Aswan, the capital of the Aswan Governorate, was often considered as the southern frontier town of Ancient Egypt. As the source of the Nile came from the south, Egyptians always believed that their country began in this city (after all, Aswan is the first town in Egypt to "receive" the river). A city of great strategic importance, it often acted as a garrison town for the military campaigns against Nubia and is also a prosperous marketplace for ancient caravan routes. In order to satisfy the needs of a fast growing population, the Aswan Dam was built in 1898 at the First Cataract (i.e. shallow stretches of the river where the water's surface is broken by many small boulders and stones protruding from the river bed) so as to cultivate more agricultural land. This caused the formation of Lake Nasser and much of Nubia disappeared under the waters.

Our train pulled into Aswan Train Station (most southern city which one could travel by train) in exactly 3 hours later (for once, Egyptian Railways scores high in terms of punctuality!). Although it is considered as a city, modern day Aswan somehow feels less urgent and (definitely) less overwhelming as compared to Cairo or Luxor (though the pace had significantly picked up with the influx of tour groups coming in via cruise boats). One of the driest inhabited places in the world; the last recorded rainfall (as of Oct 2009) was a thunderstorm that occurred on 13 May 2006 (3 years without rain!). In fact, it is so hot and dry that in Nubian settlements, locals generally do not bother to roof all of the rooms in their houses!

If we had came to Aswan during summer (temperatures averages as high as 42°C), it would almost be impossible to do anything apart from hibernating in a pool. In a way, we were lucky to be here during winter (temperatures hovers around 15 °C). However, this also means we had to compete with large hordes of tourists during this peak season for accommodation and services. After a advance mini-tour of the city involving 4 hotels (these were rejected because they were either closed, too expensive or not value-for-money), we decided to stay in Al-Amir Hotel along Sharia Abbas Farid (a street behind the Corniche and the Nile) at E£160 or S$40 a night per double. It was not that bad after all, considering the fact that the room we stayed offered a view of the Nile if I was to stretch my neck.