It was a sleepless noisy night in the hotel for me - mainly because of the street noise. So Tim and I got up early and headed out to look for a better and cheaper hotel. The goal was to get better quality for the same price - but we ended up paying slightly more to get a quieter back room with a better bathroom. Still about 50% higher than the prices it seemed that other travellers were getting. What are we doing wrong?
We took the government ferry out to Elephantine Island to have a look at the Nubian villages. Again we paid more than double what we thought the ferry was worth. Something strange was going on with the change and some "deal" with a couple of Brazilians that were also on the ferry that confused us. The amount was too small to worry us though - just the recurring theme and some barrier we had to break through or code we need to crack to get a fair price for things here. We walked around the village for a very short amount of time - the boys didn't find much interesting in the small quaint farming villages that I found delightful. Waiting for the ferry back we met a french couple and asked them about the price - they said that locals pay 25pt and tourists 1 pound and reminded us what the LP had said about taxis that the only way to ensure you get a fair price is to know the price and hand over the correct money. So luckily I had the right change and on getting of just put the money in the drivers hand and walked away - it was half what we had paid the time before.
Julian was finding it difficult to satisfy his hunger from the types of food we had been eating so we went to a restaurant with a fixed menu with a few courses. He chose the lamb chops, Tim the grilled chicken as mains. Tim took only a few bits as the chicken was overcooked and very dry, but there was enough other food in the menu to fill him. We shared a selection of salads, grilled vegetables and breads.
