Daraw Market:
Fourth morning on Dahabiya and it is the most exciting day of the whole Nile trip. We are about to get to Daraw to visit its famous livestock market. Once last stop on the famous 40 day desert trip from Sudan to Egypt, livestock market of Daraw is still a live, busy hub for all kinds of livestock sale in the area. Even sailing on the Nile that morning, we could see boats loaded up with cows, goats and sheep heading to Daraw. Getting close to Daraw to moor, we could see people rushing to the market and couldn’t wait to get off and join them.
As the rest of our visits to nearby villages and temples while on Dahabiya, Abdollah wanted to take us to the market and we knew that it is not going to work for us. So we raised it with him the night before and told him and we are going on our own and we will be just fine. That’s how we are travelling and visit places all the time, he wasn’t happy about it as he was responsible for all passengers on board but he finally agreed that we go to market together and then we can get separated from the rest and visit the market on our own pace.
We got the common public transport to get to the market at the back of the pickup. There was a door bell at the back of the pickup where all 11 of us were sitting together that passengers could use to let the driver they want to get off, genius!
Getting closer to the Daraw center, streets were getting busier and more chaotic with lots of people, animals, carriages, tuk tuk and trucks trying to get to the same spot, Daraw market!
Passing through all the busy streets and stalls out of the actual market, were locals were selling their goods and everyone was busy bargaining, followed by lots of locals cafes that most of them looked like temporary cafes just set up for the market day, we finally got inside the market.
Daraw market is a defined area with brick walls around it and an entrance gate. As soon as we got in, we got overwhelmed with everything going on there. After saying goodbye to Abdollah and the rest of the team we started with sheep section, the first section right next to the entrance.
The market had an interesting layout, it was specified sections for Goats, sheep, cows, buffalo and donkeys and obviously camels as the market is famous also as Daraw camel market but unfortunately there was no camels for sale that day. They are all spread out around the market, in the center, it was some cafe setups with covered sitting areas where locals could sit and escape the heat while having a cup of tea or snack and catching up with their friends and relatives from other villages or perhaps negotiating the price on their stock.
There was also butchery setup and also some stalls to sell harnesses, shepherd sticks and all bit of pieces required to take care of any livestock I guess. At the back end of the market, there were trucks and pickups parked to take the shopping back home after a long day at the market.
And after few hours in the market, we were ready to take a tuk tuk and get back to the river front and get back on the dahabiya before they get worried about us. Covered in dust and sweat, we finally got back on board fully satisfied with an amazing morning that we had. Few tips for visiting Daraw market. first of all check the market schedule with locals before heading to market. It is an easy drive from Aswan and it definitely worth a visit, if you are keen to get a closer look into locals life and the long lived trade traditions on outskirt of the desert. We haven’t seen any tourists around which to me it’s a good thing, market was as real as it could be and locals were nice and friendly, inviting us to join for a cup of tea and no one was trying to sell us stuff and there was no non sense souvenir items to sell anyway. It’s really remote and no women were around in the market so to feel comfortable as a female, it’s a good idea to dress conservatively. I took a scarf with me just in case and decided to wear it as soon as we got in the market and I felt more blended with a scarf. it definitely helped me with the heat and dust as well.
Getting back on the boat, we had a well needed shower and had our last lunch on board, before heading to the last and final destination by the Nile.
Visiting El Koubania, a Nubian village:
Around Aswan there are few Nubian villages, most of them are too touristic and there are lots of half a day or full day tours for visiting these villages. one of the reasons for paying for dahabiya trip was to visit an authentic Nubian village along the way. On the last day, we got to our last stop before getting to Aswan, a Nubian village called El Koubania. A lush green quiet village lies on the eastern banks of Nile which Nubian people are living in. Nubia is a region along the Nile river located in what is today northern Sudan and southern Egypt. Nubians are an ethnolinguistic group of Africans indigenous to present-day Sudan and southern Egypt who originate from the early inhabitants of the central Nile valley, believed to be one of the earliest cradles of civilization.
The plan was going through the village, and the farms on the outskirt of the village and get on the dahabiya on the other end of the village. It was around 2-3 pm and the village was quiet. All men were still working on farms and we could here women talking inside the houses but no one was out. It was a great sense of calmness in the village. Most of the houses walls were decorated with Camels, buses, ships, airplanes and basically all different types of transportation. Abdollah explained that when the house owner is accomplishing the Haj pilgrimage (The Muslim tradition to visit Mecca in Saudi Arabia), they illustrates their trip on their house exterior walls and everyone know that they have done it. It is a joyful experience to walk along the alleys in the village and look at the walls and imagine how they traveled to Mecca from their village. Saudi Arabia is not that far from their village. passing the desert and going east, it’s couple of hours of boat ride to pass the red sea and get to Saudi Arabia.
Passing through the lush green farms and dense palm trees, all of the sudden the Nile revealed itself in the horizon at the end of a lush wetland full of water buffalos. Nile looked extremely calm on that corner with interesting sandy beaches. We remembered that every single time that we asked for swimming in the Nile, they promised a wonderful spot on the last day and it was the spot! We finally swam in the Nile in the best spot possible!
For the rest of the day, we tried to enjoy the most of the last evening on board. Dahabiya moored somewhere close to Aswan, from where we were planning to take a car for the last leg of our journey, the Red sea! And just like that our 4 day trip on the Nile on a Dahabiya got to an end. If you want to know more about why we picked Dahabiya trip please read this post.
For more information on a Dahabiya trip that we picked, visit their website here. They have three Dahabiya in total and based on plan and which direction you want to travel, you can pick one.
We always travel on our own and hardly ever got on any organized tour or package but I couldn’t find any better option to visit Nile with overnight stay on the boat for few day. We are happy with the decision to take this trip but sometimes it was hard to be as flexible as we wished to be on our own, especially visiting rural area and villages.
The other big problem at Egypt which is not just limited to this dahabiya trip is the tipping!! As long as we were on our own, it was fine, but as soon as we got something sorted as on organized activities, tipping is not avoidable. We had been asked to sit in a tipping session the night before leaving the dahabiya and Abdollah told us the minimum that we have to pay per person in the crew, which is really annoying that it is not even an option and no one told us about that before getting on board. Perhaps it’s normal in Egypt for tourist activities but it was definitely our first. Don’t get us wrong, tipping is a good thing but as long as it’s optional and you can chose who to pay to and how much. The next day, the same company arranged a taxi for us to get to our red sea destination because there was no public transportation available for that route, and we paid lots of money for the trip. Getting off the taxi, the taxi driver followed us and complained that we haven’t paid him the tip and he is not leaving till we pay him his tip! So if you are travelling to Egypt, be prepared for mandatory tip!
