Missing in Egypt (9 page)

Section II
 
 
Life Decisions - Ramy’s Story

1.
Yasmeen

It was a dream come true – to be in
Egypt
again, seeing the land of my forebears as an adult.
 
I had been to
Egypt
once before, when I was very young, but this was so different!
 
I spent a month with my uncle and aunt in
Cairo
exploring the city and soaking up the atmosphere.
 
It was hot - very hot - and there were tourists everywhere.
 
The streets were noisy and filled with vehicles which followed no rules that I could understand – cars just crossed lanes when they felt like it, pushed their nose in front of the next car, did a u-turn in front of 3 rows of traffic – to me it was just chaos.
 
Every time I went out on to the street taxi drivers called out to me – although I am tanned and have some of my ancestor’s Egyptian looks, I guess my Australian shirts branded me as a tourist – at least from a distance.
 
I thought I fitted in well in my jeans but apparently not.
 
I visited the pyramids and marvelled at their grandeur.
 
I went to the Museum and saw the Tutankhamen display, the mummies and the statues.
 
I visited King Farouk’s Palace and witnessed the wonderful displays of knives, guns and ceremonial gifts.
 
My uncle was a great fan of the Egyptian hookah and I spent many hours sitting in cafes with him sharing this waterpipe, which I found very relaxing. After a month of enjoying all
Cairo
had to offer I decided it was time to go and see more of
Egypt
.
 

I bought a plane ticket to
Abu Simbel
and bade farewell to my uncle and aunt and headed off as an independent traveller.
 
Abu Simbel
was everything I had expected – and more.
 
The sight of the huge statues rising out of the desert was truly amazing.
 
To think they had been moved to their present site, piece by piece, from where they would have been flooded when the dam was built, defies belief.
 
I looked closely and could just see where the cuts had been made; huge sections had been cut straight through, moved and then put back together.

Even now they are still very close to the water’s edge – I tried to imagine the reactions of anyone travelling up the
Nile
, coming around the bend in the river and suddenly seeing these huge, imposing monuments in the middle of nowhere.
 
The
Great
Temple
has four colossal statues of Ramses II, seated.
 
Between his legs are several much smaller statues representing his family.
 
I wandered inside, along with the hordes of tourists, to marvel at the interior - two rows of pillars ten metres high with the features of Ramses.
 
Above, on the ceiling, are great vultures and the aisles on either side are painted with stars. From there I entered the Sanctuary – a small room about 4 metres by 7 metres in which sit statues of Ramses II, Ptah, Amon-Ra an
d Ra
–Harakhti.
 
The Sanctuary is built on a pre-determined axis and twice a year, corresponding to the equinoxes, the sun rises and lights the statues of Ramses, Amon-Ra and Ra-Harakhti.
 
Somehow, Ptah, the god of darkness, is never lit.
 
All this I had studied in
Cairo
before leaving, so that I might have an understanding of the sights I had set out to see in the context of my background. However, all the reading had not prepared me for the grandeur of
Abu Simbel
.

I went to see the
Small
Temple
, just a little further around the river bank.
 
The Temple was dedicated by Ramses II to his wife Nefertari and the six statues, all standing, gave the impression they were walking out of the wall to meet you. Inside the chamber carved with images of Nefertari as Hathor, are engravings depicting stories about Nefertari and Ramses. In the small sanctuary Ramses is shown honouring Hathor, who is set between two pillars and seems to stand out from the rock.
 

As I stood admiring this beautiful image I turned towards the entrance to see something even more beautiful.
 
There in the doorway was the most gorgeous girl I had ever seen!
 
She was obviously Egyptian, with long black hair, huge black eyelashes and olive skin.
 
The sun caught her profile and her face was bathed in the most extraordinary golden light.
 
It seemed as if there was nothing else in the world at that moment other than her as everything else around ceased to exist.
 
Her lips, full and sensual, moved enticingly as she addressed a small group in front of her.
 
I let my eyes fall to her body and noticed the way her simple black dress clung to her curves.
 
I moved towards her to listen to her voice.
 
She appeared to be a tour operator and was speaking in very clear English.
 
Her voice was almost musical and she turned towards me as I approached. Huge, almost black eyes, met mine for a moment and I was locked in her gaze.
 
Till that moment I had not believed in love at first sight but from that first glance I wanted to be with this woman more than I had ever wanted anything in my life.
 
I felt a need and a desire that I had never known before.
 
I wanted to possess her and protect her at the same time. Surely this was my destiny – my reason for being pulled back to
Egypt
!

I followed the tour group around for a while, from what I considered to be a discreet distance.
 
I learned her name – Yasmeen.
 
I was also learning more about
Abu Simbel
than I had intended!
 
I followed the group back outside into the sunlight and as they clicked away with their cameras Yasmeen came towards me.
 
“So, you want to learn all about
Abu Simbel
and not pay the poor tour guide?” she questioned me in a mocking voice. ‘Its not
Abu Simbel
I want to learn about” I replied “it’s the tour guide herself”.
 
She looked straight into my eyes and I felt the muscles in my stomach knot.
 
“You are more beautiful than
Abu Simbel
itself” I said.
 
 
“I’m sure you have heard that line many times before but believe me, I really mean it”.
 
There were no rings on her fingers so I took a deep breath and asked her to have dinner with me that night.
 
“Sure” she said “it’s the only way I’ll be compensated for the free tour”.
 
She laughed a deep, throaty, sexy laugh and I found myself totally captivated.

We ate at a little restaurant Yasmeen knew where we wouldn’t bump into any of her tour party.
 
She was as exciting to be with as I had imagined.
 
I learned that she was born in
Egypt
and her family lived in
Cairo
, having come originally from
Luxor
.
 
She had been educated in
Cairo
and now lived in an apartment there which enabled her to take the tourist parties from
Cairo
to
Abu Simbel
.
 
Sometimes the trips were just day trips, flying from
Cairo
to
Abu Simbel
and then back the same day.
 
Mostly though, after Abu Simbel they flew back to
Aswan
and took a boat from there to
Cairo
via
Luxor
, visiting the
Luxor
and
Karnak
Temples
and the Valley of the Kings before flying back to
Cairo
from
Luxor
. On this particular trip another guide was to take this group back and Yasmeen was to have the day off in Abu Simbel before picking up another group that night which was taking a boat back to
Aswan
.
 

The evening went well and Yasmeen seemed interested in me too.
 
I told her of my life story to date – it didn’t take very long.
 
All too soon the meal was over and I walked her back to her accommodation.
 
She let me kiss her and it was like no other kiss I had ever experienced.
 
I hoped it was the same for her.
 
I asked if she had plans for her day off and she replied softly “yes, I have a very special one-on-one tour in mind”.

I picked her up at 10 and we made our way down to the River.
 
Yasmeen had a basket with her and I could see it was packed with food.
 
She knew someone who had a felucca and he sailed us a little way down the
Nile
.
 
The breeze was gentle and it felt as if we were just floating along.
 
After about an hour our guide pulled up to a big flat rock and we clambered onto it.
 
There was a small tree to give us some shade and with a wave our guide left us to our picnic.
 
“Pick us up in about 2 hours’ Yasmeen called out to him.

We smiled at each other like two children who had just wagged school!
 
Yasmeen pulled a tablecloth from her basket and a bottle of wine from a coola bag.
 
I pulled the cork and we sipped our drinks with the water lapping gently around us.
 
Our own oasis!
 
For a moment I was tempted to have a dip in the water, but then I remembered the warnings about swimming in the
Nile
.
 
It is said that although the local children often swim in the water for those not brought up swimming in the
Nile
it can result in some very nasty illnesses, even death.
 
It was probably cleaner this far up but I decided not to take the chance. Besides I hadn’t brought my swimmers!
 
We talked as we ate; it was so easy being with Yasmeen.
 
She flirted gently with me as she told me stories of her family and her plans for the future.
 
She did not want to be a tour guide for the rest of her life.
 
Her family owned an antique shop and Yasmeen had soaked up antiques and artefacts all her life.
 
She longed to be working in the shop but her father and two brothers were running it and it could not support her as well.
 
She believed she had a gift, she told me, of picking rare and valuable objects, which her father encouraged but he did not
understand her passion or flair
.
 
“It sounds a bit big-headed, doesn’t it?” she asked me, staring up at me from under her long eyelashes.
 
“Not at all” I replied, as I reached for her and pulled her closer to me.
 
I kissed her soft lips and she responded.
 
After a few minutes we pulled apart.
 
“We had better eat some of this feast, I think, Yasmeen, before I get too carried away”.
 
We finished our meal in silence, drank down the last of the wine and sunned ourselves on the big flat rock, watching the water sparkling in the sunlight.
 
It was a perfect picnic, but all too soon our felucca was back to pick us up.

As we sailed back up the river I watched Yasmeen as she sat with her eyes closed against the sun, enjoying the breeze.
 
“She is so beautiful” I thought. “She is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with – and I have only known her for a few hours”.
 
When I asked her to come back to my hotel she looked straight into my eyes for a moment, then dropped her gaze and took my hand.
 
Together we walked back to the hotel.
 
When I took her in my arms it was as if we were made for each other, our bodies belonged together and we spent the rest of the day in a blur of passion and intimacy.