232 CultureShock! Egypt
Desert. Although there may be a really neat hotel at the oasis,
Ayman’s adventure tours are personally designed for two-
legged desert foxes. The tours are rough going for the meek.
If you like the adventure of going behind a sand dune for a
bathroom, cooking out over an open fire, and sleeping under
the stars—in general, being with nature in the desert—this
is the place to go. If you really want to do a Sinai tour, he
still does that as well.Arabi
Arabi (I also met him through Medhat) is the only person
I know who actually had a crocodile on his roof (yes, a real,
live one). The crocodile is now dead, but the memory lingers.
Arabi knows an incredible amount about the flora and fauna
of Upper Egypt. He will happily take you on a tour of a Nubian
village; name every kind of bird you see in the nature reserve
in Aswan; and even show you a banana farm and water
buffalo (up close and personal). If you watch closely, you will
probably see him dip his cup in the cold, rushing river for
a quick drink while you are out skirting between the rocks
and reeds of the Nile.Take a tour with Arabi and be introduced to the rural side of Egypt like these
water buffalo taking a cool dip in the river.