It's 11-1-11 in Britain.
What a cool date.
However, it means that we only have six months left.
Boo hoo.
What a cool date.
However, it means that we only have six months left.
Boo hoo.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Nubian New Year's Eve
Most of the group opted for an extra tour via bus ride or a flight to Abu Simbel. We opted out mainly because of extra cost, but also because we were sort of templed out and needed a break. Also, when I found out that the tours were leaving at 5AM, I was more than pleased to opt out. Instead, we decided to book a guided morning excursion of the Nile by boat to see the local flora and fauna.
Our first stop was the Botanical Gardens which is on an island full of cats in the middle of the Nile.
The garden was very nice.
Next we boated around and did some bird watching. We saw ibis, moorhens, egrets, terns, a kingfisher, cormorants and plover. We also saw a lot of camels on the bank.
Next we headed to a Nubian Village. I should note here that many, many Nubians were diplaced by the construction of the Aswan Dam. Their territory was flooded when the dam was opened. So the government moved them to other areas along the Nile in Lower Egypt and Eastern Sudan.
We were escorted into a traditional house and got to roam around it which I thought a bit odd, but it is a way to make money. They treat it as a business. The house we visited was owned by weavers and they had some crafts for sale (without haggling!) so I bought a lovely head wrap/scarf. The house was fairly barren. The Nubians live a very simple life indeed. The floor is sand and swept neatly every day. At least Mom can't yell at the kids for bringing sand into the house! Separate, smaller rooms (kitchen, bedrooms, etc.) were a step up from the main floor and there was a pair of sandals next to the step so an inhabitant could shake the sand off and put shoes on so as to limit the amount of sand in those rooms.
The washing machine was one of those old round canister types and I think the family was fortunate to have even that. It looked like a barrel and was outside of the house because as it worked, soap bubbles would escape from the top. I also think they had to manually dump it out outside.
They had baby Nile crocodiles and
Owen (can you see how dead chuffed he is?!?!),
Finn
and I got to hold one.
Their stomachs are so soft and the underside of their feet feel like sandpaper. It was really cool.
Crocodile skin
The neighbor's houses - must've had a sale on aqua paint
I forgot to add earlier that the Nile is very low in the winter months because there isn't a high demand for water to irrigate crops. The level is much higher in the summer months when the temperatures are warmer and more water is needed.
Then we were off to see a Nubian farm. We just pulled up to a bank and got out and there was a farm. So.many.flies! Gaaaah! I hate flies and there were swarms of them. We got to hold actual baby Nubian goats on an actual Nubian farm (so exciting!)
which were more than adorable and to feed a camel (ick!). I think there were donkeys too but I missed that early on. It looked as if they were switching to growing fruit trees as a main cash crop since we saw many newly planted trees in the field.
Then we were asked if we wanted to sit for coffee - total YUM! My hand immediately shot up and Craig was definitely game. I think the Brits with us would not have partaken if we hadn't been so eager because our guide, Sal'eh, warned them that it was "different" and "strong". Let's just say the Brits do not do a good coffee - it's pretty much instant Nescafe (gag) or nothing.
He roasted the beans right there on a campfire,
added all of the spices (ginger, cardamom, cinnamon)
and poured it using a ball of dried grass as a filter.
So good, but again so.many.FLIES! I should have sat closer to the smoke of the fire. He handed us some roasted beans to chew on as we left - mmmm - happy dance!
We had planned to visit the market one more time upon our return because Sal'eh told us where I might find a flag, but it was not to be. We had a message from our property manager that the upstairs toilet had leaked down through the ceiling into the kitchen. So we spent the afternoon making phone calls. It turned out there was a blockage that caused water to come out below the toilet at the flange which didn't have a proper extension or seal, hence the leak. The plumber fixed it and we need to have some drywall replaced. Ugh - happy new year.
Dinner was a veritable FEAST! A six-course meal and all yummy. However, I can't remember a single thing we ate. Owen left the meal early and Craig fell asleep putting him to bed. Craig was coming down with something.
Our first stop was the Botanical Gardens which is on an island full of cats in the middle of the Nile.
The garden was very nice.
Next we boated around and did some bird watching. We saw ibis, moorhens, egrets, terns, a kingfisher, cormorants and plover. We also saw a lot of camels on the bank.
Next we headed to a Nubian Village. I should note here that many, many Nubians were diplaced by the construction of the Aswan Dam. Their territory was flooded when the dam was opened. So the government moved them to other areas along the Nile in Lower Egypt and Eastern Sudan.
We were escorted into a traditional house and got to roam around it which I thought a bit odd, but it is a way to make money. They treat it as a business. The house we visited was owned by weavers and they had some crafts for sale (without haggling!) so I bought a lovely head wrap/scarf. The house was fairly barren. The Nubians live a very simple life indeed. The floor is sand and swept neatly every day. At least Mom can't yell at the kids for bringing sand into the house! Separate, smaller rooms (kitchen, bedrooms, etc.) were a step up from the main floor and there was a pair of sandals next to the step so an inhabitant could shake the sand off and put shoes on so as to limit the amount of sand in those rooms.
The washing machine was one of those old round canister types and I think the family was fortunate to have even that. It looked like a barrel and was outside of the house because as it worked, soap bubbles would escape from the top. I also think they had to manually dump it out outside.They had baby Nile crocodiles and
Owen (can you see how dead chuffed he is?!?!),
Finn
and I got to hold one.Their stomachs are so soft and the underside of their feet feel like sandpaper. It was really cool.
Crocodile skin
The neighbor's houses - must've had a sale on aqua paint
I forgot to add earlier that the Nile is very low in the winter months because there isn't a high demand for water to irrigate crops. The level is much higher in the summer months when the temperatures are warmer and more water is needed.
Then we were off to see a Nubian farm. We just pulled up to a bank and got out and there was a farm. So.many.flies! Gaaaah! I hate flies and there were swarms of them. We got to hold actual baby Nubian goats on an actual Nubian farm (so exciting!)
which were more than adorable and to feed a camel (ick!). I think there were donkeys too but I missed that early on. It looked as if they were switching to growing fruit trees as a main cash crop since we saw many newly planted trees in the field. Then we were asked if we wanted to sit for coffee - total YUM! My hand immediately shot up and Craig was definitely game. I think the Brits with us would not have partaken if we hadn't been so eager because our guide, Sal'eh, warned them that it was "different" and "strong". Let's just say the Brits do not do a good coffee - it's pretty much instant Nescafe (gag) or nothing.
He roasted the beans right there on a campfire,
added all of the spices (ginger, cardamom, cinnamon)
and poured it using a ball of dried grass as a filter.So good, but again so.many.FLIES! I should have sat closer to the smoke of the fire. He handed us some roasted beans to chew on as we left - mmmm - happy dance!
We had planned to visit the market one more time upon our return because Sal'eh told us where I might find a flag, but it was not to be. We had a message from our property manager that the upstairs toilet had leaked down through the ceiling into the kitchen. So we spent the afternoon making phone calls. It turned out there was a blockage that caused water to come out below the toilet at the flange which didn't have a proper extension or seal, hence the leak. The plumber fixed it and we need to have some drywall replaced. Ugh - happy new year.
Dinner was a veritable FEAST! A six-course meal and all yummy. However, I can't remember a single thing we ate. Owen left the meal early and Craig fell asleep putting him to bed. Craig was coming down with something.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Aswan Dam and Philae Temple
Overnight, we sailed to Aswan. I really liked Aswan and would definitely go back there. We went to the Aswan Dam and saw Lake Nasser. We were there for all of 15 minutes, but really, that was plenty of time.
We had to take a detour from Aswan to the boat dock to Philae because President Hosni Mubarak was in town and security was high and some roads were blocked as well. As we traveled through the barren desert's twisty roads,
all I could think of was the bus crash that had occurred in Aswan a few days prior to our visit, killing I believe nine tourists.The Temple at Philae was very nice, especially since it was on an island.
The boat ride there was fabulous chaos. Our driver had to jockey into position, banging into other boats all the way.
The engine was smoking the whole time but we made it without fail.
On the departure, I took one last look and saw that the last shop at the bazaar was selling flags, but I hadn't walked that far down. Too late, I was on the boat. Craig was returning later that evening to see the sound and light show so I asked him to get one, but the bazaar was closed.
Night viewsOur last stop on the bus was at a perfumery. I get a horrible headache anytime I go into anyplace with heavy perfume and I was expecting agony. However, the perfumery was not so much perfumes as oils so the scents didn't travel and permeate the air. We got an excellent demonstration of glass blowing
and I bought a couple of nice glass bottles that were made on site.
That afternoon, we all went on a boat ride. We were supposed to go on a felucca, the traditional Egyptian sailboat, but believe it or not, it was too windy! The boat was fun anyway. Craig and the kids sat on top. The crew were all under 18 years of age which was a bit unnerving, but they are born sailors and were in control. As we were cruising, kids on floating boards, like makeshift boogie boards, would navigate amongst many fast moving boats, paddle over by hand, latch onto the side of the boat and sing to us for money. Some people paid them to let go! I did not get a photo of any of them because I do think they would have asked for money and I just didn't want to encourage their dangerous behavior. It was a very interesting (read: crazy) experience how people really will do almost anything for money.
Mausoleum of Aga Khan III whose son, Prince Aly Khan, married Rita Hayworth
I tell you what, McDonald's has some prime real estate in Egypt!Later that afternoon, we went into town to take a look-see and shop and find an ATM - all were successes.
The market was visually stimulating, but the hawkers trying to entice you into their shop can be very wearing. We were fairly wise to it by now and ignored a lot of them. Owen really wanted a musical instrument and he was successful. I hate haggling so much that it actually helped to bring the price down as I was about to walk out of the shop from sheer annoyance. Egyptians need to be less pushy because if they were, I might have actually browsed.
The train station
Arrivals board
Pickled fish
Peanuts!
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