The Nile - sailing on SS Sudan

After visiting the pyramids, we took a flight to Aswan and arrived at our island hotel on the Nile late in the evening. An early start did not prevent Helen from taking to the pool after breakfast. I suspect other guests sensed the presence of royalty and waited their turn to enter the pool complex.

After our bags were whisked away, we ventured aboard a Felucca for a trip to the botanical gardens on Kitchener’s Island. These are remarkable sailboats and the intricacies of setting the sails and boom require a crew of three. The Nile has quite a current (up to 4 knots) and these boats were able to make upstream headway in quite light breezes. 

The botanical gardens were quite large and although we were escorted, several of the gardeners were adept at presenting interesting facts about some of the plants, in return of course, to a few Egyptian pounds.

Some of the views around the island were particularly peaceful.

That is probably not the right description for this herd, although they do look content.

Aswan has numerous rocky outcrops, narrow passages with increased flows, all of which was handled by the captains with aplomb. The barren hills that line the Nile are particularly close in Aswan.

We completed our rounding of the island (repelling young lads on surfboards who grabbed the gunnels and sang in the faint hope of a few Egyptian pounds) and headed to our home for the next few days.

The SS Sudan is a steamship that was ordered by Thomas Cook back in 1895. She was eventually completed after WW1 and fell into disrepair in the 1950s. Subsequently, she was rescued and completely refurbished. She is now the only wooden steamship on the Nile. There are numerous cruise ships of a similar form to European river vessels but there was only one for Helen. The romance of course, was due in large part to Agathie Christie staying on board and writing Death on the Nile. (One evening, there was even a showing of the film in the bar.)

From head to toe (sorry, bow to stern) she was photogenic. With beautiful mahogany on the inside and teak on the outside.

The sloping decks would have been a challenge in the wet – but of course, you need rain for that. Wonderful to while away an hour or two reading a book, enjoying a cool drink or just watching the world slide by.

We were particularly lucky (as were Steve and Jilly) because we snagged the two large cabins in the stern. 

With panoramic 90+ degree views, it was easy to lie on the bed and get lulled into a bit of napping. 

The atmosphere in the dining room was sumptuous as was the food, with a different menu each day. Wearing a jacket was not mandatory, but it did seem appropriate.

Being a relatively small ship (20 cabins and a first for us – more staff aboard than guests) we quickly made new friends with whom to share experiences. Mind you, there is no telling who you may meet. Anyone pick the real Poirot?

In the evening, the Feluccas came out in their hundreds as that tended to be when there was most breeze and of course, was conducive to visitors supping a few cocktails and aperitifs before heading to dinner.

The sunsets were glorious – it was hard to pick the best, but this goes a long way to encapsulating the atmosphere.

We did encounter a lock on the way down. Most dams were built to mitigate severe flooding, aid irrigation, and generate hydroelectric power. The initial Aswan dam had to be raised on two occasions to accommodate the annual floods, which were typically 14 metres at Aswan, 12 metres at Luxor and 7.5 metres in Cairo. Those levels resulted in serious damage and led to the construction of the Aswan High Dam (completed in 1970), which at the time was the largest embankment dam in the world.

The SS Sudan still uses her steam engines, although the addition of a pod and bow thrusters has made manoeuvrability somewhat easier. That said, the hissing of a steam engine is vastly superior to the constant fast-paced juddering of the stern motors.

The paddle wheels were just as mesmerising.

Getting off at Luxor after 5 days aboard was a real wrench. If you want to sail the Nile then this is the way to bring some romance into the experience.

Giza – The Great Museum and Pyramids

We had two days in Cairo and hence had two visits planned. The first to the Great Museum and the second to the pyramids. We survived almost an hour of weaving in our Uber ($AUD7!!) to arrive at a building of staggering proportions. The outside courtyard with its partial pyramid walls was a few hundred metres long.

Inside was cavernous. Although the statue in the middle foreground is some 8 metres it is unimposing when displayed in a 40 metre high hall. The roof had slits to provide an ever-changing light display.

The official opening is in November so we were part of a “soft” opening and were provided with a free audio guide with a request to provide feedback. Once through the styles there were four long flights of travellators that quietly raised us up to the top floor where we were greeted by an enormous window framing a view of the pyramids.  A sensational design.

To ensure we weren’t bored the travellator passed a range of statues on various large steps. Hopefully the size of those exploring the steps gives an idea of the spaciousness.

The displays are on four levels relating to history with each level having three theme galleries as outlined in this diagram. Due to its vastness even our 3+ hour roaming seemed rushed. 

The displays have plenty of space so despite the crowds there were views that suggest if was empty! Boats to the left, armies to the right and tombstones to the rear…

If you are ever in Egypt, then a visit to the Great Museum is a must. 

The next day saw us getting an up close visit to the pyramids. The one on the left was built for Khufu, the second for his son Khafre and the third for his grandson Menkaure. The smaller one on the right is for one of the wives. 

You could tour the area by horse cart or camel but for some reason our team opted for the air-conditioned hop on, hop-off buses! In the distance, you can just make out the restaurant where we were to have lunch.

The middle pyramid was in some ways in the best condition as it still retains some of the facing stones at the top. They are all located on the West bank of the Nile where the sun sets as the living were celebrated on the East bank, where the sun rises. The faces are each aligned with the points of the compass, with the entry on the celestial North face. Although weathering has reduced some of the “finish” most damage has been caused by theft.

The great (largest) pyramid was originally some 146.6 m (481 ft) high with a base length of about 230.4 m (755.9 ft), The angle is some 52 degrees. It was the tallest structure in the world and is the only one left of the 7 ancient wonders. The other two pyramids are progressively smaller by about 25 metres.

What does challenge the mind is the accuracy. The site and individual blocks were accurate to a few millimetres. Even today with lasers, GPS and the like we struggle to achieve such accuracy. When you consider plumb bobs and cubits (the length of your arm from elbow to the tip of the middle finger) were the order of the day it is extraordinary engineering. These base blocks were up to 15 Tonnes and look at the tightness of the joints (never mind their transportation). No mortar was used here!

Add to that the facing stones would have had to be 90 degrees at the back, 90 at the sides and precisely the same angle on the front; it must have taken ages to produce each stone. I wonder how many rejects there were.

The distant view of the museum makes it appear misleadingly small.

We then moved onto the Great Sphinx, passing first through a temple. Here, some of the stones were cut to interlock with one another.

Then the area opened up to a well-known but nonetheless awe-inspiring view. The size is hard to comprehend from a photo. The sphinx has the face of the king for wisdom and the powerful body of a lion in order to protect the pyramids.

These three decided to sit down with our guide and contemplate lunch. A couple of buses later we sat down to our meal while contemplating this view.

What an amazing couple of days.

Cruise end! Dardanelles and Istanbul

The highlight of a welcome day at sea was travelling through the Dardanelles. On the port (European) side is the Gallipoli peninsula where there are several monuments to the many fallen in WW1. This is the Canakkale Martyrs Memorial dedicated to the Turks who lost their lives.

Shortly after there was some irony in a warship and submarine passing by. The latter was at least a rare sight. Not sure I would want to spend a month or so underwater confined in this little vessel.

At the narrowest point the passage is 1.2 kms wide and that means defence and fees, both of which require fortifications. The one on the West bank is Kilitbahir castle built by the Ottomans (1460). Behind is a carved figure which also commemorates the Canakkale Martyrs.

On the East (Asian side) bank is the not so impressive Cannakkale fort.

Once the passage started to widen out we went under the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge so named because of its location and in celebration of Turkey becoming a republic.

It appeared to be open to more than just vehicles. Clearly these workers did not suffer acrophobia as the deck clearance is 70 metres and they are somewhat higher than that. The bridge was opened in 2022 and at over 4.6 kms is the longest suspension bridge in the world.

Our passage under was timed to perfection.

The next two days saw us in Istanbul for our second visit (see August 2015 blog). We headed for Istiklal CD which is close to where we were based in 2015. We did manage to find suitable baclava for lunch but the rooftop bar at Mamara Peri hotel was closed for winter! Fortunately, we did find a replacement (360 restaurant) with similar views (this is the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua). The Nieuw Statendam can also be seen in the background.

Apart from a superb meal (far too much) and drinks there were some interesting side attractions. Helen was able to get back to her roots.

While in the other direction yet another glorious sunset pleaded to be recorded.

Of course a visit to Istanbul would not be complete without some mosques. We did not have time for a visit inside but these two were at least a little different. In fact the first is not a mosque at all but the domes of Mimar Sinan University. (You can also see the afore mentioned church and 360 restaurant in the left background.)

The Nuruosmaniye mosque is the first and largest one using a baroque style (1750). It gets a mention as it was on the way to the Grand Bazaar and was suitably large!

The Grand Bazaar goes on for streets and streets and was photographed in the 2015 post. You can get almost anything, most of which is beautifully presented. What tea do you fancy?

What about a light?

Or some spices?

Fortunately, most cannot be taken into Australia, so we were relatively safe!

With that, we headed back to the ship for a sea day to sort out our packing. We then disembarked in Athens and took a flight to Cairo for the third part of our 2025 adventure.

Cruisin’4 Alexandria to Bodrum

After a welcome day at sea, we arrived for a 2-day stop at Alexandria. Egypt has a population of over 100 million, but remains very poor. It also suffers from significant corruption so getting in and out of the port had its challenges, not least a €30 ($AUD50+) for a 1km taxi journey from terminal to gate. Wherever we went, we were followed by suited gentlemen with less than subtle semi-automatics tucked under their jackets. An organised bus tour took us to “Pompey’s pillar”, which is on the highest point of the city.

This was followed by a visit to the catacombs. These were fascinating but overrun with visitors. Some organisation of crowds (eg in and out routes and control of numbers entering) would have made the experience a little more pleasant. I was impressed by our driver’s ability to negotiate the traffic chaos and the undamaged bus was in stark contrast to almost every other vehicle.

We then headed to the Roman/Greek museum which was brilliant. There were two standout displays. The first was a range of Amphors (jars) which have two handles on the neck and a pointed base. These held olive oil, wine, grains and the like and were used throughout the mediterranean with each area having their own unique design.

A similarly fascinating display were coins. The history of each was described with both sides easily viewed.

For our second day we had a private tour as Kate and Alan were back from their very long day to the pyramids. Our guide was excellent and took us first to the gardens in the east of the city. A common sculpture was sleeping lions to encourage people to relax.

The garden includes a magnificent palace. The browns and yellows of the building are a wonderful contrast to the blue sky and irrigated green grass. Unfortunately, it is largely unused although there are plans to open up some rooms for those who can afford it!

After a wonderful lunch overlooking the harbour we walked across to the fort. This has been refurbished. Large parts used stones built from one of the first ancient wonders of the world - the lighthouse built in 280BC. This was increased in height over many years and reached some 100 metres when it was destroyed by an earthquake and priorities changed from saving ships to fortifications.

We then started to cruise North and stopped at Limassol in Cyprus. We took a trip into the hills and a small village that was focussed on maintaining old traditions. We were greeted by bread making and each of us had to undertake some kneading and making our own rolls. These were them baked on outside ovens with the doors sealed with clay. Here Mum is assisted by her two sons.

A second oven had been used for our lunch including vegetables and some melt in the mouth goat meat. However, while our bread baked we were whisked off to see the local village.

The church which served the population of 180 was unusual in one aspect. The seats were specifically for leaning or sitting – there was no kneeling. Not seen that before.

We also called into a see a local dish being made from Rose water, flour and sugar. The mixture took many hours of stirring before almonds individually strung in a long necklace were dipped, coated and dried. Fortunately these were not ready so we did not spoil our appetite for what was to come as we headed back to our bread, goat, salads, dips etc etc!

It was a sumptuous lunch – I forget how many courses and dishes we went through. As we headed back to the ship the thought of dinner had very limited appeal.

We woke the next day to Rhodes (Greece) and had a trip which started with a quick call into a ceramics shop. The speed of making this jar was impressive. After using a wire to detach the pot from the wheel the potter immediately cut it vertically so we could see how smooth it was inside (albeit then rendered completely useless!)

Of course we lost Helen in the shop and when eventually an appearance was made – well the bag and pleased look said it all…

Our tour took us for a quick viewing of the acropolis at Lindos. What a spectacular location. We had to view from afar given time constraints as the walk was at least half an hour each way not to mention exploration time.

Lunch beckoned. A more idyllic location than the “Argo” restaurant would be hard to find. The blues, whites, flowers and breeze were a heady atmosphere in which to enjoy some homemade moussaka and Greek salad.

Mind you, conditions are not always so benign. There was a picture outside of a storm in March 2005. Our table was located on the left edge of this shot. I suspect our furniture was not the same as that in use in 2005 as the restaurant was lucky to survive, never mind the contents.

Rhodes is spectacular with the town woven into the fabric of the castle with rounded stone (edge up) cobbled streets amongst huge bastions and inner walls. It now mainly needs to manage (rather than repel) crowds of tourists in the lower areas and noisy motor scooters in the upper areas.

The squares were designed with hot summers in mind. The shade in the Jewish Martyrs square from interlocking manicured Mediterranean Cyprus trees provided a very comfortable micro-climate.

Our fifth continuous port day (sea days are something to look forward to) was at Bodrum (Turkiye) where some morning tea in a grassy garden surrounded by chickens and cats was followed by some carpet making. The wools are all died using local produce and hence the villages where each carpet was made is known. Here the predominant colours ere various shades of brown.  

These ladies use a double knot and must memorise the pattern. Although they were very fast operators most carpets take a least 6 months to make and in some cases several years.

We have more than enough Turkish carpets – but apparently Alan did not and ended up ordering his own bespoke design.

We then headed to an olive oil factory. The variety of flavours made choosing rather hard – so we left empty handed!

Out final stop was the auditorium. I wonder how many shows have been held here?

The thought of a day at sea passing through the Dardanelles had particular appeal after this segment of activities!