Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff

About this book

Rosemary Mahoney was determined to take a solo trip down the Egyptian Nile in a small boat even though civil unrest and vexing local traditions conspired to create obstacles every step of the way. Starting off in the south she gained the unlikely sympathy and respect of a Muslim sailor who provided her with both a seven-foot skiff and a window into the culturally and materially impoverished lives of rural Egyptians. Egyptian women dont row on the Nile and tourists arent allowed to for safetys sake. Mahoney endures extreme heat during the day and a terror of crocodiles while alone in her boat at night. Whether shes confronting deeply held beliefs about non-Muslim women finding connections to past chroniclers of the Nile or coming to the dramaticm realization that fear can engender unwarranted violence Rosemary Mahoneys informed curiosity about the world her glorious prose and her wit never fail to captivate.