Gallivanting Grandma

Tuesday – February 12, 2019

Today was our day to sail on a felucca across the Nile to the Botanical Garden on Kitchener’s Island.  The basic structure of the felucca hasn’t changed since the time of the Pharaohs.  They are heavy wooden open-deck boats complete with canvas shelters to block out the searing desert sun.  Made for sailing over shallow waters, feluccas don’t have a stationary keel, instead they have a center plate that can be raised over sandbars or low depths.

There’s no motor on a felucca, so one of the two-man crew members lowers the heavy canvas sail and they sail into the dock.  After the group boarded our felucca, a man on land pushed the bow of the boat out into the river.  The current took the boat downstream a bit while one man untied the heavy hemp ropes.  Then the other man joined him to hoist the heavy sail.  Notice they’re both barefooted:

What a treat!  It was a crystal clear day with a fresh cool breeze.  Perfect for a sail on the Nile.  As the wind filled the sail, one of the men walked aft to steer with the huge tiller.

After sailing for a while, one of the crew took out a drum and began to play and sing Nubian folk songs.  He taught us some words and we all clapped to the beat and joined in the chorus.  Great fun!!

We arrived at El Nabatat Island aka Kitchener’s Island and said goodbye to the crew.  I could have stayed on the felucca all day!  The island was gifted to Lord Kitchener, the British Counsul-General in Egypt, when he served from 1911-1914.

Kitchener transformed the small island into a paradise of exotic plants and trees from tropical places around the world.  What a surprise!  The garden was beautiful!

The island was later used as a government research station. Today, it is the Aswan Botanical Garden and enjoyed by local people and tourists.

It was a lovely peaceful garden with rare trees and many chirping birds.  A market of craftspeople and vendors was set up at the far end of the island.

Below is a photo looking south from the Botanical Garden:

After we walked through the garden, we boarded a Nile River motorboat to cruise around Elephantine Island and explore the shallow parts of the cataract.

Elephantine Island is another island in the Nile River near the city of Aswan.  The island’s name comes from either the shape of the island or from the large boulders along the banks which resemble elephants.

Scenes from the Nile River:

Two teen-age boys paddled up to our motorboat and sang a variety of songs in several languages: English, French,German, Spanish, etc.  Entertaining and very enterprising!

After a while, we returned to the Mojito and relaxed onboard while the crew prepared to cruise north back toward Kom Ombo.

The sun was low in the western sky and we enjoyed the scenery along the river.

Kom Ombo is an agricultural village of approximately 60,000 people and the location of the Ptolemaic Temple of Kom Ombo.  Built between 180 – 47 BC, it is unique because it honors two sets of gods.  The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the northern half honors the falcon god Haroeis, also known as Horus.

The Mojito slowly docked along the quay between two other riverboats.  The sun was setting as we climbed the steps up to the Temple of Kom Ombo.

We took as many photos as we could in the warm fading light.  Then joined our group to hear Maged, the tour leader, explain the important features of the temple.

Kom Ombo Temple was an imposing site and the location above the river was superb.  We had another incredible day on the River Nile.  Aswan was a lovely international city with many interesting sights and activities.  The ship had turned around and were cruising north back toward Luxor.  Time was slipping away but we were having an unforgettable adventure!

Monday – February 11, 2019

The Egyptian Russian Friendship Monument – photo below – is called “The Lotus Tower” and commemorates Russia’s involvement in the construction of the Aswan Dam:

We were lucky to have another bright sunny day with a cool breeze.  We had an early start to drive to the Aswan High Dam and look around at the technological achievement of the dam which has had a significant effect on the economy and culture of Egypt over many years.

The Dam was built between 1960 and 1970 to replace the original Low Dam.  The objectives were to better control seasonal flooding of the Nile, provide increased water storage for irrigation, and to generate hydroelectricity for the growing population of Egypt.

For thousands of years, the annual flooding of the Nile River caused natural nutrients and minerals to enrich the soil of the floodplains and the delta which made the Nile Valley ideal for farming.  However, the flooding was unpredictable and varied from year to year.  With the High Dam, floods could be controlled and water stored for later release over multiple years in the case of drought.

Afterwards, we drove downstream from Aswan Dam and Lake Nassar to a pier in the reservoir.  Motorboats waited to take tourists out to Agilkia Island to visit the Temple of Philae.

Philae was originally located near the first cataract of the Nile.  Cataracts are shallow parts of a river which contain many large boulders and rocks jutting out of the water.

The temple complex was dismantled and moved to Agilkia Island as part of the UNESCO Nubia Campaign Project protecting the ancient site before completion of the High Dam.

Philae was said to be one of the burial places of the god Osiris – god of the underworld, afterlife, and rebirth.  The oldest temple which was built to honor the god Isis was constructed in 380-362BC.  The other ruins date from the Ptolemaic Kingdom: 282-145BC.

On our way back to the boat, we stopped at an ancient Egyptian stone quarry which is now a tourist attraction called the “unfinished obelisk.”  The obelisk was ordered to be carved by Hatshepsut about 1500BC, but it began to crack while craftsmen were carving it out of the bedrock.  They abandoned it and left it here ever since.

It was interesting to see one of the quarries which had been used by ancient Egyptians to build their temples.  A small craft market was nearby.

Our bus drove through the city of Aswan on our way back to the riverboat:

We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon and evening on the deck of The Mojito.  As the sun set there was a flurry of activity on the river and we watched the boats move about.

There was an incredible sunset over the west bank of the Nile River:

Sunday – February 10, 2019

Last night The Mojito docked on the west bank of the Nile River near the city of Eduf, Egypt and this morning we awoke to a brilliant, crisp, clear sunny day.

We climbed up the stairs to the riverside corniche.  There was a clamor of carriage drivers yelling for attention to be chosen to drive our group to the Temple of Horus.  Two passengers for each weathered horse-drawn carriage; we were assigned to #468.

Our driver, Ahmed, smiled and helped us into the carriage and we were off in a caravan of American tourists clomping down the main streets of Edfu!

Edfu is an Egyptian city with a population of about 60,000 people.  It was fun riding through the village in the carriage although it was so early that many of the shops were closed.

A bakery:

Spice shop:

We arrived at the Temple of Horus and Ahmed parked his horse & carriage next to the others.

The Temple of Horus which was built between 237BC and 57BC, is the second largest temple in Egypt and one of the best preserved ancient monuments.  Preservation was possible because sand had covered the site and, over many centuries, houses had been built on top of the temple.

The huge pylons that stand at the entrance to the temple were decorated with battle scenes of King Ptolemy VIII during the Greco-Roman period in Egyptian history.

The temple was dedicated to the falcon god Horus.  Ancient Egyptians believed the temple was built on the site of the mythical battle between Horus and Seth.

Ahmed was waiting for us after we finished exploring the Temple.  We climbed into the carriage and enjoyed another fun ride through Edfu.

Edfu was now bustling with people, cars, wagons, and tiny three-wheeled jitneys.  It was market day.  Shops were open and vendors were everywhere.

Afterwards we enjoyed lunch onboard The Mojito, while the crew let go its lines from the dock and brought them aboard.  We cast off and the riverboat followed the channel markers in the Nile and we continued cruising southward.

We sat out on the top deck, chatted with our fellow travelers, and watched the beautiful Nile riverbank pass us by.

There was an amazing assortment of commercial and tourist boats on the river:

Some time in the afternoon, one of the chefs appeared on the top deck and gave us a cooking demonstration of how to make babaganoush – a delicious Middle-Eastern dish made from eggplants:

The head chef demonstrated how to carve a large gourd for display:

Time passed quickly and we arrived at the village of Kom Ombo, thirty miles north of Aswan.

Here’s a photo of The Mojito docking in front of two other river boats:

This was an unscheduled stop to let a small group of travelers ashore.  We planned to return to visit the Temple of Kom Ombo in a few days on our way back up the Nile.  The Mojito at its dock:

We had an hour to go ashore to explore on our own.  A bridal couple posed for photographs in front of the temple:

Local kids gathered around the couple and a loud percussion band played music as family members gathered at a restaurant below the temple.  It was a lively scene!

We explored the market which had been set up along the riverside.  We both bought galabiyas – the traditional Egyptian garment native to the Nile Valley – for our upcoming “Galabiya Party” on the boat.

We experienced another amazing day cruising down the Nile River.  Tomorrow we’ll be in Aswan.

Saturday – February 9, 2019

Last night, we spent a quiet evening aboard the Nile riverboat, Mojito, which was docked in Luxor.  This morning, we awoke with enough time for a leisurely breakfast before meeting the rest of the group.

We saw hot-air balloons rising from the western shore of the Nile, so we grabbed our cameras and went out on deck to watch the balloons and the sun rise.  There were about a dozen brightly colored balloons moving very slowly.

When I looked across the Nile, there were all kinds and shapes and sizes of boats and sailing vessels. What an assortment!  There were dahabiyas, feluccas, motorboats, dhows, small ferry boats, tug boats, and a wide variety of commercial boats.

As was the custom, The Mojito was stacked along the dock with three other riverboats side-to-side.  If someone wants to go ashore, they have to walk through the middle of the other boats.  The boat on the end is expected to leave first.  However, if one of the interior boats wants to leave, the others pull away and they all reposition themselves.  It’s a time-honored system that seems to work for everyone.

We boarded a bus to take us to the western side of the Nile River where the Valley of the Kings is located.  We drove past the fertile farms of the Nile valley, but the eastern Sahara Desert lies just beyond the green fields.

The Valley of the Kings was used for burials from about 1539BC through 1075BC and contains at least 63 tombs beginning with Thutmose I and ending with Rameses XI.  The photo below shows the main walkway of the famous necropolis.

Noblemen as well as wives and children of both nobles and pharaohs were buried in the tombs.  Today, tourists buy tickets to enter the tombs to see the elaborate paintings and decorations which cover the walls and ceilings.

The tombs are well marked with the name of the king and a brief history and map.  We entered the tomb of Rameses IX:

The Valley of the Kings became famous in 1922 when the British archeologist, Howard Carter, discovered the intact tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamen.  The tomb is open to tourists, however photography was NOT allowed inside!  So, we posed for a photo outside King Tut’s tomb.

The interior of the tomb had been restored.  We saw the mummy of King Tut-Ankh-Amun which was inside the beautifully decorated tomb.  Here’s the plan:

Our tour guide, Maged recommended several tombs to see.  We also entered the tomb of Rameses III which glowed in lovely soft lighting.  The figures still retained color from the original 3000 year old paint.

We could have spent the entire day exploring all the elaborately decorated tombs.  They were amazing and spectacular!!  We also went into the tomb of Rameses IV – another incredibly beautiful tomb.

Entering, exploring, and seeing the fabulous interiors of the ancient tombs of the pharaohs was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  It was incredible.  Unforgettable.

Next stop was the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut.  Mortuary temples were erected near royal tombs to commemorate the reign of the particular Pharaoh.  When Hatshepsut took on the full powers of a pharaoh, she was only one of three women to take on a man’s role of pharaoh in 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian history.

Looking toward the east from the top of the ramp leading into the temple, I could see the fertile Nile Valley just beyond the dry eastern Sahara Desert.

We passed several excavation sites which were being explored nearby.  Only a minority of the pharaoh’s tombs have been unearthed.

Later we visited an alabaster shop.  I would have preferred to stay longer at the Valley of the Kings and be able to see more tombs.  However, following someone else’s schedule is one real disadvantage to a tour group.

Our last stop on the western side of the Nile was a “photo op” at the Colossi of Memnon.  These are two massive stone statues of Amenhotep III erected about 1350BC to guard his mortuary temple.  The statues were damaged and the temple destroyed by Nile floods and earthquakes over many centuries.

We drove toward the Nile River passing fertile fields again on our way back to The Mojito.

Onboard we settled in for an afternoon and evening of cruising south on the river toward Aswan.  These are photos of other riverboats.

It was totally delightful to sit on the top deck as The Mojito cruised south along the Nile River.  As the sun set, we looked out at the shore and saw farmers and fishermen working as they had been over the last millennia.  Villages were made of mud bricks.  Animals were used to power farm implements.  Fishermen caught fish with hand-made nets.  We all felt like we were sailing through history.

The Mojito cruised down the Nile with several other riverboats:

Enterprising salesmen rowed up to our boat and sold tablecloths and towels to the tourists.  It was fun watching them throw their goods up to the top level and bargain and exchange money – while moving down the river against the current.

Sunset over the Nile:

It was well past dark when we reached the Esna Lock about 33 miles south of Luxor.  The lock system is used for raising or lowering boats between stretches of water which are on different levels in the river.

We went out on deck to watch The Mojito effortlessly cruise into and out of the lock and afterwards continue its journey to Edfu.

Today was a long day but overflowing with amazing experiences!

Friday – February 8, 2019

Today was our tour group’s day to fly from Cairo to Luxor which is about 315 miles south of the capital city.  It’s a six hour drive or an hour flight.

This morning, Cairo had been overcast and hazy, 58 degrees. As soon as we stepped off the plane in Luxor, a fresh breeze and bright sun greeted us.  The air smelled crisp and clear.  There was green grass and trees everywhere.

There were horse-drawn carriages, fields of green, wagons pulled by donkeys, and people tending crops.  We weren’t in Cairo anymore!

We were driven from the Luxor airport to the Nile River and boarded our riverboat, The Mojito.  I never found out the source of its name.  All the boats looked like the one in the photo above.  Four floors of cabins and public spaces with an open deck on top.  We settled in and, after dinner, watched a beautiful sunset.

Our activity for the evening was to visit the spectacular Temple of Luxor at night.  The modern town of Luxor is the site of the ancient city of Thebes.

The magnificent temple was built about 1400BC by Amenhotep III.  Two obelisks originally stood at the entrance.  The obelisk which had been on the right is currently in Paris at the Place de la Concorde.  It was given to France by Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1833.

Most of the temple had been buried under centuries of rubble as the city of Luxor grew.  A French archeologist, Gaston Maspero, began excavations in 1884.

Recent excavations began in 2004 to uncover the 1.7 mile long Avenue of Sphinxes which once connected Luxor Temple with Karnak Temple.  More than a thousand sphinx statues line the road which had been covered by mud, houses, and other buildings.

Another amazing day!