Day 304 Slow Boat to Luxor

The dreamy slowness of my cruise ship up the Nile gave a me a tangible sense of the word "languid." It seemed as if it drifted more than navigated, with only a quiet vibration giving evidence of mechanized propulsion. Additionally, the ship, built for 150 passengers was only carrying nine, many fewer than the crew, lending a stillness of motion and sound to the decks. There was no hurry for anything. It would take a day and a half to make our way to Luxor.

As I stared out from my luxurious wood paneled cabin at the water lilies and Nile birds drifting by or as I sat on the upper deck in the shade of a canopy, marveling at the beauty of Nile cutting a verdant green swath through the desert, I felt the hassles of travel blur into hazy distant memory. I chatted with some other Americans over afternoon tea, enjoyed sumptuous meals, and soaked up the tranquility.

We stopped at a two places, the better being the town of Edfu. I haggled with a cigarette smoking 14-year-old for a carriage ride to the temple, eventually settling on the equivalent of $3 USD for the 20 minute round trip including an hour of waiting time. I had the upper hand because he was desperate for a fare but I ended up giving him $5 because I felt bad for him. The tourism business is slow in Egypt.

The Edfu temple was spectacular at night. It was my favorite by far of all the temples. It was deserted too. The most interesting part was when I was leaving, a plain clothes guard called me over to show me a hieroglyphic of a god giving birth. He pointed out the fine details with the barrel of his snub-nosed machine gun. And then he asked for a little something. In the dark. In a deserted temple. With his machine gun pointed at my crotch. I found that I felt suddenly generous, and gave a few more coins to this man than I would normally give.

I didn't really feel threatened. It was business as usual in Egypt. The fact of the time, place, and presence of an automatic weapon were not relevant to his providing a service and expecting compensation. Still, it was interesting.

Another couple had a more exciting time as they were returning in their carriage. A 3-year-old wandering the street was nick-of-time saved by a passer-by from being crushed under their horse, causing them to swerve and almost crash. They were shaken by both the near death and the ensuing shouting match that erupted on the street. The police ended up hurrying them out of the situation because they were worried that something might happen to the tourists.

Back on the ship, it was time for a fine dinner, a peaceful slumber, and then awaking to the glory of sunrise on the Nile. I was almost reluctant to leave the ship when we reached Luxor.