Felucca Cruise Day 2
Trip Start
Apr 13, 2007
1
12
21
Trip End
Apr 28, 2007
Aswan, Egypt
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Last night I had wondered how we would be able to pass below the bridge ahead of us. Though we were far from it, I could see that there was no way that huge sail would fit underneath. It took a while to get to it, but it also meant that I had longer time to ponder on how it would be possible. I was soon to find out. They simply flip the sail to a horizontal position in the very last second, and flow with the current till they have passed the bridge, and then flips the sail back up in its vertical state. After all that hard work it was time for an early day nap, a snack and a beer...
Our lunch was being prepared while we sailed. By the time we made it to our mid day stop, the hardworking assistant was almost done , but not quite, so we had time to go for a swim in the Nile. I was very hesitant at first. You just hear too many horror stories of what might happen to you after being in the Nile. However, the spot they picked for us had plenty of current for it to be (fairly) safe. As the first person from our felucca, I jumped into the cold river. Aaron followed shortly after.
The water was cold, but as long as we kept swimming, it was actually quite nice. The captain decided that he had stopped the felucca in the wrong spot, so while he moved it, we could swim around for a little exercise before our lunch. I was really starting to look forward to the meals we had onboard. I thought they were absolutely fabulous and incredibly tasty. My stomach might think otherwise after a little while though, but I was just having too much of a good time to have that bothering me!...
After lunch and a search for a proper spot to relieve ourselves, it was time for a little afternoon nap while sailing on. It didn't take long before Sobhi got bored though, and wanted to play cards! The remains of that sunny afternoon was spent playing cards, laughing, taking pictures and eating snacks!! It was like being in a completely different world. A world with no worries and everybody just having a good time. I was beginning to regret that it was only a 2 days and 2 nights cruise.
That evening we stopped just a bit away from our end destination, Kom Ombo. We were maybe 2-3 hours away, but we stopped at a nicer spot for our supper. It was a lush place with huts nearby. We had barely made contact with the steady ground before the shore was swarming with children and their donkeys.
Again a lovely supper was prepared for us, and we ate till we could barely move. All three felucca captains and their crew members started a bonfire besides our boats. With a little help from Sobhi we were soon dancing around in a circle and singing along to Nubian songs as well as recent songs, except they had a way of changing them into their very own style;)
The bonfire was starting to fade out as well as Sobhi 's pace, and you could tell that the Nubian captains voices had given all they could for now; it was time to say goodnight.
I took one last glimpse at the night sky before I huddled together in my sleeping bag and was lulled to sleep. I never noticed that we drifted down the current towards Kom Ombo and spent most of the night there...
