Two worlds, a photo from Aswan, Inland

Photographer's Note

I am reaching deeper into my archives.
This is a photo which I took several years ago on the River Nile Cruise in the town of Edfu.

In the left side you see a fragment of a top deck of a boat with people enjoying the sun. The top decks usually have a small swimming pool and a whirlpool. The boats have several designated stops along the river. You see that the river bank is very well maintained with horse carriages waiting to take you straight to the touristic attraction which is a short ride nearby. Across the street you can spot souvenir shops selling everything you may or may not need. I have bought traditional Egyptian clothes, and my wife got a sexy outfit for belly dancing. Further in the distance you can notice a typical house. The metal rods sticking out of the roof are a very common sight. Does it mean that all the houses are under construction? Well we have heard that in Egypt when your house is ready and has the final roof cover – you pay some tax for it, so most people pretend that they are going to build the next floors, thus avoiding the tax.
If you are wondering if I know this guy in the photo the answer is: No. He probably thought that I just pretend to photograph the view and that in fact I was trying to capture his hot girlfriend.

Cruising River Nile
It is a great idea for vacations. You have the same usually luxurious accommodation and every day you visit another beautiful place. The only problem which you may encounter is the fact that although the boats vary very much in the standard which they offer, there is no way to check in advance which boat you will get onto. All the boats have assigned either 4 or 5 stars yet it does not correspond to anything. We have for example paid extra for the 5 star ship and yet the standard was terrible and our travel company did not take any responsibility. The ship had formally 5 stars and I guess many years ago it was great indeed but it was probably not cleaned since. Not even vacuumed, and the toilets not cleaned... Long story... The travel company (Triada) told us that it is formally 5 star and they don’t care. Some people went to court afterward and they have won but we live abroad so it was too complex. In spite of terrible conditions we really enjoyed the time. The places visited were spectacular and the people were very kind.

baddori, nikkitta, lousat, SWEETFREEDOM, josepmarin, jhm, macjake, Sonata11, brianmcc, paololg, abmdsudi, rodgerg, Kofman, siolaw, vasilpro, danos, Angshu, ikeharel, ChrisJ, COSTANTINO ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

Critiques | Translate

baddori (20341) 2011-09-17 14:16

Mariusz
Comodo e piacevole viaggiare per il Nilo in questa navi da crociera .
Un mondo "turistico" che prosegue i privilegi coloniali ed "occidentali.
Ma le carrozze fanno costume e si integrano ...pur restando legate ad un'altro stile di vita .
GF

[2]

nikkitta (17070) 2011-09-17 14:25

Hola Mariusz

Great way to show such different worlds, from a cruise it always is easy
But you managed to obtain a great contrast with the line of the horse carriages waiting for the tourist and them...sunbathing

And yes, You are right about the non finishing houses, same was told to us

When I planed the trip to Egypt I learned that the distance from Luxor to Asouan is only 220 km, so I decided not to do a so touristic cruise, instead we take a taxi ( 40 dollars) and during a morning we visited Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo, arriving at the Old Cataract ( Assouan) for a late lunch

I noticed that you are missing the sun, am I right?
Happy to be the first to comment your original shot

Maria

emka (157280) 2011-09-17 14:55

Cześć, ja sięgnęłam ostatnio bardzo głęboko, bo do 1957 roku. Tu tylko cztery lata. Fajne zdjęcie, trochę lenistwa na pokładzie, a na zewnątrz super dorożki. No i te koszmarne sterczące druty. W Peru całe miasta są z tymi drutami. Okropieństwo.
Ja byłam w Egipcie wcześniej, jak dopiero się tam zaczynały wycieczki.I jeszcze wtedy wybrałam się na zorganizowana (przez Sigmę). Wybrałam wersję bez statku. I dobrze, bo na statku strasznie się wszyscy pochorowali i zamiast cieszyć się widokami, to czas spędzali wiadomo gdzie. Poza tym grupa miała strasznego pecha, bo nawet jedna osoba zmarła.
Z Triadą byłam w Portugalii, nie było źle, tylko oni zawsze nocują w okolicach czegoś, to znaczy zamiast w mieście, to gdzieś na zad... i nie ma się gdzie wieczorem wybrać na spacer. No i już z nimi nie jeżdżę.

Pozdrawiam

M.

lousat (138655) 2011-09-17 15:11

Hi Mariusz,very nice memory for me too,i made this beautiful cruise in 2009 and it's one of most confortable and interesting holiday in my life,very nice idea this composition whit the tourists on the boat and the egyptians sharks waiting to sell all it's possible...ehehe.....Have a nice Sunday and thanks,Luciano.

Budapestman (82620) 2011-09-17 15:28

HI Mariusz,
a suggestive photo with spectacular composition and expressive details, the POV is effective, superb lights and the depth of the photo is excellent likewise, Tfs! Have a nice evening! Kellemes estét kívánok!
György

giorgimer (35017) 2011-09-17 16:11

Hi,

I visited this place with a similar boat, you give the right idea of the situation here

TFS

G

delpeoples (60342) 2011-09-17 23:29

Hi Mariusz

Good to see you're posting again. And now we're on the Nile, it reminds me of the many Poirot stories I've read involving Egpyt and the Nile. Your title is very clever and the photo really looks like 2 photos in 1. I like how the two worlds are separated by the "fence". Clever composition, great job.

Have a good day and I hope you're celebrating Ireland's win against Australia last night in the rugby. I can imagine that Dublin would be crazy at the moment

SWEETFREEDOM (24623) 2011-09-18 0:53

Hi Mariusz,
a nice contrast of ''worlds''. interesting notes
regards
Alessandro

josepmarin (59385) 2011-09-18 4:18

Hi Mariusz,
the River Nile Cruise is a trip that I would like to do some day, though reading your note about the ships discourages me a bit.
I like this combination of relaxation in the top deck of the ship, with the people sunbathing, and the horse carriages waiting for the tourists for a small ride.
The perspective and the depth of the image are fantastic, and help to increase the graphical interest of this photo taken four years ago.
A good work.
Best regards,
Josep

jhm (211734) 2011-09-18 4:42

Witaj Mariusz,

Four year old but would can are a picture of yesterday.
Perfect two part image, lovely with the long row carriages to the right side..
Nice captured, nice composed too.
Very well done, TFS.

Warmest regards,
John.

macjake (98262) 2011-09-18 8:33

Hi Mariusz
first of all, excellent wright up!!
You answered my question precisely, as i wanted to know about the rooftops things to the right.
So interesting, the fact about the tax on the rooftops.
This is one of those photos where the eye is drawn to many areas of the frame, so much to see. the lighting looks harshly white, so i commend you on not overexposing.
I feel bad for the horses!
funny and interesting wright up, excellent quality too.
cheers
craig

Fis2 (169791) 2011-09-18 9:55

Witaj Mariusz!
Dobre reporterskie.
Bryczki sa super prawie jak krakowskie ;)
Pozdrawiam
Krzysztof

Sonata11 (34119) 2011-09-18 11:19

Witaj Mariusz,
bardzo ladne i ciekawe ujecie. Fajne miejsce na wypoczynek i super wygladajace dorozki czakajace w rzedzie cierpliwie na chetnych na przejazdzke. Bardzo podoba mi sie. Super zdjecie.
Serdecznmie pozdrawiam,
Barbara

brianmcc (6223) 2011-09-18 14:07

hi mariusz,
this is a very interesting picture with so much to view. it does indeed look like two worlds, with a modern 'space ship' observing life on another planet before landing. the railing in the middle of the frame divides the two worlds very well.
the man looking straight into the lens makes me think that i would not take a second shot until he looked away.
again you have included very detailed and interesting notes.
regards,
brian

paololg (31448) 2011-09-18 15:44

Ciao dear Mariusz,
beautiful and interesting image, full of contrasts, not just those of color, but also the contrasts of life, typical of countries like Egypt, where often the luxury contrasts with the poverty. About the comfort of local services, only the luck can decide ...
However your photo is perfect and pleasant, with the usual excellent sharpness. The only defect is that it can not possible to see well the girl that takes the sun! ;-)
Bravo!
Ciao, have a nice week!
Paolo

abmdsudi (95869) 2011-09-18 22:29

Hi Mariusz
Egypt must be such a wonderful place to be and this brings back wonderful memories and indeed transported back in time. Nice characterisation and very well composed of an interesting shot with good angle/ point of view. Like the way this is framed, the subdued colour of RH side sets off by the vibrant colours on LH side on board. And the seemingly randomness of the way the scene around on the riverside within the frame is about perfect and row of horse carts add something extra, a real blend of two diff worlds, fashions and cultures merge together. A magnificent view with an extensive details to enjoy on both sides of the coin. Great effort, Congrats
Best regards

Graal (103040) 2011-09-19 0:07

Czesc,
dwa swiaty, dobry tytul. Interesujace zderzenie dwoch stylow zycia,dla biednych i bogatszych. Fajny ten rzad dorozek w glebi. Dobry kadr.
Milego tygodnia zycze.
Aleksander

mauro61 (53411) 2011-09-19 0:16

ciao Mariusz,
immagine ricca di luce in cui spicca il contrasto tra i turisti che prendono il sole e la fila di carrozzelle.
Ben composta la scena,
saluti
maurizio

rodgerg (55767) 2011-09-19 2:21

Witaj Mariusz,

A title well selcetd for this original and efficience composition. The POV well selecetd show well the contrast between the two world. Duybble propsect effect nad great depht. The alignment of horses and cars give rythm and dynamism to the composition.
Have a nice week,
Roger

sandpiper (6788) 2011-09-19 4:09

Hi Mariusz

Yes, been there, done that. Its very strange to get off a luxury cruise ship and get in a horse and buggy. Still it was a great experience and I that I would do again, despite the constant hassel of being asked to tip this guy, tip that guy.
Good composition

Chris

siolaw (38294) 2011-09-19 7:00

Hi Mariusz
Yes, two worlds, and two strongly contrasting ones!
Good light and colour management, and sharp as well. Correct framing to convey your message!
Greetings
Laurent

sacimar (38173) 2011-09-19 8:17

Hello Mariusz,

interesting these two worlds, this is the both sides of tourism, good idea and result.. and for his face, the man was thinking what you say.... well done,

Best regards,

Sergio

vasilpro (41801) 2011-09-19 15:02

Hello Mariusz,
Wonderful composition from an excellent POV, very nice presentation of these two different worlds, beautiful colors, interesting view to the town along the river edge, TFS!
Have a nice evening, Vasilis.

danos (110407) 2011-09-20 8:15

Hello Mariusz,
i saw this scenery three years ago when i was there on the deck of one of the cruises.I like the contrast of the scene with the visitors to enjoy their passing by of the river and the natives to try some some money to live.

Regards,danos

Angshu (56760) 2011-09-20 8:27

Hello Mariusz
How are things going on with your hunt?
This is quite an interesting shot, a slice of daily life in a touristy place & something very different from your posts. We can see quite a few of these ships along the bank I think. I cannot blame the guy seemingly staring at you...having a hot girlfriend will definitely give him reason to suspect especially when an ace photographer lurks around! :-)
Best Regards
Angshu

ikeharel (112475) 2014-08-21 9:40

Wonderful contrast of the two subjects, mariusz.
The many chariots gave a special look to the place, and i think those carters knwo tourists like such rides and just 'parked" along the bank in hope of making a daily living with them.
Desert light in Egypt is usually strong, and managed beautifully on the image.
Good evening,
Ike

ChrisJ (171280) 2017-04-22 3:59

Hi Mariusz

I also went on a similar boat but never thought to take a contrasting scene like this. I also went to the Horus temple at Edfu by horse and cart. Didn't want to miss the boat coming back so I caught a taxi. Plus the horse and cart were supposed to be free but they wanted tips that exceeded the cost of the taxi! Well seen. Tfs!

COSTANTINO (115583) 2018-10-08 14:13

Hello dear friend and have a nice time
and a happy new day
I visited your gallery tonight
and I liked this photo divorsed
into parties the first one with
the tourists enjoying the sun and
the second one with the horse carriages
welldone
regards
Costantino