Temple of Khnum -- Esna, Egypt |
The floral capitals of the columns still retain some of their original painted color |
The town of Esna exudes a sleepy charm with its horse-drawn carriages and minarets |
Galabeyas, turbans, donkey-drawn carts -- clearly we're far from home |
Robin wants to purchases some galabeyas, so we get off the ship and walk the gauntlet of vendor stalls. This is really quite an adventure. As you walk along, the vendors call to you and urge you to visit their stall. "Just take a look," they cry. They place galabeyas on your forearm to make it hard for you to walk away while they get another item to show you. If you show any interest at all -- any -- you are immediately surrounded by vendors all pushing similar items on you and literally trying to push them in your hands. But as soon as you enter a particular vendor’s stall, there appears to be some unwritten rule, because all the other vendors suddenly leave you alone. As soon as you exit the stall, they're back in force again. So getting you to venture into their stall is a big deal and something every vendor strives for. Robin actually does find several galabeyas she likes, and we end up making one vendor’s day. |
Esna Temple is situated 30 feet lower than the surrounding grounds of the modern town |
This stretch of covered shopping is relatively peaceful at midday |
The Shopping Gauntlet |
Esna gives us a taste of small-town life in Egypt |