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One of the most relaxing "chores" for a visitor to Egypt is cruising
along the Nile aboard a cruise boat or felucca (a Nile sailing boat).
Although
elements of the modern world are beginning to transform parts of the
Nile
riverbank, much of the river still retains the same scenery that would
have been familiar to the ancient Egyptians. It is a scene of which I
never
tire - a way to leave everyday pressures behind.
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One can often watch everyday life in progress on the fertile river
bank
as villages and farms are passed by. Before the Aswan High Dam was
built
in the sixties, farmers had to contend with the annual innundation
(flood),
but now the flow of the Nile is carefully controlled.
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Egyptian children love to wave and call out to the passing boats,
despite
the fact that there are many more cruise boats plying the Nile these
days.
The children often wear brightly-coloured clothes. Sometimes you might
see them playing soccer at the end of the day as the heat abates.
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Most cruises on the Nile occur between Aswan and Luxor or vice versa
with stops at Kom Ombo, Edfu and Esna. Those wishing to rough it a
little
can take a felucca for a few days (couple of nights), usually heading
downstream
from Aswan to Edfu and getting road transport to Luxor. If you don't
want
to overnight on a felucca, you must go sailing in one at least once -
Aswan
is a wonderful location for doing so.
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Copyright © 1997-2006 Mark T. Rigby
