Cruise on the Nile

We cruised for a week on the M/S Kon-Tiki. You may be wondering what the Kon-Tiki is doing in Egypt. Well, Thor Heyerdahl named his Kon-Tiki after the Inca god of the sun. Of course, the ancient egyptians also considered the sun as a god, Amon, so maybe it's not so odd.

We discovered the true meaning of dolce far niente: to relax on the upper deck of the boat with something cold within reach that one can sip while watching the scenery on the banks pass by. It was an unmissable spectacle.


The Kon-Tiki leaving Luxor	Narrow green banks bordering the Nile

Desert cliffs	Fields and a small city

We passed by villages, farms and people. Many of the inhabitants of the region between Luxor and Aswan are Nubian. They were transferred here when their lands were flooded by Lake Nasser after construction of the Aswan high dam. The bright colors of their houses, at least of the finished ones, lends a note of joy to the scenery. All along the Nile there is a narrow strip of fertile green and sometimes habitation that separate the river from the desert always so close by and often seen in the background.


A stable	A small farm building

Children waving from the bank	Village with minaret

Village with mosque	Colored Nubian houses

A farm	Village and mosque

The village ghats	Drinking animals

The steps which descend from the villages into the Nile reminded us of the ghats of Varanasi in India.

We also have some photos of life on board the Kon-Tiki.

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