The Trip That Keeps Growing

Day 7 13 October 2021 A Day in the Life Of

Today we participated in one of OAT’s unique discovery sessions – a Day in the Life Of. We spent the day with an Egyptian farm family, learning how they farm, the obstacles they encounter, helping with the chores, and enjoying a homemade lunch with them. While the west side of the Nile is home to the ancient ruins of the Luxor and Karnack Temples and the Old Winter Palace Hotel, the east side is less developed and is home to subsistence farmers with homes built from mud bricks or concrete and surrounded by date palm, henna, and fruit trees.

We started the day by taking a motorboat across the river where we were met by the son of Ahmed al Azab, a farmer and local leader in this small farming village. His son is 16 and speaks fluent English. From the boat he took us on a tour of his village, pointing out the fields that are farmed, the local farm animals (cows, donkeys, and one camel), and some of the homes that the villagers live in. He pointed out how high the water rose from the last flood and showed us remnants of the water still in some of the fields. Now that the floods are over, the farmers have begun to cultivate their fields. Our tour ended at his house where we met his father Ahmed. Like his son, Ahmed spoke perfect English. His son said his goodbyes as it was time for him to go to school. He hopes one day to go to college in the US and we certainly hope he can achieve his dream. Ahmed spoke about the house in which he and his family, his brothers and their families, and his mother all live. His mother owns the house and he proudly showed off his handiwork in enlarging the house to accommodate all the people living there.

He also told the story of his 95-year-old mother. Her one wish was to travel to Mecca for the Haj pilgrimage (all muslins are asked to take at least one trip to Mecca, if they are able). Ahmed volunteered to take his mother and she was so delighted that she asked 6 of her old friends to join them – probably a little more than Ahmed had bargained for. But off they went, first taking a cruise to Saudi Arabia and then a bus to Mecca. While at Mecca, Ahmed said that he lost contact with the seven elderly women and spent about 3 hours trying to find them. All ended well, and they so enjoyed it that he took the group on another pilgrimage to Mecca. But this time he asked the ladies to please wear an orange scarf so he could easily find them.

He then showed us some of the furniture that he makes using tools that his grandfather had used. He does not use any nails, but rather punches holes in the wood strips with metal chisels and pushes other strips into the holes. He uses his toes a lot to hole the wood strips (I probably would not have any toes left if I tried it!). His furniture is beautiful and very comfortable. He also showed us how he makes rope from the raffia fiber of the date palm tree. Raffia fiber comes from the membrane on the underside of the date palm leaf. Bill even tried his hand at making the rope and did a great job – now we have a piece of bark rope to add to our souvenirs.

We then followed Ahmed into his fields where he showed us how he planted his crops – onions, garlic, wheat, corn. He also has mango and date palm trees. Then, it was our turn to try our hand at planting. It is hard work as they do not use any of the modern equipment that our farmers use.

By now we had worked up a big appetite, so we walked back to the house where his wife and mother had cooked a delicious lunch for us – rice, cooked vegetables, a delicious flatbread cooked in a dirt oven in the back of his house. His mother even showed us how she ground the wheat using a 100-year-old millstone. It was not easy turning the heavy stone around on top of the wheat. For beverages, we had water and hibiscus tea. The Egyptian think the hibiscus tea has many health benefits, but it does take a little getting used to and a little sugar. While Americans generally enjoy a cold drink on a hot day, the Egyptians (wise as they are) know that a warm drink tricks the body into cooling off.

All too soon our visit was over. This was one of the best discovery adventures that we have had. This was not a tourist attraction, but hard-working, regular Egyptians. Our host was very welcoming, and we enjoyed talking with him. We also enjoyed his 3-year-old nephew who crashed our visit and amused us with his antics – fortunately Ahmed was close by when the little boy tried to pick up a sharp tool used for cutting.

We walked back to the Nile River where we all enjoyed a 45-minute sail aboard a felucca. These wooden-hulled boats with a lateen, or triangular sail, are an icon on the river and we will see many of them as we cruise down to Aswan. Our trip across the river included a sail by Luxor Temple, which we will visit tomorrow.

After we were all onboard again, our ship set sail for Qena. We will actually be sailing back toward Cairo to reach Qena which is about 32 miles north of Luxor. It was a lovely treat to sit on our balcony or take a quick dip in the pool and watch the scenery along the banks of the Nile and the busy activities on the river itself.

Dinner on board the ship culminated an absolutely wonderful and educational day. This is how travel should be.