Day 5 Nubian Homestay

Thursday March 23^th

Up really early this morning with things in my head. So I spent a relaxing morning in my room planning and trying to figure out what I still want to see, where I want go, how I want to do it, and what I'll have to leave for another time. Went for a walk around the streets and the market area around the hotel to get money from the ATM and to pick up some fruit for breakfast.

Met Sara, Claire and Sam in the lobby and we carried our kit a short way down the road to the wharf where our felucca was docked. We met JJ, who owns it (he's the same guy we dinner with the other night at his sister's house), and our 'captain' Moustafa and the cook Mohammad. We set sail north towards Luxor. Our destination today is a Nubian village where we will stay at a homestay.

The weather is warm but quite windy and even though the current in the Nile is quite strong and flowing in the direction we want to go, the wind is blowing in the opposite direction. As a result we have to tack back and forth across the river to make headway. We past a number of empty river cruise ships including an old Mississippi style rear paddle wheeler from 1917. Our first stop was just out of town at a checkpoint where Moustafa had to check in and the official had to give us permission to continue. There was some concern that perhaps the wind was too strong, but thankfully we go the go ahead.

We settled in and relaxed on the roomy, padded deck under a canopy that shaded us from the sun, as the boat pitched from side to side as we tacked our way down river. As we set out the strong wind off the water added a chill to the air and we found spots along the side of the boat to lay in the sun. The scenery changed from cityscape to country and we could see the pumping stations that provide water to the irrigation ditches that allow the Nubians on the west bank and the upper Egyptians on the east bank, to grow crops and date trees in the desert.

Sam sat under the bow in a little room doing 'work' while the three of us enjoyed the cool windy ride. We talked about travelling and shared some stories and experiences. Claire has travelled quite a lot on similar trips through Asia, while Sara is just starting out.

We stopped a ways up and tied up to have lunch, which was rice, veggies and potatoes. We could have opted for a swim, but the wind and temperature weren't quite inviting enough.

Moustafa set sail again and we crisscrossed the river as we continued to the village. I was interesting watching him as he tacked back and forth leaning with his whole weight on the rudder handle to stay the course.

When we arrived at the village we carried our day packs up to the house. As we walked we were met by the village children who all shouted 'hello' and and the little ones wanted to hold our hands and walk with us. When we arrived we met our hostess, Wadad, and her mother and sister. The two sisters live in houses across the path from each other. She is a widow who has raised three children, two girls 18 and 14 and a son with some help from the Intrepid foundation. She is a primary teacher is another village. All three are enrolled in schools and are doing well. The eldest is in high school which is a taxi ride, a boat ride and another taxi ride away.

Traditional Nubian homes are built from mud and cow dung and painted pastel colours. They have high walls that surround an large inner courtyard full of sand. Actually the whole village is full of sand. Sam had Moustafa take us on a walk through the village and then through part of the desert to where we could climb a small mountain for a panoramic view. The village has small narrow sandy paths and many colourful homes and lots of kids. The desert is bone dry and we kicked up clouds of dust. As we walked we were followed by a number of barking dogs who were not happy with us being there, but they kept their distance. The climb was fairly easy up the sand and loose stone slope, reminded me of the last part of Kilimanjaro. The view from the top was beautiful, blue sunny sky, dark blue Nile, green crops and date palms along the shores and the sand brown of the desert just past that. We stayed up there for an hour watching the large river cruise boats plowing through the water and the sun setting behind us over the desert.

When we left we climbed down the other side of the hill to the road along the river bank in order to bypass the dogs who were still barking in the distance. When we got back we stopped at the sister's house and she spread out a carpet on the sand for us to sit on and then brought out some homemade crafts for us to look at. I bought a little orange and blue striped hat. We returned to our hostess and she invited us to sit on another carpet for dinner, which was rice, mixed green salad, vegetable soup, chicken pieces, and a baked pasta dish. After dinner Moustafa excused himself and went back to the felucca to sleep there with the cook and watch both the boat and our backpacks.

We played UNO and another card game with the two daughters for awhile and then the family retired. We sat and talked for two hours, about the revolution, troubles in the Middle East, different homestays, and the problems of the world. Good evening. Then we went to our rooms. Sam has his own room and the three of us are sleeping on mattresses on the sand with mosquito netting around us.