This morning we eventually set off on our trip to Luxor having spent the last two days in Cairo. As there will be no tours to tell you about I will spend some time telling you about the boat, our fellow passengers and our onboard experience so far.
On arrival we were allocated cabin 205 which is at the front and right next to reception. It’s a good sized cabin and really comfortable. It has all the usual amenities you would expect to find in a sea going version and we have a Juliet balcony which is accessed by a pair of sliding doors, there is also a separate pair of fly mesh screens which can be pulled close so that you leave the doors open at night without the worry of being nibbled to death by mosquitoes.
There is ample storage for clothing and free use of a mini safe. We are very pleased with it all because there was always a worry that it might not be as good as it was being depicted.
The most surprising thing is that the boat is far from full, there are 11 Brit’s, 5 German’s and 2 American’s on board. The latter two joining the boat yesterday so didn’t come with us on any of our tours. The crew easily outnumber the passengers by at least 1½ to 1 if not more and are being really attentive. Being as our English speaking group have spent 2 days touring Cairo we have all got to know each other fairly well and I can say with confidence that I know the name of at least 60% of our fellow passengers.
All meals are buffet style and the selection and quality of the food has been really good. Because Nicole is Vegan they are making special meals for her and the Maitre D has pretty much been asking Nicole what she wants the next day, it even arrives plated up for her. She is more than happy with the arrangement. There is a bar service during meal times and the prices are very reasonable, a large bottle of Stella (Egyptian beer) is about £4 and a the wine works out on average at about £15 a bottle. A 1.5 litre bottle of water is about £1 although much cheaper if you buy off the boat.
Public areas of the boat are really well maintained and because there are only 18 of us there are no space issues anywhere. It almost feels like we have the boat to ourselves at times.
There is a large lounge and bar area where last night we went to a display of Egyptian song and dance. It started with 2 guys playing some folk music on a lute and drum which for me went on far too long. This was followed by a whirling dervish who was really quite impressive, at the end of his performance he selected 3 people to have a go at it. Nicole being one of those and I have to say she was easily the best out of the three.
More traditional dancing followed and again some audience participation at the end when nearly all the ladies were invited up to copy lots of the dance moves. It turned out to be quite a fun evening but to-date it has been the only entertainment on offer.
The top deck has a small pool and about 60 or so sunbeds. I don’t think we are going to have any problems with the Germans bagging all beds on this cruise. One deck lower is where the lounge bar is but behind that is a covered outside area with tables and chairs where afternoon tea is served at 4:00.
Rafik, who is the onboard Egyptologist for the entire cruise has been absolutely fantastic. He pretty much takes care of everything for us, from sorting out the tips for the drivers to providing detailed information at all the sites we have visited.
He prefers to address us all as ‘your excellencies’ which we have found really endearing. He is a sub contractor and has no ties with the company that own the boat or agents and is our go between should we have any problems or issues with anything.
Ever since we have left Cairo we have been constantly accompanied by additional boats carrying armed tourist police. They have been doing it in relay handing over at different stages and along the river. We are currently on our third boat. The first one spent much of morning tied up to the back of our boat.
So back to today, despite having the chance to lie in we were awake not long after we started sailing. For an hour or so we just laid in bed with the windows open and watched our transit out of Cairo. It was really sad to see all the all cruise boats laid up and going rusty.
We went for breakfast at 7:45 thinking we would be on our own but there were in fact 10 of there just enjoying watching and eating breakfast.
The rest of the morning we spent up on the top deck enjoying the views and weather. A lovely lunch at 1:30 with some more relaxing up on top until we arrived at Beni Suef around 4:00. We are here overnight and will have a similar day tomorrow.
We are tied up directly outside the tourist police station where we stay until tomorrow morning when we will continue on to Minya.