Time swirls in the desert winds wherever we go. The age of one of history’s great empires is evident in the extraordinary temples, tombs, pyramids and art that have survived the millennia. The age of our fellow passengers: active boomers and retirees ticking off one of their lifelong dreams. The age of modern Egypt, where more than 50 per cent of the country’s 114 million inhabitants are under the age of 24, and the age of my children, taking their first steps into a world so unlike anything they know back in Canada. 

This is a Muslim world, with the call to prayer blasting from speakers on rocket-ship-like minarets five times a day. A Coptic Christian world too, with ancient churches protecting the relics of medieval saints. Cairo is its own unique world, with a metro population of 22 million, bustling in heat and smog and a sea of vehicles inexplicably flowing without traffic lights. The world of Egypt is one of spice and honey, flowing robes and carpets, unfinished buildings and crowded bazaars, all buttressing a famous river that sustains life for it all. We’re taking it in, wide-eyed with wonder and bewilderment, on a 12-day itinerary that promises to reveal at least some of the secrets of Egypt and the Nile.

At 72 metres long and 14 metres wide, the AmaLilia has 41 staterooms, a large sun deck with a swimming pool, two dining areas, a gym, library, gift shop, spa, and a spacious lounge bar. If you want a visual tour, my kids will gladly give you one. Dozens of passenger boats cruise up and down the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, and the AmaLilia is undoubtedly among the best. Sixty-five friendly crew serve 82 passengers, with delicious and expansive buffet breakfasts and lunches, and à la carte dinners in the main restaurant or specialty Chef’s Table.

On-shore activities usually occur in the morning, followed by lunch and time to relax on the sun deck, where the surprisingly lush Nile landscape passes us by. Rice paddies and fields of greens contrast the parched desert just beyond. Early evenings offer a Sip n’ Sail in the lounge, with entertainment including Nubian performers, a belly dancer, or live music to soundtrack the complimentary cocktails. Other than a couple from Edmonton, the week’s passengers are almost all from the U.S. Everyone I speak to apologizes instantly for the politics and voices their enthusiasm for Canada. It’s not difficult to make friends. More than a few guests tell me my kids have added a delightful energy to the trip. Travelling with young kids is often an exercise in inspiration and frustration, so my wife and I happily take the compliment. “Everyone wants to see what they’re seeing through their eyes,” says Annita, an energetic grandma from Texas who all but adopts my daughter.

South in the city of Aswan, we visit a Nubian village and take a traditional felucca ride. In Luxor, we learn about papyrus and receive a parchment with our name in hieroglyphics. My daughter somehow enjoys haggling with aggressive vendors; my son plays with the procured statues of gods as if they’re GI Joe figurines. Impacted by regional tension, every Egyptian pound we spend is gratefully received. “Please tell the world that Egypt is safe,” implores the AmaLilia’s hotel manager, George, a sentiment our guides echo.

We were nowhere near the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Hurghada when an accident with a tourist submarine made global news. It was a tragedy for those involved and a tragedy for an already distressed Egyptian tourism industry.