Last evening I had a wonderful sunset/moonrise ride on a felucca, a sailboat that has been sailing along the Nile for thousands of years. Well, my specific felucca has not been around that long, but they've been using this type of boat since the days when Moses was a tiny baby in a basket. It was truly beautiful and relaxing, and I definitely needed to relax after the horrible week I had. Four of us went out for a little picnic with wine, cheese, apples, bread, grapes - and a freshly made-from-scratch chocolate cake! The boat had no motor so we were entirely dependent on the very experienced and skillful pilot, dressed in his traditional djelebiya and turban. The boat also had no light, so when the sun set, we were lighted only by the glow of Cairo on both banks. One of our group was an experienced sailor, so I now know much more than I did before about sailing terms: tacking, broad run, reach, starboard, port, stern, aft, etc. It was an education! We even had a bit of a race with another felucca, with a family group aboard. The two pilots talked a little friendly Arabic smack talk, and the two groups of passengers waved and clicked pictures.
A great evening - I feel more prepared now to tackle the rest of the week. I think a weekly felucca ride should be required for everyone. I plan to do it as often as possible!
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