Edfu

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Sunday April 25, 2010 Edfu Egypt
Today we get to sleep in, as our wakeup call is 7 AM and not 6 AM. I went to bed an hour later so it did not affect me but I sleep well on boats and am well rested and feel great. Rick is also sleeping through the night, which is highly unusual as he is an insomniac. Only problem is Rick talks in his sleep. Not single words mind, oh no. long conversations and comments. He is concerned that he is talking dirty. I assure him if he were I would listen better, but alas his conversations in his sleep are boring.
Tonight is Galabaya night. This is the night at dinner we all don ancient costumes, called a Galabaya (I spelled it wrong in an earlier entry as Galabraia, so forgive me my Egyptian is not too good). Anyway with and after dinner we will have competitions and games with drinks and fun all around.
At issue is obtaining your Galabaya. They are available on the boat at a cost of 70 ($14). These are made of good quality cotton and you can try them on so you are assured of a reasonable fit, or you can chance to buy yours off the boat and possibly do better or perhaps worse. I choose to see what today brings as the store on the boat is always open.
Back to the tour. Today in Edfu we are to visit the temple of Horus the God of the Dead depicted as the falcon faced man seen everywhere in Egyptian art.
We arrive at Edfu temple and park the bus in the parking lot. Unlike all the other sites so far where there are no merchants between you and the site, Edfu forces you to walk through the Gauntlet on the was IN.
But the merchants are smart; they have only done this a million times already. As you get off the bus you are met by a merchant who gets your name and country of origin, takes you by the hand and into his shop. He hands you a business card and gives you a present, “no money, no money, this is a gift. You come back to my store after the temple, I give you good price no hustle” yeah right I think as I head to the temple tour.
The temple is in good repair as it has been repaired in ancient as well as modern time. As in all temples we have the outer avenue, the gateway, the open courtyard, the hall of Columns (an inner hall and outer hall make this temple more important) and of course the holy of holies shrine in the center of the temple.
The art work is not painted but is very well preserved. The Christians did their destructive work ruining most of the art in the top 20 feet of the temple but the bottom 20 feet seemed to remain unscathed.
Why is this? Why ruin the top and leave the bottom? When the early Christians were here there was 20 feet on sand in the temple and so they did not have access to the lower 20 feet.
We spend nearly 2 hours at the temple and then have to walk the gauntlet to get back to the bus. I take off my had, hide my camera and try to look different so perhaps my buddy Ahmed will not see me. No such luck. I am not even through the gate and ‘phil, phil, this way. It is me Ahmed. You come to my shop now, no hustle I give you good price”. Secured by the hand I have no choice but to follow or eat my own hand to escape. Since it is my right hand I follow (dragged actually) into the shop of Ahmed.
Now he does have some nice stuff. Clothes for men and women, tourist junk, some nice scarves, table cloths and other items abound. I pick up a blouse, a fine red one in medium for Cathy and ask how much.
“Do not worry, I give you good price. You need a Galabaya for tonight come see”
Now how the hell does he know what I need for tonight? Like I said they have done this a million times. Every boat has Galabaya night one day on the cruise and every merchant knows the schedule of every boat.
So I actually see a Galabaya in white with regal red outlines and a jacket covering. I ask how much and get the same response.
“Do not worry, I give you good price.” “You must have a head piece, you cannot go without one my friend” So now we are friends, I just met this guy.
So I now have a head piece, a Galabaya, a beautiful cotton shirt, and NO PRICE.
Now I have 5 minutes to get to the bus and begin the haggle.
“Look I have to go, how much” and I try to start to walk away.
My path blocked by my friend “for you 960 pounds”
Not a chance, I come back with “La, la, la (no, no, no) I give you 150 pounds”
He is taken aback. “Never 150 it costs me more I give it all to you for 870 pounds”
“Gotta go Ahmed old buddy, the bus is waiting”
Step forward two steps and blocked again “ Ok Ok for you 450 pounds that is my final offer that is my cost”
OK final answer NO. I will give you 150 pounds or have a nice day”
One more step and one more block. He zigs, I do a head fake and double zig gaining a full 5 feet (now I am using old moves my High School coach taught me to avoid tackles)
“450, 450 I make no money please 450”
“Sorry I gotta go”
“OK, OK take it for free then”
“Look Ahmed I am not trying to insult you but the top limit I will spend is 200 pounds ($40) take it or leave it”
Finally with only 15 feet to go to the bus Ahmed caves in and the transaction is complete. I have my Galabaya (and next year’s Halloween costume) and Cathy has a fine new cotton Egyptian blouse.
Back to the boat and some rest on the sun deck. There I am met by several follow travelers who are discussing a memorial plan to begin in 10 minutes. I ask Ellen, “What is happening?”
She explains the following. Today is a very special day in New Zealand and Australia. It is the day, April 25, that all Aussies and Zealanders mark the tragic death of 10,000 combined troops who in WWI landed on the wrong beach in Turkey and were slaughtered to the last man by the Japanese. This day is commemorated with prayers and a minute of silence at 11:00 AM the time they landed and died.
I ask if I may join and she says it would be an honor for her if I did. So I join the memorial prayers and remembrance ceremony and we break for beers and laughs with a glass held high to those who died so that we may live. Touching actually.

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