Nile River Cruise Day 4
25 December 2011—Christmas Day
We started the day docked at Edfu with a buggy ride to the Edfu Temple. (Click here for a video of the ride.) By this time, many of the temples are starting to look the same and with similar stories, so at some point you actually do start picking up on the subtleties that were novel just three days back: You recognize Horus, you know where the Holy of Holies is, you know to look for a secret crypt where the treasures could be stored in case of attack. I am not complaining at all about the repetition, but quite the contrary I am pleased that things now seem to be “sticking” and will be something that I remember in the years to come.
I did decide to get into the “game” of haggling with the street merchants, so I spent half an hour walking from shop to shop, ostensibly looking for some treasure or trinket. I finally settled for a $3 wooden “Key of Life,” and even at that price it was probably overpriced, but I view the money well spent on the experience, with the cheap wooden trinket simply being a reminder of the event.
25 December 2011—Christmas Day
We started the day docked at Edfu with a buggy ride to the Edfu Temple. (Click here for a video of the ride.) By this time, many of the temples are starting to look the same and with similar stories, so at some point you actually do start picking up on the subtleties that were novel just three days back: You recognize Horus, you know where the Holy of Holies is, you know to look for a secret crypt where the treasures could be stored in case of attack. I am not complaining at all about the repetition, but quite the contrary I am pleased that things now seem to be “sticking” and will be something that I remember in the years to come.I did decide to get into the “game” of haggling with the street merchants, so I spent half an hour walking from shop to shop, ostensibly looking for some treasure or trinket. I finally settled for a $3 wooden “Key of Life,” and even at that price it was probably overpriced, but I view the money well spent on the experience, with the cheap wooden trinket simply being a reminder of the event.
We set sail at 10:30 AM, and I spent the better part of the afternoon getting some sun. Today was perfect weather on the sundeck, very nice after the too cool breeze yesterday, and while I received a slight redness it was far short of a burn.
We reached Kom Ombo (The Crocodile Temple) at 4:30 and took a quick tour, then cast off again at 6:00 PM for Aswan where we will dock for the next two nights.
On a side note, the Kindle has been perfect the whole time. This thing works for me in Egypt, China, South America, and Europe, allowing me not only to read my purchased books but also to get my news downloaded and to check my email. Too bad Amazon failed by dropping the 3G open connectivity from the new Kindle Touch line. I’ll keep my keyboard version as long as I can, then when it dies I most likely will go to a non-proprietary eReader since without the full 3G experience the Kindle is just another reader, but your books are looked to one platform. That, too, is a different matter I will lament elsewhere, but I note it here as what Amazon developed last year was the perfect device…too bad they caved.
We reached Kom Ombo (The Crocodile Temple) at 4:30 and took a quick tour, then cast off again at 6:00 PM for Aswan where we will dock for the next two nights.
There are a number of Germans/Austrians on the trip as mentioned before, and as usual they seem to know how to enjoy life far better than do we Americans. Both genders seem very comfortable in their skin, so they are not the least bit hesitant to don the swimsuit and soak up the sun. (It’s funny, but as I have mentioned in previous trip blogs the women actually seem sexier in their bikinis than when totally naked at a spa such as Therme Erding, but that is a different story for a different time.) The point to be made is that even with some extra fat and bulges, none of them seem ashamed or embarrassed to enjoy life, even if it means walking about in public in their (often skimpy) swimwear. I think I am the only American who showed up in a swimsuit.
On a side note, the Kindle has been perfect the whole time. This thing works for me in Egypt, China, South America, and Europe, allowing me not only to read my purchased books but also to get my news downloaded and to check my email. Too bad Amazon failed by dropping the 3G open connectivity from the new Kindle Touch line. I’ll keep my keyboard version as long as I can, then when it dies I most likely will go to a non-proprietary eReader since without the full 3G experience the Kindle is just another reader, but your books are looked to one platform. That, too, is a different matter I will lament elsewhere, but I note it here as what Amazon developed last year was the perfect device…too bad they caved.
In any case, the boat is currently underway for Aswan, where we should arrive at approximately 10:30 PM.
Tonight was our special Egyptian Highlight dinner, and while most of the people were in Egyptian garb, I chose instead to go with my Giorgio Armani. My suitcase is stuffed to the gills, and if I were to purchase the robe-like outfit, I would simply have to leave it behind. The mother and her daughter looked incredible, especially when you take into account one is 51 and the other 19 years old (you honestly could have mistaken the mother for an older sister). One of the Germans had his 45th birthday and we chatted for a bit, and I was able to sit with an Egyptian newlywed couple who, by chance, used to work in the Microsoft phone support center.
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