Our riverboat docked in the dead of night, only a short loud burst of Egyptian voices announcing our arrival.
Drawing back the curtains for his first glimpse of Edfu when we awaken, He is greeted with a view inside the cabin of another ship’s cabin!
It is not until we go up to the top deck that we see that our riverboat is sandwiched between two others and many others are docked up and downstream in a similar fashion.
Edfu is chaotic in the mornings. For a short two hours, business is booming as tourists like us from up to 100 riverboats flood the town.
Horse and carriage drivers and motorised rickshaw operators crowd the roads hustling for business, older men ply the docks selling water or cigarettes, and young unkempt boys work the crowds selling string bracelets and knick-knacks. They should be in school.
The carriage drivers are doing a roaring trade as tourists fresh off the boat indulge in the novelty. Four of our fellow travellers board the last available carriage. Some trepidation while we remaining four take the less popular mode of transport, the auto rickshaw.
Our rickshaw driver darts in and out, maneuvring between other rickshaws, horse carriages and cars on the road while we take in the scenes of daily life playing around us.
The Temple of Edfu is not far and we arrive into the mayhem of passengers from up to 100 riverboats scrambling to enter the temple complex combined with running a gauntlet of market stalls and their owners (all selling similar products) conveniently placed at the entrance.
We’ve all learnt over the past few days that if you don’t wish to purchase anything the best way to not be harassed is to keep your head down on the way through. Do not make eye contact! If you slow down to admire an item or show any interest at all it is an indication that you are ready to buy. There is the alternative, as He often does and that is, point to another in your travel group and say they are interested.
We successfully run the gauntlet and after some pushing and shoving at the ticket gate (most tourists are from the civilised world), we enter. The remains of the Temple indicate that it was a masterpiece of Egyptian architecture and archaeological expertise.
The temple, sacred to God Horus, the falcon god dating back to 237BC was buried under sand and silt for 2000 years. It is the largest and best preserved Ptolemaic temple in Egypt.
Two granite statues of the falcon god flank the entrance to a courtyard of colonnades leading further into a chapel and surrounding rooms dedicated to gods. The striking feature is that all the walls of the complex are heavily etched and inscribed with myths. Little of the colour that would have ornamented the drawings remain and we can only imagine the magnificence of what was.
A couple of hours later and we are ready to run the gauntlet again. Vendors accost us again as we leave trying to sell their trinkets, scarves and replicas. Our guide tells us to keep walking. Exiting the complex we are back in the street melee to try and find our transport back to the boat.
Safely back on board, we reflect on our visit. He and his fellow travel mate have come up with a business plan. With alcohol onboard our riverboat four times the price offshore, they maintain that Edfu’s economy will benefit greatly by selling alcohol at the docks and in front of the main attractions.
