Camels, pyramids and the occasional political conflict. We made it in and out of Egypt! Imagine cruising along the Nile in the warm afternoon sun. Hair in the wind. Sailboat cutting through the water with ease. Locals in white cotton dresses at the ropes. They sail these waters with their eyes closed. Children in their own little boats race over to grab the sides of ours. They sing for money. The two boys smile. They continue to bucket out the small puddles of water seeping into their wooden boat as they sing. A few Egyptian pounds are passed their way. Then they are off to the next sail boat filled with tourists.
We land ashore to the clearest part of the Nile. Our boat hits the sand of the Sahara Desert. The locals dressed in white lead let us marvel at the sunset before sailing away. Our toes hit the warm sand. We wave goodbye to the boat as it sails back down stream. One of the locals in white wave back to us. He is only young. Fifteen or so. His hands are coarse but his arms are muscular.
Jumping into the clear Nile, the rips are strong. We stay close to the shore. Our bodies submerged. It is cool but the hot wind of the Sahara sweeps over us. Looking out to the endless desert. Is anyone out there?
Read The Alchemist.
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