Egypt 1.1
Hello there Gentle Readers. Yes, I'm tardy. I'd intended on keeping a running journal of my adventures in Egypt, but the ancient lands of the pharoahs proved magical beyond my dreams but without good wifi connectivity. I did keep notes and I took a great many photos. A GREAT MANY. I've yet to sort them and I know nothing about improving them except for cropping but I will attempt to post shorter tales with photos and finally link to the batch.
Because this is me, I will start in the middle of my journey. In the center of Egypt, just south of the Valley of Kings, and in the powerful heart that makes life in Egypt possible. I begin my tale on the Nile.
The Nile runs south to north so when I say, 'sailing up the Nile' I mean upstream or south. Although the Nile was prominent in my adventures in Alexandria, Cairo, and Luxor, I boarded my dahabiya, the Lazuli III, near Esna Temple. Esna is sleepy town by day. I walked through a covered street that in the evening (and is busier tourist seasons) is bustling with shops. On this day it was a pleasant walk with children, chickens, and the occasional donkey. In Egypt there is always the occasional donkey...or goats.
Esna street
Esna Temple is Greco-Egyptian style originally built in the 18th dynasty by Tuthmosis III (1479-1425 B.C.) and designed to resemble a more ancient temple on this site. Dedicated to the ram-headed god Khnum who created man by out of Nile clay on a potter's wheel. The Nile perch, lates, was worshipped here. The temple was preserved by layers of Nile silt and mud so that the modern city was built on top of the temple. I had to walk down a long set of stairs to reach the door level of temple. Only a small area of the once vast temple complex has been excavated as doing more would require moving people, homes, and other buildings. The single building uncovered is a Roman hypostyle hall built in the reign of emperor Claudius (AD 41-54) and is now 33 feet below modern street level. Remarkably, the hall has its roof which is about same level as the foundations of the modern houses. The colors on the roof are blackened by smoke but colorful zodiac signs still show through in places. Cleaning is ongoing.
Cartouche and Khnum.
Sekhmet, lion-headed goddess of destruction tamed into bringer of healing.
Sekhmet greeting pharoah
Severed hands of enemies offered to the gods.
Esna street with child. She was delighted when I said good morning to her in Arabic and asked her name.
We walked back through the streets and then a little further south walked through a farm.
Past the Occasional donkey. Donkeys are working animals in Egypt. Hard working animals.
Past another Occasional donkey which began to bray--I couldn't tell if it was in greeting or in warning.
Boarding the Lazuli III
One of the sitting areas--we often sat here to read and take tea.
Pillows and backgammon board.
Looking towards bow at sail. Deck chairs and another sofa set.
Crew member manning the rudder. The dahabiya has no motor. It's entirely run by sails but has a generator to run water, lights, and electric. Out of a tiny galley the chef made delicious meals. The food was really good. Every time we boarded the crew greeted us with damp washcloths to wipe away the sand and a tall glass of refreshing juices--lime, mango, lemon, pineapple, and my favorite hibiscus.
The upper deck looking aft. We had our meals on the table to the left. The stairs down lead to our cabins. There were six staterooms onboard each with its own bathroom and balcony. Two rooms had twin beds. Two had doubles and the largest two rooms had queen beds. The largest rooms were spacious, romantic rooms with good light and a seraglio-like private deck. All the rooms were very comfortable and had ac which we didn't need.
Looking forward.
Aft deck.
Lower bow deck and crew.
The tug that helped us get in and out of places. The hand of Fatima with the Islamic Crescent is to ward off evil.
Me at brekkies with Syvia and Paul.
The Lazuli II! my home for the next five nights. I could easily live on this ship. Sailing on the Nile gives you the opportunity to see Egypt pass by slowly. Tombs punctuate the cliffs and mountains just past the green fertile land near the water. In this small boat we were able to stop and stroll through villages and out into the desert and mountains beyond to quarries, tombs, temples--places tourists rally go. I saw many animals from the deck. I brought binoculars and watched birds and the occasional soccer game (that disturbed grazing water buffalo). Everyone waved, smiled, and often gave us thumbs up as we went past. I'd do this trip again in a heartbeat.
The morning light was so beautiful I made a little movie.
sunrise aboard the Lazuli III
Capturing the first rays of the morning sun is an ancient tradition in Egypt.
The Benu bird flew over the waters of the Nun at dawn of creation and saw land first break the water's surface. Capturing those first rays of light is the work of obelisks, pyramids, and how temples worked. More on that later but for now.
Anon
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