Monday morning, 16th October 2000, I was woken by bangs and crashes and a lot of noise from the engine, thus realised that we had reached the Esna Locks again. This time we were going through them in daylight. It was an event not to be missed, so I dressed hastily and went on deck, this time with my camera. We had already made it through the first set of gates, as we were in the lake section, at the head of a queue of cruise-boats waiting for the second set to open. Next inline behind us was our sister-ship, the Nile Legend. From my position at the front of the uppermost deck I had a grandstand view. However, I had only two shots left in my camera. I used these up then rushed below to make a quick change of film before resuming my watch. The whole procedure is quite long and was fascinating to experience. Eventually we went through the second series of gates, under the bridge and out into the main river once more. Here no less than six southbound cruise-ships were patiently waiting. Only then did I abandon my post and go down below for a slightly belated breakfast. Esna Locks are now counted among the 'bonus' treats of my Nile cruise.

During a restful morning spent lazing on deck, absorbing the passing scenery and taking the occasional dip in the pool, our vessel continued her stately way downstream. Around lunchtime we arrived in the vicinity of Luxor and tied up at a dock owned by the Presidential Nile Company. It was not the main dock whence we had set sail, but a subsidiary one some miles south of the town in a district which creeping development has not yet reached. There was nothing to see but bushes and trees. Although no outing was scheduled for that afternoon, a mini-bus was laid on for those of us who fancied seeing more of Luxor, so I took advantage of this, as did Elizabeth (my neighbour at meal-times) and an acquaintance of hers called Anne. As there was no official tour, once we had been left in town somewhere behind the Luxor Temple, the three of us went off together for a light-hearted wander - no monuments for us today! Instead we did a hotel and shop crawl. Elizabeth had been in Luxor the previous year on holiday with her mother, so knew the central quarter quite well, which was most helpful.

The security guards at the hotels were kind to us and let us in to the edifices which they were guarding. I guess we did not look like anyone's idea of murderous fanatics. First stop was the renowned Old Winter Palace, a commodious and sumptuous hostelry which the rich, the royal, and the famous have patronised for over a hundred years, and which has happily been maintained but not modernised. The halls and lounges are gracious and spacious, the gardens luxuriant and home to colourful birds such as hoopoes, which calmly trot around unmolested. I tried to photograph one, not very successfully. Before leaving the hotel we succumbed to the promptings of curiosity and read the menu displayed outside the main dining room. We were surprised to find that, considering the category of the hotel, the prices did not seem excessive. Next to the Old Winter Palace is its companion the New Winter Palace, which shares the same grounds and swimming pool. It is, however, a high-rise block of angular design. We did not bother to explore it, but resumed our stroll up the waterfront tree-lined promenade called the Corniche, hotels, shops and Luxor Temple to our right, River Nile with cruise-boats to our left, here and there horse-drawn buggies trotting along in search of passengers, or simply waiting for customers to come to them.

Next we went to the hotel where Elizabeth and her mother had spent their holiday in 1999. This was the Mercure Etap, which is entered from the Corniche and is within walking distance of most of the town centre attractions. At the rear of the vast marble entrance hall lurks a coffee bar and here we treated ourselves to real coffee, brewed before our very eyes. After this break we browsed through a mini-bazaar, then finished the outing with yet another unexpected experience. At least, it was unexpected by Anne and me - Elizabeth had risked her life trying it the year before and was still with us, so we other two risked a repetition along with her. We had informed the mini-bus that we would make our own way back to the Commodore, and so we did - in an Egyptian taxi. Well, as it is not my ghost writing this account, you will realise that I too survived the hair-raising venture. The driver urged his vehicle on at its maximum velocity and deposited us, alarmed but unharmed, in the approximate vicinity of our vessel. Fortunately there was not much traffic on the road and no donkeys strayed into our path.

Tuesday 17th October was of necessity a rather melancholy day, being the countdown to the end of a superb cruise, which we would leave with memories both exciting and surprising. But first there was one more temple to add to the list. This was Denderah, on the western bank some miles north of Luxor at a point where the Nile takes a sharp turn to the left. It is another 'recent' monument, dating only from very late Pharaonic times (30th dynasty) and the early Ptolemaic. The main temple is sacred to the goddess Hathor and is notable for having a roof to which it is possible to ascend via very narrow stone staircases (much worn, needless to say) to emerge upon said roof and view mile upon mile of the surrounding countryside. After the brightness of the light above, I had a hard time getting down again, as the contrasting gloom of the stairways made it impossible for me to see. I had to grope for the steps with my feet and a considerate gentleman from our group helped to guide me, for which I was grateful. Below the main area of the temple are crypts containing I know not what. Some members of Isis queued to go down there, but I decided to give the dungeons a miss and went for a walk outside, my eyesight having recovered from its temporary problems.

Following Denderah, the Nile Commodore set sail to return us to Luxor for the last time. The doings of the afternoon are soon recorded. After lunch there was a short meeting in the lounge with Rachel, our rep., who gave us the details for our respective onward movements. Some were returning home to the U.K., some staying in Luxor for a while, some heading for Cairo and a very few (of whom I was one) destined for the shores of the Red Sea. Then it was packing (a tedious job, especially when you are leaving a place), dinner, and a fairly early night, for I had an early start to come on the Wednesday morning - 7.20 a.m.