Slowly Down the Nile

Our trip down the Nile was certainly a memorable one (though it began in a bad way). Trying to find a felucca in Aswan to take you down the Nile is like trying to return a lost $100 bill--everyone is the one you're looking for! We were harrassed so many times as we walked along the corniche trying to find a captain. We met Captain Cook, Captain Abu and Captain Cool, but the most ominous of the felucca captains is perhaps Captain Fish.

From what we can tell, Captain Fish is a (mythical?) felucca captain who roams the open waters at night snatching the unknowing traveller's bag off the side of the boat while everyone is asleep. We found out about him one night while we prepared for bed and our little captain (a kid of perhaps 14 yrs old who smoked cigarettes and bossed around his 20+ yr old 1st mate) jumped all over the deck throwing our stuff to the middle of the bodies saying, "Careful! Captain fish!" It's stuck. Now whenever we think we're being scammed J or I will say, "Hmmm, Captain Fish," as code for: "Let's get out of here!"

Here we are, resting as we float down the river, reading books, sleeping, and chatting. It was incredibly relaxing.

Our cool ship proudly flying the--Jamaican?--flag. What's up with that? Everyone had a flag on their boat though it rarely reflected the nationalities of it's crew or guests. However, we did come upon one boat with an Australian flag that curiously had only Australians aboard...

We had fun playing cards at sunset too.

This is Jeremy's Fabio photo. Can't you just hear him saying, "Hello, my sweet... I've been waiting..." lol.

Those beautiful, blissful silent mornings along the shore. A nice time to just sit and contemplate stuff.

This was our first night, shortly after we set sail. It was beautiful and enjoyable from the moment we stepped on the boat and the loveliness of Egypt and the Nile never disappointed.

We had such a good time. We made lots of new friends and found tons of people to trade books with. The food was... uh, decent, but it was just having the company of some other travelers that made it unforgettable. It was great to sit down, share photos, swapp stories, and play cards. We all shared a bottle of wine and (some) took a dip in the river. If you ever make it to Egypt, a felucca ride down the Nile is a must.