Christmas morning dawned clear and bright as we awoke on the felucca. After a quick breakfast of fried pita, and eggs, we were again sailing. However, our trip was not to last much longer. By 9 o'clock we were moored to the shore and disembarking in order to join a minibus that had been arranged for us. We said our goodbyes to Captain Ayob and Ibrahim, and clambered aboard the Toyota Hiace van. We cruised across the countryside, following the Nile as it snaked northwards. In about and hour we were at the Kom Ombo Temple, our first stop of the day. The temple was interesting enough, but there was nothing that distinguished it from the rest of the temples, at least in my mind.
By 10 AM we were once again bouncing across the countryside, this time towards Edfu--The Temple of Horace. Now the Temple of Horace had one claim to fame--It was huge. The pylons at the entrance towered 30 meters above visitors as they entered the complex. The sheer size of the columns and antechambers was magnificent in scale. Edfu was one of the best preserved temples of our trip and it stands out as one of my personal favorites. But, as was often the case, we ran out of time and had to get back on the road after an hour and a half.
It was early afternoon when we rolled into Luxor's bustling city center. If Luxor isn't a tourist town, then I don't know what is. packs of visitors roamed the wide sidewalks, followed every step of the way by all manner of street vendors, touting their wares. As disgusting as this spectacle was, I was comforted by the fact that Luxor appeared to be the cleanest city I have seen thus far in Egypt. Modern traffic lights, tree-lined boulevards, and even crosswalks greeted us--at least on main street.
Before we arrived in Luxor, the driver of the van asked each of us what hotel we were staying at, presumably so that he could drop us off there. Our whole Felucca group (sans Humberto) had stuck together so far, and after some discussion, we agreed that we would try to stay in the same hotel. Now keep in mind that we didn't know what to expect from any of the hotels. Our travel guides gave us an idea, but frankly their descriptions were sometimes ambiguous. Our best bet was to check out several different hotels and then make a decision based on that. So we asked the driver to drop us off at the Happyland Hotel. He nodded in affirmation.
As the van came to a stop the driver announced that we had reached our destination. We all hopped out and looked around. Curiously enough, the Happyland Hotel was nowhere to be seen. Instead, we were standing in front of a sign that read: Nubian Oasis Hotel. Before we could react, a man rushed out of the hotel and launched into a pitch about his hotel. We were no fools. Clearly the driver was getting a commission for guests he brought to the Nubian Oasis, and we were the next victims! We were all upset by this blatant trickery, and we stormed off down the street in search our original destination. The hotel owner ran after us, desperately trying to draw us back to his hotel. When we confronted him about his scheme, he promised to show us where the Happyland Hotel was. He pointed in a particular direction and we just rolled our eyes. Even we knew that the hotel was in the opposite direction.
But this man was persistent! He followed us for 5 blocks, haranguing us the whole time. By the time he finally gave up he had offered us a free first night and a free joint apiece! But despite this offer of cheap lodging and free drugs, we refused one final time. If the man was that desperate to get people to his hotel, then there must be something wrong with his hotel. Having fought off his attacks, we finally made it to the Happyland Hotel. And despite its curious name, it turned out to be the nicest hotel we stayed at during our break.
The Kiwis and the Brits headed off to see some sites while Kevin, Eric and I decided to take it easy and lounge for a little while. Before we went our separate ways, however, we agreed to meet for Christmas Dinner later in that night. The American posse (we three) wandered the town until we found the aptly named Luxor Temple. It sits on a sight surrounded on all sides by busy streets. Since we could see the whole complex from the outside, we chose not to spend the money to get inside. After fooling around for a bit we meandered back to Happyland where we ran in Kathy and Kerry. Together we consulted the field book and chose a highly recommended restaurant named Sofra that wasn't too far away.
I can honestly say that Sofra is the most enjoyable dining experience that I have had in my 5 months here. We were stunned to find that the restaurant had atmosphere. I had almost forgotten what atmosphere was. An old 1930s era house had been converted into a quaint eatery, with private dining rooms on the ground floor and the main eating area on an open-air covered roof-terrace. Turkish style decorations and furniture, coupled with fitting music, gave Sofra a charming aura that made dinner all the better. Even the menu and the staff seemed legitimate. It was quite a departure from the standard "restaurant" where the menu is rife with mispellings and atmosphere is considered traffic noise and dirty, tiled walls.
However, the best part about this Christmas Dinner was the dinner itself. We all treated ourselves to fresh fruit juice followed by traditional pita bread and dipping sauces. We each chose a separate main course--I decided to really have a new experience and tried the lamb--after which I had fresh fruit salad for desert. And, after an enjoyable evening of food and conversation, we retired to our room, exhausted but happy.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Onwards and Upwards!
Well, I know you're all dying to hear about the rest of my vacation, so I won't leave you in suspense for any longer.
We opted to sleep in following our hectic day of traveling to Abu. We had a felucca tour booked for 3:15 in the afternoon, and we were awake by 11:30 in the morning. After a brief meeting we decided to visit Elephantine Island for the remainder of our time in Aswan, then catch a taxi to meet up with the felucca. We implemented our plan immediately, and in short order we were stepping off the ferry onto one Elephantine Island. This particularly island is the largest of a group wedged into the Nile in the Aswan area. It has been inhabited for hundreds of years, both by Nubians and Egyptians. We spent the better part of 4 hours exploring the ruins, museums, and villages before heading toward our rendevous with the felucca. There wasn't anything significant about our visit to Elephantine Island, otherwise I would have mentioned it. Ergo, no writing = a fairly boring island. So moving right along...
Upon boarding the felucca we were greeted by 5 other guests as well as the captain and his firstmate. Before I go any further, let me describe a felucca. Essentially, a felucca is a sailboat characterized by its bright colors and unique sails. As we learned, the captains of the feluccas sew together their own sails, lending to the individualized nature that they display. Now, getting back to the story. There were two couples and a single man already on board as we embarked. One couple introduced themselves as Kerry and Kathy, both from New Zealand and both currently living in London. They were in their early 30s. Kerry was a stocky man with a shaved head who told us that he used to be a rugby player. He is a contractor by trade for almost any kind of work you can imagine. Kathy was a blonde, somewhat serious woman who grew up on a farm with 4 sisters. Kerry and Kathy had been together for 7 years and were seasoned travelers.
The second couple I met were Daniel and Ana. Both born and raised in Britain, they were thoroughly charming. Daniel was a 25 year old graphic designer from London who loved to joke and laugh. His sharp wit and quick smile made him easy to get along with. Ana had jet black hair and a pretty face, and everything about her seemed gentile. She was 28, and currently employed as an animation artist for an ad agency in London. Despite her quiet manner, she was by no means a pushover. It didn't take long for me to realize that she too had a keen sense of humor. Daniel and Ana were also very seasoned travelers who had recently been to India for a month.
The other guest was a man in his late 40s by the name of Humberto. He was originally from Lima, Peru but for the past 19 years he has worked as the janitor at a factory in London. He spoke only a small amount of english, and quiet besides, but nonetheless he was a very friendly fellow who was always wearing a smile. The other two actors in this scene were the captain and his first mate. Captain Ayob was similar to Jamaica (our felucca captain from two days prior) in that he felt the need to brag and swear exessively whilst doing no work to speak of on the boat. His counterpart, Ibrahim, on the other hand did all the work rigging the sails, steering, cooking meals, and making tea. So there's the cast.
We sailed into the sunset (literally) and pulled into shore shortly after dark. According to Captain Ayob it wasn't safe to sail at night because of strong winds and the large cruise ships that patrol the waterways. So we made ourselves comfortable on the boat deck by laying out pads and blankets, and began an enjoyable evening of eating, talking, and laughing. I had honestly forgotten that it was Christmas Eve until Kerry brought up the subject. Everyone took turns telling about their Christmas traditions and other interesting anecdotes of the past, and before too long it was time to retire for some welcomed shuteye.
As I drifted off to sleep I mused to myself. This was definitely the strangest Christmas Eve I had ever experienced. I don't know of many people who can say they spent Christmas on a Felucca with 5 strangers-turned-friends from all over the world. With these thoughts in my mind, I drifted off with the rocking of the gentle waves.
We opted to sleep in following our hectic day of traveling to Abu. We had a felucca tour booked for 3:15 in the afternoon, and we were awake by 11:30 in the morning. After a brief meeting we decided to visit Elephantine Island for the remainder of our time in Aswan, then catch a taxi to meet up with the felucca. We implemented our plan immediately, and in short order we were stepping off the ferry onto one Elephantine Island. This particularly island is the largest of a group wedged into the Nile in the Aswan area. It has been inhabited for hundreds of years, both by Nubians and Egyptians. We spent the better part of 4 hours exploring the ruins, museums, and villages before heading toward our rendevous with the felucca. There wasn't anything significant about our visit to Elephantine Island, otherwise I would have mentioned it. Ergo, no writing = a fairly boring island. So moving right along...
Upon boarding the felucca we were greeted by 5 other guests as well as the captain and his firstmate. Before I go any further, let me describe a felucca. Essentially, a felucca is a sailboat characterized by its bright colors and unique sails. As we learned, the captains of the feluccas sew together their own sails, lending to the individualized nature that they display. Now, getting back to the story. There were two couples and a single man already on board as we embarked. One couple introduced themselves as Kerry and Kathy, both from New Zealand and both currently living in London. They were in their early 30s. Kerry was a stocky man with a shaved head who told us that he used to be a rugby player. He is a contractor by trade for almost any kind of work you can imagine. Kathy was a blonde, somewhat serious woman who grew up on a farm with 4 sisters. Kerry and Kathy had been together for 7 years and were seasoned travelers.
The second couple I met were Daniel and Ana. Both born and raised in Britain, they were thoroughly charming. Daniel was a 25 year old graphic designer from London who loved to joke and laugh. His sharp wit and quick smile made him easy to get along with. Ana had jet black hair and a pretty face, and everything about her seemed gentile. She was 28, and currently employed as an animation artist for an ad agency in London. Despite her quiet manner, she was by no means a pushover. It didn't take long for me to realize that she too had a keen sense of humor. Daniel and Ana were also very seasoned travelers who had recently been to India for a month.
The other guest was a man in his late 40s by the name of Humberto. He was originally from Lima, Peru but for the past 19 years he has worked as the janitor at a factory in London. He spoke only a small amount of english, and quiet besides, but nonetheless he was a very friendly fellow who was always wearing a smile. The other two actors in this scene were the captain and his first mate. Captain Ayob was similar to Jamaica (our felucca captain from two days prior) in that he felt the need to brag and swear exessively whilst doing no work to speak of on the boat. His counterpart, Ibrahim, on the other hand did all the work rigging the sails, steering, cooking meals, and making tea. So there's the cast.
We sailed into the sunset (literally) and pulled into shore shortly after dark. According to Captain Ayob it wasn't safe to sail at night because of strong winds and the large cruise ships that patrol the waterways. So we made ourselves comfortable on the boat deck by laying out pads and blankets, and began an enjoyable evening of eating, talking, and laughing. I had honestly forgotten that it was Christmas Eve until Kerry brought up the subject. Everyone took turns telling about their Christmas traditions and other interesting anecdotes of the past, and before too long it was time to retire for some welcomed shuteye.
As I drifted off to sleep I mused to myself. This was definitely the strangest Christmas Eve I had ever experienced. I don't know of many people who can say they spent Christmas on a Felucca with 5 strangers-turned-friends from all over the world. With these thoughts in my mind, I drifted off with the rocking of the gentle waves.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Vacation: Part II
I'm back for part two of my Christmas break adventures.
We pick up the story where we last left off--sleeping in the Nubian Oasis hotel in Aswan. The following morning we awoke at 3 AM in order to catch a convoy that was heading down to Abu Simbel. We boarded a bus and hit the road. Before many minutes we pulled off the road and parked amidst a group of about 10 other buses, all full of passengers. As we talked with the other tourists on the bus we learned that all foreigners traveling to Abu were required to travel in military escorted convoys because of an incident that had occured several years earlier. As the story goes, some tourists were kidnapped on the road by terrorists, and ever since then, anyone traveling that stretch had to have a military escort, just in case. Needless to say, it took awhile for all of the buses to be cleared for travel. But by 4 AM the long line of vehicles was once again moving.
The next thing I knew, we were pulling into the parking lot of the Abu Simbel temple. The driver told us that we had two hours to see the area before returning to the bus. As we emerged into the bright morning sunshine, I was struck by two things: First off, it was genuinely cold. I was glad that I had brought my jacket, because the wind was brisk. The second thing I observed was that the temple was set in a beautiful area. When the Aswan High Dam was being built in the 1960s, the temple was dismantled piece by piece and moved to higher ground where it was reassembled in a mountainside. Completeing the dam in 1971 led to the formation of the massive Nasser lake, which serves as the beautiful azure backdrop for the temple grounds. The early morning sunlight, the breeze, the lake, the deep blue sky; all of these combined to become a picturesque morning to see some ruins.
Abu Simbel is the sight of the Temple of Ramses II. If I had to describe this temple in one word, it would be big. The 4 statues standing (well, sitting actually) guard at the temple's entrance tower over visitors. More than many other sites we visited, Abu Simbel is very well maintained inside and out. Board planking makes floors level and easy to walk on while adequate and professional lighting makes viewing the many heiroglyphs easier. And so we perused the corridors of the late Ramses II's temple and in what seemed a brief period of time , we headed back to the bus to head to our next destination--the Aswan High Dam.
I'd like to say something right now: the Aswan High Dam is a misnomer. Calling that pile of rocks a high dam is like calling Michael Jordan a mediocre basketball player. Anyone who knows or has seen any dams can tell you that there is nothing high about that dam. It is built of successive layers of sand, rock, and dirt, with a small amount of concrete. But the worst part of all is that we had to pay for tickets to stand on the pathetic thing. Upon inspecting our tickets later that day, we discovered that they were probably fakes (All tickets to authentic Egyptian sites carry an embossed holographic seal, and these tickets had none). So after shooting the breeze for 15 minutes on the Aswan mildly-elevated pile-o-rocks, err... dam, we were again on the road, this time headed for Philae Temple.
Philae Temple, also known as the Temple of Ises, is built on an island in the Nile, and must be reached by ferry. Upon arriving, we were struck by the idyllic setting. The temple grounds are in relatively good shape, and unlike many other sites, Philae is quiet and rather peaceful. I must say that this was one of my favorite temples, and anyone who visits Aswan should make the trip out to see it.
Well, it was getting late in the afternoon when we left Philae and headed back into Aswan. But before our tour concluded, we made one more stop at the ancient quarry where the unfinished obelisk was sitting. It's size was impressive. According to our guide book, the obelisk was to be the largest ever constructed, at 42 meters. Workers were in the process of hewing it out of solid granite when a crack formed. Knowing that it was now useless, the workers abandoned it, still attached to the bedrock. The highlight of this visit was that Eric got to hold one of the guards' AK-47 for 10 LE. I was more than a little jealous, but it's okay, I took the pictures.
After all of this traveling, we were more than grateful to return to our hotel for some much-needed rest. Ricardo had moved on which left just Eric, Kevin and I. It wasn't long before all three of us were passed out, fast asleep.
That sums up our last full day in Aswan. Tune in next time to hear about our Felucca cruise, making new friends, and seeing some more temples.
Coming Soon...
We pick up the story where we last left off--sleeping in the Nubian Oasis hotel in Aswan. The following morning we awoke at 3 AM in order to catch a convoy that was heading down to Abu Simbel. We boarded a bus and hit the road. Before many minutes we pulled off the road and parked amidst a group of about 10 other buses, all full of passengers. As we talked with the other tourists on the bus we learned that all foreigners traveling to Abu were required to travel in military escorted convoys because of an incident that had occured several years earlier. As the story goes, some tourists were kidnapped on the road by terrorists, and ever since then, anyone traveling that stretch had to have a military escort, just in case. Needless to say, it took awhile for all of the buses to be cleared for travel. But by 4 AM the long line of vehicles was once again moving.
The next thing I knew, we were pulling into the parking lot of the Abu Simbel temple. The driver told us that we had two hours to see the area before returning to the bus. As we emerged into the bright morning sunshine, I was struck by two things: First off, it was genuinely cold. I was glad that I had brought my jacket, because the wind was brisk. The second thing I observed was that the temple was set in a beautiful area. When the Aswan High Dam was being built in the 1960s, the temple was dismantled piece by piece and moved to higher ground where it was reassembled in a mountainside. Completeing the dam in 1971 led to the formation of the massive Nasser lake, which serves as the beautiful azure backdrop for the temple grounds. The early morning sunlight, the breeze, the lake, the deep blue sky; all of these combined to become a picturesque morning to see some ruins.
Abu Simbel is the sight of the Temple of Ramses II. If I had to describe this temple in one word, it would be big. The 4 statues standing (well, sitting actually) guard at the temple's entrance tower over visitors. More than many other sites we visited, Abu Simbel is very well maintained inside and out. Board planking makes floors level and easy to walk on while adequate and professional lighting makes viewing the many heiroglyphs easier. And so we perused the corridors of the late Ramses II's temple and in what seemed a brief period of time , we headed back to the bus to head to our next destination--the Aswan High Dam.
I'd like to say something right now: the Aswan High Dam is a misnomer. Calling that pile of rocks a high dam is like calling Michael Jordan a mediocre basketball player. Anyone who knows or has seen any dams can tell you that there is nothing high about that dam. It is built of successive layers of sand, rock, and dirt, with a small amount of concrete. But the worst part of all is that we had to pay for tickets to stand on the pathetic thing. Upon inspecting our tickets later that day, we discovered that they were probably fakes (All tickets to authentic Egyptian sites carry an embossed holographic seal, and these tickets had none). So after shooting the breeze for 15 minutes on the Aswan mildly-elevated pile-o-rocks, err... dam, we were again on the road, this time headed for Philae Temple.
Philae Temple, also known as the Temple of Ises, is built on an island in the Nile, and must be reached by ferry. Upon arriving, we were struck by the idyllic setting. The temple grounds are in relatively good shape, and unlike many other sites, Philae is quiet and rather peaceful. I must say that this was one of my favorite temples, and anyone who visits Aswan should make the trip out to see it.
Well, it was getting late in the afternoon when we left Philae and headed back into Aswan. But before our tour concluded, we made one more stop at the ancient quarry where the unfinished obelisk was sitting. It's size was impressive. According to our guide book, the obelisk was to be the largest ever constructed, at 42 meters. Workers were in the process of hewing it out of solid granite when a crack formed. Knowing that it was now useless, the workers abandoned it, still attached to the bedrock. The highlight of this visit was that Eric got to hold one of the guards' AK-47 for 10 LE. I was more than a little jealous, but it's okay, I took the pictures.
After all of this traveling, we were more than grateful to return to our hotel for some much-needed rest. Ricardo had moved on which left just Eric, Kevin and I. It wasn't long before all three of us were passed out, fast asleep.
That sums up our last full day in Aswan. Tune in next time to hear about our Felucca cruise, making new friends, and seeing some more temples.
Coming Soon...
Friday, January 9, 2009
Let it Snow?
I find myself waiting for supper and reflecting over the past three weeks. Christmas break is officially over, and I've had a lot of adventures to tell about. So where should I begin? At the beginning I suppose. Here we go.
First of all, the crew for this trip consisted of Kevin, Eric, and myself. Our travel plan was fairly simple: catch a train down to Aswan, explore Abu Simbel and all the temples in the area, then mosey up to Luxor to check out the scene there, after which we would make our way to Zowek to spend a couple days with students. We would meet up with Daniel there. After our stay in the village we would go up to Asyut and catch a bus into the Western Desert, stopping off at a couple oases and seeing whatever there was to see. That was the plan...
We managed to procure 2nd class train tickets from Cairo to Aswan for the 21st of December. Our train left the station at 10:00 PM and traveled through the night to reach our destination. I must note here that amidst the chaos and unreliability of Egypt, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the trains stick to a pretty good schedule. I would also like to add that traveling by train was very relaxing. The seats are large and there is plenty of leg room. Needless to say, we arrived in Aswan on Monday at 12:30 PM.
It was as we were exiting the train station that we met the first of what turned out to be quite a list of interesting people. We were walking in stride with a well-tanned man with black hair and stubble who appeared to be in his 30s. After a brief introduction we learned that the man's name was Ricardo and he was from Spain. Since he had no plans either, we decided to stick together and find lodging. We checked out several potential hotels recommended in The Lonely Planet guide book, and finally settled on the Nubian Oasis hotel. For a reasonable price we got a 4 person room and a tour for the next day. Feeling quite pleased with ourselves, we headed out to explore the bustling tourist trap known as Aswan.
Aswan is a city of 1.2 million people located in Southern Egypt. To say it is a tourist town is an understatement. Everything is overpriced and catered to foreigners. However, this is not all bad. The streets were very clean, thanks to the garbage service, and despite all the scams, the town was actually rather quiet and calm. We perused the spice markets and wandered through some souqs (open-air bazaars) before heading down to the waterfront to catch a felucca ride across the river. The Nile is very busy in Aswan as was evidenced by the many feluccas, fishing boats, ferries, and cruise ships choking the water ways.
We chartered a felucca to take us across the river to the Tombs of the Nobles, after which we would explore among the various islands in the are. Our captain insisted that we call him Jamaica, and the reason soon became obvious. He was higher than a kite. Although the thought of a stoned man piloting our boat was a little disconcerting, we comforted ourselves with the thought that if we had to, we could always jump out of the boat and swim. Fortunately that never happened, and before long we were climbing the hillside to explore the Tombs of the Nobles.
The most rewarding part of the tombs wasn't the tombs themselves. The view from the top of the hill, however, was fantastic. Standing in the ruins of a large stone gazebo, we could look out in all directions and see Aswan laid out below us. After getting our fill of the tombs, we boarded the felucca once more and sailed around the many islands in the area. This voyage continued until after sunset, whereupon we debarked looking for food. What we ate isn't important, although the spaghetti was quite good. But the conversation we had with Ricardo was really interesting. Now keep in mind that there's no way of verifying his story, but all the same, it's worth telling anyway.
Ricardo told us that he was the son of a Spanish mother and a Columbian father. He went to school in Paris and Barcelona and is a fashion designer. He has traveled all over the world, both for work and leisure. His plans were to visit Paris, New York City, and Bogota within the week after he left Egypt. Ricardo also told us he had 3 passports; Columbian, Spanish, and American, enabling him access to virtually any country he desired to see. I can't verify this claim, and Ricardo said a lot of pretty fantastic things, so who knows. But more interesting than all of this were his ideas about life and religion. If ever there was a man of the world, Ricardo would be it. He proclaimed his belief that there was no God, yet he described how he believed every religion had their own "life force" that could be tapped. Apparently he had attended meetings from many different religious groups, including several cults. As his monologue continued, strange gaps in his logic became more and more evident. Although still a pretty nice guy, we realized that he was like a confused child, searching for meaning all over the world but never finding it. I really felt bad for him. Despite his success in this world, when it came right down to it, he was failing in the worst way. I wonder how man Ricardos there are out there...
So concludes the first day of my break. Tune in for the next installment.
First of all, the crew for this trip consisted of Kevin, Eric, and myself. Our travel plan was fairly simple: catch a train down to Aswan, explore Abu Simbel and all the temples in the area, then mosey up to Luxor to check out the scene there, after which we would make our way to Zowek to spend a couple days with students. We would meet up with Daniel there. After our stay in the village we would go up to Asyut and catch a bus into the Western Desert, stopping off at a couple oases and seeing whatever there was to see. That was the plan...
We managed to procure 2nd class train tickets from Cairo to Aswan for the 21st of December. Our train left the station at 10:00 PM and traveled through the night to reach our destination. I must note here that amidst the chaos and unreliability of Egypt, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the trains stick to a pretty good schedule. I would also like to add that traveling by train was very relaxing. The seats are large and there is plenty of leg room. Needless to say, we arrived in Aswan on Monday at 12:30 PM.
It was as we were exiting the train station that we met the first of what turned out to be quite a list of interesting people. We were walking in stride with a well-tanned man with black hair and stubble who appeared to be in his 30s. After a brief introduction we learned that the man's name was Ricardo and he was from Spain. Since he had no plans either, we decided to stick together and find lodging. We checked out several potential hotels recommended in The Lonely Planet guide book, and finally settled on the Nubian Oasis hotel. For a reasonable price we got a 4 person room and a tour for the next day. Feeling quite pleased with ourselves, we headed out to explore the bustling tourist trap known as Aswan.
Aswan is a city of 1.2 million people located in Southern Egypt. To say it is a tourist town is an understatement. Everything is overpriced and catered to foreigners. However, this is not all bad. The streets were very clean, thanks to the garbage service, and despite all the scams, the town was actually rather quiet and calm. We perused the spice markets and wandered through some souqs (open-air bazaars) before heading down to the waterfront to catch a felucca ride across the river. The Nile is very busy in Aswan as was evidenced by the many feluccas, fishing boats, ferries, and cruise ships choking the water ways.
We chartered a felucca to take us across the river to the Tombs of the Nobles, after which we would explore among the various islands in the are. Our captain insisted that we call him Jamaica, and the reason soon became obvious. He was higher than a kite. Although the thought of a stoned man piloting our boat was a little disconcerting, we comforted ourselves with the thought that if we had to, we could always jump out of the boat and swim. Fortunately that never happened, and before long we were climbing the hillside to explore the Tombs of the Nobles.
The most rewarding part of the tombs wasn't the tombs themselves. The view from the top of the hill, however, was fantastic. Standing in the ruins of a large stone gazebo, we could look out in all directions and see Aswan laid out below us. After getting our fill of the tombs, we boarded the felucca once more and sailed around the many islands in the area. This voyage continued until after sunset, whereupon we debarked looking for food. What we ate isn't important, although the spaghetti was quite good. But the conversation we had with Ricardo was really interesting. Now keep in mind that there's no way of verifying his story, but all the same, it's worth telling anyway.
Ricardo told us that he was the son of a Spanish mother and a Columbian father. He went to school in Paris and Barcelona and is a fashion designer. He has traveled all over the world, both for work and leisure. His plans were to visit Paris, New York City, and Bogota within the week after he left Egypt. Ricardo also told us he had 3 passports; Columbian, Spanish, and American, enabling him access to virtually any country he desired to see. I can't verify this claim, and Ricardo said a lot of pretty fantastic things, so who knows. But more interesting than all of this were his ideas about life and religion. If ever there was a man of the world, Ricardo would be it. He proclaimed his belief that there was no God, yet he described how he believed every religion had their own "life force" that could be tapped. Apparently he had attended meetings from many different religious groups, including several cults. As his monologue continued, strange gaps in his logic became more and more evident. Although still a pretty nice guy, we realized that he was like a confused child, searching for meaning all over the world but never finding it. I really felt bad for him. Despite his success in this world, when it came right down to it, he was failing in the worst way. I wonder how man Ricardos there are out there...
So concludes the first day of my break. Tune in for the next installment.
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