Photo by Thomas

A Felucca is a traditional Egyptian Sailboat, and easily sat our group of 16 plus the boat-hands and captain. As we took off I noticed two young boys on what looked like a surf board ducking and holding onto the side of the ship from the outside. I was concerned for the boys and also bewildered. Should I say something? Are they stow aways? Will they get in trouble if the boat-hands see them?

I kept an eye on the boys as we set out. It was amazing being on the Nile. When I was little we lived near the Great Lakes and had our own boat, so I was use to being out on the water. And the view is like nothing I’ve seen back in the states. On one side you have the Corniche, a road running along the Nile and main area for tourists with hotels, shops, and restaurants. (All mostly in disrepair and disuse due to the lack of tourists.) The other side has stunning desert cliffs with ruins dotting them.

Suddenly the boys popped up and starting singing for us. People in the group oooeed and awwed while others joined in. It was fairly simple songs like “Frere Jacques” which quickly changed to a few lyrics here and there from more modern songs. After being tipped the boys kicked away from our boat and paddled over to one other lone Felucca with tourists in it. About that time one of the boat-hands had laid out on the center area necklaces, bracelets and other tourist fare. Some people from the group shopped a bit, while others climbed up on the bow of the ship and stretched out.

Photo by George

I went from side to side, taking photos and just enjoying it all. We passed a few small islands and rocky outcroppings. (This reminded me of various Fantasy novels where people traveled by boat down rivers, having to be aware in case of ambush.) The sun was just starting to do down, and I got some amazing photos.

As we rounded the tip of the island, we saw the rocks that give it it’s nickname of “Elephant Island”. I could also see ruins and knew there was an active dig site and museum at this part of the island. About this point we could see a lot of other Feluccas tied up or beached along the banks. This was another stark reminder of the lack of tourists.

We were now traveling in the opposite direction, and could see the large famous hotels like the Old Cataract Hotel where Agatha Christie had stayed. Some of the group members had gone there earlier in the day for tea, and had remarked that Agatha’s room was under renovation so they couldn’t see it.

We then passed by some hieroglyphs carved into massive stones along the water. We were told they were the oldest in all of Egypt which when I did research turned out to be false, but it was fun to clamor all to one side to get a good photo. We also could see the entryway to the famous Nilometer here.

And then the trip was suddenly over. We pulled into a dock and got out. Dusk was coming quickly as we walked into town.

Our Felucca as it sailed away.

We waited a few minutes for some reason (bathroom or water) and while we waited we watched children playing in the nearby school grounds. Our host for the night appeared and we followed him down twist and turns to his home. Colorful doors tempted me and I wish we had time to stop and take photos. It was hot and so sometimes people had their doors open, and as we passed we stole glances of their every day lives.

I usually have a good sense of direction, but even I got turned around with all the turns in this island community. This island is home to the Nubian people, and that was why we were here, to have dinner at a local Nubian home. We arrived and walked upstairs. At the top of the stairs the roof was made into an outdoor deck, with enough seating for the entire group. As darkness fell it actually felt good to sit outside. We all talked with one another, getting caught up on what everyone had done during their free time. We also watched Thomas and some of the others try to make friends with the local cats that were watching us.

Photo by Marilyn

We were served hot Karkade (Hibiscus Tea) and then delicious lentil soup and bread came out. The next course was a large buffet of chicken, rice, fries, veggies and more. As we ate we talked with our host and to each other. Desert came but I was too stuffed. I could have stayed longer, but it was now dark and we would have an early morning. No one had brought flashlights so the darkness took us by surprise, so we had to stick together to make our way back to the dock.

Right photo by George

I also stupidly was surprised it wasn’t a Felucca that met us at the dock, but one of the motorized boats we had seen. (Duh, the wind had died down.) I enjoyed taking photos of the street and hotel lights reflecting on the water. And then as we arrived back to the dock by our hotel we spied a shooting star. It was the perfect ending to a lovely first day in Aswan!