According to our original itinerary, we were supposed to see the Unfinished Obelisk, drive down to the High Dam and visit the market on our first day at Aswan. However, we realised soon enough that ‘the best laid plans of mice and men’ is more the rule rather than the exception when it comes to travel.

So after the first day, I decided to really go with the flow and not expect too much.

Once again, after breakfast, we were scheduled to see the Botanical Garden, and the Nubian Village, and have a dip in the Nile. The other option was to visit Abu Simbel. Now this was a good four-hour drive to and fro and also required an early start. Since the shower area was really tiny even for tiny me, I didn’t want to get stressed right from the start of a new day. Besides, I already had an idea of what the temple would be like – grander and bigger than the ones we were to see. Not meaning to sound jaded, but after the temple at Philae, I was kind of bored. After oohing and aahing over the magnitude and the skill and the improbability of mere mortals working on such structures, the temples were more or less similar – pillars, carvings, murals and a lot of history.

What really struck me was the unnatural preoccupation with death and life after death.

“There’s the The Tombs of the Nobles located in Aswan are also called the Tombs of Qubat El ‎Hawa,’ pointed Ahmed in the direction of a mountainside with holes in them.

The banisterless steps leading up to them and the sheer incline completely deterred me from making this trek and even though the wall paintings are supposed to be spectacular, I would rather give this a miss.

     The Tombs of the Nobles or Tombs of Qubat El ‎Hawa

Sailing down the river Nile

We stopped at Elephantine Island to see the Botanical Gardens where we saw many wonderful specimens of plant life that were brought here from all over the world. My main interest in this garden was largely because this garden was the brainchild of Field Marshal Lord Kitchener during his Governorhip of Egypt. History buffs would know that before Egypt, Lord Kitchener was commander in chief of the British Indian Army.

As Botanical Gardens go, this is small and not very impressive, and quite frankly worth a miss; so after a quick walk-through, we went on ahead.

Suddenly; Ahmed called out, “Pirates!” as two urchins paddling ferociously on surfboards came alongside and began to sing “waka, waka”. They looked so cute and full of spunk and of course, foolishly , we walked into their trap and parted with a few Egyptian pounds each before Anna Shetty pointed out that this was just another ploy at begging.

However, it was peaceful to sail down the river, passing the tomb and property of the 48th Aga Khan who wintered in Aswan. He used to suffer from the most horrendous body aches and apparently enjoyed the winter sun while he took treatment from the Nubian doctors who had herbal remedies for arthritis.

Sailing on a small boat is different from being on the big ship. The waters were clear and we passed through tiny islands covered with grass and bushes. It looked idyllic – fishermen catching fish, some wading birds sitting on the rocks. We even passed a rock where all the pigeons were surprisingly brown! Apparently these rock pigeons are common all over Egypt and can be seen in paintings of the Ancient Egyptians too!

We also took a small break at a spot where the Little People dipped their toes in the water. Wow Dinga managed to splash around a bit, emboldened by the fact that his dad was in the water to look out for him, but Little Po was scared of the great unknown. Perhaps Ms. Papaya would have joined in but there was no place for her to change her clothes. So the rest of us stayed on board, watching them, and the other people ashore who were getting ready for their camel ride into the desert.

The Wonders of the Nubian Village

Blue ! A startling, vibrant shade of blue , balanced with white was the first thing that struck me about The Nubian Village . This settlement is purely touristic. The indegenous Numbians who live in the southern part of Egypt were displaced by the rising waters of the Aswan dam and re-settled in the hills nearby. They are a distinct people with racial and ethnic features quite dissimilar to the people we’d seen so far.

Many of them have opened their homes to tourists and we were treated to a visit to a home at the top of the hill. The lady of the house brought forth a bottle of chilled, refreshing homemade Hibiscus tea that was a treat after the uphill walk in the hot sun. We were then shown the pet crocodile that lazily opened one eye while it rested in its cage. The Little Ones were given a baby croc to touch and feel which they did rather gingerly. The Nubians greatly revere the crocodile and keep them at home to ward off the Evil Eye. According to Ahmad, this is a society where women rule the roost and newly wed couples spend the first few years in the bride’s home till the husband builds his own home for his family.

The Nubians maintain their distinct identity and their children are taught Nubian alongside Egyptian Arabic. Ahmad took us to the local school where the Little People got a private lesson from a Nubian school master. They were fascinated with the idea of writing from left to right and recited the numbers from 1-10 with great enthusiasm.

Back to Aswan

On the way back, Ahmed played some peppy music expecting us to dance…..The Little People reluctant to dance, shied away and were horrified to find uptight me shake a leg!

We sailed back on a different route and passed several hotels like the Old Cataract. The hotel with this intriguing name was really old and was said to have hosted Winston Churchill. Ahmad even pointed out the large mansion of a famous Egyptian pop star Mohamed Munir.

And when we got back, the ship set sail for our next stop – Kom Ombu where we were supposed to see the Crocodile Temple as a sunset visit. Once again, it was pitch dark, when we docked at Kom Ombu and I refused to go out in the dark. I was wary of the steps that one had to climb and the uneven surfaces of the floors in the ancient temple. But, having held a baby croc earlier in the day, the Little People were eager to see the Temple and went off for their first night visit to a temple.

The Little People

I must say, the Little People were real troopers. They were on a holiday which was completely different from what they had been on before but took to it like a duck to water. What surprised me really was the unflagging enthusiasm of the Little People: they tried new and unfamiliar food, they followed a schedule that was completely fluid, and managed to keep out of our hair with their own activities. The ship had nothing really organised for children since this wasn’t a cruise ship for ‘families’, but they managed to find a tatty Pool table and rushed for a quick game at the slightest opportunity.

So all in all the boat trip was proving to be quite a lot of fun for all.

Ciao