On The Philae Down The Nile
A cruise on the Nile is a wonderful combination of adventure and luxury particularly on the grand Oberoi Philae. FARZANA CONTRACTOR reports from the top deck! A trip to Egypt without a cruise down the Nile would be an incomplete affair. Egypt wouldn't be, if the Nile wasn't. And it's such a special river. In terms of looks and usefulness. Besides, a Nile cruise, particularly on  the grand Oberoi Philae is such a wonderful combination of luxury and adventure, and a charming way of taking in the village life, as well as seeing Aswan and Luxor, both with incredible monuments and temples.For ages, meaning millennia, the Nile was the only corridor of transport. Such was their ease of boat travel on the river that despite their feats of engineering, the ancient Egyptians didn't think of inventing the wheel until about a thousand years after they had built the Pyramids!  Boats formerly, obviously were not like The Philae. The earliest were simple skiffs, made of papyrus bundles, used for hunting and travelling short distances, throughout the Pharaonic period. There were also more elaborate wooden boats with multiple sets of oars and a long narrow sail. By the Middle Ages, when Cairo had become the capital of Egypt and one of the world's wealthiest trading centres, it was estimated that there were 36,000 ships on the Nile. Some were simple triangle sailed cargo boats given the Italian name of felucca,  others were elaborate vessels for the rich called dahabiyyas, described by medieval historians as lavishly decorated, two masted wooden boats with private cabin and bathrooms. These were the most popular ones on the river.Though it was only in 1869 that Nile travel changed forever when Thomas Cook, a printer from Britain brought his first group of tourists to Egypt accommodating them on two steamers. Package tourism was born and steamers gradually eased out dahabiyyas, making travel on the Nile relatively cheap and accessible.  Today from humble steamers, cruisers have now grown into huge floating hotels and probably the best on the waters of the Nile is The Oberoi Philae, the deluxe cruise liner which offers an idyllic way to discover the rich history along the Nile, with the elegance of an old world voyage discovering along the way, landmarks of an ancient civilization. The journey begins in Aswan or Luxor and courses through Pharaonic dynasties that div thousands of years. Elegant interiors with teak paneling, parquet floors, European antiques and Oriental carpets create an ambience of luxury on this boat.  I was on a four night cruise going upstream from Aswan to Luxor. On Day 1, as I embarked there was a sumptuous buffet lunch spread out. After the meal I was taken to visit the Botanical Garden by a felucca. It was a nice experience and I was glad to be able to step into this little sailboat. After the afternoon tea there were cocktails where the opportunity to get to know other fellow passengers presented itself. I could see I was in good, fun company. Some from England, others Sweden, one even from back home, Madras! After a good a la carte dinner, there was music and dancing on the top deck. A phenomenon that was to occur with great frequency, I noticed by and by. Moored by the quay we slept in Aswan that night. The next morning after breakfast, fairly early, nine or so we left to visit the Old Dam, the unfinished Obelisk and the Philae Temple, to return to the boat to sail on to Kom Ombo, where all of us alighted to go visit the Temple of Sobek. These excursions were going to prove to be pretty energetic and I began to wonder when I would start to stay put on board to enjoy the boat. We returned in time for tea and once again started to sail, to Edfu now. There was a dress code for dinner. It was going to be an Egyptian night and we had to dress like Egyptians. The smart ones had picked up glitzy outfits from the many shops outside The Philae Temple. With bead caps and belly dancer outfits the ambience created was fabulous. We had on board a young lad, Aris, very bright, very cute who came up with his version of a camel dance which was so hilarious and so much fun, we would break into a camel dance whenever we could, wherever we could. The boy's father, a brainy engineer of Indian origin living in Sweden joked, or maybe he was serious, that he was thinking he would copyright the dance steps!The third day was reserved for Edfu and Esna and a visit to the Temple of Horus. Dinner was a Black and white affair and the  fourth and fifth for Luxor where the beauty of Kanark Temple just blows you away.Each day the team of chefs strived hard to lay the best they could on the buffet tables. And the spread was always impressive. The most sinful desserts from the Middle East completed each meal. I have never eaten so much of Omm Aly or Bakalava in my life. Being on the Philae makes you really eat. I was glad the gym was not state-of-the-art and I turned my face away each time I passed it to go to my suite - which incidently was soooo nice.  Made me feel real inportant when I learnt Mrs. Sonia Gandhi had recently enjoyed the very same one.The ship is in a class by itself and I would rate it as a 5 star experience based on atmosphere, decor, staff and service, quality of tours provided at each port, food & food service and overall ambience. What is nice is they break you into groups not larger than 12 or 15, so you travel in mini buses and have the same personal guide for all the excursions. The entire ship has a British Colonial flavour. All cabins have balconies with period iron work rails and rattan seating. The brass bed I slept on was cozy.  And the public areas very spacious. The upper deck combined both sun and shade lounging areas around a beautiful pool. Parlour, tea room/lounge and dining room were "British country home"...dark wood, brass and tasteful decor.Yes, UpperCrust recommends The Oberoi Philae. Though Zahra a new beauty has just slid into the waters of the Nile and joined the Oberoi fleet. Now perhaps all they have to do is get the plushest dahabiyya going and I will be winging it to the Nile again. Oberoi Philae Email: [email protected] |
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