The tablecloth sellers of the Nile

Sales to passengers on Nile cruises involve a unique and entertaining method of skill and courage

There I was a few days ago relaxing on the top deck of our cruise ship, staring at the lush green banks of the Nile beyond my desert boots; we were a few hours south  of Edfu, a dusty temple town on the west bank of the Egyptian Nile

These were captivating riverside scenes, timeless since the pharaohs, of oxen ploughing, children waving, a man praying alone, fields of sugar cane and banana plants, water pumps irrigating fields, hemmed in by rugged brown hills.

Ahead of our cruise ship was a small blue rowing boat with two men on board. We were heading straight for them. It would be a close call.

Yet there was no fear on their faces. They said a few words to each other and readied themselves. It was obvious they were used to this and they were up to something.

I wasn’t sure quite what their venture was, but I discounted piracy as this was the Nile, not the Red Sea, and rowing boats are not ideal for a quick getaway.

The prow of our ship just missed the rowing boat and the swell lifted them to our starboard side. By now passengers had started to notice and put down their ipads and cups of tea and cakes to peer over the side.

One of the men in the rowing boat threw a rope across and caught the other end and tied it. As the slack tightened, their small rowing boat picked up speed, lifted its front in to the air and suddenly their small boat looked a little like a surfboard with froth in its tiny wake being towed along with a thin rope.

One of the boatmen shouted up to the passengers, his words lost in the engine noise and surf. He pulled out a tablecloth from a plastic packet and with his mate held it open, catching the air like a sail.

One of the passengers on the cruise liner shouted down to have a closer look, so the boatman folded up the cloth, put it in a plastic bag and lobbed it up to the top deck. It landed perfectly, on a trajectory that just topped the railings to applause. After a quick inspection, the passenger decided to buy it, filled the plastic bag with notes (bills) and threw it down to the boatman, who caught it like a pro.

They did this several times, making sales as we sailed. And once they were done, they untied their boat and went their way rowing toward the next cruise ship to sell their wares.

For them I’m sure, it was just another day, but to us it was rather special. Never mind Amazon deliveries, this is the Nile Delivery, instant, on time, and very entertaining.

Here’s a video of that perfect throw!