On the Nile

Today was a slower, quieter day as we slept in a bit, ate a later breakfast, then headed out to a place called the Pharaonic Village. As Mitch would have said, it was a good tourist trap. It’s a place that seeks to recreate what life under the Pharaonic times would have been like—sort of like a Egyptian Conner Prairie, as Jordan pointed out. We began with a boat ride down the Canal of Myths, as we explored the various gods and goddesses of early Egyptian life. Then, we were able to see what a rich man’s house would have looked like, and a poor man’s house as well. We explored a recreation of what King Tut’s tomb would have looked like when Howard Carter first found it, was given an explanation of various Islamic art styles and saw a museum of Egypt’s President Nassar (who built the Aswan Dam). We also saw a demonstration of Egyptian glass blowing. There were other museums in the park, but by the time we got through all of that, we were ready to move on.

From there, we set out from the banks of the Nile on a Felucca Boat Ride (a felucca boat is a kind of sailboat, still used today up and down the Nile). The ride was great, very relaxing, and thankfully breezy. We got a chance to view, from the outside, the Church of the Virgin Mary, another place where, tradition holds, the Holy Family stopped before sailing further into Egypt. Our guide pointed out some kids swimming by the banks of the Nile and said it really wasn’t safe to do that. Lots of boats on the Nile; we were glad to be in one of them.

Lunch was at a restaurant with a view of the pyramids. Very good food—some had grilled chicken and some had grilled fish (Rachel and I had the chicken). After lunch, we headed to cotton store (Egyptian cotton is among the best in the world, and much of what is sold in the States is made here), and encountered more street peddlers. Our guide said it is good to help the peddlers, as there is high unemployment (30%) in Egypt, and some folks only make their money on the street from tourists. Our guide, Mohamed, commented that the new president has a lot of work to do here, to deal with the trash on the street, the unemployment and the incessant traffic problems. He prays that the new president has the strength to tackle Egypt’s problems.

After the shop, it was back to the hotel, to the pool, and to dinner. It will be an early night, as we have an early morning start to head toward Alexandria.