The next morning we had a date with Mostafa at the internet cafe downstairs to get the number to the hotel in Hurghada and call there. After that we bought more sun tan lotion, some snacks and water to go and headed to Mostafas boat and towards the same place where we had spent time yesterday. It was a great great day! We enjoyed the sun, swam, hopped from the roof of his boat, swam to the rocks, watched camels near by, played in the water. There were also couple of other boats with local families cooling in the water and the kids playing around and of course watching us. We ate some watermelon, bread and other stuff. We were there until 4 pm and then left back.
Mostafa invited us to see his other apartment in Aswan (the other one was in the Elephantine Island). We bought some dinner with us (fish from the River Nile) and ate it at his apartment. The flat was in this hill in Aswan with many apartment buildings there. The flat was a nice and rather big with a lot of carpets and other rugs there. When Saija was standing on this small balcony which faced towards an open area where some kids were playing and when they saw Saija they stopped their games and started whispering and waving to Saija. When we left from the apartment all the kids (around 25) came to us and the bravest ones started talking with us in english. They were so cute!! They asked our names and where we were from and how old we were. The youngest one could barely stand by herself. We left by car and the children ran next to the car waving us goodbye. Mostafa took us to our hotel and we agreed on seeing around 10 pm. We took nap and backed most of our stuff before leaving to the wedding.
We saw Mostafa at his boat at 10 pm and he drove in front of the Elephantine Island where we had to wait. We waited for two hours sitting in the boat! We had company from couple of his friends for instance the chief's son was there with us. At first it was really boring just to sit there! But time went past really fast and I enjoyed myself. I was sitting on the edge of the boat, one leg in the warm river and at the same time I was admiring at the starry sky. Mostafa and his friends tried to teach us arabic and nubian language. We listened to music from our phones. I also recorded Akon's No more you from Mostafas phone to mine. :) After waiting for two hours something started to happen. People gathered on the dock and they all started to climb into boats. There were three boats of people (not all of them full though). Finally the boats took of into the middle of the River Nile. Then all the engines very switched off and all in all five boats were fixed together floating in the river. Most of the people went to the boat in the middle but we stayed on the next boat. On both edges of the boat line there were one man on each to make sure that the boats stayed at least almost in the middle of the river. Once in a while they had to put the engines on to move the line. There were both woman and men on the boats. They had drums and man did they play them loud! They sang some traditional Nubian songs both sad and glad (we didn't recognize any difference). The noise that came from them was so loud! They didn't have any microphones or anything! It was amazing to watch them move, dance and sing their songs. Everyone was so into it and not one member on the boat stayed silent. Mostafa tried to teach me some nubian dance, but I sucked at it. We were watching them for a little over two hours when we told Mostafa that we wanted to leave and get some sleep. We took the boat from the end of the line and he drove us in front of our hotel and walked us to the street. We hugged him goodbye and promised to remember him! We won't forget the nubian little village boy with Akon's No More You as his ringtone! From our hotel window we could still hear the drums playing somewhere in the middle of the River Nile.
Mostafa invited us to see his other apartment in Aswan (the other one was in the Elephantine Island). We bought some dinner with us (fish from the River Nile) and ate it at his apartment. The flat was in this hill in Aswan with many apartment buildings there. The flat was a nice and rather big with a lot of carpets and other rugs there. When Saija was standing on this small balcony which faced towards an open area where some kids were playing and when they saw Saija they stopped their games and started whispering and waving to Saija. When we left from the apartment all the kids (around 25) came to us and the bravest ones started talking with us in english. They were so cute!! They asked our names and where we were from and how old we were. The youngest one could barely stand by herself. We left by car and the children ran next to the car waving us goodbye. Mostafa took us to our hotel and we agreed on seeing around 10 pm. We took nap and backed most of our stuff before leaving to the wedding.
We saw Mostafa at his boat at 10 pm and he drove in front of the Elephantine Island where we had to wait. We waited for two hours sitting in the boat! We had company from couple of his friends for instance the chief's son was there with us. At first it was really boring just to sit there! But time went past really fast and I enjoyed myself. I was sitting on the edge of the boat, one leg in the warm river and at the same time I was admiring at the starry sky. Mostafa and his friends tried to teach us arabic and nubian language. We listened to music from our phones. I also recorded Akon's No more you from Mostafas phone to mine. :) After waiting for two hours something started to happen. People gathered on the dock and they all started to climb into boats. There were three boats of people (not all of them full though). Finally the boats took of into the middle of the River Nile. Then all the engines very switched off and all in all five boats were fixed together floating in the river. Most of the people went to the boat in the middle but we stayed on the next boat. On both edges of the boat line there were one man on each to make sure that the boats stayed at least almost in the middle of the river. Once in a while they had to put the engines on to move the line. There were both woman and men on the boats. They had drums and man did they play them loud! They sang some traditional Nubian songs both sad and glad (we didn't recognize any difference). The noise that came from them was so loud! They didn't have any microphones or anything! It was amazing to watch them move, dance and sing their songs. Everyone was so into it and not one member on the boat stayed silent. Mostafa tried to teach me some nubian dance, but I sucked at it. We were watching them for a little over two hours when we told Mostafa that we wanted to leave and get some sleep. We took the boat from the end of the line and he drove us in front of our hotel and walked us to the street. We hugged him goodbye and promised to remember him! We won't forget the nubian little village boy with Akon's No More You as his ringtone! From our hotel window we could still hear the drums playing somewhere in the middle of the River Nile.
Learnt in Aswan:
- The men there didn't wear the gowns so much than in Luxor
- Nubian people with their own culture and spoken language
- Gasserekom = thank you in Nubian
- The weddings are usually two days, the first day is a henna day (people have A LOT of henna tattoos on themselves) and the second day is the party day (that's what we were told but different info can be found from the net)
- The River Nile flows from Aswan to Cairo not the opposite way we thought.
- Aswan is as high as the tip of the Cairo's highest pyramid
- Ismik e? = what's your name? (to a woman)
- Ismak e? = what's your name? (to a man)
- Ana Ira = my name is Ira
- Andak kamsana? = how old are you?
- Hamdulellla = I'm good
- Ana zort Masrr = I have been in Egypt
- Masr jemila = Egypt is beautiful
- Bas har sjuwaia = But a little hot
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