{"id":15251,"date":"2019-02-12T15:35:41","date_gmt":"2019-02-12T20:35:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/?p=15251"},"modified":"2019-06-08T10:56:42","modified_gmt":"2019-06-08T14:56:42","slug":"elephantine-and-kitcheners-islands-egypt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/?p=15251","title":{"rendered":"Elephantine and Kitchener&#8217;s Islands, Egypt"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Tuesday &#8211; February 12, 2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15252\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DSC_6854.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"317\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Today was our day to sail on a <em>felucca<\/em> across the Nile to the Botanical Garden on Kitchener&#8217;s Island. \u00a0The basic structure of the <em>felucca<\/em> hasn&#8217;t changed since the time of the Pharaohs. \u00a0They are heavy wooden open-deck boats complete with canvas shelters to block out the searing desert sun. \u00a0Made for sailing over shallow waters, <em>feluccas<\/em> don&#8217;t have a stationary keel, instead they have a center plate that can be raised over sandbars or low depths.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15254\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_6842.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"257\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s no motor on a <em>felucca, <\/em>so one of the two-man\u00a0crew members lowers the heavy canvas sail and they sail into the dock. \u00a0After the group boarded our <em>felucca<\/em>, a man on land pushed the bow of the boat out into the river. \u00a0The current took the boat downstream a bit while one man untied the heavy hemp ropes. \u00a0Then the other man joined him to hoist the heavy sail. \u00a0Notice they&#8217;re both barefooted:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15255\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_1119.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15256\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_6848.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"265\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p>What a treat! \u00a0It was a crystal clear day with a fresh cool breeze. \u00a0Perfect for a sail on the Nile. \u00a0As the wind filled the sail, one of the men walked aft to steer with the huge tiller.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15257\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_6850.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"265\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15260\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_6907.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"270\" \/><\/p>\n<p>After sailing for a while, one of the crew took out a drum and began to play and sing Nubian folk songs. \u00a0He taught us some words and we all clapped to the beat and joined in the chorus. \u00a0Great fun!!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15261\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_6891.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"364\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15262\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_1129.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We arrived at <em>El Nabatat<\/em> Island aka Kitchener&#8217;s Island and said goodbye to the crew. \u00a0I could have stayed on the <em>felucca<\/em> all day! \u00a0The island was gifted to Lord Kitchener, the British Counsul-General in Egypt, when he served from 1911-1914.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15263\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_6923.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"288\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Kitchener transformed the small island into a paradise of exotic plants and trees from tropical places around the world. \u00a0What a surprise! \u00a0The garden was beautiful!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15264\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_1132.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"328\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The island was later used as a government research station. Today, it is the Aswan Botanical Garden and enjoyed by local people and tourists.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15265\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_6936.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"285\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It was a lovely peaceful garden with rare trees and many chirping birds. \u00a0A market of craftspeople and vendors was set up at the far end of the island.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15266\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_6951.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"307\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15268\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_6954.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"283\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15270\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_6960.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"308\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15269\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_6958.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"287\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Below is a photo looking south from the Botanical Garden:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15271\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_1135.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"293\" \/><\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15272\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_6973.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"293\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15273\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_6978.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Elephantine Island is another island in the Nile River near the city of Aswan. \u00a0The island&#8217;s name comes from either the shape of the island or from the large boulders along the banks which resemble elephants.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15276\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_6982.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Scenes from the Nile River:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15277\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_7027.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15274\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_7001.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15278\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_7065.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"238\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15279\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_7041.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"216\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15280\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_7100.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"258\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15281\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_7106.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15282\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_7112.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"272\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Two teen-age boys paddled up to our motorboat and sang a variety of songs in several languages: English, French,German, Spanish, etc. \u00a0Entertaining and very enterprising!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15283\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_7104.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"301\" \/><\/p>\n<p>After a while, we returned to<em> the Mojito<\/em> and relaxed onboard while the crew prepared to cruise north back toward Kom Ombo.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15284\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_7120.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"247\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The sun was low in the western sky and we enjoyed the scenery along the river.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15286\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_1155.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"282\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15287\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_1162.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"290\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Kom Ombo is an agricultural village of approximately 60,000 people and the location of the Ptolemaic Temple of Kom Ombo. \u00a0Built between 180 &#8211; 47 BC, it is unique because it honors two sets of gods. \u00a0The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god <em>Sobek<\/em> and the northern half honors the falcon god\u00a0<i>Haroeis, <\/i>also known as<i> Horus.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15290\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_1170.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"282\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>The Mojito <\/em>slowly docked along the quay between two other riverboats. \u00a0The sun was setting as we climbed the steps up to the Temple of Kom Ombo.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15291\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_7130.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"258\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We took as many photos as we could in the warm fading light. \u00a0Then joined our group to hear Maged, the tour leader, explain the important features of the temple.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15292\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_7153.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15294\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_1174.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"302\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15295\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_7163.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"273\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Kom Ombo Temple was an imposing site and the location above the river was superb. \u00a0We had another incredible day on the River Nile. \u00a0Aswan was a lovely international city with many interesting sights and activities. \u00a0The ship had turned around and were cruising north back toward Luxor. \u00a0Time was slipping away but we were having an unforgettable adventure!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tuesday &#8211; February 12, 2019 Today was our day to sail on a felucca across the Nile to the Botanical Garden on Kitchener&#8217;s Island. \u00a0The basic structure of the felucca hasn&#8217;t changed since the time of the Pharaohs. \u00a0They are heavy wooden open-deck boats complete with canvas shelters to block out the searing desert sun. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-egypt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15251"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15489,"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15251\/revisions\/15489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}