I’m on a Boat – Nile River Cruise

After breakfast we headed to the airport and boarded a plane to Luxor.  While sitting in the airport I saw on Facebook that UNR beat Idaho in the biggest football game of the season in Reno. I told my friends and no one believed me so I had to pass my phone around. Nothing like getting good news from home when you’re on the other side of the world!

Once we arrived in Luxor we traveled by bus to the pier to get on a Nile cruise ship. The ship was called Tamr Henna.  The Nile cruise ship was nicely decorated.  The rooms were comfy and the furnishings were elegant. The cruise ship was nicer than I had expected.

The cruise staff was friendly and the boat had a lot of nice sitting areas.  The view from the top of the cruise ship was fantastic.  As we floated down the Nile we could see people fishing and a lot of agriculture areas. The first night on the boat was a unique experience because the ship was surrounded by men in little boats trying to sell goods like t-shirts and other touristy things. They would yell and do anything they could to get your attention. It was really a sight to see.

Sometimes things happen when you travel internationally and you realize how “American” you are. As we settled in on the boat we looked out the windows and saw large plastic bottles floating in the water. We realized they were the same bottles of water they were serving us on the ship. We were pissed because we thought our cruise ship was a big litter bug. We were all chatting about how trashy it was to throw the bottles into the water. All of the sudden a few fisher men rowed up in small boats and pulled the bottles out of the water. They were tied to nets used for fishing. These guys were some of the best recyclers we saw in Egypt. I felt bad that I jumped to the conclusion so fast about the bottles in the water but I really don’t like litter and after the experiences at the Cairo Zoo it seemed totally plausible that they could be throwing all their trash overboard.    

After checking into our cabins we were taken to the dining room.  Due to flight delays we were a few hours late for lunch and check-in.  Unfortunately the crew on the boat had lunch ready a few hours before we arrived and it was still sitting there waiting for us when we entered the dining room for lunch.  Eww…food that has been sitting out in warm temperatures for hours-yuck!

All of the tour guide books have warnings about foodborne illness and the potential for local water sources to cause stomach upsets.  The books also give tips on avoiding food hazards by advising people to avoid raw veggies and unpeeled fruit. The tourist books inform visitors that drinking bottle water is mandatory. Within 24 hours of our first meal on the cruise ship people in our party began to get sick because they didn't take the warnings seriously.  When tour guide books give advice about foodborne illness and bad water take notes. My friends and I were lucky because none of us suffered from foodborne illness.

On the cruise ship I had an interesting lesson about dirty water which inspired me to do a science experiment while on vacation. The main reason for not drinking the water is because it is tainted with bacteria. The first night on the boat I decided to take a shower before bed.  I used Dial antibacterial soap body wash, just like I use at home. After lathering up I looked down and my skin was turning gray and had a greasy film. It completely freaked me out. So I rinsed and jumped out of the shower quickly. The cabin was stocked with white towels so I used my towel to dry off and I could see the greasy film rubbing off my skin. I realized that the antibacterial soap was causing this reaction when it was introduced to the bacteria in the water. To test my theory I took a shower the next day, I did not use the Dial antibacterial soap and there was no greasy film. I showered again the following day and used the Dial body wash again, and guess what happened.  You guessed it! I turned gray and greasy again.  Isn’t science fun? The good news is the water did not cause me to get sick during this vacation.

This is my towel after the first Dial antibacterial shower.

During this part of the trip I developed a horrible respiratory infection which made staying on the boat my least favorite part of the trip.  We stayed on the boat four nights total.  I was so happy when that part of the trip was over because we were back to the Ramses Hilton in Cairo - Diamond Club Yeah!