A picture of a felucca, a traditional Egyptian sailing craft, that appeared on the cover of National Geographic Traveler was the catalyst for our latest adventure. One look at the boat and my mind unlocked all the memories that had accumulated over seven-plus decades of my life.
I was 9 years old when I sat with my parents, mesmerized by Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner in “The Ten Commandments.” A few years later, when I was allowed to stay up until 10:30 on Friday nights, I watched Boris Karloff as “The Mummy” being brought back to life through the power of a brew made from tana leaves.
As a grade school student studying Egypt, I learned about the Great Sphinx of Giza, the pyramids, and Antony and Cleopatra. I learned about Napoleon’s attempt to conquer Egypt and the discovery of the Rosetta stone. Sharon and I were two of the one million people who visited the King Tut exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago in 1977.
Still, Egypt was never on our list of places to visit until something about that picture of the felucca
caused me to think, “Let’s go!”
While the felucca triggered the idea of a trip to the Nile, it was the SS Misr, a historic, luxury steam-powered Nile cruise ship that sealed the deal.
We visited the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and enjoyed a preopening visit to the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. We visited the pyramids, marveled at the Great Sphinx and rode a camel as every tourist must, but it was the Misr that captured our imagination.
The SS Misr (Arabic for “the kingdom of Egypt”) is one of only two steam vessels still sailing the Nile. Built in 1918 by the British Royal Navy, it was later converted into a floating palace for Egypt’s last king, Farouk. After languishing for years, it was restored to its royal vintage glory in 2003. There are 24 cabins, each with a private balcony for a maximum of 48 passengers. A crew of 60 provides for passengers’ every need with personalized service.
During our stay, we were the only Americans among three Germans and a tour group of 24. We were treated like kings while we cruised gently up the Nile from Luxor to Edfu to Aswan.
Each morning, our guide would pick us up for a day of visiting ancient sites. We spent afternoons leisurely motoring on the Nile and observing the rural life along its lush green banks, the desert
only a short distance away. Small villages were different from the chaos of Cairo, with fewer cars
and more donkey carts and horses.
Boats were everywhere. There were many other river cruise boats, all larger than ours. Overnight
we would raft up at docking—three deep, so we had to walk through the lobby of other ships when disembarking for a night tour.
Life in Egypt centers around the Nile. The river provides water to drink, irrigation for the fields,
transportation and food. Fodder for the livestock is collected by boat from the river’s edge.
Alongside the many fishermen, we saw row boats, small passenger ferry-type boats and the
picturesque felucca sailboats. Small boats would tie up to ours while cruising, and the guys would
holler, “Hello, hello!” to get our attention. They would then display their wares such as blankets and robes. If you liked something and agreed on a price, the merchant would wrap it in a bag and toss it to you. You would enclose the payment in the bag and toss it back.
We spent a morning in the Valley of the Kings, entering several tombs, including King Tut’s. Only King Tut’s mummy remains in the beautifully decorated tomb; all furnishings are in a museum in Cairo. We even took a plane to see the Abu Simbel temples.
In Cairo, we toured the pyramids, the Sphinx, various temples and tombs, the Coptic Christian churches, and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. We visited both the old Egyptian Museum and the new Grand Egyptian Museum as well as the bazaar.
We spent our final night with a Cairo family in their home, learning how to make and share a typical meal with them. It was the high point of our trip.
Everyone we met was knowledgeable, passionate, interesting and fun. We had an incredible time.
THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE AMERICA’S BOATING CLUB GOLDEN ISLES/22 NEWSLETTER, THE PORT HOLE.
