The weather was always fine and I do not remember one day of rain. We became experts at washing our clothes each evening and by the morning they were dry. So off we went and got about half way. I remember one lift took us to Asyut which is the town where Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus fled to and lived for two years until Herod who had tried to murder the baby king died himself eaten of worms.
We had to stay the night in a very run down Hotel in a pretty run down village not far from Asyut, but amazingly the owner gave us a free room. It was rather primitive but the sheets were clean and then we had a visitor. We had just turned out the light and we heard someone trying to turn the door handle. We had not locked the room as there was no lock. This person was trying time and time again, but for some reason was not successful. I got up to check the situation only to watch a huge black rat scurry away into the darkness down the corridor. This resident rat knew how to jump up and put its weight on the handle and then open the door. It was pretty scary so we wedged a chair against the door and that put an end to his nocturnal activities. Travelers usually carry food in cloth bags so the rats know all about this and like to get their share.
The next day we set off for Aswan. I think we made it in one lift as I cannot remember another night stop. The roads were not so bad and the lifts we got covered the 3 to 400 kilometers in about 8 hours including stops.
The Egyptian drivers that we met were all without exception very nice people and enjoyed helping this Anglo German Combination. We never had a bad experience. Aswan was placed on the edge of the River Nile at the down stream North end of lake Nasser. The Russians had built a considerable Hydro Electric Plant using the flowing Nile to turn massive turbines making electricity on a very large scale.
So here we are in Aswan at the end of stay in Egypt, but not quite yet. We found a reasonable kind of 1 star Hotel I think it was called the Luxor. I did some research but since 1984 a great deal has changed. The young Egyptian owner was rather amazed at us as we asked him to put us up until the next ferry arrived in a few days. However he gave us a room and spoke reasonable English. There were very few tourists and the next notable event was meeting a middle aged couple who were Mormons. They were working for the UN on some project that was out in the desert somewhere. They became very good friends and having lived there for some time knew all the ropes. They gave us a donation to cover the cost of the new German built Ferry that went to Wadi Halfa at the other end of Lake Nasser in the Sudan section of the lake.
The ferry had been recently replaced as the previous one had burnt out almost exactly one year before with considerable loss of life. About half of the crowded passengers escaped but the other half drowned or were food for crocodiles which abounded in the lake. We found out about this and this all added to the spice of our adventure.
We became friendly with a manager of the 5 star Oberoi Hotel which was situated on an Island. Many times in the next few day we would get a free ride in a Nile sailing vessel and receive a free meal at the Hotel.
As missionaries we received a great deal of help from the managers and food and beverage chiefs of the various five star hotels around the world. They were a source of great help and also just shelter from the enormous heat in these areas. Arriving in the air conditioned lobby after struggling in the heat was always a very pleasant relief.
As we are very outgoing missionaries we were experts at making contacts with people. A verse of scripture which screams out of our spiritual book the Bible says in The Holy Gospel of Saint Matthew Chapter 7 verse 7 Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you. This verse was and is an essential key to our success then and now. We just ask and it is very wonderfully surprising how many people will respond and help.
Of course there are many that say no no no! I am sure that you have noticed that too on our spiritual journey so far but we only need one to say yes to make progress. We believe that all those who help get very spiritually blessed. They come out on top as it is more blessed to give than to receive. The words of Jesus Himself. When we ask for things we always give some kind of incalculably valuable spiritual reminder in return, whether a tract, like the Pandita Ramabai one or a pocket Gospel or New Testament. I have explained to so many including you dear reader now, something I very strongly believe and that is that a simple child like faith in the Creator is worth much much more than trillions of dollars and will accrue to our credit in the bank of Heaven laid up for our future.
Well now we have to make progress so on to the next step.
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