Characters

Captain Nassim

Moves of our felucca captain:
-lounging by the rudder, smoking as we weaved back and forth along the Nile
-climbing the 30 foot high mast like a coconut tree to gather the sail
-stopping at his Nubian village (displaced up the Nile when the Aswan Dam was built) to get some chrysanthemum tea
-chopping tomatoes and boiling water for tea on a small gas stove on the floor of the boat
-waiting while we leaped on shore to look at colorfully decorated Nubian homes

Being on the boat was like being suspended in time. It was a feeling more than an event. We lounged on cushions and watched the green shore and water go by. Farmers worked in fields with hands and basic tools like others before them have for thousands of years. Ancient ruins stood sentinel over the river at strategic bends. On the stretch of the river we floated no modern buildings could be seen and peace was only disrupted occasionally by a call to prayer from shore or a ship passing. The nights were dark and quiet, showing off the countless stars. We could see plants and fish through the clear water.

Bedouin Oud Player

Little did we know that our driver, who skillfully rattled the beat up hunk of junk land cruiser through the desert of Wadi Ram Jordan, could also sing traditional songs and play the oud (a traditional instrument with no frets and 11 strings). After banging around the natural sites, stone bridges, red sand dunes, and dramatic sandstone cliffs where Alexander hung out, we stopped to spend the night at a Bedouin camp. The landscape was so much like Southern Utah it was uncanny, and the Bedouins reminded me a lot of the Navajo. The Bedouin live close to their ancestral lands where their ancestors were nomadic for thousands of years. Now they live in small, dilapidated, rural outposts. While Navajo have a rich heritage, horses and problems with drinking alcohol, Bedouins have an intriguing history, camels, and problems with drinking too much hot, super sweet tea, and smoking 5 packs of cigarettes a day (since they’re Muslim, they aren’t supposed to drink alcohol). Our driver/oud player serenaded us late into the night as we escaped the cold by circling the fire. After a few songs, I asked him “What are you singing about?” After a 5 minute discussion in Arabic with his fellow Bedouins, he replied, “I sing about a friend.”

Impromptu Egyptian Guide

As we stared at the Temple of Karnak, an older man humbly approached us. “I am Michel, an Egyptologist and Egyptian guide of 40 years, would you like a one hour tour of the temple?” After an extremely informative 2 hour tour about ancient pharaohs and the mysteries of life after death, we sat with Michel to drink a Coke. “Work is Holy,” he said. “My work has been able to sustain me and my family for my lifetime.”