A Felucca is a fast, narrow sailing ship which was used  in the Mediterranean and by the Ancient Egyptians. It is made of wood and counts on the wind to move it up and down the Nile.

Today motor boats have replaced many of them, but in the areas of Aswan and Luxor the Feluccas still show the tourists how it used to be. In Cairo too it is still possible to rent a Felucca and look at the city from the Nile

Just before leaving for Egypt I had seen the movie “Cairo Winds” where a handsome Egyptian man took the his leading lady on a Felucca trip while the sun was shining down on their romance. Now I was in Cairo – alone.

It was my last day, a cold, rainy March afternoon  and I could not wait for either the handsome Egyptian man or the sunshine. There was a marina across from the hotel, and I booked an hour ride for $15. I was the only passenger, and the old man in charge of the boat pushed off, after he had made sure I was comfortably seated.

He was barefoot and poorly dressed. In his broken English he told me that he came from Aswan and that he was in Cairo to make some money for his family still living there.

“I sleep on boat” he explained “man owns boat is afraid for boat, so I look.”

Suddenly it started to rain.  He rolled out the roof and said, “No good day for boat. ” He was right, but I did not let it spoil my trip with the felucca. I listened  carefully to the old man’s explanations as we went along.

When I gave him some money at the end of our trip, he asked, “Do you have less big money?” I understood why when he said, “Because boss will take it, when little I can give half only.”

Well, life is not like the movies and when at the end I shook his hand and looked at his kind face – I had forgotten about the handsome Egyptian man or the sunshine.

More from Egypt soon

                                  Brigitte