Gunga- Avenue of the Sphinxes

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I’ve seen temples and tombs of kings and queens. I’ve seen golden thrones and royal jewels. Magnificent…but Saturday was my favorite day so far on this fabulous trip. We visited a small village, Bearat, on the west bank of the Nile. It is extremely poor and barren. Few houses have electricity or running water. The gov’t is trying to discourage people from living on the west bank of the Nile so they don’t extend basic services to them. Donkeys are one of the modes of transportation. If you think dodging dog poop is a problem, well, no one is walking around with a donkey pooper scooper. One walks at your own risk! Chickens scurry to and fro as they are a source of eggs and meat. It was like entering streets as I imagine they were in Biblical times- mud brick houses, sand and dirt roads, camels used as transportation and farm animals.

We were on our way to visit an elementary school. Grand Circle travel also owns Overseas Adventure Travel which is the trip I’m on. Not only do they run great trips but they also give back to communities in every country where they travel. On this day we were to visit a music lab that had been funded by Grand Circle. In addition, many of us had brought supplies for the school. As soon as we entered the grounds, blue shirted brown eyed little boys started yelling “hello” and jumping about with silly grins hoping to have their picture taken. More subdued but just as bright eyed were little girls in brown jumper style dresses, some with elaborate embroidery, as well as fancy hair decorations. When asked if they wanted their picture taken they often shyly hid their face or smiled just a little with a nod indicating it was okay. The class rooms were small- a ¼ the size of a typical Am. school classroom. Each class held about 32-34 students. Boys on one side- seated on both sides of one long table and girls at another table. The few books I saw were old and well used. There were no other decorations in the room.

The boys were jumping out of their seats they were so excited. They made funny faces, pulled on the kids next to them, and hammed up as much as they could whenever anyone with a camera was anywhere near them. After disrupting the class for about 10 minutes we went to the ‘music lab’. There were tambourines, drumsticks, a couple of keyboards( apparently the school has electricity),some other rhythm instruments, and not much else. Four twelve year old girls assembled outside the classroom and sang us several songs. I think there might have been one or two in English but because of heavy accents I couldn’t understand anything. But the eagerness of their presentation and the joy on their faces left no doubt that they were happy to sing for us.

The best was saved for last…a visit to the pre-school. These little darlings were all in pink shirts and maroon pants and vests ( boys) or jumpers( girls). There were about 35 kids in the room ( girls on one side and boys on the other). Several had been selected to sing for us. They started the A-B-C song with rousing gusto which tapered off to some incoherent mumbling as it got towards the end of the alphabet. After several songs our sweet group leader, Caroline, announced that it was our turn to sing to the children. We sang that old camp song favorite “ When You’re Happy and You Know if Clap Your Hands….”. It was a big hit! After we sang it once ( and did the motions) we sang it with the kids. They caught on very quickly and loved it. The English teacher asked me to write down the words so she could use it in her lessons. Fun, fun, fun. What a treat to be given this experience. I think OAT and Grand Circle are one of the few companies that do this everywhere they travel.

Our ‘immersion’ experience was just beginning. Next we headed to a farm. It is on land that was previously Nile flood plain but since the Aswan Dam was built has been able to be cultivated without fear of yearly floods. We met Akmet, a very handsome farmer who spoke excellent English ( learned in school). He, his wife and two children and his very large extended family ( 6 or 7 siblings, their spouses and children), and his mother all lived on a 4 acre farm which made them totally self sufficient. They raised all their own veggies, had a cow for milk, chickens for eggs and meat, other birds for meat, ground their own corn for animal feed, ground their wheat for amazingly delicious sun baked bread in a mud oven. To make extra income Akmet makes furniture from the stalks of date palm trees. He uses primitive tools and no nails yet his furniture is strong and comfortable. He also makes strong rope from the sisal like material of the palm tree. He showed how he rolls and manipulates the sisal using a little water and his feet to anchor the new rope. He sells this rope because apparently animals don’t like the taste of it so one can tie up their donkey or camel and it won’t chew through the rope. His 3 rd. job is with OAT as he welcomes groups. Serves tea and wonderfully delicious bread hot out of the mud oven.

He told us how his mother was the head of the household and the thing she is happiest about was that a few years ago he was able to take her on the pilgrimage to Mecca. All Moslems are supposed to do this once in their lifetime so this was a wonderful event for their entire family. They went by boat to Messina in Saudi Arabia. They were able to see Mohammed’s tomb. This event was so significant for the family that one of the other son’s painted the story of their journey on the front of their house for all to know that the pilgrimage had been made.

Our last stop on this wonderful day was to a Women’s Sewing Workshop that is funded by Grand Circle Foundation’s new 'Invest in a Village' initiative. This is specifically for women who have no source of income- widows, divorcees, single mothers, some others ostracized by their community. Sewing machines, supplies, and training fees are funded by the project. The ladies, all dressed in burquas, all veiled, some with their faces covered but most not, were lovely, friendly, and eager to show us their skills and their wares. It was a delight to see them engaged just as any women’s sewing group but with a purpose more than just a lovely finished product.

Next- the temple tour…Carolyn
There are over 400 gods and goddesses from ancient Egypt and I think every one of them must have a temple or two devoted to them. It is beyond amazing, astounding, and even incredulous to see these mammoth creations from as long ago as the 14th century BC. While I always knew I wanted to someday come and see these ancient treasures, it is only in actually seeing them up close that I have gained even more respect for the intelligent minds that created these structures. Think of it- before the age of computers, electricity and all the modern advantaging we have today, the Egyptians had figured our astronomy ( they knew the there were 365 days in a year), medicine ( they had treatments for over 400 illnesses and diseases),and it goes without saying, mathematics and engineering. The other information I find most interesting is how similar rites and stories from and about the gods figure into Biblical folklore- ie. The virgin birth, the symbols for the 4 writers of the Gospels ( found in Kom Ombo temple in Pa- Sebek).

Each temple is stunning and, to be honest, a bit overwhelming. THEY ARE HUGE- and this is so even when some are only partially still standing!! Some of my favorite have been: Luxor Temple’s 3 kilometer Avenue of the Sphinxes- that’s right! Anyone who has ever seen the opera Aida knows of this scene. Some of the actual sphinxes are still being discovered. The earliest parts of Luxor Temple dates back from the 14th century BC.

The next most impressive one was Karnak Temple. I couldn’t help but giggle thinking about the old Johnny Carson routine ‘ Karnak the Magnificent’. This is the mother of all religious buildings. It covers almost 100 acres. It took over 24 centuries to build. One hall has 134 pillars that reach up to the sky. At one point there were over 100 obelisks - some over 100 feet tall weighing 350 tons!

My personal favorite was the Temple of Edfu in the town of Etbo. It was built for the falcon god Horus, son of Isis. Our leader, Caroline, is determined to have us learn some of the gods and goddesses. Yesterday we were all assigned names of gods and we did a little play. I got to be Horus and smite the evil god, Seth. I used some of my grandson Callum’s sword/stick fighting moves and apparently was quite an effective smiter.

This morning we visited the temple of Kom Ombo in the little town of Pa-Sebek. It is unique in that it is dedicated to 2 different gods at the same time: Sobek ( the crocodile on the right side) and Horus the Elder ( the falcon). It is situated on the banks of the Nile and stands high on a mound of sand. This is a relatively ‘new’ temple that only took 400 years in the 2nd. Century A.D. when Egypt was under Roman rule. I was entranced to see the ‘Nilometer’ set up on the grounds that measured the depth of the Nile and predicted when it would flood. The year was thus divided into 3 seasons: flooding, planting, and harvesting.

I could write volumes on each temple but I doubt anyone really wants that much information. Besides, it is almost impossible to get internet connections so I am trying to keep things short.

Right now we are floating down the Nile on the Royal Rhapsody- truly decadent. The ship is small, beautifully appointed, with a staff that is as close to perfection as one can only dream of. Each morning the steward arranges our towel in a humorous shape- yesterday a large swan and today a small baby, yes, a baby. It was dressed in Val’s striped pj’s and had a roll of toilet paper with magic marker facial features drawn on. We laughed so hard and took pictures because it really was something that needs to be shared. ;-)

On to Aswan…… Carolyn

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