceful little working boats of the Nile. We had a ride in one later, one of the varied outings included in our holiday.

After dark we tied up for a while at Kom Ombo, a temple on the east bank on a height above the river, and at that hour brightly lit up. The independent travellers on board went ashore to visit it, but it did not figure that day on the Thomson schedule. Our turn was yet to come. That night we reached our farthest point south on water, namely Aswan, and moored at the Presidential Nile dock at the north end of the town, east bank.

I must have retired to bed betimes (I tended to do that, being more interested in temples than in evening social events), for I was up early, went on deck to have a look at Aswan, and was rewarded with a brief but memorable sight. Perched on the rail of the Nile Commodore, on the side facing the open water, gazing at its reflection in the windows of the lounge, was a beautiful pale grey bird (ibis or heron, I did not know which). Alas, but I did not have my camera with me to record the creature and its lovely one-legged pose, so I just kept still and gazed for a while to imprint the picture on my mind. I noted the incident in my diary that day. (Moral - always carry your camera!).