DIVE DEEP INTO EGYPT

A family cruises through Egypt’s many cultural and historic riches. But the kids want fun. Luckily, the Red Sea has answers.

- RATHINA SANKARI

“HOW MANY TEMPLES MORE? When do we start for Hurghada?” questioned my 10-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son. We were on a family trip in Egypt and had taken the popular culture trail: Cairo, followed by a cruise from Luxor to Aswan. While the idea of a Nile cruise was interesting—it meant soaking in the jacuzzi for hours, digging into sumptuous meals, and waking up late every day—in reality, most of our time was spent exploring the towns of Luxor, Edfu, and Aswan, and visiting the various Egyptian temples.

But culture wasn’t something that interested my kids; history wasn’t their cup of tea. That was my area, and I was always on the lookout for places with a rich past. Choosing Egypt as our destination for the winter school break was my selfish decision—to take in the rich ancient civilisation and its fascinating pharaonic history. I sold the idea to my kids with the image of a luxurious cruise on the River Nile.

While the Mayfair cruise was indeed a plush experience, the kids didn’t find enough time to enjoy its amenities. During the day, we would be out exploring the towns, listening to the stories of Egypt’s pantheon of gods and its pharaohs, and visiting ruins of grand temples. Meanwhile, the kids would languish on the sidelines, indifferent to the surroundings, waiting for the guide to finish his afterlife theories.

While my son loves the story of Horus, the Egyptian god with a falcon head, after watching the movie Gods of Egypt, he wanted real adventure on this trip. The only thing my kids enjoyed were the physical challenges of exploration. At Giza, they climbed through the narrow, claustrophobic confines of the belly of the Giant Pyramid without breaking a sweat, while I crawled on my fours and came out panting. They had a good laugh.