I love water – being near it or in a boat – and I never get tired of looking at the Nile. There is always something interesting to see and look how lovely it is at sunset. I took this picture from the deck of the restaurant where I had dinner with my friend last week.
I recently read a book that made this view all the more interesting to me, Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman’s Skiff by Rosemary Mahoney. I’ve wanted to read the book since I ran across an article the author published in The Guardian about her experiences rowing a boat down the Nile. I’ve always like memoir-type books and one that included adventure travel sounded all the more interesting.
The book was fascinating. I’ve never been as far up the river as Aswan, and still so many of her experiences were very familiar to me. When she said she wanted to row down the Nile, everyone said no, you’ll never get permission. In true Egyptian fashion, Mahoney didn’t give up at no, she just asked other people and when that didn’t work she went off and did it anyway. It’s a classic example of the way things work in Egypt! (Also, a bad habit that is all too easy to slip into!) And no matter what topic the topic of conversation, the men Mahoney encountered usually managed to turn the topic to sex. That’s another familiar scenario to me. I’ve been in a shop to buy copper pots for my plants and had the merchant start regaling me with tales of his sexual conquests in Hurgada during the days he was a tour guide there. Um…interesting but I just want to buy these pots…
More than a book about rowing, this is a book about people and culture and attempting to understand each other in spite of the wide gaps in experience that have shaped us all. Mahoney was able to interact with local people in a way that few foreigners ever do, and has provided a very thoughtful account of her interactions from the ridiculous to the poignant.
I’ve been thinking about what I want to do on my next get-away lately and reading her book has inspired me to want to step outside my comfort zone and see more. I’m not getting any younger and in the immortal words of the Red Hot Chili Peppers this life is more than just a read through. I haven’t made any firm decisions yet, but I’m close. Stay tuned…
What a wonderful idea! I read a similar book titled something like “the blue highways”. It was about a man who drove cross country in the USA using only back roads. Very, very interesting.
by anny cook November 11th, 2009 at 10:13 amI admire those who can just Do It.
by Terry Odell November 12th, 2009 at 9:55 amI’m too much of a wimp.
That’s why reading the book, all cozy in your bed, is a nice second-best
by Jenyfer November 12th, 2009 at 10:21 amNice photo!
by Sandy Updyke November 13th, 2009 at 12:51 pmHa! When I saw the image, I immediately assumed it was a stock photo! That’s goooood!
by Chicken Mama November 17th, 2009 at 2:08 pmThanks. Maybe stock photography is a sideline I should look into!
by Jenyfer November 18th, 2009 at 1:51 am