We visited Edfu Temple this morning, and although we've been there many times our guide Abdullah showed us some different aspects and explained some hieroglyphs to us that were fascinating in themselves. Our Dutch companions stayed on at the Temple for an extra hour while we came back to the boat and had some well earned tea!
We set sail as soon as they had returned, spent some time reading under the shade on the sundeck and generally lazed about until lunch was served at 12.30.
It included some pasta stuff (which I left alone, of course) some egg salad a large dish of cheese toasted onto mashed potato, and was finished off with another dish with aubergine and tomato. Pudding was a dish of fresh peaches, lovely!
We sailed on up the river, waving at the envious passengers on the sundecks of the bigger "factory" vessels as they steamed past. One, named the "Armada" (full of Spaniards, no doubt) nearly choked us with the smoke she was belching out, I think a set of injectors and a pump calibration wouldn't have gone far amiss! After a good while we slowed to a stop, and the poor crew had to pull on ropes and push with poles (no, not "Poles") to get us into the side. I felt like Captain Pugwash as I watched them struggling, even the poor guide Abdullah got stuck in. It was here that we lost our Dutch friends for a while. They were having an afternoon stroll with the guide, only for about 4 or 5 kilometres. We gave it a miss, as we are on holiday not at a forced labour camp! We spent the afternoon chatting, reading, sleeping and waving at lots of tourists on the sundecks of the big cruisers as they plowed past. We are still learning that hurrying is not the way here in Egypt, but sailing on a dahabiya is one of our best lessons yet!
I should tell you something about the dahabiya, shouldn't I? For a start, the word means "The Golden One", and it's lovely! It has four twin cabins and two suites with large beds and private quarter-decks at the stern of the boat. You guessed it; we have a suite! As the late great Tommy Trinder would have said, "You lucky people!" And, we certainly are. Neither of us can imagine what our fathers would have thought of us sailing up the Nile in this sort of luxury and style. Here are some of the Egyptian antiques aboard:
Each cabin is air conditioned, and with nothing but the best! You know that I am slowly becoming an expert on A/C, don't you? Well, these are brand new Sharp split units, which I have been assured by my friends in the A/C community, are the very best.
We were moored for quite a while before the others caught us up at Gebel El Silsila, where we are overnighting. They had had a great walk and had seen some stone-age rock drawings as well as some pharaonic stuff.
Here's a picture of where we are actually moored.
Freda is pestering me to make some tea, it's not that I want some, you understand, but I have to keep her sweet or I'll get no more Jelly Babies!
Goodnight.
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