Blogs from Kom Ombo, Upper Egypt, Egypt, Africa - page 4

Another early start had us disembarking for a carriage ride through the streets of Edfu to Edfu temple. The little horse-drawn carriages were a lot of fun and I highly recommend them as a way to see the town. Along the streets the men were out early having their coffees and cigarettes on the sidewalks while others lined up at bank windows or food shops. I was really impressed with Edfu temple and it may well be my favourite temple of the trip as the colour on the walls here is quite well preserved in a few places and the carved reliefs were interesting with many scenes and animals depicted (like hippos.) On the ride in the carriage back to the ship, we watched as local children hopped on the backs of the carriages in front ... read more

Once again we awoke to stunning scenery in the dawn light and we were off on schedule to continue towards Dakhla, some 30 or more miles to the south east. This is a huge oasis where reportedly 10,000 souls live. It is nothing like what one thinks about when an oasis is mentioned. Yes there were date palms in abundance but there were also fields of green crops growing, cattle grazing, and there were street lights through the centre of the town itself. We stopped to explore the older parts of the town with their quaint little buildings made from mud a with few outside windows to prevent the heat getting in. On we pressed towards the next oasis complex, Kharga, another very large and well watered area with a huge population, only to refettle and ... read more

Aswan-Kom Ombo-Edfu-LuxorTom Griffithurl='/Videos/2881.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/2881.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;'On the Costa Rica She started the voyage as the Monica, but by the time we pulled into Kom Ombo, our trusty felucca had been rechristened the Costa Rica. This was decided during a late-night discussion in the boat's cabin on our first night, and was settled upon for the sole reason that our captain, Asam, wore a shirt that said 'Costa Rica' on it. Luckily it presented no practical difficulties - the felucca is not yet registered, and so has no name on it yet. Hopefully Asam will get some paint together and rectify the situation soon. A felucca is a medium-sized Egyptian yacht, usually white, with a large main sail, a small cabin at the front, and a large ... read more

We set off for another day sailing on the Nile. Most of the day there was no wind so we just drifted with the Nile's current. We have two stops along the way today and the first was the Town of Darrow. Usually there is a big Camel market there but there were no camels today so we when over to the local livestock market. There were all sorts of water buffalo, goats, doneys, horses, chickens, a few camels, and cows for sale. You had to be careful not get run over by all the pickup trucks in the market. We saw a man testing a doney by galloping it thru the market. Afterwards we went over to the local market area. It was crowded with people and tables with all sorts of things for everyday ... read more