I was awestruck in seeing the Nile River for the first time. It was not because of the views, but from the historical significance it has. It was like the first time I flew to Leticia, Colombia and from the plane window, saw the Amazon River. Humans first became “civilized” along the Nile, the story of the baby Moses being put in a basket and floated down the Nile, British explorers searching for the source of the Nile, Cleopatra, Pharoahs etc., etc. It was satisfying to finally experience the river first hand.
The school arranged a dinner cruise for the new faculty. It was our first time in downtown Cairo and it was not as crazy as I expected. It is busy with a Mumbai/Bangkok vibe. We didn’t go to far, going downstream for an hour and then returning to the dock.
We had an enjoyable evening with a solid buffet dinner and engaging conversations with the new teachers on the outdoor top deck. I was surprised to see several of the ancient felucca sailboats on the river, but there was a strong evening breeze. It was a lovely cruise and reminded me of Chao Phraya River in Bangkok with a busy river through a densely packed downtown area.
I am looking forward to exploring more of the Nile. It is the longest river in the world and I’ve only seen a fraction of it. The Nile if in the USA would stretch from Seattle to Miami and then would have to curve north to North Carolina. That is a long river! The Egyptians pronounce it [neel] and it comes from the ancient Greek word for river, neilos.
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