Egypt - p.7 - Cruising to Aswan

The donkeys of Egypt get a bum rap.  They patiently carry people and products everywhere -
even in the middle of Cairo's busy streets - yet they are associated with the ancient evil god Set.  No fair!

Donkeys are rarely seen carrying less than two people (or one person and a load) at a time.

We arrived at Aswan, the end of our cruise.

In Aswan, our hotel was on a pedestrian-only market street.  Notice the blue stuff at lower left?

It is apparently ground up Azurite, to be used as a type of bleach while washing clothes.

Familiar brands in exotic contexts.

Somehow, I don't think this 7-11 has a valid franchise.

The shop in the foreground has an old pedal sewing machine.

The fresh fruit looks - and tastes - so tempting.

The shopkeeper is washing down the sidewalk in front of his shop.  Notice how neat the market is.

This shopkeeper didn't hassle us, so we ended up buying most of our souvenirs here.
We did it the traditional way.  He brought us mint tea, we talked for a while, he helped us find galabeyas
of the proper size, we made an offer, he countered, repeat ad infinitum, and we finally agreed.

He had these great hand-stitched quilts.

Supposed to be Nubian designs, but since Nubia is now mostly underwater, that's a tricky concept.

The cats of Egypt do a good job keeping the rodents in check (unlike certain lazy American cats I know).  Except for one mouse on the train - which isn't really fair since cats aren't allowed on trains - we saw no small critters.

I think there may be a shortage of qualified electricians in Egypt ...

Sunset on market street.  There's no sign of anyone closing down, but that's ok since they don't open until noon.

The Nubian Museum in Aswan was the only museum that allowed photos that we found in Egypt.

The Ba - pictured as a human with a bird body - represents the spirit or soul.

The flail and crook carried by this statue are the symbols of royalty.

Ancient Egyptians & Nubians loved to play games.  The game Senet was popular, but I don't know if this is Senet.

This Baboon has the sphere of the sun over his head.  
Because baboons howl at dawn, it was thought they were greeting the sun god Ra.

Pine cone incense burners, though they look like artichokes to me.

The Nubian culture has been so thoroughly drowned, that the museum felt it appropriate to present several dioramas of how their life style looked.  In particular, they were known for decorating homes with plates.

Finally, no Egyptian or Nubian museum is complete without mummies and mummy cases.

Just next to the Nubian museum were a bunch of empty ancient sarcophagi being guarded behind a locked gate.
As we walked by, two young Egyptian boys ran up to us and sang us a medley of songs (including Frère Jacques in French, and several songs in English) for which they laughingly requested - and we happily paid - a small tip.

A whimsical sculpture near the train station.

Egyptian pizza is phyllo dough with vegetables, meat, fruit or even chocolate, as in this decadent example.

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