Esna, Egypt

March 1st, 2026

We had arrived in our destination last night so we were ready to go first thing this am. Today we had the option of 2 tours, a Temple visit and a walk through the village. Both tours ended in a shopping market. The tours both started directly across the street from where we were docked. So no bus ride, we just crossed the street and off we went. We opted for the walk since we had seen so many temples in the last few days. We still got to pass right by the temple which had some beautiful colors on their columns. Linda & Michael did the Temple tour and they said there were very colorful paintings inside also.

They actually went inside the temple while we saw it from above.

The town is very poor with mud brick buildings that all look like they are falling down.

The locals were very friendly and obviously used to tourists coming by. The man on the right is showing how soft the cotton is. Everyone was trying to sell us something. One little boy walked around with a baby goat and if you took a picture or petted the goat he wanted a dollar.

Most of the doors leading to the homes or shops looked like you could knock them down with a good hard kick.

This gentleman was showing us how they weave the scarves while the other gentleman was showing us his selection of scarves. Several people bought scarves and I was tempted and most of the scarves were 5 US but some people got them for 3.50. I am sure I will have another chance before we leave Egypt. In the right hand picture the gentleman was making a treat that Egyptians love. He pours dough in circles on the hot surface so it looks like spaghetti noodles and then when cooked for a minute he scrapes it all up and then adds honey and pistachios. We never saw the finished product but it sounded good. Our guide called it “vermicelli”.

We saw another man who was ironing and he heated up the iron on a wood burning stove and then he takes a sip of water and spritzes it out of his mouth to create a steam iron. He also irons with his feet because he can apply more pressure than with his arm. I guess that is cheaper than a spray bottle. He wanted tips for taking his picture.

On our way back we went through the markets and the vendors were very aggressive. Several people bought Galbeyas which are the Egyptian robes that go to the floor. The women’s version is usually colorful with embroidery or silver or gold thread. The men’s are plain and usually solid or striped. We did not buy any but most sold for 10 US unless fancier. People all bought scarfs and table cloths along with regular souvenirs.

We were all back on board by 10am and there was a quick briefing updating us on what was going on in the world. Viking did decide to cancel the extension to Jordan that many people had signed up for. They were arranging flights to get people home from Cairo and even if Viking did not make your flight they were offering to help you get new flights, which was necessary since the internet is down mostly.

After that everyone went up to the top deck for morning cocktails. They had a pina colada mix and a fruit punch mix and you could add rum, gin or vodka. We got 2 and enjoyed the sunshine and the cruising.

This was leaving Esna, talk about a bunch of river boats all to go to the 1 temple and visit the market. The vendor that makes the most money in Egypt is the bathroom vendor. 1 dollar for 2 people to go to the restroom and that guy always has a wad of bills and the tourists keep coming. To their credit the bathrooms are always clean and they give you toilet paper when you enter and paper towels to dry your hands when you leave.

We loved that the whole afternoon was free to relax and enjoy cruising. They had some optional classes/discussions such as Egyptian backgammon, Falafel making, hieroglyphics and ancient Egyptian medicine. Kathy decided to have a massage. I napped some and then went on deck to enjoy some views of the Nile.

Cruising along the Nile.

We had champagne in Kathy & Michaels’s suite and since tonight was Egyptian night both couples were dressed up in their galbeyas. Kathy and I did not dress up since we did not buy one.

Dinner was a family style Egyptian meal. They started with local breads and all kinds of regional spreads like hummus, tahini, Baba ghanoush and cooked fava beans (Ful)

Then we had chicken skewers, kebabs, lamb chops, rice and an Egyptian meatball which is meat stuffed with pine nuts. They had had Egyptian fried fish in a spicy tomato sauce and stewed okra and tomatoes. Dessert was lemon sorbet, baklava and 2 other local sweets. Lots of honey in all their sweets.