Egypt Explorers: A Felucca Ride

Africa » Egypt » Upper Egypt » Aswan
July 1st 2009

Published: September 23rd 2009

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Missy and Michele

View from the train

On the way to Aswan on the sleeper train.

I managed to get a little sleep, and I was very glad to wake up because that meant I had survived the night! Michele and I were both glad the sun had finally came up, so we could get a look at what we were passing by on the train. We could not believe our eyes when we looked out the window. It was as if we were transported back into the Bible. Time has seemed to stand still here. It was beautiful and simplistic, but I could not imagine living this way!

Our breakfast arrived to our cabin, and guess what? It was a tray with six different kinds of bread. That was it. I have never heard of such a thing. I guess Egyptians really like their bread.

We arrived at the train station around 10:00 a.m. and was picked up and transported by van to the Isis hotel. It was set along the river bank of the Nile and was simply breathtaking. It was lined with feluccas. The hotel was very nice. We decided to take a nap, and then to venture out and find a McDonald's. We were both ready for some safe food. The

Aswan

A traditional felucca

McDonald's was only a couple blocks away. I ordered a happy meal to get the toy with Arabic writing. Fast food never tasted so good!

That evening we met the rest of our group to take a felucca ride on the Nile. A felucca is a traditional Egyptian sail boat. Mayer told us that most of his groups jump into the water for the sake of saying they had swam in the Nile. He went on about how clean the water is, but I was not going to take any chances after the night I had thinking I was dying with typhoid fever! No one on the tour took him up on his offer.

We saw many interesting sites during the felucca ride. There were ancienct carvings on the rocks. Mayer explained that when pharoahs and kings arrived they would carve their names on the rocks. We also saw the old Cataract Hotel which was closed for renovations. It was the place where Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile. It was amazing.

We arrived at our destination- Elephantine Island. We were scheduled to have dinner here with a Nubian Family. The first thing I noticed or

The Nile

A palm tree in Aswan

should I say smelled when I stepped on the island was the nausiating odor, and I was going to eat here! I definitely thought I would be very carefull at dinner. We strolled through the village and was met by lots of children who wanted money or anything we would give them. We entered a home that had a stuffed crocodile's head over the door and climbed a narrow staircase to a terrace overlooking the Nile. The terrace was full of oddities and hand made crafts that the Nubian's sold to the tourists. I found some interesting souviners. We met a beautiful young girl who was full of personality. I took her picture with Michele.

After our shopping session, we headed through the village to another set of stairs that led to the terrace where we would have dinner. It was very clean and that eased my mind about the upcoming meal. The Nubian man had two wives and many children. The children were not welcome at dinner. Our host continually told them to leave. The Nubians had prepared food that was familiar to westeners. We had fried chicken, french fries, pasta, and some local vegetables. It was one