Cruising the Nile

Well, we have made it to the next part of our adventure ~ and some aspects of this trip are definitely an adventure! (Sounds like Ron had one of his own. The alarm code: what time is it? Add a "0" in front and answer as if you are Travis. Those of you who know Travis will all now know the alarm code. :)) It is Friday afternoon and we are currently cruising down the Nile, past farm land, through rice paddies, and along the banks full of papyrus.

We have been to several temples: Karnac, Luxor, Valley of the Kings (where King Tut's tomb is), Valley of the Queens, and Edfu. Edfu is the most intact in all of Egypt and was built by Greeks and Romans. Their artwork is amazing in its detail and many color still remains. Unfortunately, much of it was defaced in later years when the Christians came through because the temples are in worship of other gods. This afternoon we will see Kom Ombo which is apparently right on the banks of the river. As such, much has been washed away by river floods.

We are the only Americans and native-English speakers on board. English is the "international language" so we are able to talk with other passengers and the crew members, who may be from a very poor country but all seem to speak at least 4 languages. French and German are the other dominant language on board. But being the only Americans is not all bad...we have our own private guide everywhere we go. So, a tour group of "2" rather than 20. It makes for quick access to sites, nicer travel arrangements, etc.

The one thing we can't get over is the hustling. Every single market, we are hustled and hustled and hustled. The icing on the cake was yesterday. We had to go through the locks at Esna. Approaching the locks, we noticed many rowboats along the shoreline, but they were empty. We wondered what they were for. Minutes later we knew. As our cruise boat slowed, we were approached by tens of rowboats, 2 men to a boat. One was rowing and was hawking his goods - galabayas, rugs, scarves, etc. They literally started shouting at us in all languages until they figured out which one to speak. Then, they started tossing their goods up to the sun deck - 4 stories up. And the bartering began. This screaming & yelling and throwing back of forth of goods (which most of passengers did not want) must have gone on for 30 minutes...until we went into the locks and the next boat full of unsuspecting passengers arrived. Nuts!

We are taking lots of pictures. I am having to download them every day and charge my camera batteries to keep things operating well. For now, I'm off to the sunbed on the top of the deck. :)