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One of the delights of Aswan is to sail in a felucca across the river and around several islands.  This morning finds is drifting along the Nile, a very civilized way to spend time in the heat.  Our first stop, on the oppostie side of the river, is San Simeon monastery.  This is a very early Coptic monastery, perched high on a hill on the edge of the desert.  There are a string of such monasteries down the Nile, some associated with the travels of Jesus and Mary prior to his return to Israel.  Christianity made an early foothold in Egypt, partially due to the influence of these travels.

The prime motivation to visit San Simeon, however, is not history but rather camels.  Reaching the top of the hill on foot is a long, hot, dusty proposition.  Most therefore choose to ride, and a group of camels and drivers are happy to oblige.  Well, the drivers are happy.  Camels seem to resent almost everything.  My first camel ride up San Simeon in 1986 was rather too exciting, and I was delighted to mount a bored and only slightly perturbed animal.  Ahmed, a delightful Egyptologist and our guide, was not so lucky, as his camel abruptly balked and sat down with no warning.  The saddle perched on a camel's hump sways through quite an arc during this process, and the unaware can easily wind up head-over-heels in the sand.  Ahmed naturally avoided this fate, but exchanged some words with his beast before trying again.  It seemed to glare back at him malevolently, but didn't give up the ride again.

Fortunately, the rest of our sail requires no interaction with testy dromedaries.  The islands are lovely, one featuring a botanical garden.  As we pass the city, the mid-day call for prayers rises up from the minarets.  This is Friday, the Islamic sabbath, and people stroll down the Corniche, filing into the mosques as the calls echo in the hills.  

Over lunch our cruise begins, as we head down the Nile to Luxor.  The first stop, not far from Aswan, is Kom Ombo .  This temple to Sobek and Harwer became in the latter days of Egypt a medical center where people would wait just inside the walls for cures.  Inscribed on one section is a list of medical devices and potions.  Not far away aare early graffiti, no doubt left by impatient relatives in this outdoor waiting room.  At one time, this temple housed thousands of mummified crocodiles in honor of Sobek.  Most are now in storage, but a couple remain as placeholders to the god.  The boat dock is right at the foot of the hill, and the temples spill out almost to the riverbank.  Just as in ancient times, we sail up and dock at the end of the causeway.

Tonight on the boat we will have an "Egyptian galabayeh night", with entertainment.  We're not quite sure what to expect, but Steve and I reluctantly invest $10 in 2 galabayehs so at least we'll be a part of the fancy dress.  These are exclusively male garments, althought they are largely sold to female tourists for obvious reasons.  At dinner, the crew looks elegant, but we somehow just seem goofy, playing dress-up in our parents' attic.  It's harmless fun and leads to laughter and some group photos, so why not?  After dinner the crew teaches us local dances, which we perform with more enthusiasm than skill.

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