There were many wonders which Abel and his fellow Wayfarers saw during their tour of Egypt. In major cities like Memphis and Thebes, they saw the glory of Egyptian architecture. The Kingdom of Egypt was shining in all of its grandeur. Everyone always talks about the Pyramids and the Valley of the Kings. A lot of people overlook the Temples of the Ennead Gods, the walled gardens and public parks, the huge marketplaces, the restaurants, and more. The Wayfarers were wide-eyed as they took it all in.
The Wayfarers were there to take an honest assessment of Egypt's miliary and sociological structures, and they most certainly did that. The purpose of the trip was business, not pleasure. Along with Achieng, Jaleel and the others, Abel took note of the Egyptian military bases, the gendarmerie and their caserns, and of course, the encampments full of Assyrian military men. Ashurbanipal, ruler of Assyria and enemy of Nubia, didn't seem to fully trust his Egyptian allies. The man caused problems everywhere he went.
"Behold the wonders of Egypt," Achieng said to his companions. The Wayfarers sat inside Zekri's restaurant, an eatery located in Fazi neighborhood of southern Memphis. The City of Memphis, home to three hundred thousand souls, was the very heart of Egypt. Some claimed that Thebes was greater, but opinions varied on that subject. Merchants from far and wide came to Memphis to ply their trade. Egyptians of all stripes walked to and fro as they went about their daily business. The place was lively and seemed heady, decidedly a fun atmosphere.
"Wonders indeed," Jaleel remarked, and he smiled at a curvy Egyptian woman who walked by with a tray of food. Zekri's restaurant employed several female servers, and all of them wore skintight green tunics which hugged their curves. The woman in question served a trio of men who dined at a corner of Zekri's restaurant. Noticing that Jaleel was looking at her, the woman shot him a look. Emboldened, Jaleel looked ready to get up and go over to introduce himself to her, but Achieng stopped him.
"My young friend, we are here on business," Achieng reminded Jaleel, who shrugged. Like many Nubian men, Jaleel found the ladies of Egypt utterly fascinating. Abel concentrated on his plate of goat meat, brown rice, hummus and potatoes which he would wash with some maize beer. The local Egyptian concoction of maize beer was not as strong as its Nubian counterpart, but it was alright nonetheless.
"To Nubia," Abel said, raising his cup, and the others did the same. Abel clinked his cup against those of Achieng and Jaleel. The men toasted to the Kingdom of Nubia, and then drank heartily. Upon concluding their meals, they return to the inn. The owner, a matronly Egyptian woman named Tala, was thrilled to see the Nubian party returned. The inn had two dozen rooms, and the Wayfarers occupied most of them.
"Welcome back, gentlemen," said Tala, and Abel saluted her. The older woman's gaze lingered on the young man. Achieng wished the others goodnight. The men returned to their rooms, for Achieng had them under strict orders. Come nightfall, they were to rest and stay out of trouble. Relations between Nubians and Egyptians were still tense, even after the death of King Taharqa and the ascension of King Atlernasa to the throne of Nubia. Pharoah Psamtik ruled Egypt nowadays, but he was under the yoke of Ashurbanipal, ruler of Assyria. Yes, times were strange and it was best not to tempt fate.
An hour or so later, there was a discrete knock at Abel's door. Smiling, the young man rose from his bed and went to the door. The discrete knock was followed by a pause, one of three breaths, and then another knock. This was the signal on which they agreed. Abel opened the door while wearing only a loincloth. Even though the nights get steamy in Egypt, it wasn't quite loincloth weather. Oh well, for Abel's purposes, a loincloth would do just fine...
