Breakfast is in the Palace Wing in what is called the 1902 Restaurant. There is a huge buffet laid out and you can have eggs made to your order. Hussein told us yesterday when he showed us this restaurant that if you eat here for lunch or dinner you must dress in “appropriate” attire. That leaves Paul and I out since all we have in our suitcases are hiking type clothes and a pair of blue jeans.

   Speaking of clothes, I forgot to write in my last blog that Hussein had a call from the Captain of the Aida a day or two after we left that wonderful ship. The captain reported to Hussein that his new clients from OAT were shivering in their cabins because it was so cold. Man were we lucky on having warm weather, and to think we questioned why OAT had advised us to bring warm clothing.

    We leave the hotel at nine o’clock and our bus driver drops us off at the entrance of the pier where our boat is waiting to transport us to the temple. Hussein must purchase the tickets for Philae before we board the motorboat so while waiting for our guide, several men vendors try to sell us items, particularly Egyptian style clothing. The salesmen have no luck with anyone in our group purchasing anything. When Hussein returns, he calls out his familiar “follow me” and we trail him down a long wooden dock. We must walk in the middle of the pier as both sides of the dock are packed with vendors displaying their wares. We reach our boat, climb on board, and find a seat on the padded benches.

    Before we can begin our journey to the island, we must escape the crowded mooring area. As soon as our boat begins to back away from the dock, other boats begin vying for the place our boat is leaving. It is complete pandemonium. The small boats all have tires attached on the sides of their vessels and it is soon apparent why, because they bump into other boats. As one aggressive “captain” begins to push his way toward the spot we are trying to leave, Hussein tells everyone to lean forward. He gives this advice so you will not get hit by the protruding tires. Paul does not react quick enough and gets thumped in the back by the tire of the encroaching boat. Paul says the tire did not hit him very hard and he is fine. Jeez, this is crazy.  The stench of diesel fumes is the icing on the cake.

    We finally break free of the Nile version of bumper cars, (boats), and make our way to Agilkia Island where Philae Temple is located. Hussein has invited a jewelry salesman to make the trip with us, musing that he felt dealing with one man instead of being waylaid by dozens would be less stressful. Our personal jewelry salesman has success on our trip as various members of our group purchase necklaces and/or bracelets. I do not wear jewelry, (nor does Paul), so as it was in the spice market, we are not one of the fellows’ customers. We are a souvenir sellers’ worst nightmare!

     When we arrive at the temple, Hussein schools us in the history of Philae. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Isis and Egyptians worshipped her here along with Osiris and her son Horus. Like the Ramses II temple, this complex of temples and buildings were going to be end up under water by the building of the Aswan dam. Again, UNESCO came to the rescue and moved the stone blocks from Philae Island to Agilkia Island where the Philae complex would be safe. This project took ten years to move the temples and buildings and reconstruct them.

    We wander through the Temple of Isis, which is crowded with other tourists and look at the carvings dedicated to this goddess who had many titles including “The Queen of all Gods.” Hussein shows us around the rest of the grounds on this small island. One of the stone buildings is an eye-catching rectangular structure that has the nickname “Pharaoh’s Bed.” With my imagination I can turn the stone structure into a gigantic four poster bed but doubt that is why it was given the nickname. There is a hypostyle hall where the impressive line of stone columns has lotus petals carved at the top of the pillars. A smaller structure has six stone pillars with the face of Hathor carved upon them. Once Hussein has finished showing us around, he allows us to explore things on our own for thirty minutes or so. This is a beautiful place, and it is accentuated with the stunning views surrounding the island.

Slide show of sites on Philae Island.

     We board the same boat that we arrived on and the person who had left their backpack on the boat by mistake is relieved to find that it is still there. The group member informed Hussein about forgetting the backpack as soon as they realized they had left it on the boat. Our guide immediately called the boat owner to alert him about the pack so he would keep it safe. This was easier than recovering the cell phone that was lost by one of our companions, on our second day in Cairo. That entailed a trip to the police station for Hussein and the phone’s owner. At the station Hussein was somehow able to track the phone and could see that that the lost phone was on the move. At first, they assumed it was stolen but on further investigation determined it was on our bus.  Hussein called the driver and after searching the bus he found the phone laying under a seat. Amazing. According to the phone owner, Hussein solved the location of the phone himself. Is there nothing this amazing man cannot accomplish? I can imagine our traveling companion regaling friends by beginning the story with “I was taken to the police headquarters in Cairo!” I am not guaranteeing that this is a completely accurate rendition of the story.

   When we leave Agilkia Island, Hussein has our boat captain chug alongside the shoreline where he points out remnants of ancient stone structures and even some hieroglyphs. We reach our destination for lunch which is a waterfront Nubian restaurant and guesthouse atop a cliff. What a colorful place. We climb up a fleet of stairs to reach the restaurant and find tables prepared for our group. The specialty is a fish dish, (Paul who is allergic to fish cannot have this), but most of us order it. I must say it is delicious. After our lunch we board a different boat which hauls us back to our starting point.

    I decide I want to buy a small stone cat for the woman who is taking care of our two cats while we are traveling. Hussein tells us to only pay five or six dollars for this item. I spot some cat statues among the myriad of things one man has on display. I pick one out and Paul asks the man the price who states that the statue is 25 dollars, knowing we will negotiate. It is then that I realize our group has left and is exiting the pier. I tell Paul that they are leaving us and hurriedly begin to walk after them. The salesman follows us and now is offering the cat for twenty dollars which Paul counters with our original offer of five bucks. One of the women in the group sees that we are trying to catch up and turns around telling us they are going out to where they are selling the apparel as they hope to buy a scarf so we should take our time in buying our gift. Oh. It just so happens that we are standing by another man’s display, and he has many cat figurines for sale. I find one that is much nicer than the initial cat I was going to buy. When Paul asks him how much for this very detailed cat, he immediately says five dollars. Suddenly the man that has been trailing us decides his cat is only worth five bucks too. Guess which one we bought?

   Hussein gives us two choices once we are back on the bus, we can visit a papyrus and jewelry market, or stay on the bus and continue back to The Old Cataract Hotel. Seven of us stay on the bus, while the rest of the group, including Jennifer, go with Hussein to tour the market. Jennifer told us later that the Papyrus and jewelry market was mostly a place to purchase jewelry or papyrus items. A woman did give a short demonstration that showed the process of making papyrus paper which Jennifer said was interesting.

    Once in our room, Paul and I rest for a while and then do some packing as we will be leaving early in the morning for Cairo, (cannot wait to get back there, I am being sarcastic). We then go out and walk around the beautiful grounds of this historic hotel. We walk down to the edge of the Nile and watch the sailboats and ferry boats that tourists can hire for a short ride on the Nile. We are following a group of people back up the stairs who are being flanked by a big, burly guy that is obviously their security guard. Every time the guard steps up with his right leg, we catch a glimpse of what we assume is his gun. However, it appears to have three bore holes on the end of it which makes no sense.  We are both leaning forward trying to get a better look at this odd piece of hardware, when a voice behind us says “We are a Jewish group, and we have to have security guards.” Paul relates to the man that we too have had security guards in the cities while on tour. We do not tell him that we were trying to ascertain what the heck that guy was carrying at his waist hidden under his suit coat. A mystery never to be solved.

    At our farewell supper, Hussein asks all of us to relate to the rest of the group what our favorite part of the tour was. Although many people listed things like the hot air balloon ride, or the Valley of the Kings tombs, everyone acknowledged that the time on the Nile was at the top of their list. Paul and I also comment that our farm visit with Sayed was something we will never forget. One thoughtful person proceeds to tell Hussein how he was a big part of making our adventure in Egypt extra special. Everyone agrees with this, and we give our guide a round of applause.

     We are up at five a.m., finish packing, and place our two check-through bags in the hallway. We go to eat breakfast at 5:45 taking our hand luggage with us. Hussein has us loading up on the bus by 6:30 and we are at the airport after a short drive. Once I am through the screening line, I look around to see where Paul is. I spot Paul and see him taking things out of his backpack and handing it to the man who is screening the luggage. Finally, the fellow finds what he has been looking for. Paul hands him a flat piece of plastic the size of a credit card and not much thicker.  The plastic box contains a miniature knife and scissors. This was an item that was a give-away from some company, but Paul did not know it was in his pack. The kicker is that this escaped the attention of every screener on the journey to Egypt, but this eagle-eyed man spotted it at this small airport.

    Everything else goes smoothly and we arrive in Cairo an hour and a half later. We gather our luggage and climb into our waiting bus. We stop at The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization where the exhibits portray the different historical periods of Egypt. The museum exhibits are very well showcased and most of the displays have placards written in both Egyptian and English that explain what one is looking at. Jennifer, Paul, and I take our time perusing the displays and then go down to the bottom floor where there are royal mummies on display.

Some of the items on display at the museum. Paul’s photos.

    The lighting is dim in this portion of the museum and there is a no photos rule. The first mummy we see has its mouth open and it looks like the shriveled, brown corpse is screaming. To make things worse one of the arms appear to be broken. Oh man, that is all I can take. As the three of us wind our way through the maze of rooms I literally put my hands up alongside my face, using them like blinders on a horse, whenever we walk by a mummy’s glass encased dwelling. I also look at the coffins or statues that are on display in the rooms.  I must confess it seems to me that the display of the mummies is morbid and demeaning to that ancient person everyone is staring down at.

   All of us appear at the meeting place Hussein gave us at the appropriated time except for one couple. Hussein directs the rest of us to where the bus is and we climb aboard while he goes to find the missing pair. A few minutes later we spy Hussein walking towards us with the wayward couple. I never heard what the problem was but assume they had not heard the correct meeting time or had not understood where we were to meet.  

    We eat lunch on one of the riverboats and the waitstaff bring out small plates of various foods such as small sausages, eggplant, breads, for us to pass around the table. I am still being very careful with how much I eat and what I eat so I don’t have more than a bite or two of the various foods served to us. I see a waiter with a plate of French fries and assume he is serving them to the couple at the table next to us. Without thinking I exclaim in an envious tone that “those people are having French fries!” When the waiter ends up placing the fries on our table along with a few more plates of fries, I express my delight that we are being served the fries. I love French fries. Luckily for me, most of our group has filled up on the other dishes we were served, and I demolish the big end of one plate of fries. They were delicious.

    Upon leaving the parking lot our bus driver must back our bus up because a car is driving toward us and due to cars parked on either side of the narrow street there is no place for the bus and car to get past each other. The driver has only inches to spare on either side of the bus as he continues in reverse until the advancing car finds a place to park. Hussein is shaking his head and tells us that the professional driving is one of the things he so admires about the bus drivers. Everyone agrees with him as our drivers have all been superb.

    We get checked into our rooms at the Marriot but unpack only what we will be wearing tomorrow and our toiletries. We have a very early wakeup call tomorrow to catch our morning flight home. At least we will have a few hours to sleep, some of our traveling companions leave for the airport around midnight if I remember correctly.

    We still have one meal together this evening, and even though our lunch was at two this afternoon somehow, we all seem to be hungry. Tonight, all of us individually present Hussein with our gifts of money that he has definitely earned. Jennifer, Paul, and I combine our tip for Hussein in a card that features a photo of the Flint Hills on the front. We each have written a message for our wonderful guide, thanking him for a great trip. At one point during the meal, I ask Hussein if he has a photographic memory. He smiles at me and says that he looks at his clients’ photos and names once and knows the names and faces from that moment. I kind of figured the man had this gift. After the meal is finished, all of us hug or shake hands, and say goodbye to those we will not see again. This was a fun group of people to travel with.

    It was a short night, but Paul and I did get a few hours of sleep. Setting the luggage by the door we go to the lobby to meet with the others that have the same flight as we do to Munich. Hussein is here which is a surprise since he intended to take the train home. Hussein does not like to fly. Unfortunately, he was not able to book a seat on the train. Each of us are handed a paper sack containing a ridiculous amount of food for our breakfast. Hussein tells us we can leave what we do not want to take into the airport on the bus as the driver will find a use for it. As we leave the hotel, Jennifer and I quietly laugh at the two seated security guards that are sleeping. There is a third man who is awake and upon seeing our reaction to his snoozing buddies, he says something that wakes them up and they all start laughing too. On our trip to the airport, Hussein is asked what he is going to do now that he has some time to himself. Our guide tells us with a smile that he is going to turn off his phone and sleep for twenty-four hours!

    We get through the check-in and security without a problem except I tell Jennifer that I hope my pants do not fall down when we have to take our belts off. I am only half kidding as I have had to cinch my belt a notch tighter than when we came to Egypt. (When we get home, I find that I have lost eight pounds!) We part ways with Hussein and find our departure gate. We have arrived at the airport in plenty of time and must wait two hours before we begin boarding.

     Paul and I are sitting next to an Egyptian woman who was seated before the rest of us passengers boarded since she had wheelchair assistance. As the plane is preparing to land a stewardess tells the woman that she will need to stay seated until everyone else has left the plane. I ask her what about us and she says that we will have to wait until they come to get the elderly woman. What! The fact that we have a connecting flight does not seem to matter to her. A young man across the aisle that has been conversing with the older woman in Egyptian on and off during the flight, speaks to our seat mate after the stewardess leaves. The fellow than tells Paul and I that he has instructed the woman to stand up when he tells her to and to let us out into the aisle. When I thank him, he says that he understands our predicament and so does the woman and she is happy to accommodate us. How kind is that.

    The only other problem I have is when we reach D.C. and I do not follow the instructions correctly on the machine for our global entry pass, so I do not get my paper receipt. After thinking I will have to join the hundreds of passengers in the regular line Paul tells me to go to the booth that is off to the side of the global entry computers. The fellow manning the booth, asks me if I have global entry and when I answer yes, he takes my photo, looks at my passport and sends me on my way. Our flight to Kansas City is fine, we catch the shuttle to where Jennifer’s car awaits and are home by 10:30 p.m.  after a 27-hour commute entailing three flights and layover time! Paul and I fall into bed where Paul states “I am so glad to be sleeping in my own bed, I love this bed”!  And I swear he is asleep as soon as he finished his pronouncement.

   This morning I walk to the window and gaze over the scene of the cows and calves on the brome field and the hills beyond them. I think to myself, “I love this place” and yes, I am going to write it, there really is no place like home. Nancy  

Sorry about the lack of photos. I had packed my camera the night before we flew to Cairo and didn’t want to dig it out. Nancy             

     We set our luggage by the door when we go up for breakfast as we will not be returning to this lovely hotel after our temple visit. After breakfast, Paul and I return to the room, do a walk through, then gather our backpacks and return to the hotel headquarters. When everyone in our group is present and has accounted for their luggage, we climb into the bus and are off to the temples. We have only driven a few yards, when the bus stops and Hussein gets off the coach. In a couple of minutes, he reappears and sheepishly laughs, telling us that he forgot to pay the man that collected and loaded our luggage onto the bus.

    We join many tourists at the two temples this morning and I assume everyone is looking at these fantastic works of art with as much awe as all of us are. Hussein talks about the temples, telling us that they were carved out of a sandstone cliff. The four seated statues of Ramses II in front of his temple are sixty plus feet high. That is incredible and to me, suggests someone with a very big ego. Nefertari’s temple, dedicated to the Goddess Hathor, has four figures of Ramses II and two figures of Nefertari gracing the front of her temple. These statues are around half the height of the Ramses II statues at his temple. Hussein does point out that it was unusual for a King to build a temple for his Queen and that it shows what true affection and respect he had for Nefertari. The fact that her figures are the same height as Ramses II figures is very unusual as normally a Pharaoh’s wife never stood taller than the knees of the pharaoh. 

    The astounding aspect of these two temples is that they were doomed to be submerged by the water of Lake Nasser. An appeal went out to save the two unique temples and UNESCO answered the challenge. I believe fifty some countries worked together to move the temples away from the rising water. How they accomplished this is astounding. The workers removed the top of the cliff off and then cut the temples into blocks that weighed several tons each. The volunteers moved all these blocks two hundred feet from the original temple site removing the temples out of harm’s way. The UNESCO people reassembled the blocks by cementing the blocks back together but what a wonderful job these people did. Yes, you can see the seams but it was so well done that you might not notice this if you did not know the back story. I think this was all accomplished in three years although that is hard to believe, so maybe I have that time frame wrong. We did watch a film on the Aida about this stunning feat of saving the temples, so we were able to see how some of the work was accomplished.

  We wander through the temples which are crowded with tourists. A painting on the wall that Hussein points out to us is Ramses II slaying an enemy in the war against the Nubians with Nefertari standing behind her husband in a gesture of support. Hussein tells us that this is another example of Ramses II holding his wife in high regards. At the end of the main hall of the Ramses II temple there are four seated deities, (one of them is a deified Ramses II), that the temple was dedicated to, (the main god being Ra). Two days of the year the sun’s rays penetrate these innermost statues, lighting the seated figures up. Can you imagine how precise the ancient builders had to be to make this happen? There is a spotlight shining on these deities to give an example of what it looks like on the two days that the sun reaches the end of this long corridor to illuminate the Gods. This manmade lighting of the stone figures does not make for good photos though. These temples are an UNESCO World Heritage site and rightly so.

A slide show of the interior of Ramses II temple. The corridor leading to the deities that are sunlit twice a year. Painted scenes found in the small side rooms. Many of the scenes depict Ramses II slaying his enemies. Victory over one’s enemies proved how great you were.

   I suppose we spend a couple of hours at the temples before we return to the bus. We spend the next four hours driving back to Aswan with no new sites to be seen. Hussein has told us that most tourists do this trip to Abu Simbel in one day. I am so glad that OAT breaks the journey up into two days. Besides, those folks that just make this a day trip do not get to experience the wonderful sound and light show which I will never forget. Although we have seen many incredible temples, I think this is my favorite, partly because of the heroic effort that saved it from being submerged by Lake Nasser.

   On the Aida and on this journey to Abu Simbel, Hussein has talked about the problem that Egypt is having with Ethiopia concerning the Nile. Ethiopia is building a dam on the Nile, just like Egypt did, and the Egyptian government understands this. The problem is that Ethiopia wants to fill the reservoir in three years which would deplete the flow of water from the Nile into Egypt. Egypt is trying to negotiate with them to prolong the filling of the reservoir over a span of thirteen years which so far, the Ethiopians are refusing to do. The Nile is the life blood of Egypt, and they could not survive without it. It is the only major river in the country and since Egypt, at least where we were, only averages one inch of rain a year this would ruin them! Ethiopia has several major rivers, so it is not like they do not have other options. You could tell that this was a very worrying subject for Hussein, and I am sure for all Egyptians. It does not take much imagination to see what could happen between the two countries if they can’t work this problem out.

    We reach Aswan, at two p.m. and eat lunch before going to our hotel. Once we have finished lunch our driver delivers us to the hotel where we will be staying for two nights. When we disembark at the entrance of the Sofitel Old Cataract Hotel, everyone exclaims at the beauty of the grounds and the building. It was built at the end of the 19^th century and was fashioned after a Victorian palace. This luxurious hotel quickly became a favorite of wealthy European travelers in the early 1900’s. The rich and famous guests included Winston Churchill, Howard Carter, (the man who found King Tut’s tomb), and Agatha Christie.

    This historic hotel is where Agatha Christie wrote her book “Death on the Nile” in the 1930’s. Hussein had informed us before we arrived at the hotel that we could take a tour of the Agatha Christie suite this afternoon. When we were standing in the lavish lobby of the hotel checking in, a staff member informed Hussein that we would not be able to tour Christie’s suite after all. Well rats, many of us had been looking forward to seeing the famous author’s abode. Shortly after the bad news a man walks up and talks with Hussein who gives us one of his famous smiles and tells us the tour is on after all. We are to meet in the lobby at 3:30 if we want to go on the Christie tour.

   All of us are staying in the new wing of the hotel, known as the Nile wing, which is only a short walk from the old historic hotel. We are on various floors and the elevators are small only accommodating four people, but we eventually get to our room. When we exit the elevator, we are not impressed with the light green paint that covers the walls, in fact it is downright ugly. Our room is a different story however and we soon forget about the corridor color. The most fantastic aspect of our room is the balcony which overlooks the Nile and Elephantine Island which is across the Nile from us. It is absolutely gorgeous.

Slide show. Our bedroom and views from our balcony. The building on the hill is the main part of this historic hotel.

    I do not have time to linger in the room as I must get back to the old part of the hotel or what is now called the Palace wing, in order to join the group for our Agatha Christie suite tour. When I arrive, (Paul opted out of this tour), there are a lot of guests taking the tour in addition to members of our group. It is going to be a bit crowded. Our tour guide is a young man who speaks fluent English and has an engaging personality.

   First our guide takes us down a corridor that leads to the dining room where we will have our breakfasts. The young man points out many photos hanging on the wall of famous people that have stayed in the Old Cataract. He also shows us items that were salvaged from the hotel when it underwent restoration. Among the things on display in the corridor is the desk that Agatha Christie worked at while writing her famous novel.

   Our young guide leads us back down the hall and up two flights of stairs to Agatha Christies’ suite. As we file into the room, our guide tells us that the famous novelist lived here for a year. The suite is decorated in furnishings depicting the time period. We are allowed to wander through the rooms which consist of a large sitting room, the bedroom, bathroom, and another side room I did not look into. Once everyone has finished looking around, the guide tells us to get ready for the best part, the view from the balcony. He opens the balcony doors, and everyone starts walking out onto the balcony. That is a lot of people going out there at once. Evidently another man on the tour thinks so too and calls out that maybe the amount of people on the balcony should be limited to a certain number. No one listens. Jennifer and I decide to forgo touring the balcony due to the crowd of people on it, besides I cannot imagine it is much better than our balcony view.

Slide show of Agatha Christie’s suite. It was pretty amazing to know you were standing in the room where the famous author wrote “Death on the Nile”.

    Shortly after the Christie tour, our group meets in the lobby of the Nile wing and walk to the bus. Hussein is taking us to the spice market to experience this part of Egyptian life and to let those that want to, do some shopping. The bus drops us off at the spice market entrance and we follow Hussein to a shop that specializes in spices. The owner offers us a sample of some kind of sugared nut, they are good, and then begins to show us all the things he has for sale. Before we leave nearly everyone has purchased spices but Paul and I. Hey, I am lucky if I remember to add salt and pepper to a dish. Jennifer buys a sack of dried hibiscus flowers to take home so she can brew her own hibiscus tea, as she really likes the hibiscus tea that is served here.

    Upon leaving the spice store, one couple wants to purchase soccer jerseys for their grandkids. While they are negotiating with one shop owner, I observe the people around us and notice that there are a lot of young people walking up and down the wide aisle of the market. I see one group of teenage boys acknowledge a group of teen girls who titter and giggle at the boy’s attention. I am betting this scene is something you would see in our shopping malls at home. The couple did not find what they were looking for at this shop, or maybe Hussein thought the price was too high. Anyway, we follow our guide down the main corridor before turning into a narrow alley like passage. He tells the young man at the shop what the couple is looking for which sends the fellow scrambling to find the jerseys. He brings a few sample shirts out and the shoppers find one jersey that will work for them but the other shirts are to large. Upon searching further, a smaller jersey is found but this one is not acceptable because the name on it is that of a Russian player. In the end the shop owner does find a jersey that is the right size and even better the price is less than the initial shop!

    It is time to return to the coach and on the way back through the market, a couple of young boys attach themselves to Paul, point to their bare feet. Paul assumes this means they are asking for money so they can buy themselves some shoes. Paul ignores them and eventually the persistent kids leave Paul’s side and attach themselves to the “tall guy” and go through the same ritual. They are still pestering our friend when we reach the area where our bus will come to pick us up. Hussein now notices the boys and barks out one word at them in Egyptian that sends the kids running away. They do not go far before turning around to watch us as we board our bus. I found it interesting that they would choose men to try and get money from and not the women in the group.

    We stop at a small restaurant for supper and the only thing I wrote in my journal about the food is that only the appetizer and dessert were good. There are a couple of young men eating at a table near us and one of them is feeding tidbits to a feral cat. The hungry cat nips the fellows finger one time which only made him laugh and he continued to feed the white and yellow cat. I like that guy.

   Temples of Philae, Farewell supper, morning flight to Cairo, museum, and final group supper before heading home.

    We sailed to the town of Daraw last evening where we spent the night moored across the Nile from Daraw. This morning there is a motorboat snugged up to the Aida, and after breakfast we board our water taxi. Three members of our group decide to stay aboard the ship but the rest of us are looking forward to another Egyptian adventure in this town.

   We reach the opposite shore in ten minutes or so and climb out of our transport and up the riverbank to the street. Here we find an OAT representative waiting for us along with three or four pickup trucks parked along the road. The pickup beds are enclosed by oversized pickup toppers and there are benches for us to sit down on. Hussein had told us at the beginning of our adventure that we would experience every form of travel that the Egyptians used. He was not kidding.   

    Daraw is known for its livestock market where locals bring various animals such as cattle, goats, and camels to trade or sell. Hussein informs us that the livestock sale is held once a week throughout the year. Unfortunately for us, today is not sale day, I would have loved to have experienced the market. There are farmers selling alfalfa today, so there is freshly cut alfalfa, stacked along walls, on carts and in pickup beds. I did see a buyer drive up in a pickup to one alfalfa dealer and the man filled the truck bed with the lush alfalfa. I have no idea how they determine what the hay is worth as there are no scales. I wished I had asked Hussein, but it didn’t cross my mind at that moment. Rats.

     Hussein takes us into the area where the livestock market takes place. There is a tent to one side of the stockyard where a group of men are playing dominos. It is interesting to watch how they aggressively slap the domino they are playing onto the surface. They are all smiling but I have a feeling the men take the domino game seriously.

    I believe this is where the man who is letting us tour his barn and livestock meets us. As we are following our host down the street, we meet a fellow that is riding a beautiful black Arabian horse. The horse becomes very skittish, and Hussein and our host ask us to move to the side of the road. The horse still is not happy, nor is the rider, but our host holds out his hand and speaks to the rider or the horse or both and slowly approaches the high-strung equine. After rubbing the horses muzzle and talking softly to him, the man takes hold of one of the reins and leads the horse past us. Once by us the horse prances on down the street. I find it so interesting as there are many locals walking along the street and as far as I can see the horse has no problem with them.

   We continue to our host’s home and walk into the spacious barnyard where he keeps his livestock. The barn has stone walls and a thatched roof with openings on one side of the barn to allow air flow. In this portion of the barn, we encounter chickens, a rabbit, a tethered milk cow who is conversing with her calf, that is tethered on the other side of the barn, and one camel. There is horse tack, feed and all the items needed to take care of livestock too. Paul and I admire the young calf who is of high quality. Our host does not speak English, so Hussein translates what the man says about his cow, and the camel, among other topics of interest.

Slideshow of barn animals.

    We leave the barn and walk into a large pen that has high rock walls for its boundaries. There is a beautiful sorrel horse standing in a small corral, keeping him separate from the donkey and a juvenile camel that occupy the rest of the pen. It is obvious the horse is the pride and joy of our host. He relates through Hussein that his stallion has competed in eight races, (I think), and won seven of them. Jennifer reminded me after I published this blog that Hussein told us there is no purse money for winning a race and that no gambling is allowed. The races are strictly for enjoyment by the people.  I rub the friendly stallions’ neck and nose which the horse enjoys and admire his muscular build. Yep, this horse looks like he could flat-out run. Hussein tells us that the neighbors bring their mares to mate with the stallion. I ask what our host charges for the stud fee. Hussein seems surprised at this question but relates it to our host. Hussein tells us that the man says he would never charge money for the stallion servicing his neighbors’ mares. That would be considered selfish and rude. Huh.

    The young camel has been busy eating his alfalfa but has been eyeing the strangers that have invaded his space. The camel trots over to Hussein and stands next to him. Hussein drapes his arm around the youngster’s neck, who promptly curves his neck around the front of Hussein. A short time later, the rascal kicks forward but misses hitting Hussein. Our guide pushes the camel off him and walks away. The camel begins kicking and bucking, he is only being playful but if he connected with you, it would feel anything but fun. The yearling finds out he can make these humans move away if he comes running and bucking at them. The onery camel does this several times prompting us to quickly move away from the unwanted playmate. Our guide finally shoos him back to his pile of forage and I guess the youngster has had enough fun as he goes back to munching his breakfast.

    The man’s sons in the meantime are filling tubs with water for the camel and donkey. The three boys hardly look at us, I suppose they are used to tourists visiting their home. Our hosts wife looks out a window at us from far above, I unthinkingly snap a photo and am immediately told by Hussein, not to take photos of her. I foolishly forgot that you do not take photos of people unless they say it is okay and I understand that. It was such a great photo op that I just reacted instead of thinking.

   When we leave the village barnyard, Hussein takes us to a veterinary store which is stocked with all kinds of what I assume is medicine and vaccine for animals. Nothing is refrigerated as far as I can see. The two men, (one who is a veterinarian), occupying the small store are all smiles and willingly allow our group to snap their photo. One of the women in our group ask if there are female veterinarians. They answer, through Hussein, that yes, they have women vets.

    We follow Hussein into a busy street that is filled with vendors selling everything you could want. Fruits, vegetables, hanging carcasses of meat including camel, hardware items, spices, etc. Hussein turns into an alley which leads us to a Coptic Christian church. A man is sitting behind a table just before we arrive at the church entrance. When he stands up, I realize he is a guard. Well, that is not surprising considering the treatment this religious group receives over much of the world. A man, arrives and lets us into the church, we file down the aisle, exclaiming over the ornate building. We sit in pews while Hussein talks about the Coptic Christians. Hussein also points out a painting that depicts Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus, with the pyramids in the background.

    Leaving the beautiful church, we dutifully follow Hussein back to the bustling street. Hussein chooses various members of our group to help him buy food items to take back to the ship. Bread, tomatoes, eggplant and other items. Paul ends up toting the tomatoes back to the Aida. I just take photos.

A slide show of our group buying vegetables and of the colorful market.

We crawl into our pickup boxes and begin the drive back to the Nile and our waiting motorboat. We haven’t gone far when two boys jump onto the pickup bumper and hang on to the topper. The surprise on their face when they see a bunch of foreigners sitting inside is priceless. I snap a photo, figuring the stowaways are fair game. I swear one of the boys tells his companion in English, ” she took our photo” and yet why he would converse in English doesn’t make sense. The two jump off at their stop and we continue on our way.

     On our boat trip back to the Aida, Hussein plugs in his phone to speakers that are on the boat in order to play some Nubian music. Our guide begins to show us some Nubian dance steps and then asks Jennifer if she wants to join him. Jennifer dances her way up to the “stage” and the rest of us are entertained by the dancing pair on our return trip to our ship. I am so amazed how Jennifer just picks up the dance movements that I forget to take photos! So, we have a comedian that entertains us at mealtime and a dancer from Kansas who entertains us on our boat taxi! What more could you want?

    Shortly after we are back on board the Aida, the chef and ship captain gather people around for a cooking lesson on the observation deck. Using the ingredients that Hussein bought in Daraw, two women help put together dishes that are traditional Egyptian fare. We are served the two dishes at lunch, and they are quite tasty.

    Paul and I have been taking an after-lunch nap but there is no time for that today as the crew ties up at an island, shortly after we have finished eating. Hussein takes a few of us for a stroll on the island. It is another hot afternoon but tolerable. The sand near the river’s edge is deep and hard to walk through. As we get farther away from the Nile, the sandy ground is more solid making it much easier to get around. Hussein takes us to a small hut that is made from palm tree fronds. A man trots up on his donkey and Hussein tells us the man is here to let us ride the small donkey. Three of us, including me, opt to take a ride on the small donkey which is controlled only by its owner. No bridle, no stirrups or saddle, just an old blanket thrown over the mottled donkey’s back. The man maneuvers the donkey in a large circuitous route before we dismount the gentle critter. Once our rides on the gentle donkey ends, the owner jumps on the donkey’s back and his mount trots back down the trail. I only saw the man nudge the donkey with his heels, so I guess the donkey just knew where to go. Hussein takes us down a different trail where we walk by farm fields and through a stand of large trees. There is a web of irrigation canals running through the orchard. I believe these were mango trees.

    The before dinner movie tonight is Agatha Christies “Murder on the Nile” complete with bowls of popcorn. This is the 1970’s movies not the remake that was released last year. In my opinion this movie was better than the new movie but neither movie was as good as the book. Still, it was pretty neat to be sailing up the Nile while watching a movie that was set on a ship like ours sailing on the Nile!

    The staff always takes our dinner order at breakfast and Paul and I both decided not to order a main course. It is just too much food for us in the evening. Paul and I have plenty to eat with only having the soup, bread, and dessert. Paul and I bust out laughing when Sayid sets an empty plate in front of us when he is serving the other people their main course. Paul picks up his empty plate and pretends to lick it clean while Sayid is laughing at the joke he has played on us. We have to explain the empty plate to our table mates which makes them laugh too. We love the Egyptians sense of humor.

    After our meal we return to our cabin and begin to pack our suitcases. I am really going to miss the Aida, the kindness of the crew and particularly the relaxing atmosphere of traveling via the Nile River. I think it was the Minnesota women who threatened to lock themselves in their cabins in the morning, so they did not have to leave the Aida. I believe everyone in our group has loved this Nile adventure and are all sad to see it coming to an end.

    Visiting the Aswan Dam and driving to Abu Simbel.

    Another pleasant morning “observing” life along the Nile from the observation deck. One of the first things we see this morning is a young boy riding a donkey. He is leading a reluctant Friesian cow down the quarry path that we were walking on yesterday. There is a yearling calf bringing up the rear. We sail past the cow and calf a short time later grazing in a small patch of reeds. The boy and the donkey are nowhere to be seen. We also float by stone structures along the riverbank that are part of the ancient quarry that were off limits to us on our tour yesterday.

    We sail for an hour more or less until we reach the village where the craftsman we are visiting lives. Once the Aida is tethered, we leave the ship, pair up and crawl into tuk-tuks’ which will be our transportation to the local crate builder. Our driver pulls the heavy blanket aside that serves as the door and Paul and I crawl into the small vehicle and sit down. Paul holds the curtain back so I can take photos as we bounce down the sandy roads.  

    The caravan of tuk-tuks’ stop along the side of an unpaved road and Hussein takes us down a path that leads to the craftsman’s work shop. A wizened man is waiting for us, and he greets Hussein and our group with a wave and smile. There are handmade benches arranged in a half-circle around the man’s working area. The “workshop” consists of a portion of a tree trunk that serves as the man’s workbench and his chair is the ground. And to think I complain that my chair I sit in for computer work is not comfortable! There are piles of finished crates lined up behind the workman which he sells to his customers who use them for shipping farm produce. I wish I could remember what our host is paid for each crate. I want to say that it is twenty-five cents in our money but don’t hold me to that.

    The craftsman begins building a crate and it is fascinating to watch how quickly he measures the palm wood, cuts, and slices it, punches holes part of the way through the thin wood and more. The craftsman has two different knives he uses.  One knife looks like a cleaver and the other large knife has a wicked curved blade. The fellow often uses his feet to hold the crate steady and I admit I check out his feet and hands to see if all his fingers and toes are accounted for.

A slideshow of the craftsman at work.

    Once he has the framework of the crate completed, he points to the tall guy in our group to come help him finish the box, nope it is not Paul. The two work together building the box. The teacher corrects a couple of minor mistakes his pupil made which is impressive considering our friend is a novice. When the box is finished our host hands his apprentice one of the curved-bladed knives. The two men hold the knives over the completed project, blades touching in a symbolic gesture that the project is finished. A woman is selected this time to help the man build another crate. Again, the man has a good student and only has to remedy a couple of mistakes.

    The craftsman then constructs a small box which he finishes in short order. When he completes the box, our host gathers up some items that are lying to one side. The craftsman hands each of us an Ankh also known as the key of life that he has fashioned from the same palm wood he uses to make his crates. The key of life symbolizes both mortal life and the afterlife. The Egyptian gods depicted in tomb paintings and carvings often carry the Ankh. Two women ask Hussein if they can buy the small box that the craftsman made. Hussein relates the question to our host who ends up giving each woman a box since he has extra boxes stacked inside a crate. This gift from the craftsman is the only souvenir that Paul and I brought home.

    Hussein talks about our host off and on while we are watching him work. The craftsman has two men that help him in his business. Our host also has two wives, one in Cairo and one in this village. Hussein says that the fellow told him he had to marry a local village woman in order to be accepted here, but Hussein is laughing when he relates this info to us. Hussein also tells us how many crates the man can make in a day, who sells him the palm fronds, and what they cost, etc. but unfortunately, I cannot remember the details.

    We leave our host after thanking him for giving us a glimpse into his life as a crate maker and for the gifts he gave us. We go back to the tuk-tuk’s which take us back to the Aida. Jennifer and Hussein have shared a tuk-tuk on this foray since the woman who fainted yesterday decided not to join us this morning. Hussein made a stop at a grocery store as he needed coffee, so lucky Jennifer got to see the village grocery store. Hussein bought Jennifer some chocolate covered Oreos, and she is kind enough to share a package with us. Yes, you have read this before because I mistakenly thought this happened two days ago. I should have read my journal as I had made a note of their side trip but now it is in the correct order.

    Today we eat lunch inside due to the heat and wind. Guess who we happen to eat our meal with? Yep, the women from Minnesota. Oh okay, we see that there is room at their table and ask if we can sit with them. I may not be eating much but I wouldn’t have the opportunity even if I was because our friend has me laughing all through our lunch.  

    We arrive at Kom Ombo mid-afternoon where the temple we are visiting is located. When we leave the ship, it is only a short walk to the temple. It is hot this afternoon, 90ish, and Paul wonders if I should go on this tour, since I do not handle heat very well. I decide to go as I figure I can find a place out of the sun to sit, if I begin to get too hot.

   Hussein explains that Kom Ombo is a twin temple meaning one side is dedicated to Horus, the Falcon God who is the ruler of all Gods. The other side is dedicated to Sobek the Crocodile God who is god of crocodiles, strength and power. This temple is unique as everything is doubled and symmetrical along the main axis: twin entrances, twin courts, and twin colonnades. Yea, I copied this sentence out of our OAT book, no way I would remember that.

    There are a lot of tourists here and everyone appears to be suffering from the heat. Hussein does his best to keep us out of the sun but that is not an easy task. Paul even admits he is looking for shade and Paul generally is not bothered by heat. We wander after Hussein looking at the temple depictions of the Crocodile God more than those of Horus since we have seen Horus in all the temples.

Slide show of the temple and carvings. Notice the key of life the seated crocodile god is holding. The green dot on the pharaohs chin is Hussein’s light he used to point things out to us.

    There are archeologists working right by the temple and it is astonishing to look at all the pottery shards that are laid out on the ground. I wonder if they intend to try and put those pots back together as the pieces seem to be grouped in small piles. What patience that would take but how rewarding when you accomplished the task. I always thought it would be fun to go on an archeology dig but I wouldn’t last an hour in this heat.

    There is a Crocodile Museum here, that as you can guess, is a museum that contains Nile crocodiles. The mummified crocodiles on display are all sizes from very large crocs that you would not want to encounter in life, to a crocodile that is still in the egg.  The museum is kept relatively dark to preserve the mummified crocodiles plus it is air conditioned. Boy does that cool air feel good.   

   This evening Hussein discusses modern Egypt using some film clips to highlight some of the topics he is covering. The main thing I recall Hussein discussing is the tough times Egypt has been through prior to the 2011 uprising and after that coup. Terrorism, attacks on tourists, government crackdowns before the coup and after the coup against protesters, resulting in deaths and injuries of citizens. The attacks on tourists through the years severely impacted tourism in Egypt which obviously impacted the economy. Hussein tells us that tourism had begun to recover when Covid shut down the world. Inflation is another huge problem in Egypt and the people are struggling. The government/ army is competing with private business in all aspects like farming, operating ferries, even gas stations and private businesses are having a tough time competing with the government run operations. Hussein is very candid when he discusses the country and government and seems to not be concerned at all about levying criticism along with the positive aspects.

    When Hussein finishes his presentation, we go to the dining area where we sit with our friends from Minnesota and the woman who is traveling solo. Tonight, our humorous friend relates some of the pranks she played on her students. I will not relate the stories as I do not have permission to, but trust me, if you were a student of this woman, I doubt you would ever forget her! Our comedian also tells jokes and after one of the jokes, her traveling companion remarks with some surprise that she has not heard that joke before. That was funny in itself.  Our day ends with laughter again which is always good.

  Touring a man’s barn and livestock in a village, shopping for vegetables, taking a short walk on an island.  Our last night on the Aida.

    It looks like I am in a routine on the Aida, as this morning I arise at 6 a.m. and am sipping tea on the observation deck by seven. It is cooler this morning but not enough to keep us from eating on the deck. It is so peaceful out here and plenty of interesting things to look at. I love this!

Slide show of a few things we saw as we cruised this morning.

    

    I am going to relate a story here that may or may not have taken place this morning, but I have a photo that I believe is of the man that was part of this tale. Jennifer and I are walking laps again when the tugboat and our ship crew begin maneuvering our ship towards the shore.  Once the Aida is close to the riverbank, the crew slides the narrow gangplank over to the shore. A man walks across the makeshift bridge onto land and the crew pulls the gangplank back onto the boat.  Who is that guy and why was he on the ship?

    Jennifer and I look up at Paul who is standing on the sundeck above us. We ask him if he knows what is going on. He laughs and says he watched the whole episode unfold below him. Paul said there were two men in a rowboat that came alongside the Aida and grabbed onto our river yacht letting the ship pull them up the river. Paul said they must have grown tired of using their hands to hang onto the boat as one man took off his turban and tied it to something on the Aida and fastened the other end of the turban to the rowboat.  Now they have themselves a makeshift tow rope although that must be some very strong material to withstand the pull of a rowboat and two passengers. Paul estimated that our ship towed them for about a half-mile when one of the men hoisted himself onto the narrow ledge that sits just under the windows of the ship cabins. According to Paul, the fellow carefully shuffled along the ledge until he reaches the bow of the Aida. Paul said that in the meantime, the man in the rowboat untied the end of the turban fastened to their boat and rowed away from the Aida. The man that climbed onto our ship was not on board for long as the crew quickly finds a place to deposit the stowaway on shore. It was not until this part of the story took place that those of us on the observation deck were aware that anything out of the ordinary was taking place. The finale of the story was when one of the crewmen threw the abandoned turban into the Nile. Oh yes, Paul is lamenting that he took no photos of this unusual activity. He said he was so captivated by what was unfolding before his eyes that it never crossed his mind to take pictures!

    Hussein joins us on the observation deck and tells us that the man was calling friends on his cell phone when he safely made it to the bow, to see if anyone could come and pick him up. According to Hussein the man’s destination was too far for him to walk. He must not have found anyone willing to rescue him while aboard the Aida, as he was on his phone as soon as he sat foot on land. What Hussein did not explain or I missed that part of the story was why the man climbed onto our ship. You would have to surmise that the stowaway had hoped he would be allowed to stay on the Aida until he reached his destination because if he only wanted to get ashore the rowboat could have easily taken him there. You can see why Hussein and the crew refused to let the fellow stay on board because if you do it for one person how do you stop other river hitchhikers from boarding in the future with expectations to be delivered to their destination.

    We have a wonderful view of the farming village as we approach the docking area. The green, symmetrical plots where a few head of cattle stand along the edges of the fields is beautiful. There are field workers carrying bundles of freshly harvested grass out of the fields with the village in the background. The man who will be educating us about farming and life in the village is waiting for us on the river’s edge as we dock.

    Hussein introduces us to our guide, whose name is Sayed, and informs us that he is the head of the farming village. Our first lesson is only a few yards away from the boat in a small field of barley. As our group walks to the barley field, we pass by a plot that appears to be alfalfa, but if it is, it puts the alfalfa we raise at home to shame. The leaves on these lush plants are huge compared to our alfalfa.

  Sayed talks about the barley, which they cut before it heads out, which is used for livestock feed. He asks if anyone would like to try to harvest the lush grass using a hand-scythe. After a young boy demonstrates the technique of cutting the barley, many in our group try our hand at harvesting the forage. Hussein warns all of us to be very careful and keep our fingers out of the blades path. Good advice as the scythe blade is very sharp.

   We work in pairs under the watchful eye of our youthful teacher while Sayed is busy answering questions from members of our group. Oh yes, Sayed speaks fluent English. When it is my turn to cut the barley, I get on my knees and swing the scythe in an arc as close to the ground as possible, just like the young fellow demonstrated. I bunch the cut grass together and pile it off to one side. I cut one more swath than stand up and pass the blade to the next volunteer. The young fellow flashes a big grin at me and gives me a thumbs up. It occurs to me this could be a likened to the Tom Sawyer story when he gets his friends to whitewash the fence!

   When everyone has had a turn at harvesting the barley grass, Sayed proceeds to demonstrate the art of scything barley. He gets on his knees and makes long, sweeping cuts that lays down a large area of the grass. I cannot imagine working like this for long but a seasoned worker like Sayed, could cut a lot of grass in a short amount of time.  

    Before we walk to the village, Hussein tells us to give the pens, crayons, papers, etc. we brought for the children to Sayed who will distribute them later. Since several children have begun to shadow us, Sayed decides to line them up and let members of our group just pass their gifts directly to them. Paul and I did not bring enough ink pens and paper pads to give to each of the kids that are in the line up, so we do not participate in the handout. Jennifer and a couple of other members of our group are in the same spot as we are. Those of us who didn’t have enough gifts for all the assembled children had understood that the items would be collected and given to the school.

    There are a couple of kids who hide what they have been given and then they go to the back of the line where they receive even more loot. Rascals. The saddest thing is when someone from the village carries a young boy up to the group whose father has recently died. The gifts have already been distributed by then, but I hand this little guy a pen and a pad of paper.  I believe everyone else finds something to gift to the grieving child.

   Not long after we have entered the village, we are ushered into a small room where two women are preparing to bake bread. Sayed talks about the bread and then turns it over to the two women who demonstrate by dusting the bread with flour and then slapping it hard against the thin plate of steel that is attached to a long handle. One of the women slides the bread “shovel” into the oven and deposits the bread onto the oven rack.  Sayed asks for volunteers to give this a try, and three or four people participate in this way of baking bread. As we are leaving the bakery, Sayed’s son runs up and proudly shows his dad a picture he has drawn with the items that were passed out to them. Everyone admires the boy’s work; it really is quite good. It is determined that the colored pencils used for this artwork was provided by the couple from Connecticut, (I think), and the boy agrees to let them keep the picture.   

    We follow Sayed and Hussein through the village and into a banana grove. We learn a lot about bananas from this young farmer, not that I knew anything about them to begin with. Sayed and his brother bring a large sprout that was taken from a mother tree for our group to plant. Three men, including Paul, dig a hole using a root hoe and then three women, including me, plant the banana tree to be.

   It is very warm by now and as Sayed is answering our questions, one member of our group passes out. Paul said he saw the woman drop her water bottle, reach over to pick it up, and then just fall to the ground. Hussein is at the woman’s side immediately as are Sayed and his brother. Our friend comes to quickly and the men gently lift her to a sitting position. The woman has bloodied her nose and seems a bit dazed but is coherent. Hussein assures us that she will be fine and says that she is dehydrated. Once everyone is assured that she is fine, Hussein sends us with Sayed who leads us back to the village and to his house. Sayed’s brother stays with Hussein to attend to our friend.

Slide show of scenes in the village, the photo with the round white objects are loaves of bread sat outside to make the bread rise.

    As we gather in front of Sayed’s house, we are all amazed when we see the woman walking up to the house, with the aid of Hussein and Sayed’s brother. Hussein takes us into Sayed’s house and has us take seats in a narrow room, then they bring the woman in to join us. Hussein brings a bottle of water that he has added salt and sugar to and directs the woman to sip on the home-made electrolyte solution. This is one tough, amazing woman who could have gone back to the boat but was determined to stay and experience the rest of our time in the village.

  Once we have been served drinks, tea or sprite, Sayed picks up a laminated map, of the United States. He asks that each of us point out the state we are from and tell everyone what we do for a living. Sayed demonstrates his request by pointing to Colorado and stating that he lives in Colorado for six months where he farms. He then points to Texas and says that he lives in Texas for six months and is a fisherman. This of course, makes us all laugh. The man’s English is amazing, and he has shown us throughout this tour that he has a great sense of humor. Once everyone has identified their home and occupation, Sayed introduces his wife and sister. We are encouraged to ask questions which many do, some for Sayed, others for his wife and sister who is soon to be married. 

    After the meet and greet we are ushered into another room where the women have laid out a feast for us. There is chicken, bread, rice, and other side dishes. Someone asks Hussein if the family eats like this every day, and he replies in the negative. Hussein tells us that a meal like this would be eaten once a week and that the people only have meat with their meals two or three times a week if I recall correctly.

   After we have finished eating, we are taken back to the discussion room where Sayed again takes our questions. I ask him how they control pests in the alfalfa. He says they have cattle egrets that keep the bugs under control. I shake my head in disbelief and tell him that we have insects that can quickly damage the alfalfa if you do not catch a bug infestation quickly. He assures me that the egrets take care of the bugs in their crops, and this is not a problem. Amazing.  Later, when thinking about this, it dawns on me that the birds have a very small corridor in this country to find food. The farmed area of Egypt only occurs along the Nile which does not extend far from the water. Therefore, the birds are highly concentrated, unlike in our country, and have a limited area to find food. This is purely a hypothesis on my part.

   It is time to return to the Aida and we thank Sayed and his family for the meal and the interesting tour. After we leave someone asks Hussein if Sayed is highly educated. Hussein shakes his head and says that he is not, Sayed reads all the time and has gained his knowledge on his own. Imagine that. Paul and I agree that so far this has been the highlight of our visits in Egypt and we both were impressed and amazed by Sayed intelligence, ability and wit.

    Our next stop is at an ancient stone quarry. We stroll along a trail and Hussein stops here and there to talk about the quarry. One stop is at a small tomb that our guide says that only a person of some importance would have warranted, but it is nothing compared to a King’s tombs. He points out where workers chiseled out big blocks of building stone. Hussein shows us the path that was used to drag the rock to the Nile. The workers bored out holes in the rock cliffs that line the trail. Ropes were placed through the holes which helped the laborers control the multi- ton blocks as they pulled them down the slope to the waiting barge.

    We return to the Aida but the crew does not pull up the anchor as this is where we will be spending the night. Hussein informs us that there will be a film shown in the lounge at five o’clock. The film is about a man, British I believe, that walked the full length of the Nile. When the film is over it is time for dinner. Paul, Jennifer, and I sit at the table with the two women from Minnesota. They are delightful people and one of the women is a card. She enjoys telling jokes and keeps us laughing throughout the meal. I am as amused with her body language and how she cannot keep from laughing before she gets to the punch line, as I am with her jokes! Writing this is making me grin just thinking about her! A good way to end a very good day.

    Tomorrow, we visit a crate maker and the temple of the crocodile God, Sobek. Nancy