The Fallen Angels of Karnataka by Hans M Hirschi

Author:Hans M Hirschi [Hirschi, Hans M]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Yaree AB
Published: 2014-09-14T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16: Alexandria, February 1987

After finishing up at Kemal’s, they returned to their hotel and started planning their next move. Now that their affairs in Istanbul were finished, Charles was anxious to get underway. They needed to contact the captain of their barge in Egypt to inform him that their arrival was imminent. The poor man had been waiting for a couple of weeks now—paid but still waiting—for his guests to arrive. They decided to fly to Alexandria, abandoning the idea of taking a ship, to get on the barge and start exploring Egypt with the Nile as their path to the south. They’d start in Alexandria, go to Cairo, then south toward Luxor, visit the Valley of the Kings and finally get off at Aswan. From there, they would take a different barge south across Lake Nasser into Sudan as far as the river would carry them, at least to the city of Juba in the southern parts of the country. From there, they were hoping to catch transportation to Uganda and Lake Victoria and then on to Tanzania and Kenya, where they wanted to see wildlife. From Nairobi, they would then head south, by train or car, to South Africa and Cape Town; the final destination for the year. They hadn’t really planned that far ahead, and Haakon realized that he had his work cut out for him. Now I understand why he’s employing me!

Their first task though, was to book tickets to Alexandria. Haakon was excited. He’d finally make it to Egypt. He’d get to visit the land of pharaohs, pyramids and the Sphinx. They booked themselves on the first flight the next morning, sent a telegram ahead to their barge captain and Haakon left a message for Doctor Kemal that he would get back to him on details of their itinerary as soon as they had one.

Alexandria was hot, particularly during the day—at least to Haakon. Even in February, the Mediterranean climate and the southern latitude made for warm days and cool evenings. The weather was calm when they arrived, and they quickly made their way to the harbor, where their captain awaited them in his barge. The felucca—to be more precise—was a fifty-foot sailboat equipped with an engine to facilitate travel even in adverse wind situations. It wasn’t quite as luxurious as their accommodations in Athens or Istanbul had been, but it was certainly more adventurous. They each had a small cabin, and there was even a shower. The boat was larger than the traditional feluccas normally sailing on the Nile, but still tiny compared to the big cruise ships and shipping vessels traveling the river. Haakon could tell that Charles had a knack for combining individuality with comfort.

They left Alexandria after a couple of days of taking in the local sights, sailing east along the coast to the main entryway up the Nile. They were in no hurry and it took them several days to reach Cairo. Taking it slowly and comfortably, they stopped mid-afternoon to relax, enjoy the sun, great food and a glass of wine.

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