Minor Mishap #4

Our felucca ride was relaxing... mostly.

A felucca is an egyptian sail boat and ours was set up with a rather large mattress covering the entire deck. Captain Smiley (as he liked to be called) was very competent at tacking against the wind toward Luxor, and seemed to have the knack of skimming our heads just above the water.

Mum and I were relaxing in the late afternoon, listening to Pride and Prejudice on podcast and the others were on deck in various states of relaxation. We were all feeling very indulgent and regal. That is, until a strong gust of wind came up unbeknownst to us.

As we were used to the frequent tipping of the boat, we didn't suspect anything was amiss... However, then we started to slide towards the edge while the icy cold water of the Nile started to rush in. I got to my feet in quite a rush with only a minor amount of screaming.

Captain Smiley was able to avoid capsising (we weren't so sure if he could at one stage) and correct the boat. We sailed towards shore to dry out and wait out the wind.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of myself, but it looked a bit like this...

l
R
x
and Judy

Travel like an Egyptian

Overall we spent 11 days in Egypt. We travelled to Cairo, Aswan, Luxor and Alexandria. It essentially never rains in Egypt and the Nile is the only water source, so the landscape really is sandy desert with a strip of green oasis. Very different to home.

The pyramids were a little bit of a let down because of all the tourism - there is tarred road that cuts in between the two main pyramids. There is also lots of rubbish around due to the lack of bins. However, it was still good to go and see them as an experience. The Egyptian Museum was spectacular. So much so that we returned to it at the conclusion of our tour (the end of 8 days). Cairo also gave us our first experience of a Dervish (Sufi) dance show- this is where they spin constantly.

With the Large Pyramid

We took a sleeper train to Aswan. Actually quite comfortable and a private 2 bunk cabin - with a locking door (much better than China). Aswan was hot. Very. Hot. Here we spent a 46 deg C day melting around Philae temple and dipping our feet in the Nile. The same day we rode some camels on the West bank in the Sahara. We explored some and got into the swing of bargaining on our second day in Aswan.

Riding Camels in the Sahara

A felucca sailed us to Luxor, where after a minor mishap (see #4) we arrived safely and had time to see the Karnak temple. The following day was busy, spent visiting the Colossi of Memnon, Valley of Kings (via donkey), Medinat Temple, a local family for a traditional lunch and Luxor temple. We had time for some quick bargaining before boarding a seated overnight train (gah!) to Cairo... and then bus to Alexandria.

Medinat Temple, Luxor

Alexandria was so beautiful. It is a mixture of Greek and Egyptian culture, which was evident in people's features. We also saw it in the catacombs - where representations of Greek gods had been merged with Egyptian gods. We had glorious ocean air as the city is set around a bay. We visited the site of Fort Quaitby - built from the 7th wonder of the ancient world (yep, the English decided to quarry the Pharoah lighthouse for a fort) - where we met some lovely locals who gave me a live little fish to play with. Unfortunately, I couldn't take Fred with me in further travels, but he is with me in my heart. Our Alexandria day trip was topped off by a visit to the library - built on the exact site of the ancient one.

Library of Alexandria

l
R
x
(and Judy)