Felucca

We start on our felucca ride mid morning.

Our bags are loaded into our boat while we finish breakfast.

I am fighting Egypt belly. I am hoping that this ride wont be too uncomfortable for me.

The felucca is where we are to spend about the next 24 hours.

Shoes off for this journey. We all climb up and bend over and find our lounge spot on the cushions. Since the boat is stationary it is kind of warm. Fortunately it cools down as we start to sail.

We do a loop in the water, during that time we gather with the other boat, the other tour of the younger travelers. We always have them in our sight.

After a couple hours we dock to eat lunch. Lunch is served in the middle of the boat. It is a nice mix of mashed potatoes and vegetables, shashuka, pita, and babbaganoush.

I am still fighting nausea and cramps. Because I skippped dinner the night before and ate a very light breakfast I give it a go, all except the babbaganoush.

My stomach isn’t happy with the food because the nausea continues.

People get off the boat for a swim. My stomach pains make me decide to just chill on the boat, best to be close to a bathroom.

Then we are off again. Beautiful views of the Nile. The boat sails in a zig zag fashion to grab the wind.

Someone plays music from their phone onto a Bluetooth speaker. It is relaxing. Definitely a better option for someone with stomach issues vs sightseeing at a very hot site for the day.

Some on the boat torture our tour guide. He is a good sport about our teasing.

Finally we dock for dinner and the night. We go onto shore to see the donkey and dogs that are hanging around. A man has been riding the donkey and he offers rides to some in our group. The group of dogs are cute. They are dirty and you can tell they survive on the daily scraps from tourists on the felucca boats.

It is back to the boat for dinner which is served on the roof off the boat. I skip dinner because my stomach is still angry at me from lunch. I ask for the guides to set aside some pita for me for later in case I get hungry and am willing to eat. I do try to eat a little bit a couple hours later. Best to not go to bed starving.

We are winding down for the night and the young group in the boat next to us is just getting the party started. Karim our tour guide convinces us to go out to the fire and sing some songs with a drum circle. He insists it is too early to go to bed. I think it is only 9 pm. I am also not drinking alcohol (except 1 beer I tried) because of my stomach pains. We have fun singing random songs by the fire. Some are Nubian chants, some are pop hits. After a little while we are done and head back to the boat to get ready for bed.

I find a nice spot at the end of the boat where I have access to fresh breeze. At first I am warm but as the night progresses I get chilly. I grab one of the provided blankets and snuggle up for a good nights sleep. Ear plugs are necessary because the party is never ending from the other boat.

Most of us wake around 6 am and get ready for breakfast. Breakfast is thin crepes, Boiled eggs, and bananas. I eat. It is about time I join the living again.

We will see how my stomach responds.

Now off to our 3 hour drive to Luxor. I am hoping we first have a stop at our hotel for a shower and some teeth brushing before we do our daily sightseeing.

Abu Simbal

It is three hours out of the way and costs an extra fee but the excursion to Abu Simbel is worth it.

Abu Simbel is another one of those temples deconstructed and moved due to the threat of flooding of the damn of Lake Nasser.

Moved in 1968.

Originally created for Pharaoh Ramesses II.

The wall images just get better as my time goes on in Egypt.

Queen Nefertari’s temple

In the same complex is Queen Nefertari’s temple. If you look at the top of this temple you can clearly see the block lines from when the temple taken apart and moved.

Nubian Village

One activity I really enjoyed in Aswan when we took the boat to have dinner in a Nubian Village. We got to meet locals, see the village, and learn local customs such as marriage customs. They graciously prepared us a very appetizing dinner.

Our Nubian host meets us at our hotel and takes us to his island on a very calm boat ride on the Nile.

Once off the boat we walk through the village to get to his house where a table is set up for us.

While we wait for dinner they take us to the roof so we can see how the house is constructed.

Soon it is time for dinner. All the dishes are delicious. I feel very grateful they share them with me. While we eat our Nubian host describes local customs concerning marriage and such.

I feel very lucky that our tour included such an experience.