Friday, January 23 - Return Flight from Aswan to Cairo

We awoke early to catch an 8:30 flight back to Cairo. For the first time on the trip, I happened to be out just at dawn. Elizabeth had opened the door at the end of the boat to let in some air, and the view from the deck was very nice. The boat in the foreground is an old vessel that looks like it might have been a paddleboat at one time.

Lights along the Nile at sunrise.

Our flight to Cairo was uneventful, but we departed about 45 minutes late - I felt right at home. In Cairo, we collected our luggage, but it would be a long time before we went anywhere. Friday is a weekend day in Cairo (they work Sunday-Thursday) but the traffic leaving the airport was horrible, and the weather wasn’t much better. There is a nasty sand storm in the area that looks a lot like a very foggy day in the states. We are sooooo very glad we went to the pyramids the first day we arrived. By the time we got out of the airport it was almost 1:00 pm (keep in mind we got up at 5:30 am). So we stopped at a restaurant that looks out over the Nile for lunch.

The next stop is a high quality papyrus shop. We were given a wonderful demonstration on how papyrus was made by the ancient Egyptians. Dr. Ragbab, a professor, perfected a modern technique that is based on the ancient process. A number of us bought pieces that will make nice reminders of hieroglyphics and the many scenes from our trip.

Sara tries her hand at peeling a piece of papyrus.

Enrique applies pressure to strips of woven papyrus in a press to remove the large amount of water in the woven material.

The finished produce is transparent and contains no glue and is very flexible.

The bus drops some off at a linen store for Egyptian cotton, while others are shopped out and continue to the hotel. We at staying at the Grand Pyramids Hotel, for the next three days. If not for the sand storm, I would be able to see the pyramids out the window of my room. Tomorrow we are heading to the ancient land of Goshen, which is in the Delta region of the nile.