Day Three

After a rather unpleasant 13 hour overnight train south, we arrived at our beautiful hotel in Aswan, directly overlooking the Nile. We were met by our new agent and tour guide, who took us first to the Aswan high dam. It was fascinating to learn about the dam's history, since it curbed the floods that were an integral part of Egyptian history for thousands of years. Random fact: there are no longer crocodiles in the Nile after the dam, because if they're lucky, they can't make it past the nets before the dam. If they're not lucky, they can't make it past the turbines...

After the dam, we took a motor boat with a sweet Nubian captain out to the Philae Temple, located on a little island in the Nile and dedicated to the gods Isis, Horus, and Osiris. Our guide explained to us how to read the hieroglyphics inside the temple, as well as how to recognize common symbols such as the gods' crowns and lotus and papyrus plants.

In the evening, we walked around in the Aswan bazaar, which was an experience. First of all, tourists get hustled like no one's business--you're just a walking dollar sign. Second of all, women get hassled an extraordinary amount. I'd say my friend an I got attention from 50% of the men we passed. In the market, Hannah and I scoped out the popular wares, like the paintings on papyrus paper, glass and wooden scarabs, Egyptian cotton tunics, and perfume with colorful glass-blown bottles. Good thing I had Hannah with me, a ruthless bargainer that perfectly complemented my hesitant haggling. I couldn't believe the deals she worked out for us.

Finally, our agent, a young man about our age, took us to dinner at an Egyptian koshary, where you get a bowl full of macaroni noodles, spaghetti noodles, some kind of rice thing, lentils, fried onions bits, chick peas, and a tomato sauce kind of thing. It was an odd combo that turned out to be delicious and tourist-stomach friendly. After that, we met up with his friend at a cool Egyptian outdoor cafe type thing, where the Egyptians go to smoke shisha and drink Arabian coffee or teas. It was a very interesting experience--we were the only women there, as it is considered in very bad taste for Muslim women to smoke. Hannah and I had a really eye-opening discussion with the two young Muslim men about their culture and answered questions about our own. It was fascinating to find that while I could disagree fundamentally with them on so many levels, I could respect what they had to say and see that they were sincere, good people.
Hotel in Aswan
Nubian boat captain
Philae Temple


Nile sunset
Koshary
Bazaar
Smoking Egyptian shisha outdoors