excavation techniques, and not learn the process at the expense of Cleopatra, which makes good sense. This tomb near the Valley of the Kings is his 99th discovery! What’s inside, not even Dr. Aziz knows. Hopefully, we’ll be the first to find out.
“You boys be safe,” my mom said. “And make sure to keep an eye out for each other.”
“We’ve got each other’s backs,” Gannon said, and smacked me hard on the shoulder. “Isn’t that right, Wyatt?”
I glared at him without saying a word.
“I’ll take that as a yes .”
“Listen to me for a second,” my mom said. “I can’t emphasize this enough. I don’t want you boys taking any unnecessary risks. You got it?”
“Come on, mom,” Gannon said. “We’re as cautious as a couple of mice at a cat farm.”
Where Gannon comes up with these things, I have no idea.
“Good luck out there, boys,” my dad said. “Whether you find anything or not, just have fun.”
“That won’t be a problem,” I said.
“And try not to get yourself cursed,” he added with a smirk.
“Don’t even start, Dad,” Gannon said.
“You better get going,” my mom said. “You don’t want to miss your boat.”
“Ma’a Salama,” Gannon said.
“Ma’a Salama,” my mom replied.
“That means goodbye, Wyatt,” Gannon said.
I rolled my eyes at him.
“You know, Arabic isn’t as hard to learn as they say,” Gannon said, sweeping his fingers across his shoulder. “A few more months here and I’d be fluent.”
“How do you say ‘that’s a bunch of baloney’ in Arabic?” I asked.
We all gave each other hugs, Gannon and I climbed into the van and the driver forced his way into traffic. We’ve been inching along for almost an hour now and cars are still backed up as far as we can see. Gannon’s turning green from all the exhaust and keeps asking how much longer. Funny thing is, the driver always has the same answer: “Five more minutes!”
A Cairo mosque
GANNON
ABOARD THE BOAT
Sometime mid-morning we arrived at a downtown marina lined with rowboats and speedboats and lots of these traditional Nile sailboats called fellucas. Down at the end of the dock we found Dr. Aziz, James, and Serene and climbed aboard the river cruiser that’s taking us to Luxor. It’s an old wooden ship called the “River Queen.” According to a man working on the boat, it has about a dozen cabins and holds around forty people total. He also told me the distance from Cairo to Luxor is “very far” and since this boat tops out at the speed of a canoe, we aren’t going to get there until tomorrow afternoon.
Wyatt and I are sharing a cabin that’s hardly bigger than a closet with a bunk bed crammed inside and no windows and nowhere to sit, so I’ve settled on the sundeck up top, which is wide open and without question the best place to take in the scenery along the Nile.
We’re on our way and the sky is about as blue as it gets and the air on the river is definitely cooler than it is over land. As we cruised under a bridge just now, three Egyptian children leaned over the railing and waved to me from above. We’ve passed several larger riverboats docked along the banks and the famous Cairo Tower just went by on my left. All through the city, high-rise buildings crowd both shores. Most of them are gray and dust-covered and have billboard-sized neon signs on the roofs. Occasionally, I’ll catch sight of a mosque, their big domes and minarets standing out from the rest of the concrete clutter.
Running along the western side of the river is a busy street all crammed with people walking every which way and backed up with traffic. Horns blast from everywhere, but they’re far enough away that they don’t really bother me. Looking around at the gridlock and chaos of the city only makes me more aware of how nice it is to be on a boat, cruising down this wide and peaceful river.
We’re now moving beyond the city. The skyscrapers are fading into the haze behind us. Here,
“You boys be safe,” my mom said. “And make sure to keep an eye out for each other.”
“We’ve got each other’s backs,” Gannon said, and smacked me hard on the shoulder. “Isn’t that right, Wyatt?”
I glared at him without saying a word.
“I’ll take that as a yes .”
“Listen to me for a second,” my mom said. “I can’t emphasize this enough. I don’t want you boys taking any unnecessary risks. You got it?”
“Come on, mom,” Gannon said. “We’re as cautious as a couple of mice at a cat farm.”
Where Gannon comes up with these things, I have no idea.
“Good luck out there, boys,” my dad said. “Whether you find anything or not, just have fun.”
“That won’t be a problem,” I said.
“And try not to get yourself cursed,” he added with a smirk.
“Don’t even start, Dad,” Gannon said.
“You better get going,” my mom said. “You don’t want to miss your boat.”
“Ma’a Salama,” Gannon said.
“Ma’a Salama,” my mom replied.
“That means goodbye, Wyatt,” Gannon said.
I rolled my eyes at him.
“You know, Arabic isn’t as hard to learn as they say,” Gannon said, sweeping his fingers across his shoulder. “A few more months here and I’d be fluent.”
“How do you say ‘that’s a bunch of baloney’ in Arabic?” I asked.
We all gave each other hugs, Gannon and I climbed into the van and the driver forced his way into traffic. We’ve been inching along for almost an hour now and cars are still backed up as far as we can see. Gannon’s turning green from all the exhaust and keeps asking how much longer. Funny thing is, the driver always has the same answer: “Five more minutes!”
A Cairo mosque
GANNON
ABOARD THE BOAT
Sometime mid-morning we arrived at a downtown marina lined with rowboats and speedboats and lots of these traditional Nile sailboats called fellucas. Down at the end of the dock we found Dr. Aziz, James, and Serene and climbed aboard the river cruiser that’s taking us to Luxor. It’s an old wooden ship called the “River Queen.” According to a man working on the boat, it has about a dozen cabins and holds around forty people total. He also told me the distance from Cairo to Luxor is “very far” and since this boat tops out at the speed of a canoe, we aren’t going to get there until tomorrow afternoon.
Wyatt and I are sharing a cabin that’s hardly bigger than a closet with a bunk bed crammed inside and no windows and nowhere to sit, so I’ve settled on the sundeck up top, which is wide open and without question the best place to take in the scenery along the Nile.
We’re on our way and the sky is about as blue as it gets and the air on the river is definitely cooler than it is over land. As we cruised under a bridge just now, three Egyptian children leaned over the railing and waved to me from above. We’ve passed several larger riverboats docked along the banks and the famous Cairo Tower just went by on my left. All through the city, high-rise buildings crowd both shores. Most of them are gray and dust-covered and have billboard-sized neon signs on the roofs. Occasionally, I’ll catch sight of a mosque, their big domes and minarets standing out from the rest of the concrete clutter.
Running along the western side of the river is a busy street all crammed with people walking every which way and backed up with traffic. Horns blast from everywhere, but they’re far enough away that they don’t really bother me. Looking around at the gridlock and chaos of the city only makes me more aware of how nice it is to be on a boat, cruising down this wide and peaceful river.
We’re now moving beyond the city. The skyscrapers are fading into the haze behind us. Here,
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