Monday 21st – Thursday 23rd April
Egyptian entrepreneurialism is taken to a new level. We wake to the rowdy sounds of a floating market. As our boat approaches a queue to pass through a loch, we are surrounded by small canoes rowing against the current to bargain and haggle. I’ve never seen anything like it. Kaftan’s and unwanted souvenirs are being thrown everywhere and the local men are shouting at the tourists to pay them! Hilarious. As a new boat full of guests pulls up, the small boats all chase the fresh prey!
Our cruise down the Nile takes us south to Aswan. It’s a beautiful trip as we pass by local farms and desert (though rather hot at 40 plus degrees). Along the way we stop at several temples such as Edfu and Kom Ombo, which are amazing but the experience is tarnished a little by the thousands of tourists surrounding us (bloody tourists).
A highlight was a trip to the temples of Abu Simbel, just 45 km from the Sudanese border. The temples have been cut into the side of a mountain and were built by Ramses the 2nd. At 40 metres in height these statues are magnificent. But what captivates us is that these temples were relocated by UNESCO in the 60’s due to a massive new dam raising the waters of the Nile. The project involved moving an entire mountain 200m back and 65m higher!
Later that evening we enjoy Nubian cuisine on a Felucca (local food on an Egyptian sail boat) but the wind is non-existent so we don’t get too far. After a good hour, the skipper gives in and pays another boat to pull us around the Nile to ensure we get the proper experience! Too funny! After being assured there are no crocodiles, Rich goes for a lone dip in the Nile ...... nobody else is game.
Egyptian entrepreneurialism is taken to a new level. We wake to the rowdy sounds of a floating market. As our boat approaches a queue to pass through a loch, we are surrounded by small canoes rowing against the current to bargain and haggle. I’ve never seen anything like it. Kaftan’s and unwanted souvenirs are being thrown everywhere and the local men are shouting at the tourists to pay them! Hilarious. As a new boat full of guests pulls up, the small boats all chase the fresh prey!
Our cruise down the Nile takes us south to Aswan. It’s a beautiful trip as we pass by local farms and desert (though rather hot at 40 plus degrees). Along the way we stop at several temples such as Edfu and Kom Ombo, which are amazing but the experience is tarnished a little by the thousands of tourists surrounding us (bloody tourists).
A highlight was a trip to the temples of Abu Simbel, just 45 km from the Sudanese border. The temples have been cut into the side of a mountain and were built by Ramses the 2nd. At 40 metres in height these statues are magnificent. But what captivates us is that these temples were relocated by UNESCO in the 60’s due to a massive new dam raising the waters of the Nile. The project involved moving an entire mountain 200m back and 65m higher!
Later that evening we enjoy Nubian cuisine on a Felucca (local food on an Egyptian sail boat) but the wind is non-existent so we don’t get too far. After a good hour, the skipper gives in and pays another boat to pull us around the Nile to ensure we get the proper experience! Too funny! After being assured there are no crocodiles, Rich goes for a lone dip in the Nile ...... nobody else is game.
No comments:
Post a Comment