A Felucca on the Nile - Egypt

Day 1 Aswan

Today we're leaving Aswan on a felucca, one of the traditional, Egyptian boats with canvas sails that we've seen in all the travel brochures. We'll spend three glorious days sailing up the Nile to Luxor stopping at different monuments on the way and sleeping on the boat at night.

Mark and I are up early to have breakfast in the bazaar where we buy a few belly dancing scarves and drink tea with the owner of the stall. It's still early and most stalls are just opening. Through an open doorway we watch breadmakers cooking a'aish until they see us and invite us inside. There's lots of joking and laughing and as we leave they're stuffing warm bread inside Mark's backpack. It's covered in flour which means that the backpack is as well.

We're running late and race back to the hotel to shower and pack. At the river Jay Jay is there to meet us and introduce us to our Nubian boatmen - Dari and Mohammed. They're both gorgeous and so sweet. Our boat has a flat deck about ten feet square with a place about two foot high underneath for our bags. Thick mattresses covered in a colourful cloth cover the whole deck and pillows are lined up all around the sides. There's plenty of room for ten of us all to lie down and Mark and I pick good spots right up the front of the boat. We're very comfortable and it's heaven to lie here with a cloudless blue sky above.

As we pull out at 10.30 we watch beautiful Aswan slide by and then it's date palms, tiny houses and donkeys for the rest of the day. The boat tacks continually against the oncoming breeze so that it takes ages to get very far at all. All day we pass the huge cruise boats heading towards Aswan and feel glad that we're here on our little felucca. We pull in a few times for toilet stops which are always an adventure as we all try to find some privacy. No matter where you go you're always sure that someone, somewhere is getting an eyeful of your bare arse.

At one place we decide to find firewood for tonight. Mark and the other guys have a wonderful time doing the male thing of dragging dead branches off trees and even dismantling an old shed. Lunch happens on the go and Dari sails while Mohammed gets the food ready. They spread out an old plastic cloth and put the dishes in the centre while we all help ourselves. It's one of my favourite meals - tuna, pocket bread, tomato and fetta cheese followed by fruit and tea.

All afternoon we float slowly down the Nile while we listen to old Bob Marley tapes - so fitting and so perfect. It seems universal that the coolest places on earth still play Bob Marley. His music recalls nights in dark bars in Kathmandu, at beach bars in Bali and now a felucca cruise on the Nile.

As dark falls about six o'clock, Mark has a turn on the rudder. He looks wonderful with a gorgeous sunset over the water behind him. He loves this and it lets Dari and Mohammed get the food ready for tea. Dinner is a stewy thing of chopped sausages, tomatoes and onions with bread and is just as good as lunch. Afterwards Mark helps put the canvas roof and sides on the boat and we all put the toilet together on the bank. This involves digging a deep hole and putting up a canvas screen all around. Every time we get back on board, we have to wash our hands in disinfectant whether we've been to the loo or not. Glad to see very strict cleanliness rules on the boat and the guys keep it immaculate at all times.

After dinner we all start drinking. It's quite cool as the sun goes down but we feel very snug inside our canvas shelter. Some sit around the fire on the bank and some of us just lay around inside. We're incredibly cosy and warm under a mountain of blankets and all sleep surprisingly well.

Day 2 The Nile (on feluccas)

Mark and I wake before the others at seven o'clock, and after toilet visits and cleaning our teeth, we sit on the bank of the river. I make myself more presentable with a bit of makeup and combed hair. No need to look glamorous but also no need to look like a hag. Gradually the rest of the crew wakes and Mohammed and Dari take down the sides before starting breakfast. This morning we have pancakes, bananas, rolls, jam and cheese.

Anyway, glad to set sail early. It's warmer on the river today and we spend a few pleasant hours making our way north. Later we stop on the east bank where a jeep is waiting to take us to Daraw and the local camel market. At Daraw village we get out at the busy outdoor marketplace. This is thriving and reminds us of India. We dodge donkey-drawn carts laden with vegetables and people riding bareback on donkeys. Mark and I buy a big bag of strawberries to share while we pick up lots of other fresh vegies for the boat. I get the best buy of the trip from a pretty young girl who sells me a brown and cream rug for 22EP. A further ten minutes drive takes us to the camel market. Although there's still lots of camels in pens, the selling is over for the day.

Instead of driving back to the felucca, we drive for about an hour north to the town of Kom Ombo. Here we'll pick up the boat after visiting the famous Temple of Kom Ombo. The temple sits impressively on a bend on the east bank of the Nile where it looks out over the waters. It has an interesting hypostyle hall and some mummified crocodiles.

Outside we walk along the river to where the felucca is moored up to a grassy bank about a kilometre away. Mark and I stop at two cafes to use the toilets but they're unbelievably filthy. None of them flush but have obviously still been used for more than just number ones, if you get the picture. Think we'll hold on.

While we wait for everyone to get back to the boat, some kids wade out to try to sell us the inevitable beaded necklaces and bracelets. Incredible how cheap they'll go down to when you don't want them. The sun is hot by now so it's good to get back out into the middle of the river where we can catch the breeze. Lunch today is spaghetti, a tomato and onion dish, pita bread and oranges.

There's untold donkeys around here and one is going ape-shit try to rape all the girl donkeys. A guy is chasing it with a stick and screaming his head off while the donkey is running in circles and screaming it's head off - hilarious. The rest of the afternoon is spent reading and snoozing as we sail on towards Luxor. On dusk we stop to collect firewood then sail for an hour after the sun has set. This is incredibly beautiful and peaceful and my favourite part of the boat trip so far.

Setting up for the night is quicker today as Mark and the other guys help Dari tie up the sails and put the roof and sides on. The toilet is erected on the bank while Mohammed cooks dinner - vegetable soup, vegetable stew, bread and more oranges. Tonight we drink lots of alcohol and lie around telling conundrums for hours. A really good day rounded off with a great evening. Another warm, comfortable night on board.

Day 3 Nile to Edfu to Luxor

Like yesterday, Mark and I are the first to wake up and we enjoy a peaceful hour sitting on the bank. Lots of agriculture around here and, of course, lots of donkeys. Mark says 'there's a line-up at the dunny' and there's three of them checking it out. Mohammed has lathered up for a wash on the grass and he's covered in white suds from head to toe. Dari is cleaning the boat as usual and by eight o'clock everyone is up and ready to go. Breakfast is cooked while we slowly tack to the opposite bank. Mark takes the rudder and, I know, would love to be there all day. I think he's had enough relaxing and we both can't wait to get to Luxor this afternoon. This morning we have pancakes again with eggs, bread, bananas and oranges. Every meal has been just right.

Today is warm and not much breeze so it's nice out on the river. After a couple of hours, we pull into the west bank where we say a final goodbye to Dari and Mohammed and our felucca. It's been a memorable few days and we're so glad we opted to travel down the Nile this traditional way.

We've stopped at the edge of a small village and a van is waiting to take us to Edfu. A nearby open-air ahwa looks wonderful and the men are smiling and all want their photos taken - no baksheesh either. I like it here and wish we could stay. For the next hour an a half we drive through lush, palm-filled villages along the Nile then scorched, barren land further inland. We love it all.

At Edfu we drive straight to the wonderfully preserved Temple of Horus. Outside is a tourist bazaar but we don't have time to hang out here as we have to leave in a convoy at 11.30am. The temple was built over a period of two hundred years and finally completed in 57BC by Cleopatra's father, Ptolemy XII. The entrance though the thirty-six metre high pylons is especially impressive and inside are two hypostyle halls, an offering chamber and the great court. We feel dwarfed by the massive columns in the hypostyle halls which I think are the most stunning parts of all the Egyptian temples.

It's time to go and we set off in a convoy of about half a dozen buses and vans. For security reasons, tourists aren't allowed to go wandering around out here on their own so police escorts lead convoys across the desert each day. It's another interesting hour and a half to the town of Luxor which sits on the East Bank of the Nile. Once the ancient city of Thebes, Luxor today is a mixture of modern and old and is one of Egypt's most popular tourist destinations. Guidebooks describe it as the world's biggest open-air museum and we'll spend the next two days discovering it all.

After settling into our hotel and a quick shower, we're out in the street. One of the main attractions of Luxor is the temples in the village of Karnak a few kilometres north. The best way to get there is by hantour (a horse and carriage) and we stop one in the street outside the café. Our driver is Mohammed, a handsome Arab who plays loud Egyptian music from a tape deck along the way - adds to the atmosphere and we sing along.

The trip to Karnak is so pleasant as we clipclop our way through the warm afternoon sunshine. As we draw closer, we can see untold buses and thousands of tourists. This is the most we've seen anywhere in Egypt so far. The temple complex is huge, though, and after we all walk through the avenue of sphinxes everyone spreads out to explore the one and a half kilometre site. Inside is the main Temple of Amun which has its own Sacred Lake. Everything is on a grand scale here and so huge that it's almost impossible to get photos that can take it all in. We do get wonderful pictures inside the hypostyle hall of some of the one hundred and thirty four soaring stone pillars. This is the most spectacular of sights especially at this late time of day as the sun slants through the columns to create an almost surreal spectacle. Karnak is a magical experience.

Mohammed meets us in the hantour 'parking lot' and off we go again along the corniche back to Luxor. The music is especially groovy now and Mark and I sing and chairdance our way back to town. This is a wonderful afternoon. Mohammed drops us off at the Luxor Temple which is near the Old Winter Palace Hotel and our real destination. A bit 'monumented' out today so we'll maybe see the temple tomorrow. Now we're after a drink and something to eat. Apparently the thing to do is to sit on the terrace of the Winter Palace and watch the sun setting over the Nile. Can't think of anything nicer.

Firstly we walk through the hotel which is a romantic, Victorian beauty on the bank of the river. Inside is palace-like and so serene we feel we have to whisper and tiptoe around. We check out the huge and elaborate sitting room that has views of the gardens and I use the gorgeous old loo. A nice man in uniform tells us that we can't drink in the bar as Mark is wearing thongs so we go back to the terrace. A lady sitting at a table nearby comes to talk to us and asks if we're French - we wish! She must have missed the thongs. Nice to think we must look a bit sophisticated anyway. We drink beers and eat peanuts while we watch the sun setting across the Nile.

Dark now, we stop at an interesting ahwa for teas and a sheesha all for 5EP or $1.60 AUD. We forget to order a molasses sheesha and end up with tobacco which gives us both headspins.

Back at the hotel, we decide to have drinks on the rooftop café. We're the only ones here and we love it - it's a great find - very Egyptian and we lay around on floor cushions smoking grape sheeshas and drinking our duty free Bacardi and Jim Beam. Bob Marley music is playing from behind the bar so we're extra, extra happy. A great day and looking forward to an even better day tomorrow in the Valley of the Kings.