I'm sharing a cabin room with Addy and Clara. And Peter is with Leesie and Emma. I started coughing at 5 am (thankfully not all night!) and then my cabin was all up unfortunately. Luckily the other cabin was able to sleep until 8!

The servers at breakfast paid particular attention to Emma this morning and one server told me "She is my love baby". I just about busted a gut. Another came and patted her head and said "I love you". It's so funny how they use that phrase here and in Jordan. Women have said it to me also, but mostly to the kids. Peter says in Spanish there are two ways to say "I love you"- one is a romantic love and the other a friendly love. It must be their interpretation of the latter. We are being really strict here with only eating cooked foods, must to the disdain of the girls (the fruit platters and fruit juice look delicious!).

My body really needed a couple hours to rest, so Peter took the girls out to explore the city of Aswan (since the boat is docked until this afternoon). They walked a ways and then got worn down to take a carriage ride (the driver kept lowering the price). The driver let the girls have turns sitting up front and holding the reins! Fun! They went to the market and saw all kinds of spices and things, and then to a mosque. So wonderful of Peter to take them out on an adventure!

The ship sailed down the Nile and it was really nice to lay on the bed and watch the river's edge as we went! The girls loved having some tablet time. We went up top to enjoy the sunset, and then the boat docked at Kom Ombo. It's very interesting how they dock- they stack beside one another and you walk through the other boat lobbies to get to shore. We were the 5th ship in line! We piled out with everyone else and walked a ways to the Temple of Kom Ombo. When we got there it said we had to have tickets. There were some guides giving out tickets and I was a little miffed we weren't told about it. Peter went to get tickets. After a long time he returned and a young man came up to him asking "Peter Davis?" It was our guide! The itinerary didn't say where to meet him or anything, so we thought we were on our own. There are dozens and dozens of cruise ships here. I don't know how he found us!! He took us through the Temple (it's a double Temple, one side to Horus & the other side to the local crocodile god). It also served as a hospital for common and wealthy. They had inscriptions of tools they used for surgeries. So interesting!! We went through the crocodile museum quickly (mummified crocodiles and eggs), and then walked back to the ship. The local children were relentless here with their wares. We didn't bring the backpack, so we didn't have the candy. One darling little boy told Emma the bracelet he slipped on her wrist was a "gift for smile". So cute. Then the other boys tried to do the same for the other girls and then wanted payment. Stinkers. I had the girls who could, give the bracelets back. One older boy kept dropping a bracelet on the coat I was holding and trying to get in front of me to stop me (even touching me). Sheesh. Our guide taught us that "la" means no. The first little boy was walking with Emma and being so sweet to her (high fiving and such) so I took a picture. He then wanted money for the picture. So I stopped Peter for a little money, but then there was a swarm of boys all wanting their picture. Next time we take the candy! We hustled into the ship as fast as possible. Peter went to a pharmacy to find some more medicine (he found a zpack of sorts for me!). We had to wait for an hour for dinner with tired and hungry kids. Poor loves.

Theme: I Am Capable

Things we learned:
Emma: I liked sitting by Mom at dinner.
Clara: The fun thing today was riding in the carriage!
Leesie: I learned that sometimes when people say it's a gift, then they ask for money.
Addy: I learned you have to take off your shoes when you go inside a mosque. Also, never wake up at 5 am.
Kathy: I learned I could not live here. The tipping is a little much for me. The bathrooms, the drivers, the guides, the meals on the cruise (including all the things we've already paid for)- if anyone lifts a finger to help you (even if you didn't want help), they expect a tip. We're literally handing out money right and left. I read about it, but living it is very different. We want to be generous, but also want to have enough for the whole trip. For me, gratitude is the tip. For them, money is the tip. Crazy learning curve for me!
Peter: I enjoyed the carriage ride with the girls. I enjoyed watching the scenery on the Nile. I just think it's a huge miracle our tour guide found us!

Miracles:
-Our tour guide found us amongst hundreds of tourists!
-I was able to have a rest day!