A Nubian Island, 3 Days on The Nile, New Friends, and Camels

Elephantine Island is off the coast of Aswan in Southern Egypt. Aswan is a short ferry ride across the river, but Elephantine is a world unto itself. It is a Nubian island with no cars or motorbikes, which is a rarity in Egypt. We pass donkeys, sheep, and chickens on the narrow dirt paths that wind between the houses and buildings. We are immediately transfixed by the tranquility of the island. We are staying in a house that was built by our host’s brother-in-law. With domed exposed brick ceilings, thick cement walls and unmovable cement furniture molded into the walls, it is a stunning example of Nubian architecture. The house rests on The Nile and there is a patio where we can sit and enjoy the view.

 

Our host, Gasser (pronounced Yazzer), has a mellow and gentle way. He gives us a tour of the island on our first day. He greets everyone we encounter. We go to a house that belongs to his uncle that functions as a small museum of Nubian crafts.

Before going to get the ferry to explore Aswan, Gasser takes us to an open space near the ferry. It is a textile shop of sorts and we watch the men who work there weave scarves made of beautiful wool from the island.

We also visit the island’s middle school and are introduced to man named Badry who is especially excited to meet us. We run into him again the next day and he asks that we come back to visit the school before we leave.

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It is 1:30am. I cut a large mango and pack the slices. Mat boils water to soak fresh dates. We pack the mango, dates, small grapefruits, oranges, and Egyptian bread. Gasser is meeting us in 1 hour to get us on a ferry from Elephantine Island to Aswan. Then we will catch a mini-bus escorted by a military officer in a convoy of other busses to visit Abu Simbel.

It is the first time in our trip that we are in a group of other tourists. I sense a bit of shock in my consciousness when a white woman in shorts, a tank top, and sandals boards the van. She is with her husband or boyfriend and after they take the seat in front of us, he puts his arm around her shoulder and they kiss. Mat and I have been very careful to display no PDA here in Egypt. I have no shorts in my luggage and some days I wear long sleeves despite the heat. I always carry a long sleeved shirt or scarf to cover my arms and head if necessary. Clearly, not everyone respects the local customs to the letter. Dealing with my feelings of judgment about this is something that I will encounter regularly when I see other tourists.

It is a 4 hour ride. I sleep most of the way. When I wake up I am amazed to see a landscape of desert sands. We have arrived. I am immediately captivated by Lake Nasser and take out my camera. But the lake is not the main attraction here. Mat and Wes get in line to buy our tickets.

Soon we see the iconic carving on the mountainside. When I look at it, I feel as if I understand the meaning of the word “monument” because it is monumental in every sense. I take as many pictures as I can before Mat says that he wonders if we can angle the camera to get one of us in the “empty” seat. It works. I can’t believe we are here.

Then we go inside the temples. The art carved in the walls, the hieroglyphs, the layers upon layers of meaning that I can’t begin to understand make me reflect on the temporal nature of things. What would the artists and craftsmen think if they saw the temples now? I also think about how all the art was for, or about, their Gods…or more precisely, the pharaoh’s (in this case, Ramses II) favorite Gods. What lengths can belief in a deity take one to? These are the facts of existence that we usually take for granted, but when we see a gesture of devotion so momentous, it is impossible to not be amazed at the profound impact that religious belief systems have had on the lives of humans for millennia. The profundity of the imagination is undeniable, irresistible even.

After Abu Simbel we go out in search of koshari, an Egyptian meal of chopped macaroni and noodles, rice, lentils, chickpeas, deep fried onions, and tomato stew. We had it almost everyday in Cairo, but here in Aswan it has been mostly falafel (tomiya) and foul (pureed beans and spices eaten with Egyptian bread). On our way to find koshari, we see a place that looks good. We decide to stop in.

When I go to find a table, a young woman with a pleasant face catches my eye and smiles at me. I smile back and she invites us to sit with her. We take our things and join her. We are very happy to meet each other. We begin to stumble our way through a conversation. Her name is Donya. She is insistent upon teaching us Arabic and tells us how to eat everything that we have. She even feeds me some of her meal. I feel awkward being fed, but I do not turn it down as this is considered a compliment.

When we are ready to go, she demands that we pay for her meal. We suddenly understand that we have been hustled. We agree to pay for her meal, but when we try to say goodbye, we can’t get rid of her. She follows us up and down the strip asking us to buy things for her, which we do not.

Our encounter with Donya represents the many contradictions that we have experienced here as travelers who are not a part of a tour group, who attempt to go off the beaten path and make it a priority to experience the lives of people as much as we can while enjoying some of the sites of the cities we visit. While it was bittersweet, she does not represent the many well meaning people we have met here in Egypt.

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Our next big adventure is a felucca ride on the Nile. A felucca is a sail boat with mattresses and padding and a simple canopy for shade. We will sail for 3 days and 3 nights. We eat and sleep in the same single space that is body of the boat. We use the bathroom when we stop in the woods, but mostly we relieve ourselves in the river. As the only woman aboard, this is challenging for me. Our sailing depends on the wind and I don’t always want to be the reason that we have to stop, so I have to figure out a way to balance myself off the side of the boat and not expose myself. It is a practice in balance and confidence. I enlist Mat to hold up a sheet to cover me, tie a scarf around my waist and balance myself as close to the edge of the boat as I can without getting urine on board and without losing my balance and falling in the river. It is a skill. I am always trembling. But soon I am pro. We joke about me teaching a class for women about relieving yourself in the wild.

Nothing could have prepared me for the breathtaking savannahs on The Nile. Water buffalo drinking, donkeys and horses grazing, more cranes than I have ever seen in my life, so white and delicate that they look like paper. Endless hours spent gazing at the stars, reading (Maya Angelou’s All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes), and taking the kind of naps that are so delicious you could eat them. I have never seen sunsets like these before. We make stops at the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo and visit the largest camel market in Egypt.

Another sunset

Passing the time

The camel market

Wes takes over

The felucca ready for bed with mosquito net up  

Our captain, Eidy (pronounced EE-dee) and co-captain Ekramy (ee-CRAH-mee) are an amazing team. We are the only 3 passengers. Their skill is undeniable and their hospitality never falters. Ekramy makes the most delicious meals ever with 3 gas burners on the boat. It is camping on water, but the food is 5 star quality. The 5 of us get along easily and at the end of the trip, we are all sad to say good-bye.

Ekramy working his magic in the “kitchen”

The 5 of us before we say goodbye

Our last view of the felucca before it sails away

After we sail we take 2 trains to our next city, Luxor. We are exhausted. The heat is unbearable. Our phones are dead, so we cannot call our next host. We simply hope to make it to Luxor, charge our phones, and that we don’t have to wait too long for him to meet us. It all works out. Soon we are following our new host, a middle aged man named, Ismael, through the busy streets of another town in Egypt.