Aswan, Egypt

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July 4: Happy Birthday, America!!

Seeing Egypt from a felucca on the Nile is just horrible. The cool breeze that fills the sail of your felucca as your expert Captain perfectly trims the sails, the exquisitely prepared traditional meals (in the absence of everything but a hot burner, no less) and the gorgeous scenery flowing by as you head north of Aswan downriver, are just stressful;-) Seriously, don't come to Egypt without having this experience. This does include sleeping on deck, exposed to the elements with the other members of your party, digging your own bathroom, etc. - so not for the feint of heart. Totally worth it.

Team "Intrepid," as we have now dubbed ourselves, truly bonded this night, through a series of homespun ghost stories and personal experience, most of which were a combination truth, tale and humor. Our Egyptian guide convinced one of our Kiwi (New Zealand'ers) travelers of the factual existence of djinn (genie). Once he had truly hooked her, the rest of us burst into laughter, including Ahmed. Needless to say, the moment was priceless.

Only one person snored, but thanks to Mark's foresight, we had both earplugs and face masks, so it didn't bother the two of us all that much. However, these sleeping tools worked only so well when the boat parked on the island next to us celebrating with drums and traditional vocal accompaniment until 4:00a.m. Not very restful, but the sunset was worth it.

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Photos

Angel & Mark
From the Deck of the Felucca on the spot we camped for the night

Moving Away from the Dock Under Sail
there is no motor on this one...

Roger Found the Baby on the Island
where we camped for the night